The pill was a deep crimson, roughly the size of a lychee. It appeared remarkably extraordinary—upon first glance, it resembled a translucent orb filled with blood. At its center, a subtle glimmer of dark red blood seemed to pulse, faintly resembling a tiny eye. As a whole, it exuded an eerie quality. Xiang Yan fixed his gaze intently on the crimson pill. Thanks to his exceptional spiritual perception, he could sense that this pill was subtly different from ordinary substances, though he could not quite pinpoint the exact nature of the difference. Nevertheless, no matter what, this "Shi-Sheng Pill" was the highest-grade pill he had ever encountered in all the years he had been practicing. Master had once said that when a pill reached a certain level of refinement, it would begin to possess some form of intelligence. Was this Shi-Sheng Pill no different? A thought flashed through his mind. Xiao Yan carefully picked up the bottle, scanning the bottle's mouth, only to be slightly startled—on the lid, there appeared traces of energy, as if forming a seal. Upon closer inspection, the pattern resembled a kind of containment effect. "Indeed, no wonder this is a top-tier fifth-rank elixir. I didn't expect even the vessel itself to require energy stabilization. It seems my teacher's words are truly accurate." Xiao Yan furrowed his brows slightly, yet did not remove the elixir from the bottle. Such a refined elixir couldn't be placed casually; otherwise, strange phenomena would inevitably arise. "When Er-uncle received the elixir, did he also receive any other items?" Xiao Yan held the bottle firmly and suddenly looked up at Xiao Li. Xiao Li offered the crimson scroll to Xiao Yan, furrowing his brows. Quickly setting down the jade vial in his hand, Xiao Yan took the scroll, held it carefully, and studied it for a while before gently exhaling and murmuring, "If my judgment is correct, this might very well be the recipe for the 'Shi-Sheng Pill.' " Hearing this, Xiao Li's expression remained largely unchanged—when he first received the pill, he had already sensed some clues, though he wasn't entirely certain. Now that Xiao Yan confirmed it, however, Xiao Li felt a surge of warmth, licked his lips, and spoke in a soft, low tone, "If this truly is the recipe for the 'Shi-Sheng Pill,' then perhaps our Xiao family will see a great resurgence. Once we cultivate dozens of Dou-Wang-level warriors, what will Cloud岚 Sect be worth?" Xiao Yan pondered for a while, then gently shook his head, saying, "It's difficult... Even if this 'Shi-Sheng Pill' allows a person to draw upon their life force to gain the strength of a Duke-level cultivator for three years, how could it be ranked among the top tier of seventh-grade pills? Surely, it's no easy feat to produce. As for mass-producing seventh-grade pills, I suspect few on this continent could manage it. Even when the Elder of Medicine personally crafted the sixth-grade 'Di-Ling Pill,' he had to exert tremendous effort and only managed to succeed through sheer luck. To speak of crafting the 'Shi-Sheng Pill,' which ranks among the elite of seventh-grade pills—how could one possibly find sufficient materials for its preparation? Even if such materials were available, merely producing a sixth-grade pill required such extraordinary celestial phenomena that the heavens themselves seemed to stir. For a seventh-grade pill, wouldn't the heavens simply strike lightning, splitting both the cultivator and the pill in two? Furthermore, even if the cultivator survived such a strike, wouldn't the very attention of powerful cultivators only bring further misfortune? On the current Qi Continent, master alchemists capable of crafting seventh-rank peak pills are truly rare—perhaps even the current Elder of Medicine finds it difficult to produce them, unless he regains his peak strength. With Xiao Yan now possessing such a significant boost in power and controlling the Fallen Heart Flame, the probability of successfully crafting the "Life-Consuming Pill" is likely no more than one in ten. If the recipe were given to alchemists capable of producing such pills, it would undoubtedly be a foolish decision. Therefore, relying on this "Life-Consuming Pill" to generate dozens of Qi King-level warriors is simply impossible. Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Li also returned to reality with a sense of disappointment, sighed in resignation, and said, "Keep this. I'm not an alchemist myself, so it won't do much good if you keep it." Xiao Yan nodded slightly, neither hesitating nor refusing. Indeed, such a delicate matter was not well suited in the hands of Xiao Li. Gently tapping the scroll with his fingers, he then said seriously after a moment, "Regarding the 'Shi-Sheng Dan' and the prescription—do not mention it to anyone. Otherwise, once it leaks out, things will become quite troublesome." "Rest assured," Xiao Li replied with a smile, pointing to the jade vial on the table, "I'm not someone who rushes into things. Over the past two years, besides you, no one else has ever known about these matters." Xiao Yan hesitated slightly before taking the vial as well, and said thoughtfully, "I'll find some time to study the 'Shi-Sheng Dan' and the prescription, and strive to find a solution within this year, so as to resolve the matter for you." As for this, Xiao Li merely smiled indifferently, "As long as you're alive, everything will be fine. Whether I'm here or not makes no real difference." "Regarding what Xiao Li said, Xiao Yan simply gave him a withering look and stood up, stating, 'I'll first return to the Gan Nan Academy. Two days from now, I'll settle things with Han Feng.' 'Han Feng?' Hearing the name, which was nearly as well-known as anyone in the Black Angular Region, Xiao Li's brows furrowed immediately. 'You're going to seek him out? That man is truly a peak-level Battle Emperor, with a unique fire spirit aiding him. Even against ordinary Battle Sect leaders, he holds his own. You going after him—doesn't that seem rather risky? Moreover, the Black Alliance boasts a vast array of powerful members. You…'" "Don't worry," Xiao Yan smiled, waving his hand. "The Black Alliance has many strong members, and the Gan Nan Academy has its own share as well. This time, I'm not acting alone." "Moreover, Han Feng has a unique fire spirit; I have one too—and in fact, I have more than he does." "What's your current actual rank?" Xiao Li studied Xiao Yan carefully before asking. "I believe I'm at the peak of Battle King level, and I'm only a short distance away from reaching Battle Emperor rank Xiao Yan smiled, slightly exaggerating to reassure Xiao Li. Though he had now reached the pinnacle of the Battle King rank, he had not yet fully mastered the power at that level. Under normal circumstances, it would take some time before he could advance to Battle Emperor status. "A full rank gap," Xiao Li furrowed his brows, intending to say something, but seeing Xiao Yan's warm smile, he recalled the incident where Fan Lu had died in his hands. He then slowly nodded, saying, "So be careful. And this time, it would be best if you brought me along—my current strength should not become a burden." "Heh, I truly don't feel at ease having you stay in Black Corner Domain for another while. Brother Xiao will take care of his subordinates first. I'll have you all stay at the academy for a couple of days," Xiao Yan replied, smiling, and then nodded as he placed the "Shi-Sheng Pill" and the prescription into his storage amulet before turning to head toward the hall's entrance. … Xiao Li always acts decisively and efficiently. As a result, within less than an hour, he had completely reorganized the personnel. Though there had been some casualties during the earlier battle, the force still numbered nearly a hundred—considerable for the Black Angle Region, though not on par with the Blood Sect's vast scale. After settling everything, Xiao Yan did not delay further. With several dozen lion-vultures carrying the troops full, they took to the skies and soared once more toward the Canaan Academy. … Upon arrival at the Canaan Academy, due to certain circumstances, Xiao Yan asked Xiao Li to settle his subordinates in the city of Canaan outside the academy, while he himself moved into the inner courtyard. There was some commotion within the Inner Court upon the return of Xiao Yan and the others, especially when personnel from the Pan Gate who had participated in the battle spread the news that Xiao Yan had slain the Blood Sect's Master, Fan Lao. For them, a Duke-Class warrior represented a height they could only admire from afar—yet even such a formidable figure had been reduced to nothing but ashes at Xiao Yan's hands. Of course, Xiao Yan did not pay much attention to the stir his arrival had caused within the Inner Court. Upon returning, he went straight to visit the Grand Elder Su Qian, who was indeed surprised by the news of Xiao Yan's victory over Fan Lao, though he did not display overwhelming astonishment. Su Qian understood well that with Xiao Yan commanding two unique flames, his combat prowess was truly formidable. Although it was highly irregular for Xiao Yan to bring Xiao Li into the inner courtyard, Su Qian had silently accepted it, since, given Xiao Yan's status and strength, he was no longer comparable to ordinary students. With his dual hetero-flames, even Su Qian himself would hesitate to overlook him. After giving Xiao Yan a brief instruction, Su Qian allowed him to return, and before departing, he added a special reminder about the major event scheduled two days later. Even Xiao Yan himself was full of anticipation for that event. … In anticipation, the two days flew by swiftly. When the morning light first began to break on the second day, some students noticed that the atmosphere within the inner courtyard had grown unusually tense. It wasn't until they saw figures swiftly rising from all directions across the courtyard that they fully realized—there must be something major unfolding. Countless sets of eyes followed the roar, shifting toward the young man in black robes as he appeared. Instantly, their gazes became fervent. Among the young ones, Xiao Yan was the first to participate in such an internal courtyard battle as a student—something that carried immense prestige and honor. This very qualification symbolized that Xiao Yan had already earned recognition as a true powerhouse, acknowledged even by the senior leadership of the courtyard. In the sky, Xiao Yan paid no heed to the fervent glances below, instead turning his gaze toward the northern horizon, a subtle, cold arc forming at the corner of his lips. "This time," he said, "I shall take it upon myself to clear the way for my teacher."