3: Chapter 3 Marrow Cleansing

After the joy of the child's birth subsided, Ning Yuan quickly calmed down.

According to the Pill Formula provided by the System, the marrow cleansing pill required thirteen types of Spirit Medicine, twelve of which could be bought at ordinary pharmacies. However, the last ingredient, the "Hundred-Year Spirit Mushroom," was a true Spirit Medicine and could not be found in any Mortal pharmacy.

However, the ten portions of marrow cleansing pill Materials rewarded by the System included ten Hundred-Year Spirit Mushrooms.

This meant he currently had enough Materials to refine ten marrow cleansing pills.

But there was a problem—he didn't have a Pill Furnace, nor did he know Alchemy.

Alchemy was not just boiling medicine; one couldn't simply throw ingredients into a pot and boil them. Real Alchemy required a specialized Pill Furnace, control over heat, and assistance from spiritual power. A mistake in any of these steps would lead to failure.

And Ning Yuan hadn't even completed the process of guiding Qi into his body; he didn't have a shred of spiritual power in his Dantian.

"It seems I must first Cultivate the Pure Yang Technique," Ning Yuan muttered to himself.

He carefully studied the Pure Yang Technique.

The Pure Yang Technique was a fire-attribute Cultivation Technique suitable for Cultivators with Fire Spiritual Roots. Although Ning Yuan's Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root was messy and inferior, it did contain a trace of a Fire Spiritual Root, so he could barely Cultivate it.

The Cultivation Technique was divided into the Qi-Guiding Chapter and the Qi-Refining Chapter. The Qi-Guiding Chapter explained how to sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and guide it into the body, completing the first step of guiding Qi into the body. The Qi-Refining Chapter was the complete method for Cultivation from the first to the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage.

"Guiding Qi into the body..."

Ning Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, following the method described in the Cultivation Technique, closed his eyes, and tried to sense the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

An hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Ning Yuan sensed nothing.

He was not discouraged. Cultivation with a Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root was inherently difficult. An ordinary Cultivator might complete the process of guiding Qi into the body in a day or two, but he would likely need a month or two, or even longer.

In the following days, Ning Yuan worked to support his family during the day, and at night, after his wife Lin and the child were asleep, he would secretly Cultivate.

One day, two days, three days...

Seven days passed, and Ning Yuan finally sensed a trace of extremely faint heat.

That was the Fire Spiritual Qi from Heaven and Earth!

Although it was so faint it was almost negligible, it definitely existed!

Ning Yuan was overjoyed. He quickly followed the guidance method in the Cultivation Technique and cautiously guided that trace of Fire Spiritual Qi into his body.

The Fire Spiritual Qi flowed slowly along his Meridians, bringing a warm sensation wherever it passed. When it completed a small circulation, Ning Yuan's Dantian felt slightly hot; the trace of Fire Spiritual Qi had settled there.

Guiding Qi into the body, success!

From this moment on, Ning Yuan had officially stepped into the Qi Refining Stage!

Although he was at the weakest level of the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage, he was a Cultivator nonetheless!

Ning Yuan opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and felt the faint, ethereal spiritual power in his body. A surge of indescribable excitement welled up in his heart.

"Next, it is time to refine the marrow cleansing pill."

The minimum requirement for refining the marrow cleansing pill was the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage, because spiritual power was needed to control the heat during the Alchemy process. Ning Yuan had barely met the requirement.

But he had no Pill Furnace.

In a small place like Pingan County, it was impossible to buy a Pill Furnace. Even in Qingzhou City, Pill Furnaces were rare items with ridiculously high prices.

After thinking it over, Ning Yuan decided to make one himself.

Following the Pill Furnace blueprint in his mind, he found a blacksmith to forge a crude iron furnace. Although it was cast from ordinary iron and the quality was far inferior to a real Pill Furnace, it was barely enough to refine low-level Medicinal Pills like the marrow cleansing pill.

Once everything was ready, Ning Yuan chose a quiet night, closed the doors and windows, and began his first attempt at Alchemy.

He placed the thirteen types of Spirit Medicine into the iron furnace according to the ratios in the Pill Formula, then circulated the meager spiritual power in his body, injecting it into the furnace to fuel the flames.

Using spiritual power to create fire was the basic technique of Alchemy.

Under the scorching heat of the spirit fire, the Spirit Medicine in the iron furnace slowly melted and blended together.

Ning Yuan stared nervously at the changes in the furnace, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. His spiritual power was too weak, and controlling the heat was extremely difficult.

Half an hour later, a burnt smell suddenly drifted from the furnace.

It failed.

Ning Yuan sighed, dumped out the waste residue in the furnace, and started again.

The second time.

The third time.

It wasn't until the fourth attempt that a faint medicinal fragrance finally wafted from the furnace. A fist-sized ball of medicinal liquid slowly rotated, wrapped in spirit fire, its color changing from pitch black to pale gold.

"Success!"

Ning Yuan was overjoyed and quickly extinguished the fire to condense the pill.

As the medicinal liquid cooled, it solidified rapidly, eventually turning into three dragon-eye-sized Medicinal Pills. They were pale gold in color and emitted a faint, refreshing medicinal fragrance.

Three marrow cleansing pills!

Ning Yuan carefully placed them into a porcelain bottle and let out a long breath.

After struggling for most of the night, failing three times, and consuming four portions of Materials, he had only managed to refine these three marrow cleansing pills. The success rate was less than half.

But Ning Yuan was already very satisfied.

After all, he was just a novice at the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage; managing to refine three was already a stroke of luck.

Ning Yuan picked up a marrow cleansing pill, hesitated for a moment, then tilted his head back and swallowed it.

As the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, a surge of heat instantly rushed through his limbs and bones.

It felt as if he had been thrown into boiling water; every inch of his skin, every muscle, and every bone in his body was in intense pain. Ning Yuan gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to scream.

The function of the marrow cleansing pill was to cleanse a Cultivator's Spiritual Root, remove Impurities, and improve Aptitude. This process was akin to being reborn, so pain was inevitable.

The pain lasted for the time it takes to burn an incense stick before slowly subsiding.

Ning Yuan was soaked in sweat, but his mind was exceptionally clear. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed his Spiritual Root.

The originally messy and inferior Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root had become much purer. Although it was still not a good Spiritual Root, it had improved from a Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root to a Medium Mixed Spirit Root.

More importantly, the Meridians in his body had been widened significantly, and the speed at which he absorbed Spiritual Qi had noticeably increased.

"It really works!"

Ning Yuan clenched his fists in excitement.

A single marrow cleansing pill could improve his Spiritual Root by a small grade; what if he took the remaining two?

However, the System had said that the effect of the marrow cleansing pill would diminish with each subsequent use, and each person could only take a maximum of three; taking more would be ineffective.

Ning Yuan did not hesitate and swallowed the remaining two.

Another round of painful cleansing followed.

When the pain subsided again, Ning Yuan felt his body had become much lighter, and he could feel the flow of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi with every breath.

He checked his Spiritual Root again—High-grade Mixed Spiritual Root!

Although it was still a Mixed Spiritual Root, it was the best of its kind, only one step away from a true Pure Spiritual Root!

"A High-grade Mixed Spiritual Root, while not as good as a true Pure Spiritual Root, is barely enough to Cultivate to the Late Stage of the Qi Refining Stage." Ning Yuan muttered to himself.

"There are still six portions of Materials left; I can refine another batch of marrow cleansing pills."

Ning Yuan looked at the remaining Materials and calculated in his heart.

He couldn't take any more himself, but these marrow cleansing pills could be used to nurture his wife and child. Although Lin did not have a Spiritual Root, taking the marrow cleansing pill could improve her Physique; perhaps she could give birth to children with better Spiritual Roots.

Moreover, the marrow cleansing pills could also be used as betrothal gifts to help him marry wives and concubines with better conditions.

After all, the System required him to have more children, and relying on Lin alone would not be enough.

"However, these things cannot be rushed; I must take it one step at a time."

Ning Yuan hid the remaining Materials properly and pushed open the door.