Fighting: Practice makes it real, start with a poisonous body.

"It seems that a trip to Zhongzhou is now inevitable!"

A cold glint flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes, and his fighting spirit surged forth. He gripped the parchment scroll, and in the next moment, he exerted his strength, crushing it into powder.

"Clang."

He pushed open the heavy wooden door with a jarring sound.

Gu Yuan slowly stepped out of the simple wooden house and gazed at the mountains and fields not far away.

Gu Ming was sitting cross-legged on a flat boulder, with a jade medicine cauldron in front of him that was entirely green and shimmering with iridescent light.

The medicine cauldron is over ten feet tall, with intricate patterns of medicinal herbs carved on its body, and faint spiritual light flowing around it. It is the Ten Thousand Medicine Cauldron, which ranks first on the Heavenly Cauldron List.

At this moment, flames roared beneath the medicine cauldron, the intense heat turning the cauldron a deep red.

Gu Ming's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat that slid down his cheeks. His breathing was rapid and disordered, clearly indicating that he had reached a critical moment in the alchemy process.

Gu Jian stood warily around, holding a long sword.

Gu Yuan stepped out slowly, his fighting spirit surging beneath his feet, and silently arrived beside the ancient sword.

"Clan leader!"

Gu Jian noticed Gu Yuan's arrival and quickly turned around to bow.

"Hmm." Gu Yuan nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Gu Ming, and said softly, "Gu Ming, Gu Ming, you mustn't let me down..."

The Wan Yao Ding (a type of ancient medicine cauldron) used by Gu Ming at this moment has an extraordinary origin.

This cauldron was originally the treasure of the Medicine Clan, the cauldron used by the Medicine Emperor to attain enlightenment, and can be called a supreme treasure in the world of alchemy.

Back then, when the Medicine Clan came to the Ancient Clan to attend the ceremony, Yao Dan, in order to show off the Medicine Clan's wealth, specially brought the Myriad Medicine Cauldron and boasted about it in front of everyone in the Ancient Clan.

Gu Ming was a person obsessed with alchemy. The moment he saw the Myriad Medicine Cauldron, he was amazed and could no longer calm down.

Afterwards, Gu Ming begged him repeatedly for the Myriad Medicine Cauldron. After much deliberation, considering that Gu Ming was the only ninth-grade Xuan Dan alchemist in the clan, he used some means to grant Gu Ming's request.

A cold glint appeared in Gu Yuan's eyes. "An army is raised for a thousand days, but used for only one."

In the past, he indulged Gu Ming in every way, bestowed many favors upon him, and even risked antagonizing the Medicine Clan for his sake, all because he valued Gu Ming's talent in alchemy.

Now that we've reached a critical moment, if Gu Ming falters and the alchemy fails, then all the favors he once bestowed will be taken back!

"Boom——!"

Just then, a terrifying energy surge suddenly erupted from the Myriad Medicine Cauldron!

Immediately afterwards, an extremely rich medicinal fragrance spread out, instantly reaching within a radius of a hundred miles. The birds and beasts in the mountains and forests, upon smelling this fragrance, became restless, their eyes filled with greed and awe.

"It's done!"

Gu Jian's face immediately lit up with ecstasy.

"It's not that simple, there's one last hurdle!"

Gu Yuan, however, had a serious expression and his eyes were fixed on the sky.

Gu Jian was immediately startled. He followed Gu Yuan's gaze to the sky and his heart skipped a beat.

How could he forget that refining a heaven-defying pill like the Ninth-Grade Profound Pill would inevitably attract the baptism of lightning tribulation! This is the most dangerous hurdle!
"Clan leader, third brother, help me withstand the lightning tribulation!"

Gu Ming's eyes were bloodshot, his hands were clasped together with difficulty, and blood kept flowing from the corners of his mouth, staining his chest red.

In order to refine this batch of ninth-grade Xuan Dan, he exhausted most of his battle qi and forcibly activated his soul power. Now he is already in a state of utter exhaustion.

It was already a miracle that he was able to successfully refine the elixir while injured; he simply had no strength left to resist the upcoming tribulation lightning.

"rise!"

Gu Ming gritted his teeth, using the last bit of strength, and suddenly raised both hands upwards.

In an instant, the lid of the Myriad Medicine Cauldron soared into the sky, and a purplish-red pill containing terrifying medicinal power burst out of the cauldron. It was crystal clear and emitted a dazzling light, slowly flying into the sky.

"Boom!"

Almost the instant the pill ascended into the air, a deafening roar suddenly resounded from the sky.

The once clear sky instantly darkened, with dark clouds gathering like a tide, covering the entire sky in a short time, turning it pitch black and so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Countless bolts of dark lightning surged and collided within the clouds, crackling and hissing. A terrifying pressure descended like a mountain crashing down, causing the entire forest to tremble.
Gu Yuan looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowed slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Gu Jian, you go first."

"Yes!"

Gu Jian's expression turned serious.

As soon as he finished speaking, the sword intent around Gu Jian surged, and a sharp sword aura shot into the sky. He leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of light, and rushed towards the thunderclouds in the sky.

"Boom!"

The first lightning tribulation descended without warning, a black demonic lightning bolt as thick as a bucket, carrying a destructive aura, tearing through the clouds and heading straight for the ancient sword.

"Tear-!"

Gu Jian's expression was solemn. He slashed out with his long sword, unleashing a sword aura containing his life's cultivation that clashed fiercely with the Black Demon Lightning.

"boom!"

With a deafening roar, sword energy and black demonic lightning erupted simultaneously, sending terrifying energy shockwaves spreading in all directions. The sword energy successfully neutralized most of the black demonic lightning's power, but the remaining lightning energy still flowed through the sword and into the ancient sword's body, causing it to tremble involuntarily and a trickle of blood to escape from the corner of its mouth.

Seeing this, Gu Jian's expression turned grim.

A mere bolt of black demonic lightning could have been easily extinguished by him in his prime, and would have had no effect whatsoever.

However, the injuries caused to him by the remnant soul of the Medicine Emperor have not yet healed, and his strength has been greatly reduced. Now he can only fight the first lightning tribulation to a standstill, and even suffered minor injuries.

"Boom!"

The second lightning tribulation struck immediately, giving the ancient sword no time to breathe. This lightning tribulation was thicker and more powerful than the first, carrying a world-destroying momentum as it struck the ancient sword once more.

Gu Jian's expression changed, and he dared not be negligent in the slightest. He quickly circulated the remaining battle qi in his body and once again swung his sword to unleash a sharp sword qi.

“Boom, boom, boom—!”

Bolts of black lightning continued to descend from the sky, each more terrifying than the last. The ancient sword struggled to withstand the lightning strikes within the thunderclouds, managing to withstand three in succession thanks to its superb swordsmanship.

But his face grew paler and paler, and his clothes were scorched and torn by the lightning.

The fourth bolt of black lightning descended, its power far exceeding the sum of the previous three. The pitch-black lightning even contained a trace of gold, and its terrifying aura made the ancient sword tremble with fear.

"not good!"

Gu Jian cried out inwardly, realizing it was too late to dodge. He could only forcefully circulate the last bit of fighting spirit within his body, holding his longsword horizontally in front of him to form a sword shield.

"Boom!"

The black lightning struck the sword and shield fiercely, instantly cracking them before shattering them with a deafening roar. The remaining lightning power surged into the ancient sword like a tidal wave, frantically destroying its meridians and physical body.

"what!"

A piercing scream escaped from Gu Jian's mouth. His body plummeted from the sky like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

He lay on the ground, his body charred black, his breath extremely weak, his fate unknown.

"Third brother!"

When Gu Ming saw the ancient sword fall, he shouted anxiously and tried to get up to check on it, but he was so exhausted that he almost collapsed as soon as he looked up.

"Useless trash, I have to take action myself."

Gu Yuan snorted coldly. Holding an ancient wooden cane, he moved as if teleporting into the thunderclouds.

"Boom--!"

The lightning tribulation seemed to sense the provocation, and countless bolts of black demonic lightning, as if possessed, relentlessly bombarded Gu Yuan. The dense, dark lightning completely enveloped Gu Yuan's figure.

However, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.

Although Gu Yuan was crippled and seriously injured, he was once a powerful Nine-Star Dou Sheng at the peak, with profound experience.

He wielded his wooden cane, forming an impenetrable defense. With each swing, he could shatter one or even several bolts of black demonic lightning.

"Bang bang bang!"

The streaks of black lightning shattered beneath the wooden crutch, transforming into a sky full of lightning that dissipated into the air.

Soon, the thunderclouds in the sky dissipated, the dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the sun shone down on the earth again, its warm light dispelling the previous oppression and terror.

Seeing the tribulation lightning dissipate, Gu Ming on the ground finally breathed a sigh of relief, a smile of relief spreading across his face. No matter how perilous the process, this batch of ninth-grade Xuan Dan had finally been successfully refined.

However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred!
"Buzz, buzz, buzz—!!!"

The ninth-grade Xuan Dan, which had been obediently floating in the sky, suddenly trembled violently and then transformed into a blood-red figure. It turned and fled!

Upon seeing this, Gu Ming was greatly alarmed and hurriedly called out to Gu Yuan, "Clan Chief!"

"rest assured."

Gu Yuan's expression was icy. How could he let the duck that was about to be eaten fly away?

With a thought, his fighting spirit surged wildly, drawing upon the energy of heaven and earth to transform into a gigantic energy hand that slowly descended from the sky, covering the figure of the Danling.

"come over!"

Gu Yuan let out a low shout, his voice containing a trace of soul pressure. The energy hand, like a net from heaven and earth, instantly enveloped Dan Ling's figure.

The Danling figure struggled incessantly, emitting sharp screechs, and unleashed powerful medicinal energy from its body, attempting to break free from the restraints of the energy hand.

However, Gu Yuan's strength far surpassed its own, and the pressure from the energy hand grew increasingly intense, binding it firmly in place. No matter how much it struggled, it could not break free even slightly.

In the end, faced with Gu Yuan's absolute power, the Danling figure had no choice but to give up resisting and transformed back into a crystal-clear ninth-grade Xuan Dan, which was enveloped by a giant energy hand and slowly flew back into Gu Yuan's hand.

Looking at the hard-won ninth-grade Xuan Dan in his hand, Gu Yuan couldn't help but shake his head: "How glorious I, Gu Yuan, once was! Now, for a single Xuan Dan, I have to go to such lengths..."

Without further hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the ninth-grade Xuan Dan in his hand.

"Boom--!"

The moment the pill entered his stomach, an extremely powerful medicinal force erupted within his body, rapidly spreading to every part of his body!

The previously dormant meridians were nourished by this medicinal power, the damaged internal organs were quickly repaired, and the Star Extinction Sword Intent and the strange blood energy in the body were temporarily suppressed by this medicinal power!

After a long while, Gu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them: "It's time!" (End of Chapter)