Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Refining the Ground Spirit Pill

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    Word Count: 2,213 Words

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    Xiao Yan hadn''t originally planned to don the robe, but as dusk approached and the air grew chilly, he found himself in need of an outer garment to prevent catching a cold.

    When everyone saw Xiao Yan take out the 5th-tier alchemist robe and put it on, all doubts vanished instantly.

    Possessing a Heavenly Flame and being a 5th-tier alchemist, he clearly had the qualifications necessary to refine a low-grade tier 5 Dragon Strength Pill. Everyone felt relieved and finally understood.@@@@

    This was clearly a trap set by Xiao Yan!

    "No wonder. This Xiao Yan not only possesses a Heavenly Flame but is also a 5th-tier alchemist. No wonder he''s so formidable."

    "Exactly! He has a Heavenly Flame!"

    "Heavenly Flames are truly incredible."

    All the alchemists present knew about Heavenly Flames. They knew that Heavenly Flames were the kings among flames and had all heard the saying: ''When a Heavenly Flame appears, all other flames submit.''

    But none of them had ever seen an alchemist who possessed a Heavenly Flame, let alone witnessed someone using it to refine pills. They weren''t clear on exactly how a Heavenly Flame benefited an alchemist; they just knew it must provide significant advantages. So they attributed everything to the power of the Heavenly Flame.

    Xiao Yan didn''t mind how others viewed it. Whether it was the Heavenly Flame or his powerful Spiritual Strength, these were all his own, part of his strength.

    Han Xian''s face turned pale as he stared at Xiao Yan with hollow eyes. He had no excuses; this was an absolute suppression of strength.

    Xiao Yan shrugged and said, "There are always mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people. Of all the alchemists I''ve met, you''re actually one of the most talented."

    Among the numerous alchemists he had encountered, perhaps only the Little Princess could refine a tier 5 pill by the age of twenty-five, while Yao Li might be comparable to Han Xian. In terms of talent among alchemists of the same generation, Han Xian could indeed rank in the top three of those Xiao Yan had met.

    "Well said. There are always higher mountains and people beyond people," Han Xian said, letting out a bitter laugh as he shook his head wryly.

    "Xiao Yan, you indeed have the ability. Today, I, Han Xian, accept my defeat wholeheartedly. However, the Medicine Gang doesn''t belong to me alone. I, Han Xian, will withdraw from the Medicine Gang and join your Xiao Hall, but I cannot command its members," Han Xian stood up and said solemnly.

    He had already decided that if he truly lost, he would bear the consequences alone. He would join the Xiao Hall and help them refine pills until he graduated from the Inner Academy.

    Xiao Yan smiled as he patted Han Xian''s shoulder and said, "As the gang leader, how can you hog all the benefits for yourself?"

    "Uh?" Han Xian was completely baffled, not understanding why he said this.

    Xiao Yan turned to face the members of the Medicine Gang, waved his sleeve, and said loudly, "To all Medicine Gang members, those who follow Han Xian and merge into my Xiao Hall will not only be able to learn the pill recipes for the Qi Returning Pill and the Minor Blood Recovering Pill, but once you reach tier 4, I, Xiao Yan, will personally teach you how to refine the Marrow Washing Ice Spirit Liquid."

    Everyone was momentarily puzzled, not immediately reacting to Xiao Yan''s words.

    Han Xian was the first to react and asked in astonishment, "You''re willing to teach us alchemy?!"

    The expressions of all the Medicine Gang members immediately changed. A 5th-tier Grandmaster personally teaching alchemy! For a moment, they began discussing excitedly among themselves. They had all witnessed Xiao Yan''s formidable alchemy skills, and if they could receive his guidance, their own alchemy skills would surely improve!

    "That doesn''t sound bad at all."

    "Yeah! Even if we merge into the Xiao Hall, improving our alchemy skills before graduation is worth it. The profits from refining pills can be considered as tuition fees."

    "Most importantly, we can learn three types of pill recipes that are not low level and witness Grandmaster Xiao Yan using a Heavenly Flame to refine pills up close!"

    "Watching alchemy performed with a Heavenly Flame is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Xiao Yan looked at Han Xian and said, "Go back and tally up the numbers. I believe quite a few will be willing to follow you. Moreover, my Xiao Hall isn''t a black-hearted organization. We won''t strip you of all your alchemy profits; we''ll only charge a small patent fee for the pill recipes."

    Discussions erupted among the Inner Academy students in the plaza. They all understood that Xiao Yan''s tactic of employing both carrot and stick would definitely be effective. After all, the Medicine Gang had originally united due to Han Xian''s exceptional alchemy skills, as following him meant gaining the opportunity to learn from him.

    By the end, his voice had lowered considerably, but judging from his tightly clenched fist, one could imagine the anger and hatred in his heart.

    --

    Time passed swiftly, and another two months went by.

    During these two months, Xiao Yan naturally no longer needed to worry about Fire Energy

    after absorbing the Medicine Gang. He spent twenty days each month in the No. 1 cultivation

    room.

    In addition to improving his own cultivation, he also assisted Medusa in condensing her physical body, accelerating the process as much as possible.

    However, after reaching the 7-star Dou Spirit stage, Xiao Yan clearly felt that even the speed boost provided by the No. 1 cultivation room had significantly slowed down. Therefore, he focused intensely on refining pills during the remaining time and successfully

    integrated himself into the ranks of the elders. Under the pretext of helping to refine tier 5 pills, he acquired large quantities of main ingredients for tier 6 pills. Alchemists capable of refining tier 5 pills were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns

    in the Inner Academy. They seldom refined pills for others. But now, Xiao Yan was ''doing good for the people.'' As long as they provided tier 6 medicinal ingredients, he would help refine tier 5 pills and even use a Heavenly Flame to do so. Moreover, his success rate and the quality of the pills were exceptionally high.

    This attracted even Dou Kings from the Black-Corner Region who were willing to pay hefty

    prices to request his alchemy services.

    Xiao Yan began to improve his alchemy skills using the tier 6 medicinal ingredients he

    obtained from refining pills, creating a beneficial cycle.

    After spending over a month focusing solely on alchemy, Xiao Yan had truly reached the level

    of a low-grade 6th-tier alchemist. He could now refine low-grade tier 6 pills with an

    extremely high success rate.

    ...

    On a mountain peak in the outer forests of the Inner Academy, Xiao Yan adjusted his breathing

    for about ten minutes, bringing himself to his optimal state.

    The moment he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashed within them.

    ''Less than two months remain until the Strong Ranking Grand Competition.''

    Xiao Yan took out all the ingredients for the Ground Spirit Pill and also brought out the Black

    Demon Cauldron.

    The Ground Spirit Pill wasn''t a low-grade tier 6 pill; it was a high-grade tier 6 pill. Even with Xiao Yan''s current abilities, he had to utilize the power of the Black Demon Cauldron.

    The greatest benefit of the Black Demon Cauldron was that it could elevate an alchemist''s abilities by a level, allowing a low-grade 6th-tier alchemist to refine middle-grade or even high-grade pills with a relatively high success rate.

    Only with such a miraculous effect of improving an alchemist''s skill could it be called a

    Heavenly Cauldron.

    Xiao Yan was about to challenge his limits by attempting to refine the high-grade tier 6

    Ground Spirit Pill!