Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, I am your second master.

Xiao Li was quite familiar with the Mad Lion's Fury, as his elder brother Xiao Lin practiced this technique.

The Angry Tiger Thunder Technique is a cultivation method practiced by the family head, Xiao Ting. This technique is somewhat lagging behind at his level, but fortunately, the accompanying combat skill, Thunder Tiger Seal, is also at the intermediate level of the Profound rank.

In Xiao Ting's hands, it was incredibly powerful; the Angry Tiger Thunder Technique was also ranked first among the family's three major clan-protecting techniques.

If Xiao Li hadn't become Wang Ming's disciple, he would probably have cultivated the Refining Fire Burning Technique first, and then added a new technique to the family later.

Then some people might ask, as one of the four great families in the capital, and with a Dou Wang expert, why doesn't the Xiao family even have a single high-level Xuan-rank cultivation technique?

This is a clever question. The Xiao family's lineage was broken, and after they were scattered to the Jia Ma Empire, they lost many things. After that, many highly skilled members of the family emerged, but they never returned after they went to explore the continent.

As for why they didn't buy the advanced Xuan-level cultivation technique, that's a good question. It's a matter of luck. The Xiao family didn't have any businesses to run, so they lacked funds.

When the Mittel Auction House was auctioning off a high-level Xuan-rank cultivation technique, the Xiao family happened to be short of money. When the Xiao family had money, there were no high-level Xuan-rank cultivation techniques left to auction. Their luck was truly unbelievable.

The Xiao family still has so many disciples to train, which has made the Xiao family quite poor at the moment. Perhaps they have some money, which they are saving for a critical moment.

The Mittel family, one of the four major families, is a business family. They have Mittel auction houses in major cities throughout the Gama Empire. They monopolize many industries, and with the Ice Emperor, one of the ten strongest people in the Gama Empire, in charge, no one dares to touch the Mittel family's business.

The Mu family has always been a lackey of the Jia Ma Empire's royal family. With the empire backing them up, they won't collapse anytime soon.

The Nalan family may look similar to the Xiao family, but they have a close relationship with the Yunlan Sect, and the current head of the Nalan family is an elder of the Yunlan Sect.

(Secondary setting: This Elder Nalan is Nalan Jie's elder. At this time, Nalan Jie, like Xiao Lin, is a Dou Ling.)

Among all the prominent families in the capital, the Xiao family seems a bit like clowns, always going their own way and relying entirely on their patriarch, Xiao Ting, to keep them afloat.

"Teacher, could you please introduce these two cultivation techniques?" Xiao Li asked.

Although Wang Ming took out three scrolls whose material was unknown, he divided them into two parts: one crimson scroll in his left hand and two vermilion scrolls in his right hand.

"Hehe, the technique in my left hand is called the Nine Heavens Yang Technique. It is a mid-level Earth Rank technique, which is also the technique I am currently practicing. It is divided into nine levels. When it is mastered, its battle qi is extremely strong and yang, and its power is boundless."

As for the two scrolls in my right hand, they are a set: the low-level Earth-rank cultivation technique, Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Technique, and the matching combat skill, Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Hand.

He cultivates his fighting spirit through the "Nine Tribulations" method. With each breakthrough, his fighting spirit undergoes a qualitative change, gradually transforming from "crimson flames" to "purple flames." When he finally reaches the ninth tribulation, his flames are no less powerful than the beast fire of a magical beast of the same level.

As for the Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Hand, its power is comparable to a mid-level Earth-rank combat skill. I myself use it; once mastered, it can split mountains and shatter rocks, overturn rivers and seas with a mere flick of the wrist.

Wang Ming introduced Xiao Li to the cultivation techniques and fighting skills he possessed, which greatly surprised Xiao Li. Are sixth-grade alchemists really that rich?

Low-grade Earth Rank pills are one thing, but mid-grade Earth Rank pills? Don't tell me you, a sixth-grade alchemist, also have seventh-grade or even eighth-grade pill formulas!

Xiao Li carefully examined the two cultivation techniques in Elder Wang's hands, and after careful consideration, he chose the low-level Earth-rank technique, Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Technique.

For him at his current one-star Dou Zhe stage, a low-level Earth-rank cultivation technique is sufficient, already surpassing countless Dou Zhes, and the accompanying Dou Skill, Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Hand, looks quite appealing.

At least in the Gama Empire, the Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Handbag can be used to fight opponents of higher levels.

“Teacher, I choose the Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Technique!” Xiao Li said, standing in front of Wang Ming’s right hand.

"Hey, little guy, you have good taste. You're not aiming too high. At your current level, a low-level Earth Rank cultivation technique is already the best you can do. There's no need to pursue higher-level techniques."

Even if there were more advanced techniques, you couldn't cultivate them. Here—this is yours.

Wang Ming smiled and nodded. He was very satisfied with Xiao Li's choice and handed him the Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Technique and the accompanying combat skill, Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Hand.

Xiao Li opened the Nine Tribulations Heavenly Flame Technique, a low-level local cultivation technique, and quickly became immersed in it.

Xiao Li's fighting spirit began to circulate in the direction described in the cultivation technique, and soon completed a full cycle.

Xiao Li felt his fighting spirit becoming more refined, with both its quality and quantity growing rapidly.

"Open your mouth, disciple!"

Just as Xiao Li was immersed in cultivation, he suddenly heard his teacher's voice. Xiao Li didn't know what to do with his mouth, but he figured he might as well open it. What could his master possibly do to him?

Xiao Li opened his mouth, and Wang Ming produced two pills, which he threw directly into Xiao Li's mouth.

Xiao Li naturally felt two round spheres enter his mouth, then melt instantly and quickly flow down his throat.

Having taken the Qi-gathering powder, Xiao Li naturally understood, and his teacher gave him two more pills.

As soon as he took the pill, Xiao Li felt something different. He could perceive the fire-attribute energy of heaven and earth around him more clearly, and he was absorbing it at a faster rate.

'It must be because of those two pills. I can't let my teacher's efforts go to waste; I must continue cultivating!'

Xiao Li entered into immersive cultivation once again. Wang Ming watched his disciple become engrossed in deep cultivation, then sat down in a chair and took a sip of tea.

"A third-grade pill to awaken the spirit, and a third-grade pill to gather fire. With these two pills, Li'er's cultivation should proceed more smoothly. Hmm, not bad~"

With Li'er's talent, proper training will make becoming a Dou Zong a piece of cake; as for a Dou Zun, that will require careful nurturing.

Wang Ming muttered to himself, then took out an ancient scroll from his storage ring.

"The fifth-grade peak pill, the Spirit Origin Foundation Building Pill, seems a bit unworthy of Li'er, and the Thousand-Year Spirit Origin Fruit is too hard to find. Why not change it?"

I have the sixth-grade high-level pill, the Profound Origin Foundation Building Pill, and the Purple Gold Profound Origin Ginseng on hand. The other auxiliary medicines should be available from the Mittel family. That guy Hai Bodong wouldn't dare to disrespect me.

Using the Profound Foundation Building Pill as the main ingredient, supplemented with a medicinal bath made of Grade 5 pills, this method will surely forge the foundation of a Venerable for Li'er for five consecutive years!

"It's a pity I possess the formula for the seventh-grade peak-level pill, the Profound Bodhi Foundation Establishment Pill, but I simply cannot refine it. Alas~ I wonder if I will be able to advance further in the remaining years of my life?"

Chapter 7, Six Years

Three days later,

Xiao Li spent three days completing the cultivation technique. He felt completely refreshed and felt like he could take on thirty of his clan brothers!

"Hmm~ Not bad. You've successfully mastered the technique and your cultivation level has reached the three-star Dou Zhe level. Is this the power of a Earth-rank technique? Heh! I wasn't as lucky as you when I was a kid."

Wang Ming stroked his beard and smiled self-deprecatingly.

"I have to thank you for your guidance, teacher," Xiao Li said politely, bowing.

"Hmm, when I examined your body just now, I found that you must have done some physical training. Your muscles and bones are very well trained, but it seems that you have overdone it, resulting in some internal injuries."

It doesn't seem like a big deal now, but it will be extremely fatal when you break through to a higher realm later!

Wang Ming pointed out the flaws on Xiao Li's body.

"Huh? What should we do then?" Xiao Li hadn't expected that even though he really enjoyed exercising, he could still have hidden injuries.

"Don't worry! I'm here, aren't I? I'm a sixth-grade alchemist, healing your hidden injuries is a piece of cake for me."

Wang Ming was very confident in his alchemy skills.

"Okay, that's fine. Teacher, what do we do next? Go out for training or continue our arduous cultivation?" Xiao Li asked. Now that he had a teacher, his cultivation plan was no longer viable.

Wang Ming patted Xiao Li's head: "What's the rush? You're already getting cocky just because you're only a three-star Dou Zhe? Kid, the Dou Qi Continent is huge, with countless geniuses. Although you have amazing talent, you still can't compare to true geniuses."

"You can stay at home for now, that is, cultivate in the capital until I am satisfied. When you break through to the Great Dou Master level, I will take you out to train."

And another thing! What good is being a fighter if you're just my disciple? I didn't take you on as a disciple so you could fight. You need to memorize these two books first.

Wang Ming took out two extremely thick books and handed them to Xiao Li.

Xiao Li glanced at one book and saw that it was "One Hundred Explanations of Herbs" and the other was "One Hundred Explanations of Warcraft".

"Finish reading these two books first, and then I'll teach you alchemy," Wang Ming said sternly, his hands behind his back.

"is teacher!"

Xiao Li was getting impatient. From childhood to adulthood, besides cultivation, he loved reading. The Dou Qi Continent was really big, with many strange and wonderful things. Without some culture, you wouldn't even know how you died.

Therefore, in the Dou Qi Continent, knowledge is also a kind of power.

. . . . . .

Six years later,

Xiao Family Pharmacy

A young man sat cross-legged in front of a blue cauldron that looked somewhat ancient yet exuded a deep and imposing aura. The cauldron was radiating a purplish-red heat.

This medicine cauldron has five fire openings. As we all know, medicine cauldrons are also divided into different levels. The more fire openings a cauldron has, the higher its level and the rarer it is. A medicine cauldron with more fire openings also has a stronger auxiliary effect on refining medicine.

At this moment, a ball of purple flame surged violently inside the medicine cauldron.

Inside the cauldron where flames surged, a thumb-sized purple pill was slowly taking shape as it was heated by the flames.

"out!"

The boy slammed his palm down on the medicine cauldron, causing the lid to fly off. A vast expanse of purple flames surged forth from the cauldron, and at the center of those flames, an even more conspicuous purple light shot out, instantly overshadowing the purple flames.

As the light shone out, a rich purple fragrance slowly rose up, eventually forming a purple mist cloud above the boy's head, like a wisp of spiritual mist.

"What a rich, colored medicinal aroma!"

"Shh! Be quiet and don't disturb Li'er!"

Two very faint sounds broke the silence. It turned out that in a corner of the medicine hall, seven or eight old men were standing side by side, quietly watching the young man concoct medicine.

This young man is Xiao Li, who is now fifteen years old, and he is currently refining a remarkable pill!

"Disperse!"

In mid-air, the purple flames slowly extinguished, and a purple pill the size of a longan appeared in the air. Xiao Li waved his hand, and the purple pill flew into his palm. Holding the pill, the corners of his mouth kept turning up.

"Hey, a top-grade fourth-rank pill, the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill! Success!"

Call ~

Several heavy breathing sounds could be heard at this moment. There was nothing they could do. Their only alchemist was refining pills, and allowing them to watch was already an act of taking advantage of their seniority. How could they dare to make a sound?

"Li'er, you are now a peak fourth-grade alchemist. My goodness, I never dared to imagine that in just six years, you have grown from a little kid who knew nothing to a peak fourth-grade alchemist."

Xiao Ting walked over slowly. He felt that heaven had not treated the Xiao family badly. With such a talented child, he could die in peace.

Xiao Li grinned and first placed the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill into the jade bottle.

"Once I reach the Dou Ling level, I should be able to try refining fifth-grade pills."

Xiao Li set a goal for himself: to refine a Dou Ling to the fifth rank, a Dou Wang to the sixth rank, and a Dou Huang to the seventh rank.

"Grandpa, hasn't Teacher come back yet?" Xiao Li turned to look at Xiao Ting.

"Not yet. The place Elder Wang went to is quite far. It not only goes beyond the Jia Ma Empire, but also crosses the entire Chu Yun Empire to the territory of the Mu Lan Empire. It is said to be the place where a Dou Zun powerhouse fell, attracting countless Dou Wang, Dou Huang, and Dou Zong to go there."

Xiao Ting said slowly. To be honest, he also wanted to try his luck. His time was almost up. He had only just reached the level of an eight-star Dou Wang, and the Dou Huang realm was still a long way off.

If Xiao Ting cannot break through to the Dou Huang realm before his death, then he can only obediently pass away. Fortunately, he is at ease with the current Xiao family, as his eldest grandson Xiao Lin will break through to the Dou Wang realm in a few years.

With Xiao Lin inheriting the position of family head and Xiao Li assisting him, the Xiao family will soon become the head of the four major families!

Xiao Ting was also particularly pleased that no one in his Xiao family had any disputes over the position of family head!

On the contrary, Xiao Lin and Xiao Li humbly yielded the position of family head to each other, and now the Xiao family's overall strength has greatly improved because of Xiao Li, a fourth-grade alchemist.

The cultivation progress is most noticeable, especially among disciples at the levels of Dou Shi, Da Dou Shi, and Dou Ling.

Because of Xiao Li's existence, the Xiao family started a pill business and made connections with the Mittel family, which greatly increased the Xiao family's wealth. Now, the family finally has high-level Xuan-rank cultivation techniques and fighting skills.

"Hmm?" Xiao Ting's eyes suddenly narrowed as he sensed an astonishing aura!

boom--

Suddenly, the door of the pharmacy was kicked open, and a disheveled old man walked in. He looked so unkempt that he was almost like a beggar.

If it weren't for the pair of blue-green wings on the old man's back, which were slightly ethereal and presumably formed from his own battle qi—battle qi wings being a standard feature of powerful warriors above the Dou Wang level—this old man would have been mistaken for a beggar.

"Teacher! You're back!" Xiao Li naturally recognized that this was his teacher who had been away from him for more than half a year.

"I'm back. Honestly, I didn't get anything good and just got myself into trouble!" Wang Ming sat down on the ground angrily.

Chapter 8, Six Years

"Teacher, have some tea." Xiao Li poured a cup of tea and handed it to Wang Ming.

Wang Ming gulped it down.

"Ah—the Gama Empire is still the most comfortable." Wang Ming found a recliner, leaned back, and fell fast asleep.

Xiao Ting and the others didn't dare to bother Wang Ming. After all, Chairman Wang's friendliness towards the Xiao family was only because of Xiao Li. Although Wang Ming had taught Xiao Li for six years, he hadn't given the Xiao family any benefits.

If you want to refine pills, the old rules still apply: bring your own medicinal materials, and we will not be responsible for any success or failure.

The Xiao family's ability to do business in pills is entirely due to Xiao Li's efforts. From first-grade pills to fourth-grade pills, the Xiao family can now compete with the Alchemist Guild for business.

Of course, all of this requires the tacit approval of Chairman Wang. He is only responsible for teaching his disciples, and he doesn't care whether they use their alchemy skills to benefit the family.

Besides, the investment that Chairman Wang has made in Xiao Li over the past six years is so great that even if the entire Xiao family sold their houses, they still wouldn't be able to repay it. Everyone in the Xiao family is aware of this. Anyway, the result is quite good; their family now has a fourth-grade alchemist.

Looking at Wang Ming, who was fast asleep, Xiao Li couldn't help but smile. Over the past six years, he had come to know his teacher quite well.