25: The art of frying furnace, profound fire control

The morning sunlight streamed through the window lattice of the Alchemy Room, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Lin Gou sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, a neat row of Medicinal Pills laid out before him.

These were the fruits of his Alchemy efforts over the past month.

From the initial Qi Nourishing Pills to the current Foundation Establishment Pills, their quality was all top-notch.

But Lin Gou's brows were tightly furrowed.

【The explosive power of these Elementary Medicinal Pills is too small.】

【Each time, at most, it's a minor burn, and the rewards are just some Cultivation growth and skill proficiency.】

【To get better rewards, I must challenge higher difficulty explosions!】

He stood up and walked to the storage shelf in the corner of the Alchemy Room.

Several Pill Furnaces of different Ranks were displayed there.

The most eye-catching was a Medium Grade Pill Furnace, dark red all over.

Elder Sun had specially prepared this for him last month, to refine more Advanced Medicinal Pills.

Lin Gou circled the Pill Furnace a few times, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“You’re the one.”

He reached out and stroked the delicate patterns on the surface of the Pill Furnace.

The fire-elemental Spiritual Energy contained within a Medium Grade Pill Furnace far surpassed that of an ordinary Pill Furnace.

Once it exploded, the power would be at least ten times greater than before.

【This level of explosion, the reward must be at least B-Rank, right?】

【Maybe I can even aim for A-Rank!】

Lin Gou took out the prepared medicinal ingredients.

Today, he was going to refine the Spirit Condensing Pill, an Intermediate Medicinal Pill that could help Cultivators condense their Divine Sense.

The difficulty of refining this Medicinal Pill was extremely high; a slight mistake would cause an explosion.

It was a nightmare for ordinary alchemists, but for Lin Gou, it was good news.

He started a fire, slowly increasing the heat under control.

With his proficiency in fire control, the entire process was unusually smooth.

The medicinal ingredients slowly melted within the Pill Furnace, emitting wafts of medicinal fragrance.

But Lin Gou’s attention was not on Alchemy.

He was precisely calculating the Pill Furnace’s endurance limit.

【According to the records in “Primer of the Dao of Pills,” the critical point of a Medium Grade Pill Furnace is…】

【If I deliberately increase the firepower output during the third stage…】

【And combine it with the conflicting reactions between the medicinal ingredients…】

Lin Gou's lips curved slightly, and a perfect explosion plan formed in his mind.

Just then, the door of the Alchemy Room was gently pushed open.

A young Disciple in a green Daoist robe walked in.

“Senior Brother Lin, Elder Sun asked me to check on your Alchemy progress.”

The newcomer was Wang Ming, Elder Sun’s Personal Disciple, a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Lin Gou quickly composed himself, putting on an expression of focused Alchemy.

“So it’s Junior Brother Wang, please come in and sit.”

“I am currently refining Spirit Condensing Pills, please give me some pointers, Junior Brother.”

Wang Ming walked to the side of the Pill Furnace and carefully observed the situation inside.

“The heat control is good, and the medicinal ingredients are blending very evenly.”

“It seems Senior Brother Lin’s Alchemy skills have improved again.”

Lin Gou smiled humbly.

“It’s all thanks to Master’s excellent guidance.”

“By the way, Junior Brother, is there something you came for this time?”

Wang Ming nodded.

“Master said you’ve been very diligent in Alchemy recently and was worried you might be overworking yourself.”

“He specifically asked me to bring some Qi Supplementing Pills.”

Saying this, he took out a small bottle from his Storage Pouch.

Lin Gou took the pill bottle, secretly chuckling to himself.

Elder Sun was indeed concerned about him, but more so, he wanted to monitor his progress.

After all, a Disciple at the Qi Refinement Stage making such rapid progress in Alchemy would indeed easily arouse suspicion.

“Thank you for Master’s concern, and thank you, Junior Brother, for making this trip.”

Wang Ming waved his hand.

“It’s nothing.”

“I won’t disturb Senior Brother Lin’s Alchemy any further.”

After speaking, he turned and left the Alchemy Room.

Lin Gou waited for him to leave before refocusing his attention on Alchemy.

At this point, the medicinal ingredients in the Pill Furnace had entered a critical stage.

According to the normal process, he should now reduce the heat, allowing the medicinal ingredients to slowly condense into a pill.

But Lin Gou deliberately increased the firepower output.

Scorching flames churned within the Pill Furnace, and the medicinal ingredients began to boil violently.

【Now’s the time!】

He suddenly injected all his Spiritual Energy into the Pill Furnace.

Instantly, the temperature inside the Pill Furnace soared to its limit.

Violent conflicting reactions occurred between the medicinal ingredients.

The Pill Furnace began to vibrate intensely, and the patterns on its surface flickered with dazzling red light.

Lin Gou’s face showed an expectant smile.

“Come on, let me witness the power of a Medium Grade Pill Furnace!”

Boom!

A deafening explosion instantly resounded throughout the entire Alchemy Room!

The Medium Grade Pill Furnace completely burst under the terrifying pressure!

Scorching flames and Spiritual Energy shockwaves furiously spread in all directions!

Lin Gou was directly sent flying by the enormous shockwave, his body engulfed by flames while still in mid-air.

The intense high temperature instantly incinerated him into charcoal.

But in the last moments of his life, a satisfied smile still hung on his face.

【This power, it’s definitely enough!】

The shockwave of the explosion broke through the walls of the Alchemy Room and shattered the windows of surrounding buildings.

The entire Inner Sect was alarmed by this terrifying explosion.

Countless Disciples rushed out from their respective residences, looking towards the direction of the explosion.

“That’s… Senior Brother Lin Gou’s Alchemy Room?”

“How could there be such a big explosion?”

“Go quickly and see!”

Soon, Elder Sun arrived at the scene with a group of Disciples.

Looking at the ruins before him, his face instantly turned ashen.

One wall of the Alchemy Room was completely blown down, and fragments of the Pill Furnace were scattered everywhere on the ground.

A strong smell of charring and the lingering scent of medicinal ingredients permeated the air.

“Where is Lin Gou?”

Elder Sun asked anxiously.

Wang Ming shook his head, his face pale.

“Master, I just saw Senior Brother Lin here.”

“He was refining Spirit Condensing Pills…”

Elder Sun released his Divine Sense to search carefully but found no signs of life.

At the center of the explosion, only some scorched marks remained.

“This idiot!”

Elder Sun was so angry that his beard bristled and his eyes widened.

“I told him long ago to be careful when refining Intermediate Medicinal Pills!”

“He insisted on showing off, and now look, he’s even lost his life!”

The surrounding Disciples also shook their heads and sighed.

“Although Senior Brother Lin has high talent, he was indeed too reckless.”

“Spirit Condensing Pills are inherently difficult to refine, and he’s a Cultivator at the Qi Refinement Stage…”

“Alas, what a pity for such a promising talent.”

Elder Sun sighed deeply.

“Clean up the scene.”

“Report this matter to the Sect Head, saying it was an accident caused by an Alchemy error.”

Everyone began to clear the ruins, and no one noticed that in an abandoned well a hundred meters away from the scene.

A figure was slowly materializing.

Lin Gou opened his eyes, without a single scratch on his entire body.

The moment he was resurrected, the System’s notification sounded in his mind.

【Ding! Host has died!】

【Method of death: Operational error during the refinement of a Medium Grade Medicinal Pill, detonating a Medium Grade Pill Furnace, obtaining the tempering of fire-elemental Origin!】

【Overall evaluation: B+ Rank!】

【Congratulations to the Host for a significant increase in Fire Spiritual Root affinity!】

【Congratulations to the Host for obtaining Alchemy Insight (Intermediate)!】

【Congratulations to the Host for Cultivation advancing to Qi Refining Stage 7 Middle Stage!】

【Congratulations to the Host for a significant increase in fire resistance!】

Lin Gou almost couldn’t help but jump up.

B+ Rank reward!

This was the highest Rank reward he had received so far!

And the content of the rewards was extremely practical.

The increase in Fire Spiritual Root affinity meant that his future Cultivation of fire-elemental Cultivation Techniques would be twice the result with half the effort.

Alchemy Insight, moreover, raised his understanding of Alchemy to a new level.

Most importantly, the Breakthrough in Cultivation.

Qi Refining Stage 7 Middle Stage was already considered an outstanding individual among Inner Sect Disciples.

Lin Gou looked within himself, feeling the abundant Spiritual Energy in his body.

The increase in fire resistance made his perception of flames even more acute.

It was as if his entire being had developed some mysterious resonance with the fire element.

“This wave was a huge profit!”

He clenched his fist excitedly at the bottom of the well.

“It seems my theory is correct.”

“The more dangerous the explosion, the richer the rewards!”

Lin Gou quietly climbed out of the abandoned well, observing the situation at the scene from a distance.

Elder Sun was directing the Disciples to clear the ruins, his face terribly grim.

It seemed the losses this time were not small.

A Medium Grade Pill Furnace was quite valuable, and he had blown it up just like that.

However, it was all worth it.

Lin Gou felt no guilt in his heart.

The Sect was a large enterprise anyway, they wouldn’t miss this little bit.

And the improvements he gained far exceeded the value of a Pill Furnace.

Only when the scene was mostly cleared did Lin Gou slowly emerge.

He deliberately made himself look dusty and disheveled, with several tears in his clothes.

He looked like an unlucky fellow caught in the explosion.

“Elder Sun!”

Lin Gou ran towards the crowd, panting.

“What happened just now? I heard a huge explosion!”

Elder Sun saw him, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

“Lin Gou, it’s good that you’re alright.”

“Your Alchemy Room…”

Lin Gou followed his gaze towards the ruins, a shocked expression on his face.

“My Alchemy Room? How could this happen?”

“I just went out for some fresh air…”

Elder Sun waved his hand.

“An Alchemy error caused an explosion.”

“Fortunately, you weren’t inside, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

Lin Gou feigned a look of lingering fear.

“That’s terrifying, if I had left one step later…”

“Master, can I still do Alchemy in the future?”

Elder Sun looked at his innocent expression, and the anger in his heart dissipated considerably.

This was indeed an accident; Lin Gou couldn’t be blamed.

Moreover, to some extent, this also demonstrated Lin Gou’s Alchemy talent.

Being able to cause an explosion of such a scale indicated that his control over heat had reached a considerably high level.

It was only due to lack of experience that he made a mistake.

“Of course you can.”

Elder Sun sighed.

“But you must remember this lesson.”

“When refining Intermediate Medicinal Pills, you must not be impetuous; you must proceed gradually.”

Lin Gou nodded repeatedly.

“This Disciple understands!”

“I will definitely be more careful in the future!”

Elder Sun looked at his sincere expression and secretly nodded in his heart.

Although this Disciple was a bit reckless, his attitude was proper, and his talent was indeed good.

He was worth continued Cultivation.

“How about this, I’ll arrange another Alchemy Room for you.”

“However, this time I can only give you an Elementary Pill Furnace; once your skills are more refined, we can consider upgrading.”

Lin Gou was overjoyed.

“Thank you, Master!”

“This Disciple will definitely not disappoint you!”

Three days later, in the new Alchemy Room.

Lin Gou sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, a brand new Elementary Pill Furnace placed before him.

Although its Rank wasn’t high, it was already sufficient for him now.

With the enhancement of Alchemy Insight (Intermediate), his understanding of Alchemy had ascended another level.

Many things that he didn’t understand before now became clear.

Lin Gou took out the medicinal ingredients and began to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

This time, he did not deliberately create an explosion but refined them seriously.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, without any superfluous movements.

In less than half an hour, a batch of top-quality Foundation Establishment Pills was successfully refined.

The Medicinal Pills were lustrous and round on the surface, with a rich medicinal fragrance, clearly much better than his previous products.

Lin Gou nodded with satisfaction.

“It seems this time’s harvest is even greater than I imagined.”

He put away the Medicinal Pills and began to ponder his next plan.

Now, his Alchemy skills were already quite good, considered outstanding among Inner Sect Disciples.

But this was not enough.

He needed stronger power and more Advanced rewards.