Chapter 2

With his mind set, he tried pressing the tree eye.

Sure enough, it sank inward, and then a crack suddenly appeared, running through the wood.

"Truly a box, even in the imperial palace, such a fire spear wood box is not often seen. I wonder what's inside." Li Mo smiled and casually separated the box.

The red spear wood was hollowed out, and inside was a red jade box, no larger than a palm, with a translucent, watery quality, exuding an ancient and simple color.

Li Mo nodded slightly. He was well-versed and knew that this was a high-quality item. He also noticed an unknown pattern carved on the center of the lid.

When he opened the jade box, Li Mo's eyes suddenly sparkled.

What was inside the box was not gold or precious objects, but a ball of white flame!

The flame was no larger than a fist, emitting a mysterious starlight, and the flame flickered as if it had a life of its own.

"This is—Heavenly Fire!"

Upon closer inspection, Li Mo was suddenly shaken, his voice slightly altered.

There were few treasures in the world that could move him, but Heavenly Fire was definitely one of them.

In the art of alchemy, fire is the core.

The fires of the world are divided into four grades: Common Fire, Mystic Fire, Earth Fire, and Heavenly Fire.

Common Fire is the ordinary flame produced by burning wood, easily obtainable. The latter three are known as Odd Fires, all formed by the condensation of the essence of heaven and earth, and are spiritual treasures that can exist in the world.

The reason Li Mo could achieve his former accomplishments, besides the Dao Tian Fire Refining Technique, was because he possessed the Ninth Level Purple Platform Earth Fire. This fire was the best of Earth Fires, and he had obtained it after enduring great hardships and nearly dying. It took him a great deal of effort to refine it to the Ninth Level, but it disappeared with his death.

After being reborn, he often regretted this, but he never expected that this time, when he casually retrieved an item, it would contain Heavenly Fire.

Possessing Heavenly Fire means having the prerequisite to become a Heaven-level alchemist.

The reason he had remained at the Earth-level alchemist stage and could not break through to the next level was because he had not found Heavenly Fire.

This time, it was like hitting the jackpot!

After the initial joy, Li Mo gradually calmed down. He fixed his eyes on the Heavenly Fire and then extended his hand. At a distance of about a foot from the Heavenly Fire, he felt no heat at all, but rather a slight chill.

Upon closer inspection, a thin layer of cold mist seemed to form above the flames.

"There are thousands of types of Odd Fires. This seems to be a type of Ice Fire, where the extreme heat produces a cold chill." Li Mo concluded.

After a moment's thought, he decided to move his finger forward by half an inch.

The Ice Fire seemed to be attracted by his finger, and the flame suddenly drifted over. The moment the flame touched his fingertip, the entire ball of flame instantly entered his finger.

Li Mo was fully prepared to endure the pain.

To use Odd Fire for alchemy, one must first incorporate the Odd Fire into the body. The level of coordination between the Odd Fire and the physical body directly affects the effectiveness of the alchemy.

When he obtained the Purple Platform Earth Fire, he was already at the Fourth Realm of Martial Arts. Incorporating the fire into his body, he endured the agony of being burned alive, nearly losing his life.

Now, obtaining Heavenly Fire with such a low level of cultivation, it was even more dangerous.

However, the earlier he incorporated the fire into his body, the sooner he could coordinate his physical body with the Heavenly Fire, and his future achievements would certainly surpass those of his past.

As the Ice Fire entered his body, he immediately felt a surge of intense heat and cold spreading up his arm. In an instant, his body felt as if it were trapped in a ten-thousand-year ice cave and simultaneously plunged into a molten lava pit.

The intertwining of ice and fire caused his body to experience extreme tearing pain, as if countless hands were trying to tear his body into pieces.

His consciousness was nearly shattered by the extreme pain.

Li Mo gritted his teeth and maintained his clarity, while simultaneously activating the Fire Control Technique to guide the Heavenly Fire to his abdomen.

At this moment, the pain was like a tidal wave crashing against his consciousness. Billions of nerves in his body transmitted endless agony, as if he were being cut, burned, pierced, and bitten by countless methods of torture.

In comparison, the pain from taking the Taiyuan Pill was negligible.

"Even the most stubborn Heavenly Fire, I will make you submit to me!"

Li Mo clenched his teeth, filled with determination, and forcibly guided the Heavenly Fire to his abdomen, sealing it there.

Once his body adapted to the presence of the Heavenly Fire, he could use it to reach new heights.

However, once the Heavenly Fire entered his body, it began to grow from its primordial state, absorbing the host's strength to grow.

Once it grew to a certain level, it would develop a consciousness capable of active attacks. Therefore, he must quickly improve his cultivation; otherwise, if he could not control the Heavenly Fire, it would be a dead end!

After a few days, with the help of three Taiyuan Pills, he finally improved his bone structure to an average level.

In the early morning, he set up a wooden post in the courtyard, held a sword in one hand, and secretly activated the Dao Tian Fire Refining Technique.

The weak true qi in his body instantly boiled like boiling water, as if he had practiced for several months.

The basic sword technique "Ling She Jue" flashed through his mind, and with a step, he slashed out with the sword.

Even though it was his first time practicing Ling She Jue, Li Mo moved as if he had practiced it hundreds of times, extremely proficient.

With his experience as a Eighth Realm Martial Artist in his past life, mastering such a low-level martial technique was effortless.

After completing the twelve moves of Ling She Jue in one breath, Li Mo shook his head: "Rough, too rough!"

In the past, many people had exchanged their family-secret techniques and world-shocking skills for his pills, but those techniques were all left untouched, gathering dust.

If he had known this would happen, he should have memorized a few of them.

He wouldn't have to learn such a low-level martial technique to avoid being recognized for using the Dao Tian Fire Refining Technique alone.

After a moment's thought, Li Mo performed the sword technique again. This time, Ling She Jue underwent a transformation in his hands.

The originally light and agile sword technique now contained a powerful and domineering force, creating a strong wind as it was executed, like a knife or a hammer.

This was the result of Li Mo's master-level improvement of Ling She Jue after a moment's thought.

As he finished the technique, he slashed the sword like a setting sun, striking the wooden post.

"Bang—"

As the sword landed, a dull explosion echoed, and the wooden post, already covered in sword marks, split into several pieces, with the area where the blade touched ground being ground into powder.

The power of a single sword strike was enough to surpass ordinary people.

However, Li Mo's face showed no joy. He muttered to himself, "Even with the improved sword technique, the power is still barely sufficient. Practicing like this is too slow. It seems I still need to refine cultivation pills."

He immediately went to Li Gaoyuan's house. When he mentioned the need for new herbs, Li Gaoyuan said nothing and immediately took him to the Li Family Apothecary.

It was still early, and the shop had just opened. The clerk went in to call the manager, and besides Li Songchi, a middle-aged man also came out, who was Li Gaoyuan's father, Li Bo.

Li Bo asked sternly, "So early, are you here to get herbs?"

Li Gaoyuan, sensing his father's displeasure, scratched his head and smiled, "Father, you know. Li Mo wants to devote himself to alchemy, and I think this is a great thing..."

Before he could finish, Li Bo glared and interrupted harshly, "A great thing? We need to see his capabilities!"

He looked at Li Mo coldly and said, "Li Mo, I know my son and you have always been close. However, this is the only time you can use his hands to get our family's herbs!"

The clerks watched coldly, unable to resist mocking Li Mo.

They laughed at Li Mo for overestimating himself, having no skills, and talking about devoting himself to alchemy, wasting dozens of taels of silver.

"Father..." Li Gaoyuan said urgently.

Li Bo waved his hand rudely, stopping him from speaking, and said loudly, "Our family is wealthy, and a few dozen taels of silver are nothing. However, money should be spent wisely. Even giving to beggars is better than throwing it into the water!"

Li Bo spoke without mercy, scolding Li Mo in front of so many clerks, and many people who had come to see the doctor were also watching and whispering.

Everyone thought that Li Mo had lost face this time, his petty tricks exposed, and he would now have to slink home.

However, if someone observed carefully, they would notice that Li Mo remained calm throughout, his expression unchanged, as if Li Bo was not scolding him.

As a First-Class Earth-Level Alchemist in the Shangtian Kingdom, what scenes had he not seen?

After Li Bo finished scolding him, Li Mo slowly said, "What if the silver was not wasted?"

"Not wasted?" Li Bo snorted and sneered, "What, are you saying you really refined the Taiyuan Pill?"

At this, the few alchemists in the shop burst out laughing, their eyes full of disdain.

They had already heard from Li Songchi that Li Mo wanted to refine the Taiyuan Pill. The pill's effects were well-known, but its difficulty was extremely high, making it one of the most challenging Yellow-Level pills.

These alchemists were all well-qualified members of the Li family, and one of them was even a Second-Rank Yellow-Level Alchemist.

Even so, refining the Taiyuan Pill was extremely difficult, with a success rate of one in ten. For Li Mo, who had not even entered the door of alchemy, it was even more impossible.

Li Mo didn't speak, but reached into his clothes, took out a pill, and casually handed it to Li Bo.

Li Bo glanced at it indifferently, but his pupils suddenly dilated when he focused on the pill.

The pill was round and smooth, with patterns like vines, resembling a piece of jade emerging from water, possessing an indescribable natural beauty, a quality only the best pills could have!

"Top-grade Taiyuan Pill!"

Li Bo was stunned, and the faces of the alchemists also changed. They quickly approached and, upon closer inspection, were shocked.

A pill of the fourth grade, like the Taiyuan Pill, was extremely difficult to refine. Even a top-grade pill was rare, let alone a middle-grade one.

Therefore, the price of a top-grade pill on the market was quite high, and a supreme-grade pill was even rarer.

Even a First-Rank Yellow-Level Alchemist would have a success rate of one in a hundred, so seeing one here was unexpected.

"Where did you get this?" Li Bo's face darkened, and he sternly questioned.

Clearly, no one believed that this supreme-grade Taiyuan Pill could have been refined by this unskilled and useless boy.

"Second Uncle, some things should not be said to outsiders. Let's talk in the inner courtyard." Li Mo said calmly and walked inside.

His demeanor was like a guest taking charge.

As he spoke, he exuded an aura of authority.