Sitting cross-legged within the cave, Xiao Yan retrieved the medicine cauldron from his storage ring and placed it gently before him. He then arranged all the materials needed for preparing the Huai Mai Dan and Bing Xin Dan beside him, carefully inspecting each one before exhaling in relief. As Xiao Yan prepared to begin the brewing process, the elderly pharmacist wavered slightly, drifting out of his ring and landing upon a large stone, arms folded, smiling warmly as he watched Xiao Yan's movements. After glancing at the old man, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, mentally reviewing once again the prescriptions for the two types of pills transmitted by the pharmacist, as well as the required quantities and flame temperatures. Then, he opened his eyes, gently rubbing his hands, placing his palms against the flame opening of the cauldron, and gradually drawing his spirit inward, carefully drawing out the central purple flame swirling within the energy vortex. Under the protection of the Qi, the purple flame swiftly traveled through his meridians, passed through his palms, and entered the cauldron. A deep purple flame surged into the cauldron, making a soft "pop" sound, and immediately began to rise and burn within it. Through the mirrored surface of the cauldron, Xiao Yan watched the wild, swirling purple flames. Only after the initially cold cauldron gradually warmed up did he turn his head, smile gently at the old herbalist, then his expression grew serious once more. His soul sensitivity radiated outwards, flowing along his arm and entering the cauldron, where it successfully calmed the unruly purple flames. "We can begin." Seeing the steadily calming flames inside, the old herbalist nodded with a smile, silently thinking: "This young one is growing more and more adept at using his soul energy—remarkably quick at compressing the flame's temperature." Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan smoothly reached out and grasped a plant beside him—its entire body a vibrant emerald. Known as the Evergreen Blossom, this plant's warm, soothing energy was the most suitable for protecting the meridians. Glancing at the juniper flowers in his hands, Xiao Yan's palm paused briefly before launching them into the cauldron. As soon as the juniper flowers entered the cauldron, a surge of deep purple flames erupted upward, instantly turning the lush green leaves into a crisp yellow. At this point, Xiao Yan exerted his spiritual force to gradually lower the flame temperature, maintaining a gentle, neither hot nor cold flame that softly熏烤ed the juniper flowers suspended above the flames. As this gentle baking continued, droplets of green liquid began to seep out from the leaves of the juniper flowers. With the liquid steadily increasing, the leaves themselves gradually withered. Eventually, after the very last drop of green liquid had been squeezed out from within the plant, the entire body transformed into dark ash and settled at the bottom of the cauldron. "Hmm... quite good. With your exceptional spiritual perception, even second-tier alchemical practitioners would find it hard to match." "Watching Xiao Yan's first step succeed smoothly, Yao Lao couldn't help but praise and smile. With a slight smile, Xiao Yan waved his hand, and the green liquid inside the medicine cauldron was swiftly drawn out, carefully guided into a jade bottle for later use during the fusion process. After obtaining the energy juice from the Evergreen Flower, Xiao Yan further refined three liquids of distinct colors and a pale green powder baked from the Tanling Fruit. During the preparation of these medicinal powders, as this was the first time he had combined such specific ingredients in the exact proportions and heat required for the elixir, even with his exceptional soul perception, twelve rare medicinal herbs were lost due to the process. Had it not been for the abundant medicinal resources in the valley, he might have faced the awkward situation of running out of herbs altogether." Sitting on the stone, the elder medic quietly watched Xiao Yan refine the herbs, until after the latter had gathered all the necessary materials. Then he gave a slight nod. Though Xiao Yan had damaged several herbs during the process, for someone making this kind of pill for the first time, that failure rate was quite satisfactory. After collecting all the materials, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, withdrew a Gui Qi Dan from his storage ring, and swallowed it, then settled into a meditative posture to restore his internal battle energy. Observing Xiao Yan's demeanor, the elder medic shook his head with a touch of resignation. It was no wonder Xiao Yan had nearly gone mad trying to evolve his techniques—just after a short while, his internal energy had been consumed so greatly. Right now, the pills he was preparing were only of second-class quality. If he were to later attempt third- or even fourth-class pills, he’d likely have to keep Xiao Yan constantly chewing on Gui Qi Dens to prevent him from failing midway due to energy depletion. After sitting in meditation for a while, Xiao Yan finally opened his eyes, gazing at the helpless expression on Yao Lao's face. He could only sigh and smile sadly, placing the various materials he had extracted earlier before him. Then, with a simple hand motion, a pure white magic core, continuously radiating cold energy, appeared in his hand. Within the cauldron, the purple flame and the icy mist continuously held each other in tense standoff, with thin strands of white vapor seeping out from the top and gradually spreading outward. Gazing at the increasingly dense white vapor filling the cave, the elderly pharmacist gently waved his sleeve, and a powerful surge of energy swept the mist away, restoring clarity within the cave. Yet at this moment, Xiao Yan showed no leisure to attend to these details; his entire focus remained fixed upon the ice-based magical core locked in fierce confrontation with the purple flame. The purple flame flowed ceaselessly into the cauldron, while the ice core, equally determined, released wave after wave of cold energy, desperately striving to escape its fate of destruction. The stalemate persisted until Xiao Yan had swallowed the pill of restored breath in his mouth, after which it gradually broke. Although the ice-based magic core contained a substantial amount of icy energy, it lacked reinforcements. Under the relentless baking of the purple flame, the icy barrier surrounding the core was eventually breached. As the barrier shattered, the purple flame surged with excitement, rising in powerful waves and fully enveloping the ice-based core, beginning the process of refining it. With the sustained heat of the flame, fine cracks gradually appeared on the rigid surface of the ice-based core. After a while, a crisp cracking sound resonated, and the surface of the core turned to ash and fell away. When the dust settled, a small, snow-white, viscous mass of energy gently floated into the medicinal cauldron. Staring at the snow-white energy paste that had appeared, Xiao Yan's tightly furrowed face finally broke into a smile. After gently warming it with his purple flame for a few more moments, he drew it off and carefully transferred it into a jade bottle. Once the magical core's energy had been refined, Xiao Yan swiftly grasped several materials that had already been extracted earlier and tossed them all into the medicinal cauldron. The purple flame enveloped each of the materials and ignited the most intense roasting. As the fierce flames continued to burn, the various-colored herbs gradually began to blend together—liquids merging with powders—and slowly swirled in the heat. Over time, the initial shape of the medicine began to take form, gradually emerging within the cauldron. At this stage, the nascent pill appeared covered in irregular depressions, with no clear shape or symmetry. Its surface shimmered in patches of green and purple, resembling a rugged, ancient creature with sharp angles—far from the smooth, lustrous finish of the finished pills. Gazing at this rough prototype, the weight pressing heavily on Xiao Yan's heart finally lifted. By now, the alchemical process had succeeded in nearly ninety percent of its goals, leaving only the final condensation phase to complete. Holding the refined magical core energy in his hand, Xiao Yan turned to the elderly pharmacist, who nodded with a warm smile. Taking a deep breath, he then gently poured the magical core energy from the bottle into the cauldron. The white paste energy, upon entering the medicinal cauldron, was immediately controlled and spread over the nascent shape of the pill. As it began to rotate slowly, Xiao Yan also swiftly regulated the temperature of the purple flame, compressing it into a steady, moderate state, gently roasting the pill enveloped in magical core energy. The final phase of condensation lasted nearly half an hour, during which the magical core's energy was gradually infused into the pill through the gentle, consistent roasting of the purple flame. At that moment, Xiao Yan suddenly drew back his soul force, which had been steadily maintaining the flame's intensity. The purple flame surged forth powerfully, instantly enveloping the pill with intense, turbulent heat. The flame then swiftly contracted and was immediately repressed back to its lowest point by Xiao Yan. As the purple flame receded, a perfectly round, luminous pill of pure, jade-white brilliance emerged, shining brilliantly within the cauldron. Staring at this pale jade pill, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile, extending his hand to draw it out of the cauldron with a swift motion, then quickly retrieving a jade vial from beside him to transfer it inside. As his hand withdrew from the cauldron, the vibrant purple flame within rapidly dimmed, and within moments, the once lively cauldron settled into quiet stillness. Shaking the pill gently, Xiao Yan inhaled the fragrant aroma rising from the vial, his face glowing with delight. After a while, he turned to the elderly pharmacist and beamed, "The Huapi Pill is a success!" "Yes, quite good. Though there were a few minor hiccups during the process, your performance was truly commendable," the pharmacist nodded in approval, then glanced at the herbs being used to prepare the Bingxin Pill on the ground, smiling, "Take a break now. You'll need to prepare the Bingxin Pill next. With this success, I believe you'll be able to damage fewer herbs in your next attempt." Nodding gently, Xiao Yan carefully stored the Pulse-Protecting Pill and then produced another Qi-Returning Pill, swallowing it. Closing his eyes, he waited for his internal Qi to recover. Half an hour later, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. Now he had once again reached his peak state. Gazing at the cauldron before him, he exhaled deeply and extended his hands, beginning the alchemy process once more... At this moment, Xiao Yan's face bore a touch of fatigue, yet more prominently, a sense of excitement and joy—because in his hands, he was tightly holding two jade vials. Inside the transparent vials, two round pills—one white and one green—were gently rolling about, playful and lively. These two pills were precisely the ones Xiao Yan had to prepare in order to consume the Purple Flame: the Pulse-Protecting Pill and the Ice-Heart Pill. "The old pharmacist smiled and nodded, murmuring, 'How many Qi Dan do you still have on you?' 'Twelve.' Reaching into his inner pocket, Xiao Yan replied. 'Enough, I believe. Once the absorption begins, should you sense your qi faltering, take one immediately. At that critical moment, if your qi suddenly depletes, that would indeed be no trivial matter,' the old pharmacist said seriously. 'Understood,' Xiao Yan nodded firmly, naturally unwilling to risk his life. 'Now then, let's see what happens. Honestly, I'm also eager to witness just how much the purple flame can evolve the 'Burned Technique.' Taking a deep breath, the old pharmacist added with a touch of anticipation. 'After all, it won't jump straight to the Supreme Rank.' Xiao Yan, though confident in his own assessment, remained aware of the reality—though the purple flame was powerful, it still fell far short when compared to the 'Divine Flame.' " "Of course I know it's impossible to reach the Xuān stage—each stage of cultivation is a world apart. The Purple Flame might elevate the Fengjie cultivation technique in rank, but to advance to the next tier? That's no easy feat!" The Yeold rolled his eyes, laughing under his breath. The expelled purple flames seemed still dazed—partners who had been working side by side just a few days ago, how could they suddenly have cast them out? The purple flames spiraled outside the vortex, gathering all the scattered ones together, eventually coalescing into a turbulent mass of intense purple fire. Just as the purple flames, unconscious and preparing to surge against the vortex, were about to make contact, a surge of vibrant yellow combat energy erupted suddenly from within the vortex, flooding out in overwhelming waves and encircling the purple flames. Under Xiang Yan's mental control, these combat energies were then drawn and guided along the pathways of the Burned Decree, beginning to circulate. As the combat energy enveloped the purple flames, they immediately sensed the threat, becoming fiercely agitated and impacting against the surrounding energy. Each such impact scorched vast areas of combat energy into nothingness. Yet within the vortex, combat energy continued to flow out ceaselessly. No matter how fiercely the purple flames burned, they could not escape the growing encirclement of this unyielding energy flow. When Xiao Yan's battle energy completely enveloped the purple flame, he lost all control over it. Yet at that moment, he didn't care—his full attention was focused on guiding the battle energy, drawing the purple flame into an extremely long, slender form, and swiftly pushing it deep into the meridian pathway where he had practiced the "Burn Technique." As soon as the battle energy wrapped the purple flame and entered this specific meridian, Xiao Yan's body jolted violently. A steady stream of cold sweat poured from his forehead, accumulating densely until it flowed like water down his face, dripping steadily onto the mountain stones. Holding his breath with intense grit, Xiao Yan felt waves of sharp, convulsive pain radiating through his meridians, so strong that his facial features began to twist. He hadn't expected the pain inflicted by the purple flame to be so intense, even with the initial protection provided by his battle energy. "Take the meridian-protecting pill!" Suddenly, the soft voice of Yao Lao rang out clearly in his ears as Xiao Yan endured the agony. Hearing the sound of sipping, Xiao Yan promptly reached for the small jade bottle in front of him and poured the pale pill into his mouth, then swallowed it at once. As soon as the Pulse-Protecting Pill entered his mouth, it transformed into a warm, smooth current that swiftly rolled down his throat, flowed through his body, and, under the guidance of his mind, rapidly coated each of the meridians essential for practicing the Burned Technique with a thin, delicate layer of white energy. Though this layer of white energy was extremely thin, its effects were remarkably significant. Not long after swallowing the pill, Xiao Yan's taut muscles began to relax gradually, and the strained expression on his face slowly returned to normal. Although occasional sensations of warmth and burning still occasionally radiated through his meridians, these were well within his tolerance. The gradually easing, severe pain eased a breath of relief in Xiao Yan's chest. He found it hard to imagine that, without the assistance of the Pulse-Protecting Pill, his body's meridians would still be able to absorb and contain qi in the future. Perhaps once the purple flame fully passed through his meridians, he would truly become a useless person. "Indeed, having an elder at home is like having a treasure," Xiao Yan murmured, his admiration for the old doctor growing infinitely stronger. With the Pulse-Protecting Pill's support, Xiao Yan felt much more at ease. Although the qi was being consumed rapidly due to the burning of the purple flame, the continuous intake of Qi-Reviving Pills helped balance the situation, bringing the two sides roughly even. Everything within the body was proceeding smoothly under the tense atmosphere, though so far, Xiao Yan had not noticed any discrepancies. Still, he remained cautious, as the Medicine Elder had once mentioned that during the process of absorption, in addition to the risk of damaged meridians due to the intense heat, the fierce vitality contained within the purple flame would gradually erode the mind, eventually leading to loss of control. Holding firmly to the Medicine Elder's words, Xiao Yan maintained his mental focus, ensuring not to make even the slightest mistake. As Xiao Yan gradually activated nearly half of the "Burned Path" cultivation pathway, encasing the purple flame within his qi, his expression gradually grew serious. He could now faintly sense a growing sense of restlessness and irritation creeping into his mind with the intensification of the absorption process. Noticing this shift in his mental state, Xiao Yan immediately felt a sharp sense of alertness, and without needing the Medicine Elder's reminder, he withdrew the Ice-Centered Pill from before him and swallowed it. The cold essence of the Ice Heart Pill entered his body, spreading from his throat like a refreshing chill that reached deep into his bones. As his spirit sensed this coolness, he gently shivered—his once-anxious heart, much like scattered snow melting under intense heat, rapidly dissolved and vanished. With the Ice Heart Pill safeguarding his spirit, Xiao Yan no longer feared the loss of mental stability. He now poured all his strength into driving the purple flame-wrapped qi through his meridians at full speed. As the qi, encasing the purple flame, flowed along the pathways refined by the "Burned Technique" cultivation method, Xiao Yan suddenly noticed that the leading strand of qi, which had initially surged ahead, began to undergo an odd fusion with the flame. Not exactly fusion—rather, the purple flame was being gradually consumed by the qi of the "Burned Technique." Watching this development, Xiao Yan was both astonished and delighted. This clear sign confirmed beyond doubt that the "Burned Technique" cultivation method truly possessed an evolutionary effect. As the pale qi and purple flame approached the final "Burned Decree" energy pathway, they had nearly become one unified essence. The originally pale qi had now completely transformed into a pale purple hue, with delicate purple flames rising gently upon its surface—yet these flames no longer inflicted any damage to the energy channels. As more and more streams of qi infused with violet flame surged forth from the meridians, the color of the spiraling qi gradually shifted from pale yellow to pale purple. Once the final strand of purple qi emerged from the meridians, the spiral had almost entirely transformed into pale purple. At the center of his abdomen, the rotating spiral suddenly ceased and stood still in quiet stillness. Meanwhile, within the cave, Xiao Yan, whose eyes had been closed, suddenly opened them. A brilliant purple glow, almost tangible, burst forth from his pupils for a span of half an inch before fading away. After a moment, Xiao Yan slowly turned his head, gazing at Yao Lao with a dumbfounded, simple smile, asking, "It worked?" "It worked!" Yao Lao exhaled deeply, nodded with a smile, and could already sense that the qi within Xiao Yan had grown nearly several times stronger than before. Seeing the Ye Yao nod in confirmation, Xiao Yan's lips split into a smile, just about to burst out laughing to express his overwhelming joy—only for his face to suddenly pale, as he realized the energy throughout the heavens and earth was now rushing fiercely toward him. "Master? What's going on?" Xiao Yan turned his head, asking with growing concern. The sudden development also startled Ye Yao, who furrowed his brows before stepping forward to stand before Xiao Yan, placing his palm on the young man's body. Moments later, a warm smile spread across the elder's weathered face. "Indeed, it's rare when good fortune comes—now it's not just coming, it's arriving in a continuous stream. Congratulations, Xiao Yan! Your breakthrough from Battle-User to Battle-Expert has finally arrived!"