Shen Yuan playfully smiled, “Maybe due to my handsomeness?”
[…]
“Alright alright, I don’t know it myself, but I’m as comfortable with a scythe as I’m with my sword. Both weapons seem to have sthe ame familiarity for me.” Shen Yuan stopped joking around and said seriously.
[Well anyway, we can’t learn much about it. So what will you do next? From the looks of it your seclusion should be comi-]
“Nuh uh, hold on, are you underestimating my genius?” Shen Yuan raised one finger and made her pause.
[…what?]
“ALCHEMY and BLACKSMITHING! How can you forget those cashcows? I need to improve them as well now that my cultivation is higher.” Shen Yuan excitedly said.
[…I see. Go ahead, do it.]
Yue Lan’s voice came out as if she had given up on persuading Shen Yuan otherwise.
“Haha no need to get depressed like this. I was already a Peak Earth Grade Alchemist and Blacksmith, now I only want to reach Mid Rank Heaven Grade Alchemist and Blacksmith so I can forge artifacts and cook pills for Peak Dao Core Forming Realm cultivators.”
[Do whatever you will, I will just…watch from here.]
Shen Yuan gently smiled and shook his head, ‘She worries to much.’
“Anyways, I need to learn the third level of the Crimson Lotus Flame Art as well to create Heaven Rank pills. Okay thats the plan, first I will focus on alchemy before focusing on Blacksmithing.”
Shen Yuan seated himself cross-legged in the center of the chamber, a deep, serene calm settling over him. The faint flickering ember of his Crimson Lotus Flame Art danced along his fingertips, its warm glow flickering in harmony with his calm breath.
Lotus Spark – foundational: refining the flame’s essence for stable, precise temperature control. Ideal for Spirit-level pill refinement.
Blossoming Inferno – intensify the flame without losing control. Forging more complex pills, typically Earth-level.
Petals of Precision – bestowing pinpoint accuracy, able to differentiate between impurities and essence in each ingredient. Ideal for Heaven-level pill refinement.
Shen Yuan’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Time to claim that third step.”
The pill furnace in front of him—a masterwork he’d found back when he went into the Inner Sect Treasury—sat quietly, arcs of heat shimmering around it.
Shen Yuan flicked his wrist, summoning a small but potent flame at his palm. Initially just an ember of red-hued fire, it carried the unique phoenix-lotus signature from the technique’s earlier levels.
He placed the flame beneath the furnace’s opening, letting it breathe life into the vessel. The air took on a subtle floral tang, reminiscent of lotus petals dancing in scorching wind.
[About to tackle the final step, Yuan’er?]
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow with a lazy grin. “Exactly. Petals of Precision. This is the gate to truly forging Heaven Rank pills. And after that… well, alchemy should be a breeze.”
[True, with your alchemy talent, refining Heaven Rank pills at your level should be indeed easier.]
He let out a soft chuckle. “Exactly.”
Your next chapter is on empire
He shut his eyes, letting the swirl of Qi in his dantians feed into the flicker of lotus flame. Immediately, the delicate flower-like embers began to morph, intensifying in color from a simple crimson to something deeper, laced with subtle gold patterns reminiscent of blossoming petals.
He mentally traced every spark, coaxing the fire to follow the Blossoming Inferno principle without boiling over.
Next, he layered in the newly learned synergy from his improved Fire Intent—hot, potent, and stable.
The real challenge lay in cultivating the Petals of Precision: granting the flame near-sentient discernment to separate an ingredient’s essence from its waste.
Shen Yuan conjured memories of past pill refinements gone wrong—where a single impurity ruined a brew. He concentrated on how the Crimson Lotus flame could gently peel away worthless dregs while safeguarding the precious core.
At intervals, he fed the flame gentle pulses of Qi, carefully weaving arcs of thunder or hints of radiant Qi to keep the temperature stable. Each small infusion tested his concentration, but his monstrous physiques and refined dantians steadied the process.
To anchor his progress, he retrieved a variety of test herbs from his inventory—Crimson Leaf Blossoms, Moonlight Ginseng, and a few rarer Earth-level ingredients.
Normally, lumps of char or partial burning occurred if the flame’s control wavered. But as Shen Yuan practiced deeper into the Crimson Lotus art, the result was a near-magical separation:
Herb’s impurities: A blackish residue that spontaneously peeled away.
Core essence: A glowing droplet or powder, left intact in the furnace, shining with vibrant color.
“This is it—Petals of Precision at work.” He marveled at the pristine results. Even minimal Qi usage, yet the yield was shockingly pure.
[Incredible. You’re able to refine Earth-level ingredients with near-zero loss. Another step and you’ll be forging Heaven-level pills soon enough.]
Shen Yuan let out a small laugh. “Wait till I take out the materials. Then I can attempt a Heaven-level pill. That’s a massive leap in skill…”
…
Bit by bit, he layered his growing mastery of the new technique deeper into the flame, letting it bloom in the shape of intangible lotus petals flickering around the furnace’s opening.
Finally, after what felt like a day of ceaseless focus, an invisible threshold broke. A hush pulsed through the chamber.
Shen Yuan’s flame settled into a stable, gorgeous blossom—each “petal” dancing with precise control.
The furnace glowed from within, the flame’s edges etched in golden lines like lotus filaments. He inhaled, and a wave of satisfaction coursed through him.
“…Fucking finally. Petals of Precision is complete.”
Shen Yuan took a long breath, calming his beating heart.
The faint flickers of the Crimson Lotus Flame danced around the pill furnace, now shaped with a near-sentient sensitivity for sorting essence from impurities. The chamber still shimmered with the glow of his flickering flames.
“Alright… let’s see if this art truly holds up under pressure.”
He clapped once, and a swirl of Qi brought out his his storage rack—well, in truth, several racks scattered about the Dual Cultivation Chambers form his storage ring.
There, a multitude of rare herbs and materials gleamed in sealed jade boxes and stasis crystals. Most had come from the Radiant Lotus Sect’s inner treasury, but some were the ones he carried out from his own Pagoda Treasury.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned three of the rarer items he’d gotten:
Moonlit Solar Flower
A bizarre hybrid that soaked up both yin and yang energies, famed for its contradictory dual petals—silver underside, golden top.
Typically used in high-tier medicinal elixirs that balanced conflicting elemental powers.
Golden Dragon Vine
Rumored to boost longevity and vital essence, often found coiling around spiritual springs in the deeper wilderness.
Even advanced cultivators struggled to refine it fully because of its tough, fibrous structure.
Phoenix-Feather Grass
A precious herb rumored to carry faint traces of phoenix essence, resonating with the fire laws.
Perfect for synergy with the Crimson Lotus Flame Art, particularly in forging Heaven-level pills that target rebirth or extreme bodily regeneration.
Shen Yuan arranged the herbs on a low, wide platform near the furnace. Each one radiated a faint, sacred glow.
Under normal circumstances, any single one of these ingredients would suffice for advanced Earth-level pills. But combined, they formed the backbone of a true Heaven-Grade concoction.