In the spacious and clean room, a gentle mist rose into the air, slightly blurring the view. At the center of the room stood a large wooden basin, filled with a vibrant green liquid. The young man sat bare-chested, legs folded, eyes half-closed, hands forming meditation gestures. The soothing energy of the green liquid seeped slowly into his body, repairing the nearly shattered meridians. As the practice continued, the green liquid gradually lightened, until finally it became completely clear, transforming into a pristine, transparent pool of water. "Pfft!" Suddenly, a small snake head emerged from beneath the surface, its tail repeatedly slapping the water, its pale purple eyes filled with delight. Noticing the gradual depletion of energy within the liquid bathing his body, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the playful Tian-Shun Python by his side, and smiled gently. With careful movements, he twisted his body slightly, then slowly exhaled a thick breath, murmuring softly, "The healing liquid prepared by my teacher indeed proves effective. In just three days, the previously broken meridians have become much more resilient. I believe the meridians now should be able to withstand the flow of combat energy." Since awakening, Xiao Yan had entrusted Xiao Ding with gathering a large quantity of medicinal herbs, then endured the pain as combat energy passed through his meridians, directing the few drops of liquid energy within the spiraling atmosphere to transform into flame energy, thus painstakingly refining the medicinal liquids. With the initial batch of medicinal liquid, Xiao Yan's recovery speed noticeably improved. After continuous three days of soaking in the medicine, the fragmented meridians within him gradually regained strength, no longer crumbling at the slightest touch as they had a few days prior. Standing up from the wooden basin, he wiped himself clean and casually donned a robe. Raising his hand, a faint green glow drifted out from his storage bracelet, eventually forming a lotus flower that hovered before him, softly radiating light. Lightly tapping the edge of the basin, Xiao Yan gently settled onto the lotus, settled into a cross-legged posture, and once again formed the hand seals for cultivation. He then slowly closed his eyes. Shortly after entering his meditative state, subtle ripples rippled through the surrounding space, and丝丝斑驳 energy passed through the lotus's luminous shield, continuously flowing into Xiao Yan's body. At first, every time energy flowed into his body, it caused Xiao Yan's facial muscles to twitch slightly. However, as the energy continuously poured in, the patient Xiao Yan, accustomed to the pain, gradually learned to ignore it, biting down on his teeth and refining the somewhat uneven energy until it was fully integrated into his meridians and muscles. He then focused his mind, quietly sensing the steadily reviving strength within him. ... During this period of tranquil recuperation, with ample free time, Xiao Yan resumed his identity as a pharmacist, daily instructing Xiao Ding to procure large quantities of medicinal herbs and then batch-producing several high-grade healing formulations. While engaged in the process of refining these medicines, Xiao Yan unexpectedly discovered that, despite his previously strong command over flame—something he had believed insufficient to craft a Revitalizing Qi Pill, a medicine typically ranked as a third-tier auxiliary preparation—this time, he was astonished to find that his mastery of flame had nearly doubled. Remarkably, he successfully produced the Revitalizing Qi Pill, though with a relatively high failure rate. After a moment of astonishment, Xiao Yan began to grasp the significance: this development likely stemmed from the creation of the Buddha's Wrath Flame Lotus that he himself had introduced. Regarding Qinglian's inner fire, Xiao Yan's previous command over it had been nearly disastrous. Back then, he could only manage to envelop the fire within his fist to enhance his attack power, or simply hurl it with the most rudimentary technique. However, once the fire was launched, he lost the ability to guide or control its trajectory. Thus, if the flames failed to strike the enemy directly, the entire attack amounted to a wasteful expenditure of substantial energy. Whenever he recalled the seamless, fluid grace with which Yao Lao manipulated the Bone-Spirit Cold Fire, Xiao Yan felt deep admiration. He was certain that, had Yao Lao been in charge during the battle against the Eight-Winged Black Serpent King, that king would have been utterly at a loss. In contrast, under his own clumsy handling of the Bone-Spirit Cold Fire, he had even been mocked by the opponent. With the mastery of the Herbal Elder, he could release slender, finely tuned streams of bone-spirit cold flame, gliding silently along the ground, approaching his target undetected, and then suddenly launching an assault—thus, even when distant, he could transform his opponent into an ice sculpture or ash without anyone noticing. This remarkably eerie method of flame control had long captivated Xiao Yan in his heart, though even with his current abilities—having recently serendipitously developed the Buddha's Wrath Flame Lotus, a phenomenon that had stunned even senior Sovereign-tier warriors—his flame control still fell significantly short of the Elder's level. And after his previous battle against the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor, Xiao Yan finally began to truly value his mastery over the hetero-flames. He knew clearly that once he could refine his control to the level of Yao Lao, his combat power would surge dramatically. With this determination and resolve, Xiao Yan imposed upon himself an almost rigorous standard during his recent periods of alchemy practice. Though Xiao Yan currently suffered from a severe deficiency of aura within his body, the primary energy required for manipulating the hetero-flames came from a continuous flow of spiritual strength—which was precisely what he possessed most abundantly and effectively at this moment. Thus, within the courtyard, steaming with warmth, Mongti mercenaries began continuously bringing various medicinal supplies in. When they returned, they carried large heaps of jade vials, each filled with premium healing herbs—rare even in Shishemoc City—and some of which were especially hard to obtain, even for the wealthy. These rare pills, which were considered scarce on the market, were treated by the black-robed youth as if they were mere trash, casually piled in the corners. Such a generous and decisive approach left everyone utterly astonished—was this indeed the caliber of a master pharmacist? As days passed, the Mongti mercenaries who came and went to deliver herbs or collect pills gradually grew accustomed to the routine. After all, anyone who stayed in such an environment long enough would no longer be struck dumb by a single vial of medicine, as they once had been. Xiao Yan, seated within the courtyard, seemed to have abandoned his quiet cultivation routine. After completing the daily healing procedures, he would sit before the cauldron, continuously practicing the control of the hetero-flames, only resting when his spirit began to waver. Through this relentless training, Xiao Yan became increasingly aware that his ability to control the hetero-flames was steadily improving. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li stood quietly by the courtyard gate, watching as Xiao Yin's hands moved without the slightest pause. They were both struck in awe—such precise control over the flames seemed incredible, though the slight frown on Xiao Yin's face suggested he still wasn't entirely satisfied. After a moment, the flames within the cauldron rose and swelled. Xiao Yin lifted his gaze slightly, flicked his finger, and a strong gust of wind sent the cauldron's lid flying. With a simple hand gesture, several round pills shot out and settled steadily into jade vials. Holding the vial, Xiao Yin glanced at it casually before tossing it toward Xiao Ding and Xiao Li at the gate. He then stretched lazily, closed his eyes, and sensed the healing progress within his body, his face lighting up with surprise. "Hm," he murmured, "the recovery is quite swift." "The meridians within his body, after this half-month of recuperation, have nearly fully recovered—this has indeed surprised the one so deeply absorbed in concocting medicines, Xiao Yan. At the door, Xiao Ding caught the flying jade vases and slowly approached the courtyard with Xiao Li, smiling warmly at Xiao Yan, 'How is your condition?' 'Quite good,' Xiao Yan replied with a smile. 'The final phase of recovery now begins. With just five days of rest, complete recovery should be achievable.' 'Hmph,' Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exclaimed in admiration, 'What a truly extraordinary individual! Such severe injuries, yet fully restored within less than twenty days—what a remarkable constitution!' Xiao Yan spread his hands, knowing in his heart that his recovery speed stemmed from three parts of his own enhanced constitution, fortified by the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire, and seven parts due to the painstaking healing protocols meticulously designed by the Elder Yao. Together, these factors enabled such swift recovery. 'Where is the Elder Hai?' "Jumping down from the stone bench, Xiao Yan casually asked. "Oh, ever since you mentioned those herb names to him that day, he's been visiting every pharmacy in Shishemo City nonstop. I think if he weren't staying here to protect you, he'd have already moved to another city by now." Xiao Li smiled. Smiling slightly, Xiao Yan nodded gently. These herbs were quite rare—without a stroke of luck like a gift from the heavens, it would have been nearly impossible to find them in the pharmacies of Shishemo City. Clearly, Hai Bode truly wanted to recover his peak strength as quickly as possible. "We'll begin the final healing process tomorrow. Only by restoring our strength swiftly can we go in search of rare celestial treasures capable of rapidly revitalizing our spiritual energy." Gently stroking his black ring, Xiao Yan murmured softly.