A recently promoted outer disciple in the Nine Earth Manor, a person with the cultivation of first qi layer had surprisingly started a furnace to concoct pills. This news spread like wildfire in the Nine Earth Manor.
Yang Chen’s great name very quickly became the talk of the whole Nine Earth manor. Only when mentioning him, everyone showed two kinds of expressions. When they heard that as soon as he entered the sect he defeated Sun Hai Jing who was at the third qi layer, everyone displayed an utterly astonished expression but when they heard that Yang Chen had entered the Hidden Pavilion to learn the <> and has started a furnace to concoct pills at first qi layer their astonishment immediately changed to sneer.
“ If he can learn how to concoct pills at the first qi layer, then what does that make us who have been trying to concoct pills for more than ten years?” Whether it was an official disciple or servant all agreed with this opinion, some had already started clamoring.
Everyone cannot help but laugh at this affair. There have been many famous alchemists who had to immerse in alchemy for several decades or even for more long before concocting their first pill, how can there be such a person who can concoct pills as soon as he started cultivating, isn’t he just overstepping his boundaries? Not to speak of concocting pills, at first qi layer, even if he can control the flame properly and do not burn the ordinary drug ingredients, that alone will be an extraordinary feat.
However, Yang Chen doesn’t care about these kinds of words. He instructed Shen Da to run to the nearest city to buy an ordinary pill concocting furnace and other common ingredients. Although this was his first time concocting pills, but Yang Chen had already spent all the spirit stones he received at the Ye Xiu Manor.
Buying a huge pile of drug ingredients and a beaten out pill furnace, Yang Chen entered seclusion to start on the road of alchemy. In the entire Nine Earth Manor, apart from Shen Da, Ho Lin and his other servants, no one was optimistic about Yang Chen’s success. But Shen Da and other three servants had already seen Yang Chen easily remove the impurities of yang qi pill with a single hand so they had entirely confident that Yang Chen will succeed.
However, in the entire Nine Earth Manor including all his servants, everyone was curious about what Yang Chen will refine. Regardless of whether he will succeed or not, all the raw material used by Yang Chen surprisingly ordinary herbs purchased from the mortal world. At most, in that year, they would have reached their peak but it will still be far from enough to assist in increasing the spirit power.
Using these ordinary drug ingredients, what kind of pill can he refine? then even if he succeeds that worn out furnace will easily lose ninety-nine percent of the drug’s efficiency, almost all the people in the Ye Xiu Manor thought this way.
Naturally Chu Heng had also heard this news, but he didn’t say anything in front of other people, only sneered in his heart and slyly used a disciple who was close to him to spread this news everywhere even among the inner disciples.
As a result, the news that an outer disciple without any foundation was vainly attempting to reach the heaven in a single bound reached the ears of many disciples. Every disciple who heard this absolutely despised him. Irritation was born in their hearts towards Yang Chen.
Within his small courtyard, Yang Chen opened a room which he regarded as the pill room. With the help of Ho Lin who had basic knowledge of alchemy, he started pill concoction for the first time after his rebirth.
Yang Chen had chosen to produce a traditional medicine, however, people were not aware of this kind of pill. After three hundred years from now, this pill will be produced and known as xun qi pill. All ingredients used to make this pill are ordinary and after being produced this elixir will not increase the spirit power nor will it heal anyone. As for those disciples who had already reached the first qi layer, it will be of no use.
But for the preparatory disciple who had just started cultivation, it is an extremely useful elixir. Xun qi pill, as the name implies can precisely sense the immortal qi. After consuming this sort of elixir, the ability of ordinary people to sense qi will increase by two to three times and they will be easily able to feel the qi in nature.
Naturally for this kind of pill, Yang Chen won’t waste the precious materials acquired from the medicine garden. All drugs who have matured thousand years or more, even if they are ordinary drugs, possess an unusual medicinal efficacy. Using the ordinary ingredients purchased from the cities is already sufficient.
Yang Chen didn’t tell all this to Ho Lin and just instructed her to pay attention controlling the flame. Ho Lin had already done all the preparations needed for the process, now a pile of proper drug ingredients was stored near her waiting for Yang Chen’s instructions.
After everything is done and ready, Yang Chen sat upright on a mat on the ground. His both hands stroking the two handles of the pill furnace in front of him and started the fire.
Previously Yang Chen had chosen the fourth fire cultivation method from the Achievement Room in the Ye Xiu Manor so naturally the fourth fire was produced in his hands. Two white strands of flame appeared in Yang Chen’s both hands respectively finally converging in the pill furnace. The two strands of flame were successfully pulled to form two spiral shaped slender threads. Both threads spiraled around from the edge of the furnace to the core.
Yang Chen still hadn’t started the refining but his control over the flame made Ho Lin , who was sitting opposite and watching attentively, gasp in admiration. In a brief period of several days, Yang Chen’s control over fire has again risen one step becoming even more proficient. The slender threads of flame were extremely thin because of being pulled giving the feeling that the flame did not have sufficient temperature and can only be seen inside the pill furnace as a fine spiral. Who can realize that they were made up of fire?
“Safflower!” Yang Chen suddenly said. Ho Lin did not dare to be careless and hastily threw the proper amount of Safflower into the furnace.
“Shen Dan!” After safflower was thrown into the furnace, Yang Chen again said. Ho Lin who had been repeatedly warned earlier did not get baffled and lightly added the Shen Dan into the furnace.
Both the herbs were engulfed by the spiral fire as soon as they entered and started to flow along with the flame. Rotating in two circles under Ho Lin’s attentive gaze they slowly turned into a medicinal liquid.
These two ingredients were very ordinary if proper care is not taken they will immediately burn, but at this moment, both of them had turned into a liquid without even a single mark of getting burned. Ho Lin was astonished within his heart, but controlling her emotions, she grabbed the next ingredient and was steadily gazing inside the pill furnace waiting for Yang Chen’s next instructions.
After blindly adding in the medicines, Ho Lin discovered a peculiarity. It seemed as if Yang Chen was intentionally controlling the flame to melt these drugs and follow along flame and rotate, apparently this had some other reason. However Ho Lin very clearly understood that even if she had the recipe and exact amount of materials, she didn’t have this kind of control and also couldn’t produce this kind of pill.
One hour quickly passed. During this time, the temperature of the pill furnace was controlled at some fixed point. This was the crucial temperature for refining the xun qi pill, if it is not exact then only a waste product will be produced without the slightest amount of medicinal effects. Finally, the moment to collect the xun qi pill arrived.
Yang Chen’s approach to collect the pill was very special, at least Ho Lin is unable to make sense of what she is looking at. Not only Ho Lin, if it was any other great alchemist in the world, he will also be unable to recognize this pill collecting skill.
Yang Chen had learned this pill collecting skill from the pill scripture given by the Great Supreme Elder. The Great Supreme Elder had a very high-level knowledge in concocting pills second to none, also, the pills refined from the pill furnace of the Great Supreme Elder were matchless compared to others. This was not only due to the quality of the furnace but also because of this unique pill collecting skill developed by him.
This pill collecting skill is one of the many other pill collecting skills which Yang Chen found suitable for himself after much thinking. Yang Chen had only once refined this kind of elixir in his previous life to inspect his own fire arts. In any case, he also gained slight understanding about alchemy. Yang Chen can roughly determine what sort of technique should be used to extract a pill.
Along with Yang Chen’s signal, the medicinal liquid flowing within the pill furnace suddenly started to split into numerous pieces. Every small piece started rotating around and later slowly became circular and solidified. In less than half an hour, all of them turned into a round and plump pills.
Seemingly as if an unseen imaginary hand was holding these pills, they started to float within the pill furnace. Soon after Yang Chen stopped the flame in his hands. All these pills fell down and formed a pile at the bottom of the pill furnace.
Yang Chen smilingly pulled out a jade bottle prepared long ago to collect these xun qi pills. Later both he and Ho Lin took out one pill to examine it.
Properly refined round and plump xun qi pills, well proportioned and smooth outer surface, similar from all sides, anyone looking at it will love to twist it between their fingers. Unfortunately, like some good pills, it doesn’t have any medicinal fragrance nor any kind of bad smell like some low-level pills, actually, this elixir doesn’t have any kind of odor, which will really baffle people. If Ho Lin would not have seen Yang Chen refine this pill successfully, she herself would not have believed this is an elixir.
Ho Lin failed to realize this but Yang Chen was indeed very clear about it. It doesn’t have a medicinal smell because all of it is confined inside the pill without the slightest amount of leakage. Just from the way it is, this xun qi pill is perfect and invulnerable. Yang Chen was quite satisfied with himself for refining this kind of pill in the first time.
“Young Master, does this pill have any use?” Ho Lin curiously asked. She hadn’t heard of this kind of strange recipe and strange technique before. She had only asked after thinking about it for a long time.
“For you and me it is useless!” Yang Chen faintly smiled making Ho Lin absolutely astonished at this answer.
“Isn’t useful for qi layer?” Since it isn’t useful for Yang Chen and herself, Ho Lin immediately thought to this extent.
Yang Chen slightly nodded and confirmed Ho Lin’s conjecture. Seeing Yang Chen confirm her conjecture, Ho Lin’s eyes brightly shined “could it be that this elixir is useful at foundation stage?”
“Also useless for foundation stage!” Yang Chen again replied.
Suddenly Ho Lin became suspicious, not useful at qi layer or foundation stage, then could it be useful at JinDan stage? How is this possible? This pill is refined just by using common herbs!
“ You need not guess anymore, this pill is just useful for an ordinary person, for the benefit of those preparatory disciples.” Yang Chen directly answered Ho Lin’s question. Hearing this answer, Ho Lin immediately felt somewhat disappointed. He had wasted so many ingredients just for the benefit of preparatory disciples, doesn’t this mean he would not gain any profit?
“Don’t be anxious, first let’s take this pill to the Medicinal Hall for appraisal, maybe we will get a nice surprise, How about it?” Yang Chen did not specifically tell all the information to Ho Lin letting her use her own imagination.
Medicine Hall is responsible for buying and selling all kind of elixirs and materials in the Pure Yang Palace. It also has a courtyard in the Nine Earth Manor specifically to serve the outer disciples. Generally buying and selling through Medicine Hall and willing to spend contribution points is considered favorable. As well as if anyone can refine any elixir, Medicine Hall is willing to buy it or even exchange for contribution points
“You are Yang Chen?” Medicine Hall’s elder sized up Yang Chen and wrinkled his brows. Seeing Yang Chen nod admittingly, even though he did not have any friendly relations with Yang Chen he patiently tried to advise him “ Cultivation requires a steady and serious nature, if you want to practice alchemy, you must raise your cultivation and then come again. You should not waste your time doing this otherwise, it will be of no benefit to you.”
Hearing this advice, Yang Chen was quite pleased, since the other party was considering his own benefit. If other show good intentions towards him, Yang Chen will also not think ill of them.
“Many thanks senior for your good intentions.” Yang Chen cupped his hands to express his thanks. Soon after taking out the jade bottle containing the xun qi pill he handed it to the elder and said “Senior help me appraise this. How is the quality of this pill?”
“What is this pill?” The Medicine Hall’s elder took the jade bottle and opened it. Looking at the pill he asked “The appearance is actually pretty good, but it is any useful?”
“When I was at the Ye Xiu Manor I had eaten a few herbs which have been useful to increase my sensation for qi. So I tried to refine something but don’t know whether I succeeded or failed. Also thanks for your trouble the elder of the Medicine Hall to identify it.” Yang Chen randomly fabricated some excuse to conceal the affair regarding the recipe. (Tl note: so that no one becomes suspicious of him)
“I will accept the medicine, you should return back and wait for news. Appraisal of elixirs requires, at least, two days.” Medicine Hall’s elder didn’t say much, he had already told him what needed to be said. Moreover, even if Yang Chen had truly refined this stuff, it will be no use advised him again to pay attention to his real work and so on. So he only followed Medicine Hall’s rule and told Yang Chen to wait.
Yang Chen returned back to his courtyard to cultivate and wait, but again a lot of rumors started in the Nine Earth Manor. Yang Chen who didn’t knew the limits of his own capabilities had surprisingly refined an elixir from ordinary ingredients and taken it to the Medicine Hall for appraisal. Furthermore, according to an elder of Medicine Hall who had analyzed the elixir for half a day, this stuff has absolutely no use at the qi layer or foundation stage.
This news immediately gave rise to a lot of baseless rumors and mockery. Shen Da, Ho Lin and the other servants who ran errands for Yang Chen in the manor also had to face taunting expression with occasional sympathetic looks everywhere they went. Some people also felt sympathy for their next eight generation as they were following this kind of unreasonable master like Yang Chen.
This time, everyone was convinced that Yang Chen would turn into a joke when the appraisal of the elixir will come out so they were all waiting to mock him. That Medicine Hall elder had ample experience, just by tasting any new medicine, within half a day he can determine its medicinal properties. He had already said that it is ineffective for cultivators at qi layer or foundation stage so it is surely useless. An elixir made only from ordinary ingredients how can it be effective at JinDan stage?
As everyone in the Nine Earth Manor was waiting for Yang Chen to appear at the Medicine Hall, suddenly appeared a person who had never before visited the Nine Earth Manor, the master of Pure Yang Palace’s Medicine Hall, JinDan stage expert Zhu Chen Tao.
Zhu Chen Tao immediately went inside the branch of the Medicine Hall and hurriedly asked the person in charge “Where is Yang Chen? Where is that Yang Chen who had refined this xun qi pill? At once bring me to meet him!
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