Chapter 263: Soaring Heaven Technique
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The initial, more rudimentary alchemical method left a deep impression on Qin Jinglan, or one could say that anyone who had witnessed it would be equally impressed.
Now that it has evolved into a method of refinement similar to other alchemists, is it because Chen Fei lacks confidence?
Chen Fei didn’t know what Qin Jinglan was thinking, or else he might have chuckled.
The initial method, resembling roasting pills, was used by Chen Fei to save time. After all, he had to refine so many pills every day, so he needed to pursue some efficiency.
Over time, the technique of alchemy became somewhat fixed.
But now, since it was the first time he was truly attempting to refine the Spirit Snow Pills, Chen Fei still held a cautious attitude. All his previous insights had remained only in his mind.
The flames licked the pill furnace, and Chen Fei’s mental power continuously adjusted the changes in medicinal properties between the spirit herbs inside. This change was constantly shifting, and if one lacked experience, the furnace could explode directly.
A genuine explosion, the entire pill furnace might be shattered by the energy contained within the spirit herbs.
Chi Guanqing stood aside, watching Chen Fei’s alchemical technique and nodded slightly. So far, Chen Fei’s techniques were all very standard, and the fragrance emanating from the pill furnace was extremely pure.
This indicated that this batch of Spirit Snow Pills was developing in the right direction. Judging by Chen Fei’s calm demeanor, he seemed to be fully aware of the changes inside the pill furnace.
“Innate talent!”
Chi Guanqing thought to himself. At this pace, Chen Fei really had a chance to successfully refine the Spirit Snow Pills. So young, not falling behind in martial cultivation, and the same goes for alchemy. Describing it as innate talent would not be an exaggeration.
However, as he watched, Chi Guanqing suddenly noticed that the flames under the pill furnace were getting stronger. Compared to the gradual progress from earlier, Chi Guanqing observed that Chen Fei’s movements were becoming more rough.
Chen Fei didn’t notice his own change; he was simply adjusting the rhythm of alchemy according to his feelings.
Even though it was his first time truly attempting to refine the Spirit Snow Pills, once the actual refinement began, everything felt so natural, as if Chen Fei had already refined the Spirit Snow Pills thousands of times.
For other alchemists to have this level of experience, it would be incredibly difficult because there wouldn’t be enough spirit herbs for them to practice with. Perhaps only the alchemists within the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect would have such an opportunity.
Because of the smoothness, because it felt too silky, Chen Fei’s alchemical technique unconsciously returned to its initial state.
In the blink of an eye, the flames had completely engulfed the pill furnace.
Chi Guanqing stared blankly at the scene before him. He had been watching Chen Fei little by little, but now he saw the flames rising higher and higher, reaching their current position.
What troubled Chi Guanqing, however, was that even under such intense flames, the changes in medicinal properties inside the pill furnace continued smoothly and methodically.
The only difference was that the alchemical process had been greatly accelerated.
Normally, to refine a batch of Spirit Snow Pills like this would take at least an hour, and for some slower-tempered old alchemists, it might take nearly an hour and a half to complete.
But now, following Chen Fei’s method of refinement, it would take approximately half an hour to complete a batch of Spirit Snow Pills.
At this moment, Qin Jinglan was no longer worried about Chen Fei. However, the steward standing beside them was as bewildered as Chi Guanqing. They were both left speechless by the spectacle of Chen Fei’s alchemy.
“Bang!”
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. As Chen Fei opened the furnace lid, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the air. Just taking a whiff was enough to make one intoxicated. Clearly, Chen Fei had successfully refined the Spirit Snow Pills.
Chi Guanqing stepped forward, watching as Chen Fei took out four Spirit Snow Pills from the furnace, his expression filled with amazement.
Not only had Chen Fei succeeded in alchemy, but he had also produced four pills in one go. Chi Guanqing knew that even when he was in peak condition, he could only achieve this on rare occasions.
Most of the time, he could only produce two or three pills.
Therefore, given Chi Guanqing’s standards, if he were to take on the task of refining Spirit Snow Pills, it would be quite risky. Sometimes he preferred to take on other alchemical tasks.
What Chi Guanqing was now puzzled about was whether this intense alchemical method would improve the yield of pills. Perhaps it was worth trying sometime.
“Does this count as passing the assessment?” Chen Fei asked as he noticed Chi Guanqing’s distraction.
“Of course!”
Chi Guanqing snapped back to attention and smiled, “If even this doesn’t count as passing, I’m afraid there won’t be many Tier 6 alchemists in the alliance. Congratulations, you’ve passed the Tier 6 alchemist assessment!”
“Thank you!” Chen Fei’s face broke into a smile.
Fifteen minutes later, Chen Fei approached the counter and presented the waist badge he had exchanged just four months ago. It was now replaced with the waist badge of a Tier 6 alchemist.
In his sleeve, he also carried a small vial containing the Spirit Snow Pills he had just refined. Apart from submitting one pill, the other three remained in Chen Fei’s possession.
In essence, Chen Fei had spent one elemental stone and gained three Spirit Snow Pills, which was an incredible profit.
Doing technical work sometimes turned out to be very lucrative.
After a brief chat with Chi Guanqing, Chen Fei left. Compared to his attitude before the assessment, Chi Guanqing’s demeanor had clearly changed a bit.
“Young Master, would you like to take a break?” Qin Jinglan inquired, considering that he had just completed the alchemical process. After all, alchemy was a mentally taxing endeavor.
Many alchemists refrained from producing a large quantity of pills every day because it was mentally exhausting. When you constantly monitored the changes in medicinal properties within the pill furnace, a momentary lapse in concentration could result in ruined pills.
This was true for ordinary pills, and when it came to refining spirit pills like the Spirit Snow Pills, the situation was even more critical.
“It’s alright; I’ll take a short break in the alchemy chamber,” Chen Fei replied, shaking his head. After all, it was just one batch of Spirit Snow Pilis, and Chen Fei’s goal for today was to complete all five batches required by the task.
Seeing that Chen Fei didn’t appear fatigued, Qin Jinglan smiled faintly. She took a portion of the Spirit Snow Pill ingredients and returned with Chen Fei to the alchemy chamber.
Although Qin Jinglan wanted to stay, she understood that it wouldn’t be appropriate. During alchemical processes, the most crucial thing was peace and quiet, especially when refining high-level pills.
“Sir, 1’11 be right outside. If you need anything, feel free to call me,” Qin Jinglan said softly.
“You’re too kind,” Chen Fei replied.
With a slight nod and a polite gesture, Qin Jinglan closed the door to the alchemy chamber, leaving Chen Fei to his work.
Inside the chamber, silence enveloped everything.
Chen Fei checked the ingredients and the pill furnace; everything was in order. He began the refinement process.
Half an hour later, as he opened the furnace lid, a new batch of Spirit Snow Pills was completed. Chen Fei glanced at the scene inside the pill furnace, his brows furrowing slightly. Inside the furnace lay three Spirit Snow Pills.
Chen Fei took out the three pills and examined them carefully.
Each Spirit Snow Pill had a plump appearance, indicating a successful refinement with no issues. However, in the end, there were only three pills instead of the previous four.
Chen Fei’s alchemical technique was flawless, but achieving four perfect Spirit Snow Pills in every batch was challenging. It would often fluctuate, a fact Chen Fei had already mentally prepared for.
According to some alchemists, this was a matter of one’s condition rather than alchemical skill.
Chen Fei regained his composure, stood up, and opened the door to the alchemy chamber. He handed the three Spirit Snow Pills to Qin Jinglan.
Seeing that Chen Fei had once again successfully refined Spirit Snow Pills, and with an ample quantity, Qin Jinglan couldn’t help but smile.
She took the pills and hurried to the alliance’s counter. She needed to submit the pills and bring back new ingredients.
A little over two hours passed. Chen Fei had completed the remaining four batches of Spirit Snow Pills.
The results were quite satisfactory; three out of the last four batches produced four Spirit Snow Pills each, which meant Chen Fei had acquired three more pills.
After bidding farewell to Qin Jinglan, Chen Fei made an agreement with her.
If there were any tasks involving Spirit Snow Pill refinement within the alliance, Qin Jinglan would notify him via messenger pigeon. This way, Chen Fei could come directly to the alliance’s location.
Qin Jinglan knew that she would frequently see Chen Fei in the coming days.
Once he left the alliance’s headquarters, Chen Fei pondered for a moment and then went to the largest apothecary in Immortal Cloud City to sell the six Spirit Snow Pills he had just produced.
Six Spirit Snow Pills could save Chen Fei nearly eighteen days of cultivation time. Typically, he would consume them to enhance his cultivation because one’s cultivation was the foundation.
With his cultivation progressing somewhat slowly in the Soaring Heaven Technique, Chen Fei felt a bit frustrated. Selling the six Spirit Snow Pills, along with the silver he had saved up, would be just enough to simplify the Soaring Heaven Technique for him.
At this point, he had already discovered a method to get Spirit Pills, so whether he used them for his own cultivation or sold them, he had the freedom to choose.
It was the sluggish pace of cultivation in the Soaring Heaven Technique that made Chen Fei uneasy.
An hour later, Chen Fei handed over his waist badge to Chi Defeng.
Seeing the newly modified waist badge, Chi Defeng was clearly surprised. Even though he already knew that Chen Fei was extraordinary and not like an ordinary person, he was still amazed by how quickly he had passed the Tier 6 alchemist assessment.
“Starting tomorrow, you can use this waist badge to exchange for the ingredients needed to refine the Flying Ascent Pills in the alliance. You already have enough contribution points,” Chen Fei said with a smile.
Today, by successfully refining five batches of Spirit Snow Pills, Chen Fei had earned a total of 15,000 contribution points. With these points, he could exchange for the ingredients needed to refine Flying Ascent Pills in the alliance, avoiding the inflated prices at the city’s shops.
“Great!” Chi Defeng exclaimed.
Over the past few months, Chi Defeng had been purchasing ingredients at inflated prices from various shops, and it had been quite a frustrating experience.
Chi Defeng had once been a stallholder himself, so the feeling of being taken advantage of was something he disliked immensely.
However, he had to endure it for the past few months as per Chen Fei’s request. Now, he could finally go to the alliance for exchanges.
While it was difficult to accumulate contribution points within the alliance, the items that could be exchanged for them were usually of excellent quality and reasonably priced. It provided a stable source of supplies.
A few moments later, Chen Fei returned to the Primordial Sword Sect. In his private chamber, he excitedly examined the panel.
The money earned from selling the Spirit Snow Pills, combined with the income from several months of refining pills, as well as the leftover money from selling spirit materials, added up to a total of 300,000 taels of silver, with a little extra.
“Discover a cultivation technique. Spend 300,000 taels of silver to simplify the Soaring Heaven Technique?”
“Soaring Heaven Technique simplification in progress… Simplification successful…. Soaring Heaven Technique —► Spatial Travel!”