Battle Through the Heavens: Oh no, I've become the succubus Xiao Yan!

In the winter of his fifteenth year, Xiao Yan refined his first Rank 5 pill.

The Soul-Nourishing Saliva. The moment the pill was completed, the fragrance of medicine emanating from the furnace filled the entire room, even warming the snow in the courtyard. Xiao Yan looked at the pale golden pill in his palm and let out a long breath.

"You've reached the fifth rank," he said.

The old apothecary floated out of the ring, stared at the pill for a long time, and had a complicated expression.

"Unprecedented, a fifth-grade alchemist at the age of fifteen," he began, "the Gama Empire has never produced a second one."

"Master, could you please stop starting with 'unprecedented' every time?"

"...You little brat."

What does being a fifth-grade alchemist mean? It means that he can basically refine all the pills that the Xiao family desperately needs to increase their combat strength. Soul-Nourishing Saliva nourishes the soul, Barrier-Breaking Pills help people break through barriers, and Qi-Returning Pills restore battle qi—things that he never dared to dream of before are now just a matter of simmering them in the furnace for a few more hours.

With the aid of elixirs, Xiao Zhan steadily improved, reaching the peak of the Dou Ling realm, just one barrier away from becoming a Dou Wang. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's cultivation levels were also rising, and the entire Xiao family's foundation grew stronger day by day.

Needless to say, Ya Fei's side was even more lucrative. Fifth-grade pills sold through the Mittel Auction House yielded profits more than five times that of fourth-grade pills. In her letter, she wrote: "Fifth-grade pills! You're only fifteen! Sometimes I really wonder if you're some kind of ancient monster reincarnated."

  

Xiao Yan replied, "It's not reincarnation, it's talent."

Ya Fei replied with a single word: "Pah. Shameless."

Xiao Yan folded the letter and put it in the drawer, a slight smile playing on his lips. Corresponding with Ya Fei was one of the few things that made him feel relaxed—he didn't have to put on airs, he didn't have to pretend, he could say whatever he wanted.

---

It snowed that night.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the bed cultivating, but Yao Lao didn't give him any guidance as usual. His soul floated in mid-air, staring out the window for a long time, as if thinking about something very old.

"Master?" Xiao Yan opened his eyes.

The old doctor did not respond.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Yao Lao turned around. Xiao Yan noticed that his expression was a bit off—not angry, nor sad, but more like hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but swallowed it back.

"Little Yanzi," the old apothecary spoke, his voice lower than usual, "I was happy for a while when you refined the Soul-Nourishing Saliva today. But then I thought of something, and the more I thought about it, the less I could sleep."

"What is it?"

"You're fifteen this year, a fifth-grade alchemist. Your reputation will spread quickly." The old alchemist looked at him. "Back then, Han Feng was the same—talented, progressed rapidly, and his fame grew. Then someone set their sights on him."

Han Feng. Xiao Yan knew what kind of person Han Feng was in the original story. Yao Lao had mentioned this name before, but always only briefly, and stopped talking when asked too many times. Xiao Yan was a little puzzled as to why his teacher suddenly brought up Han Feng. Xiao Yan sensed that Yao Lao was unusually sad today. Perhaps it was because the scene before him had stirred up painful memories.

"Master, what happened to Han Feng—"

"I'll tell you."

The old doctor interrupted him, as if afraid he might change his mind.

"I am from the Medicine Clan."

The Medicine Clan. Xiao Yan had seen this name in ancient books—one of the eight ancient clans of Zhongzhou, renowned for their medicine-making tradition.

"The Medicine Clan has a strict hierarchy, and bloodline concentration determines everything. The Dou Di bloodline flowing in my veins is so thin that it can be ignored. In the Medicine Clan, a thin bloodline means being inferior. The direct descendants have the best pills, the best masters, and the best cultivation resources, while the collateral descendants have nothing."

The old man's voice was calm, as if he were telling someone else's story.

"Later, I failed in a mission and was framed. The Medicine Clan expelled me. I was resentful after leaving and devoted all my energy to alchemy, wandering alone in the Central Plains for nearly a hundred years. I thought that as long as you are strong enough, your background doesn't matter."

He paused for a moment.

"I was wrong."

"When I took Han Feng in, I didn't think too much about it. He was talented and hardworking, so I treated him like my own son. I taught him almost everything I knew, from alchemy to methods of cultivating soul power."

Xiao Yan noticed that he said "almost".

"I did not pass on the Burning Technique to him."

The old doctor lowered his voice.

"The Burning Technique is too unique. It involves devouring different flames to evolve, and every step is a risky one. At the time, I felt he wasn't composed enough and was afraid he wouldn't be able to control it. I wanted to wait and see, to let his temperament be tempered further. Besides, I didn't want him to lose his life because of it."

He paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

"Unexpectedly, Elder Mu Gu later approached Han Feng. Mu Gu... and I have a history. We were once disciples of the same person, but he was expelled and has always hated me to the bone. He told Han Feng that the Burning Technique is far more valuable than what I taught him—devouring strange fire can lead to evolution, and the evolved Burning Technique is priceless. And the simplest way to obtain the Burning Technique is—to kill me."

The old doctor's voice began to tremble.

"Han Feng believed it. That night, I was in seclusion breaking through to a higher level, and he took advantage of my weakest moment to make his move. Moreover, it wasn't just him alone; people from the Soul Palace were also secretly involved. Otherwise, even with my peak strength, he wouldn't have been able to succeed, even if he had the initial advantage."

The room was so quiet that you could hear the snow falling on the windowpane.

"At the moment my physical body was destroyed, I didn't actually feel any pain. What hurt more than the physical pain was that I treated him like a son, and he treated me like prey. The only thing I didn't teach him became his reason for killing me."

The old doctor closed his eyes.

"Later, I escaped with my last bit of soul power and sealed myself in this ring. Since then, I have never dared to trust anyone again."

He opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Yan.

"I'm telling you this not to complain," Yao Lao said softly but earnestly. "You have the Burning Technique, and your reputation is growing—the Soul Palace and Mu Gu's gang will come after you sooner or later. You don't know about Han Feng, so you can't protect yourself. I don't want you to follow his path again, nor do I want you to follow mine."

Xiao Yan remained silent for a long time.

"Master," he said, "I will handle Han Feng's matter for you. Elder Mu Gu and the Soul Palace—none of them will escape."

The old doctor looked at him.

"But not now," Xiao Yan said. "I'm not strong enough now. When I'm strong enough, I will make everyone who has hurt you pay the price."

The old doctor didn't speak.

After a long while, his voice finally rang out, trembling slightly.

"Okay. Your master believes you."

Xiao Yan didn't say anything more. He stretched out his hand, and a cluster of warm flames emerged from his palm—the flames of the Fire God Body.

The flames gently enveloped Yao Lao's soul.

The old apothecary was taken aback for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "You brat..."

"Master," Xiao Yan said, "you are not alone."

The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier.

Inside the room, an old man and a young boy, one a soul and the other a body, sat quietly.

Only the firelight flickered in the room.