Setting out

Then Xiao Mo summoned his soul flame and heated the pill furnace, allowing the medicinal liquids within to be absorbed more quickly.

Like Xiao Yan, he was a transmigrator who had been reborn in this world, and his soul power far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

Under Yao Lao's guidance, he had grown increasingly adept at controlling the heat needed to form pills in the furnace and understanding the composition of each medicinal liquid.

Moments later, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted from the furnace. Seeing this, Xiao Mo decided to open it.

When the furnace opened, dozens of pills came into view. He swept his gaze over them; they were all of excellent quality, without a trace of impurities.

He picked up a pill and held it beneath his nose. It was still warm, its medicinal fragrance full and rich.

Once I refine a few more batches of pills, it'll be time to set out for Qingshan Town!

Xiao Mo put all the pills into porcelain bottles as the thought crossed his mind.

Familiar with the entire storyline of Battle Through the Heavens, he knew perfectly well that Qingshan Town was the first place Xiao Yan would reach after leaving the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yan would encounter Xiao Yi Xian and the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group there, and obtain a Flying Dou Technique.

Over the next few days, Xiao Mo was either refining pills or cultivating diligently.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of their departure finally arrived.

Outside the Xiao Clan's main gates, numerous clan members and elders, including the clan leader Xiao Zhan, had gathered to see Xiao Mo and Xiao Yan off.

Xiao Zhan looked at Xiao Yan before him and said, still reluctant to let him go, "You don't really need to go out into the world to train. You're already a student of Jia Nan Academy. The academy will surely give you plenty of cultivation resources!"

"If you cultivate at the academy, you may well be able to defeat Nalan Yanran of the Misty Cloud Sect three years from now!"

Xiao Yan first shook his head, then looked at Xiao Zhan across from him, his expression resolute.

"An eagle must take flight sooner or later, just as children must eventually leave the nest!"

"Father, don't worry. Three years from now, I will defeat Nalan Yanran. I won't bring shame upon our Xiao Clan!"

Hearing this, Xiao Zhan understood that he could not persuade him otherwise and could only let him leave.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ning and the others, who were already students of Jia Nan Academy, looked at Xiao Mo before them and said, "Xiao Mo, we'll be heading to Jia Nan Academy soon to register and begin cultivating!"

"When you come to register, if we fight again, I definitely won't lose to you!"

Xiao Mo knew Xiao Ning was still brooding over what had happened at the coming-of-age ceremony. He smiled and said, "Then let's have another match when the time comes and see who wins!"

With that, the two left the Xiao Clan and Wutan City beneath the watching gazes of their clansmen.

The journey from Wutan City to Qingshan Town took them through deserts, forests, and other terrain. To temper Xiao Yan, Yao Lao gave him an enormous black ruler.

It was called the Heavy Xuan Ruler, with a black-painted surface and a weight of several hundred jin.

When Xiao Yan first picked it up, he used every ounce of strength he had, and his body felt as though it was about to fall apart.

When he heard that he would have to carry the ruler on his back throughout the journey, he nearly burst into tears and even questioned whether Yao Lao was playing a trick on him.

Yao Lao merely said that three years could pass very quickly, and that carrying the ruler would improve his physical strength and movement speed.

Of course, if he did not want to carry it, that was another matter.

"Then I'd better keep carrying it!"

Yao Lao's goading worked just as intended. With a sigh, Xiao Yan hoisted the enormous black ruler onto his back and trudged through the desert alone.

Watching from beside him, Xiao Mo understood that Yao Lao had made Xiao Yan carry the enormous black ruler to temper his body and improve his movement speed.

Once Xiao Yan became proficient with the Heavy Xuan Ruler, Yao Lao would teach him a lower earth-tier Dou Technique, Flame Splitting Wave Ruler!

At full mastery, its power rivaled that of a Middle Earth-Tier Dou Technique. Of course, all that would have to wait until Xiao Yan became proficient with the Heavy Xuan Ruler.

Then Yao Lao turned to Xiao Mo and asked whether he needed one too. Xiao Mo immediately shook his head and refused; he would stick to refining pills for now.

He had a system, and there were plenty of ways for him to improve his strength quickly. He had no need to carry such an enormous ruler every day.

Besides, he thought the Heavy Xuan Ruler was too cumbersome. A spear would fit his hands much better.

After hearing this, Yao Lao said no more about it.

By the time the three finally reached Qingshan Town after their long trek through deserts and rainforests, two months had passed.

During that time, Xiao Yan had become thoroughly comfortable with the Heavy Xuan Ruler and could carry it on his back effortlessly.

His rigorous cultivation during that period had also raised him from a One-Star Dou Practitioner to a two-star Dou Practitioner.

Xiao Mo's overall strength remained at the level of a Three-Star Dou Practitioner.

When Xiao Yan entered Qingshan Town and walked along one of its streets with the enormous Heavy Xuan Ruler on his back, he drew attention.

The passing pedestrians began murmuring among themselves when they saw him.

"Is something wrong with that guy? Why is he walking around with such a huge ruler on his back?"

"That ruler must weigh several hundred jin, right?! What a weirdo!"

Not wanting to endure any more embarrassment, Xiao Yan promptly put the Heavy Xuan Ruler into his Storage Ring.

At that moment, Xiao Mo turned to Yao Lao, who was floating in midair, and asked what they should do next.

Yao Lao said directly, "Find yellow lotus essence. It's one of the main ingredients needed to refine the Yellow Lotus Pill!"

Puzzled, Xiao Yan asked, "Teacher, what do you need to refine a Yellow Lotus Pill for?"

Hearing this, Yao Lao glared at him, his beard bristling. "Who else would it be for but you!"

"You've cultivated the Flame Mantra, so sooner or later, you'll have to devour a heavenly flame. But do you think such a wondrous creation of heaven and earth is easy to refine?"

"The Flame Mantra alone isn't enough. Before refining a heavenly flame, you must take a Yellow Lotus Pill to protect your body from being devoured by it!"

Only then did Xiao Yan understand why Yao Lao was looking for yellow lotus essence. It was all in preparation for his future refinement of a heavenly flame.

"Wait, there's a trace of yellow lotus essence in this shop. Go inside and have a look!"

Yao Lao suddenly noticed the presence of yellow lotus essence in a shop ahead.

Hearing this, Xiao Mo hurriedly led Xiao Yan into the shop.

The two entered, and Xiao Yan in particular swept his gaze ahead, seeing all manner of medicinal ingredients covering the shop's counters.

There were ordinary medicinal ingredients as well as a few precious ones, a dazzling array that overwhelmed the eye.

Meanwhile, a shop assistant approached them. His face had initially been full of cheer, but when he saw Xiao Mo and Xiao Yan's plain clothing, he took them for poor country bumpkins at a glance.

His friendly expression vanished, and he asked, "What do you two customers need?"

Xiao Mo said directly, "Yellow lotus essence. How much yellow lotus essence do you have here?"

Although the assistant looked puzzled, he pointed toward a gap between the counters and said, "We have yellow lotus essence ranging from ten to thirty years old, about a hundred portions in total!"