Using Fire as a Cauldron

Everyone in the square stared fixedly at the seven-colored fire dragon in the sky, their eyes filled with shock and greed.

Heavenly Flames were legendary spiritual wonders of heaven and earth.

Only one was born in a thousand years.

They could be encountered, but not sought.

No one had expected to see a real Heavenly Flame with their own eyes here today.

Lin Fei covered her little mouth, her face full of disbelief. "He actually has a Heavenly Flame. How is that possible?"

Seeing this, Xue Mei's expression grew grave, and she said in a low voice, "Have you forgotten what our masters said? When this child first arrived, he had ten Fifth-Order Magical Beasts following him."

Frank and Otto were also shocked for a moment, but they quickly recovered.

Otto shook his head. "Seven colors, shaped like a dragon, and carrying an extreme chill. What kind of Heavenly Flame is this?"

Frank frowned in thought. "I once heard Gu He of the Misty Cloud Sect mention some things about the Heavenly Flames on the continent."

"Among them, the best known is the widely circulated Heavenly Flame Ranking."

"Perhaps this is Bone Spirit Cold Flame, ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking..."

"No, Bone Spirit Cold Flame is a ghastly white. It doesn't match the seven colors..."

But after carefully sensing its Qi, Frank quickly calmed down and shook his head in denial:

"No, this isn't a Heavenly Flame. It should be an extremely unusual mutated Beast Flame. Although it hasn't reached that level, it's already extremely close."

After pondering for a while, Otto agreed:

"Indeed. Although the temperature of this flame is extremely high, it's nowhere near enough to destroy heaven and earth."

As a fourth-tier alchemist of the empire, he had once observed the Jia Ma Imperial Family's Sixth-Rank Beast Flame, Azure Water Flame.

Even so, Otto still believed Xiao Yan's flame was a cut above it.

"The flame in Xiao Yan's hands has probably already mutated."

"Its power may have long surpassed the fifth tier, perhaps even the sixth tier."

"Or perhaps it might even be a seventh-tier Beast Flame..."

At this thought, the two recalled the scene when Xiao Yan first arrived, and a wave of lingering fear swept over them.

He had ten Dou Wang-level Magical Beasts guarding him, possessed such a terrifying Beast Flame, and had reached Seven-Star Dou Zhe at fourteen...

Such a genius was truly terrifying!

Hearing the conversation between the two highly respected alchemists on the platform, the crowd's excitement gradually subsided.

The light in their eyes quietly dimmed, replaced by deep awe.

Although this flame was not a Heavenly Flame, it was enough to prove how extraordinary Xiao Yan was.

Just then, Xiao Yan opened the pill formula and glanced at it, and a helpless smile appeared on his face.

It seemed that fate really did have a way of bringing things together in this world. He had not expected that, after living another life and taking the first-tier alchemist examination again, he would draw the formula for the "Power Accumulation Pill" once more.

The Power Accumulation Pill ranked in the middle among first-tier pills. Once a Dou Zhe took it, their strength would briefly double for ten minutes.

It was fairly difficult for a newcomer to refine, but in Xiao Yan's eyes, it was as easy as turning over his hand.

"Forget it. I'll let nature take its course!"

Xiao Yan sighed softly and turned his gaze to the two-dragon-headed medicinal cauldron beside him.

He gave a derisive laugh and pushed the medicinal cauldron aside with a backhand. He clenched his hand, and the fire dragon immediately changed shape, transforming into an exquisite fire cauldron with nine dragon heads.

Flames rose inside the cauldron in brilliant colors, clouds and mist wreathed its surroundings, and it was engraved with lifelike totems of dozens of powerful Magical Beasts, giving it an extraordinary presence.

"Using Fire as a Cauldron-!"

At the sight, the pupils of nearly every alchemist present contracted for a moment. Their attention fixed on the fire cauldron in the young man's hands, and they could not help drawing a sharp breath.

Among them were quite a few young alchemists who had traveled from the imperial capital to train, and they were naturally well-informed.

At the Alchemist Guild headquarters in the imperial capital,

the fifth-tier alchemist and guild president, Fa Ma, had once told a story in class.

It was said that in his youth, he had met a mysterious alchemist wandering the continent.

That alchemist had also possessed a Heavenly Flame filled with icy cold Qi, and had likewise been able to use fire as a cauldron.

President Fa Ma had said that he had only watched that person refine medicine up close once and received his guidance once...

As a result, through his own efforts, he had reached the heights he had attained today.

That refining session had also been President Fa Ma's first exposure to the concept of Using Fire as a Cauldron.

Using Fire as a Cauldron was not as simple as a Dou Ling condensing Dou Qi into an object.

It was an extremely intricate fire-control technique that could truly forge flames into a medicinal cauldron with special properties, thereby increasing the chance of successfully forming a pill.

Even someone as powerful as Gu He of the Misty Cloud Sect had never mastered this technique and still needed the aid of a medicinal cauldron to refine pills.

And now, they had actually seen a Dou Zhe use this technique.

Lin Fei and Xue Mei's beautiful eyes lit up, and they thought in astonishment:

Using Fire as a Cauldron-isn't that a legendary realm? How did he do it?

Frank's mouth fell open wide enough to fit an apple. Only with great difficulty did he use his hand to set it straight, then said in disbelief:

"I'm completely convinced now that he can take the Third-Tier Alchemist examination. Forget the third tier; if his cultivation were sufficient, I feel it would be only natural for him to take the fourth- and fifth-tier examinations too."

Otto's hand paused as he held his teacup. Then he suddenly crushed it, rose angrily to his feet, and said in a low voice:

"This is simply unbelievable. He's mastered a technique even Gu He hasn't, and at such a young age. I'm afraid his future achievements will far surpass those of a sixth-tier alchemist."

They were not the only ones to react strongly. Even Yao Lao, inside the Storage Ring, was deeply shocked.

He too could casually produce a cauldron using fire.

Quite a few of the alchemists he knew could do it as well.

But he had never heard of anyone capable of completing this feat while still a Dou Zhe.

As everyone knew, when alchemists refined pills, the aid of a powerful medicinal cauldron could increase their chances of success.

A medicinal cauldron created using fire was almost as good as some of the powerful medicinal cauldrons on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking, and might even surpass them.

As a result, the medicinal cauldrons on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking were not as attractive to powerful alchemists as Heavenly Flames.

At that moment, Yao Lao recalled Xiao Yan's arrogant words from before and could not help laughing. "You brat, I didn't expect you really to be a genius..."

Only a week had passed since their first meeting.

Yet in that short week, Yao Lao had been shocked several times.

First, Xiao Yan had proposed a way to improve the Flame Mantra, then he had created his own Dou Technique.

After that, he had instantly comprehended Eight Levels Collapse and Flame Splitting Wave Ruler.

Even when it came to refining medicine, Xiao Yan understood it as soon as he learned it.

And now, on top of all that, there was Using Fire as a Cauldron...

Yao Lao truly could not imagine what heights this boy would reach in the future.

Dou Di? No, he should go even higher!

And he's my disciple, Yao Chen's disciple!

With these thoughts in mind, Yao Lao smiled with satisfaction.

"Little fellow, let your master see just how far you can go in the future!"

Yao Lao murmured to himself, a smile playing on his lips.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan continued refining the medicine.

With a flick of his fingers, he turned fire into threads and wrapped them around the medicinal ingredients, then tossed them all into the fire cauldron to be heated.

Immediately afterward, a faint square Dou Qi barrier emerged around the stone platform, enclosing the young man and shielding him from outside interference.

Xiao Yan closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his body, controlling the flow of Dou Qi.

Moo-woo-!

Dragon cries rang out from the fire cauldron as colorful light blazed. The medicinal ingredients tumbled in the sea of fire, gradually melting.

On the other side, an uproar swept through the spectators. None of them could make sense of Xiao Yan's pill-refining method.

"He put all the medicinal ingredients into the cauldron at once. Has this kid gone mad?"

"Every medicinal ingredient requires a different refining time. With him acting so recklessly, he's sure to fail!"

"Just as I said, how could he possibly pass the alchemist examination? One look and you can tell he's an amateur."

"Brother, he can use fire as a cauldron. Do you really think he's an amateur?"

The surrounding alchemists whispered among themselves. Some scoffed at Xiao Yan's actions, but more chose to wait and see.

The same was true of Xue Mei and Lin Fei.

By now, they had put aside their earlier disdain and replaced it with a serious attitude, watching and learning attentively.

Xiao Yan's actions just now had been astonishing enough. Even if he failed, no one would laugh at him for it, and no one was qualified to.

A quarter of an hour later, the flames suddenly stopped, and the scorching heat dissipated with them.

The Dou Qi barrier vanished, and the young man's voice slowly came from within. In an easy, composed tone, he said, "The refining is finished!"

As his words fell, the fire cauldron disappeared, and a perfectly round pill, crystal clear like colored glass, slowly dropped into Xiao Yan's palm.

Xiao Yan opened his hand, revealing the Power Accumulation Pill to everyone. The alchemists watching around him all held their breath, staring at the pill without blinking, their hearts full of questions.

Only a quarter of an hour... How did he do it?