Chapter 578: Attempting to Refine

Idle and with nothing to do, Yan Buji rented a place to stay on Heart Moon Island, then began alchemy.

After he was promoted to a Fivefold Transformation Alchemist, he hadn't properly researched the Fivefold Transformation pill formula; fortunately, in Youming Jie he obtained the fusion-heart grass needed to refine the Hundred Tribulations Demon-Crossing Pill, so he began trying to refine it.

Since it is an ancient pill, Yan Buji must first analyze the formula.

Alchemists are absolutely a highly respected profession in the cultivation world, because there are too many spiritual materials and sometimes someone needs to trial and error; refining spiritual pills can thus maximize the avoidance of improper use of spiritual materials.

Furthermore, the history of pills accompanying cultivators is long, with countless formulas of all kinds of effects, so people naturally have many choices of spiritual pills, but only those suitable for the masses are the best.

The Hundred Tribulations Demon-Crossing Pill is a kind of pill very suitable for ordinary cultivators who, in their haste for quick results, accidentally suffer qi deviation and demonic invasion; although its toxicity is great, it can suppress the state of qi deviation, which for most cultivators is no less than a lifesaver.

Ancient alchemists always followed the principle of "preserve life first, then treat illness" when refining pills, far lacking the modern alchemists' drive to innovate and strive to make every aspect of a pill formula as perfect as possible.

But this is not to say that ancient pill formulas are bad; rather, the cultivators of that time simply did not have the environment that cultivators enjoy today.

Therefore Yan Buji needs to study the formula of the Hundred Tribulations Demon-Crossing Pill, considering whether he can guarantee efficacy while minimizing the toxin's presence as much as possible.

"This Hundred Tribulations Demon-Crossing Pill takes an unorthodox approach, entirely using the turbid refinement method to process spiritual materials, which results in the finished pill having extremely potent toxicity."

However, Yan Buji also understands that to maximize the preservation of the spiritual materials' efficacy without loss, turbid refinement is the fastest and best method!

Compared to ordinary alchemists who refine pills with their own spiritual fire, although they can ensure removal of useless substances from the spiritual materials, those useless substances are also part of the materials, and naturally they will carry away a portion of the medicinal potency.

Turbid refinement is like throwing everything into a pot to boil—whether useful or not, the good and the bad both end up in the mixture.

Yan Buji is also familiar with the turbid refinement method; the most common approach is to use earth fire for the refinement.

Earth fire itself carries blazing turbid qi; for pure-nature cultivators, if they do not specially need a turbid-natured spiritual pill, they generally would not deliberately choose it.

After all, pure-nature cultivators seek personal cleanliness, with their mana pure and unmingled with anything outside of cultivation.

Whereas turbid-nature cultivators do not care about these things.

Yan Buji's mana is also difficult to classify as pure or turbid; although he practices a pure-nature cultivation method, during his cultivation he often consumes pills and refines external objects, causing his mana not to be completely pure.

This is also something he worries about.

But now is not the time to talk about that; Yan Buji researched for two months, revised the formula, and then began trying to refine it.

"If we don't use the turbid refinement method, burning with heavenly fire would certainly save a lot of time, only we don't know how much of the medicinal potency would be lost."

Anyway, it's just a trial refinement, so Yan Buji doesn't demand that he meet his requirements in one go.

Alchemy is like that; once you understand it, the method can be changed, and sometimes the outcome can be predicted.

Yan Buji spent two months refining, during which he also consumed a Lightning Avoiding Pill.

When the pill took shape and coalesced completely, Yan Buji looked at the Hundred Tribulations Demon-Crossing Pill he had refined in his palm and examined it carefully.

"Hmm, the toxicity has dropped by eighty percent, but the efficacy has likewise dropped by fifty percent. Although the pill has reached fivefold transformation, in a qi deviation situation it can at most suppress the condition for half an hour." After crushing the pill and conducting careful experiments, Yan Buji drew this conclusion.

First attempt at refinement, failure!

However, for Yan Buji, failure in alchemy actually lets him accumulate a lot of experience, as past alchemy has always been like this; but the resource consumption is unavoidable.

Fortunately, the spiritual materials for the Hundred Tribulations Demon-Crossing Pill are plentiful, allowing Yan Buji to continue attempting refinement.

Until the agreed-upon half year later.

After Yan Buji refined another Hundred Tribulations Demon-Crossing Pill, this time the efficacy was guaranteed at eighty percent, the toxicity reduced by thirty percent, which could be considered a barely successful attempt.

"Ordinary spiritual pills usually have an efficacy-to-toxicity ratio of eight to two or nine to one, but the Hundred Tribulations Demon-Crossing Pill is a full ten to ten efficacy and toxicity; to refine this special pill well, it seems we still need to adjust the ratio of the spiritual materials."

Yan Buji thought it over; there will be a chance to keep trying, and in the short term he won't suffer qi deviation; selling this special pill could fetch a decent price, but it definitely won't be high, giving low cost-performance, unless he can raise the efficacy-to-toxicity ratio to eight to two, in which case it might sell for a high price.

Afterwards, Yan Buji walked out the door and found Lin Zhen.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, I have not disgracefully failed my mission."

Lin Zhen clasped his hands, smiled, and handed over a brand-new Spirit Gathering Array Disk to Yan Buji.

"Many thanks, fellow Daoist."

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Ji, you previously said you wanted some Spirit Gathering Talismans, right?"

"Oh?" Yan Buji asked curiously, "Do you have any news, Fellow Daoist Lin?"

Lin Zhen nodded: "I heard that Heavenly Pivot Island is going to hold an auction, with a few ancient talismans also among the auction items, and it's said the finale even includes a complete set of the Ancient Talisman Compendium; fellow Daoist, if you're interested you could go take a look."

"Really? There's such a thing?" Yan Buji said, somewhat curious.

"Then who discovered those ancient talismans?"

"I don't know; I heard someone accidentally entered an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling and found them."

Yan Buji nodded; if that's the case, then he could go over to check the situation.

Soon, Yan Buji set off for Heavenly Pivot Island.

Several hundred years have passed, and Heavenly Pivot Island remains as it once was.

Yan Buji entered the island and inquired about the news.

"I heard that this auction will put some treasures from the Sun and Moon Palace up for sale!"

"Really? Has the Sun and Moon Palace really declined to this extent?"

"Who knows? Should we go take a look?"

"Then of course we have to go!"

Yan Buji pondered for a moment; at present he only has a few spiritual stones left, and participating in the auction he likely couldn't buy what he wants.

"Let's see the situation; if the person who obtains those talismans and the Ancient Talisman Compendium is easy to bully, then we'll snatch a chance!"

Yan Buji gave a cold chuckle; anyway, he himself isn't exactly a good person, so as long as the other side is easy to bully he doesn't mind.

Immediately afterward, Yan Buji spent a thousand spiritual stones to enter the auction.

As the auction commenced, Yan Buji observed the guests around him, then looked at the items on the stage.

"The level isn't low at all; the attendees are Golden Core Stage cultivators, even Nascent Soul Stage ones."

"In that case, it's probably not easy to snatch anything."

"If it were just loose cultivators, that would be fine; but I'm worried about running into those with backgrounds—if we provoke them and still manage to snatch something, that's okay, but if we fail to snatch anything, then we're completely done."