61: Medicine Man (Nine)

The spatial channel was a chaotic mess.

The dilapidated teleportation array was already unstable, and with him forcibly activating it with his essence blood, the spatial nodes within it had long been in disarray.

He was like a lone boat swaying in a raging sea, liable to capsize at any moment.

The side effects of the “Blood Shadow Reversal Pill” also fully erupted at this moment; the excruciating pain of his Meridians tearing apart almost made him faint.

After an unknown period, his vision suddenly brightened.

A huge repulsive force struck, and he was violently thrown out, heavily smashing onto scorching red rocks.

“Pfft!”

Si Yun spat out another mouthful of fresh blood, his vision blurring.

He struggled to lift his head, looking around.

This was a massive underground cavern, filled with dense Fire Spiritual Qi.

Streams of lava flowed slowly across the ground, illuminating the entire cavern in a fiery red.

“Western Desert... or Northern Plains?”

Si Yun pondered, quickly checking his injuries while cautiously sensing his surroundings.

Just then, his heart stirred.

Not far away, an extremely pure flame aura was attracting the Heavenly Elixir Precious Body within him.

There’s a treasure!

Si Yun suppressed his injuries, concealed his aura, and stealthily moved towards that direction.

After bypassing several lava rivers, the area ahead suddenly opened up.

In the center of the cavern, a fist-sized, golden flame was quietly suspended in mid-air.

The space around the flame was slightly distorted, and the terrifying high temperature it emitted made Si Yun feel a tremor in his heart.

Heavenly Flame! And it was a Heavenly Flame infinitely close to the Origin level!

Below the Heavenly Flame, seven or eight young people were gathered in a circle, all with extraordinary auras, and all were Alchemists.

Good Spirit Flames are essential spiritual objects for Alchemists.

They seemed to be in a standoff, the atmosphere rather tense.

“Everyone, this ‘Golden Crow Departing Flame’ was first discovered by our Fire Cloud Grotto-Heaven; it should rightfully belong to us!” a Red-robed Youth declared loudly.

“What a joke! Heaven And Earth Treasure belongs to the virtuous. For your Fire Cloud Grotto-Heaven to try and monopolize it is far too overbearing!” another Green-clothed Woman sneered.

The various parties were in a dispute, with no one willing to yield.

Behind them stood several deep-auraed Elders, presumably their respective Sect's seniors, but they did not intervene, seemingly tacitly approving of this competition.

Si Yun hid in the shadows, not making a sound.

After arguing for a long time, the oldest and most composed young man spoke.

“Since no one is convinced, why don't we follow the rules of us Alchemists? Each refines a furnace of Medicinal Pills, and whoever produces the highest grade, the ‘Golden Crow Departing Flame’ will belong to them. How about it?”

This proposal received everyone's approval.

Just as they were about to begin.

A sudden change occurred.

The ‘Golden Crow Departing Flame’, which had been quietly suspended, suddenly pulsated violently as if sensing something.

The next moment, it transformed into a golden streak of light, ignoring all Restrictions and obstructions in the astonished gazes of everyone.

“Whoosh!”

The streak of light shot directly towards the corner where Si Yun was hiding, instantly merging into his glabella.

A scorching and immense power exploded within his body.

The Heavenly Elixir Precious Body operated on its own, frantically devouring this power... The entire scene fell silent.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The eyes of those Alchemy Geniuses were almost popping out.

We argued for so long, and you, who were eavesdropping in the dark, actually just took it?

The Heavenly Flame chose its Master automatically?

Who would have thought!

“Who are you, Your Excellency! How dare you seize our Opportunity!”

The Red-robed Youth was the first to react, fuming with rage, pointing at Si Yun and roaring.

Si Yun emerged from behind the rocks, his clothes tattered, but his eyes calm.

“The Heavenly Flame chose its Master on its own, how can you say I seized it?”

“You!” The Red-robed Youth was speechless.

“Your Excellency also appears to be an Alchemist, so you should understand the rules.” The composed youth who had proposed the competition earlier stepped forward, staring at Si Yun, “Although the Heavenly Flame chose you, if you don't have the matching strength, you should hand it over. We'll have an Alchemy duel; if you win, we'll be convinced. If you lose, please hand over the ‘Golden Crow Departing Flame’!”

This was an unwritten rule among Alchemists.

“Very well.” Si Yun nodded faintly.

He needed a foothold, and demonstrating his strength was the best way.

Seeing him agree, the several Western Desert Geniuses all showed cold smiles.

An unknown wild kid, daring to compete with Geniuses carefully cultivated by Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land?

The competition quickly began.

Those Geniuses each took out their Pill Furnace and began refining.

For a time, the cavern was filled with the fragrance of Medicinal Pills and shimmering spiritual light.

“As expected of the true disciple of Fire Cloud Grotto-Heaven, his Flame Control Technique has reached the Transcendent stage!” an Elder leading the team stroked his beard and praised.

“The girl from Medicine King Valley is not bad either; her method of Purifying Medicinal Liquids is smooth and flowing.”

An hour later, someone successfully formed a Medicinal Pill first.

“A sixth-tier Low Grade Medicinal Pill! Not bad, not bad!”

“Haha, mine is a sixth-tier Medium Grade!”

Several Geniuses successively succeeded in refining, causing their respective Sect Elders to nod repeatedly, their faces full of pride.

“Our Western Desert Alchemy Dao has successors!”

Finally, it was the turn of the most composed youth.

He slammed his Pill Furnace, and a clear Phoenix cry rang out, a Medicinal Pill covered in pill patterns and radiating spiritual light shot into the sky.

“It's a top-tier sixth-grade ‘Departing Fire Phoenix Feather Pill’! The pill Qi has materialized! It's only one step away from attracting a Pill Tribulation and achieving seventh-tier!”

An Elder exclaimed in shock, his face full of awe.

“Good! Excellent! Wang Ye, with your Aptitude, you will definitely become a Pill King within three years!”

As these words came out, the entire venue was astonished.

Wang Ye also showed a triumphant smile, he looked at Si Yun, confident of victory.

Everyone thought the outcome was decided and began pointing and whispering about Si Yun.

“What's wrong with that kid? His Alchemy technique is so strange.”

“He clearly comes from an unorthodox background, completely ignorant of proper methods.”

“He's probably going to blow up his Pill Furnace, isn't he? How embarrassing.”

Just as the taunts reached their peak.

The Pill Furnace in front of Si Yun suddenly shook.

“Buzz—”

A pill fragrance a hundred times more concentrated than all the previous Medicinal Pills combined instantly swept through the entire cavern.

In the sky, a tribulation cloud gathered without warning.

“Pill Tribulation?!”

“A seventh-tier Medicinal Pill!?”

All the mocking voices ceased abruptly.

Everyone stared at Si Yun, dumbfounded.

Si Yun pointed a finger, the Pill Furnace lid flew open, and a Medicinal Pill shimmering with lightning floated up, its emitted pressure overshadowing all the sixth-tier Medicinal Pills.

A seventh-tier Medicinal Pill!

Only a Pill King could refine a seventh-tier Medicinal Pill!

“Pill... Pill King!?”

“He's a Pill King at such a young age!?”

“Looking at his relaxed demeanor, he must have entered the Pill King realm a long time ago!”

Wang Ye's triumphant smile froze, turning pale.

Those Elders leading the teams couldn't even utter a single word.

Such a young Pill King, this was no longer a Genius, this was a monster!

Just as the entire scene fell into a daze.

An extremely terrifying aura descended without warning.

That aura was like an abyss or a sea, instantly enveloping the entire Secret Realm.

An old man in coarse linen clothes appeared silently in the arena.

“Greetings, Divine Alchemist Mo!”

All the Elders present, including those Heavenly Spirit Realm Experts, respectfully bowed, their expressions filled with reverence.

Divine Alchemist Mo! The number one Alchemist in the Western Desert! It is said that he is a quasi-Grotto-Heaven Realm Expert who has already stepped half a foot into the Pill Venerable Domain!

The old man ignored them, his eyes fixed firmly on Si Yun.

He scrutinized Si Yun, then looked at the seventh-tier Medicinal Pill, his eyes bursting with unprecedented brilliance.

“Good, good indeed, a Heavenly Elixir Precious Body.”

“Already a Pill King at such a young age, it won't be long before you can contend for the Pill Emperor title.”

The old man's voice carried a hint of excitement; he looked at Si Yun as if looking at an uncarved peerless jade.

“Are you willing to become my disciple?”

Boom!

Upon hearing the words “become my disciple,” Si Yun's head buzzed.

His hairs stood on end instantly!

From Cang Yu to Qian Yuan, the precedents of those two who regarded him as a pill catalyst medicine man were still vivid in his mind.

He was scared, truly scared of those words,

Moreover, he had previously heard rumors about the Danxia Sect in Hundred Grass Grotto-Heaven.

The Danxia Sect, formerly known as the Jixia Sect.

Its founding Ancestral Master was a Pill Emperor, with the Daoist title “Reverend Jixia.”

And that Reverend Jixia was precisely the Master of Cang Yu and Qian Yuan!