BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

"This Soul Ring is nothing more than a relic left behind by an 8th-tier alchemist after his death. Moreover, the spiritual imprint on this storage ring has dissolved, and the soul has already dissipated within the ring. I, Hun Huzi, am the number one alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent. And you say I'm not qualified?"

Xiao Yan recalled a treasure identification atlas within the ring that detailed various treasures of the Dou Qi Continent, including the Soul Ring.

The so-called Soul Ring was a kind of high-grade Storage Ring. Besides storing inanimate objects like the Storage Ring, the most significant feature of the Soul Ring was its ability to preserve souls!

The souls of powerful alchemists were incredibly strong on their own. In the face of mortal danger, they could separate their souls from their bodies and hide within the Soul Ring to preserve themselves.

And since this Soul Ring could even preserve the Bone Chilling Flame, it was undoubtedly a rare treasure.

Initially, Xiao Yan had thought the ring was an inheritance left by his mother. But after Hun Huzi's explanation, it seemed his mother might have acquired the Soul Ring from an unknown source.

The original owner of the Soul Ring faced a mortal crisis and was forced to flee into the ring to preserve his soul. However, his soul couldn't resist and ultimately dissipated, leaving the Storage Ring and the Bone Chilling Flame without an owner.

Hun Huzi looked at Xiao Yan and revealed a cold smile as he said, "Jie Jie, since you say I am not qualified, let me show you what real alchemy is!"

With a whoosh, Hun Huzi used his Spiritual Strength to pinch the air toward the floating Bone Chilling Flame. From it he drew a thread-like flame as thin as a needle.

His fingers moved like a conductor's baton, guiding the pale white thread of the Bone Chilling Flame through several herbs as smoothly as threading a needle.

In an instant, as the flame thread passed through the herbs, it meticulously separated the wheat from the chaff. The overwhelming Spiritual Strength extracted all the necessary herbal essences. The remaining impurities in the herbs instantly turned into piles of ashes that fell to the ground.

Finally, the flame threads carrying the essence coiled together to form a purple and white colored medicinal pill.

It was almost an instant pill formation! Although those herbs were not of a particularly high grade, to refine a medicinal pill in the blink of an eye was like something out of a fairy tale. Who would believe such a story if it were told?

"Boy, your attempt at provocation is too immature."

With a swoosh, Hun Huzi flicked his finger. The pill turned into a streak of light that forcefully entered Xiao Yan's throat.

"Gag!" Xiao Yan immediately tried to vomit the pill out, but it was already too late. The power of the medicine spread throughout his body, giving him no chance to react.

"What did you feed me!"

"Jie Jie Jie, it's merely an ordinary poison pill. If you manage to solve this poison, you'll be considered worthy to become my disciple. Take this token of mine with you to the Hall of Souls in the Imperial Capital. If you fail, well, heh heh heh. Remember not to provoke others so carelessly in your next life."

A black token engraved with the character "Soul" appeared on the table. Soon after, Hun Huzi tore through space and disappeared...

After Hun Huzi disappeared, Xiao Yan's originally angry expression immediately returned to his usual calmness. His bloodshot eyes gradually cleared. It seemed like everything he had done was intentional!

Once Xiao Yan surmised that Hun Huzi wouldn't kill him, an idea formed in his mind.

He lacked the guidance of a powerful alchemist, and even if it was just to watch the other party refine a pill, it would be beneficial. That's why Xiao Yan intentionally provoked the other party.

His focused gaze on the Bone Chilling Flame was a deliberate act to divert Hun Huzi's attention toward it, thus protecting a certain Qi Method from being discovered.

The Qi Method in question was the Flame Mantra. It was a Low Huang Class Qi Method that was capable of evolving infinitely by devouring Heavenly Flames! This was the Qi Method that he was cultivating.

Xiao Yan had many Qi Methods to choose from, but he ultimately chose this mysterious and strange one.

There were two main reasons for his choice: First, since his Soul Ring contained the Bone Chilling Flame, he already had the necessary materials for the Flame Mantra. He didn't even need to seek them out.

Second, this Qi Method was genuinely powerful. Ever since reaching the Dou Practitioner realm, Xiao Yan started cultivating the Flame Mantra. Initially, he could only sense the Bone Chilling Flame from a distance. Now, he could approach within three meters of it and absorb the strands of flame it emitted.

The Flame Mantra had now evolved to an Intermediate Huang Class, proving that this Qi Method could indeed devour Heavenly Flames to achieve endless evolution.

As for the poison pill, he didn't take it seriously at all since he already knew how to detoxify the poison.

He crouched down and collected all the powdered herbs left over from Hun Huzi's alchemy process. Mixed, these powders formed the antidote.

The herbs that Hun Huzi used for alchemy were all personally collected by Xiao Yan. He knew exactly what they were. They were all beneficial herbs, not poisonous ones.

The most fundamental step in alchemy was purification. Purification removed the excess impurities and toxins from the herbs, leaving only the purest medicinal properties.

The saying 'all medicines have a poisonous side' meant that herbs were beneficial not because they were inherently non-toxic, but because their medicinal properties outweighed their toxicities. A poisonous herb, on the other hand, had a toxicity that was greater than its medicinal value.

Therefore, the antidote to this poison pill was the medicinal powder left over from the herbs.

The severe cold and pain in his body instantly disappeared after he consumed all the powdered herbs mixed with water. The excess medicinal power even slightly increased his Dou Qi.

'What exactly is this ancient jade that someone like Hun Huzi would go to such lengths to seize?'

'How could my Xiao Clan possess such a thing?'

Xiao Yan picked up the black token on the table. The events of the day had far exceeded his comprehension.

Shortly after, there was a knock on the door: "Xiao Yan ge-ge, do you have time tomorrow? Can you accompany Xun Er to the market?"

Xiao Yan stored everything back into the Soul Ring and gently wiped the blood tears from his cheeks before opening the door.

"If Xun Er needs me to be her escort, I will naturally not shirk my duty."

Upon seeing Xun Er, Xiao Yan couldn't help but ponder. Could it be that Hun Huzi didn't dare to kill him because of Xun Er?

...

In a mysterious space within the Dou Qi Continent known as the Hun Realm, the once unrivaled Hun Huzi was found kneeling on one knee behind a man.

The man, dressed in a white robe, appeared gentle and refined. With a handful of fish food in his hand, he was in the midst of feeding the fish in a pond. He enjoyed watching the fish compete as they eagerly scrambled for the food.

After finishing feeding the fish, the man slowly turned around and calmly said, "Stand up."

"Yes, Clan Head."

The man asked unhurriedly, "How did it go?"

Hun Huzi respectfully answered, "Clan Head, it appears that the ancient jade of the Xiao Clan may have fallen into the hands of the Gu Clan."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing Hun Huzi's response, the Head of the Hun Clan, Hun Tiandi, frowned. This was troubling news indeed.

Hun Huzi continued, "In the Xiao Clan of the Jia Ma Empire, there is a young girl who possesses the Seed Flame of the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame. Although I did not directly probe this girl, my Spiritual Strength has scoured the entire Xiao Clan without finding the ancient jade."

Hun Tiandi's gaze turned icy. He knew that the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, ranked fourth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, was the Gu Clan's hereditary flame. Only key members of the Gu Clan could possess the Seed Flame.

The fact that a member of the Gu Clan had been found within the Xiao Clan meant that the whereabouts of the ancient jade had already been revealed.

"You did well not to use your Spiritual Strength to probe. That girl must be the daughter of Gu Yuan. If you accidentally triggered any measures on her, you would have been burnt to ashes," Hun Tiandi knew the terrifying extent of Gu Yuan's strength. It was unlikely that Gu Yuan would carelessly leave his daughter in such a remote place. Even from hundreds of thousands of miles away, Gu Yuan could easily annihilate the entire Jia Ma Empire.

'What a classic case of the snipe and the clam fighting while the fisherman benefits. In the end, the ancient jade of the Xiao Clan still falls into your hands, Gu Yuan.'

Hun Huzi asked, "Clan Head, should we capture that girl and exchange her for the ancient jade?"

After pondering for a moment, Hun Tiandi shook his head and said, "My injuries from the battle with Xiao Xuan haven't fully healed yet. Now is not the time to start a war with the Gu Clan. Instruct the Hall of Souls to intensify the collection of powerful soul bodies. We must complete this before the Gu Clan obtains the rest of the ancient jades. We cannot allow the Gu Clan to continue acquiring more ancient jades."

"Understood, Clan Head!"

As a butterfly gently fluttered its wings, the timeline of fate underwent a significant shift.