The entire arena fell silent, every gaze filled with profound regret upon the unconscious Master Huan, who had held on for ten days—no one could have imagined he would falter at this very moment. Inside the cauldron, two streams of jade and crimson light wove together incessantly, and the rich aroma of herbs had once filled the entire square. Yet now, no one could enjoy the same sense of peace and contentment as before; each person bore a heavy weight of sorrow. Tang Zhen stared blankly at the cauldron, his expression of defeat so poignant that it stirred deep compassion—such a towering figure, now reduced to such a state, truly moved the heart. At the edge of the square, Tang Huo'er, with her graceful face, had turned pale. After a moment, she offered a wan, sad smile, her body slightly unsteady, and her several disciples from Burned Flame Valley quickly stepped forward to steady her. The entire plaza was silent and still, the heavy atmosphere pressing down upon everyone, making no one dare to speak at this moment... The quiet, oppressive silence lasted for a while before a low, steady voice suddenly broke through, shattering the stillness. "Master Tang, may I continue refining the medicine?" Even Tang Zhen, who was deeply discouraged, could not help but be startled, lifting his head in surprise and gazing at Xiao Yan's serious expression. His mouth opened slightly, and a sudden spark of hope surged within him, dispelling some of his despair: "Xiao Yan, can you actually refine this Fire Bodhi Pill on your own?" Xiao Yan shook his head gently—this was indeed an overestimation. Though the medicine was a high-tier seventh-grade elixir, even now, his success rate was likely quite low. Still, it was better than doing nothing here. "Continuing to refine may still offer a chance—yet if we abandon it now, it will be a complete failure." Xiao Yan stared directly at Tang Zhen, his eyes glowing with the youthful determination that had been forged through years of relentless training. The resilience he now possessed—rarely speaking of giving up—was a testament to his journey over the past two decades. If he had ever faltered midway, he would likely still be regarded as a mere liability within the Xiao family, far from achieving the accomplishments he had today. Feeling the intense gaze of Xiao Yan, Tang Zhen was stirred within, turning his attention to the vibrant green and crimson light emanating from the medicinal cauldron. After a moment of hesitation, he finally clenched his teeth and declared firmly, "Young Rock-Jiao, since you've spoken so confidently, then please proceed. Should you fail at the end, it will not be my fault!" As Tang Zhen nodded in agreement, a smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face, and he gave a slight bow. "I would kindly ask Tang Master to provide protection and ensure no one interrupts me. I will do my utmost. As for whether I succeed or not, that shall depend entirely on fate." Xiao Yan said it seriously, then slowly closed his eyes. His hand seals changed rapidly, and the spiritual energy at the center of his forehead surged forth without reservation, flowing like endless waves into the crimson cauldron. As Xiao Yan began to work, Tang Zhen's body straightened slightly, the weary expression on his face swiftly fading. He rose into the air, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surroundings, and declared firmly, "From now on, no one shall enter a hundred paces of this stone platform!" Feeling the intensity in Tang Zhen's words, the young disciples of Fenyan Valley were struck with awe and promptly bowed in response, retreating in a neat, orderly manner without making a single sound. On the platform, the master pharmacists were momentarily stunned, their mouths gradually opening as they realized what was happening—the Rock Eagle intended to prepare the Fire Bud Pill alone? Though the current alchemical process only requires the final step of forming the pill, it was absolutely beyond his capability—considering that even within the Alchemical Tower, only a small number of practitioners could master the production of seventh-rank premium pills. Although everyone was filled with disbelief, they remained silent upon seeing Tang Zhen's firm, resolute expression on the stone platform, choosing instead to keep their doubts hidden within. … In the stone platform, Xiao Yan's face was more serious than ever before. His spiritual power had nearly mastered every inch of the medicine cauldron, and precisely because of this, he was increasingly able to perceive the terrifying nature of this seventh-rank premium elixir—the potency within had reached an astonishing level, capable of stirring energy waves throughout the heavens and earth. Were it not for the Mountain Melting Cauldron, the external energies of the heavens and earth would have already become chaotic. Moreover, perhaps due to the nature of the two viscous liquids coming into contact, the medicinal energies within them have now become especially vigorous, making their fusion extremely difficult. A strong repulsive force continues to emanate, striving to push each other apart. After waiting in silence, Xiao Yan found that the medicinal energies within the two droplets had not only failed to subside but had instead intensified, growing more powerful over time. Furthermore, the distance between them was gradually being isolated, making it increasingly difficult—not just to achieve contact, but even to bring them together at all. This kind of troublesome situation had been the first time in Xiao Yan's years of crafting pills. Even during his previous attempt in the Inner Courtyard, things had not been this complicated—though that was entirely due to Xiao Yan entering that peculiar, extraordinary state back then. Now, however, he had no such luck; he could only rely on his own abilities. "Like this, it won't do at all..." As the resistance from the two droplets of liquid soul energy grew increasingly intense, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. Then, with a subtle mental effort, the soul energy surrounding the cauldron surged forth and rushed in, violently compressing the two droplets. "Boom!" A deep resonance echoed within the cauldron. Under the full force of Xiao Yan's soul pressure, the two initially separating droplets of jade-green and crimson liquid were forcefully compressed together. Yet instead of calming down, they surged with even more vigorous resistance moments later, erupting into a fiercer counterattack! Wave after wave of exceptionally fierce energy fluctuations radiated out from the two droplets, each impact against Xiao Yan's spiritual strength causing his body to subtly tremble. "After all these years of refining pills, I never thought today would be the day I'd fail to handle these two little things!" Xiao Yan, stirred by the counterattacks of the liquid energies, grew increasingly agitated. With a determined resolve, the vast spiritual power within the cauldron instantly coalesced into a vortex, which then spun wildly. As the vortex of spiritual energy rotated at high speed, the pressure surged dramatically. Under this intense pressure, the two droplets of green and crimson liquid finally gradually came into contact and were forcibly blended together. Immediately upon their fusion, Xiao Yan summoned a mental focus, and the intensified pressure instantly eased. At the same moment, a sudden surge of emerald flame appeared, enveloping and consuming the now-combined green and crimson liquids. Between the subtle increase and decrease of pressure, and the release of flame, Xiao Yan controlled the process with exceptional precision. Any minor error would damage the medicinal energy, thereby reducing the chances of successful crystallization. Though blending the two liquids together had imposed a significant spiritual cost on Xiao Yan, this was no longer the time to focus on such details. His spiritual energy flowed continuously into the pale and crimson liquid, absorbing every subtle change within, and then he carefully regulated the pressure and flame intensity based on these observations. Outside the stone platform, silence reigned. Tang Zhen watched Xiao Yan, whose body trembled incessantly, his heart pounding with anxiety—especially as Xiao Yan's complexion gradually grew paler. Even Tang Zhen's usual composure could not withstand the rising urgency. However, fortunately, Xiao Yan's trembling did not last long and gradually stabilized. At that very moment, Tang Zhen noticed the sudden emergence of emerald flames within the cauldron. Following the flames' glow, he observed the slowly swirling jade-red liquid, which seemed to be gradually solidifying. This scene was not unfamiliar to Tang Zhen—he recognized it as a clear sign of the formation of a pill. His heart immediately quickened, and a surge of excitement welled up on his face. He had never imagined that Xiao Yan could truly accomplish this final step on his own. While Tang Zhen observed all this with ease, Xiao Yan had poured considerable effort into it. Had it not been for Xiao Yan's soul strength far surpassing that of other practitioners at his level, he would certainly have failed. Even then, the robustness of Xiao Yan's soul began to show signs of growing weariness. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan forcefully suppressed the sense of frailty within his soul, focusing intently on controlling the flame intensity and the soul pressure. Under the continuous heat of the emerald flames and the steady soul pressure, the jade-red liquid gradually began to solidify. The silence in the square lasted for an entire day and night. During this A delicate streak of morning light gently poured down from the horizon, breaking the black night that had enveloped the valley... And precisely at the moment this streak of light appeared, the celestial energy within the vast Burned Flame Valley surged suddenly and violently! On the stone platform, Tang Zhen, seated in meditation, abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with radiant joy fixed upon the center of the platform, where a sudden fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted out from the cauldron. "Roar! Roar!" As Tang Zhen opened his eyes, a dense expanse of dark clouds suddenly surged forth from the sky without any prior warning, thunder rolling within them, silver serpents weaving through the clouds, their presence awe-inspiring. "Dan... Dan thunder? He... He really did it? How is this possible?" Gazing at those dark clouds above, the present master pharmacologists instantly stiffened, their voices trembling with disbelief, murmuring in wonder. At the edge of the square, Tang Huo'er, dressed in a red robe, lifted her beautiful face to gaze at the dark clouds floating above the sky. Her slender frame began to tremble with excitement, unable to contain it. "Has it worked?"