Chapter 275: Changes
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Setting up the furnace, using the same alchemical steps but employing a different technique, Chen Fei’s expression turned serious. Compressing the Spirit Snow Pills from three into two in a single furnace was a significant challenge for him.
It wasn’t merely a matter of reducing one pill; it involved forcibly merging the medicinal properties of one into the other two while ensuring the stability of the remaining two Spirit Snow Pills.
This was fundamentally different from situations where inadequate alchemical skills resulted in only two pills being produced in a single furnace, wasting the rest of the medicinal properties.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
The initially stable alchemical furnace began to tremble slightly. The intense conflicts of medicinal properties within the furnace caused the airflows to collide against the furnace walls, creating a muffled sound.
Chen Fei’s brows furrowed slightly. He focused his core soul energy to the utmost, continuously unraveling the points of conflict between the medicinal properties, blending them into the Spirit Snow Pills. If someone were present to witness this alchemical scene, they would undoubtedly think that the furnace was about to explode.
Indeed, the current state of the alchemical furnace bore some resemblance to an impending explosion. However, Chen Fei’s furnace remained under control for the time being.
While others had furnaces that were in an uncontrollable state, unable to predict when they might explode, Chen Fei’s furnace was currently still within manageable limits.
The appearance of an impending explosion actually indicated the intense conflict of medicinal properties within the furnace, which had reached a point that the furnace itself couldn’t contain.
“Hum…”
The trembling of the alchemical furnace grew more violent. Chen Fei’s brows furrowed even deeper. He watched as the furnace gradually turned bright red and hesitated for a moment. Finally, he let out a faint sigh.
The rapidly shifting core soul energy suddenly turned around. The violent conflict of medicinal properties in the pill furnace weakened abruptly, and then the entire pill furnace began to calm down.
The fragrance of the medicine permeated, then gradually receded until it completely disappeared.
After half an hour, Chen Fei, with an expressionless face, opened the lid of the furnace and took out three Spirit Snow Pills from inside.
The refinement was successful, but the attempt to create two versions of the Spirit Snow Pill had failed.
“The furnace’s strength is insufficient. Although this furnace is quite good, it falls short. To refine two Spirit Snow Pills, 1 probably need a Spirit Tool-level furnace.”
Chen Fei looked at the furnace in his hand. The furnace provided by the Alchemist Alliance was actually very good since it could refine spirit pills normally. However, for the intense conflict of medicinal properties he just experienced, this kind of furnace was still somewhat lacking. Only a Spirit Tool-level furnace would do.
Given Chen Fei’s current earning speed, buying a Spirit Tool wouldn’t be much of a problem after saving up for a while. However, Spirit Tool-level furnaces were genuinely hard to come by. As far as Chen Fei knew, there were only two or three such furnaces in the Alchemist Alliance, and each one was cherished and not for sale.
As for having someone refine a Spirit Tool-level furnace, because the demand for it was so low and the refining methods were nearly non-existent, it would likely rely on the accumulation of time to upgrade the furnace from a Half Spirit Tool to a Spirit Tool. But how long it would take remained entirely uncertain.
“The furnace is a problem, but the bigger issue is these spirit herbs. They aren’t sufficient to withstand such a strong conflict of medicinal properties. Either I need to increase the age of the spirit herbs or add materials similar to Evil Pearls.”
Chen Fei rubbed his chin. It seemed unlikely that he would be able to refine two versions of the Spirit Snow Pill in the short term because two problems needed to be solved simultaneously to complete such a refinement.
And now, Chen Fei couldn’t solve any of these problems.
“Well, this is already quite good. I shouldn’t be too greedy,” Chen Fei said with a calm expression as he handed over the ordinary Spirit Snow Pills he had prepared to the Alchemist Alliance.
While Chen Fei was immersed in his cultivation, the conflicts between the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect and the Divine Flame Sect had cooled down somewhat. There were still occasional minor skirmishes, but the large-scale battles had gradually decreased.
The Divine Flame Sect’s actions against various smaller sects had yielded results. After some smaller sects were wiped out, many distant sects that were originally closer to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect ultimately sided with the Divine Flame Sect. If they didn’t, they would risk being completely uprooted by the Divine Flame Sect. However, they wanted to be incorporated into the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, but the Divine Flame Sect wouldn’t give them the opportunity to relocate.
With no escape routes and nowhere to go, these small sects finally joined the Divine Flame Sect after some promises were made, further strengthening the Divine Flame Sect’s power. The Divine Flame Sect continued to encroach upon Immortal Cloud City, gaining more resources and control over the region, while the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect slowly retracted its forces and concentrated on more critical areas.
Back in the day, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect controlled many regions not just because of their considerable numbers but also due to the deterrent power of their reputation, preventing other sects from challenging them. However, with the arrival of the Divine Flame Sect, the power of their reputation had diminished, and some regions were naturally lost.
If the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect attempted to defend every region, the likely outcome would be that they would be attacked on multiple fronts because they couldn’t predict where the Divine Flame Sect would concentrate their forces. Wanting everything might ultimately result in getting nothing. In life, one must make choices, and the same applied to sects.
At different times, people see things clearly. Even the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect could see it clearly.
Amidst all the external turmoil, Chen Fei continued his cultivation at his own pace.
After mastering the recipe for the Spirit Snow Pill to perfection, Chen Fei directly exchanged it for the recipe of the Luo Er Pill at the Alchemist Alliance.
The Luo Er Pill could be considered an advanced version of the Spirit Snow Pill. While the Spirit Snow Pill was effective for all stages of the Aperture Tempering Realm, it still had significant effects even for those in the early and middle stages. In practice, most warriors in the early and middle stages of the Aperture Tempering Realm preferred the Spirit Snow Pill.
In fact, for many warriors in the middle stage of the Aperture Tempering Realm, if they had the resources, they would choose to abandon the Spirit Snow Pill and use the Luo Er Pill instead.
The Luo Er Pill was a more potent elixir than the Spirit Snow Pill, but since Chen Fei had never consumed it, he was not yet aware of its specific effects.
“Simplifying the Luo Er Pill… Simplification successful… Luo Er Pill —> Spirit Snow Pill!”
Spending seven elemental stones, Chen Fei successfully simplified the Luo Er Pill, and the result was exactly as he had expected—it was an upgrade to the Spirit Snow Pill.
Recently, Chen Fei had been refining Spirit Snow Pills every day. This, indirectly, helped him improve his proficiency with the Luo Er Pill recipe. At the same time, he had halted the production of Flying Ascent Pills because the wealth earned from them no longer held much significance to him.
He had already discussed this with Chi Defeng, who had no objections. Chi Defeng’s current wealth was sufficient to live comfortably in Immortal Cloud City for the rest of his life. Having a friend like Chen Fei meant that any problems he might encounter in the future could be easily handled. This was what put Chi Defeng’s mind at ease. After all, not everyone had a friend in the Aperture Tempering Realm.
Many clans and aristocratic families, through much flattery and effort, ultimately gain nothing more than a favor from someone in the Aperture Tempering realm.
In the first month after achieving the Great Completion of the Spirit Snow Pill, Chen Fei’s acupoints within his body grew once more, and this time, it increased by two, reaching a total of seven acupoints.
This number of acupoints exceeded that of Chen Fei’s first Aperture Tempering realm opponent, Lu Zhichun, whom he had slain.
And Chen Pel’s rate of progress showed no sign of slowing down.
In the third month, Chen Fei’s acupoints reached a total of eleven, and he started cultivating the fourth layer of the Thousand Threads Technique, which he had obtained through an exchange. Meanwhile, he integrated the Thousand Origin Heart Locking Technique, which he had learned previously, into the Thousand Threads Technique.
The Thousand Threads Technique from the Alchemist Alliance had a total of nine layers, and its depth far surpassed the Thousand Origin Heart Locking Technique that Chen Fei had integrated. By merging the two techniques, Chen Fei retained the essence of the Thousand Origin Heart Locking Technique while harnessing the full power of the Thousand Threads Technique.
The third layer of the Thousand Threads Technique allowed Chen Fei to further refine the division of his soul energy, and its effects on his soul energy became increasingly evident. This technique was primarily used by alchemists to divide their soul energy, allowing them to control it more freely.
To further divide the soul energy, precision and the richness of soul energy were both essential. Therefore, as the Thousand Threads Technique advanced, it also played a role in refining and increasing the soul energy.
Chen Fei pondered, “At this rate, it’s likely that the number of acupoints will surpass my ability to control my soul energy. When that happens, the rapid increase in acupoints will come to a halt!”
Inside the secret chamber, Chen Fei assessed the strength of his soul energy. The growth of acupoints had certain benefits for his soul energy. With a total of eleven acupoints, Chen Fei’s soul energy had also increased significantly.
Meanwhile, regarding Suppressing Dragon Elephant’s Spirit Suppression, although it is primarily related to enhancing the physical body and vital energy, it ultimately has a connection with core soul energy. This has tempered Chen Fei’s core soul energy, allowing him to resist the intrusion of external soul energy.
With all these factors combined, Chen Fei’s core soul energy has been growing steadily. However, it’s evident that the rate of his acupoint growth is even faster.
Opening two acupoints in a single month, if known by others, would likely be quite shocking. Previously, opening one acupoint per month was already considered extreme, but now the speed has become even more outrageous.
Due to this rapid progress, Chen Fei’s core soul energy, while growing steadily, cannot keep up with the pace of acupoint expansion unless he can find pills or elixirs specifically designed to boost core soul energy.
However, it’s clear that such opportunities are almost non-existent. The pills that enhance core soul energy are not available externally. The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect exclusively produces them, and Chen Fei has no chance to manufacture them himself.
The Aperture Tempering Realm, a sub-realm within the Spirit Tempering realm, places significant importance on core soul energy, making it a challenging task.
During this month, after nearly a year of practice, Chen Fei finally achieved perfection in the Zhongyuan Sword’s proficiency.
The number of sword pearls within the sword formation doubled once again, reaching a total of forty, and the gravitational force within the formation grew even more profound. Those with slightly lower cultivation found it nearly impossible to move inside the sword formation.
Unperturbed, Chen Fei continued to silently cultivate, contemplating how to rapidly increase his core soul energy. After much thought, it seemed that the only hope lay in venturing into the Strange Heart Realm and obtaining something like the Strange Heart Stone.
However, Chen Fei hadn’t decided yet whether or not to take this step.
As time flew by, when Chen Fei’s acupoint count reached thirteen, the sect assigned a mission to him.
Despite his desire to continue honing his skills, when the sect faced a shortage of manpower, Chen Fei had no choice but to step forward and take on the mission. After all, as a cultivator in the Spirit Tempering Realm, he was a pillar of the sect.
Chen Fei received orders to go to Moyang Manor, located fifty miles outside of Immortal Cloud City.
Simultaneously, news emerged from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect that someone within the sect was attempting to brek through the Combined Aperture Tempering realm..