Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Spirit Suppressing Pill
Thanks to Hua Luoxuan’s preparations, all the materials were soon ready. The two then entered the refining room.
The refining room was filled with the scent of herbs. The floor was covered with vast quantities of materials and large piles of medicinal dregs, clear evidence of at least several dozen refining sessions.
"Heh heh, Young Master Xuan, please don’t mind the mess. I’ve just been too busy these past few days to tidy up," Hua Luoxuan said with an embarrassed laugh.
Ye Xuan paid it no mind. He merely glanced at the dregs on the floor with a flicker of surprise before beginning his Alchemy.
One Pill after another formed under Ye Xuan’s control. With Hua Luoxuan assisting, every batch of Pills Ye Xuan created was a perfect success.
Because they needed to prepare a large quantity of Pills, Ye Xuan and Hua Luoxuan refined for three straight days before finally finishing.
The three days of Alchemy left Hua Luoxuan utterly exhausted. The moment they finished, he collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily.
Yet, his gains over these three days were extraordinary. He learned a great deal from every single session of Alchemy Ye Xuan performed.
This time in particular was a real eye-opener. Ye Xuan refined a wide variety of Pills, many of which had uses Hua Luoxuan had never even heard of. Furthermore, Ye Xuan’s Alchemy techniques were unlike those of any ordinary Alchemist, allowing Hua Luoxuan to learn a great deal of new knowledge and methods.
What shocked him most of all was Ye Xuan’s pill yield. With every batch, the yield was off the charts. Moreover, the lowest quality among the Pills produced was Upper Grade, and the vast majority were of supreme grade.
A success rate like that was so shocking Hua Luoxuan felt his eyes might just pop out of his head.
"By the way, Young Master Xuan, where are you planning to go? Why prepare things like Avoiding Miasma Pills and Antitoxic Pills? And these other Pills... if I’m not mistaken, they’re for increasing physical resistance, aren’t they? Are you perhaps preparing to venture out for training? I must warn you, venturing out is extremely dangerous. If you need anything at all, just say the word."
After resting for a moment, Hua Luoxuan asked in confusion.
The Pills Ye Xuan had made this time were rather unusual. They weren’t for a Martial Artist’s regular cultivation but were instead the kind used when venturing out. That was why he asked.
He would have even served as Ye Xuan’s guard without a single complaint if asked.
"Heh, I do have a trip to make. But don’t worry, it shouldn’t be dangerous."
Ye Xuan knew Hua Luoxuan was just concerned. He gave a faint smile and said, "Hua Luoxuan, I’ve already imposed on you for three days. I won’t trouble you any further. I’ll be heading back now."
"It was no trouble at all," Hua Luoxuan said with a smile. "I’d be happy to be ’troubled’ like this more often."
For him, being able to practice Alchemy alongside Ye Xuan was a blissful experience.
"Oh, right." Just as he was about to walk out the door, Ye Xuan’s gaze fell upon the medicinal dregs on the floor, and he suddenly stopped. "Hua Luoxuan, why have you suddenly been trying to refine the ancient Fourth Grade Spirit Suppressing Pill?"
"How did you know?" Hua Luoxuan froze, crying out in shock. Then, remembering Ye Xuan’s mastery of Alchemy, he gave a wry smile. "You must have seen the formula on my desk. I have indeed been trying to refine the Spirit Suppressing Pill for the last few months. However, its refinement is incredibly complex, and the formula I have is incomplete. I haven’t been able to succeed."
As he spoke, a hint of anxiety crept onto his face. It was clear the Spirit Suppressing Pill was extremely important to him.
"Wait! That’s not right." Suddenly, his brow furrowed. "What I left on my desk was only a partial formula for the Spirit Suppressing Pill. The list of ingredients isn’t complete, and the Pill’s name isn’t on it. How did you know what it was?"
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Your formula is clearly an ancient one. It uses Frenzy Spirit Fruit as the primary ingredient, with Thousand Gold Grass and Purple Mandala as catalysts. With those three main components, it’s almost certainly a Spirit Suppressing Pill."
"Young Master Xuan, do you know the full formula for the Spirit Suppressing Pill?" Hua Luoxuan rushed in front of Ye Xuan, his face flushed with excitement.
"The Spirit Suppressing Pill is used to suppress special types of Profound Power within the body, including the power of a Martial Soul. Typically, it’s only needed by powerful experts whose cultivation has gone astray, or by those whose bodies have been invaded by a foreign energy. Why do you need one?"
"Young Master Xuan, please don’t ask." Hua Luoxuan gave a wry smile. "It’s not that I won’t tell you, it’s that I can’t."
Ye Xuan didn’t press the issue. As he walked, he continued, "Your formula is mostly correct, but the last few ingredients are off. You should replace them with Zhiji Grass, Heart Yang Water, and Buddha Water Purple Mansion Liquid. Furthermore, controlling the heat is critical when refining the Spirit Suppressing Pill. You must keep your mind as still as water and act without conscious effort. Finally, the medicinal properties of the Pill dissipate very easily. Once it’s successfully refined, it must be placed in a box made of red sandalwood to prevent its potency from fading..."
As his last word fell, Ye Xuan disappeared down the stairwell.
Hua Luoxuan stood frozen in place, muttering, "Zhiji Grass, Heart Yang Water, and Buddha Water Purple Mansion Liquid? So that’s it... The formula our Royal Alchemist Association has been struggling to figure out for months... is now complete just like that? Wait, Young Master Xuan! Young Master Xuan..."
A long moment passed before Hua Luoxuan snapped out of his daze. He hurriedly charged down the stairs, but Ye Xuan was long gone.
"Never mind." Hua Luoxuan shook his head and returned to his refining room, his eyes gleaming as he muttered, ’The formula Young Master Xuan gave me has to be real. If I can actually refine a Spirit Suppressing Pill, doesn’t that mean I can cure *that person’s* illness?’
A surge of excitement coursed through Hua Luoxuan.
’This has to remain a secret for now. I’ll refine the Pill first, see how effective it is, and then decide what to do. If there’s any reward, it must go to Young Master Xuan.’
Having made his decision, Hua Luoxuan quickly ordered someone to prepare the ingredients. He was going to attempt to refine the Spirit Suppressing Pill.
Even though he now had the formula and the key instructions, Hua Luoxuan knew that the Spirit Suppressing Pill was an ancient Fourth Grade Pill. Refining it with his current level of cultivation would still be incredibly difficult. It would be nearly impossible to succeed in a short amount of time.
But as long as he kept trying, it was only a matter of time before he succeeded.
And so, once the ingredients were ready, Hua Luoxuan once again went into seclusion, immersing himself in Alchemy.
On a bustling street, Ye Xuan walked through the crowd.
’Now that the Pills are ready, I need to prepare the Array. The Ten Directions Soul Guarding Array is a must.’
When venturing out, external preparations are crucial. At his current level, Ye Xuan’s own power was limited, so he had to rely on these other means.
His goal this time was to capture a Profound Beast, and the Ten Directions Soul Guarding Array he had helped Elder Kuchen refine before was extremely effective for that purpose. Furthermore, Ye Xuan happened to have some leftover materials for it, so this Array was his top priority.
’Refining an Array requires a lot of materials. Looks like I’ll have to trouble Elder Kuchen again.’
Refining an Array had strict requirements for both the location and the materials. The only Array Master Ye Xuan knew in the Royal City was Elder Kuchen, so he planned to go to the Soul Master Tower and borrow a refining room from him.
Given his relationship with Elder Kuchen, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Hm?
As he walked, Ye Xuan’s brow suddenly knitted. He spun around, his gaze shooting like lightning toward a distant rooftop.
WHOOSH!
A black-clad figure, who had just poked their head out, seemed to feel Ye Xuan’s gaze at that very instant and vanished without a sound.
’Someone’s following me?’
Ye Xuan frowned.
The tracker’s senses were incredibly sharp. Ye Xuan had felt a faint, intermittent presence ever since leaving the Alchemist Association, but he hadn’t been able to pinpoint its location.
The moment he finally located the person, they somehow sensed him in return and immediately vanished.
An ordinary Martial Artist could never possess such skill in concealment. The thought made Ye Xuan’s frown deepen.
’Could it be the First Prince’s men?’
The First Prince was his initial suspect.
He hadn’t offended many people in the Royal City. Thinking about it, there was only Princess Xiangming and a few people from his academy.
But very few of them could dispatch a scout of this caliber.
The First Prince was the most likely culprit, though it wasn’t impossible it was someone else.
’Hmph. We’ll see who’s following me,’ Ye Xuan thought, lowering his head as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He hated the feeling of being watched.
Ye Xuan quietly released his Soul Power, forming a wide net with his Profound Sense that extended all around him.
If the tracker reappeared, Ye Xuan was confident he could find them without being detected.
To Ye Xuan’s surprise, however, the tracker never reappeared.
’Incredible concealment skills. They fled the instant they were discovered, clean and without a moment’s hesitation. This person is no simpleton. A shame. You’d best never show your face again. If I catch you, the consequences will be... dire.’
Although the encounter had put him on alert, Ye Xuan didn’t dwell on it. Seeing that he was no longer being followed, he strolled leisurely into the Soul Master Tower.
This was the Royal City, not some remote, backwater village. For now, anyone plotting against him could only watch from a distance. They wouldn’t dare make a move in the middle of the street.
Besides, in his past life, what kind of assassination attempt hadn’t Ye Xuan experienced? This person was only tracking him. Had they revealed even the slightest hint of killing intent, he would have noticed them immediately.
He was quite confident about that.
Upon entering the Soul Master Tower, Ye Xuan didn’t look for Shi Yan, heading straight for the elders’ activity area.
"This is the elders’ area. Halt!"
The two guards on duty were different from the last time he’d been here, clearly part of a rotation. They saw Ye Xuan and immediately barked at him in a cold tone.
"I’m here to see Elder Kuchen."
"To see Elder Kuchen?" The two guards were taken aback. They sized Ye Xuan up, and their tone immediately softened. "Do you have an appointment?"
"No," Ye Xuan said, shaking his head.
"What? No appointment?" The guards’ expressions soured instantly. "If you don’t have an appointment, what are you doing here causing trouble?"
