Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

Looking at Zi Yan, who was somewhat pushy, Jiang Yun glanced at her coolly. It seemed he didn't say anything, but it was as if he had said everything.

Zi Yan raised her head and immediately felt a malicious vibe. Her beastly instincts told her something unfavorable was about to happen.

When she turned back, she saw Jiang Yun's "gentle" gaze and immediately felt she was overthinking.

However, Jiang Yun dared to mock her. She bared her little tiger teeth at him fiercely. Hmm... the "sharp teeth of an evil dragon."

The cheerful Zi Yan was the source of Jiang Yun's daily happiness.

Jiang Yun waved his hand, and a wisp of white flame expanded with the wind, quickly forming a pure white cauldron. Creating objects with flame was not a profound technique; as long as your soul power was sufficient, not to mention a cauldron, even a beauty could be easily formed.

In the Dou Qi Continent, alchemy cauldrons are indispensable tools for alchemists. A good cauldron can stabilize flames and medicinal liquids, increasing the success rate of refining pills. The cauldrons on the Tian Ding List are highly sought after by alchemists.

However, once you reach the ninth grade, whether you need a cauldron becomes irrelevant because such individuals themselves become the strongest "cauldron."

As for why Jiang Yun didn't need a cauldron, firstly, his soul power was innately strong. Secondly, he didn't have one. Thirdly, this was just a simple refining of medicinal materials and didn't require such complexity.

Jiang Yun had never practiced alchemy before. He recognized these medicinal materials by the labels on the counter; he knew nothing about their properties or melting points.

But Jiang Yun had an unbeatable advantage - his naturally powerful soul, sufficient to handle any unexpected situation.

While ordinary alchemists need to grind experience day and night, Jiang Yun was like a luxury player who could bypass these struggles. This made him an object of both envy and dislike.

Seeing the formed cauldron, Jiang Yun, under Zi Yan's expectant gaze, tossed the medicinal materials into the flame cauldron. Instantly, fierce flames roared inside the cauldron. The medicinal materials gradually changed under the scorching flames, and Jiang Yun cautiously tested their limits.

This refining process wasn't difficult. As long as the flames were hot enough, it didn't consume much of Jiang Yun's energy and was very quick.

Moments later, the Zi Yun fruit inside had melted completely into a sticky, purple liquid. With a wave of Jiang Yun's hand, a handful of condiments chosen by Zi Yan fell into the cauldron, merging with the sticky liquid.

Ten fingers danced rapidly in front of him, and as his fingertips moved, the mixture in the cauldron separated into dozens of small liquid clusters.

"Solidify!" With a soft command, the liquid rapidly solidified, turning into dozens of purple pills with a white glow, rotating above the Saint Sky Demon Flame in the cauldron.

Looking at the peculiar-smelling pills, Jiang Yun nodded. With a wave of his small hand, the purple pills shot out of the cauldron into the jade bottle in his hand.

He poured out one pill, holding it a dozen centimeters from his eyes. Even without a careful sniff, the enticing fragrance rushed into his nose.

No need for appraisal; it was obviously a "good pill," albeit a special version for Zi Yan.

Gulp!

A sound of swallowing came from beside Jiang Yun. It was Zi Yan, who had sneaked up to him with longing eyes.

"Here, try it!" Jiang Yun said with a smile, handing the pill to Zi Yan.

Zi Yan, eyes filled with anticipation, didn't hesitate and bit into Jiang Yun's finger—no, into the pill on his finger.

Jiang Yun felt a soft, slippery sensation on his finger, silently pulling it out, now covered with saliva. Watching Zi Yan enjoy the pill, he handed her the jade bottle.

"Seems it suits your taste. Take it. Once I refine the rest, it should last you a month."

Zi Yan nodded repeatedly, took the bottle, and quickly popped another purple pill into her mouth, chewing it up swiftly. In no time, she swallowed it down.

"Hehe, delicious!" Zi Yan showed a satisfied smile.

Watching the happy Zi Yan, Jiang Yun took out the remaining medicinal materials and refined them into different flavored pills, placing them into jade bottles.

When he handed these bottles to Zi Yan, the first bottle was already half-empty.

"Zi Yan, if you keep eating like this, the pills will soon be gone," Jiang Yun kindly reminded her, watching her constantly munching.

"Once I run out, you can refine more for me!" Zi Yan licked her lips, speaking as if it were the most natural thing.

Jiang Yun was speechless for a moment and explained, "The outer academy's medicinal library can't support your consumption. You're already equivalent to a Dou Wang among humans. Low-grade medicinal herbs might not be effective for you, and most of the outer academy's herbs are low-grade, used for refining third-grade pills. The limited high-grade herbs can't sustain your consumption."

Hearing this, Zi Yan looked troubled, reluctantly glancing at the bottle in her hand. The aroma was so enticing.

To eat freely? Not enough herbs. Not eating? Impossible!

Watching Zi Yan's adorably scrunched-up face, Jiang Yun found it amusing. Such a troubled Zi Yan was rare. Too bad there wasn't a camera or memory stone; this would make a perfect blackmail material.

At this moment, Zi Yan seemed to think of something. Her eyes lit up. She waved her small hand with some flair and said, "Jiang Yun, I'll handle the herbs. Just don't slack off when the time comes!"

Seeing the determined flames in Zi Yan's eyes, Jiang Yun felt as if he had unleashed a "monster." He had a vague idea of her plan.

Jiang Yun nodded. Zi Yan was not only his savior but also his first friend in the Dou Qi Continent. Of course, he was willing to help her with such a minor issue.

"Wait for me!" Zi Yan shouted excitedly. Jiang Yun felt a blur before his eyes and suddenly lost sight of her.

Watching the vanishing Zi Yan, Jiang Yun wasn't too worried.

Were there seventh-tier magical beasts in the outer academy forest? If any appeared, they'd be dealt with by the Jia Nan Academy immediately. Even sixth-tier magical beasts were rare.

A fifth-tier Taixu Ancient Dragon already nearing maturity was enough for Zi Yan to reign supreme in the magical beast forest.

With Zi Yan gone, Jiang Yun felt an unusual quietness, finding it a bit uncomfortable.

Having grown up without companions, he cherished his time with Zi Yan, even though he was psychologically an adult. Who said adults must get used to loneliness?

Shaking his head, Jiang Yun wondered why he suddenly became so sentimental.

Gathering his thoughts, Jiang Yun took out a medicinal herb for a first-grade pill, Blood Staunch Grass, and looked thoughtfully at it.

"Boom—" Suddenly, the Saint Sky Demon Flame in Jiang Yun's hand ignited again. Using his recent "alchemy" experience, he precisely controlled the fire needed for this low-grade herb.

The white flame quickly reduced the Blood Staunch Grass to a green liquid. Jiang Yun followed the same method, condensing it into a pill-like form intended for Zi Yan.

Looking at the green pill with white patterns, Jiang Yun had an epiphany.

But being meticulous, he took out another Blood Staunch Grass. The flame in his palm changed colors, turning deep until it was as black as ink—the other half of the Saint Sky Demon Flame.

The black fire exuded an evil, cold aura, stirring the darkest impulses in one's heart at a glance.

Following the same steps, Jiang Yun refined the herb using the black flame. This time, the pill was covered in black patterns. His intuition told him this pill had no effect; the black flame had completely consumed the Blood Staunch Grass's medicinal properties.

"Just as I thought!" Jiang Yun looked at the two identical pills derived from the same herb, confirming his hypothesis.

As a flame composed of two opposing forces, beyond arousing human desires and emotions, the Saint Sky Demon Flame's distinct properties were incredibly versatile.

The white flame was full of vitality, while the black flame was full of destruction.

Could this vibrant white flame replace the wooden attribute in alchemy, possibly advancing the craft?

Alchemy, a black technology in the Dou Qi Continent, entranced Jiang Yun. To be an alchemist, one needed a fire attribute body with a hint of wood attribute for catalysis.

People's attributes in the continent were determined by their souls, and a soul could only possess a single attribute. Hence, dual-attribute alchemists were exceedingly rare.

Remember, after ascending to the Great Thousand World, Xiao Yan's Infinite Fire Territory became one of the top three alchemy organizations. His advancement in alchemy was undeniable, with the Dou Qi Continent's techniques laying a strong foundation.

So, when Jiang Yun discovered his pure fire attribute, he had given up on alchemy. Although there was Tang Zhen, the anomaly with a pure fire attribute who produced low-level pills, this level of alchemy didn't tempt Jiang Yun much.

But now, it seemed he might still have a shot at it.

This thought stirred even Jiang Yun's calm demeanor.

With that in mind, Jiang Yun packed up and headed to the Alchemy Department to verify if he could become an alchemist.

Jiang Yun slowly walked towards the Alchemy Department. Being a prestigious profession in the Dou Qi Continent, he didn't need to ask for directions. He knew the most luxurious building in the outer academy would be the Alchemy Department.

It was a place teeming with souls imbued with fiery attributes. Even with eyes closed, Jiang Yun believed he could find it.

Upon arrival, he saw many proud-looking youths, each wearing a badge resembling a cauldron with one or two stars, indicating their alchemical prowess.

From his observation, most were first-grade alchemists, some were second-grade, but no third-grade alchemists were seen.

"Hey, have you heard? Elder Liu is personally opening the furnace to instruct us in alchemy!"

"Really? Elder Liu is a fourth-grade alchemy master. He'd be the head of the Alchemist Association in our hometown. This is a rare opportunity!"

"Let's go together."

Listening to the chatter and seeing their rush, Jiang Yun's interest was piqued. A fourth-grade alchemist's demonstration was indeed a big deal.

Following the crowd, Jiang Yun headed to the site. Many people noticed the little figure of Jiang Yun. At seven years old, he was already 1.2 meters tall, not short, but he stood out among the typically 17 or 18-year-olds.

But their curiosity wasn't piqued; watching this alchemy session was much more fascinating.

Thus, Jiang Yun successfully blended into the "scene of the crime!"

This was a plaza in the Alchemy Department, capable of holding thousands. Today, the usually sparse North Plaza was packed with people, all because of that seemingly ordinary white-haired old man at the center stage—a fourth-grade alchemist.

Using his spiritual sense, Jiang Yun found that more than half the people present were not alchemists.

That was normal. As the most prestigious profession, alchemy was high-end and mysterious to the uninformed.

A fourth-grade alchemist would be treated as a Dou Wang's honored guest, an aspiration for many present.

How could it not draw a crowd?

As time passed, Elder Liu on the stage moved. He brought out a five-foot cauldron and, with a flick, sent a yellow flame into it.

With Elder Liu's actions, the crowd quieted down gradually.

The alchemy session began!

Everyone watched Elder Liu intently, afraid to miss any detail. Jiang Yun was no exception, his bright eyes fixed on Elder Liu's every move, hoping to glimpse its essence.

Flames burned steadily in the cauldron. Elder Liu waved his hand, summoning seven medicinal herbs, dropping them one by one into the cauldron, which melted into a medicinal liquid.

(End of Chapter)