Several moments later, a soft sound echoed from within the furnace.
Success.
Li Yan waved his hand. The furnace lid opened. A single azure-colored pill drifted out before gently landing in his palm.
Without delay, Li Yan placed it into the nearby pill testing artifact. The displayed percentage began rising.
30%, 53%, 69%, 78%, 85%.
The number continued climbing before finally stopping.
93%.
A smile appeared on Li Yan's face. The result exceeded his previous record of Tier-3 Peak-Level pills. Although the increase was only two percent, he understood its significance.
As pill tiers increased, every single percentage point became increasingly difficult to improve.
Many alchemists spent years attempting to raise their purity by even one percent. Yet the Golden Feather Peacock Flame had immediately improved his results.
Only now did he fully appreciate the importance of a suitable flame.
Refining Flames.
Beast Flames.
Heavenly Flames.
Each represented far more than a source of heat. They were fundamental tools of an alchemist's craft.
A superior flame could reduce errors, improve stability, more effectively remove impurities, and ultimately raise the quality of the final pill.
No wonder countless alchemists pursued stronger flames throughout their lives.
After storing the Azure Poison Resistance Pill, Li Yan immediately prepared the next batch of ingredients.
His confidence had increased considerably.
More importantly, he had finally begun adapting to the Golden Feather Peacock Flame.
The sooner he mastered it completely, the greater the benefits would become.
The furnace lid opened once more. Another set of ingredients entered the furnace. Li Yan extended his Spiritual Sense and began refining again.
As the familiar scent of medicinal herbs filled the chamber, the hours slipped by, accompanied only by the steady glow of golden fire and the rhythmic process of alchemical refinement.
*****
Meanwhile, far from the Shadow Haven Sect, somewhere within the Daryn Empire, the sky stretched endlessly in every direction.
Soft shades of pink and golden-orange painted the horizon as the rising sun slowly emerged from the distant clouds. Its warm light spread across the heavens, illuminating countless cloudbanks that resembled a vast ocean of glowing mist.
The scene possessed a tranquil beauty, detached from the struggles and conflicts hidden beneath the clouds far below.
Amid that sea of light, a massive ark-type artifact drifted through the sky.
Its enormous frame bore countless scars. Nearly forty percent of its structure had been destroyed.
Large sections of its outer hull were shattered, while deep sword marks cut across the deck and side walls. Several fires continued burning throughout the damaged vessel, sending thin trails of smoke into the morning sky.
Despite its condition, the ark remained airborne.
The Qi-driven engines embedded throughout its structure emitted a low hum as they continuously supplied power, preventing the heavily damaged vessel from falling from the sky.
On the main deck, silence reigned.
Five figures dressed in vivid orange-and-black uniforms were scattered across the wooden floor.
The uniforms belonged to one of the Empire's elite teams.
A year ago, a similar team had escorted Yan Tian and eleven other children possessing Darkness Affinity toward the forest before casting them into the abyss hidden beneath the ancient pit.
Although these were not the same individuals, their missions had originated from the same source.
Three of the elite members lay motionless in pools of blood. Their eyes remained open. Their lives had already ended.
The remaining two knelt several meters away, their bodies covered in wounds. Blood stained their uniforms while their breathing grew increasingly weak.
Standing before them was a lone man.
He appeared to be in his early forties.
Black hair, touched with silver at the temples, framed a stern, disciplined face. His features were sharp, and his posture remained perfectly straight despite the destruction surrounding him.
A sword rested in his hand. Flames flowed quietly along its blade.
The damaged ark.
The dead elites.
The overwhelming silence.
Everything on the deck pointed toward a single conclusion. The destruction had been caused by him alone.
He was none other than Yan Xun.
Head of the Yan Family. Grandfather of Yan Tian.
His gaze settled upon the two surviving elites.
Cold. Controlled. Patient.
Yet beneath that calm exterior burned fury that had not diminished even after a year of searching.
"I'm giving you one final opportunity," Yan Xun said.
His voice was steady, but neither of the kneeling men dared meet his eyes. "Tell me where you took the children with Darkness Affinity."
His gaze briefly shifted toward the corpses nearby. "Otherwise, your end will be no different from theirs."
The two elites gritted their teeth. Both understood their situation. Their injuries were fatal. Even if Yan Xun spared them, they would not survive much longer.
One of them suddenly laughed bitterly. "You know you're making an enemy of the Empire by doing this?"
Yan Xun took a single step forward. The flaming sword flashed. A thin line appeared across the man's throat.
His laughter stopped instantly.
Blood sprayed across the deck. The elite collapsed without another word.
Yan Xun lowered his sword. "I didn't ask for your opinion."
The remaining survivor visibly trembled.
The fate of his companion had shattered whatever courage remained within him.
Yan Xun's gaze fell upon him. "Do you also intend to remain silent?"
The man clenched his fists. Fear flickered across his face.
Not fear of pain.
Not fear of death.
Something deeper.
"I..." His voice shook. "We are bound by contract."
Yan Xun remained silent.
The man continued. "Even if I try to tell you, the contract is triggered; I die."
A bitter smile appeared on his face. "And the moment the Empire learns of my betrayal, my family dies with me."
The words carried resignation rather than defiance. There was no escape. No path to survival. Only different methods of death.
The elite slowly closed his eyes. "So just kill me."
The morning wind swept across the deck.
For several moments, neither man spoke.
Then Yan Xun sighed quietly.
The sword moved once. The final elite collapsed. Silence returned. Only the crackling of distant fires remained.
Yan Xun stood alone among the dead.
His eyes drifted toward the horizon, where the rising sun continued climbing into the sky.
For the first time, a trace of exhaustion appeared in his eyes. "A year…"
His voice was barely above a whisper. "Still nothing."
A year.
An entire year had passed.
He had followed every lead he could find.
Intercepted convoys. Captured informants. Destroyed hidden facilities. Hunted everyone remotely connected to the operation.
Yet the result remained unchanged.
Nothing.
Not a single clue revealed where Yan Tian had ultimately been taken.
The hand holding his sword tightened slightly. The morning sunlight reflected from the burning blade.
Yan Xun's gaze remained fixed upon the distant horizon.
Yet in his mind, he could still remember the boy who used to follow him around the family estate with endless questions and stubborn determination.
A faint anger gradually surfaced beneath his calm exterior.
Not the explosive fury of battle.
Something colder.
More enduring.
The kind that survived for years.
"I don't care who stands behind this." His voice echoed softly across the ruined deck. "The Empire."
"The royal family. Or something hidden even deeper."
The flames surrounding his sword intensified slightly. "I will find you."
The words carried neither arrogance nor emotion.
Only certainty.
A certainty forged through over a year of relentless pursuit. His gaze lifted toward the endless sea of clouds.
For the first time since the battle ended, concern surfaced in his eyes.
A grandfather's concern.
A family's concern.
One that had never disappeared. "I just hope you're still alive."
The wind swept across the deck once more.
Yan Xun remained standing alone upon the ruined ark as the rising sun illuminated the heavens around him.
His search was far from over.
*****
The following two weeks passed quietly within Li Yan's residence.
Most of his time was spent inside the alchemy chamber. Day after day, the pill furnace remained active as he refined one Tier-3 Peak-Level pill recipe after another.
The Golden Feather Peacock Flame gradually became more familiar under his control, allowing him to understand its strengths far better than during his initial experiments.
The results were obvious.
By the end of the second week, Li Yan had successfully mastered the rest of the eight Tier-3 Peak-Level pill recipes. His refinement speed had increased noticeably, while his control over temperature and impurity removal became increasingly precise.
More importantly, the purity of his pills continued to improve.
The highest result eventually reached ninety-five percent.
Although the improvement from 93% to 95% seemed small, Li Yan understood its significance. At higher tiers, every percentage point became increasingly difficult to obtain. Such progress was enough to prove the value of the Golden Feather Peacock Flame.
Aside from purchasing food and basic supplies, Li Yan rarely left his residence.
Whenever he paused to replenish his Qi between alchemy sessions, he would enter the Eternal Sword Tower.
Sometimes he studied within the Knowledge Hall. Sometimes, he visited the Insight Hall to observe the experiences and Sword Intents left behind by countless swordsmen.
Other times, he entered the Trial Hall.
His visits were never long. Since he entered the tower through his Spiritual Consciousness, every trial consumed Spiritual Energy. To avoid unnecessary exhaustion, he usually challenged only two or three trials during each visit before returning to reality.
Even so, his progress remained steady.
The first sixteen trials had already been cleared.
Every one of them had earned an Excellent evaluation.
The constant combat analyses exposed weaknesses he would have otherwise overlooked, while the various inheritances within the Insight Hall continued broadening his understanding of swordsmanship.
As a result, his Sword Merit Points had gradually accumulated to sixteen hundred. Unfortunately, that amount was still far from sufficient.
Even the cheapest Sword Technique available within the Knowledge Hall required more Sword Merit Points than he currently possessed.
At this moment, Li Yan stood once more within the Trial Arena.
A sword formed from Spiritual Energy rested in his hand, while Defiant Judgment Sword Intent quietly surrounded the blade. Unlike the previous trials, the projections facing him now possessed Earth Level Sword Intent.
One stood several meters ahead. The other remained behind him.
The monument displayed the trial information.
[Trial #17
Opponent: Sword Earth Level (Beginner Stage) ×2
Difficulty: Hard
Victory Condition: Defeat Opponents]
[Fight Begins in 5 Seconds]
The countdown gradually reached zero.
[Fight Begins]
The moment the trial began, both projections attacked simultaneously.
A horizontal slash swept toward Li Yan from the front while a vertical slash descended from behind. The timing of the attacks was precise, forcing him into the intersection point of both strikes.
Li Yan remained calm.
Rather than meeting the attacks head-on, he stepped sideways and left their attack range before either slash could reach him.
The two attacks crossed through space.
At the same moment, Li Yan moved.
His sword flashed twice.
Two crescent-shaped slashes surged outward in different directions.
By the time the projections reacted, their own attacks had already collided behind Li Yan, creating a brief disturbance within the arena.
The opening lasted less than a moment.
It was enough.
Li Yan's slashes reached their targets before either projection could launch a second attack.
Both figures were cut apart and dissolved into countless particles of light.
The arena returned to silence.
Moments later, the monument was illuminated.
[Trial #17 Complete
Result: Victory
Completion Time: 9 Seconds
Evaluation: Excellent
Reward: 300 Sword Merit Points (Reward adjusted according to the level difference between Trialist and Projection)]
A second set of information soon appeared.
[Trial #17 Combat Analysis
Strengths:
- Excellent battlefield awareness
- Effective use of enemy positioning
- Precise Sword Intent control
- Strong tactical judgment
- Efficient attack timing
Weaknesses:
- Limited prolonged-combat experience against multiple opponents of equal level
- Relies heavily on decisive opening attacks
- Defensive swordsmanship remains underutilized]
Li Yan studied the analysis briefly before nodding. The evaluation was reasonable. The battle had ended too quickly to expose many flaws.
Nearby, Jian Ling glanced toward the monument before looking at him. "Using their attacks to create your opening was a good decision."
Li Yan smiled faintly. "I'll take that as praise."
A trace of amusement appeared in Jian Ling's eyes before disappearing.
Without wasting further time, Li Yan stepped into the green circle. Sword Qi immediately gathered throughout the arena. Silver light condensed repeatedly across the battlefield.
One projection appeared. Then another. Then a third. Finally, a fourth.
Li Yan's expression gradually became serious.
Unlike the previous trial, the four projections surrounded him from every direction. Each carried Earth Level Sword Intent, leaving no obvious opening or escape route.
The monument soon displayed the next trial.
[Trial #18
Opponent: Sword Earth Level (Beginner Stage) ×4
Difficulty: Nightmare
Victory Condition: Defeat Opponents]
[Fight Begins in 30 Seconds]
Li Yan slowly examined each opponent.
Four projections.
Four directions.
Four Earth Level Sword Intents.
For the first time since entering the Earth Level trials, he felt genuine pressure. His grip tightened slightly around the sword hilt as he quietly considered his options.
This battle would be considerably more difficult than the last.