60: Chapter 60 Alchemy

"An absorption rate of over ninety percent for Spiritual Qi? Top Grade Medicinal Pills are just too formidable!"

"If one could consume a Top Grade Qi Gathering Pill, I fear their Cultivation Speed could double!"

"Even a Low Grade Qi Gathering Pill, which can absorb thirty percent of Spiritual Qi, is far better than mere bitter Cultivation!"

Amidst the exclamations of the Disciples, there was nothing but longing for the Medicinal Pills.

Elder Daoist Mochenzi looked at the Disciples' expressions and continued, "The Rank of a Medicinal Pill depends on the quality of the Spiritual Plants, the precision of the proportions, the control of Spiritual Qi, and the regulation of the Pill Furnace temperature; not one can be missing."

"What I am teaching today will only allow you all to reach the Entry-Level of refining Low Grade Qi Gathering Pills. As for whether you can refine Medium Grade, High Grade, or even Top Grade ones, it all depends on your own Comprehension Ability and fortune."

As his voice fell, he spoke no more. With a gentle wave of his hand, the Pill Furnace on the high platform instantly ignited with a pale blue flame, and the furnace temperature rose rapidly. Three stalks of Qi Gathering Grass, one stalk of Green-Veined Ganoderma, and one qi condensation flower were sent into the furnace simultaneously. He formed hand seals with both hands, and Spiritual Qi was continuously injected into the Pill Furnace, beginning the live demonstration of the Qi Gathering Pill refining process.

The plaza returned to dead silence once more. All the Disciples held their breath, their gazes locked tightly onto the Pill Furnace on the high platform and Elder Daoist Mochenzi's movements, fearing they might miss a single detail.

Qin Changsheng also focused on observing every gesture and every injection of Spiritual Qi by Elder Daoist Mochenzi, silently pondering the essence of refining the Qi Gathering Pill.

Time slipped away bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, a quarter of an hour had passed.

Just then, the humming sound of the Pill Furnace suddenly became louder. Beneath the furnace lid, a faint golden light vaguely shone through, accompanied by an extremely rich medicinal fragrance that instantly swept across the entire plaza, causing the Disciples to look up one after another.

"The pill is formed! The Elder has successfully refined it!"

"What a rich medicinal fragrance, it's far more mellow than any Medicinal Pill aroma I've ever seen!"

"Elder Daoist Mochenzi has successfully refined a Medicinal Pill!"

"If only I had half of Elder Daoist Mochenzi's Alchemy level!"

The many Disciples all began to discuss in low voices.

They also wanted to be like Daoist Mochenzi, able to refine Medicinal Pills so easily.

On the high platform, Daoist Mochenzi raised his hand and gave a gentle flick, and the lid of the Pill Furnace slowly lifted. An even richer medicinal fragrance rushed toward them, and two faint white lights flew out from the furnace, landing steadily in his palm.

Elder Daoist Mochenzi raised his hand, lifting the two Medicinal Pills in his palm above his head. His gaze swept over the Disciples below the plaza, and his voice was deep and clear: "The Qi Gathering Pills are complete. Everyone, please look; these are the successfully refined Qi Gathering Pills."

The Disciples all looked up, their gazes locked tightly on the two Medicinal Pills in his palm.

They saw that the two Medicinal Pills were perfectly round, pale white in color, and their surfaces shimmered with a faint luster. The medicinal fragrance emanated from the pills themselves. However, the markings on the surfaces of the two pills were slightly different—one pill had only a single faint white marking, while the other had two clear white markings.

"Elder, the markings on the two pills are different. Why is that?" a Disciple couldn't help but ask loudly, their tone full of curiosity. As the voice fell, many Disciples nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with confusion.

Elder Daoist Mochenzi looked at the Disciples' confused expressions and slowly began to explain: "You all already know that Medicinal Pills are divided into four Ranks: Low Grade, Medium Grade, High Grade, and Top Grade. These markings on the surface of the Medicinal Pill are the key identifiers for distinguishing the Rank of the Medicinal Pill."

He raised his hand, signaling the Disciples to look at the pill in his palm with only one marking: "A Medicinal Pill with one marking is a Low Grade Medicinal Pill. Such pills have scattered Spiritual Qi and many Impurities, with a Spiritual Qi absorption rate of only thirty percent. This is what I just mentioned—the most basic and common Medicinal Pill, and also the Medicinal Pill you must primarily learn to refine today."

As he spoke, he raised his hand again, signaling the Disciples to look at the other pill with two markings: "A Medicinal Pill with two markings is a Medium Grade Medicinal Pill. Such pills have condensed Spiritual Qi and fewer Impurities, with a Spiritual Qi absorption rate that can reach fifty percent. Their medicinal efficacy far exceeds that of Low Grade Medicinal Pills, and the difficulty of refining them is also much higher than that of Low Grade Medicinal Pills. It requires precise control over the rhythm of Spiritual Qi Fusion; there can be no deviation whatsoever."

"So that's it! The more markings, the higher the Rank!"

"Then, does a High Grade Medicinal Pill have three markings? And a Top Grade Medicinal Pill have four?"

Elder Daoist Mochenzi raised his hand, signaling the Disciples to be quiet, and continued: "That is correct. High Grade Medicinal Pills have three clear markings on the surface, possess pure Spiritual Qi, and have no obvious Impurities, with a Spiritual Qi absorption rate that can reach seventy percent. Top Grade Medicinal Pills have four lustrous white markings on the surface, possess peerless, pure Spiritual Qi, have all Impurities removed, and can have a Spiritual Qi absorption rate of over ninety percent. The clearer and more regular the markings, the higher the Rank of the Medicinal Pill, and the stronger its medicinal efficacy."

He paused, then added: "The two Medicinal Pills I refined today, one Low Grade and one Medium Grade, are to let you all see with your own eyes the difference between Low Grade and Medium Grade Medicinal Pills, and to firmly remember the correspondence between markings and Rank. In the future, when you refine pills yourselves, you will be able to judge the Rank of the Medicinal Pills you have refined through the markings on their surface."

The Disciples nodded one after another, their faces full of sudden realization and admiration. They firmly memorized the correspondence between markings and Rank in their hearts. Some even quietly took out wooden tablets and used Spiritual Qi to carve it down, fearing they might miss a single detail.

Elder Daoist Mochenzi put away the two Medicinal Pills, his gaze sweeping over the Disciples below the plaza, his expression remaining calm: "My demonstration for today is finished. We shall part here!"

After Daoist Mochenzi finished speaking, his figure moved and disappeared from the high platform.

The many Disciples also rose and left the place.

Qin Changsheng also followed the crowd and left the place.

...

Inside the small courtyard.

Qin Changsheng's gaze turned to the attribute panel.

He saw that a new skill had appeared in the skill column.

[Qi Gathering Pill Alchemy (Entry-Level 1/1000)]

Looking at the newly appeared skill, Qin Changsheng's heart was full of joy.

He had not expected that the attribute panel would be so powerful. As long as he listened carefully to Elder Daoist Mochenzi's lecture and firmly remembered the Qi Gathering Pill refining steps, Spiritual Plant proportions, and common knowledge about medicinal markings, the attribute panel would automatically unlock the Qi Gathering Pill Alchemy skill.

Although it was only at the Entry-Level and the proficiency was only 1 point, and there was still a long way to go before he could refine them proficiently, this was already an excellent start.

More importantly, Qin Changsheng also had the blessing of the Golden Trait, Cultivation.

With every successful refining, he could gain five points of proficiency.

Before long, Qin Changsheng would be able to Cultivate the Qi Gathering Pill to Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, or even Perfection.

Qin Changsheng waved his hand and placed a Pill Furnace not far away.

This Pill Furnace was a low-Rank Magical Artifact, which Qin Changsheng had instructed Hu Nan to purchase in the market.

Qin Changsheng took out the Qi Gathering Grass, Green-Veined Ganoderma, and qi condensation flower that he had collected in advance, arranged them neatly on the stone table, and made all the preparations for Alchemy.

These Spiritual Plants were all robbed from Lin Hao.

Qin Changsheng took a deep breath and slowly raised his hand. A pale blue flame instantly ignited beneath the Pill Furnace, and the furnace temperature began to rise slowly.

Following what he had learned, he first put the three stalks of Qi Gathering Grass into a mortar, grinding and purifying them with Spiritual Qi, striving to extract the purest Spiritual Plant essence.

For the first batch of Alchemy, Qin Changsheng was exceptionally cautious. He slowed down the rhythm of Spiritual Qi injection, constantly keeping an eye on the changes in furnace temperature, striving to keep the furnace temperature stable.

But the more cautious he was, the more mistakes he made. The Spiritual Qi injection was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, causing the furnace temperature to rise and fall sharply. Before half an incense stick of time had passed, a burnt smell came from inside the Pill Furnace, and pale black smoke emerged from the gaps in the furnace lid. Clearly, the first batch of Qi Gathering Pills had failed.

Qin Changsheng slowly extinguished the flame and opened the furnace lid. A pungent, burnt smell rushed toward him. At the bottom of the furnace, there was only a pile of black ash; there wasn't even the slightest prototype of a Medicinal Pill.

Looking at the ash, his expression did not show the slightest discouragement; he only secretly reviewed the process: "Just now, the Spiritual Qi control was unstable, and the furnace temperature was too high, causing the Qi Gathering Grass essence to burn. Next time, I need to slow down the Spiritual Qi injection and stabilize the furnace temperature in advance."

He casually cleaned out the ash from the bottom of the furnace, re-ground the Spiritual Plants, and began refining the second batch.

This time, he deliberately slowed down the Speed of Spiritual Qi injection, attempting to precisely control the furnace temperature. But even so, he still failed to succeed.

Although there was no deviation in the Spiritual Plant proportions, because the Spiritual Qi Fusion was not uniform enough, the Spiritual Plant essences repelled each other, ultimately condensing into a ball of useless dregs with no medicinal efficacy. The second batch also failed.

The third batch, the fourth batch—Qin Changsheng tried again and again, adjusting the Spiritual Qi rhythm and furnace temperature control each time. After every failure, he immediately reviewed the problems and corrected his shortcomings.

But whether it was because the Spiritual Qi control was not precise enough, or the Spiritual Plant purification was not thorough enough, he still failed to refine a qualified Qi Gathering Pill.

The burnt smell in the courtyard grew stronger and stronger. Fine beads of sweat gradually seeped out on Qin Changsheng's forehead, and he had consumed quite a bit of his own Spiritual Qi. His expression showed a bit more fatigue, but he still did not give up.

He understood that Alchemy was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Even with the attribute panel to unlock skills, and even having firmly remembered all the steps, without sufficient practice and insight, it was difficult to succeed.

Elder Daoist Mochenzi could refine a Medium Grade Qi Gathering Pill in a quarter of an hour; behind that must be countless attempts and accumulation. He had just entered the door, so a few failures were nothing but normal.

After adjusting his breathing slightly and replenishing some Spiritual Qi, Qin Changsheng picked up the remaining Spiritual Plants and began to prepare for the fifth batch of Alchemy.

This time, he was no longer deliberately restrained, but relaxed his mind, integrating all the experience from the previous four failures. The flame beneath the Pill Furnace was stable and gentle, and the furnace temperature rose steadily.

He precisely sent the ground and purified Qi Gathering Grass, Green-Veined Ganoderma, and qi condensation flower essences into the Pill Furnace one by one, then formed hand seals with both hands. Spiritual Qi, like a docile stream, was continuously injected into the furnace, with a steady rhythm and uniform strength, without the slightest deviation.

His gaze was locked tightly on the Pill Furnace, his expression focused. In his mind, there was only every detail of Alchemy. The Spiritual Qi around his body resonated with the Spirit Gathering markings of the Pill Furnace, and a faint medicinal fragrance gradually replaced the previous burnt smell.

Just at the moment when the Spiritual Plant essences were about to condense into a pill, the golden "Cultivation" trait at Qin Changsheng's Dantian suddenly flickered slightly. A faint golden light quietly merged into the Pill Furnace, following the flow of Spiritual Qi, and wrapped around the Spiritual Plant essences inside the furnace.

This golden light was faint and gentle, without causing the slightest ripple, yet Qin Changsheng clearly sensed that the Speed at which the Spiritual Plant essences inside the furnace condensed became faster, the Spiritual Qi became even more condensed, and the Impurities quietly dissipated under the nourishment of the golden light.

After another moment, the humming sound of the Pill Furnace rang out. Beneath the furnace lid, a faint golden light vaguely shone through, and a rich medicinal fragrance instantly permeated the entire small courtyard.