171: Breakthrough to Battle Spirit Realm

Jiang Donghua watched as his master, Mo Xuan, effortlessly erased the soul imprint on the Pill Formula, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Master is truly amazing! The methods of a peak fifth-grade Alchemist are indeed extraordinary!"

He grinned, giving a thumbs-up, his tone full of adoration.

Mo Xuan stroked his beard, letting out a smug hum.

"Stinky Kid, now you know how to flatter? Where was this respect when you were swindling people just now?"

Jiang Donghua chuckled, not refuting, but merely leaning closer, eagerly staring at the several Pill Formulas, rubbing his hands together.

"Master, what do you think of these Pill Formulas?"

Mo Xuan glanced at him, then slowly unfolded one of them, his gaze sweeping over the ancient characters and intricate pill patterns, nodding slightly.

"Hmm, it is indeed a fifth-grade elixir formula, and its quality is not low. It should be one of the core inheritances of the Yao Family."

He paused, then looked at Jiang Donghua, his tone slightly teasing.

"But, with your current Soul Power, you're still far from being able to comprehend these Pill Formulas."

Jiang Donghua was stunned.

"Ah? What do you mean?"

Mo Xuan scoffed, pointing a finger at the Pill Formula.

"The pill patterns on it contain extremely strong soul pressure. If you forcefully read it with your Soul Power, at best you'll feel dizzy, and at worst you'll fall into a coma for a day or two. It's not worth it."

Jiang Donghua's face immediately fell.

"So, was it all for nothing?"

Mo Xuan shook his head, calmly saying,

"What's the rush? I didn't say you couldn't use them."

He unhurriedly put away the Pill Formulas, looking at Jiang Donghua with a smile.

"I'll keep these Pill Formulas for you for now. When you step into the Dou Ling realm and your Soul Power is strong enough, I'll return them to you."

Jiang Donghua's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

Mo Xuan snorted.

"When have I ever lied to you?"

He scrutinized Jiang Donghua from head to toe, nodding with satisfaction.

"You are already a Nine Star Great Dou Shi, only a step away from Dou Ling. Work harder, and a breakthrough will happen within this period."

Jiang Donghua clenched his fists, fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.

"Master, rest assured, I will break through as soon as possible!"

Mo Xuan patted his shoulder with satisfaction, then suddenly lowered his voice, saying mysteriously,

"Oh, right. When you step into Dou Ling, I have another great gift for you."

Jiang Donghua's ears perked up, and he immediately leaned closer.

"What great gift?"

Mo Xuan chuckled, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes.

"A sixth grade beast fire — Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire!"

Jiang Donghua's pupils contracted, his breathing quickening.

"A sixth grade beast fire?! Master, you're not joking, are you?"

He paused, looking at Jiang Donghua with profound meaning.

"However, to refine it, you must at least be in the Dou Ling realm. Otherwise, if you're not careful, the flames will backfire, and that would be playing with fire."

Jiang Donghua's eyes blazed with battle intent, his fists clenching with a cracking sound.

"Master, rest assured! Your disciple will break through as soon as possible and will never disappoint you!"

Mo Xuan laughed heartily, patting his shoulder vigorously.

"Good! That's ambition! Then I'll wait to see your performance!"

Jiang Donghua looked at the "[Cultivating on standby...]" prompt on his system panel, the corner of his mouth curving slightly upward.

"Anyway, with the system's automatic cultivation, it won't take long."

He stretched, his gaze turning to the younger students on the Alchemy Department plaza who were practicing Fire Control Technique.

As one of the few Fourth-Grade Alchemists in the academy who was willing to personally guide lower-level students, besides a few elders, only Jiang Donghua remained.

Therefore, as soon as he appeared, the originally noisy plaza instantly quieted down, followed by pairs of eager eyes looking over in unison.

"Senior Brother Jiang!"

"Senior Brother, you're finally here!"

"Senior Brother, I always feel my Dou Qi isn't flowing smoothly when I control fire. Can you give me some pointers?"

Jiang Donghua couldn't help but laugh at their eager expressions, thirsty for knowledge.

"Alright, don't rush, one by one."

He casually pulled a chair from nearby, sat down grandly, crossed his legs, looking like a Senior Brother in a good mood today, ready to answer any questions.

A bold junior immediately stepped forward, a ball of pale yellow flame condensing in his palm, but the flame flickered, clearly not controlled stably.

Jiang Donghua glanced at it, speaking lazily.

"Your Dou Qi output is too fierce. Fire isn't suppressed by brute force; you need to adjust it rhythmically, like breathing."

As he spoke, he flicked his fingertip, and a wisp of green flame floated out, drawing a graceful arc in the air.

It then steadily hovered beside the junior's flame, neither suppressing nor interfering, yet it caused the other's flame to gradually stabilize.

"Wow!"

A chorus of exclamations immediately rose from around them.

"Senior Brother, your Fire Control Technique is too cool!"

Jiang Donghua proudly raised an eyebrow.

"Basic operation, don't make a fuss."

Another female student blushed as she handed over a freshly refined pill, asking softly,

"Senior Brother, why is the potency of the qi burst pill I refine always unstable?"

Jiang Donghua took the pill, sniffed it at his nose, then revealed a knowing smile.

"The heat is fine, but when you're fusing the medicinal liquids, your Soul Power is unevenly distributed, leading to conflicting medicinal properties."

He casually picked up a medicinal herb from the table, rubbed it between his fingertips, and the herb instantly turned into powder, which he then precisely divided into three portions, suspending them in the air.

"Watch closely, Soul Power should be like this."

He squinted his eyes slightly, and the three portions of medicinal powder slowly rotated under his control, eventually perfectly fusing to form a crystalline medicinal liquid bead.

"Hiss—"

A collective gasp of cold air was heard around them.

"Senior Brother, your soul manipulation is too abnormal!"

Jiang Donghua laughed heartily, patting the female student's shoulder.

"Practice slowly, and you can do it too."

Jiang Donghua sat cross-legged in the center of the secret chamber, Dou Qi surging around him like a tide, rushing incessantly through his meridians.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the long-standing barrier within him gradually loosening.

"I'm finally going to break through!"

The corner of his mouth curved upward, and the experiences of the past ten-plus days flashed through his mind.

Ever since he put on a big show in the Alchemy Department plaza, using the alchemy knowledge granted by the system to guide his juniors, he found that his understanding of alchemy had become even more comprehensive than before.

The knowledge that had seemed to be forcibly crammed into his mind gradually became vibrant through repeated explanations and demonstrations.

"It seems that relying solely on the system for standby cultivation isn't enough; practice is key!"

He sighed inwardly, simultaneously circulating his cultivation technique. The Dou Qi vortex within him spun frantically, devouring all the surrounding heaven and earth energy.

"Crack—"

A sound like shattering glass echoed within his body, and the barrier of the Nine Star Great Dou Shi was finally broken through!

In an instant, a vast energy erupted from within his body, sweeping through his entire being along the meridians.

Jiang Donghua only felt his Soul Power suddenly surge, his perception range instantly expanding several times, even the slightest rustle outside the secret chamber was clearly audible.

"This is the power of a Dou Ling Expert?!"

Just then, the door to the secret chamber was gently knocked, and Mo Xuan's lazy voice drifted in.

"Stinky Kid, if you've broken through, hurry up and get out, don't just stand there grinning like an idiot!"

Jiang Donghua laughed heartily, stood up, and pushed the door open.

Outside the door, Mo Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a half-smile.

"Not bad, even two days faster than expected."

Jiang Donghua chuckled, rubbing his hands together.

"Master, you see, I've completed my breakthrough, so the Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire, shouldn't it be...?"

Mo Xuan snorted, then flung a pitch-black storage ring over.

"What's the rush? I already prepared it for you!"

Jiang Donghua quickly caught it, and with a sweep of his Soul Power, he immediately felt a violent energy, a mixture of extreme cold and scorching heat—it was indeed the sixth grade beast fire, Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire!

A burning desire flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down.

"Master, what should I pay attention to when refining this thing?"

Mo Xuan stroked his beard, speaking with rare seriousness.

"The Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire is fierce. When refining it, you need to suppress its ferocity with your Soul Power. A slight mistake could lead to your body being invaded by cold or your meridians being burned by the fiery energy."

He paused, looking at Jiang Donghua with profound meaning.

"However, with your current Soul Power, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

Jiang Donghua grinned, battle intent surging in his eyes.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's start now!"