Chapter 167: Refining the Primordial Flame Seed
"I will set up a qi gathering array. You can refine the flame seed after you adjust your breath." Yu Nianzhen said.
"Good." Jiang Yue agreed.
After experiencing the thousand herbs garden, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue changed a lot.
They now understood that treasures were good, but it was the right way to convert them into their own strength as soon as possible.
Hoarding treasures was pedantic and meaningless.
"Let’s set up another protective formation just in case." Jiang Yue said.
Although the protective formation around the tree was powerful and could withstand the full strike of a mid-level qi transformation realm cultivator, it was better to take more precautions.
It was especially so because refining a flame was dangerous, and both could not afford a distraction.
"Alright."
Yu Nianzhen removed two array plates from his storage ring and quickly set up the formations.
When he was done, the two sat cross-legged at the centre of the qi gathering formation.
"Let’s prepare the pills first." Yu Nianzhen suggested, and both removed all the necessary pill bottles from their storage rings.
In this way, they knew the exact quantity of pills available and could easily access them when the time came.
"Take your time to adjust your breath." Yu Nianzhen said.
"Okay."
After that, Jiang Yue closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
The qi-gathering array was extremely effective and within half an hour, Jiang Yue replenished all the qi consumed by digging and fighting.
When that was done, he used his cultivation technique to circulate his qi and adjusted his condition to the peak state.
This process took two hours, and when he was done, he felt the bottleneck to the qi transformation realm loosen.
However, he didn’t plan to break through for the time being, and he firmly suppressed his cultivation.
After making sure he wouldn’t accidentally break through when refining the flame seed, Jiang Yue opened his eyes.
Across from him, Yu Nianzhen also opened his.
He looked at the silver-haired young man and nodded in satisfaction.
Without delay, he handed over three white pills, and Jiang Yue took them before closing his eyes.
These pills were ice marrow pills, and Jiang Yue swallowed them without hesitation.
’As expected of ice marrow pills.’ He thought and gritted his teeth.
Even before the pills reached his stomach, Jiang Yue felt like he was in ice.
His limbs began to stiffen, and his teeth chattered so badly he worried they would knock into each other and break.
"Circulate your qi quickly." Yu Nianzhen urged.
A layer of frost had already begun to form around Jiang Yue’s body. If he didn’t circulate his qi, it would only be a matter of time before he froze to death.
When Jiang Yue heard Yu Nianzhen’s words, he gritted his teeth and forcibly circulated his qi.
After three circulation cycles, the freezing feeling dissipated a little, and a fine layer of ice coated his meridians and dantian.
"I am ready." He said.
Yu Nianzhen placed an opened box in front of Jiang Yue, and the other released his soul power.
A moment later, an ethereal soul power entered the box and wrapped around a dust-sized flame seed.
’It’s unbearably hot.’ Jiang Yue frowned, but he didn’t release the flame seed.
Instead, he coated it with another layer of soul power and dragged it into his dantian.
As soon as the flame seed entered his dantian, his body temperature began to rise. His qi boiled, and the ice around his meridians and dantian began to melt rapidly.
’It’s more domineering than we imagined.’ Jiang Yue thought and frowned.
However, he didn’t think of giving up and trying another day.
Since he had already started, he wanted to do his best to refine the primordial flame seed. This was the best way to become stronger.
With those thoughts in mind, Jiang Yue gritted his teeth and submerged the flame seed into his qi ocean.
His soul power and qi wrapped around the flame seed and began to refine it.
However, he hadn’t even refined one per cent of the flame seed when all the protective ice melted, and his meridians began to burn.
Fortunately, before his meridians were reduced to ashes, three more pills were put in his mouth, and he was immediately relieved.
’I need to hurry.’ He thought.
They only had twenty ice marrow pills, and six had already been used. If he continued at the same speed, all their measures would not be enough.
More than anything, Jiang Yue wanted to avoid a situation where Yu Nianzhen used all the leaves of the tree of life to save him.
With that determination, he increased his refining speed, and Yu Nianzhen didn’t slack in feeding him pills.
At times, it was ice marrow pills to relieve the heat from the primordial flame seed.
At others, it was rejuvenation pills to heal his burns, qi replenishing pills to recover his qi, blood replenishing pills, or even soul replenishing pills for his soul power.
However, their measures were still not enough.
When Jiang Yue had only refined seventy per cent of the primordial flame seed, they ran out of ice marrow pills.
After that, Jiang Yue could only endure.
Although the pain from being burned was unbearable, he didn’t think of giving up. He continued to refine the flame seed even when the clothes on his body were burned to ashes.
In front of him, Yu Nianzhen was also suffering.
Since he had to sit close to the other to feed him pills, he could not escape the scorching heat released from Jiang Yue’s body.
However, he didn’t care about himself.
What he was worried about was Jiang Yue.
At this point, the refining could not be stopped, which meant that Jiang Yue had to make it or die trying.
’We were too careless.’ He admonished himself.
When he saw the flame seed was the size of dust, Yu Nianzhen thought its power had dissipated over the years.
Unexpectedly, he had still underestimated the primordial flame seed. Just because its power had reduced didn’t mean they could estimate it with common knowledge.
’It’s our mistake this time.’ He thought and released his jade box without hesitation.
A moment later, three leaves were stuffed into Jiang Yue’s mouth.
Soon after, a strong vitality filled the other’s body, and all his injuries were healed.
His breathing became a little easier, but sadness filled his heart.
He knew that Yu Nianzhen had fed him the leaves of the tree of life, but he also understood there was no other way.
They had underestimated the primordial flame seed, and without the leaves, he would soon be burned to ashes.
’I need to hurry.’ He thought.
Now that his injuries were healed, his mind was clearer and he refined the flame seed even faster.
Eighty per cent...
Ninety per cent...
When he refined ninety per cent of the primordial flame seed, Jiang Yue felt a sense of crisis.
He couldn’t tell if the sense of crisis came from himself or the flame seed, but it made his heart beat faster.
A moment later, the flame seed became hotter, his blood began to dry, and cracks began to appear on Jiang Yue’s skin.
When he saw this, Yu Nianzhen didn’t hesitate and placed five leaves in the other’s mouth.
He also fed him blood replenishing pills, rejuvenation pills, and other pills.
However, Jiang Yue was in a state where he couldn’t refine these pills, and Yu Nianzhen didn’t dare to help him.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of the heat coming from the other’s body, he was afraid his interference would cause Jiang Yue to lose focus.
If that happened, the flame seed would immediately go out of control, and the consequences would be disastrous.
Fortunately, Jiang Yue retained his mind.
Although he was suffering terribly, his soul power did not waver, and he continued to refine the primordial flame speed.
However, refining the last one per cent was more difficult than the combination of the previous ninety-nine.
His soul power and qi ground at the flame seed, but the effect was like using a stone to grind a diamond. His qi and soul power were drained over and over again, but the flame seed did not budge.
Yu Nianzhen continued to feed the leaves of the tree of life, but his brows were creased in a frown.
He had already used more than twenty leaves, and the five leaves on Jiang Yue’s body had already been used up.
At the moment, there were only eight leaves on the tree of life, and he worried they would not be enough.
In addition to the eight leaves, there were still many rejuvenation pills. However, the rate of refining the pills could not keep up with the speed of injury. This meant that the pills were essentially useless.
’What to do?’
Yu Nianzhen sunk his consciousness into his jade box and examined all the herbs planted inside.
However, none of what he found could be used as an inferior alternative to the tree of life.
’As long as we are alive, everything else can be figured out.’ Yu Nianzhen thought and sighed.
A ruthless light flashed in his eyes, and his consciousness wrapped around a branch of the tree of life.
