"Hmph!" The aloof man sneered, then turned and left.

Watching his retreating back, Shen Haoran’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them.

"That’s Xie Chen, ranked fifth on the Dragon and Tiger List! He’s also one of Ouyang Chen’s most formidable fighters!" Shui Ruolan said, her expression grave as she watched his retreating back.

"Oh?" Hearing this, Shen Haoran grunted softly. ’So that’s Xie Chen!’ He was also a little surprised. Gou Shi, Xue Gong, Xie Chen, and Ouyang Chen—four of the top five experts on the Dragon and Tiger List were in the Chen Alliance. ’It seems the Chen Alliance’s strength is no empty boast.’

However, the current Yao Sect wasn’t the least bit afraid of the Chen Alliance. ’If it comes down to a bloody battle, it’s still anyone’s guess who will come out on top!’

After watching both Gou Shi and Xie Chen enter their Cultivation Rooms, Shen Haoran refocused his thoughts, pushed open the stone door, and went inside.

"WHOOSH..." The moment he stepped into the Celestial Level Cultivation Room, a wave of tangible Spiritual Power slammed into him, so thick it nearly choked the breath from his lungs. Simultaneously, the berserk factors within the Spiritual Power frantically bored into his body, as if trying to devour him whole!

BOOM... With a muffled sound, the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian surged from within him, enveloping his body completely. The instant the berserk factors touched the pitch-black flames, they scattered and fled in terror.

"So this is a Celestial Level Cultivation Room?" Shen Haoran said, pleasantly surprised as he felt the viscous Spiritual Power. ’It truly is leagues beyond a Profound Level Cultivation Room!’ 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Shen Haoran turned his head and saw a faint, watery mist emanating from Shui Ruolan. It filtered the Spiritual Power as it passed over her body, making her look like a fish swimming freely through water. The berserk factors posed no threat to her whatsoever!

’It seems Shui Ruolan’s constitution is quite unusual. As expected, anyone who makes it into the top ten of the Dragon and Tiger List is a monster!’

"Well? This place should be good enough for your breakthrough, right?" Shui Ruolan asked.

"Mhm!" Shen Haoran nodded. He couldn’t be more satisfied with the Celestial Level Cultivation Room.

"That’s good. In that case, I won’t disturb you. I hope you break through soon—I’m still waiting for that Three Pure Spirit Pill, you know!" Shui Ruolan gave him a sweet smile, bid him farewell, and left the Cultivation Room.

After Shui Ruolan left, Elder Yan and Changmao flew out. They surveyed the Cultivation Room, which was brimming with rich Spiritual Qi, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Elder Yan, let’s begin!" Shen Haoran took a deep breath. Under the stimulation of the dense Spiritual Power in the room, the urge to break through was becoming overwhelming. He could barely contain it any longer!

At his words, Elder Yan nodded. He summoned the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian and swiftly finished inscribing an array. Without waiting, Shen Haoran immediately sat down cross-legged and entered a state of Cultivation.

A moment later, a Spiritual Power Vortex formed around Shen Haoran, quickly throwing the tranquil Cultivation Room into turmoil.

Seeing that Shen Haoran’s breakthrough was on the right track, Elder Yan paid it no more mind. This breakthrough was a natural progression; there was no reason to expect any major issues.

And indeed, just as Elder Yan had predicted, the breakthrough was exceptionally smooth. After raging for two days, the Spiritual Power Vortex within the Cultivation Room finally subsided. Shen Haoran’s tightly shut eyes snapped open, and a formidable aura burst forth from within him!

"Hah... Finally, Tier Four!" Shen Haoran exhaled a turbid breath, his voice filled with joy. He clenched his fists, feeling the boundless power coursing through him, and a sense of assurance finally settled in his heart.

’At my current level, if I go all out against Ouyang Chen, my chances of winning might rise to forty percent,’ Shen Haoran murmured to himself. He always felt that Ouyang Chen was hiding some dark secret. Against someone so calculating and powerful, Shen Haoran truly wasn’t very confident he could win.

But he quickly pushed the thought aside. ’Whether or not I can beat Ouyang Chen is something I’ll only know after we fight. There’s no point speculating now. For now, I should focus on refining the Three Pure Spirit Pills for Shui Ruolan and the others. I’ll try to help them all advance one Tier before the Sect competition begins!’

With that in mind, Shen Haoran waved his hand, and a pitch-black Pill Furnace materialized before him.

The Pill Furnace he’d acquired from Elder Huo had been destroyed during his competition with Guan Zhi. This pitch-black one was a gift from Elder Song. While it wasn’t a top-tier Pill Furnace, it was more than sufficient for his needs until he became a Sixth Grade Alchemist.

Gently stroking the outer wall of the Pill Furnace, Shen Haoran flicked a finger, and a wisp of black flame ignited within.

Once the temperature inside the Pill Furnace had risen, Shen Haoran officially began the alchemy process.

Perhaps because he had refined this Elixir once before, his speed was even greater than it had been during his competition with Guan Zhi. Even the exceptionally critical Elder Yan couldn’t help but nod in approval.

However, just as Shen Haoran prepared for the Solidifying Pill stage, the globes of Spirit Medicine Essence suddenly began to vibrate violently. Before his astonished eyes, they disintegrated into a pile of dregs!

"Ugh..." Shen Haoran was stunned. ’My refinement steps were flawless. How could this have happened?’

"Alchemy isn’t just about following steps. You have to consider multiple factors, like the environment. The berserk factors in this Celestial Level Cultivation Room also affect the Essence of Spiritual Medicine. Of course you’re going to fail if you use the same methods as you would outside!" Elder Yan explained.

At those words, it dawned on Shen Haoran. He swept the dregs out of the furnace, composed himself for a moment, and began his second attempt.

With the knowledge gained from that failure, the next few attempts went much more smoothly. Eight days later, he had successfully refined the remaining six sets of ingredients!

"Only three Elixirs with Pill Patterns... that’s a pretty low success rate," Shen Haoran muttered, looking at the six Three Pure Spirit Pills laid out before him.

"Not bad at all! A fifty percent success rate for Pill Patterns? Even I couldn’t match that in my prime!" Elder Yan said, rolling his eyes at Shen Haoran. ’If any other Alchemist heard him, they’d probably die of rage. Normal people spend their entire lives trying and failing to produce a single Pill Pattern, yet Haoran is complaining that a fifty percent success rate is too low. Comparisons are truly infuriating!’

Hearing that, Shen Haoran scratched his head in embarrassment. Still, looking at the six Elixirs before him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

’Let’s see, there are about ten days left until the Sect competition begins. They should have just enough time to break through!’

He rubbed his throbbing temples. Refining six Fifth Grade Elixirs in just eight days... even for someone like him, it was draining.

’Ah well, I’d better go deliver these Elixirs,’ Shen Haoran thought with a weary smile, opening the stone door to leave.

However, just as he was about to leave the Celestial Level Cultivation Room area, Changmao stopped him.

"Hold on, Boss! I found something good. Wanna take a look?" Changmao’s sleazy voice echoed in Shen Haoran’s mind.

"Hm? Something good? What is it?" Shen Haoran asked, puzzled. Changmao had an incredibly keen sense for Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. ’Could there really be some kind of treasure hidden here in the Celestial Level Cultivation Room?’