Chapter 135: Pure Furnace Alchemy! Completely Refined!

Chapter 135: Pure Cauldron Alchemy! Complete Refinement!
Chapter 135: The Alchemist's Path, Unlocked!
Deep within the central encampment of the Qianshan Army.
"This inner elixir technique similarly harmonizes water and fire, even touching upon the Dragon and Tiger ballad, holding the changes of Kan and Li."
Bai Xuan was comprehending the inner elixir technique.
The Mountains and Rivers Inner Elixir Technique was also a mid-grade inheritance, capable of pushing a swordsman to the Grandmaster realm of boundless blood and qi.
Going even further upwards, there was a smooth path available.
This was a cultivation method that could help martial artists advance by leaps and bounds in their blood and qi path. It was connected to the internal breathing methods of the force-refining tier, but had reached an even higher realm—the inner elixir method!
"Harmonizing the dragon and tiger, operating water and fire..."
Inside Bai Xuan's visceral organs, a rumbling operation was taking place, aligning with the remnant chapters of water and fire to verify the changes one by one.
The water and fire in the inner elixir technique referred to the heart fire and the kidney water, which were harmonized and smelted within the human body to cultivate an inner elixir.
The so-called inner elixir was a sublimation and transformation of blood and qi, much like refining ordinary sea beast blood inside a desolate blood alchemy furnace to condense a river's worth of blood into a single blood pill.
This inner elixir was precisely the same, representing a transformation of blood and qi within one's own body!
The Longevity Dao Tree manifested once again, with branches and leaves growing, radiating vitality!
"Harmonizing Kan and Li, gathering herbs to form the pill... You have stepped onto the path: Alchemist."
"I understand."
What would his reaction be upon hearing that Bai Xuan was a Grandmaster?
His shock was like being swept over by a tsunami, completely overwhelming him. For a moment, he paced back and forth incessantly, unable to believe it!
Those on the sea who could believe it were likely few, yet caution was still required.
Merely half a day passed, and night had already fallen.
Inside the Qianshan Army's tent.
Sweeping away everything directly, suppressing a domain of the sea so that all enemies dared not offend and could only retreat three hundred miles!
"A Grandmaster..."
As for the rest, fleets were still waiting, harboring gloomy thoughts and deep foundations, awaiting further developments.
"Practicing this path, the dao intent grows daily, verifying the Tree of Longevity, and divine abilities naturally arise."
Rumble!
With perfected golden viscera, Bai Xuan's heart pounded in an instant, surging like an endless fire of blood and qi, while within his kidneys, the water of vital essence surged like a roaring torrent, the two great rivers interacting!
Even though Bai Xuan's proficiency in the inner elixir technique was still a far cry from the entry-level threshold, his viscera were far too powerful, possessing boundless potential. Any casual release of that power vastly surpassed the ordinary Grandmaster level!
He had originally thought that it would take decades for Bai Xuan to become invincible in the world, and during this time, he could only lie low.
Without other reasons, the strength Bai Xuan displayed was simply too terrifying, immensely powerful, and firmly at the Grandmaster level!
Presently, many more people on this sea region believed that Bai Xuan's true visage was that of an ancient patriarch stepping forth from the past!
Just like the Four Rivers Grandmaster Ye Shuangxing, though he had witnessed Bai Xuan calling the White-Browed Marquis his master with his own eyes and thus wouldn't believe this theory, he still believed that Bai Xuan was at least over forty years old—a strong expert who had gradually forged his cultivation while roaming the seas.
The White-Browed Marquis suddenly stopped, his expression somewhat grave.
The next moment.
Moreover, having achieved mastery in the water and fire remnant chapters, and having refined a massive amount of discarded pills through the Pure Cauldron Alchemy Technique, he barely counted as having entered the threshold. Now, transitioning to cultivating the inner elixir technique, his speed was extraordinarily fast!
"Using my own body as a cauldron, open!"
...
The White-Browed Marquis said with utmost gravity, "However, the Qianshan Army will do whatever little they can!"
Beside him, Bai Xuanji was already numb.
"Current available dao intent for the path: One."
"By now, this news is bound to spread across the seas; it cannot be concealed."
"There is not much we can do for Bai Xuan."
Boom!
He was manipulating his own water and fire, merging them in an instant. His perfected copper skin abruptly locked shut, his iron bones vibrating. At this moment, his own body seemed to transform into a smelting cauldron, water and fire intersecting to refine elixirs!
At this juncture, though he could not forge a great pill in haste, he had already taken his first steps into this lineage.
In the short span of a year, Bai Xuan's strength had reached an earth-shattering degree, terrifying to the absolute limit!
It was somewhat similar to Kui Jinglue.
However.
Following his return, mere days had passed...
The White-Browed Marquis finally finished managing these affairs, a lingering shock still gripping his heart. Pacing back and forth within the tent, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"This is my disciple! The disciple of I, the White-Browed Marquis!"
"Current available skills to unlock on the path: Extermination, Herb Gathering, Discrimination of Natures, Cauldron, Refining, Fire Control, Pill Cultivation!"
Some said that Bai Xuan was actually only eight years old, possessing a towering physique, and was a heavenly god reincarnated who merely masqueraded as a sixteen-year-old!
Others claimed that Bai Xuan was a patriarch of Qianshan Island who had slumbered for two hundred years, possessing unfathomably terrifying strength!
These rumors varied in truth, causing many people to weigh them in their hearts, naturally tending to believe the more credible ones.
Still other fleets acted decisively, rushing over to form an alliance with the Qianshan Army, attempting to turn foes into friends and secure the lineage in return.
Soon, all sorts of news spread from the Qianshan Army, some true and some false.
"For Bai Xuan to emerge from the Kaiyang, it is simply beyond imagination."
"Defeating a Grandmaster!"
"Still, we must be cautious. Although there are many experts in the world today and few will bother to nitpick, a sixteen-year-old Grandmaster is still somewhat startling."
Within the bay, seven or eight fleets felt awe within half a day and chose to depart.
They assumed he had simply consumed some ancient elixir that preserved his youthful appearance, ensuring he remained a youth forever.
Bai Xuanji's expression also flickered.
"My Bai family... My Qianshan Army has finally risen!"
Bai Xuan abruptly opened his eyes.
Otherwise, were he to truly believe that a sixteen-year-old Grandmaster existed in this world?
"The effects of this elixir are truly extraordinary, living up to the name of a complete mid-grade inheritance's alchemy cauldron. The pills refined from it already surpass the Taisui Pill."
As one of the earliest and strongest Grandmasters to join the Qianshan Army, Ye Shuangxing naturally received quite a few discarded pills.
Though these were discarded pills that had not undergone sublimation and could not work miracles overnight, for ordinary Grandmasters, they were already exceptional elixirs, making daily cultivation a luxurious affair!
And over these past few days...
When he had free time, Bai Xuan would occasionally offer him pointers. A casual gesture or instruction left him drenched in sweat, making him deeply aware of the chasm in martial arts prowess.
With heavenly phenomena manifesting in him, Bai Xuan remained in a state of harmony between heaven and man at all times. Standing on high and looking down, any casual display of his spear momentum was enough to impart boundless guidance.
"Joining the Qianshan Army was truly the right choice."
The benefits he had reaped were already substantial.
As for the Bai family, numerous disciples were selected, and after consuming those discarded pills, quite a few broke through the barrier of life and death, achieving blood-refining in a single stroke!
Of course, there were also many who misstepped on this path, failing to break through, suffering severe injuries, or even perishing.
Roughly a hundred people failed to cross this hurdle and ultimately needed to build up further reserves, unable to break through immediately in the short term.
Yet, there were also dozens who previously lacked elixirs, but now, with an abundant supply of pills, broke through instantly like bamboo shoots after rain, growing rapidly!
"My Bai family is truly on the verge of rising like this."
Seeing this scene, the White-Browed Marquis felt waves crashing in his heart.
Old and frail, he refused to consume too many discarded pills, preferring to collect them and distribute them to the younger generation instead. Witnessing this scene now, his heart swelled with boundless joy and deep emotion!
"There is still a bright future ahead for the children of Qianshan Island, but once the Whale Hunters depart, everything will turn for the better!"
Seeing these youngsters grow, he saw the future of the Bai family.
There would be hundreds of blood-refining experts, and with endless supplies of elixirs, perhaps even a hundred Grandmasters could be cultivated!
What kind of scene was a hundred Grandmasters?
Just thinking about it made one's heart incomparably shaken and overwhelmed!
This was enough to sweep across the entire East Sea, contending for hegemony with an invincible posture—truly a spectacle where blood and qi resembled banners that could obscure the sky!
At this moment.
Numerous disciples of the Bai family were accepting the python inheritance deep within the island.
"Your aptitudes are truly abyssal."
That unimaginably massive azure python looked down from above, speaking with profound indifference.
It had already eliminated seven batches of Bai family disciples. However, among them, three individuals had managed to obtain the incomplete Azure Python Dragon-Transformation Inheritance.
Moreover, each inheritance differed entirely. One person had even obtained the blood and qi transformation of the throat, letting out a roar whose power rivaled a heavenly dragon's, capable of shattering giant trees!
The moods of these disciples could well be imagined.
Yet the azure python turned its gaze toward the distant camp by the sea, its cold eyes harboring a hint of bewilderment.
"This fellow... Why hasn't he come to accept the inheritance yet?"
The reason it remained here to pass down its inheritance to the Bai family's disciples instead of entering a slumber was precisely because it was waiting for someone.
Its power enveloped the entire island, covering all changes, naturally sensing the presence of everyone. Over the past few days, it had felt a surge of joy, preparing to pass on its legacy to someone with true aptitude.
As it turned out, this person remained completely motionless?
With no other choice,
this phantom of the azure python continued to wait.
Being an inheritance spirit, it had always been quite lenient toward inheritors with genuine aptitude!
...
Upon the Heavenly Ranking, the names of several Bai family disciples appeared, ranked in the hundreds.
Most people paid little attention to this sight since the tier was not particularly high, but some did notice the surname, especially the numerous major faction fleets on the sea, who instantly recognized these names—all belonging to the Bai clan!
This signified that this superior inheritance could indeed be acquired, drawing countless people to flock to it like ducks!
"Fortunately, after paying a certain price, we still obtained permission to enter and attempt the inheritance after the Bai family concludes theirs."
On a fleet of ships, nine-sword banners fluttered in the wind.
This was the fleet of the Nine Swords Sect. An elderly Seven-River Grandmaster personally came forward to pay respectful respects to Bai Xuan, but Bai Xuan was engrossed in alchemy and utterly inaccessible.
Fortunately, the Nine Swords Sect and the Qianshan Army had formed an alliance long ago, so they were ranked first, granting them the opportunity to be the first to receive the inheritance after the Bai family.
"Liuli, if you can enter the tutelage of the Whale Hunter to cultivate martial arts, it will be an immense opportunity."
The elder spoke solemnly to the heavily armored woman by his side.
"Although the Nine Swords Sect has a long-standing heritage, generations have passed without producing a Grandmaster, leaving us a step behind in the end!"
"If you can become the Whale Hunter's disciple, you will have a chance to surpass this old man, allowing the Nine Swords Sect to endure long after this great era, or even ascend to an even more formidable sect!"
"Yes, Great Elder."
The young woman named Jian Liuli also hastily bowed in response.
In her heart, she felt a trace of helplessness.
"The Great Elder speaks lightly... As if the Whale Hunter is someone you can see just by wanting to. Right now, even catching a glimpse of him is difficult, let alone becoming his disciple."
Presently, Bai Xuan was in closed-door cultivation, refusing all outsiders, meaning she had no opportunity to seek an audience either.
As for other factions attempting to forge alliances, their situation was far more troublesome; they had to pay a heavy price before there was any possibility of earning the White-Browed Marquis's approval.
Across this sea region today, the Qianshan Army's word was law; none dared to provoke or defy them!
...
"That azure python has truly stirred, choosing to pass down its legacy in this era."
Out on the sea, Chu Dis yearning gaze was palpable.
He too had witnessed the changes on the ranking list, and a burning desire filled his heart.
Superior inheritances were inherently proud, and many simply lay dormant without actively opening their trials unless forced to by holding a top-hundred immortal talisman.
Yet now, inheritances were being continuously bestowed, indicating a high likelihood that someone would successfully obtain the complete superior inheritance this time!
"Waiting for the right moment to strike. I refuse to believe that beast, the Fourth Great Nether, won't summon its minions... When the time comes, opportunities will abound."
Chu Di's heart remained composed, filled with cruelty and longing.
He was not the only one waiting upon this sea; everyone was guarding against one another, their eyes fixed on the central encampment!
...
Inside the tent.
Rumble!
The flames within the alchemy furnace rolled, obedient as one's own limbs, shifting rapidly and intertwining in incineration.
This level of skill underwent astonishing changes compared to before, as if undergoing a metamorphosis and rapidly improving!
"Master, how did your fire-control ability suddenly surge, as if an amateur suddenly stepped through the threshold!"
The beast cauldron also muttered in a deep voice.
"This Pure Cauldron Alchemy Technique has entered the threshold. You can manipulate water and fire directly to obliterate and refine a domain of water! I feel we can descend into the sea and directly refine vast schools of fish using the Pure Cauldron Alchemy Technique, achieving a river of blood pills!"
The beast cauldron was exceedingly excited.
In its view, Bai Xuan's current fire-control ability had suddenly grown by four or five years of bitter toil; it was time for it to step up!
"There's no rush."
Bai Xuan said calmly, "I have a premonition... This sea will not be so tranquil; formidable enemies are yet to appear."
"When that time comes, we shall refine them as well."
Being able to perceive the spiritual light on the sea allowed him to see those hiding within it; even if they used various methods, they could not escape his notice!
At this moment.
On Bai Xuan's Longevity Dao Tree, the branch and leaf representing fire control sprouted a new leaf, within which faint flames flickered and shifted.
Fire Control (Entry).
"After unlocking Fire Control, this fire-control ability is indeed rapidly improving."
Supporting the beast cauldron in his palm, Bai Xuan was refining it.
Now, with a single thought from him, endless flames billowed and churned with a rumbling roar!
Within a single thought, the flames soared and flew high, or retracted without a trace; smoke and fire shifted, transforming into subtle embers, all spinning at his command.
Such was the might of "Fire Control" on the alchemist's path. This fire control emphasized ultimate mastery over flames.
It was not a mere increase in raw power, but a capability of mastery—not only directed externally toward true flames, but also over one's own inner fire!
Bai Xuan estimated that once this fire-control mastery reached perfection, his flame manipulation would transform into a terrifying divine ability, allowing him to snatch away an enemy's fire with a single thought!
Even the enemy's inner anger, hepatic fire, heart fire, and so on could be controlled, extinguished, or ignited at will.
"Phew... With Fire Control at the entry level, the Mountains and Rivers Inner Elixir Technique is not far from entry either."
Bai Xuan was meditating and comprehending.
The entry-level mastery of Fire Control elevated his mastery over flames. Even though he was still far from water affinity, it had initially compensated for his shortcomings.
Presently, his Pure Cauldron Alchemy Technique had entered the threshold, allowing water and fire to merge and be unleashed like an alchemy furnace, refining enemies alive!
"The remaining points should also be invested to elevate my strength."
Bai Xuan's gaze grew profound.
He had already digested the insights from that battle, facing the enemy's boundless sword light which also stirred the grand momentum with extraordinary power.
Yet, something was still lacking—the willpower for that final leap, to thoroughly sublimate and become fiercely sharp!
The sword should possess a sword bone, and so should spear techniques!
Rumble!
Between Bai Xuan's brows, a terrifying formless momentum gathered, faintly transforming into a sharp and terrifying spear intent, on the verge of breaking through his body!
...
On the sea.
A piece of news spread, causing the entire Qianshan Island sea region to tremble!
"The Sea God Sect's fleet is approaching. It is said the Sea God Sect Master is leading the party, accompanied by massive shadows in the water!"
Some were filled with extreme dread.
The Sea God Sect was notorious across the East Sea, historically renowned for blood sacrifices and countless slaughter.
Once they reached the Qianshan Island sea region, even unrelated factions had to retreat three hundred miles.
"It is said that past Sea God Sect Masters possessed at least nine-river blood and qi, alongside Sea God bloodline, making their personal strength terrifying to the extreme."
"Right, and rumor has it that the demonic sharks will also drive forward, possessing terrifying power capable of tearing apart numerous warships at will!"
These experts felt their hearts quake, sensing that a storm was impending.
The Sea God Sect fleet boasted more than just the Sea God Sect Master; experts were as numerous as clouds among them, each one exceedingly terrifying and renowned far and wide!
Yet others sneered, whispering inwardly.
"It has finally come."
"The strength of the Sea God fleet is overwhelming compared to the Qianshan Army. Bai Xuan will inevitably step forth. By then, with the Seventh Great Nether holding the front, someone will strike within moments."
"If he lacks hidden trump cards, someone might launch a sneak attack at any moment!"
Cruelty filled their hearts as they watched like tigers eyeing their prey, waiting for an opportunity to truly force out the Whale Hunter's trump cards so they could strike!
What of a Grandmaster with blood and qi like the sea?
With a superior inheritance before them, they had to contend for it. True experts would strike and suppress everything!
...
The news of the impending arrival of the Sea God Sect fleet filled the entire Qianshan Army with alarm, making them feel the approach of danger.
Hearing this, the White-Browed Marquis also felt a start in his heart.
The Sea God Sect fleet inherently towered above the Qianshan Army in influence. Most importantly, naval warfare could easily destroy a fleet and surround the island.
Even peak experts at the Grandmaster level might not necessarily match such a terrifying fleet.
Not to mention, the King of Demonic Sharks was descending!
This terrifying entity also held a resounding reputation upon the seas, possessing power terrifying to the extreme, with legends spanning centuries into the past!
"It is said that the strength of this Demonic Shark King rivals the stronger category of Grandmasters with blood and qi like the sea!"
"Indeed, it is said that in the water, even top-tier experts cannot match it."
Many were filled with worry.
"Bai Xuan."
The White-Browed Marquis entered the tent, a look of worry on his face.
"The Sea God Sect fleet is approaching; should we temporarily avoid the锋芒 [sharp edge]? Before they arrive, you ought to go and accept the inheritance first."
"Once the Sea God Sect arrives, we can first retreat to Qianshan Island. It matters not if this battle is lost; with you here, the rise of the Qianshan Army is just around the corner. There's no need to contend for this single moment!"
"There is no need."
Bai Xuan spoke very calmly.
"I can handle it."
His voice was steady and resolute, causing the White-Browed Marquis's spirits to lift abruptly, sweeping away his worries and dread entirely!
"Good! Since you have said so, the entire Qianshan Army shall unite as one and join forces to fend off the incoming enemy!"
The White-Browed Marquis proclaimed aloud.
With Bai Xuan's words, what did a Sea God fleet matter?
Bai Xuan's single sentence acted as a calming sea needle and a pillar supporting the heavens; it was enough to make him trust unconditionally without a shred of doubt!
...
Far out upon the sea, a massive fleet was rapidly cutting through the waves, banners obscuring the sky while several huge shadows swam through the water beneath.
Wherever they passed, all who saw them changed color; even top-tier experts had to retreat three hundred miles, and countless warships fled in terror.
"The Demonic Shark King!"
"This generation's Sea God Sect Master has come out in full force, bringing the Demonic Shark King. I fear few can match them upon the seas!"
The Sea God Sect fleet was approaching. Even before its arrival, its reputation swept across the waters like a raging wave, rapidly advancing toward the Qianshan Island sea region!
(End of this chapter)