191: Chapter 190 Refining the Mysterious Infant Pill

Yun Ming did not rush to start the furnace.

He put away the five sets of Materials for the Xuan Ying Pill, took the cauldron of all things mother qi out from the map of mountains and rivers, and carefully checked it once over.

The cauldron body was intact, the golden crow feather was burning quietly inside, the flames were stable, and the temperature was even.

He nodded in satisfaction, put the cauldron away, and went about his business.

Cultivating, reading the newspaper, snacking on melon seeds, waiting for the entries.

He knew his own shortcomings.

Alchemy, besides talent and the Pill Formula, also relied on fortune.

With the same Pill Formula, the same Materials, and the same techniques, a single furnace could succeed when fortune was good, but ten furnaces could fail completely when fortune was bad.

This was not metaphysics; it was the real Law of Heaven and Earth.

He had the System and could see the daily fortune entries; this was his advantage.

He could not waste it.

After waiting for three days, the entry refreshed.

Five characters—'Today is suitable for Alchemy.'

When Yun Ming saw these three characters, his heart felt mostly at ease.

He stood up, closed the courtyard gate, closed the windows, turned on the soundproof Formation in the Quiet Room, then sat cross-legged, took the cauldron of all things mother qi out from the map of mountains and rivers, and placed it in front of him.

The first set of Materials.

He took the first jade box from his Storage Pouch, opened it, and the medicinal herbs inside were well-preserved, with sufficient medicinal properties.

He laid out the herbs one by one before him, following the order of the Pill Formula, processing, grinding, and blending them.

The Golden Flames inside the cauldron of all things mother qi slowly rose in temperature under his urging.

The temperature inside the furnace climbed bit by bit, and when it reached the appropriate temperature, he stabilized the heat and began adding Materials.

The first ingredient, Xuan Ying Grass.

The second ingredient, Soul Condensing Fruit.

The third ingredient, Five Elements Liquid.

He added them one by one, controlling the heat and timing precisely for each addition.

His Divine Sense reached into the cauldron, carefully perceiving the changes in each medicinal ingredient.

The Xuan Ying Grass slowly melted in the flames, turning into a ball of cyan liquid; after the Soul Condensing Fruit was added, that ball of cyan liquid began to rotate, spinning faster and faster; as the Five Elements Liquid dripped in, the liquid suddenly contracted, then slowly expanded, its color changing from cyan to pale gold.

Everything was going smoothly.

Yun Ming steadied his mind and continued adding Materials.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth ingredients.

The herbs were added one by one, the liquid in the cauldron became more abundant, and the color grew deeper.

His Divine Sense remained fixed on the inside of the cauldron, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Reaching the nourishing stage, he lowered the heat, letting the medicinal liquid in the cauldron slowly fuse.

This step tested patience the most; too fast and the furnace would explode, too slow and the medicinal properties would be lost.

He controlled the flames precisely, not a fraction more, not a fraction less.

After one hour, the Pill Furnace trembled slightly.

Yun Ming felt a surge of joy, thinking he had succeeded.

But the moment the furnace lid popped open, a burnt smell hit his nose.

He leaned in to look, and at the bottom of the cauldron lay a black, charred lump, failing to form into a pill, with all medicinal properties gone.

The first furnace: failure.

He was not discouraged.

He cleaned the cauldron and took out the second set of Materials.

This time, he adjusted the heat, shortened the nourishing time slightly, and made minor adjustments to the order of adding Materials.

After an hour, the furnace trembled again.

He opened the furnace, and it was still burnt.

But it was better than the first furnace; at least he could see the shape of the Medicinal Pill.

Although it had split into several pieces and most of the medicinal properties had been lost, at least it was not a puddle of black sludge.

There was progress.

The third set of Materials.

He took a deep breath, went over the lessons from the previous two attempts in his mind, and then began adding Materials.

This time he was even more meticulous; the processing time for each medicinal ingredient was precise to the breath, and the control of the heat was precise to every wisp of flame.

Adding Materials, fusing, nourishing, everything was going very smoothly.

At the final moment, just as he was preparing to withdraw the fire and open the furnace, a wave of instability suddenly came from inside the cauldron.

His Divine Sense reached in, and his expression changed.

It was too late.

Boom!

The cauldron of all things mother qi shook violently, the lid was blown off, and a stream of Golden Flames shot up into the sky from the mouth of the cauldron, mixed with thick black smoke and fragments of medicinal herbs.

Yun Ming was quick-witted; with one hand he grabbed the cauldron's leg, and with the other he cast a spell, throwing the cauldron of all things mother qi along with the aftershock of the explosion into the sky.

As the cauldron flew out, he flew out with it, stabilized the cauldron body in mid-air, and used the power of the golden crow feather to gather the remaining flames.

The aftershock of the explosion burst in the sky like a golden firework, illuminating half the sky.

People from the Qingyao City Patrol Camp arrived very quickly.

Several soldiers at the Foundation Establishment Stage rushed over on a flying boat, and upon seeing Yun Ming suspended in mid-air with the still-smoking cauldron of all things mother qi in his hands, their faces did not look very good.

The leader was a Cultivator at the Early Golden Core Stage who kept a straight face and asked Yun Ming what he was doing.

Yun Ming said he was refining pills and the furnace exploded, it wasn't intentional.

The Golden Core Cultivator looked at him, then looked at the "firework" still dissipating in the sky, and said officially, "Violating the city's no-fly ordinance and disturbing public order, a fine of ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Yun Ming did not bargain and honestly paid it.

He returned to the courtyard, put the cauldron of all things mother qi down, and checked it.

The cauldron body was intact, and the golden crow feather was fine.

He breathed a sigh of relief, cast the matter of the fine to the back of his mind, and continued refining pills.

The fourth set of Materials.

Having learned from the previous three attempts, he was even more cautious this time.

The speed of adding Materials was slowed down, the control of the heat was more precise, and the nourishing time was longer.

After more than an hour, the Pill Furnace trembled slightly, and the lid popped open.

He leaned in to look, and at the bottom of the cauldron lay a Medicinal Pill.

It was the size of a dragon's eye, pale gold all over, with faint cloud patterns on the surface.

He reached out to take it, held it in his palm, and examined it carefully.

The pill patterns were somewhat blurry, the color was not uniform enough, and the medicinal properties were a bit lacking, barely qualifying as Low Grade.

But it was a pill.

It was not a waste pill, not a burnt black lump, but a real Xuan Ying Pill.

He was only one step away from success.

He did not rush to refine the fifth furnace, but instead put away the cauldron of all things mother qi and went out for a walk.

He strolled on the street for half an hour, bought Materials for several other Medicinal Pills, and sat in a teahouse for a while, listening to storytelling.

Once his mood had completely calmed down, he returned to the small courtyard, closed the courtyard gate, and entered the Quiet Room.

The fifth set of Materials.

He opened the jade box, laid out the herbs, and placed the cauldron of all things mother qi in front of him.

He did not start immediately, but closed his eyes, going over the entire Alchemy process in his mind again and again.

From adding Materials to fusing, from nourishing to opening the furnace, every step, every detail, was repeatedly simulated.

After confirming there were no errors, he opened his eyes and urged the Golden Flames.

The temperature in the cauldron slowly rose, and when it reached the appropriate temperature, he began adding Materials.

Xuan Ying Grass entered the cauldron, turning into cyan liquid.

Soul Condensing Fruit entered the cauldron, the liquid rotated.

Five Elements Liquid entered the cauldron, the color turned pale gold.

Ingredient by ingredient, methodical and orderly.

His Divine Sense remained fixed on the inside of the cauldron, and every tiny change was within his perception.

The heat was precise, the material addition was precise, the Fusion was precise.

Reaching the nourishing stage, he adjusted the flames to the weakest, letting the medicinal liquid in the cauldron slowly fuse.

This time he was not anxious, nor did he hesitate; he just guarded it steadily, one breath, two breaths, one cup of tea, two cups of tea.

The medicinal liquid in the cauldron slowly condensed during the nourishing process, turning from liquid to semi-solid, from semi-solid to solid.

The pill rotated in the cauldron, and cloud patterns slowly formed on the surface.

The cloud patterns became clearer and denser, the color changed from pale gold to crimson gold, and the luster changed from dull to bright.

The pill fragrance drifted out from the cauldron, rich and crisp; just smelling it made one feel refreshed.

The Pill Furnace trembled slightly, and the lid popped open.

Yun Ming reached into the cauldron and took out a Medicinal Pill.

It was the size of a dragon's eye, crimson gold all over, with cloud patterns densely covering the surface, rich pill fragrance, and abundant medicinal properties.

High Grade Xuan Ying Pill.

It was a success.