The next day, Xiao Yan got up early and began Pill Refining after cultivating for two hours.
With the Sect Assembly approaching, most of the Flame Alliance members were diligently cultivating and practicing Dou Techniques.
As for Xiao Yan, the poor soul had to pay for his upcoming advanced studies at Canaan Academy, he had to refine pills to pay off his debts! However, this time Xiao Yan wasn't refining any particularly difficult pills, just Fifth Grade Pills, mainly Dou Wang Pills and Emperor Breakthrough Pills.
The reason was simple: these two types of pills were what the Flame Alliance needed most urgently.
The Gama Empire wasn't a sect-based empire like the Heavenly Serpent Empire, where most of the strong were from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. The Gama Empire had many rogue cultivators, like the Gama Ten Strongest back in the day, half of whom were Dou Wangs who didn't belong to any faction.
For example, the Wind Walker and Yan Shi, the Ten Strongest that Xiao Yan had met in the Snake-People Empire's Holy City, had only participated in the Sect Assembly to make a name for themselves.
But now, both of them had joined the Flame Alliance and agreed to serve the Xiao Clan, because they needed pills, they needed an Emperor Breakthrough Pill.
When Xiao Yan was a Dou Shi, they were Dou Wangs, and now that Xiao Yan was a Dou Huang, they were still Dou Wangs, but fortunately, they had reached the peak of Nine Stars. With the Emperor Breakthrough Pill, they should be able to advance to Dou Huang without any accidents.
The biggest attraction of the Xiao Clan, or rather the Flame Alliance, was Xiao Yan Brand Pills. No one would say that the pills refined by Xiao Yan were of poor quality, after all, Xiao Yan used Strange Flame to refine them.
Don't underestimate the Flame Alliance as a loose alliance that doesn't interfere with internal affairs. Xiao Yan had launched a major initiative when he created it, issuing a currency called Flame Coin within the alliance.
To buy pills refined by Xiao Yan, you could only use Flame Coins, and only the four leaders were qualified to issue them. Moreover, Flame Coins could be used in all the Flame Alliance's member states, meaning that you had to work for the Flame Alliance to get Flame Coins to buy Xiao Yan's top-quality pills, and these Flame Coins could also be used as money.
So, Xiao Yan only needed to know how many Flame Coins Yun Yun, the Snake-People Empire, and Yao Ye had given to know how many pills he owed.
Moreover, Xiao Yan wasn't refining pills for nothing. They needed to provide corresponding resources to the Xiao Clan or cultivate the Xiao Clan's disciples to earn Flame Coins from the Xiao Clan.
Seeing the table full of Medicinal Herbs, Xiao Yan felt a headache. Fortunately, the Medicinal Herbs were provided by the Flame Alliance, and he only had to focus on Pill Refining.
Little Princess Yue Er sat on a stool to the side, her eyes shining as she watched Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan was also teaching the Little Princess Pill Refining, so she could share some of the burden in the future.
Xiao Yan didn't use the Black Demon, but used the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron. With a whoosh, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame appeared in his palm and was gently thrown into the Pill Refining furnace.
Refining Fifth Grade Pills was absolutely no difficulty for Xiao Yan. Even the Emperor Breakthrough Pill, which was close to Sixth Grade in difficulty, was a piece of cake. Sometimes, he could even produce two or three pills in one batch, his technique was exquisite.
However, the quantity was simply too large, forcing Xiao Yan to refine pills continuously for three days before he finally finished!
"Wow! Xiao Yan Master, handsome!" The Little Princess's delicate and sweet voice rang out, a voice that sounded crisp and childish, with an indescribable charm.
Little Princess Yue Er had already grown very beautiful, with a face like powder and jade, a pair of beautiful eyes that were round and large, clear and bright, especially her nose, which was simply God's finishing touch, difficult to fault, and cherry lips that were pink and charming. At this moment, the Little Princess had completely become Xiao Yan's fan.
"Hey, Young Master Xiao Yan, the manager of Yellow Springs Rare Goods Pavilion is here, in the main hall," Nalan Yanran called from afar.
The Little Princess watched Xiao Yan's departing figure, then her gaze slowly moved down, suddenly recalling the incident from a few years ago, her pretty face couldn't help but flush red, her eyes a little shy, and she murmured, "Sister, don't waste it."
Naturally, Xiao Yan couldn't possibly know what strange things Yue Er was thinking. What surprised him a little was that the Yellow Springs Pavilion even had some very rare Soul-type Medicinal Herbs, allowing Xiao Yan to gather two portions of the Greater Soul Black-Purple Pill's Medicinal Herbs.
Moreover, he had also gathered a portion of the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill!
The larger the force, the more likely it was to collect Medicinal Herbs and some rare treasures, not to mention in a treasure land like Central State.
After trading for the Medicinal Herbs, Xiao Yan didn't immediately refine the Greater Soul Black-Purple Pill and the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, but left the Residence.
At this time, on the summit of a mountain outside the Heavenly Serpent Empire's capital, bursts of wind-breaking sounds came. From a distance, one could see sword lights flashing on the summit, and a graceful figure was practicing sword techniques with a Green Edge Sword in hand.
"Hmm?" Sensing someone approaching, Yun Yun was first stunned, then shook her head helplessly after knowing who it was, and said, "I wonder what brings Xiao Yan Master here?"
Yun Yun's voice sounded very comfortable, crisp and soft, yet with a hint of coquettishness, but more than that, it was dignified and elegant. Such a voice was refreshing to the mind.
Just listening to such a voice, one could imagine an elegant and noble person, mature with a touch of charm, charming but not vulgar, dignified and upright, one could tell at a glance that she was someone who had been in a high position for a long time but had a gentle heart.
At this time, Xiao Yan slowly walked up the mountain peak. Today, Yun Yun was wearing a goose-yellow dress, with a small cloud dotted on the chest of the dress, making her look so elegant and mature.
Although Yun Yun was much older than Xiao Yan, she looked only close to thirty, with outstanding demeanor, and a mature and noble charm that was evident at a glance.
If one didn't know Yun Yun and feel the mature aura on her body, one would feel that she was a young woman who had already married, but within this mature charm, there was also the freshness of a maiden who had not experienced worldly affairs.
There was a kind of charm of waiting to be married, mature just right, but not too ripe.
"Eight Star Dou Huang?"
Yun Yun sheathed her sword and nodded, "Yes, I just broke through to Eight Stars yesterday."
Hai Bo Dong was probably crying his eyes out.
"Do you need something?" Yun Yun asked with a hint of doubt in her eyes.
"Well, I just got a good sword and wanted you to teach me a few sword moves." Xiao Yan raised the sword in his hand. Although this sword was not as good as Nalan Yanran's Yun Slaughter Black Sword, it was a good one among Seventh Grade swords.
Yun Yun blinked her beautiful eyes, but since Xiao Yan had spoken, she nodded.
However, after Yun Yun exchanged a few moves with Xiao Yan, she discovered that Xiao Yan truly had no foundation whatsoever, and it seemed like no matter how she taught him, he wouldn't improve, full of flaws.
Before long, Xiao Yan waved his hand and spread his hands, saying, "Forget it, forget it, I really don't have the talent for swordsmanship. The sword is not suitable for me after all."
With a whoosh, Xiao Yan tossed the sword in his hand to Yun Yun, who caught the sword thrown by Xiao Yan with a bewildered expression.
"Don't waste this sword. It'll only gather dust if it stays with me. Here, take it. Consider it repayment for letting me off the hook with the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame back then."
Yun Yun was completely stunned. This acting and excuse were so bad!
Yun Yun smiled, her mature and noble charm making hearts flutter, and said, "Even without me back then, you would have been able to escape, right?"
Xiao Yan shook his head and said, "No, if it weren't for you back then, I'm afraid I would have had to pay a great price, and it might have even affected my subsequent refining of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. Maybe the refining would have failed."
Xiao Yan wasn't wrong. At that time, he only had Mao Wu, who had just been born, and the Ten Thousand Beasts Spirit Flame as his trump cards. If he forcibly used the Ten Thousand Beasts Spirit Flame to detonate the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame that hadn't been refined yet, even if he didn't die, he would still suffer serious injuries. If he injured his foundation, it would be very troublesome, and might even affect his subsequent cultivation.
Yun Yun rolled her eyes at Xiao Yan, walked closer to Xiao Yan, and returned the sword to him, saying, "You helped me save the Yunlan Sect back then, and that's already repaid everything. If it weren't for you, the Yunlan Sect would have already disbanded and ceased to exist, and it would be impossible for it to be like it is now."
"I can't accept such a valuable thing."
"Besides, you also helped Nalan Yanran refine the Huangtian Pill. I owe you too much."
Xiao Yan looked at the beauty in front of him, sighed inwardly, and spread his hands, saying, "Alright, since you say so, then grant me a small wish. I haven't had grilled fish in a long time, and your disciple's grilling is like charcoal."
Hearing Xiao Yan mention grilled fish, Yun Yun's cheeks flushed red, and she was at a loss for a moment. The things that happened in the mountain cave those few days were also hard for her to forget, especially when the Ten Thousand Beasts Spirit Flame entered Xiao Yan's body. The scenes in it made Yun Yun feel a little hot and unbearable every time she recalled them.
"You! You quickly forget about it." Yun Yun said, her cheeks flushed red, pretending to be angry.
Xiao Yan immediately laughed loudly and said, "Hahaha, you still remember it too. You forget it first."
Of course, in the end, Xiao Yan didn't get to eat grilled fish, and he couldn't avoid being lightly beaten by Yun Yun.
In the remaining few days, Xiao Yan also began to be serious and began to refine the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, a Seventh Grade low-level pill.
Although he didn't know who Elder Qing auctioned Han Feng's Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill for, Xiao Yan planned to refine one for Qing Lin as a meeting gift.
He planned to attend the banquet held by the Heavenly Serpent Mansion in a few days to see Qing Lin with his own eyes and ask her what she was thinking now.
The difficulty of refining the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill is definitely not low among the Seventh Grade low-level pills. After all, this is a medicine formula created by Medicine Venerable, and even the refining technique is very special.
But fortunately, Xiao Yan obtained all of Medicine Venerable's inheritance, so refining this Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill was very easy and smooth.
In the Space Lock created by Heavenly Flame Venerable, a dark cloud appeared.
Pill Lightning is very magical. No matter where you are, this Pill Lightning is like a punishment from heaven. Even if you hide in a Space Lock, there will still be thunderclouds of Pill Lightning appearing.
Knowing that Xiao Yan was going to refine a Seventh Grade Pill, not only Little Princess Yue Er, but everyone in the Flame Alliance, including the Nethersea Flood Dragon, came to watch.
"He actually succeeded in one try!" Jia Xing Tian saw the thunderclouds in the sky, and at this time he was already amazed. Judging from the intensity of these thunderclouds, it definitely had the power of a Five Star Dou Zong's strike.
In other words, Xiao Yan's Seventh Grade low-level Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill had already reached a very high quality among the Seventh Grade low-level pills, and it was also successfully refined in one try. It was conceivable how terrifying Xiao Yan's Pill Refining skills were.
"This guy is much more terrifying than I thought back then." Hai Bo Dong couldn't help but sigh, investing in him back then was truly the most correct thing he had done in his life.
Without any accident, the strike of a Five Star Dou Zong was terrifying, but it was just a single strike, and there were many ways to resist a single strike. However, Xiao Yan still used the old method, using the Five Round Li Fire Method to form a Strange Flame shield to block the lightning strike.
"Xiao Yan... your current strength wouldn't already be equivalent to a Dou Zong, right?" Seeing Xiao Yan block the Pill Lightning without any damage, Jia Xing Tian asked in surprise.
Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head, saying, "Elder Jia, this is just a single strike. Without Dou Qi support, it's easy to be exhausted. If a real Five Star Dou Zong takes action, I can only escape. It's impossible to beat them."
Of course, Xiao Yan didn't say that he couldn't beat low-level Dou Zongs. He really couldn't beat Five Star Dou Zongs without relying on Heavenly Flame Venerable's Soul power, but those One Star Dou Zongs without Earth Rank Cultivation Methods were not necessarily the case.
"Elder Jia, you are now the face of our Flame Alliance. We still need you for the banquet tomorrow night."
Tomorrow night was the banquet held by the Heavenly Serpent Mansion to formally announce Qing Lin as the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. The Flame Alliance originally didn't have an invitation, after all, a second-rate force that had just been born for two or three years was not qualified to be valued by the Heavenly Serpent Mansion.
The news of Jia Xing Tian's breakthrough to Dou Zong had not yet spread that far to the Heavenly Serpent Empire, only the Three Great Empires knew a little about it.
However, Xiao Yan knew the old shopkeeper of the Yellow Springs Rare Goods Pavilion, and with his help, he got an invitation, allowing three people to attend.
Naturally, Jia Xing Tian, the strongest, was going to go with him, and Xiao Yan chose to bring Zi Yan to fill the other spot.
After resting for a day, Xiao Yan thought for a while, then took out the Alchemist Robe and put it on.
After all, the halo of an Alchemist is more dazzling than any dress. Xiao Yan's purpose this time was to get close to Qing Lin, so Jia Xing Tian led the team, and he followed behind Jia Xing Tian to cover his tracks.
In the evening, a luxurious carriage stopped in front of the Flame Alliance Residence. After the three of Xiao Yan got into the carriage, it slowly headed towards the giant snake statue.
If you think that the Heavenly Serpent Mansion in the center of the Heavenly Serpent Capital is the same as the periphery, with rows of houses, then you are completely wrong. The Heavenly Serpent Mansion located in the center of the capital is a vast mountain forest, which is completely different from the Imperial Palace of the Gama Empire, because this is where snakes live, not where people live! The entire Heavenly Serpent Mansion is actually a forest, mountains, and wetlands. Entering the Heavenly Serpent Mansion is like entering a snake's nest, and venomous snakes spitting out snake letters can be seen everywhere on the ground and in the trees.
Although these are just ordinary snakes, you can do anything you want within the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, except kill snakes.
Even if a snake rushes to bite you, you can only let it bite you, and then seek help from the snake race of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion to detoxify. If you kill these most ordinary snakes within the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, it is equivalent to declaring war on the Heavenly Serpent Mansion.
For the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, these snakes are their people.
Although there is still some time before the Heavenly Serpent Mansion Holy Maiden's banquet, the Heavenly Serpent Mansion is already crowded with people, and guests from all directions are flocking in.
Even forces that are not weaker than the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, such as the Thunder Sect, the Medicine Bone Sect, or some other ancient sects and empires, have sent strong individuals to attend.
At this moment, in a mountain range within the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, there is a luxurious open-air hot spring. A woman with long cyan hair is lying on the edge of the hot spring, looking at the bright moon in the sky and murmuring, "Young Master Xiao Yan... why haven't you come to pick up Qing Lin yet?"
If one day, I suddenly stop updating, don't worry, I may just have been caught and quarantined. It's a bit serious recently, and I don't know if it will be locked down. Updates will be slow, everyone who understands, understands.
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