The crimson medicinal cauldron, covered in beast patterns, heavily landed on the stone platform. The sheer weight of it almost made the stone tremble lightly. Looking at the medicinal cauldron before him, Xiao Yan took a deep breath. He opened his mouth, and a ball of emerald green flame was spewed out. Flicking his fingers, the flame, trailing a beautiful tail, directly flew into the cauldron. It then burst fiercely, roaring flames constantly surging within the cauldron. The rising temperature made the area gradually feel more scorching.
As the flames rose, Xiao Yan waved his sleeve, and a series of herbs floated out from his storage ring. They were then suspended mid-air, enveloped by a burst of Dou Qi, shimmering like tiny glowing orbs seen from below, appearing quite dazzling.
“The Heavenly Soul Fusion Blood Pill, a Rank Seven pill, has the astonishing effect of improving physical constitution and enhancing cultivation talent. The materials required for its refinement are extremely intricate, with about seventy-seven types, of which the main components are four: Dragon Blood Reishi, Spirit Bone Fruit, Profound Sky Blue Vine, and the essence blood of a seventh-rank or higher rank Magical Beast. All these materials are rare and hard to find, and the method of refinement is very meticulous and strict.”
The method of refining the Heavenly Soul Fusion Blood Pill slowly appeared in Xiao Yan’s mind, with the key points being imprinted in his brain without a single word missed. The number of refining materials, requiring such an amount, was something Xiao Yan had never encountered before. Even the Earth Spirit Pill, which was refined by Pharmacist Elder in the past to capture the Falling Heart Flame, did not require this many ingredients. This showed that the difficulty of refining the Heavenly Soul Fusion Blood Pill probably surpassed that of the Earth Spirit Pill.
A myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind, but Xiao Yan quickly dismissed them all. Raising his head, he sensed the temperature inside the cauldron, nodding slightly. With a slight gesture, the vigorously burning emerald green flame in the cauldron suddenly weakened.
Staring intently at the cauldron, Xiao Yan then moved his fingers, and a light shot over, transforming into a completely scarlet red reishi, landing in his hand. As soon as this reishi appeared, it exuded a dense, bloody smell, and within it, there was a faint, pure energy fluctuation. This was one of the main materials for refining the Heavenly Soul Fusion Blood Pill, the Dragon Blood Reishi. Although this reishi was not truly stained with dragon blood, its formation was also quite difficult, requiring the absorption of the blood of three snake-like magical beasts before it could emerge from the earth.
Xiao Yan gently rubbed the surface of the Dragon Blood Reishi, feeling the slightly cold, pure energy within it. He exhaled lightly, flicked his finger, and the Dragon Blood Reishi turned into a red beam, dropping into the medicinal cauldron.
As the Dragon Blood Reishi entered, the dormant emerald green flame within the cauldron immediately surged up like a hungry wolf, devouring it in one go. Just as the flame devoured the Dragon Blood Reishi, Xiao Yan flicked his fingers, and several dozen light points suspended in the air immediately split and plunged into the cauldron one after another, diving into the fire without hesitation.
The Dragon Blood Reishi had a naturally yin and cold nature, which meant it would die upon contact with fire. To refine its medicinal liquid, other herbs must be used to neutralize the yin and cold energy. The previously added herbs were precisely the ones prepared for this purpose.
Simultaneously refining so many herbs required a high level of soul strength, but fortunately, Xiao Yan now possessed the requisite qualifications and strength. The many herbs that entered the flame quickly withered upon contact with the Clear Lotus Heart Flame, and their bodies turned into powder. Drops of pure medicinal liquid remained, and under Xiao Yan’s exquisite control of his soul strength, they blended together and evenly dripped onto the increasingly withering Dragon Blood Reishi.
As these medicinal liquids dripped, the blood-red color of the Dragon Blood Reishi began to fade, peeling off layers of blood-colored skin. In just a few moments, the Dragon Blood Reishi’s color became pale. Xiao Yan didn’t pay too much attention to the now pale Dragon Blood Reishi. The true essence of the Dragon Blood Reishi was not within its body, but on these blood-colored skins, which were necessary for refining the Heavenly Soul Fusion Blood Pill.
A few drops of pale white medicinal liquid sprinkled onto the blood-red skins, and under the stable temperature, they quietly melted. A few minutes later, a blood-red liquid, the size of a small fist, appeared in the medicinal cauldron. Seeing the first step of refinement succeed, Xiao Yan felt a great sense of relief. He waved his hand, and the flame enveloped the liquid, gradually reducing its size while making its color more intense.
When the blood-red liquid shrank to the size of a thumb, it became incredibly thick. Seeing this, Xiao Yan’s lips curled into a smile. He gestured, and a beam of light turned into a pitted white fruit – the Spirit Bone Fruit.
The refinement of the main materials was extremely rigorous. Without specific techniques, it was nearly impossible to extract the needed medicinal power from these items. The Dragon Blood Reishi, Spirit Bone Fruit, and the later Profound Sky Blue Vine were all such. The refinement of the Spirit Bone Fruit was even more challenging, requiring nearly twenty different complementary materials. It took Xiao Yan almost an hour to successfully extract a drop of a marrow-like combined liquid from it.
After the successful refinement of the Spirit Bone Fruit, Xiao Yan placed the Profound Sky Blue Vine into the cauldron. This vine was extremely tough, neither wood nor metal, and surprisingly, it had a high resistance to fire. Even with the help of the Clear Lotus Heart Flame, it took Xiao Yan two full hours to crack its surface.
As the Profound Sky Blue Vine cracked, more than twenty balls of light soared into the cauldron, ultimately being refined by Xiao Yan into drops of pure medicinal liquid, falling onto the blue vine. With the help of the various herbs, the Profound Sky Blue Vine, which looked like a dried branch, eventually burst, some light blue powder falling out. Under the guidance of Xiao Yan’s soul force, it solidified into a blue powder ball.
With the three main materials successfully refined, both Xiao Yan and the observing Su Qian and others breathed a sigh of relief. Though they weren’t deeply knowledgeable about pills, they could see the smooth and flowing technique Xiao Yan used, which was quite pleasing to watch.
The exclamations from the inner courtyard did not reach Xiao Yan’s ears. After resting briefly, he focused once more, taking a jade bottle from his storage ring. Tipping the bottle, a drop of azure-red blood dropped down. The volume of the blood was small, but the fierce energy contained within was significant. This blood was, of course, extracted from the mysterious magic beast mummy Xiao Yan had acquired at the auction. The beast was of a high rank, far exceeding the requirements for the Heavenly Soul Fusion Blood Pill. If successful, the quality of the pill might be better.
When the drop of azure-red blood appeared, the elders in the sky above noticed and were visibly moved. Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on the drop, and with a flick of his finger, it flew into the cauldron. As soon as it landed, the powerful energy within stirred up strong winds. Xiao Yan frowned, hesitated, and then gritted his teeth, pouring the medicinal liquids and powders extracted from the Dragon Blood Reishi, Spirit Bone Fruit, and Profound Sky Blue Vine into the drop!
Three highly potent substances, falling into the azure-red blood, caused no disturbance. Just as Xiao Yan relaxed, a wild surge of energy erupted from the azure-red blood, slamming into the cauldron’s walls. A clear, loud sound wave rapidly spread, affecting the entire inner courtyard. The heavy medicinal cauldron shook violently, and if it were any ordinary cauldron, it might have shattered.
Xiao Yan’s expression shifted as he gazed at the turbulent azure-red blood. The surface of the blood, once round and smooth, now bristled with long, sharp spines, resembling a small sea urchin. Within the surging urchin was a ferocious, incomprehensible energy.
*Clang! Clang!*
Energy waves continuously hit the cauldron’s walls, and a clear, echoing sound reverberated through the inner courtyard. Everyone knew that the refining process had run into some issues.
“Great Elder, what should we do?” an elder asked, looking at the platform.
“What can we do? Refining pills isn’t like fighting. How can we just jump in to help? The situation now depends on Xiao Yan. Any interference from us would only disrupt him. Moreover, refining a Rank Seven pill is not easy. Xiao Yan is still a Sixth Grade Alchemist, so failure is normal,” Su Qian replied, frowning.
Scolded, the elder nodded with a bitter smile.
Amid the continuous uproar in the inner courtyard, Xiao Yan’s gaze remained fixed on the cauldron. His soul force poured out, filling every corner of the cauldron. Although he knew that, with his current alchemy skills, the success rate for a Rank Seven pill was low, and it was hard for even some Seventh Grade Alchemists to succeed in one go…
As Xiao Yan’s focus narrowed, his mind became increasingly concentrated. In a moment, his black eyes filled with emerald green flames. As the flames flared, Xiao Yan seemed to vaguely see the intense battle between the energy erosion and fusion within the azure-red blood.
“Ah, so that’s how it is,” a faint murmur escaped Xiao Yan’s lips.
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