"Little Yun, be careful!"
Zi Yan looked at the figure standing with hands behind his back and reminded Jiang Yun, "Little Yun, be careful!"
Jiang Yun's gaze, however, was fixed on the pill in the medicine cauldron. After a moment of thought, he said, "Zi Yan, there might be some unforeseen circumstances later. Be careful yourself. If things become unmanageable, retreat first. You know me; a mere Pill Lightning can't harm me!"
Jiang Yun had no intention of asking Zi Yan to leave. He knew that even if he did, she wouldn't leave at a time like this.
"Mm!"
Zi Yan looked at Jiang Yun with some confusion, but seeing the seriousness in his eyes, she softly responded. As for what the situation would be like then, only she would know.
After receiving her reply, Jiang Yun looked at the thunder tribulation gathering in the sky. His placid eyes observed the pill in the medicine cauldron, and a ripple of emotion flickered within them.
Above Seventh Grade Pills were Eighth Grade Pills, the biggest difference between the two being the presence or absence of spirituality.
It was precisely because of this spirituality that Eighth Grade Pills were so precious. The more spiritual a pill was, the higher its quality would be. This was already a law in the Alchemist world.
Some highly spiritual pills could even automatically absorb pure energy from the world to replenish themselves.
The prerequisite for refining such pills was a Spiritual Realm Soul, which qualified one to imbue pills with spirituality. Since Jiang Yun now possessed one, could he imbue this Di Yuan Pill with spirituality?
Even if it couldn't reach the Grade 8 level due to the limitations of the medicinal ingredients, it could still improve its quality.
For the pill he was refining for Su Qian, Jiang Yun hoped to achieve perfection, provided he had the capital to experiment.
With that thought, Jiang Yun suddenly looked up, and his terrifying soul power erupted with full force for the first time, causing everyone present to stiffen and feel a suffocating pressure in their chests.
Even the thunder tribulation in the sky paused!
"What terrifying soul power!" Hu Gan and others stared in awe at the figure on the stage. It was the first time they realized that soul power could reach such a realm.
With such soul power, even if they faced Jiang Yun, they wouldn't be sure of victory.
"Is this the legendary Spiritual Realm Soul?" Unlike Hu Gan and the others who didn't know the divisions of soul power, Elder Huo, as an Alchemist, knew more. At this moment, he thought of a rumor.
His gaze was fixed on Jiang Yun on the stone platform, the fervor in his eyes completely undisguised!
Looking back at Jiang Yun, he saw him suddenly clench his palm, and one by one spiritual seals flew out, rapidly forming a small array!
Feeling the spiritual energy slowly gathering from the world, Jiang Yun suddenly shouted loudly.
"Gather Spirit!"
Vast soul power surged out without reservation at this moment. Countless invisible spiritual energies around were suddenly gathered by Jiang Yun around the pill.
Spiritual energy surged. With an extremely precise method, Jiang Yun slowly compressed all this spiritual energy into the pill!
And just as the surrounding spiritual energy entered the pill, the distant thunderclouds in the sky, as if drawn by some force, suddenly began to churn violently again.
This scene was like a bomb, exploding with a 'boom,' plunging the entire Inner Court into a sea of shock.
"The thunderclouds in the sky are changing!"
An unbelievable cry of surprise rang out, and countless astonished gazes were fixed on the thunderclouds above Jiang Yun's head.
Indeed, as that shift was applied, the Pill Lightning, which was about to take shape, began to churn again.
"Look, isn't there a color appearing?"
A voice of uncertainty came. Looking closely, one could see the Pill Lightning in the sky churn once, and a faint red color appeared, but ultimately, it failed to succeed and vanished into nothingness.
"It failed?"
Jiang Yun looked at the fleeting red in the sky and sighed with a touch of melancholy. However, he quickly added, "It's not really a failure. After all, it's just a Seventh Grade Pill; the quality of the medicinal ingredients is what it is. Moreover, this method is newly created and can be perfected in the future!"
"I just didn't expect that a small Spirit Gathering Array, with a slight modification, could achieve such an effect. If those guys from the Yao Clan knew, wouldn't they go crazy!"
Jiang Yun thought with ill intent, but eventually returned to reality; he still had the Pill Lightning to deal with!
At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky were growing thicker and heavier. From a distance, they looked as if they were about to press down on the ground, giving people an extremely oppressive feeling.
Within those dark clouds, silver lightning moved about, occasionally colliding and erupting into loud thunderclaps. That heavenly might made people quite terrified.
Jiang Yun looked at the Pill Lightning in the sky, then at Zi Yan, whose body was tense in front of him, and softly asked, "Do you have confidence?"
Upon hearing this, Zi Yan's beautiful eyes were fixed on the lightning moving like silver snakes within the dark clouds. Feeling the immense power contained within, a deep solemnity appeared in her eyes.
However, Zi Yan was not one to show weakness. "Hmph—, a piece of cake. How could this level of power trouble me?"
Looking at the stubborn Zi Yan, Jiang Yun chuckled. He took a step forward, took her hand, and softly said, "Alright, our mission is complete. It's time for someone else to take over!"
With a somewhat puzzled look from Zi Yan, Jiang Yun loudly declared, "Elder Qian, Elder Bai, to safely endure this Pill Lightning, we'll need the help of you two seniors!"
Upon hearing Jiang Yun's call, Su Qian and the others, who were about to make a move, paused. Then they saw two ancient gray figures slowly and strangely appear beside Jiang Yun. However, unlike last time, Jiang Yun could now feel the spatial fluctuations around them. He exchanged a glance with Zi Yan, and seeing her eyes move slightly, Jiang Yun knew she had the same feeling as him.
The previously mysterious methods became less mysterious as their strength increased.
Looking at the two familiar figures, Su Qian and the others couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. With these two out, everything would be fine!
The Two Elders Qian Bai didn't pay attention to the thunder tribulation in the sky. Instead, they looked at Jiang Yun with interest, "How did you discover us?"
Before Jiang Yun could answer, Elder Qian said with understanding, "That's right, you already possess a Spiritual Realm Soul. In this regard, we two are not as good as you. This little bit of concealment is somewhat showing off in front of you!"
Jiang Yun heard this, smiled, and remained silent, implicitly acknowledging it.
With such a big commotion in the Inner Court, even if the two of them were reclusive, it would be impossible for them not to notice. The moment the thunder tribulation appeared, Jiang Yun had sensed their presence.
With two peak Dou Zongs as backup, a mere Pill Lightning was a piece of cake!
"You are the most outstanding student I have ever seen. You have already achieved a Spiritual Realm Soul. I hope you become an Eighth-Rank Alchemist soon!" Elder Bai encouraged Jiang Yun, while also feeling a little fervent in his heart.
An Eighth-Rank Alchemist!
They had been stuck at the peak of Dou Zong for an unknown period. If they established a connection with an Eighth-Rank Alchemist, wouldn't reaching Dou Zun be just around the corner?
"This junior will!"
Looking at the unpretentious Jiang Yun, The Two Elders Qian Bai nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at the thunder tribulation in the sky.
"Boom!"
The silver lightning intertwined more and more intensely within the dark clouds. About ten seconds later, a crack suddenly opened in the dark clouds, and then a silver lightning bolt, about half a foot wide, erupted with a thunderous roar that echoed through the heavens and earth.
Like a giant silver python, it shot out from the dark clouds, and its target was precisely the pill in the medicine cauldron in front of Jiang Yun on the stone platform.
"Pill Lightning! It's been a long time since I've seen one!" Elder Bai looked at the descending Pill Lightning and said with emotion.
"Hundred-Split Finger!"
He murmured softly, and then Elder Bai gently pointed a finger. The next moment, to the shock of countless people, the Pill Lightning, which was emitting terrifying power, was thus broken into pieces.
Perhaps it was Elder Bai's easy dispersal of the lightning that made the dense dark clouds churn even more violently. A moment later, a 'chi la' sound echoed again, and a silver lightning bolt, twice as thick as the previous one, once again shot out from the dark clouds.
"Haha, the power is quite good. As expected of a peak Seventh Grade Pill that almost attracted colored Pill Lightning!"
With a light chuckle, Elder Bai's placid, ancient eyes also showed a hint of surprise. Two pairs of withered hands slowly extended from his sleeves, and he slowly formed strange hand seals.
As he moved, violent spatial fluctuations suddenly permeated the air. As this space undulated, the space around the falling lightning also became severely distorted, like countless wrinkles. It looked twisted and warped, and visibility was directly distorted.
"Bang—"
A crisp sound rang out. The lightning bolt was once again torn to shreds by spatial power, turning into countless tiny electric sparks, densely packed like small silver snakes, scattering all over the stone platform.
With two consecutive lightning bolts returning in vain, the dark clouds seemed to become even more enraged. Immediately, countless silver flashes appeared, and bolts of lightning, like silver pythons, broke through the restraints of the dark clouds, then one after another, they fiercely struck down onto the stone platform.
"Together!"
Accompanied by the voice, The Two Elders Qian Bai formed seals together, and the surrounding spatial fluctuations became increasingly violent.
Finally, the two withered fingers lightly traced in the air, and then, to everyone's horror, the sky where the lightning fell was suddenly torn apart as if by an invisible giant hand, and a huge spatial rift quietly appeared.
And those terrifying lightning bolts fell one after another into the endless, pitch-black spatial rift that seemed to have no end, without causing the slightest ripple.
After half an hour of such bombardment, the lightning power within the dark clouds in the sky finally ran out.
The dark clouds gradually stopped churning, and their color slowly faded. Clearly, this Pill Lightning had ended.
As the dark clouds faded, the oppressive feeling that enveloped the entire Inner Court finally completely dissipated. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Under that heavenly might, it had been truly too stifling.
After the Pill Lightning dissipated, The Two Elders Qian Bai encouraged Jiang Yun a few more times, then once again mysteriously vanished.
After The Two Elders Qian Bai left, Jiang Yun turned his gaze to the Di Yuan Pill in the medicine cauldron. Even now, a satisfied smile appeared on Jiang Yun's lips. With a wave of his hand, he took out a jade bottle from his storage ring and carefully placed the Di Yuan Pill into it.
"Little Yun, quickly let me see!" At this moment, a cry of surprise came, accompanied by a waft of fragrant air. Zi Yan's figure had already appeared beside Jiang Yun. She leaned towards the jade bottle in Jiang Yun's hand, her eyes unblinkingly fixed on the pill inside, and a hint of sparkling drool ungracefully appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"This is for the Great Elder. You can't just eat it!" Jiang Yun chuckled, teasing Zi Yan. He flipped his palm, putting away the jade bottle.
"I know. Am I really that thoughtless?" Zi Yan shot Jiang Yun an annoyed look. Did she only know how to eat? "Anyway, Little Yun will definitely refine one for me in the future, right?"
Looking at Jiang Yun with a beaming smile, her crescent-shaped eyes revealed her current mood.
Jiang Yun heard this, chuckled, and neither agreed nor refuted.
"Jiang Yun!"
A whooshing sound came, and Su Qian, leading several elders, gathered around.
"Great Elder, fortunately, it was a success on the first try, without wasting any medicinal ingredients. Moreover, in my estimation, this Di Yuan Pill should be able to raise the Great Elder by two stars. As for three stars, that will likely depend on fate!"
Amidst everyone's fervent gazes, Jiang Yun handed the jade bottle to the Great Elder!
"Jiang Yun." Hearing Jiang Yun's words, even someone as steady as Su Qian couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart. Breaking through three levels!
Looking at Jiang Yun in front of him, a thousand words ultimately turned into a simple statement!
"Thank you!"
Jiang Yun smiled and shook his head, urging, "Great Elder should go and refine it quickly!"
Nodding, Su Qian didn't act coy. After making arrangements, he hurried off to go into seclusion and refine the pill.
Afterwards, Jiang Yun was dragged by Elder Huo to discuss alchemy for three days, before finally being released back to his dormitory by the satisfied Elder Huo.
As soon as he returned to the dormitory, Jiang Yun saw a purple figure sitting in the courtyard, resting her head on one hand, idly playing with the pendant in her hand.
It was made by Jiang Yun from the remnants of the Bodhi Tree, and it had the effect of nourishing the soul.
At this moment, all was silent, and the soft moonlight fell upon Zi Yan, imbuing her with a sense of sanctity, forming a graceful picture.
This sight, which Jiang Yun had never witnessed before, stirred a ripple in his eyes. It seemed Zi Yan could also be quiet.
"What's wrong?" After watching for a long time, Jiang Yun slowly walked over. His footsteps attracted Zi Yan's attention. Seeing the melancholy in Zi Yan's eyes, Jiang Yun couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing!" Zi Yan shook her head and immediately smiled, "Shall we go?"
Jiang Yun nodded. Zi Yan disliked the sorrow of parting, and he disliked it too. So, they decided to leave quietly under the cover of night.
"Do you think we're like a young couple eloping?" Seeing Jiang Yun nod, Zi Yan suddenly became excited and asked with interest.
"Not at all!" Meeting Zi Yan's bright eyes, Jiang Yun, being a straightforward man, replied.
"Tch—, boring!" Hearing the answer, Zi Yan pouted, quite disappointed.
"Let's go!"
Jiang Yun put down a letter and said to Zi Yan beside him.
Hmphing, Zi Yan shot Jiang Yun a glare, then tossed her long hair. Dou Qi wings condensed behind her, transforming into a purple stream of light that shot towards the sky.
Jiang Yun chuckled, then also condensed a pair of white Dou Qi wings, closely following Zi Yan's pace.
Just as the two were about to leave the confines of Jia Nan Academy, a familiar and powerful aura suddenly erupted from the Inner Court.
"It's Old Su!" Zi Yan stopped and said with a hint of surprise.
"Mm, it seems the Great Elder has broken through, and with very good luck, to Six-Star Dou Zong. He's seeing us off!"
"Who needs him to see us off?"
As the voices faded into the distance, the figures of Jiang Yun and Zi Yan also disappeared into the far horizon.
In the courtyard, Su Qian put down the letter in his hand, looking at the direction the two had left with complex emotions, and softly murmured.
"Fly, the Dou Qi Continent has a vast sky for you to soar. If you ever get tired, come home and visit."