172: Refining Beast Fire

Jiang Donghua clutched his aching head, grimacing as he complained. "Ouch! Master, that was too hard!"

Mo Xuan glared at him, his beard twitching. "Hard? I was just trying to wake you up! Did you think a sixth grade beast fire was a joke? A slight mistake, and the cold energy will invade your body, freezing your meridians, or the flame power will spiral out of control and burn you into charcoal! When that happens, this old fellow won't be able to collect your corpse!"

Jiang Donghua shrank his neck and chuckled awkwardly. "Hehe, Master, please don't be angry. Your Disciple was just too excited."

Mo Xuan snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve. "Excited? Wait until you're truly frozen into an ice sculpture by the Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire, and then burned to ashes. See if you're still excited then!"

Jiang Donghua immediately straightened his expression, cupped his fists, and said, "Your Disciple knows his mistake! I will follow all of Master's arrangements!"

Only then did Mo Xuan nod in satisfaction. He pulled a jade bottle from his sleeve and tossed it to Jiang Donghua. "This is the Meridian Guarding Pill. It can protect your meridians from being corroded by the cold flame power. Take three pills first, one daily. Three days later, once your cultivation is stable, I will personally guard you and help you refine the Beast Fire!"

Jiang Donghua took the jade bottle, opened it, and saw several emerald green pills lying inside, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance. His heart warmed, knowing that although his Master was strict verbally, he considered him in every detail.

"Thank you, Master!"

He gave a solemn bow.

Mo Xuan waved his hand impatiently. "Enough, enough, save the formalities! Hurry up and stabilize your cultivation. Don't mess up when refining the Beast Fire, I can't afford to lose face like that!"

Jiang Donghua grinned. "Hehe, Master, don't worry! Your Disciple definitely won't disgrace you!"

After speaking, he turned and ran toward his cultivation room, preparing to seize the time to stabilize his cultivation.

Mo Xuan looked at his retreating figure, shook his head helplessly, and chuckled softly while cursing. "Stinky Kid, so impatient!"

But in his eyes, a hint of satisfaction flashed.

Mo Xuan stroked his beard, his gaze profound as he looked in the direction Jiang Donghua had departed, calculating secretly in his heart.

"This kid, skyrocketing from Dou Zhi Qi all the way to Dou Ling in just over a year. This speed probably surpasses even those legendary prodigies at Jia Nan Academy, right?"

He murmured softly, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes.

"Tsk tsk, my foresight truly is sharp. I just casually picked up such a monstrous talent!"

Soon, however, he frowned again.

"It's good that his cultivation is increasing quickly, but his Dou Technique is mediocre, and his alchemy skills are just so-so. Relying only on realm suppression will cause him to suffer a huge loss sooner or later."

"Moreover, refining the Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire this time is no trivial matter."

Mo Xuan recalled that in his youth, he had personally witnessed a Dou Wang Expert forcefully refine a sixth grade beast fire, only to suffer a backlash that shattered his meridians, leaving him bedridden for half a year before he barely recovered.

"Although Donghua's Soul Power is much stronger than others at the same level, he is only newly advanced to Dou Ling after all. What if something goes wrong..."

Thinking of this, his eyes narrowed, and he made a decision.

"No, relying solely on me to guard him is still too risky!"

He flicked his sleeve, taking out several communication jade slips from his storage ring. Tapping them lightly with his fingertip, several streaks of soul messages were quickly engraved within.

"Old Fire Head, Medicine Maniac, and Ice Red. Although these old fellows are usually annoying, they can be relied upon when it counts."

The corner of his mouth curled up, revealing a sly smile.

"Hehe, they all owe me favors anyway. This is the perfect time to make them pay up!"

"Besides, let them see how heaven-defying my Disciple is, so they can get jealous!"

Thinking of this, he flicked his finger. The jade slips turned into streaks of light and instantly vanished into the distant sky.

"Stinky Kid, I've gone all out this time. Don't disappoint your Master!"

Mo Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze distant, as if he could already see the scene of Jiang Donghua successfully refining the Beast Fire and shaking the name of Jia Nan.

"However, if he fails..."

He suddenly shivered, quickly shook his head, and tossed the inauspicious thought out of his mind.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! How could my Disciple fail!"

He snorted coldly and turned to walk toward his alchemy room.

"I should prepare a few Heart Protection Pills and Soul Condensing Powder first, just in case."

"Sigh, being a Master really wears you out!"

Inside the secret chamber, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Jiang Donghua sat cross-legged on the central stone platform, a faint bead of cold sweat forming on his brow.

He looked around. Four Fifth-Grade Alchemists, all famous within Jia Nan Academy, were staring intently at him: Elder Ice Red had a severe expression, Li Changhai looked solemn, and Huang Dashan was rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, his Master, Mo Xuan, stood with his arms crossed, wearing an expression that clearly said, "Hurry up, kid."

"Gulp!" Jiang Donghua swallowed hard and gave a dry laugh.

"Seniors, you don't have to be so tense, right? You're making me nervous."

Elder Ice Red snorted coldly and said flatly, "Stop talking nonsense and start immediately. The time of us old fellows is very precious."

Li Changhai also nodded in agreement. "That's right. Refining a Beast Fire is no small matter. Once you start, you cannot interrupt it. You should focus your mind."

Huang Dashan grinned and patted his stomach. "Kid, don't be afraid! With us here, even if you are burned to charcoal, we can still save you!"

Was that supposed to be comforting?!

Mo Xuan glared at Huang Dashan, then said to Jiang Donghua. "Stinky Kid, stop stalling! Have you taken the pills?"

Jiang Donghua took a deep breath and nodded heavily. "Yes! Meridian Guarding Pill, Heart Protection Pill, Soul Condensing Powder—I've taken them all exactly as Master instructed!"

"Good!" Mo Xuan waved his hand and said in a deep voice. "Then begin!"

Jiang Donghua no longer hesitated. He took out the pitch-black jade box, which sealed the Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire, from his storage ring.

The moment he opened it, a burst of violent energy, interwoven with extreme cold and scorching heat, instantly erupted.

The temperature of the entire secret chamber suddenly became bizarre—half frost spreading, half heat waves steaming!

"Hiss~ This thing is fiercer than I imagined!" Jiang Donghua gritted his teeth, a ruthless look flashing in his eyes.

"I'm going for it!"

He grabbed the constantly twisting mass of Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire and stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation!

"Boom—!"

In an instant, the violent energy exploded inside his body!

The extreme cold froze his meridians, and the scorching flame power burned his flesh and blood. Jiang Donghua groaned, his face instantly turning pale as his body began to tremble uncontrollably!

"Steady your mind! Circulate your cultivation technique!" Mo Xuan shouted sternly.

He and the three other Elders simultaneously made their move, transforming their majestic Dou Qi into a barrier that enveloped Jiang Donghua, helping him suppress the Beast Fire's rampage.

Jiang Donghua clenched his jaw, his Soul Power surging wildly.

Following the secret method taught by his Master, he guided the Beast Fire bit by bit into his Dantian.

"Submit to me!"

He roared, and the Dou Qi inside his body roared like an angry dragon, fiercely clashing with the Cold Flame Flood Dragon Fire!

Outside the secret chamber, above the entire Alchemy Department, a faint phenomenon of intertwined cold and flame appeared, causing countless students to stop and watch, exclaiming repeatedly!

"Is that Senior Brother Jiang refining a Beast Fire?!"

"Heavens! That kind of commotion must be from a flame at least at the Dou Huang level, right?!"

"As expected of Senior Brother Jiang, he truly is a prodigy!"

At this moment, Jiang Donghua inside the secret chamber was enduring suffering worse than death.