Chapter 324: Chapter 220: Tier Three Pill Master (2)
Mastering one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation to Tier Three in just three months?
It might be impossible for others, but that wasn’t necessarily the case for Qin Xuan.
After all, he did have experience in both Alchemy and Artifact Refining!
...
Back at Huaizhong Altar, Qin Xuan carefully reviewed his skills.
Thanks to the tempering experience of refining the Control Element Soul Nourishing Pill, his skill in the Alchemy Dao was already on the verge of reaching Tier Three.
As for Artifact Refining, however, he was hovering at the peak of Tier Two.
’Relying solely on my peak Tier Two skills in Alchemy and Artifact Refining... it probably isn’t enough to guarantee victory in the Demon Child re-selection...’
Qin Xuan mused, feeling that he was still missing something crucial.
He needed a more reliable guarantee.
With a thought, Qin Xuan called out to the dormant Eight Desolates Forging Fire Furnace.
"Elder Huang, I’ve run into a difficult problem and was hoping you could offer some guidance."
"Hmph!" A cyan light shot out from the furnace, coalescing into the form of the Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child. He crossed his arms, his little face a mask of feigned displeasure.
"You brat, you only come to me when you need something! You only remember your Lord Huang when you’re in trouble!"
Qin Xuan just smiled, not the least bit embarrassed. He directly explained that the Demon Child re-selection required an assessment of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, and laid out his current predicament.
After hearing him out, the Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child’s chin lifted even higher, his face full of pride. "Is that all? You brat, have you forgotten who your Lord Huang is?!"
He patted the illusory wall of the furnace beside him, producing a dull thud.
"Never mind mere Tier Three Magical Treasures and Spirit Pills! As long as you have enough materials, your Lord Huang could refine a Tier Four Spirit Treasure for you on the spot! Guiding you? It’s child’s play!"
Receiving the Artifact Spirit’s confident reply, a heavy weight was finally lifted from Qin Xuan’s heart.
"Thank you, Elder."
...
「One month later.」
In the center of the quiet room.
The Eight Desolates Forging Fire Furnace hovered in the air, its flames burning a pure azure.
The phantom of the Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child floated to one side, his little face stern as he rattled off instructions:
"You imbecile! Solidifying a Pill isn’t about brute force!"
"The Purple Heart Breaking Barrier Pill may be for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but it’s a Tier Three Low-Grade Pill! The key is controlling the flame. Seventy percent gentle flame to nurture the medicinal properties, thirty percent fierce flame to forge the pill patterns."
"Weave your Divine Sense into threads, seep them into the pill embryo, and feel the changes in spiritual energy within..."
"Yes, right now! Reduce the heat by thirty percent and use the ’Nourish’ Technique to guide the medicinal power to coalesce!"
Qin Xuan was completely focused, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Good!"
Qin Xuan wiped the fine sweat from his brow. His hands shifted through a series of techniques as he precisely controlled the temperature and Spiritual Pressure inside the furnace.
BOOM!
Finally, the furnace lid shuddered.
Three Spirit Pills, each the size of a longan, flew out. They were wreathed in a purple mist, their surfaces covered in faint, cloud-like patterns.
Their fragrance filled the air—they were, without a doubt, Tier Three Low-Grade Purple Heart Breaking Barrier Pills!
"Not bad, not bad. You’re now able to properly refine a Tier Three Elixir on your own, without Lord Huang’s help," the Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child said, nodding in satisfaction.
"It was all thanks to your guidance, Elder," Qin Xuan said humbly.
The praise sent the Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child into ecstasy. He tilted his head back proudly.
"But of course! Come on, let’s continue! For the next two months, I’ll teach you Artifact Refining. That’s my real specialty! I guarantee I’ll help you reach a whole new level in your craft!"
...
「Two more months later.」
The Artifact Refining room was piled high with all sorts of Spiritual Materials.
The Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child pointed at a piece of Thousand-year Cold Iron and a few wisps of Wind Copper Essence floating in the furnace fire, launching into a tirade.
"Artifact Refining is like Soul Shaping! You think you can just melt some materials and mash them together to make a Magical Treasure? Bullshit! Don’t be a smartass."
The Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child chewed Qin Xuan out.
"The Formless Needle relies on Concealment and Breaking Gang! You have to perfectly fuse the speed of Wind Copper with the sharpness of Cold Iron, then inscribe both the Breaking the Sky and Concealing Breath Talisman Arrays into a space smaller than a mustard seed."
"Your Spiritual Awareness Carving Knife has to be steady! The infusion of Magical Power has to be even! Look at this! What is this piece of junk you’re making? The spiritual resonance of this rune stroke is broken again!"
"Wrong! Start over! Start over!"
Qin Xuan’s face was haggard and drawn. He was utterly spent, his mind and spirit on the verge of collapse.
He glanced up at the Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child, a wave of regret washing over him.
’If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve been better off practicing on my own. This old guy is absolutely brutal!’
This was different from when he had practiced Alchemy.
The Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child was, without a doubt, a supreme Artifact Refining Master.
When it came to Artifact Refining, he demanded perfection at every turn. The slightest misstep would earn Qin Xuan a vicious scolding.
However, the results were also undeniable.
Under the near-tyrannical guidance of the Taoist Artifact’s spirit, Qin Xuan’s Artifact Refining skills improved by leaps and bounds.
He, who had been a peak Tier Two Artifact Refiner just three months prior, had now—after only two months of focused training—successfully forged a set of twelve Tier Three Low-Grade Magical Treasures as fine as an ox’s hair and nearly invisible to the naked eye.
The Shadowless Escape Needle!
’As expected of a Taoist Artifact’s spirit,’ Qin Xuan thought with deep admiration. ’His understanding of the Artifact Refining Dao is likely superior to even that of a Nascent Soul Demon Monarch.’
Three months of bitter training passed in a flash.
On this day, Qin Xuan had just finished refining a batch of Tier Three Low-Grade Blood Evil Soul Slaughter Pills.
The process yielded five pills of superior quality.
He let out a long sigh of relief. Feeling his significant improvement in both the Alchemy and Artifact Refining Daos, his confidence surged.
The Spirit Body of the Cyan-robed Little Daoist Child floated before him. Tilting his head, he sized Qin Xuan up for a moment before a mysterious smile touched his lips. His tone was tinged with playful mockery.
"Kid, you’ve certainly made great strides in both Alchemy and Artifact Refining these past three months. However..."
He deliberately drew out the last word, tapping a chubby finger between Qin Xuan’s eyebrows.
"From what I, Lord Huang, can see, your real talent doesn’t lie in these auxiliary skills. It’s your comprehension and mastery of the Dao of Magic Techniques that truly surpasses all your peers. Even I’m a little surprised."
"Don’t you go losing sight of what’s most important, kid!"
Qin Xuan’s heart jolted at his words.
’The Dao of Magic Techniques?’
’Is he talking about the Star Techniques I possess, like Ghost Shadow Seven Kills and Starlight Rejuvenation? Or my Positional Divine Techniques, like Cyan Cicada Shell and Flame Demon?’
...
The three-month deadline arrived.
