Energy-Gathering Pill

"Little Yanzi, stay here and cultivate for the time being," Yao Lao said.

Xiao Yan nodded, but he had not forgotten the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map, either.

If all else fails, I'll still have to find Xiao Yi Xian.

In the original story, Xiao Yi Xian should know where the cave dwelling is.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since Xiao Yan arrived in the little valley.

Over those three months, Xiao Yan had taken all his remaining Jade Marrow Golden Body Pills and perfectly absorbed their energy.

With the help of the Jade Marrow Golden Body Pills, his Hundred-Forged Golden Sun Body had now reached perfection.

When he unleashed it at full strength, even an ordinary Dou Ling would have to put in some effort to break through his defenses.

His cultivation had not fallen behind, either. In just three months, he had advanced another four stages of Dou Qi.

Unfortunately, the quality of his Dou Qi was simply too poor. Even with his cultivation at the forty-second stage of Dou Qi, he could only barely rival a Three-Star Dou Shi.

That's fucking ridiculous!

On average, it took four or five stages of Dou Qi to match a single minor realm of a Dou Shi, and that gap would only grow wider.

A sense of urgency could not help rising in Xiao Yan's heart.

This can't go on!

Watching from the side, Yao Lao saw that Xiao Yan's face held none of the joy of a breakthrough, only heaviness. He immediately guessed what was on his mind.

He patted Xiao Yan's shoulder and encouraged him. "Little Yanzi, just focus on cultivating diligently. Leave the rest to your master.

"Your teacher... is the continent's number one Alchemist, renowned throughout the world!"

So what if his stage-level Dou Qi is lower in quality than a Dou Shi's Dou Qi?

If five stages can't match one star of yours, then fifty, five hundred, five thousand!

If all else fails, I'll simply have him eat pills like candy. How could his cultivation possibly fail to rise?

Although Xiao Yan had no opportunity to take pills that advanced Dou Qi realms, such as the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, or the Dou Ling Pill, Yao Lao had another answer.

He was already developing pills that could raise Xiao Yan's stage-level Dou Qi.

That was the golden reputation of the continent's number one Alchemist!

Warmth filled Xiao Yan's heart, and an unyielding light flared in his eyes.

"Teacher, don't worry. My heart isn't that fragile."

"Hahaha! That's more like a disciple of mine, Yao Chen! Come, let your master teach you another Dou Technique."

Yao Lao gave a long, gratified laugh and tossed a dark red scroll to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan caught the scroll and opened it. The Dou Technique was called-Flame Splitting Wave Ruler!

"Little Yanzi, this is a Low Earth Tier Dou Technique, Flame Splitting Wave Ruler. Once you cultivate it to its peak, you can cleave mountains and sever waves with a mere gesture. Fighting above your level will be child's play."

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Xiao Yan had been worrying that he lacked offensive methods. He had never expected Yao Lao to hand him such a devastating move.

Yao Lao smiled calmly and returned to his pill research.

A truly accomplished Alchemist Grandmaster always knew how to prescribe the right remedy for the ailment.

Another month passed like this. While Xiao Yan was practicing Flame Splitting Wave Ruler, he suddenly heard Yao Lao's booming laughter.

"Hahahaha! It worked!"

Hearing him, Xiao Yan stopped what he was doing and turned his gaze toward Yao Lao a short distance away.

Yao Lao beckoned with his left hand, and bone spirit cold flame surged up from his palm.

With another beckoning motion of his right hand, medicinal herbs circled him as though they had come alive, then entered the bone spirit cold flame in sequence.

In mere moments, the herbs melted into blobs of red and green liquid.

Then Yao Lao added a Second-Tier Wood-Type Magic Core to the bone spirit cold flame.

After half an hour of refining, the magic core also turned into a blob of liquid containing pure energy.

Yao Lao's lips parted slightly, and he calmly and confidently uttered a single word.

"Condense!"

The next instant, the various liquids within the bone spirit cold flame gathered together and condensed into a brown pill.

Xiao Yan immediately ran over. Looking at the brown pill in Yao Lao's hand, he asked curiously, "Teacher, is this the pill that can increase my strength?"

There were no pills on the continent that could grant breakthroughs in stage-level Dou Qi. Even the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid created by Yao Lao could only aid cultivation and accelerate Dou Qi absorption.

Looking thoroughly triumphant, Yao Lao said, "That's right. Your master has named this pill the Energy-Gathering Pill.

"The principle behind the Energy-Gathering Pill is similar to that of other pills that increase Dou Qi, but it's even purer.

"It's the simplest possible concentration of energy. Its primary ingredient isn't medicinal herbs, but the magic cores of magical beasts.

"So as long as you have magic cores, your master can refine enough Energy-Gathering Pills for you to eat like candy."

Xiao Yan took the Energy-Gathering Pill from Yao Lao.

At that moment, he could almost feel the yearning coming from his body, but he still had a question.

"Teacher, won't I develop resistance to Energy-Gathering Pills?"

Everyone knew that pills capable of granting breakthroughs caused drug resistance, such as the Dou Ling Pill, the Emperor's Extreme Pill, and others.

Why was the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill so popular?

Precisely because one could take two in succession before developing resistance.

Yao Lao smiled composedly. "Your master already told you. These pills are nothing more than compressed concentrations of energy. Where would drug resistance come from?

"Did you think I added those herbs just to make them look pretty?

"No. Their only purpose is to neutralize every impurity in the magic core apart from its energy, including its violent properties.

"So you're not the only one who can use Energy-Gathering Pills. Anyone can take them.

"You're simply the most unusual case!"

Xiao Yan asked curiously, "Why is that?"

"Because forcibly raising your realm with pills can leave your Dou Qi unstable, and taking too many pills makes it easier to encounter bottlenecks.

"But you're different. Stage-level Dou Qi is merely a means for you to temper your body, not your foundation.

"Moreover, your master has discovered that bottlenecks don't seem to exist for you. As long as you have enough energy, you can break through.

"In other words, there's no upper limit to your cultivation realm!"

At this point, two sharp gleams suddenly blazed in Yao Lao's eyes.

In Xiao Yan, he seemed to see boundless hope.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan recalled a novel he had read in his previous life.

Xu Yang from One Hundred Thousand Years of Qi Refining!

The difference was that Hun Tiandi would never give him that much time to cultivate.

Thus, to Xiao Yan, the Energy-Gathering Pill Yao Lao had created undoubtedly gave him another measure of confidence to face Hun Tiandi in the future.

When the time comes, who cares what Heavenly Emperor he is? I'll suppress him with a single punch.

With that, Xiao Yan bowed deeply to Yao Lao.

He knew full well that without the old man before him, he could never have come this far.

Yao Lao gladly accepted Xiao Yan's bow, his eyes filled with gratification.

He saw sincerity in Xiao Yan's expression.

It strengthened his faith in his own judgment even further.

Little Yanzi was certainly no ungrateful, rebellious disciple like Han Feng, who betrayed his teacher and trampled on his lineage.

He looked forward to the day Xiao Yan stood at the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent.