Chapter 43

"By practicing more, I can definitely become an alchemist," Xiao Yun sniffed the fragrant medicinal powder in the jade box and smiled in satisfaction. Now that he possessed the Purple Flame Martial Soul and the Supreme Insights of the Purple Flame King in alchemy, refining medicinal pills was just a matter of time. All he needed was more practice to enhance his experience and intuition.

"You didn't control the heat well this time, which caused the medicinal powder to lose much of its efficacy. Additionally, some of the herbs still contain impurities and are not refined enough," the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow said indifferently. "However, it's quite remarkable that you succeeded on your first try."

"You know this is my first time refining medicine!" Xiao Yun shot a glance at the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow.

"Am I not giving you pointers to prevent you from becoming arrogant and complacent?" the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow said.

"Of course, I know that," Xiao Yun said indifferently. "To become an alchemist, one must go through thousands of practices to make progress."

The Purple Flame Alchemy has a detailed explanation of the path of alchemy, and Xiao Yun naturally knew that becoming an alchemist was not easy.

"That's good, Xiao Yun. You must work hard. Once you become an alchemist, you can refine a Nine-Transmutation Divine Pill for me," the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow's eyes narrowed, and a gleam of excitement flashed in them. "Ha, if I can recover my physical body, we can dominate the world together."

"Nine-Transmutation Divine Pill?" Xiao Yun rolled his eyes. "Do you think it's as common as cabbage? Even a grandmaster alchemist can't guarantee its success. If you want to recover your physical body, you'd better pray that I don't die before becoming a grandmaster alchemist."

Hearing this, the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow couldn't help but look dejected.

How could such a divine pill be so easy to refine?

Perhaps only a few alchemists in the entire Tiandu Domain could refine it.

But how could one easily get such a person to refine a pill for them?

"Don't worry, with the Lord of the Sky, you won't die early. I don't think you have the look of a short-lived person," the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow's eyes focused, as if he had made a decision. Perhaps he really needed to protect this young man until he became a grandmaster alchemist.

"You're the one who looks short-lived," Xiao Yun said with disdain. "Talking about refining a Nine-Transmutation Divine Pill is too early."

"True," the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow nodded.

Then, Xiao Yun continued to refine medicinal powders.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Xiao Yun refined countless herbs, and the table beside the Purple Flame Cauldron was filled with medicinal powders, including Blood-Clotting Powder and Muscle-Regeneration Powder, which were essential for healing injuries for cultivators.

However, after three days of continuous refinement, the herbs were quickly depleted.

"I need to go to Uncle Xiao Hai to get more herbs," after refining the medicinal powders, Xiao Yun went to find his second uncle, Xiao Hai.

"Have you finished refining all those herbs?" Xiao Hai frowned when he heard Xiao Yun's request.

"Yes," Xiao Yun spread his palms. "Uncle, have you gathered the herbs for the Congenital Pill?"

"The herbs for the Congenital Pill and the Pure Essence Pill are very hard to gather, especially the herbs for the Spirit-Condensing Pill, which are almost impossible to find in the entire Ziyun County," Xiao Hai sighed. "Moreover, I heard that each herb for the Spirit-Condensing Pill is extremely expensive."

"Is it because of the lack of funds?" Xiao Yun's brows furrowed. "Uncle, how about this: try to gather the herbs for the Congenital Pill and the Pure Essence Pill first. Once I refine the pills, we can auction them to get the money to buy the other herbs."

"That could work," Xiao Hai said. "But do you have the confidence to refine the pills?"

"If not, you can practice refining medicinal powders. As long as you can refine medicinal powders, you can join the Tianyuan Sect."

"Medicinal powders?" Xiao Yun smiled mysteriously and flipped his palm, revealing a jade box.

"What is this?" Xiao Hai was taken aback, not understanding why Xiao Yun had taken out a jade box.

"Uncle, open it and see," Xiao Yun said with a slight smile.

Seeing the young man's mysterious demeanor, Xiao Hai opened the jade box with some curiosity.

The jade box was about a foot long and exquisitely crafted. As soon as he opened it, a fragrant aroma filled the air.

Then, several jade bottles appeared before his eyes.

There were fifty jade bottles in total, each with a small label.

Seeing this, Xiao Hai's surprise grew.

He took one of the jade bottles and, upon seeing the words on the label, his eyes immediately lit up with joy. "Yun, is this the Blood-Clotting Powder you refined?" The label clearly read "Blood-Clotting Powder."

"Uncle, check if the medicinal powder is good," Xiao Yun nodded.

After confirming this, Xiao Hai quickly opened the bottle, observed the color of the medicinal powder, and sniffed it. After a while, he said solemnly, "The color and fragrance are almost as good as Master Yuan's Blood-Clotting Powder. Yun, are you sure this is what you refined?"

"Yes," Xiao Yun nodded.

"How is this possible? You just started learning to refine medicinal powders and have already achieved this level?" Xiao Hai looked at him with disbelief. Although he couldn't refine pills, he knew that it usually took at least half a year to a year for someone to successfully refine medicinal powders.

But this young man had succeeded in just three days.

Could he be a genius in alchemy?

Thinking of this, Xiao Hai felt his blood boil, and he was almost ready to let out a loud cry.

However, he tried to suppress his emotions, staring intently at the young man, hoping for confirmation.

"This is what I refined over the past few days," Xiao Yun nodded. "Uncle, check the quality of these medicinal powders. If they are good, sell them to buy other herbs. Of course, it's best to keep this a secret."

"Alright, I know what to do," Xiao Hai nodded repeatedly, feeling extremely excited. He quickly opened the other bottles to check the quality of the medicinal powders.

Although Xiao Hai couldn't refine pills, he had some knowledge of medicinal powders.

Large clans would send people to the Ziyun Mountains to collect materials, and it was inevitable that some would get injured. Therefore, they would purchase medicinal powders, which were crucial for the safety of the clan members. Xiao Hai had some understanding of the quality of medicinal powders.

"This bottle has a better color and a richer fragrance."

"Hey, this bottle seems even better than Master Yuan's." As Xiao Hai checked each bottle and found the quality improving, his eyes lit up, and he looked at the young man with disbelief. "Yun, is this really your first time learning to refine medicine?"

"Yes!" Xiao Yun smiled.

"Is this true?" Xiao Hai was shocked, then laughed out loud. "Ha, it's truly a blessing for our Xiao family. Yun, you will definitely become an alchemist in the future. Uncle will go and try to sell these medicinal powders and buy other herbs."

"If that doesn't work, I'll send people to other counties to collect the herbs, ensuring you have what you need." With that, Xiao Hai left, his face full of excitement.

"This is just the beginning," Xiao Yun smiled, watching his uncle's excited expression.

Then, Xiao Yun walked towards his courtyard.

As he reached the gate, he saw a familiar figure.

"Shi Yan?" Xiao Yun was slightly taken aback. "Is this girl here because Sister Shi Fei's poison has flared up again?"

Thinking of Yan Shi Fei, Xiao Yun's brows furrowed slightly.

He had been home for a few days, but due to the pressure from the Fang family, he had forgotten to visit the girl.

After all, if the Xiao family couldn't enhance their overall strength, they might face a fatal blow from the Fang family.

"Xiao Yun brother." From a distance, Yan Shi Yan called out to Xiao Yun.

Seeing the girl's worried expression, Xiao Yun quickly asked, "What's wrong? Has your sister's poison flared up again?"

"Yes," Yan Shi Yan nodded, her brows furrowed. "But I'm here for something more serious."

"Oh, what is it?" Hearing the serious tone in Yan Shi Yan's voice, Xiao Yun's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding rising in him. What could be more serious than Sister Shi Fei's poison flaring up? From the girl's expression, it seemed very serious.

"It's like this, someone from the Tianyuan Sect has come, bringing a detoxifying pill for my sister," Yan Shi Yan said.

"That's good, isn't it?" Xiao Yun was puzzled. "This way, Sister Shi Fei's poison can be completely removed, right?"

"What's good about it!" Yan Shi Yan pouted, stomping her feet. "That guy wants Sister Shi Fei to marry him. Humph, he doesn't seem like a good person, trying to take advantage of the situation. I really want to kill him."

"What! He wants Sister Shi Fei to marry him?" Xiao Yun immediately understood the situation. The man was likely using the detoxifying pill as leverage, and it was clear that he had no good intentions.

Thinking of this, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Xiao Yun brother, please come to our house and see," Yan Shi Yan said anxiously.

"Alright, tell me the details," Xiao Yun's eyes focused.

Yan Shi Yan then detailed the situation and told Xiao Yun about the identity of the Tianyuan Sect man.

He was a genius named Qiu Yuchen, who had already reached the True Essence Realm at just eighteen years old.

The Qiu family was a large clan, well-known throughout the Fengyue Kingdom, with a Core Essence Realm expert as its patriarch.

"My mother is also strongly urging Sister to marry Qiu Yuchen. The Qiu family is very powerful, and Qiu Yuchen has been taken as a disciple by an elder of the Tianyuan Sect. His future is limitless. If Sister marries him, she can join the Tianyuan Sect," Yan Shi Yan said.

"A disciple of a Tianyuan Sect elder?" Xiao Yun's brows furrowed. "What does Sister think about it?"

"Sister, of course, disagrees," Yan Shi Yan pouted. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to find you."

"But now Sister refuses to take the detoxifying pill and is struggling to hold on. Please go and help her remove the poison quickly," Yan Shi Yan's long lashes fluttered, her eyes misty with worry.

"Alright, let's go now," Xiao Yun didn't hesitate and immediately set off with Yan Shi Yan for the Yan family residence.