Purple flames surged abruptly into the medicinal cauldron, and Xiao Yan’s expression became extremely solemn at this moment. His hands swiftly pressed against the fire outlet of the cauldron again, and his soul power rushed out without any reservation. At this point, he must be able to perfectly control the transition between the two flames; otherwise, a failure similar to the last one would occur again! And in this last hour, if he were to fail once more, then the outcome of Yan Li winning the championship would truly become a reality with no miracle to overturn it!
Dense cold sweat gradually appeared on his forehead, sliding down and dripping into his wide, dark eyes, causing a stinging sensation. However, Xiao Yan dared not blink even once. His soul power, unleashed without any reservation, was like a floodgate that had been opened, rushing out like a roaring river, and surging into the medicinal cauldron. The green flames that had been there before, under the guidance and suppression of Xiao Yan’s soul power, did not come into contact with the purple flames at all. Even the high temperatures carried by the flames were isolated and wrapped up by Xiao Yan’s soul power.
Within the medicinal cauldron, it seemed as if the situation had been divided into two sides, with the green and purple flames each holding their own side. In the center, formed by the soul power, was the green pill that was still slowly rotating. At this moment, if the temperature of the flame exceeded the suppression of the soul power and caused a collision, even though the force produced might not be too powerful, it would be more than enough to destroy the fragile, unformed pill. The reason for Xiao Yan’s failure last time was due to this…
With the profound lesson from the last time, at this moment, Xiao Yan was dividing his attention three ways. On one hand, he was exerting all his effort to suppress the purple flame, while on the other, he was quickly guiding the green flame to exit through the fire outlet on the other side. Most importantly, he had to release a suitable temperature between the two opposing flames to maintain the heat needed for the pill; otherwise, the refinement would also end in failure.
Dividing his attention three ways, if it weren’t for the exceptional state he had achieved earlier, Xiao Yan would never have been able to complete such a difficult operation, even for a fifth-grade alchemist. However, even as he managed to barely pull it off, the sweat continuously sliding down his face showed that this method of splitting his focus was consuming a massive amount of his soul power.
“Exit!” After nearly ten seconds of deadlock within the medicinal cauldron, Xiao Yan’s palm suddenly slammed against the surface of the cauldron. With a clear sound, the green flame inside the cauldron finally roared out through the fire outlet…
Without a moment’s pause to recover the green flame, the purple flame, which had been waiting for a long time, immediately pounced on the pill like a tiger descending from the mountain as soon as the green flame retreated…
“Suppress! Suppress! Suppress! Damn it, go down!” His pupils fixedly stared at the purple flame surging towards the pill. Xiao Yan’s eyes even turned slightly red at this moment, and he kept muttering in a neurotic and hysterical manner. At this moment, his soul power was also wildly suppressing the temperature of the purple flame. In the initial stage after the transition of the flame, the latter’s temperature must be maintained at the same level as when the former left. Otherwise, any sudden increase or decrease in heat would only lead to one outcome: failure!
This was an extremely meticulous method of controlling the temperature of the flame. Any slight error would result in a tragic outcome. Under the wave after wave of suppression by his soul power, although the distance between the purple flame and the pill was only about twenty centimeters, the temperature of the purple flame kept dropping, continuing to drop… and drop drastically!
Just as the purple flame dropped to the temperature Xiao Yan needed, the flame finally made contact with the rolling green pill. Instantly, the purple flame engulfed it…
“He… what is he doing?” Countless gazes looked at Xiao Yan, who was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, in bewilderment. Wasn’t it said that the pill had already been successfully refined?
“What is this guy refining? He actually needs to switch flames? This is something even the teacher doesn’t have full confidence in!” The little princess patted her chest. Xiao Yan’s previous frenzied appearance, with his face turning red and pale, was quite terrifying, but fortunately, from the current situation, the most dangerous moment seemed to have passed.
“I don’t know… but I guess the grade of the pill won’t be lower than ours.” Liu Ling’s face was slightly flushed. It was only now, after recovering, that he realized he had forgotten to breathe while watching Xiao Yan’s thrilling flame switching…
“Whew… success…” On the high platform, Fa Ma, who had been holding his breath, finally let out a long sigh. In his perception, the flames in the cauldron in front of Xiao Yan had completely stabilized, and there was no sign of the previous violent reaction. At this rate, Xiao Yan was not far from successfully refining the two-striped Green Spirit Pill.
“His potential is really terrifying… Although it’s because he’s in a particularly good state right now, to be able to quickly master the various techniques of flame switching after just one failure, such talent is truly stunning…” Fa Ma gazed at the young man in the square, who was supporting the stone table with one hand while controlling the flame and panting heavily. Suddenly, he turned his head and stared at Hai Bo Dong, smiling lightly, “This guy, if given enough time, I believe his achievements will far surpass us old fellows. The Jia Ma Empire hasn’t seen an epic-level powerhouse that can shock the continent for a long time.”
“I’ve never doubted that…” Hai Bo Dong smiled and shrugged. He knew Xiao Yan better than Fa Ma. This guy could even create something like the Angry Buddha Fire Lotus, which could severely injure a Battle Emperor, so what couldn’t he do? Besides, Hai Bo Dong would never forget that beneath this seemingly ordinary young man’s appearance, there was actually a true teenager, less than twenty years old…
“Next, we’ll wait quietly…” Fa Ma glanced at Yan Li, who was concentrating on refining the pill on the square, but there was still a hint of worry on his face. Even if Xiao Yan managed to refine a two-striped Green Spirit Pill, there was still some unknown danger in surpassing the temporarily unknown pill of Yan Li. But now, Fa Ma knew that Xiao Yan was giving it his all, so now, they could only leave it to fate.
“Despite such setbacks, he didn’t sink into despair but instead sought a breakthrough in the direst situation… Ah, what a formidable mind. Given time, this youth will surely shine brightly,” Nalan Jie stroked his beard and watched Xiao Yan, who had become stronger, and marveled softly. Each time, everyone thought he had reached his limit, yet every time, he surprised them.
“Indeed, very strong…” Nalan Yanran nodded slightly. For the first time in many years, she felt admiration for someone of her age. She had thought that if she were in that situation, she might not fall into despair, but to achieve a breakthrough in a state of total physical and mental exhaustion, in one word, it was difficult!
Her clear eyes scanned the young man supporting the stone table, gasping for breath, yet his back remained straight like an unbreakable pillar. A faint new emotion flickered in Nalan Yanran’s usually calm eyes…
On the square, Yan Li stood solemnly in front of the stone table, his eyes fixed on the medicinal cauldron. He had not missed the commotion on Xiao Yan’s side earlier. Although he was impressed by Xiao Yan’s flame-switching technique, that was all. He didn’t know exactly what kind of pill Xiao Yan was trying to refine by switching flames, but he had absolute confidence in the pill he was refining!
“No matter how you struggle, the champion is mine! You cannot afford to fail, and neither can I!” Clenching his fists, Yan Li shouted in his heart. This time, he had come to the Jia Ma Empire alone, risking his life, and if he could win the championship and deliver a major blow to the Jia Ma Alchemists’ Guild’s reputation, then when he returned, the position of the president of the guild in the Yunnan Empire would welcome him, and his status in the Yunnan Empire would skyrocket!
“For the sake of power! Come out, my masterpiece!” Raising his head and letting out a low roar, Yan Li slapped the cauldron, and the lid flew off. A large expanse of black flames poured out from the cauldron, and in the center of the black flames, a burst of purple light shot out, instantly piercing the black flames with countless holes.
As the light shot out, a rich purple medicinal aroma slowly rose, forming a cloud of purple mist above Yan Li’s head, like a cluster of spiritual fog.
“Such a strong, colored medicinal aroma…” Looking at the purple medicinal aroma that was enough to cover the stone table, the alchemists on the square muttered with twitching mouths.
Staring at the purple medicinal aroma, the little princess and Liu Ling exchanged glances, both showing a hint of unease. Judging by the concentration of the medicinal aroma, the pill he was refining must be at the peak of fourth-grade. It seemed extremely difficult for Ya Xiao to win now.
“Hahaha!” As the black flames in the air gradually dissipated, a purple pill the size of a dragon’s eye appeared under the gaze of countless eyes, spinning around. Yan Li summoned the pill, and it flew into his palm. Holding the pill, he finally couldn’t help but burst into wild laughter.
“Haha, the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, finally refined! This is a pill that can rival a fifth-grade pill. How can you compete with me now? Haha.”
Yan Li’s wild laughter in the square caused a brief silence in the VIP seats on both sides. A few moments later, heated gazes fixed on the purple pill in Yan Li’s hand.
“The Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, a peak fourth-grade pill, similar to the three-stripe Green Spirit Pill, is also a type of pill that can directly enhance one’s strength. However, its effect is limited to Dou Shi level. If someone at this level takes the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, they can increase their strength by one star. Most importantly, a person can take two of these pills at the same level without developing too much resistance. That means, if you can gather two Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills, you can steadily increase your strength by two stars…”
On the high platform, Fa Ma narrowed his eyes and slowly spoke of this well-known pill in the alchemy world.
“Who would have thought, who would have thought… I never expected Yan Li to have such guts. The failure rate of refining the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill is not much lower than that of the three-stripe Green Spirit Pill, but he dares to refine it in this setting. He should know that if he fails, he will never leave the Jia Ma Empire.”
Fa Ma shook his head and sighed softly. At this point, he almost felt hopeless. Even if Xiao Yan successfully refined a two-stripe Green Spirit Pill, it would be hard to compare with Yan Li’s Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill. Although the two-stripe Green Spirit Pill could also enhance the user’s strength by two stars, the risk of backlash was enough to scare many people away. Therefore, if given a choice, many would choose the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill over the two-stripe Green Spirit Pill.
“Unless…”
Thinking of that possibility, Fa Ma suddenly shook his head with self-mockery. Seeing his expression, Hai Bo Dong raised his eyebrows and asked, “Unless what?”
Sighing deeply, Fa Ma glanced at Hai Bo Dong, “Unless Ya Xiao can refine the highest-grade three-stripe Green Spirit Pill, which means he must… produce a third type of flame!”
“But is it possible for one person to have three types of flames?” Fa Ma murmured bitterly in his heart.
“Three types of flames…”
Muttering to himself, Hai Bo Dong lifted his head and exhaled. In his mind, he gradually recalled the strangely hot and cold, snow-white flame that Xiao Yan had used before. He clearly remembered that the Fiery Lotus was created by fusing the green and snow-white unusual flames… which meant that in Xiao Yan’s body, there was another, more terrifying unusual flame that had not been revealed…
“Maybe… there’s still hope…”
Hai Bo Dong shrugged slightly and looked at the young man on the square, speaking softly. Fa Ma shook his head bitterly, thinking that Hai Bo Dong’s words were just a consolation for him.
In the square, Xiao Yan stared at the smooth, purple pill in the medicinal cauldron. Now, there were two stripes, one green and one purple, on the pill, indicating that the two-stripe Green Spirit Pill had been successfully refined.
“Is it the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill…?” Slowly turning his head, he looked at Yan Li, who was laughing wildly. Xiao Yan could feel the gazes of the little princess and others, guessing that they thought he had no chance now.
“Ah, damn it, this conference is really exhausting…” Sighing softly, Xiao Yan’s eyes fixed on the purple flames in the cauldron, and he suddenly became a bit dazed.
After a long while, his fingers gently touched the black, ancient ring on his left hand, which contained the Bone Spirit Cold Flame that Old Yao had stored before going into hibernation.
“Teacher, I’m sorry to disturb you…” Slowly bending down, then straightening his back, Xiao Yan’s finger, adorned with the black ring, lightly touched the fire outlet of the cauldron. Closing his eyes, he whispered, “Come out, Bone Spirit Cold Flame…”
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