Chapter 5: Breakthrough
When Xiao Se pulled out the cork, a rich aroma of elixir filled the air, making him feel relaxed and happy.
The mouth of the bottle tilted, and a green pill the size of a longan rolled out of the bottle and fell into his palm. He raised his hand, brought the pill to his nose, and greedily inhaled its refreshing fragrance.
Then, he placed it into his mouth.
The gathered energy melted as soon as it entered his mouth, transforming into a warm, pure energy that rushed through Xiao Se's body. In a moment, it spread to his limbs and meridians.
Xiao Se's body trembled suddenly, but his expression quickly returned to calm. He made a few strange hand seals with his hands and began to rapidly absorb the fighting spirit from the outside world.
As soon as the fighting spirit entered his body, it combined with the pure medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Powder within him, then was refined and transformed into green energy the size of rice grains.
In an instant, the fighting spirit in the entire stone chamber began to riot, and wisps of fighting spirit continued to gather. A single wisp might be very weak, and even invisible to the naked eye, but as the saying goes, a spark can start a prairie fire.
In a moment, wisps of pale white fighting spirit condensed in the stone chamber, penetrating into Xiao Se's body through his mouth and nostrils.
For a brief moment, Xiao Se felt his body relax like never before, warm and very comfortable... However, as the fighting spirit continued to flow into his body and combined with the pure medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Powder, then was refined into green energy, Xiao Se's face began to contort with pain.
He felt waves of soreness throughout his body's meridians. It wasn't very strong at first, but with every additional wisp of fighting spirit he absorbed, the pain intensified.
By the end, Xiao Se was clenching his teeth in agony.
Fortunately, he had paid great attention to physical training since he was a child, and his meridian strength was different from that of ordinary people.
Although it was painful, it could not cause much damage to his meridians.
Finally, the last bit of medicinal power was refined.
At this point, Xiao Se felt that all the meridians in his body were about to burst, and his body was severely swollen.
Xiao Se thought to himself, "This is not good, I must quickly gather the Dou Qi Cyclone, or all my efforts will be wasted."
He exhaled heavily and formed a few strange hand seals with his hands. The surging green energy in his body began to rotate violently around his dantian in his lower abdomen, forming a vortex.
The pale white fighting energy accumulated in the meridians of his body also gathered together and flowed continuously into the green vortex.
As all the fighting spirit flowed into his dantian, Xiao Se's soul power keenly sensed that the originally green vortex had turned milky white.
At this point, Xiao Se knew that he was about to take the final step.
Compress the fighting spirit.
Stay calm and keep your mind focused!
Xiao Se activated his soul power perception. Although he was not yet proficient in it, his soul perception ability was no less than that of Xiao Yan's three years later, thanks to the strength of his soul as a traverser.
With the help of soul perception, Xiao Se quickly formed hand seals, and the fighting cyclone in his dantian began to gradually shrink.
When the fighting spirit was compressed to the size of a palm, it finally stopped changing.
But Xiao Se did not stop. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Compress again."
Boom.
A not-so-loud rumbling sound quietly resonated within Xiao Se's body, and the fighting cyclone was successfully condensed.
[Ding, congratulations to the host for raising his cultivation to a higher level, reaching Dou Fighter, and receiving a system patch reward.]
Hearing the system prompt in his mind, Xiao Se couldn't help but smile faintly. Then he fell to the ground exhausted, his eyelids slowly closing as he drifted into sleep.
What Xiao Se didn't know was that as he fell into a deep sleep, the stone platform beside him gradually cracked, and a tender bud began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye. In an instant, it grew into a bonsai tree half a metre tall.
Looking carefully through the cracks in the stone platform, one could vaguely see a dark green ancient jade treasure chest inside. Under the moonlight shining through the vents at the top of the stone chamber, it glowed with a faint and eerie light.
The next morning.
The warm sunlight shone through the vents of the stone chamber and onto Xiao Se's fair and tender little face.
Xiao Se slowly opened his eyes and immediately checked the scroll and the Palm of Heaven Bottle in his storage belt. These were the foundation of his livelihood.
Fortunately, the Burning Decree and the bottle were still there.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Xiao Se showed a satisfied look on his face and stretched comfortably, "Ah, that sleep was so comfortable. I have been in Douqi Continent for more than eleven years, and this is the most comfortable sleep I have ever had. Not only did I break through to the Douzhe level, but I also obtained the best skill of Douqi Continent, the Flame Mantra. By the way, it seems that I was awarded a patch, and the system can be upgraded as well."
Thinking of this, Xiao Se shouted in his mind, "System, install the patch."
[Ding, the system patch is being installed. The installation time is estimated to be one hour. Please wait patiently.]
Xiao Se smiled helplessly. "This system is really half-finished."
Since the system was being upgraded, Xiao Se naturally wouldn't just sit there and wait.
He stood up and stretched his slightly sore limbs, then turned his gaze to the stone platform.
Seeing this, Xiao Se was immediately delighted. The tender bud had indeed grown into a bonsai. Xiao Se made a rough estimate and found that the bonsai in front of him was at least thirty years old.
Passing by the bonsai, Xiao Se's attention was drawn to the cracks at the roots of the bonsai on the stone platform. He found that it was hollow and that there seemed to be something inside.
"What is this?"
There were no entertainment facilities on the Douqi Continent. Besides practicing, Xiao Se would go to the Xiao family library to read books about medicinal herbs and the geography of the Douqi Continent.
If a transmigrator in Doupo does not have the heart of an alchemist (to show off), can he still be called a transmigrator?
With the spiritual talent of a transmigrator, Xiao Se could not say that he had a photographic memory, but after reading it two or three times, he could basically remember it. Over the years, he had almost turned the open area of the Xiao family's library upside down.
Now he could basically recognize some common types and years of medicinal herbs.
At this moment, Xiao Se easily recognized that the bonsai in front of him was just an ordinary one.
However, the items under the bonsai aroused Xiao Se's great interest.
"Stone Crushing Palm."
He took a few steps back and then rushed forward suddenly. Fighting Qi gathered in Xiao Se's right palm, and he raised his right palm and swung it toward the crack of the stone platform.
This was the only fighting skill Xiao Se currently possessed, and it was of intermediate yellow rank. It was taught to him by the housekeeper, and now he had mastered it to perfection, able to break stones with ease.
Rumble.
Under Xiao Se's powerful palm strike, the root trunk of the bonsai was instantly broken. With a click, the cracks in the stone platform spread rapidly, growing larger and larger, and stones began falling off. In a moment, the hollow area of the stone platform was revealed to Xiao Se's sight.
"This is... a box."
Chapter 6: Inheritance
"Is this... a box?" Xiao Se was slightly stunned, then a bright smile appeared on his face as he murmured, "It seems that the person who came here before me only took away the superficial things, and the real treasures are stored under the stone platform."
Xiao Se took out the treasure chest and opened it with almost no effort.
Inside the treasure chest, there were three scrolls—one red, one white, and one black—lying neatly inside, with an envelope placed above them.
There were five large characters written on the front of the envelope: "Autobiography of Luo Han."
"Gulp." Xiao Se swallowed hard, his black eyes flashing with excitement. "These are fighting skills."
Resisting the urge to take out the fighting scrolls, Xiao Se opened the envelope and began to read.
[I am Luo Han, the Pill Emperor of the Jia Ma Empire.
I began practicing at the age of four, reached the ninth level of Dou Qi at fifteen, and broke through to the tenth level at sixteen, condensing the Dou Qi vortex. In the same year, I became a disciple of Old Gu and started practicing alchemy. At eighteen, I officially became a first-class alchemist.
I broke through to the level of Dou Shi at twenty and was promoted to a second-grade alchemist in the same year.
I achieved a breakthrough to Da Dou Shi at twenty-five.
I was promoted to a third-rank alchemist at thirty and reached the Dou Ling realm in the same year.
At fifty, I broke through to the Dou Huang level and became a sixth-grade alchemist.
At seventy, I reached the peak of Dou Huang cultivation, but my fortune was limited, and I couldn't break through to Dou Zong, so I secluded myself here.
If a destined person finds this, press the switch on the back of the treasure chest before taking the fighting skills. In the secret compartment at the bottom of the treasure chest is a fifth-level magical beast flame from the Fire-Devouring Dragon, as well as my lifelong experience as a pharmacist.
Otherwise, when the beast flame erupts, the chance of survival for those below the Dou King level is zero.
I hope you take good care of yourself.
—Left by Pill Emperor Luo Han.]
After reading the letter, Xiao Se took a deep breath and wiped nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead.
"Goodness, if I had taken out the fighting skills without reading the letter first, the beast flame hidden in the secret compartment would have exploded. Not only would I not get the fighting skills, but I'd also lose my life. It seems this Pill Emperor didn't want unworthy successors! And this treasure chest seems to have the function of isolating soul power. No wonder those who came before didn't notice it."
After putting away the letter, Xiao Se walked to the back of the treasure chest and observed it carefully. As expected, he saw a button the size of a fingernail. He gently pressed it, and the treasure chest automatically moved horizontally in the middle.
Instantly, the temperature in the entire cave suddenly rose.
On the left side of the treasure chest's secret compartment, a dark green jade bottle lay quietly. Through it, Xiao Se could vaguely see a bluish-white flame flickering inside.
"This is the beast flame of the fifth-level magical beast, the Fire-Devouring Dragon. When it fully erupts, it's enough to kill any strong person below the Dou Wang level."
Xiao Se didn't overestimate his abilities by touching it. For him, as a beginner fighter without practicing any skills, touching it would be suicidal.
Resisting the temptation of the beast flame, Xiao Se moved his gaze to the right side of the secret compartment.
There lay a shiny black ring with a dazzling dark blue gem embedded on its surface. The Chinese character "中" could be vaguely seen on the inside.
"This is a mid-grade storage ring," Xiao Se exclaimed, joy evident on his face.
Taking out the ring, Xiao Se put it on the thumb of his left hand.
After inputting his dou qi, Xiao Se discovered a wide space inside. Roughly estimated, the internal space was at least one hundred cubic meters.
Xiao Se took out the letter left by Luo Han from his arms and tried to store it in the ring.
A faint light shot out from the gem, enveloping the envelope, which was instantly stored away.
The next second, the dark blue gem projected a transparent human figure with only the upper body. The figure was blurry and unstable, as if it could disappear at any time.
Before Xiao Se could react, it turned into a stream of light and penetrated into his mind through the center of his forehead.
As the light entered his mind, Xiao Se felt as if his head was about to explode. A large amount of alchemist knowledge—such as fire control, soul perception, material identification, and pill recipes—poured into his mind.
At the same time, a majestic and calm voice echoed in his mind:
"Congratulations, my destined one. You have passed my final assessment. Choosing to store the letter I left behind in your ring immediately shows that you are a grateful person. This remnant soul contains all my lifelong alchemy experience. You meet the requirements of an alchemist. Go forth and carry on my alchemy legacy."
After a while, when Xiao Se had completely absorbed the alchemist's memory, he came to his senses. He felt the world became much clearer, and his heart was no longer confused.
Now, he had the lifetime refining experience of a peak sixth-grade alchemist in his mind. With medicinal materials and practice, and as his strength improved, he could become a true sixth-grade alchemist.
"It seems I've struck gold this time. To leave behind a remnant soul with the strength of a peak Dou Huang, this Pill Emperor Luo Han soul strength isn't much inferior to Han Feng, the peak sixth-grade alchemist in the original novel."
[ Ding, patch installation complete. ]
[ Ding, system personal panel opening automatically. ]
[Host]: Xiao Se
[Gender]: Male
[Age]: 11 years old
[Cultivation]: One-star Dou Zhe
[Dou Qi Attribute]: Fire (with a hint of Wood attribute)
[Skill]: None
[Dou Skill]: "Stone Breaking Palm" - Yellow Rank Intermediate
[Number of Exchanges]: 1
[System Warehouse]: None (one cubic meter)
Looking at the translucent light screen in front of him, Xiao Se was slightly stunned. This system update added two functions: dou qi attribute display and a system warehouse.
Xiao Se took out the Heaven Controlling Vial from his storage belt. He didn't want to carry such an important treasure with him at all times. He immediately shouted in his mind, "System, store the Heaven Controlling Vial in the system warehouse."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Heaven Controlling Vial in his hand disappeared. Checking the system panel again, Xiao Se found that the warehouse now contained the item "Heaven Controlling Bottle."
A satisfied smile appeared on Xiao Se's face. "With the Heaven Controlling Vial, I won't have to worry about refining medicines in the future. There will be all kinds of medicinal materials."
He then took out the three fighting skill scrolls from the treasure chest, closed it, and stored the chest, the beast flame, and the scrolls into the ring.
Finally, he took out the Flame Mantra from the storage belt.
"From Luo Han's memory, I know how to refine the Fire-Devouring Dragon's beast flame. Now, let's practice the Flame Mantra! After devouring the beast flame, I should be able to upgrade the Flame Mantra to the middle level of the Yellow Rank."
With this in mind, Xiao Se cleaned the stone chamber, then sat down cross-legged. He opened the Flame Mantra scroll, input his dou qi into it, and the scroll transformed into a hot stream of information that poured into his mind.
The transformation of dou qi officially began.
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