As the fire cauldron of Xiao Yan rose into the sky, the other three stepped back, dividing the vast expanse of sky into four distinct regions. Houniu Zi flashed into position atop the black cauldron, settled into a meditative posture, and with a sweeping motion of his sleeves, countless herbs surged forth from within, filling the heavens with an intense fragrance. While each of them was actively engaged, the Wanhuo Elder, at a distance, shaped a cauldron from the Nine-Deep Wind-Flame. At their level, cauldrons were nearly obsolete—what they needed was simply to summon the finest heterofires on the spot to form the most exquisite cauldrons. Among the four, the one with the most formidable presence was the Shen Nong elder. His head was bathed in a liquid-like sea of green flame that swiftly expanded outward. Sitting within this fiery expanse, he waved his broad sleeves, sending forth numerous medicinal seedlings that shimmered with an unusual fragrance. These seeds fell into the flame sea, where, under the astonished gazes of all present, they quickly sprouted and grew rapidly amid the roaring flames. The Shen Nong elder smiled at these swiftly developing herbs. With a flick of his fingers, the flame sea rippled, then swiftly coalesced into droplets of exceptionally pure green liquid. Within each droplet, faint tendrils of flame rose, and a rich vitality seeped out, permeating the liquid. These green liquids hovered above numerous herbs before gently dripping down. As they came into contact with the herbs, the plants seemed to absorb a catalyst, their growth rate surging dramatically. In just a few minutes, seedlings transformed into various rare medicinal herbs. Amid the green flame sea, fresh herbs rose gracefully, dancing with joy and movement. "Indeed, the Flame of Living Beings is no ordinary marvel..." At a distance, Xiao Yan could not help but offer a heartfelt admiration upon witnessing this astonishing scene. Aside from its relatively weaker combat power, the Flame of Living Beings was truly the ideal rare flame sought after by alchemists. This ability to nurture and cultivate medicinal herbs—should it fall into the hands of the Dan Tower or the medicinal clans—would indeed be a true masterpiece. Though Xiao Yan understood that the exertion required from the practitioner would undoubtedly be immense, the formation of many herbs typically required a century or more of time. In comparison, such an expenditure seemed negligible. After a moment of admiration, Xiao Yan also collected his thoughts and gazed at the large, rose-colored cauldron before him. With a wave of his hand, a dense array of herbs sprang forth from his storage talisman and spiraled around the cauldron. The variety was immense—likely encompassing thousands of different types. The sheer volume left many alchemists in awe, especially when compared to the four of them, whose earlier efforts, even the nine-colored pill lightning summoned by Yao Tian, now seemed rather modest. Witnessing this scene, even the senior elders of the medicinal lineage couldn't help but feel a subtle flush of embarrassment. With thousands of herbs each requiring entirely different refining components, it truly seemed impossible to simply pour them all into the cauldron at once. Yet the senior medicinal elder seated at the guest席 watched Xiao Yan with a warm, composed smile. He held strong confidence in him—Xiao Yan’s mastery of alchemical techniques had already surpassed him, his own teacher. "How exactly has this young man been training?" he mused. "He's not much older than us, yet he now holds the stature to compete with the Elder of the Ten Thousand Flames. Indeed, that's quite remarkable." Below the plaza, a number of young members from the medicinal clan were gathered together, yet these once-aloof and confident young medicinal disciples now looked deeply disheartened, gazing upward at the sky. Even Yao Tian, who had previously secured the top rank in the medicinal compendium, appeared visibly frustrated—though he was deeply unwilling to concede, the vast gap between him and Xiao Yan remained undeniable, making it impossible for him to simply ignore it. Beside Yao Tian, Yao Ling, who had always carried a cold, composed demeanor and had been admired by all, now fixed her gaze upon the young figure calmly ascending in the sky. This was the first time in her years that she had witnessed a peer of such age successfully engaging in refining techniques with a senior master like Wan Huo, a seasoned elder in the field of pharmaceutical arts. Such an achievement even made her, the pride of her clan, feel genuinely impressed. "Yao Xingji, when you first saw him in the medicinal clan, didn't he seem less accomplished back then?" "Yao Ling tilted her head, gazing at one of her suitors by her side—the man who had presented Xiao Yan with the herbal compendium invitation from the Yao Clan, Yao Xingji." "Back then, he was merely a common Douzun. Though his spiritual strength was strong, it hadn't yet reached such an extraordinary level... I never expected that in just a few years, he would have advanced so far." Yao Xingji chuckled, his voice carrying a mixture of emotions he couldn't quite name. When they first met, Xiao Yan had been about the same level as himself. If they had competed in the art of medicinal cultivation back then, it would have been hard to predict a clear winner. Yet who could have imagined that after their parting, when they met again, the gap between them had become so vast? "Now, his spiritual strength has reached the same level as the Wanhuo Elder and the others—reaching the peak of the Heavenly Realm." "Yao Ling gazed upward at the figure in the sky, her eyes shimmering with extraordinary light. Her soul had always been exceptional from birth; the clan elder once said that, should the right opportunities arise, she might one day reach the legendary 'Emperor Realm' of souls. She had long taken pride in her soul strength, even surpassing her elder brother, who, though blessed with exceptional talent, fell short of her in this aspect. Among her peers, Xiao Yan was the only one who had ever surpassed her in soul power. A vibrant, rosy flame completely enveloped the cauldron, forming a massive fire sphere. Every few minutes, a series of smaller fire orbs burst forth from the cauldron, hovering above and spiraling around it. Each of these orbs contained a distinct liquid or powdered medicinal essence—materials refined to their purest forms. As more and more such fire orbs gathered around Xiao Yan's cauldron, the other three figures in the distance also gradually processed large quantities of medicinal herbs. Though lacking the divine fire spirits, they were unable to match Xiao Yan's efficiency in refining. Nevertheless, as grand masters of their caliber, the fundamental task of extracting and refining herbs posed no challenge to them at all. On the plaza, numerous alchemists gazed in rapt attention at the seamless, flowing techniques of the healers in the sky, their faces glowing with deep fascination and growing enthusiasm. The refinement of these herbs lasted approximately one day. Only then did Xiao Yan open his eyes, gazing at the dense clusters of flames hovering around the medicinal cauldron. He exhaled deeply, then lightly waved his hand, causing the clusters of flames to once again drift into the cauldron. Immediately, a powerful surge of energy erupted from within, rapidly spreading outward—so intense that even the cauldron itself resonated with a steady hum. As the voice of Hounxu Zi fell, a sudden gale surged across the realm, with boundless celestial and terrestrial energies pouring in from all directions toward the fire cauldron, only to be drawn in and consumed by its outward suction. This overwhelming absorption eventually transformed the energies into turbulent, fragmented storms, roaring wildly across the sky before being entirely swallowed by the cauldron. "Concentrating the power of heaven and earth to refine elixirs—such a technique… he actually intends to create a ninth-rank phoenix elixir!" The commotion caused by Hounu Xuzi was noticed by Xiao Yan and his companions. The Elder of the Thousand Flames furrowed his brow, emitted a sharp exhalation, and swiftly changed his hand seals, then roared, "Heaven and earth's power, condensing!" Upon hearing the Elder of the Thousand Flames' command, many members of the Herbal Clan immediately became energized—wasn't it the case that even he intended to refine a ninth-rank phoenix elixir? "Hah! Since both of you are making such grand efforts, then I cannot fall behind!" Seeing this, the Shen Nong Elder laughed heartily, waved his sleeve, and once again disrupted the flow of heavenly and earthly energies, drawing powerful surges of energy into the great cauldron before him. "Since all three of you have such a refined interest, Xiao Yan has no choice but to join you..." Gazing at the chaotic flow of celestial energy stretching across the heavens, Xiao Yan offered a calm smile. With a series of hand seals, a powerful suction surged forth from the fire cauldron, forcefully penetrating the surrounding space and greedily siphoning off the celestial energy. On the plaza, numerous alchemists watched the thunderous energy storm unfolding in the sky, their hearts completely overwhelmed by awe—four of them, all simultaneously crafting the legendary ninth-rank phoenix pills! Such a scene was rare, occurring only once in a century.