A flicker of light passed over Xiao Yi's storage ring.
The medicinal ingredients Xiao Yi had meticulously prepared were laid out before him one by one.
blood lotus essence, ice spirit flame grass, a fifth-grade ice-attributed beast core from a Snow Demon Sky Ape, and other more common auxiliary ingredients.
Of course, there was also the purple-gold Pill Furnace Xiao Yi had "borrowed" from the Alchemy Department.
"Ancestor, I'm starting…"
Xiao Yi let out a low shout, and after Xiao Xuan nodded in affirmation, Xiao Yi's eyes narrowed, and the Dou Qi within his body quietly circulated.
Xiao Yi flicked his finger, and a cluster of pale white, reddish flame leaped out, accurately falling into the fire trough beneath the Pill Furnace.
It was precisely the Beast Fire Xiao Yi had found within the Snow Demon Sky Ape earlier; the flame appeared cold, but in reality, it contained terrifying heat.
The moment it touched the bottom of the purple-gold Pill Furnace, it made a "sizzle" sound, and the furnace body quickly turned red.
As the temperature continuously rose, the flame totem on the purple-gold Pill Furnace seemed to come alive, slowly circulating.
"Rise!"
Xiao Yi let out a low shout, his right hand pointing like a sword, and gently tapped the blood lotus essence on the jade plate.
The blood lotus essence instantly floated up, and under Xiao Yi's guidance, slowly flew towards the Pill Furnace.
As it approached the Pill Furnace, the petals of the blood lotus essence began to fall off one by one, transforming into specks of red light that merged into the surrounding air.
The essence blood at the heart of the lotus, however, gathered together, forming a fist-sized blood-colored orb of light, emitting a heart-palpitating energy fluctuation.
Xiao Yi didn't hesitate in the slightest, his left hand forming a seal, guiding the blood-colored orb of light to slowly fall into the Pill Furnace.
Immediately after, Xiao Yi successively placed the ice spirit flame grass and the beast core into the furnace.
The moment the medicinal ingredients entered the furnace, a violent energy fluctuation erupted within the Pill Furnace.
The powers of various medicinal ingredients collided and fused under high temperature, emitting a "rumbling" sound, and the furnace body also vibrated violently.
Xiao Yi's expression was solemn, his hands rapidly forming seals, his Soul Power fused with the Snow Demon Sky Ape's Beast Fire, drilling into the Pill Furnace, carefully guiding the Fusion of energy within the furnace.
Although Xiao Yi's alchemy experience could not be called seasoned, it was sufficient.
Xiao Yi knew that the most crucial aspects of refining Medicinal Pills were the control of heat and the balance of energy.
If he was even slightly careless, all his efforts would be in vain, and it might even cause an explosion.
Time passed bit by bit; the temperature in the Pill Refining Room grew higher and higher, and the medicinal fragrance in the air became increasingly Rich.
Fine beads of sweat oozed from Xiao Yi's forehead.
His face also became somewhat pale.
The blood lotus pill was originally a fifth-grade pill, and coupled with Xiao Yi's choice to use a fifth-grade ice-attributed beast core, the difficulty of refining it increased by several folds.
Moreover, Xiao Yi had to constantly monitor the condition of the medicinal ingredients within the Pill Furnace; this process consumed a great deal of Xiao Yi's Soul Power.
"Boom…"
A sharp shriek suddenly came from within the Pill Furnace.
A white mist erupted from the furnace opening.
"Is a fifth-grade beast core still too much?"
Xiao Yi let out a low shout, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
Because at this moment, Xiao Yi clearly sensed that the energy of the beast core was unable to fully fuse with the medicinal ingredients for a long time.
However, the next second, Xiao Yi let out a low shout, and immediately, the familiar flame from before appeared in his left palm—the Heart Fire condensed from a Cultivation Technique.
With Heart Fire plus a sixth-grade Beast Fire, Xiao Yi carefully controlled the two great flames to further purify the beast core's energy, allowing it to perfectly fuse with the medicinal ingredients.
Xiao Yi was drenched in sweat, his Soul Power still continuously searching for the most suitable critical point of Fusion.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
The purple-gold Pill Furnace suddenly emitted a dull roar, its lid was pushed up by a powerful force, and a crimson light shot out from within the furnace, drawing a beautiful arc in the air.
Xiao Yi's eyes lit up with joy.
With a wave of his right hand, a stream of Dou Qi transformed into a pouch, steadily catching the red light.
As the light dissipated, a dragon-eye-sized, entirely crimson Medicinal Pill with lotus patterns on its surface appeared in his hand.
This was the blood lotus pill!
The moment the Medicinal Pill appeared, an extremely rich medicinal fragrance permeated the room.
The lotus patterns on the surface of the Medicinal Pill slowly circulated, emitting a gentle yet powerful energy fluctuation, clearly indicating its extremely high quality.
Xiao Xuan, who had witnessed Xiao Yi's entire alchemy process from the side, said nothing, merely nodding with considerable satisfaction.
Since Xiao Xuan's awakening, he had witnessed Xiao Yi's growth step by step.
From a Dou Practitioner to his current Dou Ling, plus his ability to independently and successfully refine a fifth-grade pill.
The talent Xiao Yi displayed now had already gained Xiao Xuan's approval.
"Ancestor, with this blood lotus pill, plus the heavenly cold qi, and your help!"
"We will definitely succeed in subduing the Fallen Heart Flame!"
A hint of excitement flashed in Xiao Yi's eyes; in his view, the Fallen Heart Flame was already as good as his.
"Little Fellow, you are very good…"
"I am very satisfied…"
Xiao Xuan finally spoke in a deep voice, praising Xiao Yi without reservation.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi merely smiled faintly.
He then carefully placed the blood lotus pill into a pre-prepared jade bottle.
The jade bottle was instantly enveloped in a faint red glow, emitting a warm aura.
Now, everything was ready, just waiting for seven days to pass to enter the Heavenly Flame Training Pagoda and subdue the Fallen Heart Flame!
...The next day.
By a cliff edge in the back mountains of Jia Nan Academy.
Xiao Yi and Xun'er leaned against each other, cherishing this last bit of time.
However, before Xiao Yi and Xun'er could even exchange a few words, Xiao Xuan sensed a powerful aura approaching Jia Nan Academy.
"Kid, time's up, people from the Ancient Clan are here…"
Xiao Xuan's voice had just echoed in Xiao Yi's ears.
The next second, the Void Realm above Xiao Yi and Xun'er's heads suddenly cracked open.
Two old men slowly walked out from within.
"Dou Zun Experts…"
Xiao Yi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, not expecting that the people who came to pick up Xun'er to return to her clan this time were actually two Dou Zun Experts, not that Ling Quan.
The two old men slowly landed, and with great respect, they cupped their hands towards Xun'er and spoke:
"Young Miss, we two have been ordered by the Elder Council to specifically come and escort Young Miss back to the clan…"
Xun'er, however, showed a hint of displeasure and said in a deep voice:
"Elder Lin, Elder Yuan…"
"Haven't I already said that I will go back myself, there's no need to trouble you two…"
The leading Elder Lin took a step forward and spoke with a smiling face: "Young Miss, this is the Elders' wish, and we two are merely acting on orders, please don't blame us, Young Miss…"
As his words fell, the eyes of the two Dou Zun Experts simultaneously fell upon Xiao Yi.
"You are that junior from the Xiao Family… Xiao Yi?"
"We two also have another matter to attend to on this trip, which is to convey the Elder Council's message: we hope you can stay away from Young Miss; the current Xiao Clan no longer has the qualifications to be so close to Young Miss…"
Elder Yuan's expression was solemn as he spoke in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, Xun'er was about to speak up to defend Xiao Yi.
But Xiao Yi suddenly gently pulled her, embracing her, and then kissed her: "Xun'er, wait for me…"
He then turned his head and spoke to the two Dou Zun Experts in a deep voice:
"Whether I am worthy or not is not for you to decide… but for me to decide!"
Elder Lin and Elder Yuan were also slightly stunned by this scene, then immediately reacted and shouted loudly:
"Kid, how dare you!"
"A fallen Xiao Clan dares to covet my Ancient Clan's Young Miss! Today, we will capture you too and bring you back for judgment!"
The next second, a deep, ancient voice slowly resounded:
"Mere two Dou Zuns from the Ancient Clan, yet so arrogant…"
"Do you really think my Xiao Clan has no one left…"