Third Floor, Inner Court Pavilion
Once Xiao Yi Xian had left and the auras downstairs swiftly retreated, Xiao Bai released his suppression on the cauldron's energy. His hands formed seals, and a low shout escaped his lips.
Instantly, arcs of lightning danced across the cauldron's surface. Within, crimson flames surged, occasional tongues of fire licking out from the rim.
At the heart of the flames, a thumb-sized, radiant point of light floated, its glow growing ever more blinding.
As the light intensified, the energy ripples spreading outward pulsed faster, more violently.
Boom!
When Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, and the others were about a kilometer from the pavilion, a tremendous explosion roared behind them.
Their faces paled, and they spun around.
The pavilion was no longer visible, engulfed in a massive sphere of red and blue light.
Faintly, a pavilion-shaped shadow stood within the glow, but it was… shorter, as if the third floor had been erased from existence.
"Xiao Bai!" Xiao Yi Xian cried out, her foot stamping as she moved to rush back.
Xun'er grabbed her arm, meeting her anxious gaze with a shake of her head. "Xian'er, don't panic. Xiao Bai-gege is fine. If you go now, you'll distract him."
"But…" Xiao Yi Xian glanced at the red-blue light, then back at Xun'er.
Seeing the worry in Xun'er's eyes tempered by calm resolve, Xiao Yi Xian felt a pang of shame. Biting her lip, she nodded. "Alright."
"What's going on?" Tu Shan turned to Xu Su, with Mu Chuan and Lin Yan leaning in, all three still dazed.
"The boss is refining a sixth-grade pill," Xu Su said softly, meeting their wide-eyed stares.
"A pill?"
"Sixth-grade?"
"He's an alchemist? A sixth-grade alchemist?!"
Three exclamations rang out simultaneously, Lin Yan's the loudest. He'd only come under Xiao Bai's pressure, never expecting such a bombshell.
Snapping out of it, Lin Yan felt a rush of relief. Good thing those guys didn't lend me Fire Energy. If I'd paid it back, I'd regret it for life!
At that moment, the red-blue light enveloping the pavilion churned violently. Before their eyes, a beam of light, about two zhang wide, erupted from the center, shooting skyward.
___
Inner Court, Secluded Pavilion
In a quiet pavilion deep within the Inner Court, two figures stood by a top-floor window.
An old man in a wide black robe, his hair and beard snowy white, stood with hands behind his back, gazing at the greenery outside.
His aged face was serene, like a monk's, betraying no emotion. "Liu Cheng, any unusual activity in the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower lately?" he asked calmly.
"Grand Elder, it's the usual. The Fallen Heart Flame stirs once a month," replied a yellow-robed elder, bowing respectfully. If Xiao Bai were here, he'd recognize him as Elder Liu, the peak Dou Wang who'd sought his help with a Dou Spirit Pill.
"But recently, it seems to be stirring more frequently. With the elders' combined efforts maintaining the seal, it's under control for now."
"More frequent, huh?" The Grand Elder sighed softly, murmuring, "When the Dean discovered the Fallen Heart Flame here, he founded Jia Nan Academy."
"He said then that suppressing and sealing it would only work temporarily. The stronger the seal, the more catastrophic its eventual breakout. The barrier, constantly scorched by the Heavenly Flame, weakens without the Dean's reinforcement. If that beast breaks free, the Inner Court could be destroyed."
"With you, Grand Elder, and Elders Qian and Bai here, even if it escapes, it shouldn't be too disastrous, right?" Elder Liu asked cautiously.
"It's not just the Fallen Heart Flame," the Grand Elder said, his eyes clouded with concern. "If it breaches the seal, those in the Black-Corner Region will sense its eruption. If they come probing, we'll have trouble."
Elder Liu fell silent, then said thoughtfully, "Are you worried about Medicine Emperor Han Feng, Grand Elder?"
The Grand Elder's eyes glinted, and he nodded slightly. "Han Feng's an alchemist. The allure of a Heavenly Flame is unmatched for him."
"Over the years, he's tested the Inner Court's defenses, but without absolute certainty of a Heavenly Flame's presence, he hasn't dared act boldly. After all, Jia Nan Academy isn't to be trifled with."
"But if the Fallen Heart Flame is exposed, he'll have no reservations. A peak Dou Huang alone wouldn't faze us, but Han Feng is also a sixth-grade alchemist."
"His alchemy surpasses even Elder Huo of our Alchemy Department. In the Black-Corner Region, he's built a vast network through his skill."
"You know the terrifying influence of a sixth-grade alchemist. If he sets his sights on the Heavenly Flame, many factions in his network would gladly do him a favor."
"If he unites those Black-Corner Region forces—Fallen Heart Flame erupting within, Han Feng looming without—even Jia Nan Academy would face a serious trouble."
"What do we do?" Elder Liu's face creased with worry. "Should we… contact the Dean?"
"The Dean wanders the world, elusive as a dragon. How would we reach him?" The Grand Elder shook his head, a black-robed, white-haired figure flashing in his mind. "I hear you've asked Xiao Bai to refine Dou Spirit Pills?"
"Huh?" Elder Liu's face lit with surprise. "You didn't know?"
Seeing the Grand Elder shake his head, Elder Liu's expression shifted, nearly jumping. "That damn Su! He said you vouched for Xiao Bai, so Old Duan and I trusted him. But now…"
Realizing the ingredients were already handed over, Elder Liu felt like crying. What do I do? Ask for them back? He couldn't bear the shame. Xiao Bai was a fifth-grade alchemist at eighteen. Offending a prodigy with such potential over mere ingredients was unthinkable, especially as a near-Dou Huang who might need his help later.
That bastard Su, what a scam!
The Grand Elder, seeing his reaction, understood immediately, shaking his head inwardly. "Don't panic. That kid's alchemy is indeed a notch above Elder Huo's. In the Black-Corner Region, aside from Han Feng, he's likely the best."
Elder Liu relaxed slightly, nodding. At least Su hadn't lied about that.
"If he succeeds," the Grand Elder said, eyes gleaming with anticipation, "Jia Nan Academy will have a sixth-grade alchemist. That would significantly weaken Han Feng's influence in the Black-Corner Region—a great boon for us."
"Go—" The Grand Elder's words cut off as his stoic face flickered with astonishment. His gaze shot through the window toward a specific spot in the Inner Court.
Noticing his reaction, Elder Liu followed his line of sight, puzzled, seeing nothing.
"Such powerful energy fluctuations. This commotion… it's at least a sixth-grade pill forming!" The Grand Elder's eyes flashed, his gaze piercing space to focus on a certain pavilion.
"Sixth-grade pill!" Elder Liu gasped, then trembled as realization hit. "It's him, isn't it? It has to be! No one else in the Inner Court can refine a sixth-grade pill—not even Old Huo!"
Suppressing his excitement, Elder Liu looked to the Grand Elder.
Before a reply came, a towering beam of light erupted from a spot in the Inner Court, soaring skyward.
Elder Liu's doubts vanished. Sensing the beam's intense fluctuations, he was ecstatic. That was Xiao Bai's location.
___
Inner and Outer Court Passageway
Elder Su, on duty at the passage, spotted the massive beam, initially puzzled. Sensing it closely, he muttered in disbelief, "This… this is a sixth-grade pill emerging!"
His aged face broke into wild joy. "That's the freshman area!"
"Haha, he did it! Master Xiao's a man of his word—I wasn't duped this time!" Laughing heartily, he shot toward the beam as a streak of light.
At the same time, an elder in the Mission Hall saw the skyward beam, his face alight with excitement. Without hesitation, energy wings sprouted, and he sped toward it.
___
That day, Inner Court students felt dazzled.
After the strange red-blue beam erupted, streaks of colored light crisscrossed the sky, accompanied by occasional bursts of aged laughter, leaving them clueless about the cause.
Some knowledgeable students from Zhongzhou recognized the beam's significance and raced toward it. A sixth-grade alchemist was no small figure, even in parts of Zhongzhou.
___
Outer Court
Elder Huo was refining a fourth-grade pill, surrounded by over a dozen students holding their breath, watching intently.
"Though you can only refine first- and second-grade pills now, observing high-grade pill refinement greatly benefits your skills," Elder Huo said, shaking his head at their cautious breathing. "If you have questions, speak up. Don't worry about disturbing me—a fourth-grade pill is child's play for me."
The students exchanged glances, unsure how to ask. They couldn't follow the process.
"Sigh," Elder Huo sighed, frustrated. "Look at you, then look at Xiao Bai. You're the worst batch I've ever taught!"
"You never taught Xiao Bai," a voice muttered from the corner.
"Lu Mu, what's that?" Elder Huo's eyes sharpened, glaring at his prized student for the betrayal.
"It's true! You're fifth-grade, he's fifth-grade. So, Teacher, who's better?" Lu Mu, unfazed, pursed his lips and asked curiously.
The other students perked up, eager for the answer.
"He's a genius, but I'm older, more experienced," Elder Huo said, stroking his beard calmly.
"Got it! You're better, right?" Lu Mu grinned.
"Ahem, evenly matched, evenly matched," Elder Huo coughed.
Suddenly, he whipped his head around, sensing a fluctuation. His eyes widened in disbelief, nearly yanking out his beard.
"Look! What's that?" A student, peering through the window, spotted the red-blue beam piercing the sky and gasped.
"Sixth-grade pill!" Elder Huo murmured, staring at the beam.
"Sixth-grade?" The students, all alchemists with some knowledge of pill phenomena, exchanged looks. They hadn't considered it, but Elder Huo's words confirmed it. The direction… the Inner Court!
"Didn't you say you were evenly matched?" Lu Mu gaped at the beam.
No reply came. When he looked back, Elder Huo was gone.
In the cauldron, the forming pill, deprived of flames, slumped into the ashes like mud, silently lamenting.
___
Black-Corner Region, Chaotic Lands
On a pavilion in a chaotic region beyond the Inner Court's mountains, a man in a green robe embroidered with a maple leaf looked up.
His gaze fixed on the direction of the energy eruption.
Handsome, with shoulder-length black hair, he exuded a faint, approachable medicinal fragrance that lingered.
"Such fluctuations… only a sixth-grade pill's formation would cause this," he murmured. "That direction, beyond the mountains, must be Jia Nan Academy."
"Elder Huo's work? But his skill level makes that unlikely."
"Has his alchemy surged after years out of sight?"
The green-robed man frowned. In the Black-Corner Region, he'd always been the top alchemist.
Ordinary sixth-grade alchemists didn't concern him—he had a Heavenly Flame.
But Jia Nan Academy was different.
Rumors of a Heavenly Flame there had persisted, unconfirmed.
Another sixth-grade alchemist with a Heavenly Flame could threaten his dominance.
"The fluctuation's at Jia Nan Academy. Hard to investigate—those old fogeys are tough nuts to crack," he sighed, retracting his gaze.
As he turned, a glint flashed at his chest—a badge with an ancient cauldron, six golden ripples shimmering.
A sixth-grade alchemist badge.
In the Black-Corner Region, only one man wore it: Medicine Emperor, Han Feng.
___
Inner Court
Under the azure sky, the two-zhang-wide red-blue beam lingered.
Xiao Bai stood within it, feeling the dense energy around him, slowly rising from the floor.
He glanced around, standing on what felt like a wooden platform.
The roof above had been blasted away by the beam, the room's walls vanished, leaving only jagged wooden stubs, as if a typhoon had passed.
The floor, protected by his efforts, remained intact.
Squinting upward, he beckoned toward a spot in the beam.
A streak of red-blue light, trailing a tail, drifted down, hovering above his palm.
The glow faded, revealing its form.
A dragon-eye-sized red pill, perfectly round.
Blue flecks, like stars in the night sky, twinkled across it, pulsing as if breathing, profoundly mystical.
As the pill was drawn out, the massive beam, as if losing its anchor, twisted briefly before fading into the wind.
"Is this the Dou Spirit Pill?" Xiao Bai held the pill, studying it quietly, sensing the surging energy within, and murmured softly.
____
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