Chapter 851: Fire Marrow Reappears, Two Instruments Form the Pill

"Mr. Xuanyan, why have you come?"

Chen Chen Mojie, who had been sitting withered and still just moments before, stood up solemnly the instant he saw the old man.

Mr. Xuanyan?

Luo Chen looked in surprise at the old man who had appeared so composedly.

Dressed in a plain, dark-colored robe that was simple yet retained a majestic air, his face was glowing with health, showing none of the decrepitude rumored to plague him.

Hadn't Ye Ye Lingtian said he had no intention of coveting the Alchemy Saint's inheritance?

Why had he come today?

Mr. Xuanyan smiled and said, "Staying on the mountain for too long inevitably feels cold and lonely. I heard last year that you had entered the Alchemy Saint Hall, so I thought I would take a walk and have a look. Am I not welcome?"

"No, no, no, how could you not be welcome, sir."

Chen Chen Mojie waved his hands hurriedly; though his demeanor was not servile, it was filled with deep respect.

Mr. Xuanyan had held many Daoist titles in the past, but there was a reason people eventually settled on calling him "Sir."

In his early years, he had cared nothing for sects or clans, nor did he concern himself with lineage or bloodlines.

Even when his sect declined, he did nothing to turn the tide, focusing solely on the path of alchemy.

Yet, he was never stingy about imparting his alchemical insights, often mentoring those younger generations who were thirsty for knowledge.

Those who wished to apprentice under him were often rejected, as he did not want to be burdened by worldly affairs; even joining the Mingyuan Sect had merely been for convenience, finding a backer so he could focus on researching alchemy. Even now, a thousand years later, he had only one direct disciple and one boy, the Medicine Emperor, who had once tended his fires and selected his herbs.

Younger generations of the Mingyuan Sect, such as Alchemy Saints Chu Yan, Chu Yu, and Lu Chun, had all received his guidance.

Unable to address him as Master, they respectfully called him "Sir."

Chen Chen Mojie was the same; even his ability to pass the second trial this time, beyond his own capabilities, could not be separated from the pointers Mr. Xuanyan had given him years ago.

Luo Chen, however, was quite shocked.

From that one sentence, he had caught a single word—"last year"!

In other words, from entering the hall to passing two trials, it had taken the other party less than a year?

Even if the other party had passed the trials before, the Alchemy Saint Hall's trials were constantly changing.

To pass the trials so quickly showed the depth of the man's foundation and the height of his alchemical attainments!

While he was shocked, Mr. Xuanyan also looked over with a gaze filled with curiosity.

"Alchemy Sect?"

Luo Chen adjusted his mindset, performed a salute, and offered a Daoist greeting.

"In your presence, sir, I am unworthy of the title 'Alchemy Sect.' You may simply call me Luo Chen."

"Haha, humble!"

Mr. Xuanyan laughed heartily, stroking his beard as if recalling the past.

"When I was as young as you, I never knew what humility was."

Having said that, he changed the subject.

"To easily pass two trials on your first attempt at the trial left behind by Chu Yan—this title of Alchemy Sect, you deserve it!"

Luo Chen humbly replied, "You flatter me, sir."

Chen Chen Mojie, standing to the side, could wait no longer and hurriedly asked, "Sir, how should this third trial be passed?"

Mr. Xuanyan waved his hand. "How else? It is nothing more than selecting suitable materials from those already available to form a pill recipe, then refining it. For people like us, it is merely a daily chore."

Chen Chen Mojie opened his mouth, speechless and helpless.

"Sir, it is not that simple!"

Mr. Xuanyan's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "Is achieving the realm of a Grandmaster simple? We Grandmasters must ignore difficulties and obstacles, forging ahead. Even if there is only one chance, one must have enough confidence to succeed! This is the pride of an Alchemy Grandmaster!"

Chen Chen Mojie said hoarsely, "But if one fails..."

Mr. Xuanyan said no more, instead finding a ground fire vent and releasing his own pill furnace.

He then began to toss in the materials he had reverse-refined from the second trial, one after another. Black flames erupted from his fingertips, enveloping the furnace.

It seemed that he had already decided what pill to refine before arriving at the third trial.

Luo Chen stopped watching the other man's movements.

The three consecutive trials were linked, and the final results would inevitably be different.

From identifying pills by scent to tracing their origins, and finally refining a pill in one go, everyone chose different pills and materials, so the self-researched pill recipes would certainly differ.

He turned his attention back to his own task.

What pill should he refine using the raw materials he had reverse-refined?

His gaze fell upon the hundreds of raw materials with pure medicinal power; he knew the name and properties of each by heart.

Creek Angelica, Qi Lotus, Turbulence Duckweed, Ghost Licorice, Heavenly Thunder Vine...

Dried Ginger, Flesh Cornel, Six-Yang Stone, Flame Cloud Smoke...

As these names surfaced in his mind, Luo Chen suddenly realized something.

In the first trial of identifying pills by scent, he had subconsciously chosen the water and fire types he was most familiar with, which was why the raw materials reverse-refined in the second trial were mostly of these two types.

This was related to his alchemical experience.

Initially, pills like Jade Marrow Pill, Profound Passage Pill, and Jade Dew Pill were mostly cold-natured, while others like Blood Fiend and Dust-Descending were fire-natured.

But back then, they were mixed, and there was no lack of multi-attribute pills like the Starry Pill.

It wasn't until he went to the North Sea that he gradually abandoned multi-attribute pills like the Starry Pill, focusing instead on the paths of water and fire.

The alchemical style in the North Sea relied heavily on water-attribute herbs and demon beasts, so he often refined water-attribute pills there.

Yet, because he primarily cultivated fire-type techniques, he had to refine top-tier fire-attribute pills like the True Flame Pill from time to time for his cultivation.

Ultimately, this led to Luo Chen having a unique preference for these two types of materials.

So now, what should he use as the main material, and what attribute pill should he refine?

Luo Chen's gaze swept over the materials, and he suddenly felt at a loss.

Among the hundreds of raw materials, there were over a dozen involving fourth and even fifth-tier main ingredients; it was truly dazzling.

Suddenly!

Luo Chen's gaze landed on a mass of red liquid that looked like flames.

This was Flame Flow Marrow!

Luo Chen was no stranger to this material, as Fu Fu Chaosheng had given him a portion when he was in the Central Plains.

The reason his Source True Fire was able to advance to the fifth tier was because it had absorbed that portion of Flame Flow Marrow, greatly increasing its spirituality and providing the opportunity for advancement.

But Luo Chen was more accustomed to calling Flame Flow Marrow by the name used by the Heaven-Refining Demon Lord: Withered Source Fire Marrow!

Because that name was more vivid and easier to understand.

Withered Source Fire Marrow was born in the withered source lands left behind after powerful exotic fires departed, and it had many miraculous uses.

Especially in the alchemical inheritance left by the Heaven-Refining Demon Lord, there was a record of a fourth-tier pill recipe called the "Two Instruments Pill."

By using Withered Source Fire Marrow and a special spiritual liquid from the Demon Realm as the main materials, one could refine a pill that, when taken over a long period, could adjust a cultivator's own true fire, causing it to gradually evolve until they eventually cultivated a powerful divine fire known as the "Yin-Yang Extreme Dao Flame"!

When Luo Chen had first obtained that portion of Withered Source Fire Marrow from Fu Fu Chaosheng, his first thought had been to refine the Two Instruments Pill, but lacking suitable materials, he could only let the Withered-Prosperous True Fire have it.

And now...

Luo Chen couldn't help but look at the other main materials, finally stopping on a mass of blue liquid.

That was Nether Cold Spring!

It was harvested from the bottom of the Nether Abyss, which had guarded the Mingyuan Sect for three thousand years.

In terms of properties, it was no less than that special spiritual liquid from the Demon Realm.

"If I use both as main materials, supplemented by other precious materials, could I reconstruct the Two Instruments Pill recipe?"

For a moment, Luo Chen's heart raced.

In the Ground Fire Hall, the heat was rolling.

Three figures stood in different corners, each engaged in different actions.

Mr. Xuanyan was refining pills with leisurely ease, Luo Chen was writing furiously, frowning one moment and smiling the next, while Chen Chen Mojie remained hesitant.

There seemed to be a sense of competition between them, yet the overall atmosphere was extraordinarily harmonious.

Time passed slowly, and after barely a month, a peculiar fragrance wafted through the hall. Luo Chen, who had been deep in thought, suddenly woke up and, along with Chen Chen Mojie, cast his gaze toward the other side.

Mr. Xuanyan smiled, casting a series of hand seals into the furnace lid.

With a soft shout:

"Open!"

The furnace lid lifted, and a black pill the size of a fist slowly flew up.

Luo Chen and Chen Chen Mojie looked at each other—had it succeeded?

Mr. Xuanyan beckoned, and the fist-sized black pill fell into his hand. He took one look, his brows slightly furrowed.

"The quality is average, and the medicinal power is not sufficiently condensed, but this Poor Extreme Pill is at least finished. It will have to do!"

Having said that, his gaze swept over the two, finally stopping on Chen Chen Mojie.

To the other man's surprise, the black pill was tossed lightly into his arms.

"This?" Chen Chen Mojie was stunned.

Mr. Xuanyan smiled slightly. "This is a fourth-tier pill I created in my later years, called the Poor Extreme. I had hoped to use this pill to break through the limits of the Nascent Soul and advance to Soul Transformation, but in the end, it lacked something and could only remain at the fourth tier, failing to reach the fifth-tier level."

"However, although it cannot help one break through to the Soul Transformation realm, it still has some use; it can allow a Nascent Soul cultivator to break through a small realm."

"Of course, for people like us, the realm is important, but not that important."

"The reason I give this pill to you is that I hope you will, like the name of this pill, seek change in extremity, rather than spending your whole life following the rules and only thinking of walking the paths of those who came before."

"Otherwise, even as a Grandmaster, you will only be a collector of others' achievements, not a founder of your own sect!"

After saying this, without waiting for Chen Chen Mojie to refuse, he left the Ground Fire Hall with a free and easy air.

No matter how dissatisfied he was with this refining result, he had succeeded in the end.

The door to the fourth trial had already opened for him.

A wisp of cloud smoke rolled in, wrapping around Mr. Xuanyan and disappearing from the Ground Fire Hall.

Chen Chen Mojie held the fist-sized black pill and fell into silence.

On the other side, Luo Chen's eyes widened.

Wanting to research a pill recipe to break through to the Soul Transformation realm?

What great ambition Mr. Xuanyan had!

Although this world had Foundation Establishment Pills, Liquid Condensation Pills, and even Nascent Soul Formation Pills, he had never heard of a pill for breaking through the Soul Transformation bottleneck.

The man was trying to walk a path no one had walked before, relying on pills to become a god.

But unfortunately, he seemed to have failed, not refining a fifth-tier Poor Extreme Pill.

Yet even so, a fourth-tier Poor Extreme Pill that could force a Nascent Soul cultivator to break through a small realm was heaven-defying enough.

Of the nine layers of the Nascent Soul, which layer didn't require a Nascent Soul cultivator to put in immense effort to cultivate bit by bit?

One pill, replacing decades or even a hundred years of bitter cultivation...

"Tsk tsk, why didn't he give it to me?"

Luo Chen muttered in his heart, but he wasn't particularly jealous.

He knew very well that he had no relationship with Mr. Xuanyan; no matter how much the man liked to mentor the younger generation, such benefits wouldn't fall to him.

Glancing at the dazed Chen Chen Mojie, Luo Chen continued to study the Two Instruments Pill recipe.

Because of the different main materials, it was inevitably different from the pill recipe left by the Demon Lord; he had to add his own understanding to this foundation to create a new recipe, which was quite difficult.

One had to know that the Heaven-Refining Demon Lord was the pinnacle of alchemy, a person who could no longer be described by terms like Alchemy Sect or Alchemy Saint.

The pill recipes he left behind, apart from those obtained from others, must have been refined to the extreme.

How easy could it be to modify and evolve them?

But Luo Chen did not want to give up!

It wasn't because Chu Yan's inheritance was within reach; after all, Mr. Xuanyan had already gone to the final trial, and judging by his powerful performance, the inheritance was likely his. Luo Chen didn't need to join in the fun.

He simply couldn't bear to waste these rare raw materials he had reverse-refined.

If he could really rely on these raw materials to experiment and create a new pill recipe, the benefits to him would be too great.

He wasn't interested in the so-called Yin-Yang Extreme Dao Flame, but there was a Nirvana Holy Fire in his Purple Mansion that had just been born!

The Two Instruments Pill had the effect of promoting the advancement and transformation of true fire.

If he could refine one or two, perhaps he could help the Nirvana Holy Fire cross its most fragile infancy.

"It's a good thing I passed the second trial earlier!"

Luo Chen felt three parts fortunate.

Improving the Demon Lord's pill recipe was too difficult.

If it were before, he certainly wouldn't have had that ability.

But after passing the second trial and understanding the essence of the herbs, his understanding of the properties of various herbs was even deeper.

That was why he had the confidence.

Yet even with a vast foundation and a deeper understanding of the essence of herbs, Luo Chen's progress in improving the pill recipe remained slow.

In the Ground Fire Hall, it remained silent.

Time passed day by day—one month, two months, half a year, a year...

After a year had passed, Chen Chen Mojie moved.

As if he had made up his mind, he took out a square bronze cauldron and carefully tossed in the materials he had reverse-refined earlier.

On Luo Chen's side, it seemed he had also achieved success.

Because a prompt was coming from the attribute panel.

【Two Instruments Pill, complete fourth-tier pill recipe, can be mastered】

【Master it?】

The answer was naturally yes; it was only fourth-tier, requiring only ten achievement points.

With a thought, a new entry appeared on the panel.

【Two Instruments Pill mastered 1/100】

Next, it was time to actually start refining.

Yet at this moment, Luo Chen subconsciously felt a sense of hesitation.

There was only one set of raw materials; what if he failed?

This question received an answer in an instant!

Because Chen Chen Mojie had also asked Mr. Xuanyan earlier.

The man hadn't answered, and Luo Chen hadn't thought about it at the time.

Why think about it?

Which of them, these alchemists, hadn't walked out of countless failures?

One must be brave enough to try, brave enough to act, and even more, have the determination to accept failure.

An alchemist must have confidence!

Even if there was only one chance!

With a free and easy smile, Luo Chen waved his hand and summoned the Hunyuan Cauldron.

Clang!

The Hunyuan Cauldron, a zhang in size, sat at the ground fire vent, emitting a dull sound.

Luo Chen activated the formation, drawing the ground fire to warm the pill cauldron first.

Because of this dull sound, Chen Chen Mojie, on the opposite side, looked over.

Perhaps because Mr. Xuanyan had already walked ahead, and the old man's displayed strength was truly too powerful, both sides seemed to have tacitly accepted where the Alchemy Saint inheritance would go.

At this moment, their eyes met; there were no sparks of competition between rivals, only peace.

"Luo Chen... I wish you success," Chen Chen Mojie said calmly, his words impossible to tell if they were sincere or hypocritical.

Luo Chen smiled slightly. "I also wish you success, fellow Daoist!"

Regardless of whatever dirty thoughts they might have had in their hearts earlier, at this moment, they all vanished like smoke.

People on the same path, even if they couldn't sympathize with each other, wouldn't be at each other's throats without an absolute conflict of interest.

Boom!

The flames rose. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 852 =====