On the lush mountain peak, a sallow white flame flickered amidst the verdant foliage, resembling ghostly fire. The Pharmacist Elder watched the rapidly rising sallow white flame in the medicinal cauldron with a grave expression. Due to the extraordinary quality of the “Black Demon” cauldron, the initial warming step took slightly longer than with an ordinary cauldron. However, with the Pharmacist Elder’s skill in alchemy and his control over the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, he could shorten this time. After nearly a minute, the Pharmacist Elder waved his hand at the herbs on the ground before him. Instantly, the fiery red Earth Core Fire Geng slowly levitated and then plunged directly into the cauldron. As soon as the Earth Core Fire Geng entered the cauldron, although the flames burned fiercely, the temperature had been suppressed to a relatively low level by the Pharmacist Elder. Therefore, the flames, though fierce, did not reduce the Earth Core Fire Geng to ashes. Instead, as it gradually withered, fine droplets, like blood, seeped out from its surface, sliding down and hovering above the flames, continuously rolling.
As the flames continued to scorch and the blood-like droplets permeated, the fiery red color on the Earth Core Fire Geng rapidly faded. After a short while, it completely turned into a withered gray. At this point, the pure medicinal essence within it had been fully extracted by the flames, turning its body into a pile of useless waste. With a light wave of his hand, the withered Earth Core Fire Geng flew out of the cauldron and fell onto the grassy ground nearby. The moment it landed, it turned into a pile of gray ash, scattering with the wind.
“Indeed, worthy of being a Grandmaster Alchemist, such refining techniques are far beyond my reach,” Xiao Yan silently praised, gazing at the pile of ashes. When he refined herbs in the past, they were usually completely burned. This was not because of the ferocity of his flames but because his control over them was not yet perfect. Only someone like the Pharmacist Elder could maintain such precise control, extracting the medicinal essence thoroughly and then removing the remnants from the cauldron.
A ball of blood-red liquid rotated within the cauldron, resembling a blood-colored pearl. This liquid was the pure medicinal essence initially extracted from the Earth Core Fire Geng, containing a vast amount of energy that left one speechless. After the blood-red liquid coalesced, it did not remain still as usual but instead, thin strands of blood began to spread out, each containing extremely powerful energy. Each strand, when striking the inner wall of the cauldron, produced a series of light clashing sounds like metal striking against metal. Amidst the chaotic movements of these blood strands, the cauldron itself even trembled slightly.
Xiao Yan watched in amazement as the blood strands exploded wildly within the cauldron. He couldn’t help but lick his lips; indeed, the materials needed for a sixth-grade elixir were capable of counterattacks. Judging by the strength of these blood strands, if he used an ordinary cauldron, it would likely be pierced and shattered after just a few strikes.
The violent outbreak of the blood strands did not change the Pharmacist Elder’s expression. With a casual wave of his hand, the sallow white flames within the cauldron suddenly surged. As soon as the blood strands came into contact with the flames, they retreated rapidly, like startled creatures. Thus, under the massive encirclement of the flames, the dense blood strands were once again suppressed back into the blood-red liquid. Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding flames, they no longer dared to venture out recklessly.
*Puff!*
A cluster of sallow white flames detached itself and floated beneath the blood-red liquid. As the flames rose, they emitted an intensely hot temperature. Instantly, the surface of the blood-red liquid began to boil, with tiny bubbles constantly bubbling up. As the bubbles burst, thin gray smoke rose from the liquid, all of which were impurities. To refine an elixir of good quality, these impurities must be completely removed, or else they might cause the elixium formation to fail due to contamination.
Removing impurities from ordinary herbs might take only ten to twenty minutes, but the Earth Core Fire Geng was clearly different. Even with the formidable Bone Spirit Cold Fire, it took over ten minutes of roasting to get it to expel a single wisp of gray smoke. Such stubborn impurities left Xiao Yan somewhat astounded. This was the Pharmacist Elder’s work; if it were him, he might have spent almost a whole day just on the refinement. Sixth-grade elixirs were indeed extremely difficult to refine.
Waiting was tedious, but Xiao Yan remained focused, his gaze never leaving the cauldron for nearly three hours. After three hours, the impurities in the blood-red liquid were finally completely removed. The purified liquid not only became more rounded but also slightly more transparent, with bubbles visible within.
With the refinement complete, the Pharmacist Elder’s face relaxed slightly. He lightly snapped his fingers, and the blood-red liquid, enveloped in a cluster of sallow white flames, floated out of the cauldron and was poured, along with the flames, into a jade bottle.
Xiao Yan, surprised by the Pharmacist Elder’s unique preservation method, looked at the jade bottle and noticed a faint layer of flame film at the bottle’s mouth. He paused, pondering for a moment, and then seemed to understand.
“This preservation method keeps the medicinal liquid at the same temperature and purity as when it was extracted, preventing it from being contaminated by impurities in the air. However, it requires very high control over the flames. If the temperature is even slightly higher, the jade bottle will shatter, causing the refined medicinal liquid to be ruined,” the Pharmacist Elder said as he tossed the Azure Wood Fairy Vine into the cauldron.
Xiao Yan nodded, committing this trick to memory. The refinement of the Azure Wood Fairy Vine was no less demanding than that of the Earth Core Fire Geng. Due to its material, its resistance to the flames was so great that even the Pharmacist Elder was impressed. It took over an hour just to disperse the medicinal essence from the Azure Wood Fairy Vine. The subsequent refinement was even more prolonged, taking four hours. This long duration made Xiao Yan wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. Only the Pharmacist Elder, with his immense soul power, could sustain such a long refinement. With Xiao Yan’s current strength, he could only sustain about three and a half hours of refinement before needing to rest.
When the Azure Wood Fairy Vine was transformed into a jade-green liquid and sealed in a jade bottle, the night had already covered the entire mountain range. In the dark, the sallow white flames on the mountain peak were slightly blinding.
Without a moment’s rest, the Pharmacist Elder immediately began refining the Ice Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit. Seeing the tense expression on the Pharmacist Elder’s face, Xiao Yan rubbed his tired eyes and perked up, determined to pay close attention to the refinement. He knew that observing such a high-level alchemical process would be immensely beneficial and he could not miss this opportunity.
The refinement of the Ice Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit took as long as the Azure Wood Fairy Vine. By the time it was finished, the sky was deep into the night, with countless stars twinkling and casting weak starlight.
Refining a sixth-grade elixir was an extremely intricate and exhausting task. Just the refinement of the ingredients took nearly a full day. Thankfully, the Pharmacist Elder’s strength was immense, and even after a day of continuous refinement, he showed no signs of fatigue. Xiao Yan, however, had slight dark circles under his eyes.
On the second day, the Pharmacist Elder had completely refined the sixth-grade water attribute magic core into a pile of azure blue powder. This alone took over ten hours. The magic core’s resistance to the flames was several times more intense than that of the herbs. Due to their opposing attributes, the concentrated water energy nearly overflowed the cauldron, but the Pharmacist Elder had anticipated this, so no damage was done. Yet, this process consumed a significant amount of time.
Sitting to the side, Xiao Yan watched the Pharmacist Elder battle the sixth-grade magic core, feeling a bit uneasy. If it were him, he might need three or four days to subdue such a stubborn magic core. And if he used ordinary flames, the concentrated water energy might extinguish them outright.
Regardless of the difficulty, the refinement was finally completed. On the third day, after a full day and night of roasting with the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, the ingredients and the magic core powder gradually reduced their repulsion and began to fuse. Though fusion had begun, the process was as slow as a turtle’s crawl, agonizingly so. During this time, even Xiao Yan, with his strong determination, couldn’t help but doze off briefly.
Fusion was the most critical step in alchemy. Any slight mistake during this phase could instantly destroy the hard-earned ingredients. Therefore, even the Pharmacist Elder, with his formidable strength, dared not be distracted. This was why he paid no attention to Xiao Yan’s brief nap. Despite the danger, with the Pharmacist Elder’s mastery, the worst-case scenario did not occur. After two full days of fusion, a pale blue elixir embryo slowly formed in the cauldron.
At the moment the elixir embryo formed, Xiao Yan clearly felt the surrounding elemental energy surge, like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, causing waves to ripple.
The Pharmacist Elder’s expression did not change at the elemental energy fluctuations. His focus remained entirely on the elixir within the cauldron. At this critical juncture, he could not afford any distraction.
As time passed, the irregularly shaped pale blue elixir embryo gradually became more rounded, emitting a brilliant light, making it resemble a blue gem.
In the moment of the elixir’s radiant explosion, Xiao Yan, somewhat startled, noticed rings of tangible energy ripples emanating from the center of the cauldron, spreading in all directions. The continuous, unbroken flow was quite spectacular.
Swallowing, Xiao Yan had not expected that the formation of a sixth-grade elixir would cause such a commotion. No wonder the Pharmacist Elder insisted on refining it in the mountains. If this happened in the Inner Academy, it would surely attract everyone’s attention.
“Step back a bit, the bigger commotion is yet to come!” The Pharmacist Elder’s gaze remained fixed on the cauldron, and he suddenly reminded.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s Purple Cloud Wings shot out, and with a quick flap, he darted to the mid-air outside the mountain peak.
Seeing Xiao Yan step back, the Pharmacist Elder’s hand seals changed, and a low chant escaped his lips. Instantly, the sallow white flames within the cauldron surged, filling the entire space. Amidst the overwhelming sallow white, a dazzling blue light point became increasingly blinding.
The blue light point contracted and expanded, and as it did, the energy ripples spread even faster. Looking down from above, the energy ripples caused rocks to roll, trees to break, and even the grass to be uprooted. Such devastating power made Xiao Yan swallow hard.
The contractions and expansions of the blue light point became even more rapid, as if it was brewing something. After nearly half an hour, the light point suddenly shrunk to its smallest size.
As the light point rapidly shrank, the Pharmacist Elder’s expression grew even more solemn than before!
*Boom!*
After a few minutes, the suddenly shrunken light point suddenly expanded in Xiao Yan’s fixed gaze. Finally, a surging blue light engulfed the entire mountain peak, and a thunderous explosion echoed through the air. A blue light pillar, about two zhang wide, shot from the cauldron into the sky.
Staring, dumbfounded, at the enormous blue light pillar soaring into the clouds, Xiao Yan involuntarily took a deep breath. This commotion was too big. Even though they were far from the Inner Academy, it was unlikely to escape the notice of some powerful elders.
“Hope this doesn’t attract people from the Inner Academy. Otherwise, that would be troublesome…” Swallowing, Xiao Yan gazed at the lingering light pillar, muttering with a bitter smile.
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