97: Mingwang Nourishing Pill

Lin Jingyu took a deep breath and stepped into the dim underground secret chamber once again.

The stone door closed silently above his head, shutting out the clamor from the surface.

He stood still against the wall, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the cold "brick" Jade Slip in his embrace.

Nervousness and anticipation scurried back and forth in his chest like two little mice.

Although he had crammed a lot of Alchemy knowledge from the "brick" Jade Slip and understood many theoretical techniques.

It was merely talk on paper, ultimately feeling superficial; practical operation was the most crucial step if he wanted to concoct Medicinal Pills.

In the end, it still depended on hands-on practice.

Whether it's a mule or a horse, you have to take it out for a walk to find out.

Whether one can become an Alchemist doesn't depend on anything else, but on whether one can successfully concoct a Medicinal Pill.

He certainly didn't want to be a second Zhao Kuo, who talked a good game on paper but crumbled the moment he hit the battlefield.

There are no shortage of Cultivators who possess empty theories and talk eloquently, but can't accomplish anything when actually asked to do it.

He steadied his mind, took out the worn-out Storage Pouch, and with a "clatter," dumped all his purchased belongings onto the floor.

There weren't many items, and the most conspicuous one was the Pill Furnace that stood over a foot tall.

It was pitch black and had a primitive, slightly tacky design.

Lin Jingyu reached out and tapped the furnace wall, producing a dull "clang clang" sound.

"Tsk, only two Spirit Power pathways? How incredibly stingy!"

After seeing clearly, he curled his lips and complained.

This broken furnace alone cost him over a dozen Spirit Stones; it really pained him!

A real Magical Artifact Pill Furnace?

It costs more than three times the price of a Magical Artifact of the same rank; he couldn't afford it with his current net worth.

He could only make do with this "semi-Magical Artifact."

Beside it was a small mountain of hard charcoal, along with a small packet of crimson powder—Red Carbon Powder.

This stuff could act as an accelerant at critical moments to increase the fire.

Finally, there were seven or eight types of processed Spiritual Plants, sorted and arranged in Jade Boxes, emitting scents that were either bitter or pungent.

Bottles and jars held the ground powders and extracted liquids.

The moment his gaze swept over the Spiritual Plants, it was as if a search engine had been activated deep within his mind.

The content of the "Basic Spiritual Plant Compendium" popped up automatically:

Two qian of ground "Wormwood Rhizome," five leaves of "Three-Leaf Green" with only the tender leaves kept, three drops of "Blue Core Grass" sap soaked in spirit spring water... the dosage, timing, and taboos were all crystal clear.

Even every step of the Alchemy process had been simulated in his mind once.

"This feeling... awesome!"

Lin Jingyu's spirits lifted; the "State of Clarity" combined with "Mind Dividing into Three Uses" allowed him to process this cumbersome information effortlessly.

Then, his gaze landed on the blood-stained rag in the corner—the torn clothing fragments of the Family Head, Lin Lingshan.

Large patches of dried, dark red bloodstains were shocking to the eye.

Lin Jingyu's brows knitted into a knot.

The animal skin scroll in the Family Head's hand recorded several types of Medicinal Pills.

The Pill Formula for the simplest one, named "wisdom king body replenishing pill," flashed through his mind.

One of the key ingredients was the Cultivator's own vital blood!

This requirement reeked of something evil, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Can't worry about that now, saving the person is the priority!" He gritted his teeth and stepped forward to carefully lift the blood-stained clothing.

He concentrated a wisp of gentle Spirit Power at his fingertips and gave it a light shake.

"Rustle, rustle..." The dark red blood scab powder fell, and he caught it precisely with a clean white jade saucer.

The smell of blood mixed with the bitterness of the Spiritual Plants permeated the secret chamber, making the atmosphere inexplicably heavy.

He bent down, placed the heavy Pill Furnace on the simple iron stand, and then... began to clumsily poke his butt out to start the fire.

"Damn it! The original owner is such a deadbeat, doesn't he even know a Fireball Spell?"

Lin Jingyu was so frustrated his Face and neck turned red; the firestone in his hand clicked and sparked, but the charcoal just wouldn't cooperate, smoking without catching fire.

After struggling until he was covered in sweat, he finally ignited a pathetic little flame.

He hurriedly puffed out his cheeks and blew hard, almost extinguishing the thing he had just lit.

"Phew..."

Watching that trembling little yellow flame finally lick the bottom of the furnace, Lin Jingyu let out a long breath, wiped his sweat, and complained wildly in his heart:

"When others perform Alchemy, it's elegant and ethereal, but for me, this is purely survival in the wilderness!"

Lin Jingyu stared at this glimmer of hope, his mind filled with thousands of thoughts.

According to a miscellaneous record in the "brick" Jade Slip, besides Cultivating various techniques and mastering the power of flames and Earth Fire for Alchemy, Cultivators can also...

Have the chance to refine Heaven and Earth Exotic Flames!

Things like Sun Essence Fire, Pure Lotus Demon Fire, Nine Nether True Fire... just hearing the names sounded incredibly cool and overpowered!

Subduing an Exotic Flame is the dream of every Alchemist.

However, the power is terrifying; one slip and the person trying to collect it would be burned to nothing but ash. It's a typical case of seeking wealth in danger, making his scalp tingle just thinking about it.

"Enough, stop dreaming, keep your feet on the ground."

He shook his head to shake off those unrealistic fantasies and focused his full attention on the furnace.

The yellow flame danced, illuminating the black bottom of the furnace, and the temperature began to rise bit by bit.

The furnace wall gradually heated up, emitting the faint metallic smell unique to it.

Lin Jingyu's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, focusing intently on the changes in the flame, his Mental Energy highly concentrated, not daring to have the slightest distraction.

"Almost there!" he silently recited in his heart.

He formed a seal with his fingertips, and a faint wisp of Spirit Power struck the seal on the furnace lid precisely.

With a soft "hum," the furnace lid popped open a crack.

A heatwave, carrying the metallic smell, rushed towards him.

Lin Jingyu's movements were swift; following the order and dosage in his mind, he added the processed Spiritual Plants one by one: "Wormwood powder... Three-Leaf Green... Blue Core sap..."

The lid "clicked" shut.

The secret chamber was soon filled with a strange mixed medicinal fragrance, carrying a faint bitterness.

A faint "gurgling" boiling sound could be heard from inside the furnace.

He executed "Mind Dividing into Three Uses" without any awkwardness.

One part of his mind locked onto the changes in furnace temperature, one part perceived the Fusion state of the medicinal liquid through the weak Spirit Power feedback from the Pill Furnace, and the last part was ready to deal with any emergencies at any time.

"This broken furnace..." Fine sweat seeped from Lin Jingyu's forehead.

The exquisite operations in theory were everywhere constrained in front of this "low-spec" Pill Furnace with only two Spirit Power pathways.

A real Pill Furnace should have dozens of pathways, built-in separate spaces, micro-Formations for suspending Spiritual Plants and controlling temperature and humidity, as well as different ports for adding ingredients and retrieving pills... it could even assist in guiding Spirit Power.

More Advanced Pill Furnaces also have temperature control, humidity control, and can control Five Elements Qi, etc. They are also engraved with many small rune phased arrays that can greatly save the Alchemist's operational steps.

In the future, if he wants a suitable Pill Furnace, he will need to have one specially crafted according to his own habits.

According to the "Taihao Elixir Canon," an Alchemist's Lifebound Treasure must be a Pill Furnace, not other defensive or offensive Magic Treasures.

Having a Lifebound Treasure Pill Furnace and then subduing an Exotic Flame is the standard equipment for a successful Alchemist.

Unlike now, everything depends on his manual micro-management, consuming a huge amount of Mental Energy.

"Damn, this is like making a seven-foot man walk in embroidered shoes; it's agonizingly uncomfortable."

While complaining to himself, his hand seals flew, striving to guide the complex energy flow inside the furnace.

When the medicinal fragrance turned into a peculiar burnt-sweet smell, Lin Jingyu knew the critical step had arrived.