Perhaps due to this being the first time he had crafted the "Break-Obstacle Pill," despite the pharmacist's remarkable skill in compounding medicines, the initial attempt still failed because of an imbalance in the dosage proportions. Although the first attempt ended in failure, the pharmacist showed no particular expression—after all, in the world of pharmaceutical crafting, a failed batch is as common as drinking water or eating meals. Even with his deep expertise, he could not guarantee a perfect success rate for every pill he prepared. While the first attempt fell short, the loss was limited to only a small portion of herbs, which did not affect the subsequent batches. With the pharmacist rekindling the fire and gaining valuable experience from this first go-round, he eventually carried out all the steps of the compounding process smoothly and flawlessly. In the neat room, the black cauldron rotated slowly through the air, its pale white flames surging and swirling vigorously. As the cauldron turned, ripples of fine energy waves continuously emanated from its surroundings, spreading outward in circular patterns from the center of the cauldron, gradually radiating in all directions—only to gently fade and dissipate as they neared the walls. "Um, this Eidan, though its effects are rather unusual, isn't particularly difficult to prepare—especially with the Black Mage's assistance, which has saved at least half the time." The elderly pharmacist nodded with a smile. "Heh, that makes sense. Last time, when we prepared the Blood Lotus Pill, it took over two days. This time, for a sixth-rank pill, we only needed one day. Clearly, Master's medicinal cauldron is no ordinary vessel." Xiao Yan smiled, his eyes filled with some surprise as he gazed at the black medicinal cauldron floating in the air. While ordinary cauldrons offered certain benefits to alchemists, those benefits were rather subtle—typically saving about two hours of preparation time for a day's worth of pills, which would qualify as a top-tier cauldron. The dark red cauldron Xiao Yan had previously used could only save around one hour at most. When comparing the two, Xiao Yan naturally felt even more impressed by the exceptional qualities of this black cauldron. The Elder of the Herbs nodded warmly, his dry hands slightly loosening, and as a result, the pale, dense flames within the cauldron grew even more vibrant. "Ah, Master—don't forget the auxiliary ingredients!" Xiao Yan cleared his throat, his eyes fixed on the gradually forming, smooth shape of the pill, and promptly reminded him. "Got it." Stared at Xiao Yan for a moment, the Ye-Lao nodded slightly. With his left hand, he flipped it, and a dense, pale white flame suddenly surged forth, then began to compress rapidly. In a short while, the flame—originally the size of a human head—was compressed down to the size of a thumb. The bone-spirit cold flame, now compressed to such a degree, had shed its flame essence and transformed into a small, delicate white crystalline form. Upon close inspection, it seemed as though an eerie, pale white flame still gently swirled within the crystal. Holding the crystal gently between his fingertips, Ye-Lao lightly tapped his finger, and the crystal instantly shimmered into a beam of white light, which shot into the medicine cauldron and directly penetrated the nascent shape of the pill. Once inside the pill, the crystal instantly broke into fine, delicate specks of white light, dispersing and seeping into every part of the forming medicine. Gazing at the gradually healing holes on the nascent pill, the elderly pharmacist gave a slight nod. After a brief pause, he raised his hand, and instantly, a dense, silvery flame surged violently within the cauldron, swiftly engulfing the violet pill-shaped form and initiating its final, intense combustion. The silvery flame rose only for a blink before swiftly fading away. As it vanished, a smooth, pale-violet pill—about the size of a thumb, radiating a soft luminescence—spun gently within the cauldron. At the very moment the violet pill appeared, a powerful energy ripple surged violently from within the pill. This energy wave, though partially intercepted by the black cauldron, still managed to penetrate through, surging outward in all directions with great force. It seemed certain that, if left unchecked, the entire room would collapse immediately. Gently glanced at the rapidly spreading energy ripples, the elderly pharmacist casually waved his dry hands, and within a blink, an intangible spiritual energy formed a transparent energy shield throughout the room. When the energy ripples came into contact with the shield, they collided, causing the shield's surface to ripple as if a large stone had been dropped into still water. The ripples gradually softened from intense to subtle, and after a moment, completely dissipated. Only after the final ripple vanished did the pharmacist withdraw the shield, then gestured his hand toward the black cauldron. Instantly, the pale purple pill was expelled from the cauldron and gently settled into his palm. Holding the pill, he examined it carefully, nodded slightly, and softly praised, "Good," before casually setting it aside beside Xiao Yan. Receiving the pill, Xiao Yan carefully examined the purple pill in his hands—something he had never seen before, a sixth-rank pill. This pill has a pale purple hue, uniformly round and luminous, and on its surface, there seems to be an unusual pattern subtly etched—neither artificially crafted nor clearly defined. The lines wind and spiral, resembling a meaningful, intricate design. Upon close inspection, Xiao Yan can faintly sense the peculiar energy within the pill. Perhaps this is the primary ingredient responsible for breaking the seal... The old pharmacist retrieved the black cauldron and, turning to Xiao Yan, smiled warmly. "Won't he notice it?" Xiao Yan, carefully handling the Pò'è Dan, asked cautiously. "He probably won't. Of course... I can't guarantee that either. After all, nothing in the world is absolutely certain. All I can say is that the chances of it being discovered are quite slim." The old pharmacist shook his head and chuckled. Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan took out a high-quality jade bottle from his storage ring, carefully placing the Pò'è Dan inside. Then, glancing at the large pile of herbs still on the table, he gave a broad smile and, without hesitation, swept all the rare medicinal plants into the ring. "Heh, let's just consider this an extra bonus for my alchemy work," Xiao Yan said. For these rare herbs, which he had planned to auction off and surely fetch a price in the millions, he had absolutely no intention of returning them to Haibo Dong. "Finally settled..." After arranging everything, Xiao Yan gave a satisfied pat to his meditation ring and smiled at the Ye Lao, saying, "Heh, now it's time to see whether that person outside will truly keep his word." "I hope he won't let us down." Ye Lao offered a gentle smile, his body slightly swaying before transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the black ring. With the black ring hovering before him, Xiao Yan slipped it onto his finger, tossed the jade bottle in his hand, straightened his clothes, and then stepped out of the room. ... On the corridor with slightly dim lighting, Hai Bo Dong leaned against the wall, his weathered face appearing calm on the surface, yet the fingers constantly tapping against the wall revealed the intensity of his anxiety and restlessness. Feeling the slow passage of time, Haibo Dong turned back toward the room at the far end of the corridor, his brows furrowing slightly. After a moment, he sighed. The materials needed to craft the Break-Obstacle Pill were hard to come by; it had taken him nearly several years to gather all the herbs. If Xiao Yan failed in his attempt, then his hope of restoring his strength would likely have to be postponed once again. Rubbing his palms, concern gradually surfaced on his otherwise composed face. He murmured softly, "Could it be that he has failed? Ah, perhaps I've been too impetuous. Though his strength has even surpassed my expectations, he's still so young. Even if he began practicing alchemy from birth, that's only been about a dozen years—how much could he have achieved in just a dozen years?" The fist and palm crashed together, and Hai Bo Dong's face changed expression several times. After a moment, he shook his head in resignation, a wry smile playing on his lips. "By now, all we can hope for is that he brings some miracle—after all, he possesses that incredibly terrifying hetero-fire." Time dripped steadily by, and the atmosphere in the corridor grew increasingly tense with each passing moment. His fingers tapped urgently against the wall. At one instant, the ki surged around his fingertips, and when he pressed hard, the wall was punctured through. "Go check!" His dry face twitched, and finally, unable to endure the agony of waiting any longer, he drew a deep breath, turned sharply, and stepped toward the corridor. At the very moment Hai Bode turned around, his body suddenly stiffened, his face filled with astonishment as he stared blankly at the black-robed youth leaning against the wall, smiling warmly at him. After a long pause, he swallowed hard, hurried forward a few steps, and urgently asked, "Young sir, did it work?" Joyful—naturally, because he had finally secured this Fragile Dan. Astonishment, however, remained, as he still found it hard to believe that within such a brief span of just one day, this seemingly young lad, no older than twenty, had managed to perfectly craft a sixth-rank pill—something even the ancient Dan King, Guo He, had found exceptionally difficult to produce. "Keenly concealed," thought Hai Bo Dong at that very moment.