Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 533 Returning to the Pill Tower, First Meeting with the Pill Tower Ancestor
In less than five days, Lin Yuan returned to Saint Pill City while the shuttle was traveling at full speed.

After returning to Saint Pill City, Lin Yuan did not linger outside. He briefly greeted Xuan Kongzi, told him about the Tianyun Mountain Range, and then, under the latter's amused gaze, led Feng Qing'er into the Small Pill Tower and back to their residence in Tianyou Valley.

In Tianyou Valley, peace and tranquility remain unchanged. During the growth of countless precious medicinal herbs, the air is filled with an intoxicating aroma.

"Such abundant天地能量 (heaven and earth energy)! Is this the foundation of the Pill Tower?!"

Feng Qing'er closed her eyes and concentrated, sensing her surroundings for a moment. An undisguised look of amazement appeared on her face.

The energy of heaven and earth in this valley is far more concentrated than that of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion.

Even the small world where the ancestral land of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan is located pales in comparison.

Although the Heavenly Phoenix Clan has many Battle Saint level experts, their ability to regulate the earth's energy, set up formations, and modify the environment is far inferior to that of the Pill Tower, which has many high-level alchemists.

It's no exaggeration to say that the energy concentration in the Little Pill Tower is among the highest in the entire Dou Qi Continent.

After a brief deduction, Feng Qing'er quickly came to a conclusion: if she cultivated here, her cultivation speed would definitely increase several times over compared to when she was in the Wind and Thunder Pavilion.

As he pondered, Lin Yuan turned around, his gaze sharp and fixed intently on her eyes.

After a moment's thought, he straightened his expression and solemnly instructed, "Little Phoenix, I have sealed this place with a barrier. You should cultivate diligently here in the near future!"

"Before the ancestral reversion experiment officially begins, you must completely master the Nirvana Technique of the ancient Heavenly Phoenix Clan. You must know every detail of that secret technique by heart. This is related to the success or failure of the ancestral reversion experiment, and even more so to your life or death!"

"For the rest of this period of time, you should do your best. As long as you don't die from cultivation, cultivate to the point of exhaustion."

"Don't worry about getting hurt. I have those seventh and eighth grade healing pills for you... As long as you have a breath left, they can pull you back from the brink of death."

"Don't be stingy with pills; the priority is to quickly master the Nirvana Technique!"

From the secret vault of Ancient Dragon Island, Lin Yuan obtained a large number of spoils related to the Heavenly Phoenix and the Heavenly Serpent, including bloodlines, bones, and the fighting techniques, cultivation methods, and secret arts of the two races. This 'Nirvana Technique' is the secret method of refining the bloodline of the ancient Heavenly Phoenix.

Feng Qing'er frowned slightly, nodded solemnly to Lin Yuan, and said firmly, "I understand, I will complete the cultivation within half a month!"

Seeing the determination in the girl's eyes, Lin Yuan nodded slightly and said no more. He took a step forward, and his figure instantly leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of icy blue light that cut through the sky, rushing towards the Green Cloud Residence of the Great Elder of the Little Pill Tower.

Feng Qing'er sat cross-legged on the spot, forming several profound hand seals.

The moment the seal was formed, her delicate brows furrowed, and she let out a soft groan of pain as jet-black flames intertwined with blood-red light erupted from her body…
-
"Young Lin, come in!"

As soon as they arrived at Cuiyun Residence, before Lin Yuan could even speak, the Grand Elder's gentle voice came from inside.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Excuse me, Elder!" With that, he gently placed his hand on the courtyard gate, slowly pushed it open, and then hurried off toward the direction from which the sound came.

Along the way, he walked through several cobblestone paths and arrived at the courtyard where they had met before.

Upon seeing Lin Yuan arrive, the Grand Elder of the Little Pill Tower slowly rose from his seat, looking at Lin Yuan with gentle eyes. In an instant, a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

He could see that although Lin Yuan had not reached the level of a half-saint, his strength had improved considerably compared to a few months ago.

Such a rate of progress is simply beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The Grand Elder nodded to himself, a satisfied smile curving his lips. He asked with a smile, "Did you achieve your objective on this trip?"

"Everything went smoothly!" Lin Yuan nodded slightly, then eagerly asked, "Elder, is the Ancestor still inside the tower? After receiving your message, I immediately dropped everything and rushed back at full speed. I wonder if I made it in time?!"

The Grand Elder waved his hand, a gentle smile on his face, and said, "Hehe, don't worry, the Ancestor hasn't left yet! I'm about to take you to see him..."

As he spoke, he flipped his hand, and an ancient jade appeared out of thin air in his palm before floating out.

Suddenly, a strange light emanated from it, expanding and gradually distorting the space in front of it, forming a spatial gate about ten feet wide.

Noticing the confusion in Lin Yuan's eyes, the Grand Elder smiled and explained.

"Hehe, the ancestor's residence here is not anywhere within the Little Pill Tower, but in a separate, otherworldly space. Follow me; he has been waiting for you for several days. Once you see him... remember, you must not be impolite!"

After saying that, he straightened his clothes and took the lead into the spatial gate. Afterwards, Lin Yuan followed with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

As the two entered, the spatial gate vanished once more...

Upon entering the spatial gate, Lin Yuan felt a sudden blur before his eyes, and the world before him abruptly changed.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures suddenly appeared in a quiet bamboo forest. A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow.

"Moo-"

Suddenly, a long and ethereal moo came from outside the bamboo forest.

Upon hearing this voice, the First Elder's expression immediately turned serious. He beckoned to Lin Yuan and then strode hurriedly out of the bamboo forest, with Lin Yuan quickly following behind.

The two walked through a dense bamboo thicket, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

On a wide-open grassland, a blue ox was slowly chewing grass, its tail occasionally swishing gently.

Not far away, a shepherd boy, about four or five years old, dressed in hemp clothing, lay peacefully on the slope. A small bamboo hat covered his face, and his right leg, which was draped over his left leg, rhythmically rose and fell repeatedly... He looked extremely relaxed.

The sky is clear and blue, the white clouds drift lazily, the oxen are leisurely, and the shepherds are carefree... all these scenes blend together like a peaceful painting, filled with a leisurely and comfortable atmosphere.

"Ancestor, Lin Yuan has been brought here."

The elder walked slowly to the shepherd boy's side, then bowed slightly and said respectfully.

Lin Yuan also bowed and said, "Lin Yuan greets the Ancestor!"

A moment later, the shepherd boy under the bamboo hat slowly stretched out a short hand, removed the bamboo hat covering his face, and revealed an extremely young face.

"Xiao Mo...you're here!"

As they spoke, the shepherd boy in hemp clothing slowly stood up, and with a gentle wave of his small hand, Lin Yuan and the other man involuntarily straightened up.

Then, his clear gaze shifted slightly, taking in Lin Yuan, who was performing a junior's salute. A kind smile appeared on his face, giving his youthful face a sense of worldly wisdom and making people feel a sense of inexplicable admiration.

Looking into the shepherd boy's clear, mirror-like yet deep, abyss-like eyes, Lin Yuan felt a chill run down his spine—this was the Pill Tower Ancestor, a peak ninth-grade Xuan Dan, and a six-star Dou Sheng!

In that instant, detailed information about this patriarch of the Pill Tower flashed through Lin Yuan's mind. This patriarch was one of the founders of the Pill Tower.

To be precise, long ago, the Xuan Dan Grandmaster who created the Pill Tower Ancestor was one of the many founders of the Pill Tower.

In the year before his death, he devoted all his energy to refining a Xuan Dan (a type of elixir).

At the moment the Xuan Dan was born, the Grandmaster also perished due to exhaustion of his mental energy. However, a wisp of his consciousness merged into the Xuan Dan in a strange way, causing this pill, which had reached the ninth grade, to mutate...

Afterwards, Xuan Dan transformed into human form and saved the Pill Tower from danger many times, becoming the Pill Tower's most revered guardian!
In a sense, the current Ancestor of the Pill Tower is an incarnation of that Grandmaster from back then, except that the hierarchy of this incarnation is rather complicated.

The Profound Core Ancestor rarely stayed in the Pill Tower; he spent most of his time playing in the mortal world.

This ancestor's greatest hobby was to find fetuses who had died in accidents, and then have them enter the mother's womb in a special way, so that they could be born as ordinary babies, grow up, and live their entire lives under a different identity until the original body died.

Therefore, the old ancestor of the Pill Tower who appeared before Lin Yuan at this moment, although he was over a thousand years old, still looked like a four or five-year-old child.

As for why the other party acted this way, Lin Yuan guessed that it might be related to cultivation.

Just as the Bodhi Tree's hundred lifetimes of reincarnation can give a person the potential to become a Battle Emperor, the Old Ancestor of the Pill Tower was reborn by borrowing another body, living life after life... This is also a kind of alternative hundred lifetimes of reincarnation!

The lifespan of elixirs surpasses that of magical beasts, and with thousands of years of accumulated resources, it's not something hard to accept.

The spirit of elixirs, this extremely special life form, has a very high threshold to enter. But once you cross that threshold, the characteristics it possesses and the future it has are truly enviable to most people. It is a bright prospect!

On the other side, the old patriarch of the Pill Tower sized up Lin Yuan for a moment, then suddenly raised the corners of his mouth, and a hint of appreciation appeared in his clear eyes.

"Mid-stage Heavenly Realm, and... a rare Ten-Turn Dou Zun!"

“Young man, I’ve heard quite a bit about you. To have achieved so much at such a young age is quite remarkable. No wonder you gained the approval of that person in the Heavenly Pill Stele.”

"Danta, it seems there is indeed a successor!"

"You flatter me, senior!" Lin Yuan clasped his hands in a fist salute and said humbly, "I was just lucky and fortunate enough to have some opportunities."

"Don't be too modest, luck is also a part of ability!"

The old patriarch of the Pill Tower waved his hand, then turned to look at Elder Lin and said calmly, "Little Mo, you go back and attend to your own business! I'll have a chat with this little fellow..."

The elder bowed slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes, before bowing and taking his leave.

The footsteps faded into the distance until they disappeared completely into the depths of the bamboo forest, and the surroundings fell silent once more, with only the gentle breeze rustling through the bamboo leaves.

"Lin Yuan, Xiao Mo has already told me about your request!" After the Grand Elder left, the Profound Pill Ancestor slowly spoke: "However, the method cannot be passed on lightly. Whether I teach the Pill Spirit the cultivation method depends on the specific situation of your 'friend'."

"In other words, your friend needs to pass some tests before he can become my successor..."

"If their qualifications do not meet the requirements, or their temperament does not meet my requirements, I will not agree to teach them, even for your sake."

"I hope you can understand this!"

“That’s only right!” Lin Yuan nodded confidently. “Rest assured, Ancestor, my fellow cultivators will not let you down! Come out… Fu Xuan!”

"Yes, Master!" A clear, bell-like voice rang out, and pale purple flames gushed out from Lin Yuan's body, gathering in one place and transforming into the delicate figure of a young girl.

"Fu Xuan greets Senior!"

After Fu Xuan appeared, he exchanged a glance with Lin Yuan, then stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the Pill Tower Ancestor.

Upon seeing this scene, the usually calm and composed Ancestor Danta couldn't help but show a strange look in his eyes. After sensing it for a moment, the look of astonishment in his eyes became even more intense.

"This little girl is truly a very peculiar creature!"

"It's like a pill but not a pill, like fire but not fire, both pill and fire... Is it the spirit of a pill, and also the spirit of a strange fire? Moreover, it has the scent of several strange fires on its body: the Three Thousand Burning Flames, the Fallen Heart Flame, the Sea Heart Flame, the Earth Core Green Lotus Flame, and the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire?"

"So that's how it is. It's made by refining a strange fire into a pill... Wonderful, wonderful! It's somewhat similar to the Thunder Tribulation Pill, yet quite different..."

"And this natural, spiritual scent, is it from Bodhi seeds?!"

As a living fossil in the world of alchemy, and an incarnation of the Xuan Dan Master from a thousand years ago, the Ancestor of the Pill Tower is almost unparalleled in his time when it comes to his vision in alchemy alone.

With just a quick sense, he had a pretty good idea of ​​Fu Xuan's origins.

Lin Yuan couldn't help but admire such sharp eyesight.

"You are truly a senior, able to deduce to such an extent and with such precision with just a glance!" Lin Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and pondered, "Whether my Fu Xuan can meet your requirements is up to you to test him. I will wait for the results from the sidelines."

He paused, then looked at Fu Xuan: "Little Fu Xuan, the rest... is up to you!"

Upon hearing this, Fu Xuan took a deep breath and nodded firmly.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan patted her head, then moved and flew to a distant mountain peak, leaving the space to Fu Xuan and the Pill Tower Ancestor.

“Senior, please test me!” Fu Xuan straightened his expression and said in a deep voice.

"Little girl, don't be nervous."

Looking at the girl's serious yet innocent appearance, the old ancestor of the Dan Tower couldn't help but smile slightly, his eyes showing a touch of gentleness.

This young girl, who is both beautiful and popular, is truly a promising talent.

With the materials of strange fire and bodhi seeds as the base, she naturally possesses an extremely excellent "foundation";
Its spirituality is also exceptionally outstanding, possessing both elixir and fire spirituality, almost on par with the spirituality of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, which... represents immense potential.
Furthermore, the peaceful and lively aura emanating from the girl reveals her kind and benevolent nature.

Having seen countless people, the Ancestor of the Pill Tower could basically conclude from just one glance at Fu Xuan that although this little girl possessed the essence of a strange fire spirit, she did not have the violent nature of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. Even if she grew up later, she would not cause chaos to the world.

After careful consideration, although he had not yet begun the teaching examination, he already had a very clear preference in mind.

This is only natural. Fu Xuan, the world's number one spirit of alchemical fire, has a spirituality, personality, and potential that even a peak powerhouse like the Pure Lotus Demon Saint highly recognizes!

Having made up his mind, Ancestor Xuandan pondered for a moment and began the formal test...

(End of this chapter)