Chapter 116: Sixth Heaven of the Martial Warrior Realm

  After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the medicinal liquid within the roaring flames had condensed into a glass bead-sized orb. The medicinal energy within it had become increasingly refined, each drop crystal clear and glowing with a radiant light.

  Yang Tian's spiritual energy was severely depleted. As a first-time alchemist, his techniques were still rough, leading to excessive consumption. His spiritual body was dim and lifeless.

  At this moment, Yang Tian's hand seals suddenly changed. The mass of medicinal liquid gradually took on the shape of a pill, and the energy flowing within it began to converge. This stage tested his control over the alchemical flames.

  The thunder dragon exhaled alchemical flames, scorching hot, each burst of fire intertwined with arcs of lightning, refining the medicinal energy within.

  Yang Tian knew this stage would be slow, so he deliberately slowed his movements. His energy reserves were vast, and he could sustain this level of consumption for a while.

  The spiritual energy gathered within the cauldron had grown much stronger than before. Occasionally, a few strands of flame would escape the cauldron, causing the air to sizzle and crackle. The beast patterns engraved on the cauldron glowed with fiery light, exuding a faint pressure and an aura of spiritual energy.

  The process of shaping the pill lasted for over half an hour. Yang Tian's control over the flames had improved significantly, and the medicinal liquid within the cauldron had now fully taken the form of a pill.

  The round pill rotated as flames raged beneath it. The previously chaotic medicinal energy, now somewhat volatile, was being tempered by the alchemical flames.

  Yang Tian wiped the sweat from his face, his spirit utterly exhausted. His vital energy surged continuously, feeding the thunder dragon as it exhaled flames to refine the pill.

  "The solidification stage requires removing all the volatile energy from the pill. If even a trace remains, the pill will explode upon extraction," Yang Tian recalled from the alchemy notes. He steadied his mind and poured his spiritual energy into the cauldron.

  At this moment, his spiritual energy was severely fatigued, and the intense heat of the flames caused sharp pains in his spiritual body. Yang Tian licked his dry lips and focused his spiritual energy to scan the interior.

  "Absorb!" Suddenly, the thunder dragon opened its mouth, and a suction force emerged. The pill was drawn into the dragon's mouth, where the alchemical flames were several times more intense.

  After prolonged refinement by the flames, the pill shrank slightly, but the medicinal energy within became even more concentrated and potent.

  "Extract the pill!" Yang Tian shouted abruptly. The cauldron's lid flew open, and a burst of fiery light shot out. At the same time, several arcs of lightning danced in the air.

  The thunder dragon rose, opening its mouth to release a glowing orb of medicinal energy. The pill floated into the air, supported by bursts of alchemical flames.

  As the pill ascended, the surrounding spiritual energy surged, rushing toward the pill. The pill acted like a black hole, devouring the energy around it.

  "What the hell? Why is it absorbing so fast?" Yang Tian was startled. He sped up his hand seals. This was the final and most critical stage of alchemy.

  When a pill is formed, it naturally absorbs spiritual energy from the surroundings. This stage demanded precise control over the flames and hand seals. Any mistake could lead to failure.

  Yang Tian's energy reserves were depleting rapidly. The energy within the pill continued to grow, showing signs of instability. Although the alchemical flames could temper the volatile energy, their effect was limited.

  *Sizzle...* Yang Tian persisted for a while longer, but the pill in the air eventually disintegrated. The unfinished pill fell to the ground, turning into a pool of medicinal liquid.

  "How did this happen?" Yang Tian collapsed to the ground, staring at the wasted liquid. He twitched his lips, feeling utterly defeated. After all that effort, his first attempt at alchemy had failed.

  "Ugh..." Yang Tian sighed, his face scrunched up in frustration. After a moment of silence, he sat cross-legged to recover his energy.

  He swallowed three Star Pills, and his body was immediately filled with a starlight glow. His nearly depleted dantian began to greedily absorb the vast medicinal energy.

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  Within his sea of consciousness, his spiritual body soaked in the medicinal liquid of the Soul Nurturing Lotus Seed. The previously dim spiritual body now shimmered with an eerie black light. His spiritual energy was recovering at an astonishing rate.

  His exhausted body gradually relaxed, and a sense of lethargy spread through him. Yang Tian consumed a few more Star Pills until his energy had slightly improved, then stopped.

  "It seems alchemy has its benefits for cultivation..." Yang Tian murmured as he opened his eyes, feeling the changes within his body. This realization eased his concern that alchemy might hinder his cultivation progress.

  "Let's begin again." Yang Tian exhaled and summoned the flame seed. This time, the transformation was much faster. The thunder dragon soared into the cauldron, and the temperature, which had just begun to drop, rose again with roaring flames.

  With practiced ease, Yang Tian refined the spirit herbs. This time, only three herbs were ruined, a significant improvement from the last attempt. The more precise his control over the flames, the fewer herbs he wasted.

  A skilled alchemist was judged by their control, followed by their flame control technique. Low-tier flame control techniques were too crude to refine high-tier pills.

  The third factor was spiritual energy. Yang Tian now possessed all three, lacking only experience. After about half an hour, a crystal-clear pill was rotating within the cauldron.

  "Absorb!" Yang Tian commanded. The thunder dragon swallowed the pill, removing the volatile energy within. As time passed, Yang Tian's expression grew serious.

  During the previous attempt, he had failed at the extraction stage due to poor timing. This time, he focused all his mental energy, ensuring there was no trace of volatile energy left.

  "Extract the pill!" Yang Tian shouted, slamming his palm on the ground and leaping into the air. Simultaneously, the cauldron's lid flew open, and the thunder dragon emerged.

  The dragon's flame orifice exhaled, lifting the pill into the air. Bursts of scorching flames enveloped the pill.

  Yang Tian's fingers danced frantically in the air, and his spiritual energy surged out, suppressing any instability within the pill. His energy reserves were depleting rapidly.

  The pill continued to absorb spiritual energy from its surroundings, its medicinal energy growing stronger. Rays of light emanated from it, and as the flames continued to refine it, a thin film formed on its surface.

  "It's going to succeed!" Yang Tian's face lit up with joy. This film, formed from spiritual energy, served to preserve the medicinal energy, slowing its dissipation.

  When the thunder dragon lifted the pill high into the air, the Body Tempering Pill trembled and slowly descended.

  "Haha, success!" Yang Tian caught the pill in his hand, grinning from ear to ear. The pill was about the size of a thumb, still warm to the touch, though its surface was somewhat rough.

  After examining it excitedly, Yang Tian carefully stored the pill in a jade bottle. He sighed, "Now I'm officially an alchemist."

  For the next period, Yang Tian remained inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring, spending ten days in a frenzy of alchemy. His success rate for refining Body Tempering Pills reached eighty percent.

  It was worth noting that after days of intense alchemy, Yang Tian's spiritual body had reached the peak of its current realm, nearing the bottleneck of the Soul Wanderer stage.

  His cultivation had also advanced by one level. He was now at the fifth heaven of the Martial Warrior realm. With these gains, Yang Tian didn't stop. He continued his high-intensity alchemy for another month inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring.

  When Yang Tian successfully refined a few mid-tier first-grade pills, the time required for each refinement decreased significantly. Consuming Star Pills daily became his primary focus.

  Nearly half a month had passed in the outside world. The commotion in the Ten Thousand Mountains had died down. Some speculated that Yang Tian had been killed by a fierce beast, while others believed he had been captured by the Holy Maiden of the Ancient Holy Land.

  Yang Tian had completely vanished from sight. A few days prior, the Ancient Holy Land had activated the Heavenly Surveillance Seal seven or eight times, but an inexplicable force prevented them from locating him, leaving them severely weakened.

  Inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring, Yang Tian continued his seclusion for another month. His body radiated starlight, and his physical strength was astonishing. At this moment, Yang Tian was breaking through a bottleneck.

  With his vast reserves, Yang Tian was now on par with any Holy Son. The medicinal power of the Star Pills was incredible. The miniature energy figure within him continuously practiced fist techniques, striking at the seventy-two acupoints.

  Most of the acupoints in his body had already been opened. The river of vital energy within him swayed violently as vast amounts of energy poured into the miniature figure. As the fist techniques grew more fierce, the acupoints were gradually forced open.

  *Boom!* At this moment, as the acupoint was halfway opened, a crimson light pillar shot out, converging onto the river of vital energy.

  With the opening of the seventy-second acupoint, Yang Tian's dantian underwent a dramatic transformation. All the acupoints vibrated, and a massive energy vortex appeared above his head.

  "Acupoint power, open!" Yang Tian shouted suddenly. The energy vortex above him poured into the miniature figure, causing it to double in size.

  *Boom!* A punch was thrown, crimson and crystalline, with starlight bursting forth. This punch was several times stronger than before, directly blasting open the acupoint.

  *Boom!* As the seventy-second acupoint was opened, the energy vortex above him expanded several times. The seventy-two acupoints interconnected, and the vital energy within him surged like a tidal wave.

  Like a flood breaching a dam, the seventy-two acupoints unleashed a torrent of energy, continuously converging into the river of vital energy, creating waves like crashing tides.

  Yang Tian swallowed a handful of Star Pills, and the river of vital energy rapidly expanded. The energy vortex above him churned violently until it had doubled in size. Then, the fluctuations gradually subsided.

  This was the difference between the fifth and sixth heavens of the Martial Warrior realm. The one hundred and eight acupoints in the human body were like a massive formation. If all were opened, one's strength would increase severalfold.

  Just as Yang Tian completed his breakthrough, his spiritual body suddenly experienced a ripple of energy, and a faint tremor arose.