The next morning, it was drizzling.
In front of the Zhao Family's gate, a group of people gathered to see Zhao Li and Li Ling off.
Zhao Li looked at his father.
"Father, Danxia Mountain isn't far from here. You can get there in an hour. Don't make it seem like we're saying goodbye forever."
"You brat, just keep quiet if you don't know how to talk. Nobody's saying anything about you. It's just that you haven't left home much, and your mother is worried about you."
Zhao Lingxiao chuckled.
"Everyone, please return. Danxia Mountain welcomes you to visit."
Elder Wu said to the crowd, then led Zhao Li and the others onto a Flying Magical Beast and headed towards the Danyuan Sect.
...
Danxia Peak. Dark clouds gathered densely, and the might of the heavens was vast.
The elders and disciples in the sect felt the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon and sensed their own insignificance, like a mayfly in the vast universe or a grain of rice in the boundless sea.
Seeing that this Pill Lightning was somewhat different from before, as if a hint of color had been added to the dark clouds, someone said to the person beside them:
"I feel like this Pill Lightning is stronger than before. I wonder what kind of Divine Pill the Sect Master has refined this time. I wish I had a chance to take one too."
Seeing his longing expression, the other person poured cold water on him:
"Wake up, you're dreaming in broad daylight. Why are you dreaming? Better think about how to earn more Contribution Points to exchange for a Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill and improve your cultivation."
"The Sect Master's Alchemy Technique seems to have improved again. Why don't I have the talent to be an Alchemist..."
On the other side, in the small house on the back of the Flying Magical Beast, Zhao Li watched the mountains rapidly receding outside the window. Zhao Li knew this magical beast was extremely fast, yet he couldn't feel any shaking, which was quite amazing.
"Caw~"
Suddenly, the Flying Magical Beast let out a cry of fright, and then Zhao Li felt a sense of weightlessness.
After the initial panic, Zhao Li circulated his Dou Qi to protect himself.
Elder Wu was a Dou Emperor expert after all. He had already circulated his Dou Qi immediately to support everyone. Seeing Zhao Li's reaction, he secretly praised:
"Young in age, yet calm in the face of danger. Such a temperament is excellent."
It was easier to see a person's true self from small details. Clearly, he also thought Zhao Li was good.
"No need to panic. This magical beast was startled by the thunder clouds drawn by the Sect Master's pill refining. Let this old man take you back."
Elder Wu naturally sensed the phenomenon on Danxia Peak. He comforted everyone, condensed his Dou Qi Wings, and took the five of them, including Zhao Li, turning into a streak of light and soaring towards the mountain.
After Elder Wu brought everyone back to the sect, he took Zhao Li alone to the Alchemist Square. Looking at the Pill Lightning drawn by his senior brother, he felt a little envious in his heart:
"I'm still hovering at the threshold of Seventh Grade, but senior brother has touched upon the path to Eighth Grade. How can the gap between people be so big?"
Zhao Li didn't know what Elder Wu was thinking. Looking at the white-haired old man on the square who was both resisting the Pill Lightning and simultaneously condensing the pill, his heart ached.
Over the years, his master had treated him like his own grandson, but he only thought of his master when he needed something and didn't visit when he didn't.
Zhao Li thought of the lonely elderly left behind in his previous life and cursed himself in his heart.
Pill Lightning struck down one after another. Seeing the sweat beads on his master's forehead, Zhao Li was also a little worried:
"If only there was a Heavenly Demon Puppet, it could absorb the Lightning Tribulation and even upgrade. I wonder if Old Ghost Yan Mo has obtained the refining method at this time."
Zhao Li recalled Huo Huo's Tribulation Crossing Artifact, which could not only withstand Pill Lightning but also evolve by borrowing its energy.
As the pill took shape, the Pill Lightning also knew it could no longer harm it and gradually dispersed.
Putting the Ascension Venerable Pill into a box, Lin Lan laughed heartily:
"Hahaha, an unexpected surprise! The pill refined this time actually reached the Eighth Grade."
Zhao Li let out the breath he had been holding and congratulated his master:
"Congratulations, Master, on the further advancement of your Alchemy Technique."
"With an Eighth Grade pill refined this time, Senior Brother will likely become an Eighth Grade Alchemist soon, congratulations, congratulations."
"Just luckily touched the threshold, still a long way to go." Lin Lan replied to his senior brother, then looked at Zhao Li and said irritably:
"You brat, you're quite bold. I gave you the Qi Gathering Powder hoping it would make it easier for you to break through to the Dou Disciple stage, but nobody told you to break through in that place. Don't think a few nice words will make me let you off."
Zhao Li listened to his master's words of concern, then looked at him stroking his beard with a smile, looking happy and relieved. He just chuckled.
"It's this disciple's fault for being unaccomplished. Following Master from now on, I still need Master to sculpt and guide me more."
"Troubling Senior Brother to put more effort into the sect."
Seeing Zhao Li giggling, Lin Lan smiled helplessly, said something to Elder Wu, and then called out to Zhao Li:
"Let's go. I haven't seen you in a long time. I wonder if you've taken to heart what I taught you about Pharmacology and identifying Medicinal Ingredients. If you don't pass the assessment later, you'll have something to cry about."
Zhao Li followed his master away. As for the assessment, Zhao Li hadn't been lazy all these years.
On the mountainside of Danxia Peak's main peak, a large hall was built against the mountain.
Inside the hall, Lin Lan was testing Zhao Li. As Zhao Li identified each Medicinal Ingredient, its age, attribute, and Pharmacology were all accurate. Lin Lan was deeply gratified:
"Exceptional talent and able to study diligently. Indeed, a rare good seedling for an Alchemist."
After a long while, Zhao Li put down the last medicinal ingredient and asked Lin Lan,
"Teacher, did I get anything wrong?"
"Brat, stop showing off. The biggest taboo in alchemy is being impatient and restless."
Lin Lan looked at his disciple's proud expression and said with a smile.
Zhao Li didn't keep showing off and got serious. "Teacher, aren't you still worried about me? You can finally rest easy now, right?"
"Heh heh, if you really cared, you wouldn't have gone so long without coming to see your teacher."
Lin Lan chuckled, took out a Cultivation Technique, and said to Zhao Li,
"I see you haven't cultivated a Cultivation Technique yet, and your Dou Qi hasn't been converted to your affinity attribute. This Earth Tier Low Grade Cultivation Technique, Blazing Fire Burning Heaven, you should cultivate it first to convert your Dou Qi attribute to the Cultivation Technique's attribute. Once you can manifest flames, you can officially try alchemy."
As he spoke, he explained,
"Don't aim too high. High-tier Cultivation Techniques can easily cause Dou Qi to riot. With the physical quality and control over Dou Qi at the Dou Disciple stage, you simply can't control rioting Dou Qi. If you're not careful, you could even harm yourself. So, when you first start cultivating, the highest you should go is Earth Tier."
Zhao Li took the Cultivation Technique, thanked his teacher, and felt relieved when he saw his teacher finally go to rest.
Alchemy itself was extremely taxing on the mind, not to mention the Pill Lightning today was Eighth Grade. He had seen the sweat on his teacher's forehead at the time, so he naturally knew his teacher didn't have an easy time resisting the Pill Lightning.
Returning to his residence, Zhao Li thought about what his teacher had just said about converting the Dou Qi in his body to the Cultivation Technique's attribute. He focused his senses on the Dou Qi within him and then had an epiphany.
It turned out that the Dou Qi Stage within a cultivator's body was attribute-less, or rather, it was Chaos Dou Qi containing all attributes. However, because they had an affinity attribute, cultivating a corresponding Cultivation Technique could not only accelerate the absorption of affinity attribute Dou Qi but also make it easier to control after the Dou Qi was converted.
Zhao Li, however, didn't convert it. Instead, he carefully experienced the Chaos attribute Dou Qi within his body.
He wanted to separate the Dou Qi. With National Martial Arts Body Cultivation, his control over himself was now almost microscopic.
After a long while, a wisp of Dou Qi appeared on Zhao Li's fingertip. With a thought, this wisp of originally attribute-less Dou Qi turned into the Fire Attribute, and then under Zhao Li's control, it was Metal one moment and Wood the next...
Looking at the Dou Qi cycling through the Five Elements before him, Zhao Li was still trying to transform it into variant attributes like Ice, Lightning, and Wind, but for a time, he couldn't succeed.
Zhao Li fell into deep thought once more
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