Nalan Yanran glanced at Liu Ling, who was running over excitedly. Ever since the Yunlan Sect had almost faced disbandment and Gu He had ultimately chosen to leave the Yunlan Sect, Nalan Yanran had never spoken to Liu Ling again. It was only when he left that Liu Ling wrote to Nalan Yanran, telling her where he and his master Gu He were living.
Otherwise, Nalan Yanran wouldn't have known where Grandmaster Gu He was.
She hadn't expected that what Xiao Yan wanted her to do was to exchange pills with Gu He.
Hearing that Nalan Yanran had come to find his master, Liu Ling's eyes dimmed a little, but he quickly 'perked up' again.
"Master is currently refining a pill, but it should be soon. Please, come in and have a seat." Liu Ling wiped the dirt off his hands, opened the bamboo door, and invited Nalan Yanran into the house.
Hearing Liu Ling's words, Nalan Yanran couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly. After all, when the Yunlan Sect was about to disband, Gu He, as the strongest Alchemist in the sect, had chosen to leave, which made her feel a little betrayed.
Even though Yun Yun Sect Leader had told her that Gu He's departure was for another reason, she didn't want to interact with Liu Ling much in the past two years. However, she was willing to accept the bet, nodded lightly, and followed Liu Ling into the courtyard.
The entire courtyard was very simple, all built of bamboo. Moreover, this place was located in a remote mountain forest, making it hard to imagine that a Rank 6 Alchemist lived here! "Nalan Yanran, how have you and Yun Yun Sect Leader been lately?" Liu Ling asked with a smile after pouring a cup of tea and sitting down.
"Fine." Her tone was flat. Nalan Yanran just wanted to see Grandmaster Gu He now, finish her business, and leave.
"Um, I heard that you've been fighting fiercely at the border, defeating the invaders from the Three Great Empires and even fighting against a Dou Huang. Is that true?" Liu Ling continued.
"Yes."
"I am now wholeheartedly cultivating the Alchemic arts with my master and can already refine Rank 4 Peak pills. I believe it won't be long before I can refine Rank 5 pills. Rank 5 pills are perfect for Dou Wangs. I can refine some healing pills for you. After all, your Yunlan Sect has now joined the Flame Alliance, and it's always dangerous for a girl like you to go to the border. Having some pills will help a lot."
"No need."
"It's okay, you wait for me. I believe I'll be able to refine Dou Wang Pills soon. If you need one, I can ask my master to get you one."
If someone were nearby and heard this conversation, they would probably sigh secretly. It was truly heartbreaking and tear-jerking, so real.
Nalan Yanran was too lazy to pay attention to him and slowly closed her eyes, beginning to cultivate the new Cultivation Method she had obtained in the Gate of Life and Death. She was already a Five-Star Dou Wang. By the time he became a Rank 5 Alchemist and could refine Dou Wang Pills, she would have already become a Dou Huang.
Seeing Nalan Yanran begin to cultivate, Liu Ling didn't bother her and also began to cultivate the Cultivation Method that Gu He had taught him.
After all, Alchemists also needed the support of Dou Qi to refine pills. Without a Strange Flame, even if their cultivation was too low, it would be difficult to extract the Medicinal Herbs.
Before long, suddenly, a rich fragrance of pills came from another part of the courtyard. The fragrance of pills overflowed, and a pillar of fragrant light shot into the sky.
Seeing this scene, Liu Ling said excitedly, "Success! Master has finally successfully refined a Rank 6 High-Level pill!!"
Seeing the energy light pillar that lingered for a long time, Nalan Yanran's beautiful eyes also showed some surprise. A Rank 6 High-Level pill! Two years ago, Gu He could only refine Rank 6 Low-Level pills. She didn't expect that after two years, Gu He could refine Rank 6 High-Level pills!
On the contrary, leaving the Yunlan Sect allowed Gu He to wholeheartedly cultivate the Alchemic arts, allowing his Alchemic skills to improve faster than before.
"Nalan Yanran, how is your master?" Gu He slowly pushed the door open, holding a pill bottle containing the pill. With his Rank 6 Soul power, how could he not sense Nalan Yanran's arrival?
Facing this former number one Alchemist of the Gama Empire, Pill King Gu He, who had refined pills for her, Nalan Yanran naturally didn't dare to be presumptuous. She stood up and slowly bowed, politely saying, "Master is still at the border of the Flame Alliance, but she has sent a letter saying that she is well."
"That's good. I wonder, what brings you here today?" Gu He slowly sat down. Liu Ling poured a cup of hot tea, which he drank in one gulp, and then asked.
Nalan Yanran's eyes flickered slightly. After thinking for a while, she said, "I heard that Pill King Gu He has a Transformation Pill. I would like to exchange for it."
Gu He and Liu Ling both revealed puzzled expressions upon hearing this.
It was not a secret that he had a Transformation Pill, especially when he went to the Snake-People Empire to trade with Medusa. He had said it out loud, not to mention that Yun Yun, who was next to him at the time, had heard it, but the entire Snake-People Empire probably knew that he had a Transformation Pill.
Several Supreme Elders of the Snake-People Empire had also intended to trade for the Transformation Pill with Gu He, but they were all rejected by Gu He. It wasn't that Gu He was reluctant to part with the Transformation Pill, but that they couldn't offer a price that would move Gu He.
That Transformation Pill was really not cheap. Gu He had not only spent all his wealth but also owed the Alchemist Guild a lot of pill debts before he traded it back.
It was only half a year ago that Gu He had finally refined enough pills for the Alchemist Guild to pay off his debts.
"I do have a Transformation Pill, but Nalan Yanran, what do you want a Transformation Pill for? This is a pill used by Magical Beasts, it shouldn't be suitable for you. This is a Rank 7 High-Level pill, even an empire like the Snake-People Empire can't offer anything to exchange for it."
It wasn't that Gu He looked down on the Yunlan Sect. Compared to the Snake-People Empire in the desert, the Yunlan Sect did have a thicker foundation, but the current Yunlan Sect couldn't afford the price of a Rank 7 High-Level pill unless the Yunlan Sect exhausted all its assets, it would definitely not be able to afford it.
How could Nalan Yanran bargain? And this was indeed not what she wanted, it was just that she knew Gu He and was being used as a tool by Xiao Yan.
Nalan Yanran didn't waste any words. She took out two things from her Storage Ring and placed them on the table, saying, "Grandmaster Gu He, here is a Mystic High-Rank Cultivation Method for the Soul, and a Rank 6 High-Level pill that can enhance Soul power, the Little Soul Black-Purple Pill. I would like to exchange these for the Transformation Pill."
These naturally couldn't be Nalan Yanran's things. It was obvious at a glance that they were Xiao Yan's.
Xiao Yan also knew that it was impossible to get something for nothing, so he traded for a Mystic High-Rank Soul Spell in the Soul Palace. This was not the Spirit Heart Soul Gathering Art. It didn't have the effect of breaking through to the Spirit Realm, but it could increase the speed of Soul enhancement faster than the Spirit Heart Soul Gathering Art, making it more suitable for Rank 6 and Rank 7 Alchemists to cultivate.
And what Xiao Yan had refined yesterday was the Little Soul Black-Purple Pill.
The Soul Spell of the Soul Palace could only be read once. The value of this kind of Mystic High-Rank Soul Spell was actually not very high. It was absolutely impossible to exchange it for a Rank 7 High-Level pill. After all, the value of a Rank 7 High-Level pill was already a solid Earth Rank Cultivation Method, and even an Earth Rank Intermediate-Level one was needed to exchange for it.
However, the power of Soul Skills lies in their rarity.
Not to mention the Gama Empire, the entire Northwest Region has never heard of any Cultivation Method that can cultivate the Soul; it has long been lost.
Hearing what Nalan Yanran offered, Liu Ling's expression changed drastically. If it were just ordinary Rank 6 High-Level Pills plus a Mystic High-Rank Cultivation Method, Liu Ling would think she was here to cause trouble, as the price was completely unequal.
But! If it's all related to the Soul, that's another matter.
Although the value isn't equal, it's all what Gu He needs!
Apart from Xiao Yan, that freak, most Alchemists have enough Pill Refining experience, but their Fire Control and Soul power can't keep up, so they can't improve their Alchemic level.
After all, normal people don't have many ways to improve their Soul power, and even Gu He is no exception. The fact that he can refine Rank 6 High-Level Pills has a bit of luck involved; his Soul power hasn't actually reached the Rank 6 High-Level.
Gu He closed his eyes to think, then slowly opened them, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness, and said, "He wants this Transformation Pill, doesn't he?"
Liu Ling was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized who his master was talking about.
Xiao Yan!
News of Xiao Yan's return has even reached them here!
Nalan Yanran suddenly felt a little flustered; she hadn't lied much in her life!
"I heard he's going to refine Sect Breakthrough Pills for the Gama Imperial Family?" Gu He asked.
"I... I don't know about that." Nalan Yanran really didn't know; she had just come out of seclusion and then been beaten up again.
But Gu He knew, because Jia Xing Tian and Yao Ye had approached him, exchanging some Medicinal Herbs needed for the Sect Breakthrough Pill. He knew at once who wanted to refine the Sect Breakthrough Pill.
"Take the things back for now, and give him a message for me. If he can refine the Sect Breakthrough Pill, then I will trade with him." A strange look flashed in Gu He's eyes; he didn't believe it!
He didn't believe that someone who was still a Rank 5 Alchemist two years ago could refine the Sect Breakthrough Pill in two years! He wanted to gamble with fate; he didn't believe it!!
That night, Nalan Yanran conveyed Gu He's words to Xiao Yan.
"You... you really are useless; he saw right through that." Xiao Yan looked at Nalan Yanran unhappily.
"I... I... people didn't do it on purpose; what can I do if he knows you're the one who wants it?" Nalan Yanran immediately deflated like a punctured ball; why did she always fail in front of this guy? It was strange.
Xiao Yan shook his head and said helplessly, "There's no way around it; I'm going to refine the Pill anyway. Help me find Yao Ye at the Imperial Palace, and when the Imperial Family has gathered all the Medicinal Herbs for the Sect Breakthrough Pill, bring them back to Yunlan Sect for me. That should be simple enough, right?"
"No problem, I can definitely do it this time!" Nalan Yanran perked up, looking like she would definitely do it well this time, and walked out of Xiao Yan's room.
When Nalan Yanran walked out of the room and closed the Bamboo Door, she suddenly remembered how she had become a errand runner, inexplicably falling for Xiao Yan's trick!!! Xiao Yan was quite skilled in education!
After waiting for a day and a night, Queen Yao Ye really didn't disappoint, gathering three sets of Medicinal Herbs for the Sect Breakthrough Pill!
Xiao Yan didn't know how the Gama Imperial Family had done it; perhaps they had already gathered some themselves, or perhaps they had spent a great price to buy them from the Alchemist Guild, but no matter what, now that the Medicinal Herbs were complete, it was time for Xiao Yan to exert his strength.
Early in the morning, Xiao Yan had Nalan Yanran, the little errand runner, notify Gu He to come and watch the Pill Refining, and Xiao Yan didn't intend to hide anything at all, directly opening the furnace to refine Pills on the summit of Yunlan Sect in front of countless Yunlan Sect disciples! Originally, Pill Refining required a quiet environment, but Xiao Yan felt more inspired when refining Pills in front of many people.
Perhaps this was the highest level of showing off.
His gaze slowly swept over the dozens of snow-white jade boxes in front of him, then he looked around, naturally seeing many familiar faces.
Soon, Xiao Yan took a light breath, suppressing the fluctuations in his heart, and with a flick of his finger, the huge Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron appeared out of thin air, then heavily smashed to the ground, bringing with it a low, muffled sound.
"Could that be the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron, one of the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking!" Guild Leader Fa Ma also came to watch, and when he saw the Pill Refining furnace Xiao Yan was using, he exclaimed in surprise.
Gu He also narrowed his eyes; the so-called sharpening the knife does not delay the work, and having good tools is also a part of Pill Refining.
Squinting his eyes, Xiao Yan's mind flashed again with the Pill Refining method of the Sect Breakthrough Pill and all the things that needed attention. After a long while, his eyes suddenly opened, and in his dark pupils, the Void Earth Spirit Flame, fused from the Ten Thousand Beasts Spirit Flame, Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, and Void Swallowing Flame Sub-fire, rose in the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron.
In a subtle sound, a wisp of three-colored flame shot out from Xiao Yan's fingertips, and then with a flick of his finger, the flame turned into a stream of light, flashing into the Pill Refining furnace like lightning.
The moment the flame appeared, the fire seeds in the bodies of Alchemists such as Gu He couldn't help but shrink back.
"That flame is so..." Gu He was dumbfounded; what kind of flame was that! How did he have a new fire seed again? What about the previous Strange Flame! The flame had just entered the Pill Refining furnace, and its small body suddenly expanded. In a short moment, the small flame turned into a raging fire, burning wildly inside the Pill Refining furnace.
Soon, Xiao Yan's terrifyingly exaggerated Fire Control power reached a constant level inside the Pill Refining furnace, and the temperature fluctuation was already less than 1.
With a wave of his hand, a snow-white jade box exuding a hint of coldness was sucked into Xiao Yan's hand. Holding the Cold Marrow Branch with two fingers, a bone-chilling coldness quickly penetrated through his fingertips, almost making his entire arm numb.
But for Xiao Yan, who possessed seven kinds of Strange Flames, this kind of freezing was not even one percent of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
With a gentle toss of his hand, the Cold Marrow Branch was thrown into the Pill Refining furnace with extreme accuracy, and the flame devoured it directly like a ferocious mouth.
Even with the help of the fused Strange Flame, it still took thirty minutes to extract the Cold Marrow Branch.
Time flowed by, and one medicinal herb after another was thrown in.
After the extraction of numerous medicinal herbs was completed, just as they were about to be fused, a violent energy fluctuation erupted. Immediately, with a soft sound, most of the pure medicinal liquid that had been extracted with great difficulty was scattered.
Feeling the change within the Pill Refining furnace, Xiao Yan only smiled lightly and said via Soul Transmission, "It's a bargain for you, Mao Wu."
Meow! With a roll of Black Flame, all the medicinal herbs that had been painstakingly extracted were swallowed.
Seeing Xiao Yan's first attempt at Pill Refining fail, many people present secretly felt it was a pity. Only Rank 6 Alchemists like Gu He and Fa Ma could see the clues, and their expressions became very solemn.
"Truly terrifying fire control."
"It's not just fire control, the Soul power is equally outstanding. His fire control and Soul power have at least reached the Rank 7 level!"
Fa Ma and Gu He exchanged glances, and both saw deep helplessness and admiration in each other's eyes.
They understood that Xiao Yan's Pill Refining this time was bound to succeed!
The first failure was simply due to a lack of experience, not a lack of strength. With two more portions of Medicinal Herbs left, there was no doubt that the Sect Breakthrough Pill would be no problem!
Sure enough, during the second attempt, Xiao Yan's extraction speed was twice as fast as the first, and a rudimentary pill quickly appeared!
The corners of his mouth rose, revealing a smile. In the next second, a dazzling light that made everyone unable to open their eyes erupted from the Pill Refining furnace! The Sect Breakthrough Pill was done, which meant the Transformation Pill was done! Zi Yan's true face was about to appear!
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