Chapter 136: Breakthrough to Ninth-Rank Alchemist

Pill Tower, Alchemy Room.

"The first step… ignite the furnace flame."

Chen Xiaoming sat down slowly, calmly channeling Dou Qi into the pill furnace before him. Despite the steady infusion, the furnace remained inert—no sign of flame.

Still, he was unbothered. In this world, the art of alchemy required the harmony of wood and fire attributes. He naturally possessed the former. As for the fire…

"Go."

A flicker of purple flame danced to life atop his right palm—a beast flame he had prepared well in advance. Rumored to originate from a seventh-rank magical beast, the Purple Cloud Fire Scorpion, this flame was exceedingly rare.

With a snap of his fingers, the fire leapt into the pill furnace. In an instant, purple flames surged within. Chen Xiaoming's soul force flowed out, subduing and stabilizing the wild blaze until it simmered into obedience.

"Huff… good. On to the second step."

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xiaoming raised his right hand gently. One by one, various herbs floated into the air. Carefully recalling the pill formula in his mind and confirming its accuracy, he tapped lightly. The herbs shot into the furnace.

"One stalk of Vitalblood Grass… one Respirant Fruit… two Poppy Flowers… one Ginseng Root…"

His soul force precisely adjusted the flame's temperature. Within moments, the herbs tumbled in the fire, breaking down into fine pale powders and black granules.

The purple fire flared, but under Chen Xiaoming's soul control, it began melting the remains—extracting their purest medicinal essences into several streams of power.

"Next… begin the fusion."

This was his first time refining a pill, and Chen Xiaoming treated it as a sacred experience. He was meticulous, his soul force flowing outward, manipulating both flame and fusion. The gathered energies slowly wove together, intertwining into a singular medicinal resonance.

Time passed steadily.

Within the furnace, the medicinal power condensed into a black pill. However, its surface was rough, marred with pits—far from the smooth perfection of a true pill.

Chen Xiaoming remained unhurried, calmly observing.

The flame sculpted the pill like an artisan's hammer. Under the blazing heat and soul pressure, the blemishes gradually smoothed away. At last, his soul sensed it—the pill had reached completion.

With a thought, he extended his finger. A black, gleaming medicinal pellet floated into his hand.

Whoosh.

At that very moment, a stream of light flashed before his eyes. A translucent system panel emerged in the air before him:

Host: Chen Xiaoming

Age: 36

Realm: One-Star Dou Ancestor (+) 14.5 billion / 1 billion

Refinement: 10 billion

True Body: Azurewood Tree (Soulfruit of Douluo, Dragonfruit of Shrouding Heavens)

Bloodline: Hollowheart Willow (Intermediate) (+) 14.5 billion / 1 trillion

Alchemy: First-Rank Alchemist (+) 14.5 billion / 100

Items: 100,000-Year Divine Gear (+) 14.5 billion / 20 billion

Boundary Break: 10 billion

Experience: 14.5 billion

"As expected."

A smile curled Chen Xiaoming's lips. As he had suspected, the system would grant advancement upon mastering new abilities.

Of all the things in the Dou Qi plane, only alchemy truly intrigued him. When he first transmigrated, the system panel had been blank. That alone had stirred his curiosity—driving him to the Pill Tower to test his theory.

Of course, there was a secondary reason: even if he were wrong, it would still be a worthwhile place to learn the alchemical arts.

Now? That wouldn't be necessary.

His eyes sparkled as he turned back to the Alchemy stat, still showing First-Rank Alchemist. Seeing the pitifully low experience needed to level up, he didn't hesitate for a second.

He tapped.

Boom!

A thunderclap in his mind—an influx of colossal knowledge surged through his brain. It wasn't just information. A strange energy spread through his limbs and meridians, while his vision blurred into a void-like realm. A spiritual explosion ignited in his consciousness.

In that brief instant, Chen Xiaoming seemed to traverse endless time and illusion. As his dazed look faded, an odd sensation surged through his body.

Frowning slightly, he glanced at a nearby cluster of herbs. He raised a hand—purple flame into the furnace. His soul force responded instinctively. Hands moved fluidly as though possessed, tossing the herbs in.

Within moments, a smooth Vitalblood Pill emerged and landed in his palm.

"This feeling…"

He focused on the sensation just now—eyes bright with realization. The system's upgrade hadn't merely uploaded information. It had embedded something deeper—an intuitive alchemical awareness. The reason he could refine so quickly was that strange effect taking root.

He now had the overwhelming sense that—even if handed a second-rank pill recipe, even the most complex one—he could immediately refine it.

"Hoo… stay calm. Take it slow."

Suppressing his rising excitement, Chen Xiaoming glanced again at the Alchemy stat.

Now displaying: Second-Rank Alchemist (+) 14.5 billion / 1,000

One thousand experience points?

He blinked.

Had he misread?

One thousand? He earned more than that just by breathing.

Tears welled up in his heart. System… you're too kind! You're practically begging me to cheat!

The option to leap to Third-Rank Alchemist stood openly before him—how could he refuse?

Of course… he wouldn't.

"Upgrade! Upgrade! To hell with taking it slow—let's go full throttle!"

Eyes glowing green, Chen Xiaoming tapped with frantic delight.

Alchemy: Second Rank → Third Rank → Fourth Rank → Fifth… Sixth… Seventh… Eighth… Ninth-Rank Alchemist.

As torrents of knowledge flooded his mind, even his already-mighty soul force underwent a metamorphosis. After the seventh rank, each breakthrough amplified his soul might drastically.

Now, that boundless soul force radiated outward—piercing through the alchemy room's walls and engulfing the entire Pill Tower.

Pill Tower—Upper Hall.

In the quiet of the upper palace, the elder known as Xuan Kongzi snapped his eyes open, horror flashing within them.

With a shift of his figure, he vanished—rushing straight toward the source of the spiritual eruption.

In just a few flickers of movement, he arrived outside the alchemy room, where Xun'er stood.

Before he could ask, the stone door opened.

Chen Xiaoming stepped out, calm and composed.

A light wave of soul power drifted with him.

Xuan Kongzi paused… sensing it carefully.

His heart trembled. He could no longer hold it in.

He gasped aloud—

"Imperial Soul Realm!"

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