Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension

For his first attempt at alchemy, Xiao Yan lacked experience and did not utilize the more potent Xuan Huang Flame.

The Great Flame Art allowed absolute control over fire, but the trace of wood attribute energy Yao Lao had mentioned was something Xiao Yan had never paid attention to before.

Slowly closing his eyes, Xiao Yan calmed his mind, allowing his powerful soul perception to search meticulously for the faint trace of wood attribute energy within himself.

Yao Lao's wrinkled old face broke into a smile as radiant as a blooming chrysanthemum.

"This little guy, mastering alchemy is not as simple as he might think."

"Especially with his starting point being so high and his power so strong, controlling it will be even more difficult."

After carefully searching, Xiao Yan quickly located a faint stream of light green energy within his body.

This must be the wood attribute energy Yao Lao had mentioned.

It had always been there, but Xiao Yan had never seriously sought it out before.

With a thought, the barely perceptible green energy flowed into the cauldron. The pink flame within shuddered and, though already gentle, became even more docile.

"You found it already?" Yao Lao was astonished at the change in the flame. It had taken Xiao Yan less than three minutes.

Back when Yao Lao had first tried to locate the wood attribute energy within himself, it had taken him nearly half an hour.

This demonstrated just how formidable Xiao Yan's soul perception truly was.

Over the years, Xiao Yan hadn't only cultivated Dou Qi; he had also developed his soul strength.

However, Yao Lao, focusing on guiding Xiao Yan in Dou Qi cultivation, had overlooked the gradual but significant growth of his soul power.

As time passed, Xiao Yan's soul strength had already approached the threshold of the Mortal Realm's lower tier.

With soul power strong enough to be classified, Xiao Yan's current level far surpassed many alchemists.

After stabilizing the Peach Blossom Flame, Xiao Yan lightly tapped his storage ring, and a dark red Blood Coagulation Grass appeared, which he then tossed into the cauldron.

As soon as the Blood Coagulation Grass entered, the gentle Peach Blossom Flame surged up to meet it.

In an instant, the dark red leaves began to turn yellowish.

For most beginner alchemists, the Blood Coagulation Powder formula would be quite challenging, but for Xiao Yan, whose soul strength was exceptionally robust, it was as easy as revisiting high school material for an advanced student.

Using his soul to control the Peach Blossom Flame, Xiao Yan precisely adjusted its temperature to match the requirements of the formula.

The delicate flames emitted a soft warmth, neither too hot nor too cold, gently roasting the Blood Coagulation Grass suspended above them.

As the roasting continued, droplets of crystalline liquid began to seep from the surface of the grass.

With the flames constantly refining it, the liquid transformed into faint white powder.

As more and more white powder emerged, the Blood Coagulation Grass rapidly shriveled.

When the final droplet of liquid was extracted, the plant's body turned into a pile of black ash at the bottom of the cauldron.

Thanks to the fifth-tier beast flame, Peach Blossom Flame—coveted even by seasoned alchemists—Xiao Yan's refinement speed was extraordinary, taking no more than two or three minutes.

Witnessing Xiao Yan's unexpectedly smooth success, Yao Lao was utterly stunned.

"What incredible soul power! He's already on the verge of entering the Mortal Realm's lower tier. For an eleven-year-old, this is simply miraculous."

"And to control such powerful soul energy with such finesse over the flames—it's unbelievable!"

"Xiao Yan's alchemy skills at this moment are already on par with those of a second-tier alchemist."

Cultivating Dou Qi in the womb was already astonishing enough—could his alchemy skills also be innate?

Xiao Yan's talent for alchemy far exceeded Yao Lao's expectations.

While Yao Lao was still marveling internally, Xiao Yan had already taken out a Vitality Fruit and refined it into small, slightly black particles.

With a deep understanding of medicinal properties, Xiao Yan knew that these particles had the effect of dispelling stagnation and activating blood circulation.

In the wild, experienced injured mercenaries often used crushed Vitality Fruit pulp to reduce their injuries when they lacked proper healing medicine.

After refining two medicinal ingredients, Xiao Yan felt he was getting the hang of it. Without hesitation, he took out two Poppy Flowers and tossed them into the cauldron.

Once the light red liquid was extracted, Xiao Yan let out a low shout: "Merge!"

Yao Lao's eyes narrowed as he focused on the inside of the cauldron.

Under the guidance of Xiao Yan's soul power, the three medicinal substances began to combine into a dark red paste.

Different materials have varying resistance to temperature. Moreover, due to the specific requirements of the formula, the refining process requires precise temperature adjustments, which must change at different stages rather than maintaining a constant heat.

During the fusion stage, the varying temperature resistance of the materials adds another layer of complexity. The flame enveloping the materials must exhibit multiple temperature zones, making this the ultimate test for an alchemist.

Many alchemists fail at this final stage, unable to maintain precise control over the flame's temperature, leading to the collapse of the entire process.

This is because the difficulty of controlling the flame during fusion is several times greater than during the individual refining of ingredients.

Under Xiao Yan's control, the Peach Blossom Flame transitioned seamlessly between high and low temperatures. The flame's precise adjustments ensured that each ingredient fused perfectly at its optimal temperature.

As the final portion of the paste was refined, the entire substance deepened into a rich red color, emitting a potent medicinal fragrance.

Retrieving the paste, Xiao Yan, with the pink flame enveloping his palm like a sharp blade, divided it into over a hundred small portions and stored them in jade bottles.

Picking up one of the bottles, Xiao Yan finally understood the true power of an alchemist.

The medicinal potency refined using an alchemist's flame was several times purer than that achieved through ordinary fire.

Common herbs could deliver the efficacy of rare materials in the hands of an alchemist, and premium ingredients could yield even more potent effects.

Had he possessed this method earlier, the materials he wasted could have been used to create multiple, far more effective Yan Wang Di Tou pills.

Gazing at the deep red jade bottle, Yao Lao was utterly stunned.

"He succeeded on the first try! And this Coagulation Powder is an almost perfect replication of the formula!"

Typically, due to differences in an alchemist's skill and state, each batch of pills would vary slightly, staying within an acceptable range.

For Xiao Yan to perfectly replicate the recorded formula was a rarity—something even seasoned alchemists could achieve only once in a hundred attempts.

"Having godlike comprehension in cultivation techniques and Dou Skills is one thing, but also having godlike comprehension in alchemy?!"

As the cave returned to silence, a low hum echoed, and a cluster of mysterious yellow flame emerged in Xiao Yan's palm.

This time, he planned to use a Heavenly Flame to refine a pill.

Even a healing medicine like Coagulation Powder had room for improvement.

(End of Chapter)

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