Chapter 184 Soul Return Pill
As soon as Xiao Ling finished speaking, a glimmer of curiosity flashed in the eyes of Venerable Tianhuo. He raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he was very interested in the person Xiao Ling was going to introduce.
However, Xiao Ling did not immediately respond to the questioning look of Skyfire Venerable, but turned around and said to Little Medical Fairy and Qing Lin,
"Refining the elixir may take some time, so you don't have to wait here. You can walk around or take care of your own things. I'll come find you after I finish what's going on here."
Little Medical Fairy nodded gently and responded with understanding: "Okay, Xiao Ling, you concentrate on refining the elixir, we won't disturb you."
Qing Lin also smiled and added: "Yes, Master Xiao Ling, we can just prepare some refreshments. When you finish refining, we can enjoy them while listening to you talk about your adventures during this retreat."
When Xiao Ling heard this, a glimmer of anticipation flashed in his eyes: "Haha, Qinglin's snacks, I've been thinking about it."
Then, he turned to the Skyfire Venerable and said softly, "Senior, please follow me."
After saying that, Xiao Ling led Venerable Tianhuo to the depths of the courtyard, passed through patches of emerald green bamboo forests, and came to an exquisitely decorated alchemy room.
In the dim alchemy room, all kinds of alchemy tools are available, some precious medicinal materials are hung on the wall, and a faint medicinal fragrance fills the air.
In a corner of the room, the soul of a man slowly appeared. His body was transparent and slightly illusory, as if it would be blown away by the wind at any time.
Sitting at an old wooden table, the pages of the book in his hands were glowing, and his deep eyes were staring intently at the words in the book.
The surrounding light seems to penetrate his body, casting a faint shadow, making his presence both mysterious and graphic, like a ghost reader in a quiet and ancient scroll.
Noticing the movement coming from inside the room, Yao Chen raised his head from the book and turned his attention over, and saw Xiao Ling and Yao Tianhuo.
Because he was too focused on reading, Yao Chen did not release his soul perception to explore the surrounding environment.
In Canaan College, they would basically not encounter any danger, so he did not feel it necessary to release his soul perception all the time for investigation.
"Well, Xiao Ling, it seems that you have successfully integrated the Fallen Heart Flame. You must have gained a lot." Yao Chen smiled gently, with a hint of approval in his eyes. Then he turned his gaze to the Skyfire Venerable, raised his eyebrows slightly, and revealed a hint of curiosity, "Who is this friend?"
With Yao Chen's experienced eyes, he only took a casual glance and was able to roughly understand the depth of the soul body beside Xiao Ling.
Although the aura of that soul body is now extremely weak, it seems that even an ordinary Dou Wang can hardly match it, and it is obvious that its soul power has suffered serious loss.
However, Yao Chen could still sense that even though this person had not been able to reach the peak of his Dou Zun realm during his lifetime, he was by no means an ordinary person. His strength during his lifetime should be around the four or five star Dou Zun level.
A faint and polite smile appeared on Xiao Ling's face. He turned to Yao Chen first and introduced him gently: "Yao Lao, this is Senior Yao Tianhuo. I had the honor of meeting him in the depths of the Tianfen Qi Training Tower. He was a powerful Dou Zun who was feared by all. He was also the previous host of the Fallen Heart Flame."
After briefly introducing Yao Tianhuo's identity, Xiao Ling turned to Yao Tianhuo and said, "Senior Tianhuo, this is Senior Yao Chen. He was not only a Dou Zun peak warrior, but also an eighth-grade peak alchemist. His guidance and help are indispensable in my journey of practicing the art of alchemy."
A hint of subtle surprise flashed across the eyes of Skyfire Venerable, and he thought to himself: "It's really unexpected that Xiao Ling has such an outstanding former strong man by his side, an eighth-grade peak alchemist at the peak of Dou Zun. This identity is indeed extraordinary."
He did not stop what he was doing, but politely bowed to Yao Chen and said with a smile: "Brother Yao Chen, nice to meet you."
Yao Chen also responded with a smile and bowed, "Brother Tianhuo, it's the same with you. You're welcome."
As they exchanged pleasantries, Yao Chen was silently thinking in his heart: "During Xiao Ling's journey deep underground, he actually met such a soul body. However, his true character still needs further observation and understanding."
However, the two were in similar situations after all, and when their eyes met, they couldn't help but reveal a trace of sympathy.
Then, they started talking quietly to each other in the alchemy room.
A trace of vicissitudes flashed in the eyes of the Skyfire Venerable, and he said with emotion: "In this troubled world, surviving as a soul is indeed a difficult experience."
Yao Chen nodded gently, with a faint smile on his face, expressing his deep agreement: "Indeed, if it weren't for Xiao Ling's help, I'm afraid my life today wouldn't be so comfortable."
There was a hint of depth in the eyes of Skyfire Venerable. His voice was filled with the precipitation of time, and he said slowly: "Xiao Ling, this child, has reached the Dou Zong realm at the age of seventeen. His soul power is even stronger. His future achievements must be limitless."
Yao Chen nodded gently, and the smile on his face became even gentler: "Yes, Brother Tianhuo, Xiao Ling's achievements today are indeed remarkable. With his extraordinary talent and hard work, his future achievements are limitless."
Reverend Skyfire smiled slightly and continued, "Haha, of course, if Xiao Ling could achieve such results, it would certainly be due to the careful guidance and help of Brother Yao, the former powerful man."
Upon hearing this, Yao Chen gently stroked his graying beard, a hint of pride flashed in his eyes, but his tone remained humble: "No, no, this is all due to Xiao Ling's own talent and hard work. I am just doing my best to help him grow."
However, deep in Yao Chen's heart, he had different thoughts.
He thought silently in his heart that it was a pity that he had not been able to cultivate Xiao Ling well when he was still young.
But Yao Chen firmly believed that with the assistance of himself, an eighth-grade top alchemist, Xiao Ling's growth would be even more powerful and he would soar into the future.
Yao Chen's heart was full of anticipation. He knew that his experience and knowledge would add a strong stroke to Xiao Ling's path of cultivation.
Xiao Ling's character and conduct made him believe that he had definitely not made a mistake in choosing the right person this time.
The two powerful men who were once invincible now exist in the world as souls. Their conversation includes both recollections of the glorious past and expectations for the future.
In this alchemy room, surrounded by the aroma of medicine, the two old men, who were only left with their souls, seemed to have found a resonance. In this silent communication, their hearts found a little comfort.
Seeing Yao Tianhuo and Yao Chen chatting enthusiastically, Xiao Ling's lips curled up into a faint smile.
He did not go forward to disturb them, but walked lightly to the center of the alchemy room.
With a wave of his hand, a faint light flowed through his fingertips, and a white light flashed in the ring. Then, an ancient and mysterious alchemy cauldron slowly landed on the ground.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron is a treasure that Han Feng's old friend treasures. It ranks 13th on the Tianding Ranking. It is not only a sacred tool for refining medicine, but also has a legendary and indissoluble bond with all the beasts. The body of the cauldron is made of unknown rare metals, and the surface is engraved with lifelike totems of all the beasts. Each beast statue seems to contain the power of life, ready to break out of the cauldron at any time.
On the lid of the tripod, there is an inlaid bright spiritual stone, emitting a faint light, adding a touch of mystery to the entire alchemy room.
At the base of the tripod, there are four animal heads carved, namely the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise. They are the four guardian animals and symbolize the power of the four directions of heaven and earth.
Whenever medicine is refined, these four beast heads seem to be able to summon power from all directions, adding a mysterious force to the process.
Since he obtained the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron, Xiao Ling returned Yao Chen's Black Demon Cauldron to him.
After all, the Black Demon Cauldron has been with Yao Chen for many years, and now Xiao Ling himself has a medicine cauldron ranked on the Heavenly Cauldron List to use, so it is natural to return the Black Demon Cauldron.
As the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron slowly descended, Xiao Ling's expression became focused.
He took out carefully selected herbs from his ring and gently placed them in a corner of the alchemy room.
There are many kinds of medicinal herbs, each of which exudes a faint spiritual aura. They are obviously high-quality materials that have been strictly screened.
Xiao Ling took a deep breath and waved his hands lightly. The dormant strange fire in his body was awakened. The sapphire blue flame gushed out from his palms and was injected into the medicine cauldron through the fire inlet on the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron.
The flames sparkled like pearls in the deep sea, emitting a soft and mysterious light. The air around them seemed to be affected by this power, rippling through layers of invisible ripples.
Xiao Ling put the herbs one by one into the medicine cauldron, and then concentrated on controlling the strange fire. The sapphire flame jumped in the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron, as if a lively elf was dancing happily.
Under the fierce burning of the strange fire, the medicinal herbs slowly released their essence. Xiao Ling carefully extracted every drop of precious essence, and tiny pure energies slowly rose, intertwined together, and gradually condensed into a brilliant light.
In the end, Xiao Ling skillfully gathered the essence of these medicinal herbs in the center of the cauldron.
As time went by, the essence of the medicinal materials began to fuse under the catalysis of the soul, gradually forming the prototypes of pills. These embryonic pills slowly rotated under the warmth of the flame, emitting a charming luster, as if containing infinite vitality.
Xiao Ling's face was calm. His hands' movements, though casual, were harmonious. His gaze was always firm and focused.
He fine-tuned the temperature of the flame and carefully nurtured the young pill, ensuring that every bit of energy could be evenly integrated and every flaw could be perfectly repaired.
Yao Chen and Yao Tianhuo watched quietly from the side, their eyes revealing their admiration and expectation for Xiao Ling.
The two souls would chat in low voices from time to time, with a slight smile on their faces all the time.
Half a day later, finally, after countless times of condensation and nurturing, the embryonic pill in the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron gradually became more and more round.
I saw a round, full, emerald green, crystal clear elixir floating in the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron. There was also a layer of mist lingering on the surface of the elixir, as if it was the air of a fairy, which made people salivate at the sight of it.
These pills are called "Soul Returning Pills", a sixth-grade pill carefully developed by Xiao Ling based on various pill recipes and his own experience in alchemy.
Their effects are very special. They can significantly restore soul power and have excellent repair effects on damaged souls.
After taking it, the soul force will gush out like spring water, nourishing the practitioner's soul and restoring its vitality.
Although the "Soul Returning Pill" is only a sixth-grade pill, for special people, its effect is no less than that of an ordinary seventh-grade pill.
Whenever a practitioner's soul is damaged or his soul power is exhausted, he only needs one "Soul Returning Pill" to quickly recover, as if his soul has been reborn.
Xiao Ling breathed a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile on his face. He stretched out his hand and the Soul Returning Pill fell into his hand.
Xiao Ling turned around, his eyes moving between Yao Chen and Venerable Tianhuo. With a hint of gentle confidence in his voice, he said, "Senior Tianhuo, the elixir has been successfully refined. I believe this 'Soul Guiding Pill' will be of benefit to the recovery of your soul."
Xiao Ling flicked his fingers lightly, and the "Soul Returning Pill" emitting a turquoise light floated gently towards the Skyfire Venerable. The Skyfire Venerable was overjoyed, and carefully took the pill in his palm, his eyes full of impatience.
"Haha, little friend Xiao Ling, I, Tianhuo, will remember this kindness in my heart." Venerable Tianhuo said in a deep voice, his tone full of sincerity.
Xiao Ling smiled and waved his hand, saying: "Senior Tianhuo, you are welcome. This is what I promised. After you recover your soul power, you will be able to teach me the "Five-wheel Fire Method" better."
Yao Chen, who was standing at the side, also spoke at this time, with a tone of approval: "Xiao Ling, it seems that after this retreat, not only has your fighting spirit made a breakthrough, but you have also gained a lot of insights into alchemy."
Xiao Ling smiled and responded modestly: "Thank you for the compliment, Master Yao. I am just constantly learning and practicing."
Yao Chen nodded and continued, "Now that your Dou Zong cultivation has been stabilized, your alchemy skills have also improved. I believe that with your current Dou Qi and soul power, refining seventh-grade elixirs will basically not be a problem. As long as you settle down for a while, you can start learning the knowledge of eighth-grade elixirs."
When Xiao Ling heard this, he felt an uncontrollable heat surge in his heart.
The eighth-grade alchemist is the highest realm that countless alchemists on the Douqi Continent dream of.
Now my soul power has already reached the standard of this level. What I lack now is only the tempering and experience accumulation in practice.
However, he quickly suppressed this anxiety in his heart and calmed himself down.
Xiao Ling knew very well that improving the art of alchemy was not a one-day job. It took time and constant practice to achieve success.
Just as the famous saying in the previous life goes, "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry", what you need is not only talent and hard work, but also patience and persistence.
(End of this chapter)