Chapter 9

Cheng Guangde was still somewhat skeptical at first, but when even Duke Leviathan insisted that Song Li was the culprit, Cheng Guangde was convinced that Song Li was indeed the perpetrator.

What the hell is going on? I stormed into his house and beat him up, causing a ruckus at the Nine Gates Marshal's residence, claiming that Xiang'er had injured Song Li, and that this was an act of revenge. In the end, Song Li beat Xiang'er to a pulp on the arena. These two are so well-coordinated; isn't this just bullying?

Do you think the Nine Gates Marshal is so easy to deal with? He raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Song Xinghai, don't think that just because you have high cultivation, you can act recklessly. You came to my Nine Gates Marshal's residence and caused chaos, injuring dozens of my guards. Your son also severely injured my Xiang'er. If I don't get justice, I won't be able to rest in peace! Gentlemen, since you're all here, let's go to the Emperor and file a complaint! Song Xinghai, the Holy Lion Empire doesn't belong to you alone. If we can't control you, others can!"

Song Xinghai still didn't believe that the person who injured Cheng Zhengxiang and Little Leviathan was his good-for-nothing son, Song Li. If it were true, he would be overjoyed. However, he knew it was impossible. He was well aware of his son's martial abilities.

So he coldly laughed and said, "A bunch of despicable people, I don't care what tricks you use to frame my son. If you want to harm him, you'll have to ask my fists first! Let's go, I'm not afraid of you!"

Cheng Guangde ordered his men to carry Cheng Zhengxiang, and the group, filled with righteous indignation, followed Song Xinghai to the palace.

In the center of the alchemy room at the County Prince's Manor, Yun Lin's sweat dripped like rain from her forehead, her hair disheveled, looking somewhat disheveled. She continuously cast spells to intensify the flames and adjust the alchemy furnace, where the medicine had already solidified from a paste-like substance. However, it was just short of the final touch, unable to form into pills.

In the Star Cloud Continent, alchemists are divided into three levels: Alchemist, Master Alchemist, and Grandmaster Alchemist. Alchemists are extremely rare, as the requirements for talent are extremely stringent. First, one must have powerful spiritual energy to perceive every subtle change in the alchemy process. Alchemy is a highly detailed skill, and any mistake can lead to failure.

Strong spiritual energy alone is not enough; an alchemist must also have exquisite flame control. An alchemist's control over flames must be so precise that they can handle any subtle changes in the alchemy process.

The higher the level of the alchemist, the more precise their flame control. This precision can be so meticulous that it is hard for ordinary people to imagine. Additionally, the alchemist's cultivation level cannot be too low. The process of refining a batch of medicine is often lengthy, requiring high physical endurance and willpower. An alchemist with a low cultivation level would clearly struggle to refine high-level medicines.

Medicines are divided into Human-grade, Earth-grade, Mystic-grade, Saint-grade, and Heaven-grade, each with four sub-grades: Low, Middle, High, and Supreme.

Yun Lin is a Middle-grade Alchemist, currently at the peak of the sixth level, striving to reach the seventh level. The medicine she is refining in her furnace is the Earth-grade Middle-quality "Mystic Ice Qi Pill," which is an invaluable treasure for cultivators at the peak of the Body Tempering stage.

It is extremely difficult and dangerous to advance to the next cultivation level. If the Body Tempering stage is the initial phase of cultivation, then the Qi Induction stage is the dividing line between experts and ordinary cultivators. Only those who reach the Qi Induction stage are considered to have truly entered the realm of cultivation.

Throughout history, countless Body Tempering cultivators have failed to advance to the Qi Induction stage. During the transition from Body Tempering to Qi Induction, the body generates extreme heat due to the convergence of energy, causing many to collapse under the intense heat. Yun Lin's "Mystic Ice Qi Pill" is a cold-natured medicine that can neutralize the extreme heat during the transition, accelerating the gathering of true qi. According to the alchemy manual, the success rate of advancing to the Qi Induction stage can be increased to 70% with the help of the Mystic Ice Qi Pill.

Without the help of medicine, the success rate of advancing from Body Tempering to Qi Induction is at most 30%, but the Mystic Ice Qi Pill can increase this to 70%. It's easy to see why so many cultivators would be eager to obtain it, considering it a treasure. This is also why alchemists hold such high status on this continent.

At Yun Lin's current level, her success rate in refining Earth-grade Low-quality medicines is over 70%, but refining Earth-grade Middle-quality medicines is a bit beyond her capabilities. Most alchemists wouldn't dare attempt such a feat, but only someone as daring and adventurous as Yun Lin would dare to take on such a thankless task. The scarcity of materials in the world makes it difficult to gather the ingredients needed for a single batch of medicine. No alchemist would waste these precious resources without any guarantee of success.

This batch of medicine had been refining for fifteen days, and today was the day it should be completed. Yun Lin had followed the alchemy manual meticulously, with no errors in any step. However, the medicine had not formed, and as the flame temperature increased, it even showed signs of melting. Seeing a good batch of medicine about to be ruined, the herbs she had spent half a year gathering about to turn to ashes, Yun Lin became anxious. The more anxious she became, the worse her control, and the faster the already solidified medicine melted...

"Could it be that Li'er's injury has affected my concentration, preventing me from focusing and leading to this failure?" Yun Lin was already disheartened. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her. Li'er had said something, what was it... Yun Lin tried to recall and finally remembered. Li'er had said, "When refining a cold-natured medicine, if the flame intensity is too high, it's hard to form the pill. Lower the intensity, add some Ice Cold Pear Wood to make the flame both strong and gentle. It might still be salvageable."

That's right, those were the words. Yun Lin felt like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline, suddenly regaining her spirit. Although the words came from her good-for-nothing son, they didn't seem very reliable, but since there was no hope anyway, she might as well give it a try.

She quickly found some Ice Cold Pear Wood from the pile of materials and added it to the flames. Then she cast spells to lower the flame intensity, changing from a fierce fire to a gentle simmer. To her surprise, the medicine that had started to melt began to solidify again and rapidly formed into pills!

Yun Lin suppressed her inner joy and carefully controlled the flame intensity, her spiritual energy spreading into the furnace to sense the subtle changes in the medicine...

Finally, with a cry of surprise from Yun Lin, the Mystic Ice Qi Pills formed!

Yun Lin extinguished the flames, opened the furnace, and took out the twelve pills. Each was the size of a longan, smooth and lustrous like pearls, with a faint icy mist surrounding them. The fragrance of the medicine filled the air, perfuming the entire room!

Heaven! This was the best quality medicine recorded in the alchemy manual. In Yun Lin's memory, she had never refined such high-quality medicine before. Only her father, a Grandmaster Alchemist, had such skill. This required even more precise control over the flames, something Yun Lin had never been able to achieve before.

Holding the twelve Earth-grade Middle-quality "Mystic Ice Qi Pills," Yun Lin stood there, too happy to know what to do.

After a long while, she came to her senses and began to wonder when Li'er had learned about alchemy, and why his level seemed higher than her, a peak sixth-level alchemist. What was going on?

She had to find out! Yun Lin held the medicine and entered the inner room, only to be shocked by a scorched human-shaped indentation on the floor. Li'er, who had been lying in bed, was nowhere to be found.

"Li'er, Li'er... Where did you go?" Yun Lin called out, anxiously running out.

Song Li had sent Pang Da with Zhang Qi and Chen Yuan to find a doctor to treat their wounds. The group parted ways at the crossroads, with Pang Da and the others leaving in a carriage, while Song Li walked back home, humming a tune.

Just as he reached the County Prince's Manor gate, he saw his mother running out, disheveled and sweating, holding a white medicine bottle. Song Li knew it was for storing medicine. Had his mother succeeded in refining the medicine?

"Hey, you brat, don't move!" Yun Lin darted forward, grabbing Song Li's ear with one hand and scolded, "Where did you run off to without a word? You're so badly injured... Wait a minute..."

At this point, Yun Lin stepped back, looking at her son in surprise. He was radiant and full of energy, not looking injured at all. He looked healthier than ever.

"What's going on?" Yun Lin was stunned for a moment, then punched Song Li hard, pointing at him and demanding, "You little rascal, what's going on? And when did you start studying alchemy? Look, I followed your advice and actually refined a first-class Earth-grade Middle-quality medicine!"

Song Li rubbed his nose, blinking a few times, thinking that this was a long story. He was trying to think of an excuse to get away when a sharp voice suddenly called out nearby, "Imperial decree! County Princess Yun Lin and the County Prince's son, Song Li, receive the decree!"