In the Dou Qi continent, becoming a true Dou Practitioner required successfully condensing a Dou Qi vortex within one's body. However, this process carried a significant risk of failure. Those who failed would see their hard-earned nine segments of Dou Qi drop back to eight. Some unlucky individuals might need over a dozen attempts before succeeding, wasting their prime cultivation years and severely damaging their future prospects.
The Qi Gathering Powder eliminated this risk entirely—it guaranteed a 100% success rate in forming the Dou Qi vortex.
This miraculous effect made it the object of desperate desire for countless cultivators, though few could ever obtain it.
To speak of the Qi Gathering Powder was to speak of its creators: Alchemists.
Alchemists stood above ordinary cultivators, capable of refining miraculous pills that enhanced strength. Every major force would go to extreme lengths to recruit one, making their status incomparably exalted.
Their rarity and indispensability justified this reverence. The conditions to become an alchemist were brutally stringent:
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Fire Attribute Constitution
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A Trace of Wood Attribute (to catalyze reactions)
In this world, a person's elemental affinity was determined by their soul, which could only possess one dominant attribute. Thus, a body housing two balanced attributes was nearly impossible—except for those with mutant souls, the only candidates capable of alchemy.
But even possessing fire and wood attributes wasn't enough. The third requirement was Soul Perception—the ability to precisely control flame intensity during refinement. A moment's lapse could reduce an entire batch of precious ingredients to ashes.
The three fundamentals of alchemy:
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Materials (rare herbs and treasures)
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Flame (not ordinary fire, but Dou Qi-generated flames or even rarer Heavenly Flames)
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Soul Perception
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Given these苛刻 conditions, true alchemists were as rare as phoenix feathers. And with scarcity came prestige—sometimes to absurd degrees.
In the hall, the gasps of the three elders sent waves of excitement through the younger generation. Dozens of heated stares locked onto the jade box in Ge Ye's hands.
Xiao Mei, seated beside her father, unconsciously licked her lips, her gaze glued to the treasure.
Ge Ye smiled smugly at their reactions. "This was personally refined by Elder Gu He, our honorary sect elder. I presume you've heard of him?"
"The Pill King Gu He?!" The elders' expressions shifted dramatically.
Gu He's influence in the Jia Ma Empire was monumental. His alchemical skills bordered on the miraculous, and countless powerhouses desperately sought his favor—usually in vain.
Not only was he a peerless alchemist, but his personal strength had also reached the Dou King level, ranking him among the empire's top ten experts.
A Qi Gathering Powder from his hands? Its value would multiply several times over.
The three elders grinned greedily at the pill. With this, their family could produce another young Dou Practitioner!
Just as they schemed how to secure it for their own grandsons, a cold young voice cut through the hall:
"Elder Ge Ye, take your pill back. We refuse your request today."
Dead silence fell. Every head swiveled toward the corner where Xiao Yan stood, his delicate features hardened with suppressed fury.
"Xiao Yan! Who gave you the right to speak? Shut your mouth!" a red-faced elder roared.
Another added dismissively, "Step down. We'll handle this."
Xiao Yan's lips curled. "If they were here to humiliate your sons, would you still say that?"
The elders stiffened. The most hot-tempered one even began summoning Dou Qi.
A light, melodious voice intervened: "Brother Xiao Yan is right. As the involved party, he has every right to speak."
The three elders deflated instantly under Xiao Xun'er's gaze, reluctantly nodding.
What is your background, Xun'er? Xiao Yan wondered, shooting her a grateful glance before striding forward.
After bowing respectfully to Xiao Zhan, he turned to Nalan Yanran, his voice eerily calm:
"Miss Nalan, may I ask—did Grandfather Nalan Jie approve today's annulment?"
Nalan Yanran's delicate brows furrowed. Initially, this boy had seemed decent, but now he was proving as stubborn as an ox. Couldn't he see the chasm between them?
In her arrogance, she never considered how her public rejection had humiliated Xiao Yan and his father.
Rising gracefully, she replied with icy courtesy: "Grandfather didn't agree, but this is my matter."
"Since the old master hasn't consented," Xiao Yan countered sharply, "then my father cannot agree either. This engagement was sworn between patriarchs. To break it without their approval would be to spit on their graves." He glared pointedly at the elders. "Surely our clan harbors no such unfilial scum?"
The elders paled. In their rigid family hierarchy, such an accusation could cost them their positions.
Nalan Yanran's face flushed with anger. Frustrated, she abandoned pretense: "What will it take? More pills? Three more Qi Gathering Powders! Or perhaps—" her voice turned patronizing, "—a spot in the Yunlan Sect? Would that satisfy you?"
The hall erupted in gasps. The three elders nearly hyperventilated. Even the other youths gulped enviously—entry into the Yunlan Sect was a pipe dream for most!
Chin lifted proudly, Nalan Yanran awaited his groveling gratitude. Surely no boy could resist such an offer...
Key Terms:
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Qi Gathering Powder (聚气散): A legendary pill ensuring successful breakthrough to Dou Practitioner.
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Alchemist (炼药师): A revered profession combining fire/wood attributes and soul perception to craft pills.
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Pill King Gu He (丹王古河): A legendary Dou King-level alchemist.
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Heavenly Flames (异火): Rare, sentient flames that boost alchemical success rates.
Cultural Nuance:
The accusation of "spitting on ancestors' graves" carries extreme weight in Confucian-influenced societies, making it a devastating rhetorical weapon against the elders.