Within the narrow cave, the elder medic gazed at Xiao Yan, who was closing his eyes and transforming his qi. Gently rubbing his reddened eyes, he knew deep within his heart that Xiao Yan's choice of this perilous technique was not without reason. A warm glow stirred within his aged soul. He sighed softly, murmuring, "Rest assured—I will cultivate you into the most outstanding alchemist." After surpassing the status of a Qi User, all individuals gained the qualification to practice a cultivation technique. Once they began practicing, their originally attributeless, milky-white qi would gradually transform into the specific attribute qi of the technique. The initial transformation process was not lengthy, and within just two hours, Xiao Yan, seated in meditation, slowly opened his eyes. After practicing the Qi technique, Xiao Yan appeared more spirited than before. A gentle luster, like jade, shimmered across his refined features, giving him a vibrant and alert appearance. Winking his eyes, Xiao Yan gazed at the cave, now appearing noticeably brighter, and smiled slightly. He knew this was a sensory enhancement response brought about by the cultivation of his technique. "Success, then?" the old medicine master asked with a warm smile. "Yes," Xiao Yan nodded, extending his pale hand. Within him, the swirling qi, now uniformly pale yellow, flowed smoothly and formed a faint yellow aura that settled at specific acupoints on his palm. Releasing qi externally—something typically achievable only by a high-level Battle Seer—was clearly beyond Xiao Yan's current capabilities. As a result, the internal qi did not overcome the blockage at the acupoints, instead gradually radiating a series of delicate pale yellow glimmers on his palm, resembling the faint, dim embers of a candle's afterglow. Pale yellow was the characteristic hue of a low-level fire-based technique; the deeper and richer the technique's rank, the more intense and vibrant the color. Staring at the faint yellow glow on his palm, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation, lifting his face with a weary smile. "Before the 'Burned Decree' evolved, my aura technique was actually quite basic—far below that of most others. Not only was it difficult to challenge them at a higher level, but even facing a peer who had mastered a supreme-tier technique, I wasn't sure if I could even win." "Although the 'Burned Decree' is currently only a low-level yellow-tier technique, its power is no weaker than a mid-level yellow-tier one. Moreover, even though your technique has weakened, you still possess three supreme-tier combat techniques—these should more than compensate for the gap in your foundational power." The old pharmacist smiled and offered a word of reassurance, then added, "Since your aura technique is less developed than others, you lack their endurance and depth. Therefore, in future battles, you must act decisively—either remain still or engage fully. Fight to win quickly and decisively!" Xiao Yan nodded, but the furrowed lines on his brow still hinted at lingering frustration. Seeing Xiao Yan's demeanor, the herbal elder, who knew him well, shook his head in helpless resignation and said, "Once you've fully absorbed the three combat techniques you currently hold, I'll then give you new ones. Otherwise, you'll end up wanting too much and being unable to digest it—don't you know this principle?" "What level?" Xiao Yan brightened, asking cautiously. Amused by Xiao Yan's careful tone, the elder blew out a stream of breath and coldly remarked, "It won't be any lower than the level of 'Eight-Point Collapse.'" Hearing this, Xiao Yan's face lit up instantly. 'Eight-Point Collapse' was a high-level technique of the Xuanyuan rank. If it was higher than that? What level would that be? Earth Rank! Though the Earth Stage techniques are only one level below the Xuán Stage advanced ones, the gap between them is as vast as a chasm. Xuán Stage advanced techniques can occasionally be obtained at senior auctions with sufficient financial resources and a bit of luck. However, Earth Stage techniques are truly priceless—reports say that in the Black Market of the capital of the Jia Ma Empire, Earth Stage techniques have been sold for nearly ten million, an amount equivalent to the entire annual tax revenue of the empire, yet still no one has managed to secure one. Just one level apart, their prices differ by hundreds of times—this clearly shows that Xuán and Earth Stages are fundamentally two distinct concepts. Thinking of how legendary this level is, Xiao Yan felt a surge of warmth, eager to immediately press the old doctor to begin teaching him the art of medicine preparation. Yet, after carefully weighing the relative positions of both parties, he quietly abandoned this rather comical idea. "Master, when shall I begin learning the art of pharmaceutical preparation?" "Temporarily setting aside the allure of the Earth-Level Combat Techniques, Xiao Yan once again held out his face with a pleading expression and asked. "The Art of Herbal Preparation isn't something that can be learned merely within this small family." The Elder of the Herbs shook his head and smiled, "Moreover, you still have a three-year agreement with Nalan Yanran. Now, half of that time has already passed, and your progress here in Wutan City has been rather slow. Additionally, due to the complex surroundings and various obstacles, many of my training methods haven't been able to be fully implemented. Therefore, I'd like to take you out of the city for some actual cultivation and experience. This journey will take a while—perhaps over a year." "Over a year?" Xiao Yan seemed hesitant, but recalling the proud woman, he finally nodded firmly. "Alright, how long is a year or more? When will we depart?" "Just wait another two months." The Elder smiled. "Why wait so long?" Xiao Yan was puzzled. "Because in one month, the Guan Nan Academy will be holding its enrollment period, and you'll need to go there and register." "The old pharmacist smiled. Frowning slightly, Xiao Yan sighed, "What am I supposed to do there? I already have all the cultivation techniques and combat skills—I don't see what else they could teach me." "You don't need to learn anything new," the old pharmacist said, giving him a withering look, his brows furrowed as he spoke seriously, "You're going to the Gan Nan Academy to find a special type of fire known as 'Falling Heart Flame.' I've received reports before that this fire exists within the academy and ranks fourteenth on the 'List of Unique Fires.' If you can obtain this fire, the 'Burned Decree' might evolve..." "Falling Heart Flame?" Gently murmuring the unusual name, Xiao Yan's eyes slowly brightened.