Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 567 The Medicine Clan's Situation: Excellent Progress

"Lin Yuan, let's see how you can defeat me now?"

In the center of the square, Yao Tian looked at the magnificent nine-colored thunderclouds in the sky and couldn't help but smile, forming a proud arc. He thought to himself with a sense of satisfaction.

Even among the elders of the clan, very few can refine an eighth-grade, nine-colored elixir!
Not far away, Yao Ling smiled slightly and murmured almost inaudibly, "Brother, you've reached this level too!"

At the edge of the square, many of the younger generation of the Yao Clan, including Yao Xingji and Yao Lin, looked at the nine-colored thunderclouds in the sky with amazement and admiration on their faces.

"To be able to summon nine-colored thunderclouds, he truly lives up to his reputation as Brother Yaotian!"

"To be able to refine an eighth-grade, nine-colored pill at less than thirty years old... such talent might not be inferior to that of the clan leader?!"

"In a few years, our clan will produce another... no, two Grandmasters!"

"It seems our clan is guaranteed to win next year's Pill Refining Competition... Speaking of which, I specifically inquired about it, and it turns out that the Pill Refining Competition, which only happens once every thirty years, is just a third-rate alchemy competition; even an eighth-grade, second- or third-level alchemist can win..."

"Hehe, isn't that normal? In the end, the alchemists outside are only at that level, they are not even in the same league as our clan."

"If even a forsaken member of our clan can win the championship, what level of competition can that be? What kind of prestige can it have?"

"That Medicine Lord Lin Yuan is probably nothing more than a person with an undeserved reputation!"

"Uh, isn't that a bit off? At the Thunder Clan's First Thunder Ceremony, that person defeated Brother Yaotian in a fire battle, and also defeated Soul Wind and Soul Jade..."

"Hmph, they must have used some underhanded tricks!"

“That’s right. How could someone who isn’t a descendant of the imperial family have such talent and strength? He must have used some underhanded tricks. But alchemy is different from combat. It can’t be fooled by tricks. Once we participate in the Alchemy Conference, we will definitely expose that charlatan.”

"That's right, daring to bestow and use a title like 'Medicine Lord'... is utterly ignorant. Lin Yuan and the Pill Tower both need to be taught a lesson."

"I'm going to participate in the competition this time, what about you?"

“I’ll go too, so that outsiders will understand that the so-called Pill Gathering is just a bunch of mediocre people fighting over each other. As for my clan, the Pill Gathering can only be described in three words—insignificant!”

"Me too!"

Hearing the arrogant words of the surrounding clansmen, Yao Xingji and Yao Lin exchanged a glance, both showing helplessness in their eyes.

This is the current state of the Medicine Clan. If they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, they would also be one of them.

After all, the confidence in the Medicine Clan's alchemy skills and the pride in their own Medicine Emperor bloodline were deeply ingrained in the souls of the Medicine Clan members!

Although news of the Thunder Realm incident reached the Medicine Clan, only a handful of people had attended the ceremony in person. The vast majority of clansmen only heard about it through hearsay, so the warning effect was not obvious. Instead, doubts continued to arise, with many believing that Lin Yuan had won by trickery.

As for those who went to watch the battle, they did not take the initiative to speak, lest they boost the morale of the enemy and diminish their own. Most of them chose to remain silent.

Over time, the tribe reverted to its former disdain for the outside world.

The originally rational but weak voices of self-reflection and the calls for change were soon drowned out by an even more turbulent voice of arrogance.

"Teacher Yao Ying's encouragement of everyone to participate in the competition is not without reason!" Looking at the clansmen who were increasingly belittling Danta and Lin Yuan, Yao Xingji and Yao Lin's expressions remained unchanged, but they both sighed inwardly.

Hearing is believing, seeing is believing... This old saying is truly insightful!
On a towering pavilion in the distance, an old man with gray hair stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, dressed in a magnificent alchemist's robe, his slightly narrowed eyes occasionally flashing with a sharp glint.

"Nine-colored thunderbolt, good... very good! This child Yao Tian has indeed not disappointed me."

“Elder Wan Gui, we must not be careless.” Yao Ying, standing to the side, withdrew his gaze and said solemnly, “I have investigated Yao Tian and Yao Ling’s opponents; they are no ordinary people! This competition is of great importance, and just in case, we need to prepare some trump cards…”

"Yao Ying, why worry so much?" Yao Wangui waved his hand and said calmly.

"I simply refuse to believe that a mere mortal without the bloodline of a Dou Di can truly surpass my clan's genius in alchemy? Surpass even the junior I've personally nurtured for years?!"

"That being said, you should put aside your worries and focus on your seclusion to break through to the next level."

"As for helping the Heavenly Medicine Spirit defeat its opponent, win the Pill Gathering, and obtain the Volcanic Stone Flame and the Fire-Making Secret Technique... I will personally handle these matters, so you don't need to worry!"

"Your journey to retrieve the Tortoise Spirit Earth Fire has greatly increased the value of the Primal Strange Fire, and the clan will surely reward you handsomely."

"If you can make good use of those resources, your cultivation will enter a period of rapid advancement."

However, Yao Wangui still had some worries when he saw Yao Ying, the junior he thought highly of. A hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he still patiently said, "What you said is not wrong. We cannot take this matter lightly. I have already thought of a strategy that will surely win."

Meeting Yao Ying's questioning gaze, Yao Wangui smiled proudly, then slowly opened his mouth and told her his strategy.

Yao Ying was slightly taken aback after hearing Yao Wangui's words.

“Following this strategy, victory is practically guaranteed.” He nodded after regaining his composure, then changed the subject, “But wouldn’t doing this be considered a foul?”

"It's alright. Since it's not explicitly prohibited, it's not considered a violation," Yao Wangui waved his hand dismissively.

"The secret method for creating strange flames is extremely important, especially for our alchemist clan... We must obtain it no matter what! Our clan does not seize it by force, but wins it through the competition of alchemy, which is already a considerable degree of restraint."

"Hehe, a mere Pill Tower, if they still don't know their place and try to obstruct us with unspoken rules, I can personally help them save face!"

"If they were truly intelligent, they should have tactfully applauded them at the Dan meeting."

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and the aura of a four-star Dou Sheng emanated from his body, causing the surrounding space to tremble.

A synthetic flame comparable to the top ten flames would greatly enhance one's alchemy skills.
If one could obtain the secret method for synthesizing the strange fire, Yao Wangui, as a powerful figure at the top of the Yao clan, would naturally be among the first to obtain it.

The thought of obtaining a powerful, exotic flame in a few years made his heart waver involuntarily. No matter what, he couldn't allow the secret method of creating fire to fail, even if it meant resorting to extreme measures!
Seeing this, Yao Ying felt a pang of unease... This overly arrogant senior wouldn't do anything unbelievable, would he?
-
After returning to the Pill Tower, Lin Yuan's life became exceptionally leisurely. Thanks to the Void Flame he seized from Hun Feng, Fu Xuan gained some of the Devouring Power. Although it did not fundamentally change her combat strength, her cultivation ability improved dramatically, allowing her to efficiently absorb and refine various energies.

She will absorb some of this energy herself, and give some back to Lin Yuan.

Having already advanced to the Precious Core stage, and being a top-grade Precious Core Fu Xuan, its essence is that of a Dou Sheng-level being, and the power it generates is extremely powerful and pure.

Thanks to this, Lin Yuan, who cultivated with her, did not need to accumulate his own energy through long-term seclusion like ordinary people.

However, this method of cultivation is extremely resource-intensive.

Fortunately, Lin Yuan was not short of resources to begin with. After advancing to the ninth rank, his productivity increased significantly. Although it took half a month to refine a ninth-rank pill, the energy it contained was, if not a hundred times, that of an eighth-rank nine-colored pill, but still dozens of times.

Lin Yuan would occasionally return to Ancient Dragon Island to refine precious-grade Thunder Tribulation Pills as rewards for Dragon Island elders like Qi You and Zhu Li who were loyal to Zi Yan.

The other part is fed to the three natal pills, including Fu Xuan!

As the spirit of elixirs and strange fire, Fu Xuan can feed on elixirs, absorbing their energy and spirituality to advance in rank, possessing a natural advantage of drug resistance.

However, after consuming the Thunder Tribulation Pill, she did not directly share its medicinal power with Lin Yuan. Instead, she made a conversion in between: she absorbed all the medicinal power to enhance her own cultivation and origin, and then fed back the pure fire attribute origin to Lin Yuan.

In this way, Lin Yuan still obtained extremely terrifying energy without taking the Ninth-Grade Thunder Tribulation Pill, which caused his cultivation to improve rapidly.

The fact that the body did not directly absorb the medicinal power of the elixir also means that the body did not develop the corresponding drug resistance.

After advancing to the Dou Sheng realm, Lin Yuan can still consume several Grade 9 treasure pills to greatly enhance his strength, thus quickly surpassing the initial Dou Sheng stage in a short period of time!

However, there is an extra layer of conversion in between, and some energy is wasted, and it takes longer than refining the pills directly.

However, for Lin Yuan, who already controlled many forces and the Void Thunder Pool, such waste was entirely within his means; as for time, it was not a problem at all—the cultivation speed of this method was far superior to ordinary closed-door cultivation.

With Fu Xuan's help to "idle cultivation" and make up for the energy gap needed for advancement, Lin Yuan focused his main energy on "comprehension".

As for "enlightenment," Lin Yuan, with numerous Bodhi seeds in hand, progressed exceptionally quickly!
All the previous plans gradually came to fruition during this process of becoming a Saint, propelling Lin Yuan to rapid advancement. His cultivation progressed at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people, and in just a few months, he broke through to the high-level Half-Saint realm with unstoppable momentum.

Besides the improvement in his cultivation, he also gained many other things.

Of all the gains, the most noteworthy is Lin Yuan's improvement in alchemy.

Thanks to his repeated refinement of ninth-grade pills such as the Thunder Tribulation Pill, the Profound Spirit Saint Essence Pill, and the Purple Void Forget-Heart Pill, coupled with his progress in cultivation, Lin Yuan's success rate in refining ninth-grade pills has greatly increased, and he has gradually reached a level comparable to veteran grandmasters.

Lin Yuan is now 80% confident in successfully refining the most familiar Treasure-grade Thunder Tribulation Pill, and has a 50% to 60% confidence in refining other Treasure Pills.

During the process of alchemy, his understanding of the power of creation and the power of heaven and earth became increasingly profound!
These insights, in turn, improved Lin Yuan's cultivation, accelerating his breakthrough.

In addition, with the "feeding" of numerous Rank 9 pills, the transformation speed of his natal blood pill and natal soul pill also greatly accelerated.

The Blood and Soul Pills were growing rapidly, and in just six months, they reached the critical point of transformation.

"After spending half a year in seclusion... the time has finally come!" In Tianyou Valley, Lin Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged on a blue stone, twitched his eyelids slightly, then slowly opened his eyes, withdrawing from the state of natural unity, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Just now, at the moment when the Blood and Soul Pills reached the critical point of the ninth grade, he felt that the last bottleneck blocking him was loosening slightly.

Lin Yuan understood perfectly that this was an opportunity to transcend boundaries and break through to the Dou Sheng realm!

After a moment's hesitation, he stood up, and with a flick of his sleeve, the space around him distorted rapidly, quickly opening a dark rift.

This seclusion involves some confidential matters concerning Lin Yuan, which naturally need to be completed on Dragon Island.

"Dan Chen and Xin Lan, your master is going on a long journey. You two continue your cultivation as planned." Lin Tanian stirred slightly, and a wisp of his soul power separated from his brow, carrying a message to be conveyed, and flew toward the two women who were in seclusion.

Having anticipated his breakthrough in cultivation during seclusion, he naturally made corresponding contingency plans and preparations... whether it was the matter of the Pill Tower or the matter of his two disciples!
Then, Lin Yuan didn't hesitate any longer and stepped into the crevice.

As he entered, the spatial rift trembled slightly before slowly dissipating, and the distorted space returned to normal.
-
A day later, Lin Yuan returned to Ancient Dragon Island, with a different feeling in his heart.

Compared to when the Ancient Dragon Clan first unified the island a few years ago, Ancient Dragon Island is now much stronger, and even has two four-star Dou Sheng. Zi Yan's tireless efforts to personally enter the void to summon her clansmen have finally paid off.

It was precisely for this reason that Zi Yan returned three months ago, and after consolidating the hearts of the people on Dragon Island for a period of time, she set off for the depths of the void last month.

This time, she will venture into the deeper void to see if she can find her more powerful clansmen.

For Lin Yuan's grand plan, which uses the continent as its chessboard, Zi Yan has tried her best to restrain her laziness and devote herself to enhancing the power of the ancient dragon clan since the unification of Dragon Island.

Although Lin Yuan had become "free," the two still spent little time together!
However, there's nothing that can be done about it.

Knowing the strength of the Soul Clan, the two understood that although the Ancient Dragon Clan's strength seemed impressive, there was still a world of difference between them and the Soul Clan—the Soul Clan, with more than ten high-level Dou Sheng, possessed terrifying strength enough to crush any side of the Dou Qi Continent.

As he pondered, a hoarse voice, filled with surprise, suddenly echoed from the void: "Your Highness, you've returned?!"

Before the words were finished, the space rippled slightly, and Elder Qingshan's figure suddenly appeared.

"It's been a long time, Elder Qingshan!" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, scrutinized the other party for a moment, and chuckled, "Mid-stage Three-Star Dou Sheng? Just one step away from late-stage Three-Star Dou Sheng, hehe... Your progress is still astonishing."

In less than two years, this former Grand Elder of Donglong Island broke through from the mid-stage of the second star to the mid-stage of the third star—an increase of a full star in cultivation.

At the Dou Sheng level, this rate of improvement is quite remarkable!

Of course, a single precious-grade tribulation pill wouldn't be enough to achieve this, so Zi Yan also rewarded this loyal old minister with some gifts...

(End of this chapter)