On the lush mountain peaks, the silvery-white flames shimmered and flickered among the green shade, like ghostly lights. The elderly pharmacist gazed intently at the rapidly rising silvery-white flames within the cauldron. Although the "Black Demon" cauldron was exceptionally fine, requiring a slightly longer duration for the initial warming phase compared to ordinary cauldrons, the pharmacist's refined skill in potion-making and his mastery over the bone-spirit cold flame naturally allowed him to compensate for this time difference. After nearly a minute of rising, the pharmacist raised his hand toward several herbs lying on the ground before him. Instantly, the deep-red Earth Heart Fire Herbs floated gently into the air and settled into the cauldron. As soon as they entered, the silvery-white flames surged like a starving wolf rushing to devour its prey, swiftly engulfing and consuming the herbs, causing them to wither rapidly within moments. Xiao Yan stared intently into the cauldron. Although the flames within burned fiercely, he could feel their temperature had already been suppressed to a relatively low level by the old herbalist. Thus, though the flames appeared powerful, they did not scorch the Earth-Core Fire Mushroom into ash. Instead, the mushroom gradually withered, and fine, blood-red droplets seeped through its surface, sliding down the fibers and hovering above the flames, continuously rolling and dripping. As the flames continued to roast the mushroom and the blood-red droplets penetrated deeper, the vibrant red hue on its surface rapidly faded. After only a short while, the mushroom completely transformed into a withered, gray mass. Its pure medicinal essence had now been fully driven out by the flames, leaving its physical form entirely reduced to useless residue. With a gentle sweep of his palm, the withered Earth-Heart Fire Herbs glided out of the cauldron and landed beside the grassy ground, instantly turning into a pile of gray ash that drifted away with the wind. "Indeed, a master of pharmaceutical artistry—this refinement technique far surpasses my own," Xiang Yan quietly praised, gazing at the scattered ashes. Usually, when he processed herbs, he would simply burn them completely, which didn't necessarily indicate a fierce flame, but merely reflected his limited mastery over flame control. Only someone like the Elder Pharmacist, who could precisely maintain the temperature at the very moment the herbal essence fully dried out, and then skillfully launch it out of the cauldron, could truly be said to have achieved flawless control. Inside the cauldron, a blood-red liquid spun smoothly, like a luminous orb, representing the refined essence extracted from the Earth-Heart Fire Herbs—its contained energy was vast and astonishing. After the blood-like liquid had coagulated, it did not remain as quietly obedient as when Xiang Yan previously refined medicines. Instead, slender threads of blood gradually spread out, each thread pulsing with exceptionally potent energy. Whenever a thread struck the inner wall of the cauldron, it produced crisp, resonant sounds akin to metal clashing. As these blood threads surged and collided within the cauldron, the vessel itself trembled slightly. Xiang Yan stared in astonishment at the dense network of blood threads radiating from within the cauldron, gently clicking his tongue. Indeed, these were the herbs required to produce a sixth-rank pill—capable not only of refining but also of actively resisting. Given the strength of these threads, if he had used any ordinary cauldron, it would likely have been unable to withstand several impacts, and would have eventually been pierced and shattered. The agitation of the crimson filaments did not stir the old pharmacist's expression in the slightest. With a mere, calm gesture, the pale, misty flames within the cauldron surged dramatically. As soon as these filaments came into contact with the flames, they recoiled as if startled, retreating swiftly. Under the extensive encirclement of the flames, the once densely packed filaments were once again pressed back into the pool of blood-red liquid, now unable to breach forth freely under the vigilant gaze of the flames surrounding them. With each ripple of the bubbles, thin strands of pale gray mist rose instantly—these were impurities embedded within the herb. To produce high-quality pills, such impurities must be completely removed; otherwise, their presence might ultimately prevent the formation of the pill altogether. While removing impurities from ordinary herbs typically takes only a few minutes, this Earth-Heart Fire Mushroom clearly falls far beyond that category. Even under the intense heat of the Bone-Spirit Cold Fire, it merely stirs weakly, expelling its internal impurities, and only after about ten minutes of continuous flame exposure does it finally release another strand of gray mist. This stubborn resistance left Xiao Yan in awe—this was no small feat by the old pharmacist. If it were his own doing, he’d likely spend nearly a full day merely extracting the essence from the herbs. Indeed, a sixth-rank pill is truly a challenging endeavor to produce. The waiting was extremely monotonous, yet Xiao Yan remained fully focused, his gaze never leaving the cauldron for the nearly three-hour period. As the three hours of refining progressed, the impurities within the crimson liquid were gradually eliminated. The purified liquid became smoother and more transparent, with fine bubbles rising and swirling within it. When the refining was complete, the elderly pharmacist slightly relaxed his expression, then gently tapped his fingers—immediately, the crimson liquid rose, enveloped in a cluster of crisp white flames, and was then poured into a jade bottle together with the flames. Observing this unusual preservation method, Xiao Yan was momentarily surprised. As he looked closely at the jade bottle, he noticed a thin, delicate layer of flame clinging to the bottle's opening, and paused thoughtfully, as if suddenly understanding something. "This preservation method ensures that the medicinal liquid maintains the temperature and purity it had at the moment of pouring, untouched by airborne impurities. However, it requires a high level of control over the flame—since the jade vessels are brittle, even a slightly elevated temperature can cause them to crack and burst under intense heat, leaving the refined medicinal liquid completely ruined unexpectedly." With a gentle gesture, the elder medicinally tossed the young green vine into the cauldron. He spoke slowly and calmly. Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan silently recorded this subtle technique in his mind. The refinement of Qingmu Xianteng was no easier than that of the Earth-Core Fire Zhishi, and in fact, due to its inherent material properties, its resistance to heat even surprised the senior pharmacist. Simply extracting the medicinal essence from Qingmu Xianteng took no less than an hour, and the subsequent refinement process was even more prolonged—lasting four hours. This extended duration caused Xiao Yan to wipe a cold sweat from his forehead. Only the senior pharmacist’s robust spiritual strength allowed him to endure it. With his current capabilities, Xiao Yan could sustain the refining process for no more than three hours before needing a break, and only after his Qi recovered could he resume refining. When the Qingmu Xianteng transformed into a jade-green liquid and was sealed into a jade vial, the night had already fully enveloped the entire mountain range. Under the dark sky, the pale flames atop the peaks appeared particularly vivid. Immediately after completing the refinement of Qingmu Xianteng, the senior pharmacist made no pause and began refining the "Dragon-Hair Ice-Fire Fruit" right away. Gazing at the药老's strained expression, Xiao Yan rubbed his slightly weary eyes, then rallied his spirit and fixed his gaze firmly on the alchemy process once more. He knew clearly that observing such a high-level alchemy process would be immensely beneficial to him, and he couldn't afford to waste the opportunity. ... The extraction time for the Dragon-Hair Ice-Fire Fruit was comparable to that of the Qingmu Immortal Vine. By the time the extraction was complete, it had grown deep into the night, the sky filled with twinkling stars, softly casting a gentle glow. Undeniably, crafting a sixth-rank pill was an extremely tedious and labor-intensive task—merely the extraction of the herbs had consumed nearly a full day. Fortunately, the药老's strength was formidable; despite continuously working without pause for a full day, he showed no sign of fatigue, while Xiao Yan himself appeared slightly tired, with dark circles under his eyes. On the second day, the sixth-rank water-based magic core was completely transformed by the Ye Elder into a pile of powdery blue substance, a process that alone consumed the Elder over ten hours. The sixth-rank core resisted the flames with a vigor far exceeding that of the herbs, and due to the elemental opposition, its dense water energy even nearly surged out of the cauldron. Fortunately, the Elder had anticipated this, so no damage was incurred—though the process undoubtedly consumed considerable time. Xiao Yan sat by, observing the intense struggle between the Elder and the core, growing increasingly uneasy. If it were his turn, he would likely find it difficult to subdue this stubborn core even after several days of effort. And if faced with ordinary flames, he might even have been extinguished entirely by the concentrated water energy. Nevertheless, no matter how difficult the process was, the refinement was ultimately completed. Over the course of the third day, subjected to the continuous baking of the Bone Spirit's cold flame for a full day and night, the various herbs and magical core powders gradually weakened their mutual repulsion and began to merge. Though it was called fusion, the process unfolded as slowly as a turtle crawling—so sluggish that it was almost unbearable. Even with Xiao Yan's remarkable composure, he found himself dozing off once midway through. Fusion was the most crucial step in alchemy; any slight misstep during this phase would instantly destroy the carefully refined herbs. Thus, even with the seasoned expertise of the Medicine Elder, the slightest distraction was not tolerated. Indeed, when Xiao Yan briefly dozed off, the Elder was completely unaware of it. Though this step was perilous, fortunately, Master Yao, the master of alchemical arts, remained firmly in control, so the most dire scenario did not unfold. After two full days of seamless fusion, a delicate blue pill finally began to take shape slowly within the cauldron. At the very moment the blue pill雏形 took form, Xiao Yan clearly sensed that the surrounding celestial energies surged and rippled—much like a massive stone dropped into a still lake, sending out waves of disturbance. Master Yao's expression remained unchanged as the external energies fluctuated; his focus remained entirely on the transformations within the cauldron, for at such a critical juncture, even the slightest distraction would have been disastrous. As time passed, the initially irregular blue pill gradually became more rounded, radiating a brilliant luster that shimmered around it, transforming it into a resplendent blue gem. At the very moment the elixir burst forth with brilliant light, Xiao Yan was slightly startled to see a series of tangible waves of energy radiating outward from the cauldron, continuously surging in all directions. The steady, unbroken flow was truly impressive. Swallowing a lump of saliva, Xiao Yan had never expected a sixth-rank elixir to generate such a commotion—now he understood why Master Yao insisted on refining it deep in the mountains. If this were done within the inner courtyard, the entire population would surely be drawn in within moments. "Step back a little—the real excitement is still to come!" Master Yao suddenly remarked, his gaze fixed intently on the cauldron. At his words, Xiao Yan's purple cloud wings instantly propelled him backward, and with a swift motion, he had already taken flight, reaching halfway up the mountain peak. Seeing Xiao Yan step back, Master Yao swiftly altered the seal in his hand, and a low voice issued from his mouth. Instantly, the dense, pale flames within the cauldron surged dramatically, nearly filling the entire vessel. Amidst this sea of pale hues, a brilliant blue spot stood out, growing increasingly vivid. The blue spot contracted and expanded in rhythm, and with each such movement, energy ripples spread out more rapidly. From above, looking down, wherever these ripples expanded, rocks rolled, trees were severed at the waist, and even the grassy surfaces were lifted and overturned—this powerful destructive force caused Xiao Yan’s throat to roll slightly. As the contraction and expansion of the blue spot accelerated, it seemed as though something significant were being prepared. After nearly thirty minutes, the spot suddenly shrank to its smallest point. With this rapid diminishment, Master Yao’s expression of seriousness grew denser than at any point before. "Boom!" The suddenly contracted light point, after persisting for several minutes, suddenly expanded within Xiao Yan's fixed gaze, and eventually, a surging blue glow enveloped the entire mountain peak, accompanied by a thunderous burst that rang out spontaneously. Then, a colossal blue beam—two zhang in diameter—erupted violently from within the cauldron, shooting straight toward the heavens! Staring in wide-eyed astonishment at the towering blue beam soaring into the clouds, Xiao Yan involuntarily drew a deep, cool breath. The commotion... was that intense, wasn't it? Even though this location was far from the inner courtyard, it was unlikely that the powerful elders wouldn't detect it. "Hopefully, we won't draw the inner courtyard's attention," Xiao Yan murmured, a faint smile of relief on his lips as he gazed at the beam that remained steadfast. "Otherwise, things might get complicated."