Seeing the elder's expression of relief, Xiao Yan smiled slightly and briefly recounted the events from the beginning. However, when he mentioned that he had killed Han Feng and the people from the Soul Palace had appeared, the elder's face instantly changed. "You mean the Soul Palace people took Han Feng's soul?" the elder asked, frowning intently and his face serious. "Yes," Xiao Yan nodded. Noticing the elder's serious demeanor, he carefully inquired, "What's wrong, Master? Is there something amiss?" After pausing and thinking deeply, the elder finally said, "If that's the case, then Han Feng probably won't die so easily." Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, then furrowed his brows as well, asking, "Master means to say the Soul Palace will help him revive?" "You should also be aware that when a soul reaches a certain level of strength, it can detach and survive independently—though at the cost of significantly diminished power, just as is the case with me right now... Moreover, the Soul Palace clearly has a deep understanding of soul-bodied beings. While I'm not entirely sure why they're systematically capturing soul-bodied individuals across the land, their attack methods clearly demonstrate exceptional lethality against such beings." Master Yao mused, "Han Feng, that troublesome creature, has had some prior connections with the Soul Palace. When they attacked me, Soul Palace representatives were involved. Fortunately, I had certain preparations in place, which allowed me to escape their pursuit." "Therefore, once Han Feng's soul falls into the hands of the Soul Palace, I can't be certain they won't employ some unusual tactics to ensure his survival once again." "The Soul Palace is being so troublesome... This suggests that Han Feng may not have truly perished at all. It's a pity." Frowning, Xiao Yan shook his head with a wistful smile, sighing. "That's not really a loss to be lamented. In a way, you've already defeated him once. Even if he survives with the aid of the Spirit Palace, his strength will surely be diminished, and he'll likely no longer pose a significant threat." The old doctor shook his head, then straightened up. "What truly concerns us, however, are these strange people from the Spirit Palace. As you've described, they clearly now know that my spirit body resides within you. Perhaps they'll send hunters after you at some point." "We'll meet them when they come. It's actually a perfect opportunity—my father's disappearance is also tied to them. This way, we'll have a chance to confront them directly." Xiao Yan arched an eyebrow, then added with a cold smile. "With your current strength, ordinary hunters from the Spirit Palace won't pose much of a threat. Still, the Spirit Palace itself is so enigmatic and unpredictable that even I don't fully understand the extent of their power. So, caution is still essential." "The elder pharmacist pondered. "It's natural—lion hunting a rabbit still uses all its strength. Now that we are the rabbits, even a slight misstep and we'll inevitably become their prey." Xiao Yan smiled. The elder pharmacist nodded slightly, musing for a moment as though recalling something, then suddenly turned to the Queen of Medusa and said, "We have some matters to discuss—would you kindly step aside?" Upon hearing this, Medusa furrowed her brows slightly, glanced at Xiao Yan, who was now unharmed, and gave a cold sigh, vanishing with a strange grace beside the campfire. "I didn't expect Medusa's strength to advance so significantly after fusing with the soul of the Tian-Tong Serpent. With her current prowess, even if I give it my all, I'd find it quite challenging to defeat her." Gazing where Medusa had disappeared, the elder pharmacist sighed after a while, his voice carrying a subtle note of caution. "Hehe, don't worry, Master. At least for the next year, she won't take any action against me. And if there's any need, I can always call upon her—during your slumber, I've already borrowed her strength several times, acting as a humble intermediary." Xiao Yan smiled. "You little trickster—how do you manage to subdue someone so resolute and sharp-tongued? Still, you must be careful. This woman is like a proud, wild mother leopard; when handled well, she becomes an excellent assistant, but if things go wrong, she might very well swallow you whole first." Yao Lao chuckled lightly before adding. Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. "Let's get down to business," Yao Lao said, his expression serious, his eyes fixed intently on Xiao Yan, with a hint of eagerness: "Have you successfully integrated the Fallen Heart Flame? Then, have the two unique flames merged?" Watching the Elder's expression, Xiao Yan also broke into a smile and slowly extended his hand, bending his fingers to send a strand of Lapis Lotus Fire into the air. Due to Xiao Yan's currently frail condition, the flame appeared somewhat small, yet its intense heat radiated powerfully. "Indeed, the fusion has succeeded!" The Elder's eyes were fixed intently on the strand of emerald flame, his face visibly excited. The "Burn Technique" had never been practiced by him before, so he himself had doubted whether it could truly absorb and merge the hetero-flames—after all, the principle that only one hetero-flame could exist within a body was a well-established rule in the world of alchemy, known to all. Even the Elder himself, renowned for his strength, had only dared to absorb a single hetero-flame. Yet now, this remarkable "Burn Technique" had not only shattered this established rule but had reversed it entirely! One could only imagine the profound ripple effect it would create throughout the alchemical world should the technique's unique capabilities be revealed. A unique fire is already enough to grant a pharmacist or a fire-natured cultivator immense power. What if there are two, three, or even more such fires? The accumulated strength would surely warrant the title of "world-shattering" and "earth-consuming." Observing the pharmacist's excited expression, Xiao Yan smiled, then gently inserted a finger into the strand of emerald flame, pulling and tugging it until it split into two distinct flames—one to the left in a clear cyan hue, and one to the right in an intangible, colorless tone. "After fusion, they can still be separated?" the pharmacist exclaimed, eyes wide, gazing at the two familiar flames now resting on Xiao Yan's palms. "Separating them does consume considerable qi, yet each serves its own purpose. When combined, their sheer power becomes even more formidable." Xiao Yan smiled and once again blended the two flames into Lüli Lianxin Fire, then looked up at the old doctor with curiosity, asking, "Master, in your opinion, how would your Lüli Lianxin Fire rank on the List of Unique Flames?" The old doctor gently waved his hand above the emerald flame, paused thoughtfully, and sighed slightly, saying, "The Unique Flames on that list are all exceptionally rare—so rare, in fact, that I haven't even managed to see all of them. Therefore, I naturally can't offer a precise evaluation of your Lüli Lianxin Fire. However, based on my judgment, it should at least be on par with—or not lower than—my own 'Bone and Spirit Cold Flame.'" With this somewhat vague response, Xiao Yan only shrugged. "By the way," the old doctor suddenly added, "since you've now successfully absorbed and fused the Fallen Heart Flame, shouldn't the 'Burn Technique' have also evolved?" "Hmm, I believe the Burn Technique has now reached the Earth Stage, at least," Xiao Yan replied, nodding slightly, yet still uncertain. "Try the Burning Decree technique; I'll assess it." The herbal elder paused, placing his palm against Xiao Yan's heart meridian and said. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately complied. With a subtle shift of his mind, the Burning Decree technique began to flow swiftly through his body, and as it did, the surrounding celestial and terrestrial energies surged, rapidly entering his body and being refined through successive stages before settling into various parts of his internal structure. "Hmm, the rate at which this energy is being absorbed is indeed much stronger than before—clearly it has reached the Earth-tier level. However, it seems to be only the lower tier of Earth-tier." The elder slowly withdrew his hand and smiled. "Nevertheless, given the remarkable nature of the Burning Decree technique, even at the lower Earth-tier level, it can rival ordinary mid-tier Earth-tier techniques. With the current level of your technique, you should now be able to freely expend it." Xiao Yan nodded lightly and smiled. "Master, now that I've successfully integrated two distinct types of heterofires, may I prepare a body capable of housing your soul?" "Heard this from Xiao Yan, the Yao Elder was momentarily stunned, then felt a sense of relief. Gently stroking Xiao Yan's head, he smiled, saying, 'With two kinds of unique flames, it might just work—though if I add my Bone-Spirit Cold Flame, there should be no real issue. However, the materials required to forge the body itself are exceptionally rare, even terrifying. Thus, this matter cannot be rushed.' 'What specific materials are needed? I currently have some influence within the Black Angular Domain; perhaps I can arrange for someone to search for them,' Xiao Yan asked. 'These aren't things that can simply be found through searching,' the Elder chuckled, yet, seeing the earnest look in Xiao Yan's eyes, he nodded reluctantly, saying, 'To create a body capable of housing my soul, the essentials are actually not many—only three things are required.' Seeing the Elder extend three fingers, Xiao Yan quickly focused his attention and leaned in to listen closely. 'First, the Living Bone and Blood Pill. Second, the essence and vital blood of a seven-stage beast.' "Third, the remains of a Cultivator of the Third Rank." Hearing these three items slowly emerge from the Elder's mouth, Xiao Yan's initially serious expression gradually turned dull and blank. "Bone-Infusing Blood Pill?" Xiao Yan did know a bit about this—this was a legendary spiritual pill, capable of reaching the pinnacle of the Seventh Rank, even entering the Eighth Rank, said to instantly revive even a semi-dead patient as long as they still had a breath. "The essence bloodline of a Seventh-Rank beast?" Heaven's sake—were you talking about the Queen of Medusa? "The remains of a Cultivator of the Third Rank?" This...did it mean he would have to find a Third-Rank cultivator and kill him to obtain it?