BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

"Hey, Hun Huzi, can you hear me? Can you give me some extra points if I refine some pills?"

Xiao Yan understood the game well by now. No matter what, his goal now was to squeeze every last advantage out of the Hall of Souls. Once this opportunity was gone, there might not be another one.

This might be his only chance to gain soul points through the challenge test. He suspected that if he left now, future challenges wouldn't be the same.

Since it was Hun Huzi who sent him to the Hall of Souls with the Soul Command in the first place, it only made sense to expect some benefits in return, right?

[Jie Jie Jie]

When Xiao Yan heard that strange laugh coming from the Soul Command, he knew for sure it was the old thing from the Hall of Souls making an appearance. Such a strange habit didn't seem common among the young ones…

"You old fellow haven't been watching me this whole time, have you?" Xiao Yan, in his soul form, slowly sat up and said.

Hun Huzi's spiritual voice came from all directions: [You used the Soul Command I gave you to challenge the Soul Path, so naturally, I have. ]

Xiao Yan merely shrugged his shoulders in an indifferent manner. What could he, a mere Dou Practitioner, say? Even if Hun Huzi suddenly slapped him to death, there was nothing he could do but die in vain.

Having lived in this world for sixteen years, he understood all too well that it was a world where the strong were revered and the weak had no say.

The space in front of him rippled with a buzzing sound, and Hun Huzi's soul projection gradually appeared.

Xiao Yan unhesitatingly took out the Soul Command and waved it a few times as he said, "Didn't you say before that as long as I could solve the poison, I could take this token to the Hall of Souls to claim a reward?"

"Jie Jie, what I actually said was that if you didn't die, then I would consider taking you as a disciple," Hun Huzi broke Xiao Yan's lie in one sentence. Although he was old, he was far from senile and remembered his own words well.

Xiao Yan shook his head and declined, "I've heard of your Hall of Souls' deeds. I'd rather not become your disciple. The alchemy techniques I have are sufficient. My joining the Hall of Souls was not for the purpose of learning alchemy from you."

Hun Huzi burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke, "Hahaha, to think someone would actually refuse to be taught alchemy by me, Hun Huzi."

"Do you realize that I am an alchemist capable of refining a 9th-tier Mysterious Pill?"

A 9th-tier medicinal pill was already the pinnacle of alchemy in the Dou Qi Continent. It was divided into three types: Treasure Pill, Mysterious Pill, and Golden Pill.

Not to mention the highest-grade Golden Pill, even a Mysterious Pill had not been seen in the Dou Qi Continent for a long time.

Hun Huzi's ability to refine a 9th-tier Mysterious Pill was not a lie; he indeed possessed that capability.

Xiao Yan absentmindedly fiddled with his ear, clearly uninterested in Hun Huzi's grand claims. Whether it was an 8th-tier, 9th-tier, or even Di Tier pill, such tiers were far beyond his current scope.

His mind right now was solely focused on cultivating soul techniques and collecting Heavenly Flames to evolve his Flame Mantra and enhance his strength. He couldn't afford to concern himself with much else, even if he wanted to.

"All right, even though I've taught myself alchemy, I understand the importance of the master-disciple relationship among alchemists. It's not possible to just casually take on a disciple, especially not for a high-tier alchemist like you. I really can't afford to accept," Xiao Yan refused directly. The notion of an alchemist of Hun Huzi's caliber suddenly wanting to take him on as a disciple was something he couldn't believe even in a million years.

Do you think I, Xiao Yan, with my 800 layers of skepticism, would believe that?

A flash of surprise passed through Hun Huzi's aged eyes. He hadn't expected such a shrewd response from a sixteen-year-old youth. If it were any other alchemist who was offered an apprenticeship by a high-tier alchemist, they would likely be fighting tooth and nail to be accepted.

Moreover, his intention to take Xiao Yan as his disciple indeed had a purpose. The Hun Clan needed to refine an extremely special medicinal pill. Even though his own alchemy skills were unmatched in the Dou Qi Continent, and even with the assistance of the Nihility Devouring Flame, which was ranked second in the Heavenly Flame Ranking, he was still not confident in his ability to successfully refine it.

Therefore, he needed a 9th-tier Mysterious Pill Alchemist to collaborate with him to possibly succeed in the refinement.

Xiao Yan's alchemy talent was indeed high, which was why he had set his sights on him.

Hun Huzi gave a sinister smile and said, "Kid, your mindset isn't bad, so let me get straight to the point. I need an alchemist capable of refining a 9th-tier Mysterious Pill to collaborate with me to refine a special medicinal pill. There are no more than five alchemists in the Dou Qi Continent who can refine a 9th-tier Mysterious Pill, but none of them can work with me."

Xiao Yan looked puzzled as he asked, "You mean you want me to collaborate with you in alchemy once I'm capable of refining a 9th-tier Mysterious Pill?"

Seeing Hun Huzi nod, Xiao Yan thought the old man before him had gone mad.

In the entire Dou Qi Continent, so few alchemists were capable of refining a 9th-tier Mysterious Pill that they could be counted on one hand. And here he was, only sixteen years old, not even having gone to the Alchemist Guild to certify his alchemist tier, yet this old man was so sure that he, Xiao Yan, could reach such a level?

But one couldn't really blame Hun Huzi for this. Although the descendants of the Hun Clan naturally possessed strong Spiritual Strength, their talent in alchemy was abysmally poor. Moreover, there was a lack of alchemy heritage within the clan. Hun Huzi himself had to go out and learn from others in secret.

Furthermore, for certain reasons, the Hun Clan had to hunt for soul bodies everywhere, and the soul bodies of alchemists were considered the best. This led to a blood feud with the alchemist organization of the Dou Qi continent, the Pill Tower, making them the target of universal condemnation.

There was simply no way to find another 9th-tier Mysterious Pill Alchemist.

Xiao Yan's eyes gleamed with cunning as he hatched a plan. He said with a smile, "Fair enough. But reaching the 9th-tier alchemist level with my current cultivation is really a long shot. If I had a Heavenly Flame or something like that, my improvement would be much faster."

Fleece! He was determined to fleece as much as he could! It didn't matter if it was Hun Huzi or even the head of the Hun Clan standing before him at this moment; he had to secure some benefits today!

Moreover, agreeing upfront was a no-lose situation. Whether he could actually become a 9th-tier alchemist was uncertain, so why not write this perfectly legal blank check if it cost nothing?

Being an old fox himself, Hun Huzi could easily deduce the connotation behind Xiao Yan's words and said, "The Heavenly Flame is available in the Tian Class Treasure Hall."

!!! They really had it!

Xiao Yan managed to control his excitement, maintaining a poker face as he calmly said, "Tch, Tian Class. Who knows when I'll reach the Tian Class rating."

Hun Huzi, with a slight smile, made a grand gesture, causing the entire space to vanish in an instant. The next second, Xiao Yan found himself back on the grassland plain, no longer in his soul body state.

'This soul body state is truly marvelous,' Xiao Yan marveled inwardly. Large organizations certainly had their advantages, much like the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower of Jia Nan Academy. The Soul Path of the Hall of Souls made it easier to better comprehend the mysteries of the soul and increase one's Spiritual Strength.

Hun Huzi's soul projection stood quietly to the side, and Xiao Yan quickly understood the situation.

One must first lay out the bait to lure the fish to the hook.

With a loud thud, a three-legged medicinal cauldron appeared in front of him. The best bait, of course, was his alchemy talent!

Xiao Yan took out several herbs and a Rank 2 Monster Core from his storage ring. This time, he intended to refine a 3rd-tier medicinal pill.