Three Years

Time flew like a white steed flashing past a crack in the wall.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

After Chen Xuan and Queen Medusa discussed devouring the Heavenly Flame that day, they made a decision together.

They would first enter seclusion and strengthen themselves.

Queen Medusa's own strength was only at the Nine-Star Dou Emperor level, still far from the peak.

That strength was not enough to directly absorb the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Only once she reached Peak Dou Emperor could she devour the Green Lotus Core Flame and make a stable breakthrough to Dou Zong.

Thanks to the system, Medusa's own strength grew every day. Combined with their cultivation speed, in just three short years, they had already reached the late Nine-Star Dou Emperor stage.

A side chamber of the Snake-People Tribe's Sacred Hall.

During those three years, Chen Xuan had not merely grown stronger. He had also constantly practiced his Heaven-Rank Dou Technique, the Heavenly Dao Halberd Technique, until he could finally wield it with proficiency.

Over those three years, Chen Xuan had also obtained quite a few things from the check-in system's mystery gift packs.

At that moment, Chen Xuan was frowning at a book in his hands, looking rather troubled.

Before him stood a pitch-black Medicine Cauldron engraved with enormous serpents. The serpents were so lifelike, their great jaws gaping, that they seemed ready to swallow someone in an instant. Listening closely, one could even seem to hear strange roars...

The Snake King Cauldron.

An advanced Earth-rank Medicine Cauldron.

Chen Xuan had obtained it through the monthly mystery check-ins, as he had the book in his hands, the Fire-Refining Yao Dan Method.

The Fire-Refining Yao Dan Method was a legacy left by a Ninth-Grade Alchemy Master, recording the insights he had gained over a lifetime of refining pills.

Having obtained such an alchemy method and Medicine Cauldron, Chen Xuan naturally would not let them go to waste. Two years earlier, he had embarked on his path to becoming an alchemy master.

"The Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, a peak fourth-grade pill, allows a Da Dou Shi to advance by one star. Only two may be taken in a lifetime; any more will have no effect."

Over those two years, Chen Xuan had spent untold sums buying countless medicinal ingredients as he began his journey in alchemy.

He had started by refining ungraded pills, then moved on to First-grade Pills, second-grade, third-grade, and finally fourth-grade pills.

By now, Chen Xuan was a Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master in every sense of the title.

But what he was about to refine now was a peak fourth-grade pill, the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill.

Its medicinal power was potent enough to allow a Da Dou Shi to advance by one star.

The significance of such a pill was immense!

If Chen Xuan could refine this peak fourth-grade pill, it would greatly strengthen the Snake-People Tribe.

In many cities throughout the Jia Ma Empire, Da Dou Shi were already the strongest fighters, and the Snake-People Tribe was no exception. Apart from a handful of Dou Ling experts, Da Dou Shi formed the mainstay of the tribe's fighting strength.

Once he could refine the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, the strength of the Snake-People Tribe's fighters would likely rise dramatically.

"Good heavens!"

"I had ten sets of ingredients, and now only one is left."

Looking at the alchemy instructions in his hands, Chen Xuan could not help sighing helplessly.

Even with the finest alchemy instructions, successfully refining a pill was no easy task. After all, no one was guiding him step by step, leaving him uncertain about many flame-control techniques and the precise timing required for pill refinement.

At that moment, Chen Xuan could not help envying that walking cheat, Xiao Yan.

Good grief, he had started out with a top-tier alchemy master attached to him, who even taught him everything step by step.

Even a master teaching an apprentice would hold back a few tricks!

Otherwise, the master would starve while the apprentice stuffed himself until he burst.

"Chen Xuan, relax."

"It's all right even if you fail."

Suddenly, Queen Medusa's gentle voice sounded in Chen Xuan's mind.

After three years of adjusting to one another, Queen Medusa and Chen Xuan naturally understood each other very well.

Queen Medusa's attitude toward Chen Xuan had grown increasingly gentle, unlike her peerless domineering manner at the beginning. Although Her Majesty still occasionally showed her proud, prickly side, she was much better than she had been three years earlier.

After all, Queen Medusa had personally witnessed the growth of a Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master!

From blowing up the cauldron countless times while refining even first-grade pills to handling fourth-grade pills with effortless ease, he had taken only two years!

Just two years!

For the Snake-People Tribe, whose lifespans stretched over hundreds of years, two years passed in no time.

Yet in those two years, Chen Xuan had gone straight from someone who knew nothing whatsoever about alchemy to a Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master.

Over those two years, aside from practicing the Heavenly Dao Halberd Technique, he had spent his time studying alchemy.

In just two short years, he had not only mastered and successfully refined First-grade Pills such as Rejuvenation Powder, Qi-Replenishing Pill, and Spring-Returning Pill, but had also refined countless second-, third-, and fourth-grade pills.

It was no exaggeration to say that Chen Xuan was now even better than some Fourth-Grade Advanced Alchemists in the outside world.

Much of that was thanks to the Fire-Refining Yao Dan Method in his hands. Its explanations of how to refine various pills were extraordinarily detailed. Even without anyone guiding him, Chen Xuan could produce them by tracing the gourd from its outline.

But even with this alchemy method, success had only come through countless hardships and tireless effort.

In alchemy, the higher the grade of the pill, the harder it was to refine.

Inside the side chamber, Chen Xuan seemed not to have heard Medusa at all, carefully examining the details of pill refinement in the book.

Before him lay nine defective batches from failed refinement attempts.

"Refining the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill requires Soul-Piercing Leaf, a Fourth-Tier Fire Magic Core, and a Fourth-Tier Wood Magic Core. The gentle medicinal properties of the Soul-Piercing Leaf and the wood-attribute power of the wood magic core must be used to neutralize the fierce energy of the fire magic core. Then, the flame must thoroughly break down their energies before fusing them perfectly."

"This demands an extremely high degree of control over the heat and requires..."

Only after studying for a long while did Chen Xuan let out a soft breath. His gaze settled on the last set of medicinal ingredients on the table before him, a trace of solemnity in his eyes.

The ingredients for this fourth-grade pill were not easy to find!

Fourth-tier magic cores were manageable, but Soul-Piercing Leaf was harder to locate. Over the past two years, Chen Xuan had only been able to obtain his pill-refining ingredients so smoothly because the Jia Ma Imperial Family had helped gather them.

Otherwise, finding so many medicinal ingredients with the Snake-People Tribe's resources would have been harder than climbing to heaven.

But even the Jia Ma Empire needed time to find Soul-Piercing Leaf.

Becoming an alchemy master required endless financial backing. Resources alone were not enough, either; talent, alchemy techniques, and a good teacher were all virtually indispensable.

"Chen Xuan, take a break first!"

"You've practically exhausted your soul power today. If you keep this up, something could go wrong!"

Seeing Chen Xuan's solemn expression, Queen Medusa spoke again.

"Sorry for making you worry. This peak fourth-grade pill really is rather difficult!"

Chen Xuan could not help giving a bitter laugh as he shook his head slightly.

Becoming a fourth-grade alchemist in two years was already an extraordinarily unbelievable feat.

But Chen Xuan was not satisfied with that. He wanted to advance toward becoming a top-tier alchemist.