[So you’re going straight for the pinnacle, huh? A Heaven Pill that merges opposing elements, longevity, and phoenix-based rebirth? You aren’t aiming low, Yuan’er.]
Shen Yuan laughed softly, brushing a stray leaf from the Moonlit Solar Flower. “Go big or go home. My Petals of Precision should handle it. Besides, how else do I confirm I’m not just overhyping this technique?”
[A typical madman’s logic, but I admire your gall. Alright, let’s see what you can cook now.]
He tapped the side of the pill furnace. A series of inscriptions lit up, forming a shimmering array around its exterior. The Crimson Lotus Flame flared in response, burning beneath the furnace like an undying spirit.
Shen Yuan channeled a thread of Qi into the embedded runes. The furnace vibrated, forming a stable field designed to contain high-level energies without exploding.
A faint hum reverberated across the floor.
Shen Yuan utilized his improved Fire Intent—now at the fourth level—infusing the flame with additional heat and stability.
Tendrils of fire snaked around the furnace, ensuring consistent temperature distribution.
Shen Yuan performed a short series of hand seals, guiding the lotus flame to a tall, narrow spout at the furnace’s side, forming a near-perfect vertical funnel of heat. With practiced ease, he dropped in the first key ingredient:
The vine hissed on contact, coiling up as if resisting.
Shen Yuan’s eyes narrowed, focusing the Petals of Precision effect to peel away fibrous layers.
Slowly, the thick parts separated from a golden droplet of pure essence. The leftover husk disintegrated into ash with minimal energy wasted.
Next came the contradictory bloom—silver underside, golden top. As it sank into the furnace, the flame flickered, as if about to die for a moment with the dual energies.
Shen Yuan manipulated his Radiant Intent in tandem with the fire, ensuring the bright side was gently purified while the yin side’s delicate properties remained intact.
A soft swirl of half-silver, half-gold essence condensed into a half-lidded orb, shimmering with balanced yin-yang resonance.
Lastly, the phoenix-aligned herb descended into the searing center of the furnace. Normally, flame-intense ingredients risked combusting under too much heat—but with Petals of Precision, the lotus flame coaxed out the phoenix essence like a rare nectar.
A faint cry, like a phoenix’s distant song, echoed in Shen Yuan’s mind. He sensed the ember-like essence crystallizing into a vibrant red droplet.
Now came the critical moment: merging these potent extracts into a single pill. Shen Yuan’s concentration soared. He called upon:
-Wind Intent for gentle stirring.
-Thunder Intent to spark the mixture’s internal vitality.
-Radiant Intent to maintain purity.
-Space Intent to stabilize space within the furnace, preventing random blowouts.
Petal by petal, the Crimson Lotus Flame carefully guided the swirling droplets into a single pool of glowing, prismatic fluid.
Any imbalance could cause explosive failure. Shen Yuan’s monstrous physiques and refined Qi control allowed him to adjust the furnace temperature, swirl rate, and spiritual infusions in real time.
[So far, so good. But the final compression… that’s always the hardest. Good luck.]
Shen Yuan grinned, sweat beading on his forehead. “Let’s do this.”
Gradually, Shen Yuan raised the furnace’s internal temperature.
The flame funnel narrowed, compressing the swirling mixture into a small orb the size of a peach pit.
The orb gleamed with shifting layers—gold from the vine, silver-gold from the flower, and red-gold from the phoenix grass.
Petals of Precision fully engaged—Shen Yuan felt it as a near-sentient control, picking off micro-impurities that dared lurk in the mixture.
The final transformation took shape. The orb coalesced, turning semi-solid, its surface reflecting faint patterns of lotus petals.
“Condense—!”
With a last push of Qi, the orb hardened. A burst of brilliance flared, forcing Shen Yuan to shield his eyes. When the light subsided, a single pill hovered at the furnace’s core, exuding a faint, melodious hum.
He reached in with a thin wisp of Qi, retrieving the warm pill. It was lustrous, swirling with gold, silver, and a faint red undertone—like a condensed pill of each ingredient’s essence with three clear veins flowing on top.
A gentle aroma wafted from it, carrying both a yin-yang balance and a fiery rebirth undertone. Even Shen Yuan, with his monstrous physiques, felt a surge of invigorating Qi bloom in his chest upon inhaling it.
[That… might be a newly created formula, you know. A synergy of three top-tier herbs? Did you just create a brand-new Heaven-Grade pill, or is this an ancient recipe you took out from the Pagoda’s Treasury?]
Shen Yuan chuckled softly, turning the pill in his palm as if admiring a prized jewel. “A bit of both. I had the blueprint for a Phoenix Lotus Harmony Pill, but I adapted it to incorporate the Moonlit Solar Flower. Looks like it worked.”
[Incredible, but also as expected from someone who has Emperor-Grade Alchemy Talent. And from the looks of it, your Alchemy Intent has been passively helping you as well. Well, at least now you have confirmed your third-level Petals of Precision can definitely handle Heaven-Grade ingredients.]
He exhaled a long breath, a wave of excitement coursing through him.
He said with a smile, “Yes, this is exactly the result I hoped for. The essence is unbelievably pure. This pill might help a Peak Dao Core Forming cultivator step into a half-step Mortal Tribulation, or at least solve any major foundation flaws they have.”
[Alchemy is truly a cash cow for someone like you who can milk it efficiently. This one pill alone could net you a fortune… or buy unimaginable favors from a lot of cultivators.]
Shen Yuan nodded. “Exactly. Which is why I insisted on mastering the third level of Crimson Lotus Flame Art first. Might as well do it properly.”
He placed the newly-forged Phoenix Lotus Harmony Pill into a crystalline case, sealing it with a protective array to preserve its potency.
“All right, that’s alchemy done for now. My stock of herbs is decent, but I’ll need more if I plan on mass-producing Heaven-Grade pills for profit.”
[Oh? Not going to continue making more pills to help your wives? I thought you would spend a few months just making these pills.]
Shen Yuan shook his head with a smile, “No point in that for now. Qingyu and Ling’er aren’t at the level where Heaven-Grade pills will be useful for them. As for the Mom and Big Sisters? I can’t help them with my current ability.”
[That’s true. And it’s a good thing you can clearly see your limits. Now what will you do next?]
Shen Yuan slowly put away all the stuff for alchemy before moving to a different room in his Dual Cultivation Chamber. “About time my Crimson Devourer gets an upgrade from its Peak Earth-Grade Rank.”
[Aha, so you will do blacksmithing next.]
“Yes. Oh, and what is the rank of Tyrant’s Wrath again? Last time you said it was Tier 6. Tell me in terms of Earth and Heaven. What’s its grade? Peak Heaven?” He curiously asked.
[Oh, that spear? It’s at the Peak Emperor Grade.] empire
Shen Yuan paused in his steps abruptly, his eyes widening. “Wait, what? It’s the second-highest grade weapon that is in the first level of the treasury?”