Chapter 57: One-Star Da Dou Shi
Buzz~
The pill cauldron trembled slightly, and a rich medicinal fragrance began to spread from within.
Inside, the three-colored flames were interweaving in perfect harmony. At the center floated a pill the size of a longan, its smooth surface etched with three distinct ring patterns—one red, one yellow, and one white—neatly aligned. A dreamy, tri-colored mist-like aroma wafted from it, strikingly beautiful.
"Seems easier than I expected…"
Yao Yan muttered to himself as he looked at the completed Three-Pattern Qingling Pill. But in the next moment, he understood the key point—refining it with three different flames was incredibly difficult due to the need for seamless transitions between them, with not even the slightest change in temperature allowed.
This placed an immense demand on the alchemist's soul power and control over the flames. A slight deviation would result in failure.
In the original story, even Xiao Yan had to undergo a series of breakthroughs, failing twice before successfully refining it.
But Yao Yan didn't need such complications. He didn't have to constantly swap flames—he merely had to ignite the Three Qi, Spirit, and Essence Flames. Since these three originated from the same source, their transitions were flawless, with no need to worry about temperature fluctuation.
"Looks like I've unknowingly mastered the Three Flame Gathering Art."
As Yao Yan stared at the three-colored flames still burning inside the cauldron, a realization dawned upon him. After continuously absorbing imperial bloodlines, his qi, spirit, and essence had long since evolved beyond the reach of ordinary people. The most difficult part of cultivating this technique had already been surpassed—the rest came naturally.
The thick aroma from the pill gradually faded.
Under his soul control, the Three-Pattern Qingling Pill flew out of the cauldron and landed gently in his palm. He smiled slightly, stored it in a jade bottle, then calmly closed his eyes to meditate and restore his energy. Once recovered, he would use it to break through to the Da Dou Shi realm.
Though he was currently only at the Seven-Star Dou Shi level, his foundations could already rival some Da Dou Shi. Taking the pill would pose no issue.
An hour later—
Yao Yan opened his eyes, fully restored. He retrieved the pill, flicked it into his mouth, and began refining it.
The Three-Pattern Qingling Pill dissolved instantly. In his perception, it transformed into three waves of increasingly powerful energy, surging down his throat like a torrential river. With a roaring momentum, it poured into his meridians in a domineering fashion.
The moment the energy entered his meridians, it exploded into three phantom flames that clung to his meridians. His body tingled, and he could clearly feel his already wide meridians expanding further. Simultaneously, the surrounding elemental energy howled inward, flooding into him wildly.
The intensity was so great it caused ripples in his meridians. An ordinary Dou Shi's body would've collapsed under the strain, suffering backlash from the pill.
But Yao Yan showed no pressure whatsoever. His expression didn't even change as he allowed the energy to surge through him. It posed no real threat to his body. What truly interested him was the pill's medicinal properties. A top-tier Three-Pattern Qingling Pill rivaled even peak Tier 5 pills. Among many, it stood out for its uniqueness—it would adapt based on the flame used during refinement.
In the original story, Xiao Yan's version was influenced by the attributes of the heavenly flame he used.
Yao Yan's, however, had been refined with the Three Flames of Qi, Spirit, and Essence—granting it a very interesting bonus effect. It was actually strengthening those three elements. His soul even tingled from the sensation. That sparked a sudden thought: what if he used the three flames to temper his body?
He remembered a cultivation process in the Great Thousand World known as the "Three Minor Tribulations"...
The idea had only just emerged before he dismissed it. That would be a suicidal move. The Three Flames themselves consumed his own qi, spirit, and essence. Mishandling it could actually burn him alive.
With that realization—
Yao Yan set aside such dangerous thoughts. He was calm and rational. He knew that at his current level, he shouldn't be toying with such ideas. What he needed was steady cultivation. With a focused mind, he summoned the Illusory Gold Flame and began refining the pill's medicinal power.
Time slowly passed.
As the medicinal energy was refined, Yao Yan's body became shrouded in golden light, forming a veil-like garment around him. The energy twisted and condensed, seemingly taking on a tangible form.
He didn't pay attention to this exterior change. His focus was locked on his dantian. The vast, golden whirlpool of Dou Qi there had completely filled and was now compressing, transforming toward a solid state.
This was a required process to break through from Dou Shi to Da Dou Shi. Countless cultivators in the Dou Qi Continent had been stuck at this very bottleneck—much like the later leap from Dou Ling to Dou Wang. Both stages filtered out over ninety percent of the population.
The first was a test of resources. Those with solid foundations could often pass. But the second? That one tested talent and accumulation.
Fortunately, Yao Yan lacked neither. As the pill's power finished releasing, a crystalline core began to form at the center of the golden whirlpool. It started devouring all surrounding Dou Qi, like a gluttonous beast. In no time, it had absorbed the entire golden sea, condensing into a radiant, golden, rhomboid crystal.
At the moment of its formation, the golden veil on Yao Yan's body solidified into a set of armor that clung to his form. His aura surged violently, stirring a whirlwind through the pill room.
Moments later—
Yao Yan opened his eyes, a golden flame flashing within. He looked down, clenched his fist, and felt the explosive strength of his Dou Qi, now several times stronger. The corners of his mouth curled slightly, and he said quietly, "One-Star Da Dou Shi. Not bad."
He then closed his eyes again, calming the surging Dou Qi and stabilizing his cultivation level. He didn't celebrate this minor breakthrough—Yao Yan had always been clear on what his goal was.
About half an hour passed.
Yao Yan's overwhelming aura finally settled. He calmly looked back toward the cauldron, reignited it with Illusory Gold Flame, and pulled out a new set of ingredients—preparing to resume pill refinement…
(END CHAPTER)
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