Battle Through the Heavens: The Alchemist Starting from the Ye Family

It has to be said that even he was envious of his disciple's extraordinary talent.

Even the Medicine Venerable who could suppress their generation back then was far inferior to his disciple at the same age!

Seeing Ye Chen's spirited appearance, Xuan Kongzi smiled and nodded, saying, "Good! But how much do you know about soul power?"

"Um, teacher, what aspect are you referring to?" Ye Chen asked cautiously, somewhat unsure of his teacher's thoughts.

"Well, let's talk about the soul realm..." Xuan Kongzi originally just wanted to teach this little guy a bit and broaden his horizons so that he wouldn't become arrogant because of his talent. So, he just said whatever came to mind.

"The Soul Realm..." Ye Chen frowned and said, "Regarding the Soul Realm, the Ancestor did talk to me about it when he was alive, but he didn't say much. So if I'm wrong, please forgive me, Master!"

Chapter 160 The Realm of the Soul

Xuan Kongzi was not surprised by Ye Chen's answer. After all, the Ye family was a family of alchemists with a long history, and their founding ancestor was an eighth-grade alchemist. They would definitely have some records on the soul realm.

However, the disappearance of the Ye family patriarch was too mysterious and too sudden, which resulted in many things not being left behind. Therefore, the Ye family can only have a superficial understanding of many deeper things.

Ye Chen didn't intend to show off; he simply recounted what he had heard from his ancestor Ye Xun about the realm of the soul...

Yes, it is indeed quite basic.

After making a judgment in his mind, Xuan Kongzi didn't say anything, but instead began to explain in detail to Ye Chen.

"Speaking of the soul realm, we must mention the ancient times. Only alchemists of that era could divide the soul realm into such detailed categories. As for later generations, ordinary people can only go with the flow of the soul, which is so mysterious and profound. They cannot even control it. Even you, in the past, only knew how to manipulate soul power, but you did not have a thorough understanding of it..."

Ye Chen also strongly agreed with this point. Not to mention ordinary people, even 90% of the current alchemists rely on their soul power to increase with each major realm of cultivation. This means that their soul power can never be separated from their own cultivation realm to increase.

The advancement of alchemists is already difficult enough, but now there are restrictions on battle qi, making it several times harder for them to advance their rank. This is the main reason why even seventh-rank alchemists are so rare these days!

“You are born with strong soul power, so you have not encountered any bottlenecks in this area. Therefore, many difficulties encountered by ordinary alchemists have never appeared in you. This is your advantage, but it is also your disadvantage…” Xuan Kongzi took the opportunity to teach.

"If things go too smoothly along the way, while it may allow you to fully realize your potential, it will be difficult to break through your potential limits..."

At this point, the image of that person reappeared in Xuan Kongzi's mind.

To be honest, both he and Xuan Yi became core disciples of the Little Pill Tower very early on, and their journey was similar to Ye Chen's now, with smooth sailing all the way.

Until I met that person...

With a sigh, Xuan Kongzi shook his head and withdrew his memories.

What he didn't know was that during Xuan Kongzi's recollection, two other people also appeared in Ye Chen's mind...

Cao Ying and Xiao Yan...

Aren't these two people's upbringing the best proof of what Xuan Kongzi was talking about?

Xiao Yan's journey was fraught with countless hardships; he encountered almost every difficulty a main character could face...

Annulment of an engagement, extermination of one's clan, father's arrest, teacher's arrest, being looked down upon by a family that likes girls...

Well, I suddenly realized that this guy is really quite tragic. Although he manages to show off and get slapped in the face in the end, his suffering is real.

In contrast, Cao Ying was the apple of the Cao family's eye from a young age. She entered the Pill Tower in her teens and became the disciple of the Pill Tower's president. Moreover, in less than ten years, she had already grown into an eighth-grade alchemist and was the strongest contender for the next leader of the Pill Tower...

From the perspective of people on the Dou Qi Continent, this is definitely a winner in life.

!

But the final result was clear: at the Pill Gathering, Cao Ying, the biggest favorite, was defeated by Xiao Yan without any resistance. In fact, Xiao Yan's performance far surpassed hers, and he even defeated the older generation like Elder Mu Gu.

Could it be that Cao Ying's talent in alchemy is inferior to Xiao Yan's?

of course not!

The reason for this difference lies in their different experiences and temperaments. Cao Ying lacks Xiao Yan's will to achieve his goals at all costs!

These are things that are not innate; they can only be acquired through growth and development.

……

……

Xuan Kongzi snapped out of his daze, gave Ye Chen an apologetic smile, and said, "Hehe, as people get older, they always like to reminisce about the past. I'm sorry to have made you laugh, little guy."

Ye Chen quickly bowed and said sincerely, "Teacher, you flatter me. Your words are like a wake-up call for me, they are golden words of wisdom. I am here to thank you for your guidance..."

“Hahaha…” Xuan Kongzi laughed loudly, suddenly realizing that his disciple was quite good at saying nice things.

Although as the president of the Danta Guild, he had heard plenty of flattery on a daily basis, his feelings were naturally quite different when the person who said these words was his own disciple.

This is a person's instinctive reaction to the closeness or distance between people, and even someone at Xuan Kongzi's level is naturally not immune to this.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic..."

Xuan Kongzi suppressed his smile and continued his explanation.

"Since you've heard of the Spirit Realm Soul, you should know that the biggest difference between an eighth-grade pill and a seventh-grade pill lies in this word 'spirit'..."

As an alchemist, to refine pills imbued with 'spirit,' one must also possess a vast amount of spiritual energy within their own soul; only then can the pills be 'imbued' with spirit.

Seeing Ye Chen's thoughtful expression, Xuan Kongzi smiled slightly and continued, "Strictly speaking, a person's soul power has no levels, but it does have realms. That is to say, a seventh-grade alchemist may have a very high soul value and excellent alchemy skills, but even so, they may never be able to refine an eighth-grade pill in their entire life..."

The late Ye family patriarch, Ye Xun, was in this situation!

Back when he was alive, he was universally acknowledged as the number one alchemist below the eighth rank! Even some eighth-rank alchemists could only feel inferior in terms of alchemy skills…

However, he never managed to advance to the eighth rank and bring glory to his family throughout his life. In the end, he could only exhaust his soul and pass away with regret.

“However, above the Spirit Realm, there is the Heaven Realm…” At this point, Xuan Kongzi paused again, a look of regret appearing on his face.

"If one can advance to the Spirit Realm through cultivation, then the Heaven Realm can only be reached through chance..."

Only those whose soul realm reaches the Heavenly Realm can refine ninth-grade pills. However, Xuan Kongzi has been stuck at the peak of the eighth grade for over a hundred years and cannot advance any further. The reason for this is precisely because of his Heavenly Realm soul...

Perhaps fearing his words might dampen his disciple's enthusiasm, Xuan Kongzi changed the subject, saying, "But you're still young, with limitless potential. Even I, your teacher, am far inferior to you at your age. So don't be discouraged. Perhaps someday, this opportunity will come..."

Chapter 161 Cultivating Soul Skills

Ye Chen didn't really care about Xuan Kongzi's last words.

Although opportunities are full of uncertainty, Ye Chen, who was well-versed in the original work, knew that there was more than one way to greatly improve his soul realm.

Of course, these methods are often accompanied by great dangers, or they are not yet ready to be used, so there is no point in talking about them now.

For him, who is currently only a sixth-grade alchemist, the most important thing is to improve his alchemy skills to the seventh grade, and then strive to improve his soul realm to the Spirit Realm...

These are all things that Ye Chen urgently needs to do.

However, before that, Ye Chen still planned to study the Soul Skill Soul Hand Seal he obtained from Xuan Kongzi to see what was different about it...

In a room inside the giant tower of Danta, Ye Chen sat cross-legged on a futon in the center.

The room looked very monotonous; apart from some bookshelves for holding scrolls of books, there wasn't even a table. It looked exactly like a hermit's room.

At this moment, Ye Chen, who was sitting cross-legged, was holding a light gray scroll in his hand. It was the soul skill, Soul Hand Seal, that his teacher Xuan Kongzi had taught him!

The palm slowly unfurled the scroll, and an invisible wave emanated from it...

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, unfurled the scroll, and found that there were no words on it, only some slightly distorted, invisible wrinkles.

Seeing this, Ye Chen pondered for a moment and then understood. He then gently pressed the scroll to his forehead.

As the scroll touched his forehead, an invisible wave immediately surged forth, and Ye Chen then sensed a surge of information flowing into his sea of ​​consciousness like a tidal wave.

After the influx of information had finished, Ye Chen gently put down the scroll, calmed his mind, and began to sort through the somewhat strange flow of information...

That stream of information was a detailed explanation of all the information about the Soul Handprint. The Soul Handprint, or perhaps it could also be called the Soul Seal, is a high-level Xuan-rank Soul Skill, consisting of three forms. Each form doubles the power of an attack, and with this geometric superposition, the third form can even reach eight times the power of a normal Soul Power attack…

What terrifying power this is!

Although the level of this soul skill, which is at the advanced Xuan rank, is not particularly high, its power has already satisfied Ye Chen.

Moreover, soul attacks are inherently invisible and intangible, making them impossible to defend against, and posing a tremendous threat to those who have never witnessed them before.

Even if someone's fighting spirit is far superior to Ye Chen's, as long as their soul power is inferior, they are still in danger of being killed by such a pure soul attack.

It can be said that this soul skill is the greatest advantage that alchemists have over ordinary cultivators!

It's a pity that it's already been lost...

Ye Chen shook his head slightly, feeling that there seemed to be some kind of conspiracy involved. Was someone afraid of the alchemist's power and deliberately caused the ancient soul cultivation secrets and soul skills to be cut off?

The reason why the Pill Tower can still possess these secret techniques today, besides its own formidable strength, is probably due to the profound knowledge and resources it has accumulated over thousands of years by searching through ancient ruins...

Shaking his head, Ye Chen abandoned his increasingly unrestrained imagination.

In fact, Xuan Kongzi's reason for teaching Ye Chen the Soul Hand Seal first was not just that; its main purpose was...

The intention was to use this soul hand seal to help Ye Chen understand how to maximize the use of soul power...

The soul is inherently a very difficult thing to control. Even alchemists need to practice constantly to increase their control and use of their own soul power.

Therefore, the difficulty of cultivating soul skills is many times greater than that of combat skills.

Advanced Xuan Rank. This level isn't high, but learning it isn't easy either. So, it can be considered a small test that Xuan Kongzi gave to Ye Chen.

Although Ye Chen was unaware of his teacher's deeper intentions, for him, if he could learn this Soul Hand Seal, he wouldn't be powerless to resist even if he encountered enemies much stronger than himself in the future. Therefore, he was still very proactive in his cultivation.

"call……"

Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen gradually focused his mind, and his palm slowly extended out. Then, he began to slowly change the hand seals in his mind.

At first, Ye Chen's hand seals changed quite slowly, but he looked very serious and showed no impatience. The soul power between his brows also slowly surged out and then condensed in conjunction with the changes in his hand seals...

Bang!

It wasn't that Ye Chen directly launched a soul attack, but rather that the soul hand seal suddenly became disordered the moment it took shape, causing it to fail to condense...

Ye Chen frowned, recalling the scene just now. He felt that there was a slight flaw in his soul control at the last moment, and it was this slight flaw that caused the failure of the soul handprint to be formed.

"It seems that I'm still quite different from Xiao Yan when he participated in the Pill Gathering in the original story..."

Ye Chen thought to himself silently.

This is not Ye Chen being self-deprecating, but in the original work, when Xiao Yan tested his soul value, even though he held back, his soul value was nearly 1,400, which was much higher than Ye Chen's current value.

Moreover, at that time he had already touched the threshold of the Spirit Realm, and it could be said that he was only one step away from transcending the mortal realm and entering the spiritual realm. Coupled with his powerful soul control, he was able to steal the Soul Hand Seal simply by observing Cao Ying's performance...

Inside the room, Ye Chen continued to tirelessly perform the hand seals again and again. Although this kind of cultivation was tedious, it was necessary.

After all, whether it's cultivating soul skills or combat techniques, the only way to truly master them is through diligent practice...

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Chen's hand seals changed rapidly, creating a dazzling series of afterimages before suddenly stopping at a strange hand seal.

The instant the handprint was formed, a vast and boundless spiritual power rapidly took shape in his palm. Faintly, a handprint could be seen in the distorted space...

"Soul Profound Seal Palm!"

As the shout fell, the immense soul power on Ye Chen's right hand instantly solidified, and a soul handprint resembling his palm detached itself with lightning speed, actually causing visible ripples to appear in the space in front of him...

"Boom!"

Like a resounding bell, this soul-striking handprint struck a black metal pillar not far in front of him, leaving a clear palm print.

This scene made Ye Chen's eyes light up, and he became excited. "I finally managed to unleash the first move, the Soul Profound Palm. It took me three hours. I wonder how fast this training is..."

Chapter 162 Cao Ying's Attempt to Get Closer

He got up and walked to the black metal pillar that was being used as a target. Looking at the clear palm print on it, Ye Chen couldn't help but marvel at the power of the Soul Handprint.

It should be noted that this metal pillar is forged from the soul steel unique to the Dan Tower. Although it cannot be said to be the hardest metal on the continent, it has a very strong resistance to soul power, so it is also the most commonly used item in the Dan Tower for testing souls.

Ye Chen had already tried it before, without relying on soul skills, simply using his powerful soul power to condense a fist for an attack, and the soul steel was completely undamaged under the attack, without a single mark.

After casting the Soul Hand Seal, even the first move can leave a clear mark on it, which is the terrifying thing about Soul Skills!

However, the difficulty of cultivating this soul skill is also the same. If it were an ordinary high-level Xuan-rank combat skill, with Ye Chen's current talent, he could probably master it in three hours. But right now, he has only mastered the first form of the Soul Hand Seal...

Shaking his head, Ye Chen decided to slow down the second and third moves first, and continue after he had fully mastered the first move.

Actually, he didn't really like wasting too much time on this kind of cultivation.

You should know that in his previous cultivation, he only practiced one fighting technique, namely the Earth-rank low-level fighting technique, Heaven-Breaking Finger, which he obtained from Lin Yutong...

That's why I started practicing because I was bored during my journey.

He spends the rest of his time cultivating battle qi, practicing alchemy, and absorbing star power, which directly takes up 90% of his time each day.

Just like Xuan Kongzi said before, you can't bite off more than you can chew. Even if he has a secret method for cultivating the soul, he still needs to squeeze out other time. And for him, improving his soul realm is not the most important thing right now. The most important thing is to improve his alchemist rank!

After leaving the room, Ye Chen planned to go to the herb warehouse to see if there were any herbs he urgently needed.