Lu An, who had already returned to the academy, didn't know that his identity had been exposed. He didn't go back to his dormitory but headed straight for the Gongxu Mountains, as Alchemy was not something that could be completed in a dream.
Last night in his Sea of Consciousness, the Black Mist Person had already taught him the method for refining the Solid Foundation Pill. In fact, the method for refining the Solid Foundation Pill was not difficult; there were even no requirements for the temperature of the flame. However, it placed high demands on the ability to control the flame and the strength of the alchemist themselves.
To refine one Solid Foundation Pill, one needed at least the strength of a First-Level Celestial Master, and to consistently refine it, one needed at least the strength of a First-Level Celestial Master Middle Stage or above. Although Lu An was far from reaching that level, fortunately, his Nine Heavens Holy Fire made up for the deficiency. The requirement for strength was actually a requirement for the flame, and Lu An’s flame was the most perfect.
Arriving halfway up the Gongxu Mountains, he found a place where the Hunter Alliance wouldn't come. Opening his package and looking at the Heart-Nourishing Grass, Dutian Emu, Cuiqing Tanglu, and Sang Qianhua inside, Lu An's expression gradually became solemn. Although these Materials seemed inexpensive to the Black Mist Person, they had cost him almost all his money. He only had one chance; if he failed, it would be as if all his efforts were in vain.
Taking a deep breath, Lu An carefully took out the Materials from the package one by one. According to the Black Mist Person, he first carefully cut open the Dutian Emu with a small knife, digging out a large void within it.
Dutian Emu, although a relatively common wood for Alchemy, did not mean it was bad. On the contrary, Dutian Emu was almost the best container for all First-Level Medicinal Pills. Lu An picked up the Cuiqing Tanglu and slowly poured it into the Dutian Emu. In an instant, a clear fragrance diffused. Just smelling this fragrance was enough to relax one's mind.
However, Lu An had no time to carefully savor this fragrance. The Black Mist Person had said that once Cuiqing Tanglu was exposed to the air, its medicinal properties would quickly evaporate. So he quickly released his Nine Heavens Holy Fire, and with his palm facing down, he carefully controlled it, moving closer to the Cuiqing Tanglu.
Controlling the flame upside down did not require high skill, but if the flame was required not to sway with the wind, and even only touch the Cuiqing Tanglu without touching the Dutian Emu, then the control requirement was very high, and it was the first difficult hurdle in refining the Solid Foundation Pill.
Especially with the Nine Heavens Holy Fire that Lu An possessed, its domineering nature meant that even touching a little bit of Dutian Emu would instantly set the entire piece of wood on fire. At this moment, Lu An even slowed his breathing by several times, extremely carefully allowing his flame to descend.
Closer.
Even closer.
The flame gradually approached the Cuiqing Tanglu. As it was about to meet the Cuiqing Tanglu, due to its intense heat, the Cuiqing Tanglu had already begun to gently churn. Finally, when the bottom of the flame touched the Cuiqing Tanglu, a 'rustling' sound immediately emitted!
A cloud of white mist instantly rose from the Cuiqing Tanglu. Lu An, seeing this, was not affected in the slightest, his gaze always fixed on his flame, fearing that his hand might tremble and touch the Dutian Emu.
As the 'rustling' sound disappeared, the flame gradually entered the Cuiqing Tanglu, and the entire small pool began to boil. Not only that, but the Nine Heavens Holy Fire did not extinguish within it; it continued to burn quietly!
Seeing the Cuiqing Tanglu boiling, Lu An controlled the flame with one hand, while his other hand quickly took the Heart-Nourishing Grass and placed all of it along the edge of the Dutian Emu into the Cuiqing Tanglu. The addition of the Heart-Nourishing Grass instantly calmed the boiling water, making it like a mirror-smooth lake, without even a ripple, with only the Nine Heavens Holy Fire still burning within it.
It was indeed as the Black Mist Person had said. At the time, he had been somewhat disbelieving when he said it, but seeing this miraculous change, Lu An couldn't help but feel awe.
The Nine Heavens Holy Fire burned in it for another half an incense stick of time, and the water began to boil again. And just as tiny specks of light began to appear on the surface of the boiling Cuiqing Tanglu, like stars twinkling in broad daylight, it appeared exceptionally beautiful. And the emitted fragrance also became increasingly strong; he could clearly smell it even without getting close.
Smelling the fragrance, Lu An knew it was time to add the last material—the Sang Qianhua.
Turning his head, Lu An carefully picked up the blue-green flower from the package, and even more carefully placed the entire flower into the Cuiqing Tanglu. With the boiling Cuiqing Tanglu, the Sang Qianhua began to sway little by little.
Soon, the Sang Qianhua seemed to melt in the scalding Cuiqing Tanglu, completely disappearing from the water's surface. And with the addition of the Sang Qianhua, the entire water surface began to become restless, even growing larger and larger. The scalding Cuiqing Tanglu seemed about to overflow, with splashes even exceeding the height of the container!
Lu An's gaze was solemn. The Black Mist Person had said that now was the time for the true refining of the Solid Foundation Pill!
In an instant, the Nine Heavens Holy Fire reappeared between Lu An's hands. Lu An carefully lowered the Holy Fire little by little. The splashing water instantly evaporated upon touching the Nine Heavens Holy Fire, and as the Holy Fire got closer, the Cuiqing Tanglu became more and more restless!
Finally, the Nine Heavens Holy Fire came directly above the Cuiqing Tanglu. The scalding water had nowhere to splash; all the heat was suppressed in the narrow space. And accompanied by the domineering nature of the Nine Heavens Holy Fire, the temperature of the Cuiqing Tanglu within it rose higher and higher, quickly reaching an appalling level!
This last step was the process of forming the Pill, which required using the flame to seal all the energy, and using the temperature to completely fuse the Cuiqing Tanglu, Heart-Nourishing Grass, and Sang Qianhua, then adding a trace of the Dutian Emu's power, to create the best Medicinal Pill for solidifying the foundation and cultivating Qi. However, this final step of Pill formation was often the most difficult part of Alchemy!
Especially for Lu An, this step of Pill formation was even more crucial. He needed to exert several times more willpower than other alchemists, because when sealing the entire Cuiqing Tanglu with fire, other people's flames could still touch the Dutian Emu, as the Dutian Emu itself had fire resistance, but he could not. Although the Nine Heavens Holy Fire was the best flame, it also brought him considerable trouble.
However, even though he controlled the flame with all his heart without any mistakes, a huge problem still arose.
He saw that the Dutian Emu in contact with the Cuiqing Tanglu began to turn red little by little, started to twist and deform, and even showed signs of burning! This truly startled Lu An!
"What's going on?" Lu An finally felt a bit panicked as he looked at this scene, thinking, "I did everything exactly as the Black Mist Person taught, and I didn't even touch the Dutian Emu, so why is this happening?"
In fact, Lu An didn't know that the Black Mist Person only knew how to refine the Solid Foundation Pill but had never actually practiced it. He had indeed practiced Alchemy, but that was because he was forced by a friend. At that time, his strength was enough to call forth wind and rain; how could he possibly start by refining the lowest-grade Solid Foundation Pill?
Amidst the sudden turn of events, Lu An quickly calmed down. Panicking wouldn't solve any problems. He soon analyzed that the temperature of the Cuiqing Tanglu was too high, which ignited the Dutian Emu. Besides this, he couldn't think of any other possibilities.
However, if he moved the Nine Heavens Holy Fire further away from the Cuiqing Tanglu, the medicinal properties inside would instantly dissipate, and even if it formed, its quality would be greatly reduced. But if he didn't move the Nine Heavens Holy Fire, the scalding dew might ignite the entire Dutian Emu, and by then, let alone a Medicinal Pill, there might not even be dregs left.
What to do?
Watching the Dutian Emu turn redder and redder, Lu An was burning with anxiety. Forcing himself to calm down, Lu An knew that the only way now was to lower the temperature of the Dutian Emu!
Since he couldn't change the temperature of the dew, he had to change the temperature of the Dutian Emu.
Taking a deep breath, Lu An slowly withdrew his left hand, controlling the Nine Heavens Holy Fire with only one hand. However, no matter how careful he was, the flame immediately trembled the instant he pulled away. He held his breath and stabilized it for a full two seconds before it settled down, then he turned to look at his left hand.
Instantly, a layer of ice crystals appeared on his left hand. At the same time, his expression also immediately turned grim.
Ice in his left hand, Holy Fire in his right hand, using both simultaneously. He had tried it before, but only occasionally used it for fun during his Cultivation, never expecting that he would one day need to use it!
With the appearance of the ice, the Holy Fire under his right hand became unstable again. Using both simultaneously was extremely difficult, especially such precise control, which only added to the difficulty. Lu An gritted his teeth, forcibly stabilizing the flame in his right hand, while his left hand slowly approached the bottom of the Dutian Emu, gripping the already hot Dutian Emu with his entire hand.
In an instant, the terrifying coldness of the Mystic Deep Cold Ice permeated the Dutian Emu, and the temperature of the Dutian Emu, which had already turned red, instantly dissipated! Lu An was startled by this and quickly withdrew his left hand a little, fearing that it might affect the situation inside the container!
After Lu An's repeated attempts, he finally found a balance point, making the Dutian Emu no longer so hot, while the Cuiqing Tanglu continued to churn. And under the powerful Nine Heavens Holy Fire, the Cuiqing Tanglu was gradually being compressed, its volume becoming smaller and smaller. After the Impurities were removed, it slowly began to form a Pill within the Dutian Emu!
At this moment, Lu An was drenched in sweat, his back completely soaked. Sweat flowed from his forehead to his eyelashes, but he had no hand to wipe it, not even daring to shake his head. He stared intently at the Nine Heavens Holy Fire under his hand, fearing that all his efforts would be in vain at the last moment.
Finally, after nearly half an hour, a special fragrance slowly wafted from under Lu An's hand. At the same time, Lu An's palm could no longer feel any trace of water. He was instantly overjoyed, and the Nine Heavens Holy Fire was immediately withdrawn, and he took his hand away!
What met his eyes was a cyan Medicinal Pill lying quietly within the Dutian Emu, emitting an endless subtle fragrance. And above that cyan Medicinal Pill, a peculiar circle of ice and fire patterns appeared.