Chapter 77: 77. Alchemy [2]
After leaving the Treasury Hall, Lin Xuan briefly examined the contents of his storage ring.
Between the herbs he had just exchanged for and the ingredients already stored within the system inventory, he now possessed enough medicinal herbs to refine at least five hundred sets of Body Tempering Pills and a hundred sets of Qi refinement pills.
That amount was more than sufficient for the foreseeable future.
Satisfied with the harvest, he calmly left the Treasury Hall.
After leaving, Lin Xuan made a brief trip to Lin Zhaoyue’s courtyard, intending to speak with her.
Instead, he found only Nanny Liu.
From her, he learned that Lin Zhaoyue had entered seclusion just the day before.
Lin Xuan smiled helplessly.
He had missed her by a single day.
Since there was no point disturbing her cultivation, Lin Xuan simply nodded to Nanny Liu before turning around and leaving.
Not long afterward, he returned to his private courtyard.
The alchemy furnace he had used three months earlier still stood quietly in the center of the courtyard.
After confirming that no one was nearby, Lin Xuan waved his hand.
One by one, the ingredients required to refine the Qi Refinement Pill appeared before him, neatly arranged beside the furnace.
Although the system guaranteed a Pure Pill upon a successful refinement...
This was still his first attempt at refining a Qi Refinement Pill.
Compared to Body Tempering Pills, the difficulty was on an entirely different level.
Even Lin Xuan found himself feeling a trace of nervous anticipation.
He slowly closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, allowing his mind to settle completely.
Only when his heart had become as calm as still water did he open his eyes once more.
A flicker of spiritual flame bloomed within the alchemy furnace.
Lin Xuan raised his hand and the spiritual flame within the furnace immediately grew steadier.
Only after the temperature had stabilized did he pick up the first herb.
With a flick of his fingers, the slender spirit gathering grass fell into the furnace.
The moment it came into contact with the flame, the leaves slowly curled inward.
Without rushing, he carefully controlled the heat, allowing the impurities hidden within the herb to gradually separate.
Wisps of black smoke rose from the furnace before quietly dissipating into the air and bit by bit, the Spirit Gathering Grass shrank.
Its emerald-green color gradually deepened before finally melting into a clear droplet of emerald medicinal essence.
With that, the first step was complete.
Next came the Azure Dew Flower.
Unlike the Spirit Gathering Grass, this herb possessed an abundance of moisture.
The temperature had to be lowered slightly.
Otherwise, its medicinal properties would evaporate before they could be extracted.
The spiritual flame weakened ever so slightly.
Only then did Lin Xuan place the Azure Dew Flower into the furnace.
The pale-blue petals slowly unfolded beneath the gentle heat.
Tiny beads of crystal-clear liquid seeped from each petal before gathering together.
The flower itself quickly withered.
Moments later, only a single drop of azure medicinal essence remained, floating quietly beside the emerald liquid.
Without pausing, Lin Xuan reached for the Jade Essence Root.
This herb was the hardest of the four.
Its outer layer was as tough as polished jade.
Rather than lowering the temperature, Lin Xuan gradually increased the intensity of the flame.
The furnace emitted a low hum.
Under the steadily rising heat, fine cracks finally appeared across the surface of the root and the hardened shell slowly split apart.
The pure medicinal essence hidden within flowed out like liquid jade, joining the previous two droplets.
Finally, Lin Xuan picked up the Purple Mist Fruit.
Among the four ingredients, it possessed the most volatile medicinal properties.
Too much heat would destroy it yet too little would leave its medicinal strength dormant.
His expression became noticeably more focused.
The spiritual flame flickered repeatedly as he made one tiny adjustment after another.
The Purple Mist Fruit slowly softened until the entire fruit transformed into a cloud of violet medicinal mist that gently swirled above the other three essences.
Only then did Lin Xuan begin the true refinement.
His spiritual qi flowed into the furnace in steady streams.
The four different medicinal essences slowly drifted toward one another.
The moment they made contact, the furnace suddenly trembled.
The different medicinal properties instinctively resisted one another.
Every change occurring within the furnace had already appeared countless times in the knowledge he had obtained.
He gently altered the intensity of the flame.
At the same time, his spiritual qi guided each medicinal essence into a slow rotation.
Rather than forcing them together, he allowed them to gradually harmonize on their own.
As time passed, the violent fluctuations slowly subsided.
The four colors gradually merged into a single brilliant stream of liquid.
Seeing the opportunity, Lin Xuan immediately increased the heat.
The liquid rapidly condensed, shrinking with each passing breath.
The medicinal liquid finally solidified and moments later, several pills gradually took shape within the furnace.
At the same moment, an incomparably rich medicinal fragrance spread throughout the courtyard.
Lin Xuan slowly exhaled as his first attempt at refining Qi Refinement Pills had succeeded.
Without delaying any longer, Lin Xuan stepped forward and opened the furnace.
Inside, ten Qi Refinement Pills lay neatly arranged.
However, only five of them possessed a flawless, jade-like luster. Their medicinal fragrance was rich and pure, with not the slightest trace of impurity.
The remaining five pills had turned a dull, charred black.
Their medicinal properties had been completely destroyed during the final stage of condensation.
Lin Xuan gently picked up one of the successful pills and examined it carefully.
A faint smile gradually spread across his face.
Even if half the batch was lost, the remaining half were Pure Pills.
That result was already terrifying enough.
If word of it spread, countless alchemists would likely question everything they thought they knew about pill refinement.
After all, even the greatest alchemy masters would celebrate if they managed to refine a single Pure Pill.
Lin Xuan carefully stored the five Pure Qi Refinement Pills into a jade bottle before destroying the others.
Taking a slow breath, Lin Xuan reached for another set of ingredients and the spiritual flame within the furnace burned steadily once more.
Without the slightest hesitation, he began refining the second batch.
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