While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 96 Soul Splitting Pill (Part Two)
Soon after,

In a secluded valley in the outer courtyard.

The spirit of Yao Lao slowly floated out of Xiao Yan's ring, his silver-white beard and hair shimmering in the moonlight.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his spiritual power rippling out like water as he carefully surveyed his surroundings.

"This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with abundant energy from heaven and earth, and few people come here, making it perfect for refining elixirs."

The old apothecary stroked his beard with satisfaction, and with a flick of his sleeve, an invisible barrier of souls enveloped the entire valley.

He turned to look at Xiao Yan and Lu Yu, his expression unusually serious: "You two need to concentrate and observe this refining of the seventh-grade pill."

"Although your alchemy skills are already quite good, there is still a long way to go before you reach the level of a true grandmaster. Observing this alchemy process will be of great benefit to you both."

Xiao Yan and Lu Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes. To witness the Medicine Venerable refine high-grade pills was an opportunity rarely seen even on the entire Dou Qi Continent.

"but……"

The old apothecary changed the subject, lightly brushing his sleeves across the ground as he sat cross-legged and continued, "The emergence of a seventh-grade elixir is always accompanied by extraordinary phenomena, at which time..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's mind stirred, and he immediately took out a crimson medicine cauldron from his storage ring. The cauldron was engraved with intricate array patterns, which shimmered with an eerie luster under the moonlight.

“Senior, this cauldron is named ‘Crimson Flame’. I obtained it by chance.”

Lu Yu presented the medicine cauldron with both hands and explained, "An ancient concealment array is engraved inside the cauldron, which can conceal the unusual phenomena that occur when the elixir is completed."

The old medicine master took the medicine cauldron and gently traced the patterns on its surface with his fingertips. The seemingly chaotic patterns revealed profound rules in his eyes, causing even this knowledgeable medicine master to let out a soft "Eh."

"What a peculiar medicine cauldron..."

The old apothecary's eyes gleamed with surprise as he exclaimed, "I've never seen this medicine cauldron's refining technique before. If it can truly conceal the unusual phenomena of the pills, this medicine cauldron is incredibly valuable..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu took out several jade boxes from his storage ring. The moment the lids were opened, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out, and under the moonlight, these rare herbs shimmered with various colors:

The Soul-Derived Fruit, as clear as crystal, the Soul-Splitting Wood shrouded in gray mist, the Jadeite Essence, as green as jade...

These were all obtained by him in the inner courtyard using pills over the past few days, which almost exhausted all his fire energy.

The old apothecary's eyes flashed like lightning as he quickly scanned the medicinal herbs before nodding in satisfaction. The Crimson Flame Cauldron responded, rising into the air, its array patterns lighting up one by one, radiating profound energy.

Seeing this, Lu Yu nodded to himself.

He had great confidence in Yao Lao's strength, after all, he had given Yao Lao a portion of Heavenly Soul Nourishing Elixir before.

That thing is a rare and precious material that can help break through the Divine Soul Difficulty. It comes from a rare treasure called Soul Nourishing Wood. Although it can only increase the chance by 10%, it is already extremely precious to Yao Lao.

However... he didn't know what level Yao Lao had recovered to.

But I think refining a seventh-grade pill shouldn't be a problem.

The old apothecary took the medicine cauldron, flicked his fingertips, and a wisp of pale white flame leaped into the cauldron. The ancient patterns on the cauldron's body lit up, and the warming process was completed in an instant. Even the old apothecary was impressed by such efficiency.

"What a fine cauldron!"

His eyes lit up, and with a flick of his sleeve, the gray Soul-Dividing Wood rose up and slowly fell into the cauldron. The seemingly fierce Bone Spirit Cold Fire became as docile as water the moment it came into contact with the wood, and the perfect temperature caused gray dewdrops to gradually seep from the surface of the Soul-Dividing Wood.

Lu Yu's pupils contracted slightly. This fire control technique was truly amazing. The flames seemed raging, but in fact, the temperature was precisely controlled within the limits that the Soul-Splitting Wood could withstand. It really opened his eyes.

"laugh……"

When the last drop of essence was extracted, the withered remnants of the Soul-Dividing Wood were casually brushed out of the cauldron by the old apothecary.

Xiao Yan's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but hold his breath. Such a light and effortless refining technique was far beyond his current capabilities.

Then, the Gastrodia Jade Essence was thrown into the cauldron. As soon as it entered, it ran rampant inside the cauldron like a wild horse, making the Crimson Flame Cauldron buzz.

The old apothecary remained unfazed. With a light tap of his fingertips, nine snow lotus blossoms suddenly bloomed, gently enveloping the raging medicinal liquid.

Lu Yu watched intently. In the past, when he refined medicinal herbs, he would often burn the materials to ashes. But the old herbalist could precisely stop at the moment the medicinal power was exhausted, remove impurities, and immediately proceed to the next step of refinement. This control over the heat was truly masterful.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye during the alchemy process...

As the multicolored medicinal liquids blended perfectly within the cauldron, the old master suddenly formed a strange hand seal. The Crimson Flame Cauldron trembled violently, and the array patterns on its body erupted with dazzling blood-red light, locking down all energy fluctuations.

"Congeal!"

With a soft shout, a turquoise pill slowly took shape in the cauldron, with several pill patterns moving erratically on its surface, each movement causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.

Once the energy fluctuations inside the cauldron had subsided, the old doctor waved his sleeve, and the cauldron lid opened with a click.

A jade-green pill slowly rose and hovered in the old doctor's palm. The surface of the pill was covered with mysterious pill patterns, and through the translucent pill, one could see that there seemed to be flowing clouds and mist inside, making it extremely mysterious.

"This pill has already reached the mid-grade of the seventh rank, and it was almost about to trigger the pill lightning..."

"Young Master Lu, take it..."

The old man's voice sounded slightly tired. As soon as he finished speaking, his soul suddenly became illusory and instantly disappeared into the black ring on Xiao Yan's hand.

"Refining this pill has consumed too much energy; I need to sleep for a while."

The voice emanating from the ring grew fainter and fainter, but a few intermittent words of advice could still be faintly heard:
"Little Yanzi... you'll have to rely on yourself from now on..."

"Remember this..."

Upon seeing this, Lu Yu's eyes flashed with astonishment. This wasn't right, was it?

Although he didn't know exactly how far Yao Lao had recovered, it was definitely not to the point that refining a single seventh-grade pill would exhaust his soul power. Who was he trying to fool?
He turned to look at Xiao Yan, only to see that the other's expression was resolute:

"Teacher, rest assured, even without your presence, I will continue to diligently cultivate myself."

Lu Yu was speechless. Good heavens.

It turns out they were planning to deceive Yan Di.

Having a Dou Zun powerhouse constantly protecting you can indeed make a disciple dependent on him. Now that he has taken this opportunity to retire, it's a perfect chance to unleash Yan Di's potential.

But Yan Di is still too naive; he actually took the bait...

He even deceived his own disciple; this old apothecary with his thick eyebrows and big eyes is no good person...

After the old medicine master completely disappeared...
Lu Yu turned around and patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder, saying seriously, "Brother Yan, now that Elder Yao is asleep, you must be careful during your training in the Black Corner Region."

He took out a jade slip and a small cyan bottle from his storage ring and handed them to Xiao Yan: "The jade slip contains a detailed map of the Black Corner Region, as well as distribution maps of some first-class forces."

"The jade bottle contains my improved 'Concealing Breath Pill,' which can conceal one's aura in times of crisis and prevent detection by a Dou Wang level expert."

Xiao Yan held the items, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. Just as he was about to express his gratitude, Lu Yu waved his hand, saying, "Between brothers, there's no need for thanks."

Then, gazing at the faint outline of the mountains in the distance, he said softly, "We will also set off for the Tagor Desert in three days. I hope that when we meet again..."

"I'll definitely make Brother Lu look at me in a new light!" Xiao Yan replied, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

The two exchanged a smile, their unspoken understanding evident.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan seemed to remember something and quickly said, "By the way, Brother Lu, since you're going to the Tagor Desert, could you please help me bring some things for my eldest and second brothers? And let them know I'm safe."

"It's nothing. Is there anything you'd like me to bring them?"

Xiao Yan took out a letter and two jade bottles from his storage ring and handed them to Lu Yu, saying, "Just give these to them..."

He paused, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, and said, "Tell them that I'm doing well at Canaan Academy, so they don't need to worry."

Lu Yu solemnly accepted the items and put them away, smiling as he said, "Don't worry, I will definitely deliver them personally..."

(End of this chapter)