Chapter 14: Spirit Crystal

Hun Huzi floated in the air, his transparent figure surrounded by black flames, resembling a ghost seeking souls. His eyes flickered with red light, somewhat terrifying against the backdrop of the black flames.

He wasn't surprised by Yao Yan's expression. In this world, no alchemist could resist the temptation of a Origin fire, especially one as powerful as the Void Devouring Flame, which ranked among the top. Even just a strand of its flame was more potent than ordinary different fires, and many among the top ten different fires couldn't compare.

For example, the fifth-ranked Spirit of Life Flame, in terms of pure power, was far inferior to even a strand of the Void Devouring Flame. Its enhancement to combat power was even surpassed by some special beast fires.

Its ranking primarily stemmed from its uniqueness. It contained immense life force, catalyzing the growth of various medicinal herbs. With this flame, one could have an endless supply of medicinal herbs, making its value incalculable for alchemists. Moreover, it was a longevity flame; those who refined it could potentially live as long as some magical beasts.

In other words, it doubled, or even multiplied, one's lifespan.

In terms of practical value, the Spirit of Life Flame was considered the top different fire for alchemists.

Unfortunately, the Spirit of Life Flame hadn't appeared in a thousand years.

"But those things are still relatively distant for you. It's better to focus on cultivating diligently. True strength isn't born from consuming pills. The methods of clans like the Yao Clan only breed mediocrity," Hun Huzi continued, his tone disdainful.

Among the eight ancient clans, aside from the disappeared Xiao Clan, many others used vast resources to nurture geniuses, even forcibly cultivating Dou Saint-level powerhouses. However, most of these powerhouses peaked at two or three stars, without any real future.

This was one of the reasons why the Soul Clan looked down on the other clans. True geniuses weren't cultivated in such a manner.

Just like Hun Huzi himself.

When he infiltrated the Pill Tower and became the disciple of the Tower Master, he didn't rely on the help of the Soul Clan but instead carved out his path step by step.

Their method of pill consumption is wrong... Yao Yan thought to himself. Merely consuming pills was the behavior of a waste.

However, if pill consumption was combined with refining different fires, it would be an unlimited power-up mode.

The slight side effects of pill consumption could be eliminated by refining different fires, and the body could be reshaped through refining different fires, which was tantamount to infinitely stacking talents.

The original Xiao Yan followed this cheat-like path, completing a lifetime's journey in less than thirty years. Who could argue with that?

Of course, Hun Huzi was unaware of Yao Yan's rebellious thoughts. He continued, "You have exceptional talent, and you've also refined the unique bloodline of the Swallowing Spirit Clan. Your future peak should be the pinnacle of the Dou Qi continent. Don't let the small gains blind you."

"I understand, Master," Yao Yan nodded solemnly. He understood that Hun Huzi, a 'normal person,' couldn't comprehend the existence of someone who would take a different path. There was no need to argue with him.

Hun Huzi looked thoughtful for a moment, then the black flames in his palm surged, accompanied by spatial distortions. A jade bottle appeared in his palm, from which he took out a thumb-sized crystal. The crystal was chaotic in color, emitting a mysterious aura.

Yao Yan stared at the object eagerly, feeling a strong attraction to it. "Master, what is this?"

"Spirit Crystal. It's a crystallization of condensed spiritual energy, only a Grade Nine Alchemist can refine it, and it requires a considerable price. Since you are an alchemist, you should understand the realms of the soul. The soul has four major realms: Mortal Realm, Spirit Realm, Heavenly Realm, and the final Emperor Realm," Hun Huzi explained calmly, as these were things Yao Yan would need to know in the future. He didn't mind informing him in advance.

Yao Yan's expression showed 'astonishment' as he listened attentively.

"Most alchemists in the world are at the Mortal Realm. Only those with exceptionally high talent can sense the fleeting spirituality during the pill refining process. You should understand that a sixth-grade pill possesses a certain level of spirituality, and as the grade increases to seventh or eighth, the spirituality becomes even higher. Ninth-grade pills are almost comparable to humans. To refine such pills, having a Spirit Realm soul is one of the basic requirements."

"Spirit Realm is a realm only reachable by souls containing sufficient spiritual energy."

"Heavenly Realm is when the soul body is no different from the human body, able to freely roam the heavens and earth."

"As for Emperor Realm, that realm is related to Dou Gods..."

Mentioning the word "God," Hun Huzi's tone also carried a hint of longing. In the Dou Qi Continent, only a Dou God was the true pinnacle. Unfortunately, that pinnacle had now become a fleeting legend.

"What about Master's soul realm..." Yao Yan pretended to be curious.

Hun Huzi's eyes flickered with black flames, and his voice became low, "Heavenly Realm Dacheng, just one step away from Emperor Realm. Unfortunately, this step is unknown how long it will take to achieve. Breaking through to Emperor Realm is not something that can be achieved through cultivation alone."

He was well aware that to break through to Emperor Realm, he would need to use a massive amount of soul origin to forcibly break through that level.

Unfortunately, the accumulated soul origin of the Soul Hall was not yet available to him.

Thinking of this, he didn't continue on this topic.

Lowering his head to look at Yao Yan, Hun Huzi continued, "Your body is somewhat special, perhaps related to the Emperor-level bloodline of the Yao Clan, or perhaps related to the power of the Swallowing Spirit Clan bloodline you've refined. At the Fighter stage, you can already refine spiritual energy into your body. Perhaps you may even reach Emperor Realm in the future."

He joked and then directly injected the Spirit Crystal into Medicine Yan's soul. With his control as a Grade Nine Grandmaster, he wasn't worried about harming Yao Yan's soul.

With a chaotic-colored stream of light, a trace of ice crystal directly entered Yao Yan's brow.

Yao Yan felt a tearing pain in his soul, but after a moment, a cool sensation spread throughout his soul. It was similar to the feeling of refining spiritual energy, but more direct, even nourishing his body.

Spiritual energy, the origin power of the world.

Unfortunately, this substance was extremely rare in the Dou Qi Continent, seemingly because spiritual energy degraded into the energy of heaven and earth, limiting cultivation to Dou Qi.

In ancient times, there were some auxiliary techniques for souls to absorb spiritual energy, but when it came to inheritance, such soul techniques had almost been lost in the outside world.

Of course, this did not include the ancient imperial clans.

After injecting the Spirit Crystal into Yao Yan's soul and letting him familiarize himself with it, Hun Huzi activated his soul power and transmitted a mantra into Medicine Yan's soul, instructing, "This mantra can assist you in refining spiritual energy. Remember, if your soul can't bear it, slow down. Your soul power is not enough to completely refine a Spirit Crystal yet, so proceed gradually."

"Yes, Master," Yao Yan nodded, feeling quite complex inside. At that moment, he liked and hated Hun Huzi.

He didn't know if he could bear to do it in the future.

Perhaps this was the biggest difference between him and Hun Huzi.

"Take a break, then I'll teach you alchemy. Alchemy is not child's play," Hun Huzi's gaze played with Yao Yan, clearly aware of Yao Yan's escape from the stone wall.

Yao Yan's heart tightened, and any traces of goodwill disappeared.

Hun Huzi was still a lunatic!