237: Chapter 245 Refining the Foundation Tempering Pill

Inside the cauldron, that lihuo quenching foundation elixir had already begun to take shape. A golden-red intertwined brilliance slowly flowed within the furnace fire, emitting a domineering yet mellow medicinal fragrance. Lu Yang’s fingertips hovered above the cauldron's edge, but his expression was momentarily dazed.

The girl's intermittent sobbing was like a fine needle, precisely piercing the long-sealed hard shell deep within his memory.

He too had once been a member of that endless darkness. For over twenty years, he was trapped at the Qi Refining Third Layer, like a frog looking up at the sky from the bottom of a well. With every breath, the Spiritual Qi felt as if it were separated by a layer of thick frosted glass; no matter how hard he tried, it could never truly seep into his Dantian. His fellow disciples around him had one by one undergone Ascension with their swords, or become deacons, or started families. Only he remained, like a redundant old object in the Sect, covered in dust, waiting to rot.

That kind of despair was worse than death. It was the fear of helplessly watching the end approaching as his Lifespan slipped away like sand in an hourglass. He had once knelt in a corner of the Scripture Pavilion, scouring every legend about "changing one's fate against the heavens" until his fingernails were filled with dust and his eyes were bloodshot. At that time, he was just like Liu Yiyi in the corner now, placing his last shred of hope on an illusory Opportunity.

If it hadn't been for that accidental twist of fate that day, if he hadn't bitten the tip of his tongue in a fit of desperate madness and used his heart's blood to awaken that sleeping System, he would likely have long since turned into a handful of yellow soil, without even incense offered in sacrifice.

“Heh...” Lu Yang sighed softly in his heart, his lips curling into a self-deprecating yet relieved arc.

Thinking back now, the turning point of fate often lies in a single thought. Since unlocking the System, his life had been pushed into another rushing river. The Inner Sect Prodigies, who were once out of reach and could only be looked up to from afar, were now not only his Dao Companions but were even willing to expend their cultivation to set up Formations and act as Protectors for him outside his Immortal Cave. The arrogant head of the Formation Hall, that once-insufferable favorite of heaven, had also lowered his noble head before him and sought his favor.

This was not just a Heaven-Defying change of fate in terms of cultivation, but a complete reversal of status and dignity.

Listening to the girl's tearful accusations—about the lack of resources, the cold stares of fellow disciples, and the feeling of powerlessness while struggling to survive in the mire—Lu Yang's heart suddenly tightened. He understood that feeling all too well. It was a kind of lonely courage, of being abandoned by the whole world and having only oneself as an enemy.

He looked at Liu Yiyi's left hand, wrapped in old cloth strips—it was a medal left behind from her life-and-death struggle with an Iron-wire Snake Demon in the swamp of despair. Those hands were trembling now, yet they were clenched tightly, as if trying to grasp this last sliver of life.

“So similar... too similar,” Lu Yang murmured to himself.

This stubbornness, this ruthlessness, this paranoia of not turning back until hitting a wall—wasn't that exactly how he was back then?

If it were anyone else, Lu Yang might have just watched coldly from the sidelines. Cultivation was inherently an act against heaven; let the Fellow Daoist die so long as I do not. But looking at this girl gazing at the stars from the mud, he actually felt an unprecedented sense of pity and... admiration.

“Since you and I are both people who have suffered similar fates, and since you have this kind of courage to seek life in death, then I shall lend you a hand.”

A sharp light flashed in Lu Yang's eyes, and he no longer hesitated.

With a thought, a small Jade Bottle appeared out of thin air in his palm. The moment the stopper was opened, an indescribable aura of pure spirit instantly filled the air, even faintly suppressing the domineering aura of the lihuo within the cauldron.

That was the [ten thousand year bell spirit milk].

This item was a rare treasure of heaven and earth, born at the intersection of ten-thousand-year Spiritual Veins, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. It was colorless and odorless, yet it could Fusion and coexist with any attribute. It wasn't as violent as a raging fire, but it excelled in being gentle yet vast, capable of directly replenishing a Cultivator's Origin, cleansing the marrow and tempering the bones, and even repairing minute flaws in the dao foundation.

This thing was so precious that even he was reluctant to use much of it; every drop was incredibly valuable.

But at this moment, Lu Yang didn't feel the slightest bit of stinginess.

He flicked his finger, and three drops of crystal-clear, milky-white liquid that seemed to contain the flow of a galaxy slid from the bottle's mouth. They traced elegant arcs in the air, passing through the scorching furnace fire without any hesitation, and lightly merged into the golden-red medicinal liquid inside the cauldron.

“Chi—!”

There was no violent explosion, but rather a soft sound like spring snow melting.

After the three drops of ten thousand year bell spirit milk entered the cauldron, they instantly transformed into countless tiny points of light, penetrating every inch of the Medicinal Pill's texture like fish entering the sea. The originally golden-red surface of the pill actually took on a faint jade-colored halo. Under the nourishment of the spirit nectar, the originally violent lihuo Qi became restrained and profound. The medicinal effect was not only undiluted but seemed to have been given "life," as both its quality and medicinal power soared wildly!

What was originally just a High Grade foundation establishment pill actually showed a faint trend of transforming into a "Spirit Pill" at this moment!

“For this Medicinal Pill, I have done my best.” Lu Yang looked at the pill circulating with a jade halo inside the cauldron, a gratified smile appearing on his pale face.

He was not just helping her refine the pill; he was also helping his past self fulfill a dream.

Lu Yang guided with his right hand again! A [Golden Bell Fruit] flew through the air! With a light tap of his finger, the hard shell cracked open, and a seed like concentrated liquid gold turned into a golden stream of light, plunging into the merging core! “Buzz—!” As the seed entered the cauldron, the golden light surged! It dyed the originally merging essence with a domineering and brilliant golden glow! The sharp aura suddenly skyrocketed!

Almost at the same instant, that piece of dark red, warm [Earth Fire Marrow Crystal], which looked like solidified magma, flew into the center of the furnace fire! It did not melt upon meeting the fire; instead, it emitted a gentle and heavy crimson halo, stabilizing the violent and restless balance within the cauldron! Mellow like the earth, tough like gold and stone, and tempered like a forging hammer—the triple auras wildly merged, rotated, and sublimated within the furnace fire! An unprecedentedly strange medicinal fragrance filled the entire Immortal Cave like a volcanic eruption! It was as mellow as ripe fruits and richly fragrant; within it was the tough will of refined gold, sharp and unyielding; and deeper still was the heavy pressure of tempering that had been forged a thousand times to wash away Impurities!

This strange aura brushed over Liu Yiyi's curled body! Inside her body! That water-attribute Spiritual Qi, which had been stagnant for five years and was as thick and superficial as clogged mud, actually accelerated its circulation by a tiny bit on its own! It was just an extremely weak, fleeting bit! Yet it was like a clear electric current, instantly piercing through her entire body! A long-lost sense of "smoothness," like a stream thawing in early spring, pushed aside the mud and flowed gently along her dried Meridians! Though weak, it was as clear as a thunderclap! Five years! For five whole years! Her Spiritual Qi circulation had never felt so "smooth" and "light"! Even if only for an instant!

The massive impact was like the Nine Heavens galaxy pouring down! Five years of struggling, the mud-like humiliation, the fear of falling into the abyss, the despair like maggots on a bone... all the suppressed torrents of emotion, in the face of this sliver of real "smoothness," were like a bursting dam, crushing her last mental defenses! It wasn't ecstasy; it was the overwhelming grievance and bitterness that had been built up for too long! Intense emotions rushed to her nose and hit her tightly closed eyes! “Ugh...”

She suddenly buried her burning cheeks into her cold, hard arms! Her teeth desperately bit her already broken lower lip, the strong smell of blood spreading in her mouth, using the pain to block the crumbling sobs deep in her throat! Her body curled tighter, like a dying fish, trembling violently! Scalding tears surged out of her eyelids, soaking her coarse sleeves and crashing onto the cold ground in large drops, creating patches of wet marks filled with blood and tears.

Beside the cauldron, Lu Yang's face grew even paler, as if he had lost too much blood. Beads of sweat on his forehead gathered into streams, sliding silently down his temples. He had no time for anything else, and was even unable to spare a shred of energy to glance at the girl in the corner. All his focus was concentrated on the churning cauldron.

His fingertips flew like lightning, transforming into afterimages as one Spirit Incantation after another was precisely struck into the cauldron! With every strike, the golden-red intertwined brilliance inside the cauldron shrank inward, becoming one bit more solid! That strange medicinal fragrance, a Fusion of mellowness, toughness, and tempering, became one bit richer and more domineering!

The raging furnace fire burned within the Immortal Cave. The dancing light reflected the girl curled up in the corner, trembling and weeping silently, and also reflected the profile of the alchemist before the Pill Furnace, his face pale and his eyes focused. Five years of humiliating struggle, five years of desperate gambling, along with all the girl's blood, tears, and expectations, were all at this moment entrusted to this heart-burning and soul-melting furnace fire.

“Senior Brother Lu...” Liu Yiyi buried her head in her arms, her voice sobbing and broken, yet carrying a hint of unprecedented lightness, “I seem to... feel my Meridians opening... even if it's just a sliver...”

Lu Yang did not look back. The sweat from his forehead dripped onto the edge of the cauldron, making a slight “sizzling” sound. His hands changed Spirit Incantations, his speech rapid yet steady: “Concentrate! Guard your mind! The medicinal power is just beginning to penetrate; the real tempering is yet to come. If you lose control of your mind at this moment, all the previous suffering will have been in vain.”

Liu Yiyi trembled all over and suddenly closed her eyes tightly, tears seeping through her fingers. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging emotions, and sank all her mind into that weak but real sense of smoothness.

Inside the cauldron, the golden-red intertwined essence had completely merged into one, turning into an elixir prototype the size of a longan, with golden-red patterns flowing on its surface. Lu Yang suddenly pointed his fingers like a sword, and a line of blood shot out from his fingertip, merging into the furnace fire!

“Feeding the fire with blood, risking life for life...” Through the gaps in her fingers, Liu Yiyi watched Lu Yang's face turn even paler in an instant, her heart a mix of sharp pain and gratitude. She knew that this was the most critical step in forming the pill, and it was also a risk Lu Yang was taking for her.

“Boom—!”

A low roar came from within the cauldron, followed by a domineering heatwave that shot into the sky, only to be firmly locked within the Immortal Cave by the Restrictions Lu Yang had prepared in advance. The elixir rotated slowly in the blazing white flames, and with every rotation, it emitted a heart-palpitating pressure.

“It's done!”

Lu Yang shouted in a low voice. Although his face was as pale as paper, his eyes burst with sharp light. He suddenly pressed his hands down, and the furnace fire instantly retracted. That golden-red elixir, carrying the last sliver of firelight, landed steadily into the Jade Bottle in his palm.

Within the Immortal Cave, the heatwave gradually dissipated. Only Liu Yiyi's suppressed sobbing remained, along with the mellow and domineering strange medicinal fragrance emanating from the pill in the bottle.

“Liu Yiyi,” Lu Yang suddenly spoke, his voice gentle but carrying an unquestionable power, “I added some private stock to this Medicinal Pill. Later, the medicinal power might be more violent than you expect, and there might even be a tearing pain. But remember, that is you reshaping your dao foundation.”

Liu Yiyi in the corner suddenly raised her head, her face still wet with tears, but her eyes full of shock and disbelief. She looked at Lu Yang's slightly tired but firm back, her lips moving, but she couldn't make a sound.

“Don't look at me like that.” Lu Yang didn't look back, his fingertips changing Spirit Incantations to Seal the last bit of heat into the pill, “I just saw my former self. Since heaven let me meet you, I cannot watch you follow in my footsteps.”

“If you can't hold on, think about that moment when you were fighting for your life in the swamp. Think about why you've come this far.”

Inside the cauldron, the pill was formed.

A clear Dragon's cry came from within the cauldron, followed by a jade-colored golden-patterned stream of light that shot into the sky, only to be caught in Lu Yang's palm.

It was a longan-sized Medicinal Pill, its surface flowing with a jade-like warm luster, but inside, there were faint golden-red flames jumping, as if a volcano about to erupt was Sealed within.

“lihuo quenching foundation elixir, complete!”

Lu Yang spread his palm, and the Medicinal Pill lay quietly in his hand, emitting a heart-palpitating and vast medicinal power.

“Take it.” He turned and handed the pill to Liu Yiyi, his gaze deep, “In this Medicinal Pill, there is your blood and also my sentiment. Swallow it. If you can endure that body-burning pain, then the humiliations of the past will all turn to dust.”

Liu Yiyi took the pill with trembling hands, the warm touch rushing straight to her heart through her palm. She looked into Lu Yang's eyes, which seemed able to see through people's hearts, and finally couldn't help but kowtow heavily.

“Thank you... thank you, Senior Brother Lu! I will never forget your great kindness and virtue as long as I live!”

Lu Yang waved his hand, his body swaying slightly; clearly, the depletion was not small. He leaned against the cauldron, looking at the girl's expression of being prepared to die, and thought to himself:

“Go, go break this damn fate. Let all those who once looked down on you see that even ants can shake a tree, and even ordinary birds can turn into Dragons!”

Outside the Immortal Cave, the wind whistled. Lu Yang knew that today's batch of pills would perhaps change not only Liu Yiyi's fate but also certain inherent rules within this Hehuan Sect, and even this world.