Tier-9 Alchemist, Ye Chen!
Tier-9 Alchemists were extremely rare across the continent. The few known were Old Shen Nong, Hun Huzi, and Elder Yao Wanhuo. Even though Elder Yan Wanhuo only had 20% success rate in refining Mysterious Pills, his success rate in refining Treasure Pills reached 50%, solidifying his status as a Tier-9 alchemist. Yao Dan, the head of the Yao Clan, was also at this level.
Beyond these few, there were likely only a handful of Tier-9 alchemists on the continent, as refining such pills required harnessing the power of the heavens and earth, which meant the alchemist needed to be at least at the Five-Stars Dou Saint level. Pill Tower Ancestor, one of the examples of such an alchemist.
Li Xiao eagerly activated the system's reward card. As a soft white light enveloped the space, a figure materialized—a man with white hair, dressed in white robes, whose appearance was refined and elegant. Though not as stunning as Li Xiao, his looks would still be considered exceptional in the Dou Qi Continent.
The white-robed man gracefully flicked his robe and knelt respectfully before Li Xiao. "This subordinate, Ye Chen, greets the Pavilion Master!"
Li Xiao scrutinized Ye Chen and found him a bit different from what he had expected. Ye Chen was only a One-Star Dou Saint, far from the Five-Star Dou Saint required for most high-level ninth-tier alchemists.
However, the system promptly provided an explanation: Ye Chen's soul strength had already reached the pinnacle of the Heaven State, just a step away from breaking into the Divine State.
Soul power at the Spirit State was necessary to craft eighth-tier pills, Heaven State for ninth-tier pills, and Divine State for God-Tier pills.
Although slightly disappointed, Li Xiao accepted the situation. After all, having a ninth-tier alchemist like Ye Chen was still a significant advantage. Without him, Li Xiao would have had to keep purchasing pills from the system, which would have been a waste of resources.
With a wave of his hand, Li Xiao summoned the Flame Mantra. "Ye Chen, from now on, you will cultivate this technique. I will help you obtain the best Heavenly Flame to assist you in crafting higher-quality pills."
"The fifth floor of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion will be your personal alchemy chamber," he added.
Ye Chen bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you, Pavilion Master."
Satisfied with the arrangements, Li Xiao spent a large sum of system points to purchase a special cauldron for Ye Chen, one capable of withstanding the lightning tribulation that formed when crafting Tier-9 pills. With the Heaven Ascending Pavilion's protection, he was confident that even the most destructive heavenly lightning would not cause any significant trouble.
For Ye Chen, an alchemy enthusiast, a cauldron was akin to a lifeline. He couldn't hide his delight when presented with the cauldron, treating it as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
Seeing Ye Chen's obsession with the cauldron, Bai Ling approached cautiously and asked, "Pavilion Master, is there something wrong with this guy? His look is pretty good, but… his head…" She swirled her finger beside her temple to make a point.
Li Xiao chuckled, playfully pinching Bai Ling's nose. "Don't talk nonsense. This man is now the top alchemist of our Heaven Ascending Pavilion. Whatever he needs in the future, make sure he gets it."
Bai Ling pouted and replied, "Got it~"
Over the next period, Li Xiao and the rest focused on their cultivation. After breaking through to the Dou Emperor level, Li Xiao noticed a significant slowdown in his cultivation speed. Currently, he had only advanced to the Four-Stars Dou Emperor realm, and he estimated it would take at least another month to reach Five-Stars.
"Master, Master~"
A soft voice pulled Li Xiao out of his meditation. He slowly opened his eyes, exhaling deeply, and walked out of his room.
There, Xiao Yixian stood, beaming as she held a basket of freshly picked peaches. "Teacher, the peach trees have borne fruit. We can finally eat the peaches!"
"Oh?" Li Xiao's interest was piqued. Every year during this season, he would lead the members of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion to harvest fresh peaches. While the peach blossoms outside the Pavilion might have withered, within the Pavilion's grounds, it was always a perpetual spring.
Hand in hand with Xiao Yixian, Li Xiao stepped outside the Heaven Ascending Pavilion. Before them was the sight of Amethyst Winged Lion King and the other three magical beasts busily picking peaches.
Amethyst Winged Lion King had recently broken through to the Dou Ancestor level, while the other rank five magical beasts had reached the Dou Emperor level. Moreover, they had all consumed the Transformation Pill bestowed by Li Xiao.
In the pavilion's never-ending springtime, life was vibrant and teeming with vitality, with magical beasts and humans living in a harmonious balance that felt almost fantastical.
Amethyst Winged Lion King Jr. had also grown into a rank five magical beast. Thanks to the Transformation Pill, its cultivation speed had far surpassed that of the three rank six magical beasts. It was advancing rapidly, far beyond what anyone had expected.
Ling Long, Lian Xue, Bing Shuang, Bai Ling, and Niu Meng all sensed the presence of the Pavilion Master and quickly set aside their tasks. They hurried over, bowing deeply with respect.
"Greetings, Pavilion Master!" they shouted in unison.
The magical beasts also prostrated themselves, lowering their heads in reverence. Their respect for Li Xiao had surpassed all limits, and they often regretted not having become his mounts sooner. Now, they all felt blessed to cultivate under his guidance, each experiencing rapid progress that allowed them to advance by leaps and bounds.
"Brother Li Xiao." Qing Lin, shy as always, approached with a ripe peach in hand. Blushing, she offered it to him. "Here, have a peach."
"Thank you, Qing Lin," Li Xiao replied, taking the peach and gently ruffling her hair. "But tell me, why aren't you all busy cultivating?"
"Today is the peach harvest, so we're taking a few days off to relax," Yun Yun explained, emerging from the Heaven Ascending Pavilion with Nalan Yanran. After extensive cultivation, Yun Yun had reached the Nine-Stars Dou Emperor realm, on the verge of breaking through to the Dou Ancestor realm.
Nalan Yanran, however, was still at the Dou Spirit level, showing no signs of reaching the Dou King stage just yet. But her legs had grown even more slender and graceful.
Yun Yun, with a hint of shyness, bit her alluring red lips as she entwined her arm with Li Xiao's. "Husband, it's been a while."
Li Xiao nodded gently and responded with warmth, "Indeed, how have you been? Have you missed me?"
Blushing furiously, Yun Yun pressed herself closer to Li Xiao's arm, causing the others around them to smile knowingly.
"I have… I've missed you every single day, every moment…"
Seeing her usually reserved master act so coquettish, Nalan Yanran couldn't help but be flabbergasted. In her mind, her master had always been composed and aloof, much like her sister. She had never seen her master behave so shyly. Even her feet seemed to be nervously twisting in place.
Was this really the master she knew?
Indeed, love had the power to melt even the coldest of hearts. Even her teacher had fallen into the blissful embrace of love.
Nalan Yanran looked down, her expression complicated, a tinge of jealousy flickering in her heart. If only she could find someone who loved her like that… How wonderful it would be if that person was hers…
Ling Long glanced at Nalan Yanran, noticing the subtle changes in her expression. Understanding what was on her mind, she smiled softly but said nothing. There was no need to remind Nalan Yanran of her place.
Though Nalan Yanran was proud, she only wanted to find a man who was worthy of her. Was that so wrong?
If Xiao Yan hadn't had Yao Chen's help, he might have been crushed by reality long ago. The disgrace of the Xiao Clan would have been etched into their hearts forever.