Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

"...Speaking of which, you just said that as long as the quantity does not exceed twenty, you can refine them?" Seeing Xiao Yan's increasingly embarrassed expression, Su Qian sighed helplessly and changed the subject, "You can already refine sixth-grade pills?"

If I remember correctly, not long ago, during the alchemy duel between Xiao Yan and Han Xian of the Medicine Clan, Xiao Yan went through a lot of trouble just to refine a fifth-grade pill... Although, according to those present, Xiao Yan had already consumed most of his soul power when he started refining that pill, and was in a state where he could faint at any moment.

“In fact, the lightning that struck the outer courtyard was all attracted by the pills I refined,” Xiao Yan said, no longer intending to hide it. “My soul power has broken through the mortal realm and reached the spirit realm. For me now, even an eighth-grade pill is no problem.”

Having experienced training in Zhongzhou, Su Qian was clear about the division of soul realms, so she didn't show any incomprehension after hearing Xiao Yan's words.

Despite knowing this, Su Qian still harbored some doubts about what Xiao Yan said. "An eighth-grade pill...you're only eighteen years old, aren't you?"

Back when he was training in Zhongzhou, Su Qian met a friend from a family affiliated with the Pill Tower. According to that friend, the Pill Tower encompassed almost all the top alchemists on the continent. In fact, it could be said that the vast majority of genius alchemists were born in the Pill Tower. However, even so, the Pill Tower had never produced a genius... or a prodigy, who was already an eighth-level alchemist before the age of twenty.

"If you have any doubts, I can certainly refine a sixth-grade or even seventh-grade pill on the spot," Xiao Yan said with a confident smile. "However... as you know, I don't have enough medicinal herbs on hand..."

"You want me to provide the medicinal herbs, right? I understand!" Su Qian smiled helplessly.

After laughing, Su Qian reluctantly believed Xiao Yan's earlier words. At least, Xiao Yan should have no problem refining sixth-grade pills now, but it was hard to say about seventh and eighth-grade pills...

Suddenly, Su Qian hesitated for a moment, then realized, "Your soul power broke through after your duel with Han Xian?"

Su Qian remembered someone saying that after that alchemy duel, Xiao Yan was unconscious for more than half a month. It seems that his soul power broke through at that time.

“You can think that way.” After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan nodded and said.

'Is that a valid assumption? Does that mean the breakthrough will happen even earlier?' Su Qian wondered to herself, looking at Xiao Yan's hesitant expression.

"Let's leave it at that for now. I'll go discuss it with the other elders first..." However, Su Qian had no intention of finding out Xiao Yan's secret. After confirming that Xiao Yan could refine sixth-grade pills, he prepared to discuss with the other people in charge of the academy whether or not to make a deal.

“Um… if possible, I hope the academy can help collect some medicinal herbs,” Xiao Yan said after a moment’s hesitation. “These are the ones.” As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from his Awakening Flame Ring and handed it to Su Qian.

"Let the academy help collect the medicinal herbs? Then the Fallen Heart Flame won't be worth that much!" After making a joke, Su Qian took the paper that Xiao Yan handed over.

"Let me see, the Glazed Dragon Saliva... Rank 8?!"

After examining the first herb, Su Qian almost jumped out of her chair. After quickly scanning the remaining herbs, Su Qian looked up at Xiao Yan with a headache, "Are they all grade eight herbs?"

"You could say that..." Xiao Yan chuckled dryly.

"Let's not even talk about whether we can collect all these medicinal herbs..." Su Qian looked at Xiao Yan helplessly, "Even if we could collect all of them, what could you offer in exchange?"

Although Xiao Yan had only been in the inner courtyard for a short time, Su Qian knew from his interactions with Zi Yan that Xiao Yan was not the kind of person who was insatiable. However, Su Qian really couldn't figure out how Xiao Yan, who didn't have any high-grade pills, would exchange them for these eighth-grade medicinal herbs.

"Take a look at this pill." After taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan took out a Nirvana Pill from his Awakening Flame Ring.

"Hmm?" Su Qian, who had assumed Xiao Yan had taken out a high-grade pill, frowned slightly after noticing the energy contained within the Nirvana Pill. "This pill probably won't even have any effect on a Dou Ling, right?"

Su Qian looked at Xiao Yan in confusion, not understanding why Xiao Yan would take out such a low-grade pill.

“One might not have a significant effect on a Dou Ling… But what if the number reaches ten thousand, one hundred thousand, or even one million?” Xiao Yan asked softly.

"Ten thousand?" Su Qian frowned. "If the quantity is in the tens of thousands, and there are no blockages due to the medicinal properties... it should be able to upgrade the Dou Ling level, right? However, are you planning to stay in the academy and refine pills for the academy from now on? If so, I suggest you refine Dou Ling pills. At least Dou Ling pills are quite useful to the academy's elders."

It wasn't exactly mockery, but Su Qian really didn't understand why Xiao Yan would use numbers like ten thousand, one hundred thousand, or even one million to describe such low-grade pills.

"If I have the chance, I might stay at the academy," Xiao Yan said with a smile. Then, he performed a magic pill transformation for Su Qian. After a flash of flame, a new Nirvana Pill appeared in his hand.

"Elder, you should have noticed that I didn't take this pill out of my storage ring, right?"

Xiao Yan chuckled as he looked at Su Qian, who was staring intently at the freshly made Nirvana Pill in his hand.

Seeing Xiao Yan "refine" the pill in a second, Su Qian was stunned for a moment. "Your pill has no drug resistance..." Just as she was about to check the energy contained in the pill in her hand again, Su Qian unexpectedly found that the pill in her hand had disappeared.

"Xiao Yan, this pill doesn't taste good!"

At the same time, Zi Yan's disdainful voice rang out from the side.

"Because this wasn't made for you!" Knowing that Zi Yan was referring to the lack of energy in the pill, Xiao Yan looked at her with a wry smile, then placed the Nirvana Pill in his hand into the hands of Su Qian, who was glaring at him. "It has no resistance. Whether it's ten thousand, one hundred thousand, or one million, as long as you're willing, you can keep taking it."

"Can only alchemists refine it?" Su Qian asked calmly.

“No, as long as one is a Dou Wang, regardless of the attribute of their Dou Qi, they can condense it. It takes two to three minutes to condense one,” Xiao Yan replied. “Moreover, I have enough Nirvana Pills to set up an array in the inner courtyard. If I condense them within the array, I can shorten the time to less than one minute. In that case, only some elders need to spend some time each year condensing Nirvana Pills within the array, which will be enough to meet the needs of all the students in the inner courtyard!”

"So, even if the Fallen Heart Flame is handed over to you, the Inner Academy still won't have to worry about not having suitable methods to enhance the students' battle qi?"

Xiao Yan has made it so clear. If Su Qian still doesn't understand Xiao Yan's purpose, then she shouldn't be the Grand Elder of Canaan Academy.

"Yes." Xiao Yan nodded solemnly.

After receiving Xiao Yan's affirmative answer, Su Qian fell silent.

"...I need to discuss this with the other elders," Su Qian sighed after a long while, looked at Xiao Yan, and said, "Let me confirm again, as long as the number of Breakthrough Pills and Profound Pills does not exceed twenty, you can refine them...right?"

"Yes!"

Although Su Qian said that it still needed to be discussed, Xiao Yan had already heard the meaning in his tone that 'I will persuade them,' and immediately nodded excitedly.

"Also, these are the medicinal herbs needed to refine the Breakthrough Pill and the Profound Pill!" Then, finally realizing that he had forgotten something, Xiao Yan handed a sheet of paper filled with the medicinal herbs needed for the Breakthrough Pill and the Profound Pill to Su Qian.

"I'm going to find them now, you can continue sitting for a while."

After taking the paper and confirming it, Su Qian nodded, and the next moment, she disappeared from the room.

"It worked?" Little Fairy Doctor led Zi Yan to Xiao Yan's side, who was relieved.

"It's a success! We should be able to refine the Fallen Heart Flame soon," Xiao Yan said with a bright smile to Little Fairy Doctor. He then reached out and pinched Zi Yan's cheek. "I've refined quite a few pills for you before, haven't I? How come you couldn't even wait a few minutes?"

"You haven't refined any pills for me in almost a month!" Zi Yan, who had initially felt a little guilty, put her hands on her hips and shouted after hearing Xiao Yan's words, "And...and after you came out of seclusion this time, you smelled much better, and I couldn't resist..."

"Smells much better? I'm not eating..." Hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled helplessly, but before he could finish speaking, he suddenly thought of something, "Zi Yan, would you be interested in learning a body-refining fighting technique?"

"Body-refining combat techniques?" Zi Yan tilted her head, then shook it violently. "No way! Nobody can beat me anyway, so I don't want to learn body-refining combat techniques!"

"Didn't you say that I smelled much better after this seclusion?" Xiao Yan coaxed. "That's exactly why I became like this after practicing this fighting technique. Are you sure you don't want to learn it?"

Before cultivating the Azure Dragon Transformation Technique, Xiao Yan had refined a pair of dragon and phoenix horns, which is why his aura was able to attract Zi Yan. This even caused Zi Yan, who was still in the inner courtyard at the time, to run to the outer courtyard to find him. The subsequent bloodline connection strengthened the bond between Xiao Yan and Zi Yan, but even so, it only added some dragon and phoenix bloodline to Xiao Yan's body.

But while cultivating the Azure Dragon Transformation Technique...

After practicing this fighting technique that could transform a person into a "dragon" to a certain extent, Xiao Yan's dragon and phoenix bloodline became increasingly concentrated. He even felt that he could declare himself a dragon and phoenix to the outside world.

'So, Zi Yan thinks I smell good because the scent of my own kind is getting stronger, right?' As he transmitted the contents of the Azure Dragon Transformation Technique to Zi Yan, Xiao Yan muttered to himself, 'That should be it... right?'

Chapter 331 Han Feng

Three days later, at the Xiao Clan's base

"Elder..."

“There are ten portions of herbs for the Breakthrough Pill and ten portions of herbs for the Profound Pill here,” Su Qian tossed a storage ring to Xiao Yan before he could finish speaking. “As for the Grade 8 herbs you wanted us to collect… there are only two in the academy’s warehouse.”

"Only two...?" Taking the storage ring, Xiao Yan's soul power swept through it, and after confirming the quantity of the medicinal herbs, he nodded slightly.

"There are two more that have been rumored in the Black Corner Region. I've already sent elders to inquire about them these past few days," Su Qian said slowly. "The rest of the auxiliary materials have also been prepared, but it's not easy to collect Rank 8 medicinal herbs in the Northwest Continent..."

“I know,” Xiao Yan shrugged after putting away the storage ring. “Then, after I finish refining the Breakthrough Pill and the Profound Pill, will you hand over the Fallen Heart Flame to me?”

“It might take a few more months,” Su Qian said somewhat awkwardly. “As you know, the Strong Ranking Competition is just a few months away, and Lin Xiuya and the others have been waiting for the opportunity to temper their bodies with the Origin Heart Flame.”

Every year, Canaan Academy extracts a portion of the original heart flame from the body of the Fallen Heart Flame. This original heart flame has no effect on experts above the Dou Wang level, but it can pave the way for those below the Dou Wang level to reach the Dou Wang level. Although the top ten on the strength ranking still have the ability to break through to the Dou Wang level even without the help of the original heart flame, the opportunity to use the original flame of the strange fire to temper and strengthen the body is not something that can be given up easily.

“…No problem,” Xiao Yan nodded after a slight hesitation. “I also need some time to refine pills.”

Of course, the 'pill' mentioned here does not refer to the Breakthrough Pill or the Profound Pill, but rather to the pill that can heal Queen Medusa. After all, a sixth-grade pill is not a problem for Xiao Yan now, but a pill that can heal a severely injured Dou Zun still requires a certain amount of time—especially in terms of collecting medicinal materials.

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer..."

boom!

A crisp explosion suddenly resounded throughout the entire inner courtyard.

After frowning slightly, Xiao Yan unleashed his full soul power, instantly sweeping across the entire inner courtyard, and then noticed the source of the explosion—

The Heavenly Flame Refining Tower broke in the middle, and countless streams of magma continuously gushed out from within the tower.

"It's the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower!"

Even without Xiao Yan's powerful soul force, Su Qian quickly realized where the explosion came from thanks to his familiarity with the inner courtyard. After exclaiming in surprise, Su Qian's body swiftly broke through the air and sped towards the location of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.

“Let’s go take a look together,” Xiao Yan turned to Little Fairy Doctor, “maybe we can be of help.”

"Mm." Little Fairy Doctor nodded.

Then, the two of them soared into the sky together.

Soon, Su Qian arrived at the location of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. Looking at the broken tower and the gushing lava, Su Qian's first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief.

Although the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower broke for some unknown reason, the energy membrane sealing the Fallen Heart Flame remained intact, even though, over time, that dark energy membrane was becoming thinner and thinner as it was burned by the invisible fire python.

"Elder, all the students have been safely evacuated!" Upon seeing Su Qian's arrival, an elder standing near the broken Heavenly Flame Refining Tower hurriedly reported.

"What should we do next?" another elder asked anxiously.

Besides Su Qian, there were more than a dozen elders present. However, during their time as elders at Canaan Academy, they had never imagined that the Fallen Heart Flame could be broken. Therefore, they were all panicked when they actually encountered this situation.

Su Qian's expression shifted between light and dark. After a moment, he suddenly waved his hand and said sternly, "All elders, come with me immediately! The seal on the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower can't hold for much longer. We can only try to re-seal it using the formation left by the Dean!"

After saying that, Su Qian didn't hesitate for a moment. With a flash, he quickly flew away from outside the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.

When Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor arrived, Su Qian had already led the many elders to form layers of energy nets in the sky. In the center of those energy nets, a huge, invisible fire python, several tens of feet long, was struggling.

"Is that the Fallen Heart Flame?" Little Fairy Doctor's face showed surprise as she looked at the invisible fire python struggling in the center of the energy net.

Back in the Izumo Empire, she had seen the Netherworld Poison Fire, but compared to the fire python before her that looked like a real magical beast, the Netherworld Poison Fire she had seen back then paled in comparison.

"On the list of strange flames, only the Fallen Heart Flame is colorless and transparent."

When the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower collapsed, an elder notified the dean, vice dean, and the leader of the enforcement team in the outer courtyard. Therefore, while Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor were watching, the three peak Dou Huang experts had already arrived at the scene.

With the addition of three peak Douhuang experts, the struggle of the Fallen Heart Flame gradually weakened, and it might be sealed back soon.

'But what exactly caused the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower to collapse?' Finding there was nothing he could help with, Xiao Yan was happy to have some free time. His gaze involuntarily drifted to the two broken pieces of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. 'Was it really just that the Fallen Heart Flame itself had accumulated enough power to break the seal?'

His gaze swept across the dark tower, and soon Xiao Yan noticed a spot with strange signs of burning.

'These signs of burning...' Xiao Yan frowned. Without a doubt, the flame that could leave burning marks on this tower must also be a strange flame. But among the inner court students, besides him, who else possesses a strange flame?

Xiao Yan no longer needed to ponder this, because within the area covered by his soul power, the auras of a group of experts above the Dou Huang level suddenly appeared, and the person at the very front happened to have the aura of a strange fire within their body...

"Elder, be careful! People from the Black Corner Region are coming!"

In the sky, Su Qian, who had just resealed the Fallen Heart Flame along with many elders, froze upon hearing Xiao Yan's voice transmission and abruptly looked into the distance—

"Hehe, I didn't expect such a strange fire to be hidden in the inner courtyard. Elder Su Qian, you've kept it a secret for a long time!"

The moment Su Qian turned his gaze, a soft laugh slowly fell, and the clear sky suddenly rippled. Then, a large group of figures slowly walked out and finally hovered in the sky. Instantly, a bloody aura enveloped the inner courtyard.

In the sky, Su Qian stared grimly at the group of people who had broken through the barrier. His gaze slowly settled on the man in the alchemist's robes who was a step ahead. His eyes narrowed and he sneered, "So, who is it? It's Han Feng, the Medicine King of the Black Corner Region."