Chapter 148: One Furnace, Ten Pills, Every Pill Two Patterns

Inside the alchemy furnace, mist swirled and a heat wave rushed forth; Gongsun Yang's expression remained calm as his fingers flicked lightly, sending one medicinal material after another surging inside.

"Black Crystal, Three-Colored Flower, Seven-Colored Rainbow Dew... these auxiliary ingredients have relatively mild medicinal natures; putting them in too early would cause the medicinal efficacy to evaporate and be lost. Only when the main medicines have been refined to the point of near fusion — that is, right now — can every bit of medicinal power be brought out to the fullest, while also neutralizing the differences, making the subsequent pill condensation a bit simpler."

Gongsun Yang refined pills while explaining the key points to Yu Zhangsheng; his movements flowed like clouds and water, his bearing composed, not affected by a single thread, quite possessing the demeanor of a master.

"Good, noted." Yu Zhangsheng watched carefully from the side, recording earnestly; whenever he encountered something he did not understand, he voiced a question, and Gongsun Yang did not stint on his teaching, his patience ample, deliberately slowing the refining speed so that Yu Zhangsheng could observe more minutely.

Yu Zhangsheng also had to admit that, as a master, Gongsun Yang was truly conscientious and devoted.

"In alchemy, the farther you wish to go, the more you must pursue the ultimate in details; a truly perfect pill certainly demands strict requirements in every place, not merely strict control over the changes in fire."

"There is also the age of the medicinal materials, the dosage must be neither more nor less, the order and timing of adding ingredients, the technique of adding ingredients, and so on; one must even consider environmental factors, whether the temperature is suitable."

"And whether one can refine a pill possessing Pill Patterns depends on the handling of these details."

Gongsun Yang taught in a gentle voice; the medicinal fragrance inside the furnace grew ever richer, and seeing it was about time, Gongsun Yang's hand seals changed again, his eyes focused, and he shouted in a low voice:

"Watch closely, the use of Void Fire!"

The original Quiet Fire suddenly swayed; at the precise moment, Gongsun Yang's heart was calm as water, and that flame vanished and reappeared in an instant, its color pale yellow mixed with a comprehending silver-white, revealing a trace of Empty Clarity aura.

It was precisely Void Fire! Like void, like spirit, illusory void, illusory extinction.

The moment Void Fire appeared, the alchemy furnace suddenly boiled, mist churning; in the heaven-and-earth void, spiritual qi suddenly surged, yet under the tempering of Void Fire it poured into the furnace in an orderly fashion, fusing into the medicinal materials; the temperature around the furnace fluctuated high and low, firelight flickering, and strands of invisible energy rushed in from all directions.

A drop of sweat quietly trickled down Gongsun Yang's forehead; his complexion turned solemn. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, his Divine Sense frantically controlling the fire, while not forgetting to explain to Yu Zhangsheng: "This is Void Fire; its use is not only to refine the medicinal materials, but more importantly to refine the favorable factors in the outside environment. Elusive, yet crucial. The stronger one's Divine Sense, the clearer one's perception and use of Void Fire."

"The greatest use of Void Fire is at the moment of Pill Formation; after being tempered by Void Fire, the pill not only becomes more condensed and its medicinal efficacy more refined, but there is also a chance to elevate the pill's quality on its original basis, increasing the probability of Pill Patterns appearing!"

Yu Zhangsheng listened quietly, his Divine Sense condensed into a cluster, perceiving the minutiae; in a flash he suddenly realized, thoughtful, his understanding of Void Fire deepening, so that if he used it, he could wield it with greater ease.

"Pill formed!"

Gongsun Yang's brows and eyes flew wide; he slapped the alchemy furnace heavily with his hand, and accompanied by a muffled sound, as the flames gradually weakened, flowing light spilled in all directions; several pills leapt out of the furnace under the pull of Divine Sense, rushing into a cluster of Void Fire, wisps of faint black smoke drifting out.

The Void Fire scattered, and ten round, Dragon-Eye-like discovered green pills met the eye; their surfaces shone, threads of Pill Qi encircling them, seeming real yet illusory, without a trace of pill fragrance, because the medicinal efficacy was entirely condensed upon them, without the slightest loss.

What made Yu Zhangsheng admire from the bottom of his heart most was that on every one of the ten pills, two faint pattern lines conspicuously appeared, encircling like swimming dragons, adding a touch of mystery and extraordinariness.

One furnace, ten pills, every single one of Two-Path Pill Pattern quality! Enough to show Gongsun Yang's superb alchemy.

Taking out a Jade Bottle, Gongsun Yang carefully placed the pills inside, then handed it to Yu Zhangsheng, wiped the Sweat from his forehead, his expression showing a hint of fatigue. Clearly refining this furnace of pills was not easy for him either, mainly because he had to refine while patiently and meticulously breaking down every detail for Yu Zhangsheng to see, thereby greatly lengthening the refining time, and the consumption of mind and spirit increased accordingly.

Without a powerful Cultivation Base as support, this is extremely torturous.

Moreover, this Beast Nurturing Pill was also his first time refining it, so his technique was inevitably a bit unfamiliar.

Yu Zhangsheng received the Beast Nurturing Pill, feeling somewhat moved, and bowed to Gongsun Yang.

Gongsun Yang endured the fatigue of his mind and spirit, feigning a calm and relaxed posture as he said: "This is Void Fire; presumably you can also sense it more deeply now."

"That this furnace of pills could all be of Two-Path Pill Pattern quality, that final step of sending the pills into Void Fire for tempering was crucial; it is the key to further elevating pill quality."

"Of course, it is also the most difficult step; the consumption of mind and spirit is enormous. Void Fire is ultimately still fire, and naturally possesses the violent nature of flame."

"At the moment of Pill Formation, the pills are not yet fully stable and have no protection whatsoever; they enter Void Fire tempering directly. If there is a single fluctuation, the pills could very likely be destroyed directly, turning the previous effort into waste pills; at best the quality drops, at worst they turn to flying ash."

"So one must be careful, careful, and careful again; only through diligent practice can one master it well."

Do not be fooled by how easy Gongsun Yang made it look just now; the difficulty within is known only to himself. After one session of pill refining, his whole person was drained a full circle.

Yu Zhangsheng nodded; he had indeed felt it. That final scene of Gongsun Yang directly sending the pills into Void Fire had startled even him.

"What I refined this time is merely the Yun Beast Small Pill among Beast Nurturing Pills, used for daily spirit beast nurturing and enhancement. As for the Yun Beast Large Pill used for the Broken Mirror, wait until you have thoroughly mastered Void Fire before attempting to refine it; for you it will not be too difficult."

Gongsun Yang slowly exhaled a breath, expression unchanged as he swallowed a Recovery Pill and said.

"Good, many thanks, Teacher."

According to the Beast Nurturing Pill Formula, Beast Nurturing Pills are actually divided into two kinds: one is the Yun Beast Small Pill for daily spirit beast nurturing and enhancement, and the other is the Yun Beast Large Pill specifically used for Breakthrough and rank advancement. Most of their refining medicinal materials are the same, a small portion differs, and the refining difficulty is also not the same.

What Gongsun Yang demonstrated refining this time was precisely the Yun Beast Small Pill, also because he worried the Yun Beast Large Pill would still be too difficult for Yu Zhangsheng to refine, so he started with the simpler one.

After all, the main purpose of this alchemy session was teaching; progressing from simple to difficult, step by step.

"If there's nothing else, go back first; ponder Void Fire well, and tell me if there's anything you don't understand."

(Chapter End)