In the quiet stone chamber, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged. In the void before him, a crimson Ganoderma lucidum with fibrous patterns resembling tree bark floated gently. A faint dark red flame enveloped the herb, sealing away the immense energy within it that was about to dissipate.
Looking at the Flame Lingzhi in front of him, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, his chest filled with complex emotions. After a long while, he finally made up his mind, opened his mouth, and a ball of dark red flame was spewed out. With a twist of his wrist, the flame, with a bright tail, instantly enveloped the Flame Lingzhi Mushroom in front of him. At the moment the temperature exploded, a pure and enormous strange energy suddenly burst forth.
Under Xiao Yan's control, the raging fire continuously raised the temperature, and the space inside the stone chamber quickly became dry.
The crimson trunk of the Flame Lingzhi Mushroom, under the scorching heat of the Heavenly Flames, became even deeper and richer in color. The moment it was ready for Xiao Yan to absorb the energy within it was the perfect time to do so.
"As expected of the Fire Banyan Clan's prized treasure, the Flame Lingzhi's resistance to flames is truly unmatched by ordinary medicinal herbs!"
In the blink of an eye, almost a day had passed. Xiao Yan looked at the Flame Lingzhi in front of him, which had not changed much, and couldn't help but speak in surprise.
Despite undergoing prolonged high-temperature refining, the wrinkles on the surface of the Flame Lingzhi are still clearly visible. Although the original reddish-brown color of the Lingzhi has almost turned black, overall, not much has changed.
It should be noted that with the combined power of several Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan could refine nearly a thousand kinds of high-grade medicinal herbs in just two or three days at most. However, this Flame Lingzhi, after being scorched by Heavenly Flames for a long time, only showed a change in its appearance and color. This is simply unimaginable.
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
Under Xiao Yan's relentless Origin Qi, sparing no effort, by the evening of the third day, the Flame Lingzhi had transformed into a jet-black exterior. Finally, amidst a cloud of black smoke, it gradually cracked open, the crisp cracking sound like exploding stone. As the outer shell fell away, it vanished into nothingness within the Heavenly Flames. Immediately afterward, a ball of extremely pure, pale yellow energy appeared before Xiao Yan.
"We finally succeeded!"
Seeing the nearly broken Flame Lingzhi before him, Xiao Yan was overjoyed, but he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. As the flames faded, it became clear that Xiao Yan's face was slightly pale, showing that he had given his all to refining the Flame Lingzhi over the past three days.
With a gentle touch of his finger on the pale yellow energy ball, a refreshing and warm sensation immediately washed over Xiao Yan's mind. The strange feeling instantly brightened Xiao Yan's pale complexion. He couldn't help but praise it in his heart. Without further hesitation, Xiao Yan opened his mouth, and a suction force surged out, swallowing the energy ball into his stomach in one gulp.
The energy sank down into his stomach, reaching his lower abdomen. Then, a warm and gentle energy spread rapidly throughout his body, reaching his very soul. The feeling of complete comfort made Xiao Yan almost want to roar to the sky.
"Drink!"
A loud shout, mixed with a powerful energy aura, echoed continuously in the secret chamber. Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly with comfort under the replenishment of this energy. It wasn't until quite a while that everything gradually calmed down, and the absorption of the Flame Lingzhi Mushroom was finally on the right track.
One month later.
Xiao Yan closed his eyes and concentrated, his mind sinking into his sea of consciousness and merging into the Soul Bead. A pure, milky-white Soul Origin appeared in his mind.
Observing the Soul Origin that seemed unchanged from before, Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback. In the past month, the refining and absorption process of the Flame Lingzhi had already ended. Xiao Yan's body had become a little stronger under the nourishment of energy, and his Spiritual Strength had indeed improved. However, the Soul Origin and the so-called Origin Body did not seem to have any clear manifestation.
Of course, as for the legendary claim that the Soul Origin remains unharmed and indestructible unless one is on the verge of death, Xiao Yan was certainly not foolish enough to want to experience that.
However, with the enhancement of Spiritual Strength from the Flame Lingzhi during the subsequent alchemy process, the process became much smoother. Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Yan's success rate in refining high-grade seventh-order pills was increasing.
While Xiao Yan focused on improving his alchemy skills, the most outstanding young members of the Xiao Clan also left the clan one after another to gain experience in various places. Although the relationship between the Xiao Clan and the Bai Clan is becoming increasingly tense, the younger generation is unwilling to watch Xiao Yan continue to grow while they themselves remain stagnant. Moreover, even for the sake of the conflict between the clan and the Bai Clan, improving their strength is necessary for them.
On the other hand, Xiao Dingtian, Xiao Qian, Xiao Jinghong and others who used to hold high positions have fallen into silence. Now they have lost their power in the clan and can only live quietly in the back mountains as ordinary elders. The Xiao Clan is no longer a place they can interfere in.
In Tianyang City, the An Clan, relying on the power granted by Xiao Xuan, has made rapid progress and gained increasing prestige and fame under the Xiao Clan.
On the contrary, the Zhao Clan of Liyang City, without the support of the three leaders and with the rift between Zhao Jin and Xiao Yan, has lost Zhao Clan power. Now, they quietly huddle in Liyang City, with very little information about them from the outside world...
The cyan-gold medicine cauldron stood tall in the dimly lit stone chamber, its weighty presence resembling a majestic mountain peak, making the atmosphere in the entire chamber somewhat somber.
Before this medicine cauldron, at this very moment, Xiao Yan was holding a scroll. As he slowly unfurled it, the shimmering golden text came into view.
" Earth Spirit Tempering Fire Pill, high-grade seventh rank. It has a certain chance of helping Yuan Zong expert break through to the next level. For alchemists, it has an even greater chance of tempering their own flames, making the flames even more powerful. This pill requires 467 kinds of medicinal materials to make. The main ingredient... is the Fire Banyan Branch."
As Xiao Yan read the various descriptions of the pills on the scroll, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. However, upon noticing that the main ingredient was Fire Banyan Branch, a smile gradually appeared on his lips. Currently, all the Fire Banyan Branch in the Flowing Fire Plain were in his hands. Fortunately, the pill formula was in his possession. If it were someone else, they would probably be willing but unable to do it.
A flurry of thoughts flashed through Xiao Yan's mind. He immediately put away the pill formula, flicked his finger, and a raging Heavenly Flames rose up inside the medicine cauldron. Then, with another flick of his finger, rays of light flew up and transformed into rare medicinal herbs, which, under the control of his Spiritual Strength, were thrown into the Luo Heavenly Cauldron.