A gigantic dragon coiled across the sky, vast and boundless, filling the entire space.
"Is this the power of a Dou Venerate?" Xiao Yan exhaled a hot breath, feeling the comfortable sensation spreading throughout his body. The power was too astonishing. In the Dou Venerate Realm, the Dou Qi within him was as vast as the ocean.
He extended one hand forward, then clenched it fiercely. The space in front of him instantly twisted into a strange, concave shape. This was the strength of the Dou Venerate Realm—the mighty power to twist space with a mere flick of a hand.
"You've finally achieved a breakthrough to the Venerate Realm!" Yao Lao's soul body appeared beside Xiao Yan.
"Your growth rate has far exceeded my expectations," Yao Lao couldn't help but exclaim. From his rebirth until now, it had been at most 2 or 3 years, yet Xiao Yan had grown from a mere Dou Qi Stage 3 to a Dou Venerate powerhouse. This growth rate was truly heaven-defying.
"This is all thanks to your care, Teacher," Xiao Yan smiled and thanked him.
"Alas, what care… With that chat group, I'm afraid I'll be able to help you less and less in the future," Yao Lao spoke with a hint of melancholy.
Now, Xiao Yan had reached the Dou Venerate Realm, and his battle prowess was unrivaled within it, perhaps even comparable to a Half-Saint. His alchemy level was also close to breaking through to Rank 8. This level had clearly surpassed Yao Lao's own peak period.
Yao Lao was naturally pleased and filled with warmth at Xiao Yan's achievements. Heaven had made him blind once, but fortunately, it hadn't made him blind a second time.
"Teacher's kindness, Xiao Yan will never forget it in this lifetime," Xiao Yan solemnly promised, seeing the complex emotions on Yao Lao's face.
Yao Lao's illusory soul body stepped forward and patted Xiao Yan's shoulder. "In the future, it will probably be your turn to protect me. The Medicine Venerate is a thing of the past; the world of the future is your stage, Flame Emperor Xiao Yan."
He was merely melancholic because his disciple had surpassed him; he naturally hoped Xiao Yan would be as strong as possible.
Xiao Yan also smiled. "Teacher, why belittle yourself? Your attainments in the Dao of Alchemy are extraordinary, and my techniques are all inherited from you."
"There are so many alchemy legacies from other worlds in the group. With our combined efforts, we will definitely be able to deduce higher-level techniques."
Yao Lao's obsession with cultivation was not very high, but his obsession with alchemy was. He had been studying techniques from other worlds during this time.
"The alchemy techniques from other worlds are indeed extraordinary, especially in Fang Han's world—refining tens of thousands of pills at once is truly heaven-defying!" Speaking of this, Yao Lao's interest immediately piqued.
"I once observed Yan refining pills and gained some insights, but without a physical body, it's still somewhat inconvenient."
Yao Lao was a grandmaster in alchemy. After studying numerous techniques from other worlds, his own skill had advanced by leaps and bounds. He estimated he could now refine all Rank 9 pills, but being a soul body was a limitation.
"Wait a little longer. Once Yan's research achieves some results, then we can reconstruct your body," Xiao Yan chimed in.
He had already mastered several types of Heavenly Flames and could reconstruct Yao Lao's body, but such a body wouldn't have much potential. Yan had also not reconstructed his own body for the same reason. They were researching how to possess and be reborn using the corpses of Immortal Gods from Luo Feng's world.
By using those corpses, one could directly possess an Immortal God's physical body, which had extraordinary battle prowess and the characteristic of eternal life—far more potent than a body forged from Heavenly Flames.
Yao Lao nodded. His desire for strength wasn't very strong, but he also hoped to have a body with greater potential.
"Now that you've broken through to the Dou Venerate Realm, your battle prowess should be comparable to a Half-Saint. Traversing the Central Region is no problem. What are your plans now?" Yao Lao asked.
Not long ago, the two had arrived in the Central Region. It was time for Xiao Yan to show his prowess.
"Mainly to search for Heavenly Flames and explore some secret realms. Most importantly, I want to visit the Ancient Clan," Xiao Yan replied after a moment.
"Going to the Ancient Clan… you're going for that girl, aren't you?" Yao Lao knew it was for Gu Xun'er. "She is indeed deeply devoted to you and deserves a proper title, but the people of the Ancient Clan are not so easy to deal with."
To truly be together, they would have to pass the Ancient Clan's test. Of course, in Yao Lao's opinion, this was not difficult. A peerless genius who reached the Venerate Realm at only 19 years old—if Gu Yuan had any sense, he wouldn't possibly push Xiao Yan away.
Xiao Yan knew that being with Gu Xun'er was not a simple matter. In the original work, they suffered a lot. But that was him before the chat group. Now, he was already a Dou Venerate, with battle prowess comparable to a Half-Saint. In another year or two, he would have the strength of a Dou Saint.
"I will find a time to propose marriage to the Ancient Clan. If they are unreasonable, then… I'll seize her!" Xiao Yan spoke with great determination. He would go when he was strong enough to suppress Gu Yuan.
"Then let's first seize all the resources we can and raise your strength," Yao Lao said, looking in a certain direction. That was the location of the Pill Tower.
"Within the Pill Tower's Star Domain, there is the Three Thousand Blazing Flames. Let's get this Heavenly Flame first."
Xiao Yan nodded. The Three Thousand Blazing Flames, also known as the Flame of the Starry Sky, was one of his goals. It was born from the condensation of star power and was said to be undying as long as stars existed. If Xiao Yan fused with it, his life force would become even more tenacious.
Yao Lao continued, "With your current level, on the verge of becoming a Rank 8 Alchemist, if you join the Pill Tower, you will definitely have the opportunity to acquire it. If you're unwilling to join, you can also offer some pill formulas to gain the opportunity."
Xiao Yan nodded and began using his Venerate methods to rush towards Saint Pill City. A few days later, he finally arrived. A colossal silver halo appeared before him—the spatial wormhole to enter the secret realm where the city was located.
"Saint Pill City is divided into an Outer and Inner Region. The Pill Tower is in the Inner Region," Yao Lao's voice echoed in his ear. "First, go get a Pill Tower-certified alchemist badge. Then use this opportunity to make contact with them."
Xiao Yan nodded and walked towards the Pill Tower's rank assessment area.
The Three Thousand Blazing Flames was currently imprisoned within the Star Domain. It was growing stronger and harbored deep resentment towards the Pill Tower. Once the seal broke, the entire city would be destroyed. The Pill Tower hoped someone could subdue it and would hold an Alchemist Grand Meeting in a few years to select a candidate.
After walking for a while, Xiao Yan stopped outside an ancient stone tower where countless alchemists were coming and going. In the assessment area, a large group was queuing up for the elementary tests.
Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't queue. He displayed his Dou Venerate cultivation and stated that he wanted to undergo a Rank 7 Alchemist assessment. A powerhouse of this realm could enjoy special treatment anywhere.
After feeling Xiao Yan's terrifying strength, the staff immediately reported the matter to their higher-ups. A few moments later, a white-haired elder came out to greet him.
The elder was startled when he saw Xiao Yan. At such a young age, he was already a Dou Venerate powerhouse and wanted to undergo a Rank 7 assessment?
"Are you the one who wants to undergo a Rank 7 Alchemist assessment?" the elder asked with a solemn expression.
Xiao Yan nodded. "I have never received a badge from the Pill Tower before. This time, I want to take an assessment."
The elder suddenly understood. His first assessment was for Rank 7? If anyone else had said this, he would have kicked them out. However, Xiao Yan's cultivation made him unsure.
"This is no laughing matter. Are you sure?" the elder asked again.
"Of course," Xiao Yan nodded.
The elder looked at his confident demeanor and became even more surprised. Could he really have the skill of a Rank 7 Alchemist? To achieve that at such a young age, while also cultivating to Dou Venerate, was unheard of. Was he trying to make it impossible for others to live?
"Since you insist, then so be it. Let's proceed with the Rank 7 Elementary Alchemist assessment first," the elder said.
"Can't I directly undergo the Rank 7 Advanced assessment?" Xiao Yan asked.
"Rank 7 Advanced?" The elder was dumbfounded. That was just one step away from a Rank 8 Alchemy Grandmaster. He looked Xiao Yan up and down suspiciously, feeling he was being toyed with.
However, he still spoke tactfully, "A Rank 7 Advanced assessment can be conducted, but I am only a Rank 7 Elementary Alchemist and can at most conduct an Intermediate assessment. You will need to invite a higher-rank elder. They are all very busy."
His meaning was clear: first, prove your strength.
"Then let's proceed with the Rank 7 Intermediate assessment. The difference isn't that big," Xiao Yan spoke nonchalantly.
The white-haired elder, who was only a Rank 7 Elementary Alchemist, was left speechless.
[Inorin Note:
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