'The Bone Chilling Fme was too powerful to be directly devoured by the Fme Mantra. If there were a lower-ranked Heavenly Fme, I could first devour the weaker fme tthen myself, and then attempt to devour the Bone Chilling Fme.'

  The Fme Mantra was both immensely powerful and mysterious. It was capable of leveling up by dev Heavenly Fmes and incorporating them into the body as a part of oo rapidly increase one's cultivation level. However, the issue was that Xiao Yan's body could not withstand the terrifying energy of the Bone Chilling Fme.

  Simply put, his cultivation level was too low, his body too weak, and the energy of the Bone Chilling Fme to. Before the Fme Mantra could even begin to devour the Heavenly Fme, his body would be ied first.

  Xiao Yan opehe Heavenly Fme Ranking, whose author he did not know. The rankiailed the twenty-three kinds of Heavenly Fme on the Dou Qi ti with extensive illustrations and expnations.

  Ranked 23rd in the Heavenly Fme Ranking was the Mysterious Yellow Fme. It was borween the Yin and Yang energies of the world. It merged into one, formless yet overwhelming, carrying the weight of the os upon its maion.

  Taking the 22nd position was the Ten Thousa Fme. It was born in nds teeming with the vitality of myriad beasts. It was a fusion of the strength and spirit of tless creatures and had a hue that enpassed the essence of all wildlife. It served as a guardiahat promoted the vitality and prosperity of all beasts.

  Positioned on the 21st was the Yin-Yang Twi inated in the void betweeherworld and the mortal realm and dispyed bd white tones akin to the Yin-Yang symbol floating through the void. These fmes embodied the natural ws of creation aru, with the Yang Fme capable of saving life and f endless growth, while the Yin Fme brought death as it left nothing but ashes.

  Ranked 20th was the Ghostly Poiso was born in the a poisonous ss of the herworld. Over millennia, it absorbed the endless poisonous miasma. It took turies for its spirit to form and ma. When fully developed, its greenish hue resembled ghostly fires pierg through the poisonous vapors. Its deadly, poisonous nature made it untouchable by most, and only those with a Woeful Poison Body were able to absorb it.

  The 19th on the ranking was the Green Lotus Core Fme. It was formed deep underground and had undergohe polishing, fusion, pression, and carving of the p's fme. It formed a spirit in ten years, took shape in a hundred years, and transformed into a lotus in a thousand years. When it was fully formed, its color would tilt toward the green side, and the lotus core would form a cluster of green fme called the Green Lotus Core Fme. The power of this fme was uable, as it was capable of trolling the power of voloes and f a destructive force of nature.

  Xiao Yan focused on the descriptions of the st five kinds of Heavenly Fme. If he wished to quickly devour a Heavenly Fme to increase his strength, these st five would undoubtedly be the best options.

  He didn't know who had piled the Heavenly Fme Ranking, but it was anized acc to the strength of the Heavenly Fmes.

  Ie ring, Xiao Yan found a record, or rather a diary, that detailed the previous owner's process of subduing the Bone Chilling Fme. The previous owner had ed a 5th-tier Blood Lotus Essence Pill, and even with his Dou King cultivation realm, he was almost reduced to ashes. It was at the st moment that he mao subdue the Bone Chilling Fme.

  This meant that if he wao pletely devour the Bone Chilling Fme with the Fme Mantra, he would have to refine a 5th-tier Blood Lotus Essence Pill and possess at least the cultivation of a Dou King to stand any ce.

  The Blood Lotus Essence Pill could form a protective scab of blood within the body that could protect both the interior aerior from the damage caused by the fmes.

  Xiao Yan had always asked Ya Fei to keep an eye on the medial ingredients for the Blood Lotus Essence Pill. The ste ring that Ya Fei had given him tained all the auxiliary ingredients except for some of the main ingredients for the Blood Lotus Essence Pill.

  'If I had the Blood Lotus Essence Pill, would I have a ce to devour the st ranked Mysterious Yellow Fme when I bee a Dou Spirit? Maybe as a Dou Grandmaster? No, it might even be possible as a peak Dou Master. After all, there's a trace of the Bone Chilling Fme within my body. If I use it to protect myself, it might just work.'

  Xiao Ya mulling over this, but soon, he was lying on the ground with a face full of deje.

  'As, a 5th-tier medial pill... how am I supposed to train for that? In my head? I 't even refine a 3rd-tier medial pill right now.' Xiao Yan had gained a lot of insight into alchemy and had been able to refine 2nd-tier medial pills after witnessing Hun Huzi's alchemy teique once. However, 3rd-tier medial pills were too difficult for him.

  The difficulty y not in the refi process, but in gathering the ingredients. In Wu Tan City, gathering the ingredients for a 3rd-tier medial pill was truly challenging for him.

  Alchemists were like gold-eatis. Besides high-tier alchemists to learn from their alchemy, much of alchemy involved relentless practid learning from failure. The higher the tier of a medial pill, the rarer the ingredients required. Even with the assistance of a Heavenly Fme, success was hard to e by.

  Gathering a plete set of ingredients for a 3rd-tier medial pill was simply too difficult!

  Xiao Yan lifted his right hand and looked at the S on it. Currently, two paths y before him. The first was to join Xun Er and the others at Jia Nan Academy to study and cultivate until he was strong enough to directly devour the Bone Chilling Fme.

  Jia Nan Academy was the most prestigious advanced academy on the Dou Qi ti. It was almost a sacred p the hearts of all youths.

  Located at the jun between the Jia Ma Empire and two other major empires, the Jia Nan Academy maintained aed status even in such a wless area. This spoke volumes about the strength of the academy.

  Had he not cultivated the Fme Mantra, Xiao Yan would definitely have chosen to study at Jia Nan Academy.

  The sed path had to do with the Hall of Souls token ihe ste ring.

  He had solved Hun Huzi's puzzle aoxified the poison. Acc to Hun Huzi, he could now take that token to the Hall of Souls in the imperial capital.

  The S tained books with maps of the Dou Qi ti, one of which detailed the ti's major fas. They were described as "One Hall, Oower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, Four Pavilions." The Hall of Souls was sidered to be one of the tanizations on the Dou Qi ti, and its influence spread across the entire nd.

  However, the problem was that acc to the books, the Hall of Souls resembled more of an evil and terrifying anization!

  They were stantly kidnapping talented alchemists and seizing powerful soul bodies.

  Xiao Yan uood that Hun Huzi had likely given him the token because he saw the potential in his naturally strong soul and his talent as an alchemist.

  Although the Hall of Souls was filled with unknown dangers, there was no denying that if he wao gather information about Heavenly Fmes and learn more advanced alchemy teiques, entering the Hall of Souls was the best way to go.

  Power was just like a k depended on how the wielder decided to use it. Whether to cut people etables was entirely up to the wielder.

  'Where do I even start looking for Heavenly Fmes?'

  Xiao Yan g the sky, noticed that it was getting te, and thehe cave.

  He had just returo the 's entrance when he happeo spot a familiar silhouette. It was the delicate figure of a young girl, standing elegantly in the courtyard and exuding an exceptional beauty.

  "Xun Er has finally decided to e back."

  Xun Er heard Xiao Yan's void turo look, just in time to see him returning from outside the gate. She stuck out her tongue and said with a soft ugh, "Xun Er just finished a closed-door cultivation session. All I heard after ing out of seclusion was about Xiao Yan ge-ge's glorious deeds."

  Xun Er was referring, of course, to Xiao Yan's public dispy of alchemy and how he had nearly bankrupted the two major s without shedding a drop of blood.

  "It's nothing big, just refining a few medial pills. What's so great about that?" Xiao Yan shrugged nontly.

  Seeing Xiao Yan's expression that seemed to be begging for a beating, Xun Er's ughter was clear and sweet, "Then gratutions to Xiao Yan ge-ge. No matter what tier of alchemist you are or what your cultivation level is, Jia Nan Academy will surely make a special exception for you. Xiao Yan ge-ge, you don't eveo take the entrance exam to ehe academy."

  Xiao Yan's expression showed a hint of hesitation upon hearing about Jia Nan Academy.

  Xun Er keenly caught this subtle ge and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Xiao Yan ge-ge? Don't you want to go to Jia Nan Academy for further studies?"

  "It's ly that. Rather than cultivating Dou Qi at Jia Nan Academy, I'm now more ied in obtaining a Heavenly Fme right now," Xiao Yan didn't hide his desire, as a Heavenly Fme was something every alchemist dreamed of.

  Xun Er blinked when she heard his words, "Heavenly Fme? But Jia Nan Academy has one. Didn't Cousin Xiao Yu mention it to you?"

  "????"

  "..."

  "That blockhead!!!"