Chapter 10: Alchemy

The pill formula recorded in Zhao Zhengyuan’s document was for a pill called the "Chuyuan Pill," which provides a significant boost to the cultivation of Qi Refining stage cultivators.

Of course, this refers to the effects of the original formula.

Now that one of the main ingredients, the "Cloud Rising Fruit," had been replaced with the common "Ten-Fragrance Fruit," it was hard to say whether it would retain its original efficacy, even if the pill could actually be refined.

Chen Lin first processed the raw materials simply, dividing them into ten portions according to the measurements in the formula.

Then, he picked up the makeshift alchemy furnace.

Calling it an alchemy furnace was a stretch; it was actually just an iron pot with a unique shape. It wasn't a magical artifact, either, and provided no benefit to the success rate of alchemy.

Using such equipment not only limited one to refining the lowest-grade pills, but the success rate was also said to be quite dismal.

However, a true, graded alchemy furnace was a high-end item. Never mind whether he could even find one for sale; even if he could, he couldn't afford it.

These ten portions of materials alone had consumed nearly half of the spirit stones he had risked his life to obtain.

Setting the furnace on the flat ground, Chen Lin took out the fuel specifically for alchemy, placed it inside, and lit it.

Higher-grade pills required the use of an alchemist’s Samadhi True Fire, or special fire sources like Earth Fire or Spirit Fire.

If this formula hadn't been modified, the characteristics of the Cloud Rising Fruit would have made it impossible to refine with ordinary fuel. However, since it had been changed to Ten-Fragrance Fruit, that problem no longer existed.

Fanned by a hand-cranked blower, the fuel burned brighter and brighter, soon glowing red.

Chen Lin took a deep breath.

He lit the remaining half-stick of calming incense he had saved from crafting soul-binding talismans and began to toss the materials into the furnace in the required order.

Logically, a beginner like him should have refined all the materials into semi-finished products one by one before finally fusing them together.

Such crude methods were only used by veteran alchemists when refining pills they were already extremely familiar with.

But his situation was different.

All he needed was for the refining method to be reasonable.

The furnace was slowly stirred.

It rotated.

The flames flickered, growing stronger or weaker with the speed of the fan.

A full half-hour passed, and after adding fuel several times, the materials in the pot finally began to melt, slowly turning into a paste.

Chen Lin didn't know if this was correct, but it matched the description in the formula, so he proceeded to the next step: adding the main ingredient, the Ten-Fragrance Fruit.

"Bang!"

The moment the Ten-Fragrance Fruit was dropped in, it was as if an open flame had been thrown into explosives. It detonated with a bang, sending the entire iron pot flying and splattering the medicinal paste everywhere.

Chen Lin retreated far away, scrambling to wipe the medicinal residue off his face.

Ignoring the blisters forming on his skin from the heat, he quickly extinguished the fire and went to the table to check the remaining materials.

Only after seeing that none of the materials had been damaged did he heave a sigh of relief.

"I didn't expect alchemy to be this dangerous. No wonder there are so few alchemists."

He muttered to himself.

Chen Lin began to clean up the mess and then set the furnace back up.

He went outside to check each room, and seeing that no one was around, he felt relieved enough to return to his room and continue refining.

Other beginners might have spent this time studying why things went wrong, but he was only thinking about grinding his attempts.

But he had learned his lesson this time.

He put on several extra layers of clothing and wrapped his head and hands tightly to prevent further burns.

The steps remained the same.

When it came time to add the Ten-Fragrance Fruit again, it exploded with a bang once more.

Having been prepared, Chen Lin wasn't injured this time. After a simple cleanup, he began the third attempt.

Time passed bit by bit.

Finally, he reached the tenth attempt.

Because he didn't need to use much mana, Chen Lin wasn't very tired, aside from the miserable state he was in whenever an explosion occurred.

Cultivators, even the lowest-level ones, possessed physical and mental strength far beyond that of ordinary people.

Looking at the very last portion of materials on the table, Chen Lin took a deep breath and approached the iron pot.

After several attempts, he had become quite proficient.

However, alchemy was not like talisman-making; no matter how skilled one was, the heat had to be just right.

After half an hour, the auxiliary materials began to melt.

Chen Lin picked up the Ten-Fragrance Fruit and cranked the fan vigorously, raising the temperature of the flames.

He had been stuck at this stage for nine consecutive attempts; to be honest, he felt a bit nervous.

Although he had confirmed his innate ability through countless tests, this was the first time he was using it for alchemy.

After waiting a while, the medicinal liquid in the pot began to churn.

Chen Lin prepared his defenses while quickly tossing the Ten-Fragrance Fruit inside.

"Bang!"

A loud noise erupted.

The previous scene repeated itself, and the medicinal liquid in the pot exploded instantly.

Just as Chen Lin’s expression changed drastically, thinking his innate ability had failed, a familiar energy fluctuation suddenly appeared.

An invisible hand gently swept through, gathering all the splattered liquid into one spot before returning it into the iron pot.

Then, the liquid began to solidify at a visible rate, eventually forming ten milky-white pills, each the size of a quail egg.

Chen Lin was stunned for a moment, followed by immense joy.

He quickly retrieved the pills, extinguished the fire, and couldn't wait to examine them.

The ten pills each emitted a refreshing medicinal fragrance; they were round and flawless, clearly not ordinary items.

After admiring them for a while, he took out a porcelain bottle and carefully placed the pills inside.

He then stood up and went to the window, looking outside to ensure no one had returned before feeling at ease.

Returning to the iron pot, Chen Lin couldn't resist taking the pills out to look at them again, his joy growing with every glance.

In his eyes, these ten round pills were more lovable than ten stunning beauties!

His innate ability was as overbearing as ever.

Although it only worked once every ten tries, the result was perfect whenever it succeeded. Theoretically, this formula could produce a maximum of ten pills per batch, and it had produced exactly ten for him.

Even an alchemy grandmaster probably couldn't achieve this yield.

Of course, an alchemy grandmaster also wouldn't fail nine out of ten batches.

After cleaning up the mess, Chen Lin hurried out of the room.

He returned after a while, carrying a cage containing a small white rabbit.

Although the pills were refined according to Zhao Zhengyuan’s formula, he was completely ignorant of alchemy and couldn't verify if the pills were genuine or toxic, so he needed to test them.

He took out one Chuyuan Pill, shoved it into the rabbit's mouth, and began to observe quietly.

Soon.

The rabbit began to grow frantic, constantly slamming against the cage.

Its body also began to swell, like a balloon being inflated, growing larger and larger as if it might burst at any moment.

Seeing this, Chen Lin’s expression turned grim.

However, as time passed, the expected disaster did not occur. The rabbit’s body slowly returned to its original state, and it stopped being frantic, its fur even appearing much shinier than before.

Chen Lin pondered for a moment and had a realization.

The situation just now wasn't because there was anything wrong with the pill, but because the rabbit couldn't handle the concentrated energy within it—after all, this was just an ordinary rabbit, not a demonic beast.

With this thought, Chen Lin’s expression softened, and he continued to observe the rabbit.

He didn't feel at ease until the next morning, when he saw that the rabbit hadn't died but had instead become even more energetic.

Unable to wait any longer, he hung a "Closed for Cultivation, Do Not Disturb" sign outside his door, sat on a meditation cushion, assumed a cultivation posture, and began to calm his mind.

Half an hour later.

Chen Lin suddenly opened his eyes, took the small bottle containing the Chuyuan Pills from his robes, poured one out, and swallowed it in one gulp.

As soon as the pill entered his stomach, it immediately exploded into a mass of energy, which then spread throughout his limbs and bones.

It made his meridians feel a stinging pain.

Instead of being alarmed, he was delighted, as this energy could be guided by his cultivation technique, proving that the pill was genuine. Furthermore, the more potent the pill, the better the effect.

This gave him hope for a breakthrough.

The original owner’s cultivation had long been at the peak of the second level of Qi Refining, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through to the third level. He had taken cheap medicine before, but it had no effect.

This time, the opportunity had likely arrived.

After the pleasant surprise, Chen Lin immediately focused his mind and channeled the medicinal power according to his cultivation technique.