Chapter 70: Phenomena of Pill Formation

Over the next two days, Xu Chen focused his full attention on continuing to refine pills, and he succeeded with two consecutive batches of Small Yuan Pills, without a single failure.

At this point, several of the gathered medicinal herbs were running low, with enough left for at most two more batches, and Xu Chen prepared to integrate the white Qi released by the Jade Bead into the Small Yuan Pills.

After everything was ready, he began another attempt.

Of course, this attempt had to be much more cautious.

After all, the medicinal herbs used for Small Yuan Pills were already quite precious, and it would still be heartbreaking to waste a batch.

The meager assets of the Taiyuan Sect could not withstand such waste and tossing about.

Soon, nearly an hour passed, all the medicinal herbs were fully refined, and the process entered the Pill Nourishing stage.

Xu Chen swallowed a Small Yuan Pill to stabilize his Yuan Qi, used his Divine Sense to touch the Blue Jade Bead, and guided the white Qi into the Pill Furnace.

Because he feared that the medicinal paste he had worked so hard to refine would be incinerated by the Spirit Fire again, Xu Chen was especially careful this time; he did not directly integrate the wisp of white Qi into it, but instead carefully split the medicinal paste into two portions first, then integrated it into only one of them.

As the white Qi was integrated, the Spirit Fire inside the Pill Furnace seemed to be suddenly activated, and it surged violently, wrapping around this portion of medicinal paste.

Xu Chen was startled and hurriedly forced his Yuan Qi to activate the Array, trying his best to suppress the restless Spirit Fire. After a few breaths, the Spirit Fire quickly stabilized, and Xu Chen also breathed a slight sigh of relief. The paste had not been incinerated, but a significant amount of ash had drifted down from it, and the portion of medicinal paste had actually shrunk by a third.

"Good, good, it wasn't all burned up!"

Xu Chen could not help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, concentrated his Divine Sense, and focused his full attention on roasting and nourishing the two portions of paste.

Zhao Xuan did not know the changes inside the Pill Furnace and only thought that Xu Chen was still suffering from insufficient Yuan Qi, so she hurriedly whispered a reminder: "Junior Brother, do not be impatient. The previous three batches were all successful; even if this one is ruined, the success rate is still considered very high. Even Jiu Shixiong has to refine two or three batches before succeeding in one after many years of pill refining."

Xu Chen, however, dared not speak at this moment, because he discovered that the Spirit Fire was particularly restless toward the medicinal paste infused with white Qi; if he were not careful, it would flare up violently. Therefore, he could only continuously release Yuan Qi to suppress the Spirit Fire, which not only caused his Yuan Qi to be consumed rapidly but also made his Soul particularly prone to fatigue, leading to an unstable Divine Sense. Thus, after persisting for the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, he had to take out a Soul Bead and press it against his brow.

With the support of the Soul Power released by the Soul Bead, Xu Chen felt much better.

However, he soon discovered that the Yuan Qi replenished by the Small Yuan Pill could no longer keep up with the consumption of refining the pill. The Yuan Qi stored in his dantian was being consumed at a speed almost visible to the naked eye within his Divine Sense, so he had to take out another Great Origin Pill and stuff it into his mouth.

Zhao Xuan:...

She did not know what was happening.

But to eat a Great Origin Pill while refining a Small Yuan Pill—this cost was simply too great; the input and output were completely disproportionate.

One Great Origin Pill could be exchanged for at least five Small Yuan Pills.

Moreover, this was only just beginning the Pill Nourishing stage, and it would take at least another half an hour to produce the pills. If he could not hold on and had to eat another Great Origin Pill, even if this batch of pills were refined successfully, he would likely lose so much he would vomit blood.

However, Xu Chen had no other choice at this moment.

Although this experiment was a sudden whim, there was already hope for success right now.

He desperately wanted to know what kind of effect this pill, infused with white Qi, would have after it was finally refined successfully.

Therefore, even if he had to pop two or three more Great Origin Pills, he would absolutely not give up.

Thus, the atmosphere of pill refining suddenly became strange.

Xu Chen exerted his full strength to circulate his technique to absorb the Great Origin Pill, continuously sending Yuan Qi into the Pill Furnace to maintain the stability of the Spirit Fire.

At the same time, he also had to rely on absorbing the Soul Power from the Soul Bead to maintain the stability of his Divine Sense.

And he had to observe the situation inside the Pill Furnace with full concentration.

Under such three-fold multitasking, even though Xu Chen's Divine Sense was as strong as that of the Zhenyuan Realm, he still felt increasingly overwhelmed. Finally, after persisting for the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense, his mind wavered for a moment, his Divine Sense scattered, causing the Spirit Qi to become restless and the Array to shake. That portion of medicinal paste that had not been infused with white Qi finally lost control and was instantly incinerated by the Spirit Fire.

Accompanied by a plume of thick smoke billowing up from the Pill Furnace, a charred smell permeated the mountainside.

Zhao Xuan stood up in alarm, but she noticed that after only a moment of wavering, Xu Chen quickly returned to calm. Letting the cold sweat roll down his forehead, he still continued to refine the pill with full concentration.

Zhao Xuan was completely bewildered.

But she dared not disturb him. This situation should mean the pill refining had failed, but Xu Chen had not given up, which suggested it had not yet completely failed. Thus, she took out a handkerchief, stepped forward to help Xu Chen wipe the sweat from his face, and then sat quietly to the side to continue waiting.

In silence, another two quarters of an hour passed in a flash, and Xu Chen again took out a Great Origin Pill and stuffed it into his mouth.

At the same time, a medicinal fragrance began to emanate from the Pill Furnace.

Zhao Xuan was both speechless and astonished, and she continued to help Xu Chen wipe his sweat with a strange expression on her face.

The medicinal fragrance grew thicker and thicker, and a faint cyan-white mist actually began to condense above the Pill Furnace.

Zhao Xuan could no longer control her emotions at this moment; she stood up and stared fixedly at this mass of mist, as a legend about pill refining flashed through her mind like lightning.

It is said that when a Spirit Pill of the fourth grade or higher is successfully refined, some phenomena of heaven and earth will be produced.

Because a fourth-grade pill is a true Spirit Pill, it already possesses a trace of spirituality and is formed by seizing the creation of heaven and earth, hence it will have a Dan Tribulation.

But this was only a first-grade Pill Furnace, and furthermore, this pill was only a Small Yuan Pill that had not yet entered the grades; how could it produce such a phenomenon?

At this moment, the aura radiating from Xu Chen also became increasingly intense, and Yuan Qi poured into the Pill Furnace like a tidal wave.

The roaring flames splashed inside the Pill Furnace, like thunder and lightning, releasing fluctuations that made the Soul tremble and shake.

The Pill Furnace began to vibrate incessantly, and a faint rumbling sound seemed to be emitted from within it.

Then, this vibration became more and more intense, and the two-foot-tall Pill Furnace clearly began to shake and jump.

The beads of sweat on Xu Chen's forehead rolled down like beans, and his face also began to turn pale.

At this time, the Array inside the Pill Furnace began to shake violently, and the Spirit Fire was already so restless that he could barely suppress it.

The medicinal fragrance became more and more intense, and the cyan-white mist above the Pill Furnace gathered larger and larger, slowly turning into a mass of gas about a zhang in size.

Zhao Xuan was filled with shock and doubt, but she also knew that Xu Chen was about to reach his limit, so she raised her hand and released a Sound Transmission Jade Slip, which turned into a stream of light and headed toward Zhaoyang Peak.

In the Danyuan, the Third Elder was in seclusion meditating when his heart suddenly stirred and he opened his eyes. He saw a stream of light breaking through the air and landing before him. He was astonished, raised his hand to catch it, and swept it with his Divine Sense. His face immediately turned strange as he stood up. At the same time, he released his Divine Sense to look toward the mountainside where Xu Chen lived. His expression changed drastically in an instant; he stepped out of the room, turned into an Escape Light, flew out of the Danyuan, and headed straight for the Medicine Garden.

"Xuan'er, what happened!"

Before the Third Elder had even arrived, his Divine Sense Transmission had already reached Zhao Xuan's ears.

However, before she could answer, she saw an Escape Light approaching rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it landed before her.

"Third Elder..."

Zhao Xuan spoke anxiously, but the Third Elder turned and pressed his hand onto the crazily vibrating Pill Furnace, while simultaneously inputting rolling Yuan Qi into the furnace. Under the powerful suppression of his True Essence Late Stage Yuan Qi, the Pill Furnace quickly stabilized.

At this moment, there was no need for Zhao Xuan to explain.

The Third Elder's mind, which had been as steady as an old dog for a hundred years of cultivation, was now like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting.

Because the mist gathered above the Pill Furnace had already signaled everything.

This furnace of pills is no small matter.

Yet he was filled with questions.

He had also heard that Xu Chen had been practicing refining Small Yuan Pill these past few days.

Because the Small Yuan Pill is simple to refine and requires no profound techniques, any Disciple of the Taiyuan Sect in the middle or late stages of the Kaiyuan Realm can basically refine it after a little simple learning; it is just a matter of the success rate.

Therefore, since Xu Chen did not come to ask him, he did not pay any attention to it at all.

He was even thinking that if Xu Chen could refine a Small Yuan Pill without guidance, it would indeed be worth him taking Xu Chen into the Danyuan to cultivate carefully.

But how could the refining of a Small Yuan Pill ever produce such a strange phenomenon of pill energy gathering into clouds?

Even for a Three-Grade Spirit Pill, apart from some top-tier medicinal pills, this situation would absolutely never occur.

However, no matter how surprised or doubtful he was, he would have to wait until Xu Chen finished refining this furnace of pills before he would have the chance to have his confusion resolved.

At this moment, after Xu Chen stabilized the Pill Furnace with the help of the Third Elder's thick Yuan Qi, he was finally able to heave a sigh of relief, slow down the input of Yuan Qi, and then focus all his attention on controlling the Array and the Spirit Fire.

Time passed continuously, breath by breath.

The medicinal fragrance emanating from the Pill Furnace grew increasingly rich, and the Pill Cloud churned, almost enveloping all three of them, yet no one spoke, nor did anyone make any other movements; they were almost completely still, as if they had been struck by an immobilization spell.

The Third Elder did not even dare to probe the Pill Furnace with his Divine Sense to check the situation, for fear that his Divine Sense would intrude and disrupt Xu Chen's control over the Array.

Perhaps it was the Third Elder's actions that disturbed the mountain gate; before long, two more Escape Lights came whistling over one after another. They were none other than the stubbly-bearded Eldest Senior Brother and the Second Senior Sister. However, looking at the situation before them, the two of them did not even dare to land, but instead hung in the air more than ten zhang away from the cliff edge, their faces filled with such surprise that a large duck egg could have been stuffed into them.

Not long after the two arrived, several more Escape Lights followed in succession, but they were all blocked far away by the Eldest Senior Brother using Divine Sense Transmission.

"What kind of heaven-defying medicinal pill is the Junior Brother refining?"

Jiu Shixiong was dumbfounded, standing on his Flying Sword and asking the Eldest Senior Brother via transmission.

The Eldest Senior Brother shook his head with a grave expression, but did not speak.

Soon, more and more people gathered, and in the end, even the Second Elder Xuanhe Zhenren, who had been in seclusion, could not help but rush over, equally shocked.

At this time, except for the Great Elder Danchenzi, who was out and had not yet returned, everyone in the Taiyuan Sect had arrived.

"Chen'er, the heat is just about right!"

Smelling the medicinal fragrance that made his Soul tremble, the Third Elder suppressed his emotions to offer a reminder, though his voice trembled slightly.

He had been refining pills for decades and had once luckily succeeded in refining a Three-Grade Spirit Pill a few times, but he had never encountered such a situation.

Xu Chen nodded slightly, guided with his Divine Sense inside the Pill Furnace, and the Dividing Pill Array activated. The mass of medicinal paste suspended in the Spirit Fire instantly transformed into three finger-sized mud pellets, which then rotated rapidly under the drive of the Array. The light and shadow of the Array spun at high speed within the Spirit Fire, erupting with a thunderous sound. A full stick of incense passed before the three medicinal pills finally condensed into shape.

"Do not be anxious; after Pill Dividing, you still need to warm and nourish them for a while, otherwise I fear the medicinal power will be lost!" The Third Elder's calm voice sounded again.

Xu Chen had no time to answer, so he could only nod and continue to control the Spirit Fire, carefully baking the Spirit Pill.

Everyone held their breath, waiting.

Time slowly passed for another quarter of an hour; the medicinal fragrance slowly began to converge, but the Pill Cloud condensed above the Pill Furnace became even richer.

Xu Chen's Yuan Qi was exhausted once again, and he could only raise his hand to stuff another Great Origin Pill into his mouth.

Zhao Xuan no longer had any thoughts at this moment; her mind was a complete blank.

She was certain that there was only a furnace of Small Yuan Pill in the furnace, because she had personally helped organize the medicinal materials and had watched with her own eyes as Xu Chen threw them in one by one.

The only thing she did not understand was why the medicinal pills that had clearly been burned and ruined ended up becoming like this.

But only Xu Chen himself knew the changes within.

"Everyone pay attention, the pills are about to come out!"

The Third Elder had been refining pills for decades and knew that the convergence of the pill fragrance meant that the medicinal pills were about to be fully warmed and nourished.

Sure enough, the moment his voice fell, Xu Chen slapped the Pill Furnace heavily with both hands. The instant the furnace lid popped open, a burst of pill mist rushed out of the Pill Furnace like thick smoke. Amidst the churning Spirit Fire, three cyan medicinal pills appeared.

"Third Elder, quickly collect the pills!"

Xu Chen's Yuan Qi was almost exhausted at this moment, and his Soul could no longer hold on. He had no time to collect the pills and instead had to extinguish the restless Spirit Fire as quickly as possible, otherwise the entire Pill Furnace would explode.

Upon hearing this, the Third Elder raised his hand in a beckoning motion, and a thick wave of Yuan Qi firmly wrapped around the three medicinal pills and collected them into his palm.

Everyone let out a long sigh of relief, and the Eldest Senior Brother and the others scrambled to land beside the Third Elder.

Xu Chen closed the Array and extinguished the Spirit Fire, then he too let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his face vigorously with his sleeve.

"Wow, what kind of Spirit Pill is this?"

Everyone's Divine Sense and gaze were now fixed on the Third Elder's palm, and exclamations of surprise followed one after another.

The three Spirit Pills were sky-cyan throughout, round and lustrous, with a faint trace of white cloud patterns flowing and flickering on the surface.

"Junior Brother, this looks like a Small Yuan Pill." Xuanhe Zhenren said with a face full of surprise.

The Third Elder's expression was grave as he nodded slightly and said, "It does indeed look like a Small Yuan Pill, but the aura is completely unlike one, and the color is also strange."

All the Disciples nodded in agreement.

The Small Yuan Pill is the medicinal pill everyone is most familiar with; they start eating it when they enter the Kaiyuan Realm, and they have all eaten it for at least several years.

Ordinary Small Yuan Pills are cyan-gray in color and have only a faint trace of spirit light, which can only be distinguished by using Divine Sense. But these three medicinal pills were not only cyan and translucent like green jade, they also had traces of white light cloud patterns, and the aura fluctuations they released seemed even stronger than those of a Great Origin Pill.

But that was all; everyone knew that this was definitely not a Second-Grade pill, let alone a Three-Grade pill.

Then why did a Pill Cloud appear?

Although the Pill Cloud had slowly dissipated by now, one could still see a faint cyan-white mist flowing and swirling.

Everyone looked at Xu Chen, who was standing up unsteadily, with strange expressions, each of them filled with questions and wanting an answer.

Just as Xu Chen was about to speak, Xuanhe Zhenren waved his hand and said, "Do not spread this matter outside for now; you shall accompany me and the Third Elder to the Danyuan!"

"Yes, this Disciple obeys!" Xu Chen cupped his hands.

The two Elders looked at each other, then the Third Elder flicked his sleeves, wrapped them around Xu Chen, and rose into the air; the three figures headed toward Zhaoyang Peak.

"Sigh~"

A group of Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters all instantly became like frost-bitten eggplants, sighing collectively.

Of course, they also knew that there must have been something miraculous that happened during Xu Chen's pill refining process this time, and perhaps it concerned the secrets of the mountain gate, so it really could not be let known to just anyone.

Therefore, while feeling depressed, they soon surrounded Zhao Xuan and began asking about the sequence of events in a flurry of voices.

(End of chapter)