Chapter 294 Alchemy

Shen Wen put away the Jade Slip and rose to leave the Quiet Room.

The highest level of the Pill Tower.

Xuan Danzi's residence.

When Shen Wen knocked on the door and entered, Xuan Danzi was drinking tea by the window. Seeing him arrive, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Something up?"

Shen Wen did not beat around the bush; he took the Jade Slip from his bosom and handed it over with both hands: "This Disciple has recently deduced the specific approach for the zun ji pill and would like to ask Old Ancestor to take a look."

Xuan Danzi took the Jade Slip and unfolded it to read.

At first, he was scanning it casually, but soon, a strange look flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

He put down the teacup, sat up straight, and began to study it carefully.

One page, two pages, three pages...

The Quiet Room was so quiet that only the sound of breathing remained.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Xuan Danzi put down the Jade Slip and looked up at Shen Wen, his gaze carrying a somewhat complex meaning.

"zun ji pill?" he asked.

Shen Wen nodded.

Xuan Danzi was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

That smile carried emotion, appreciation, and a trace of something indescribable and complex.

"Using a Formation to accommodate spatial understanding, medicinal power as the Formation pattern, and the Medicinal Pill as the Formation base..." He repeated the key points of the Pill Formula in a low voice, his tone full of admiration, "Wonderful, truly wonderful."

He looked at Shen Wen, his gaze burning: "If this Pill Formula were to spread, every Alchemist in the entire Central Plains would go crazy."

Shen Wen smiled and did not respond.

Xuan Danzi looked down at the Pill Formula again and suddenly asked: "You also understand Formations?"

Shen Wen deliberated for a moment and replied: "I have some slight understanding."

Xuan Danzi gave him a deep look.

"Some slight understanding?"

He pointed to the complex Formation runes on the Jade Slip: "I may not understand the Formations on this, but I can still tell what it is.

This is not some ordinary Spirit Gathering Formation or Concealment Formation, but a spatial Formation specifically used to carry information."

"This kind of Formation, even in the ancient times, was not something just any Formation Master could master."

Shen Wen was silent for a moment.

He knew Xuan Danzi had seen through it.

Formations had long since declined in the Fighting Qi Continent. What circulates today is merely superficial.

A sophisticated Formation capable of being inscribed inside a Medicinal Pill could never be explained by "some slight understanding."

But he did not explain further, just saying: "This Disciple indeed has some Opportunity."

Xuan Danzi nodded and did not pursue the matter.

There were too many secrets about Shen Wen, so many that he couldn't be bothered to ask about them one by one.

As long as Shen Wen stood on the side of the Pill Tower, that was enough.

He returned the Jade Slip to Shen Wen, his tone carrying a bit of solemnity: "Keep this Pill Formula safe yourself. Do not let it spread."

Shen Wen took the Jade Slip and nodded in agreement.

Xuan Danzi added: "Even if ordinary Alchemists obtained this Pill Formula for the zun ji pill, they would not be able to refine it."

Shen Wen raised an eyebrow: "Old Ancestor's meaning is?"

Xuan Danzi said: "To build a Formation while refining a pill requires extremely high demands on Soul Power.

Moreover, that spatial Formation is profound and complex; those who know nothing about Formations would not even be able to get started."

He looked at Shen Wen, his tone carrying a hint of a smile: "In other words, this zun ji pill will be your exclusive Medicinal Pill from now on."

Shen Wen was slightly startled, then realized.

Indeed.

This Pill Formula was deduced based on his understanding of Formations; even if someone else obtained the Pill Formula, they would not be able to refine it.

Because they lacked that level of attainment in Formations.

This zun ji pill had indeed become his exclusive Medicinal Pill.

Xuan Danzi picked up his teacup and took a sip, then suddenly asked: "When do you plan to start refining?"

Shen Wen pondered: "Wait a bit longer. This Disciple wants to deduce it a few more times to thoroughly master some of the key points."

Xuan Danzi nodded: "It is better to be cautious. It would be a pity if such a Medicinal Pill failed."

He paused and added: "If the Materials are insufficient, come to me to get some."

Shen Wen bowed: "Many thanks, Old Ancestor."

For the next half month, Shen Wen almost never left the Quiet Room.

He repeatedly deduced the Pill Formula for the zun ji pill countless times. Every time he deduced it, he would find some subtle flaws, then modify, perfect, and deduce it again. The Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart made his deduction speed astonishingly fast, but even so, it took him a full half month to finally thoroughly master all the key points.

That day, he came out of the Quiet Room and found Cao Ying.

"I need to go out for a trip to refine a batch of pills," he said straight to the point.

Cao Ying raised an eyebrow: "What kind of pill needs you to run outside?"

"The zun ji pill," Shen Wen said. "This Medicinal Pill has never appeared before. I'm not sure what will happen after it's refined. Refining it in Pill City, if something goes wrong, it won't be easy to clean up."

Cao Ying nodded, understanding his concerns.

Pill City was crowded with eyes and ears, and it was the core area of the Pill Tower. If a big commotion really happened, it would indeed be hard to explain.

"Where are you going?"

"The Northwest," Shen Wen said. "There is a settlement of the Snake-People Clan there. The place is remote enough, so it will be easy to handle if something happens."

Cao Ying did not ask further, just saying: "Be careful."

Shen Wen grunted, then went to the backyard to see Cai Lin and Shen Yinian. After playing with the little girl for a while, he tore through space and left Pill City.

Northwest Continent, deep within the Snake-People Clan settlement.

Shen Wen landed in a secluded valley.

This place was one he had eyed before; surrounded by mountains on all four sides, the terrain was hidden, and the surroundings had been designated as a Forbidden Ground by the Snake-People Clan, where idlers were not allowed to approach.

He took the heaven burning cauldron out of his storage ring and placed it in the center of the valley.

The moment the ancient cauldron landed, it emitted a dull boom, and the runes on the cauldron faintly lit up, as if responding to his summons.

Shen Wen sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

This sitting lasted for a whole day.

It wasn't until noon the next day, with the sun hanging high, that he opened his eyes.

In his eyes, there was clarity.

Shen Wen raised his hand, and the Fallen Heart Flame surged from his palm, falling into the cauldron.

The moment the flames rose, he waved his left hand, and hundreds of medicinal herbs already prepared in his storage ring emerged like a long Dragon, hovering around the mouth of the cauldron.

The position and order of every medicinal herb were carefully arranged.

Shen Wen took a deep breath and began Alchemy.

The first medicinal herb fell into the cauldron.

Followed by the second, the third...

Hundreds of medicinal herbs flowed into the heaven burning cauldron like running water.

The timing of each medicinal herb entering the cauldron, the heat of the refining, and the degree of purification were exactly the same as recorded in the Pill Formula.

If someone were watching from the side, they would surely be shocked speechless.

Because this was not just Alchemy; it was also building an extremely complex Formation.

Those medicinal herbs melted and fused in the flames, and every change added bricks and tiles to the final Formation. With medicinal power as the pattern and the cauldron as the base, an unprecedented spatial Formation was slowly taking shape inside the Medicinal Pill.

Days passed.

Three days.

Five days.

Seven days.

In the valley, the flames burned day and night. Shen Wen's face gradually turned pale, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.