C14 Pill Fire Burning the Heart!

Loong Jiaoyang performed a blood sacrifice to the pill furnace, merging with it temporarily. The visible cracks on the furnace's body inflicted pain on Jiaoyang as if his own heart was being ripped apart. This excruciating pain had defeated countless alchemists before, leaving the Medicine Pills within the furnace unsalvaged.

At the climax of the blood sacrifice ritual, Jiaoyang's heart felt like it was on the brink of bursting, nearly causing him to hurl the earthenware Pill Refining Furnace from his grasp.

Yet, Jiaoyang clenched his teeth and stood firm, refusing to cast aside the furnace. The pain from his meridians, though less severe due to his recent breakthroughs, was still formidable. But it wasn't enough to make him crumble under the searing discomfort.

"Pill forging is akin to refining one's heart. Without the madness of a devil, how can one craft the ultimate Medicine Pill?" This adage, a remnant of the Pill Devil's memories, encapsulated the essence of the Pill Devil's lifelong dedication to alchemy.

"I must endure, push through this agony to successfully refine the Spirit Gathering Pill. Only then can I vanquish my foes and possibly return to the Righteous Qi Sect to uncover the truth!" Jiaoyang's body was drenched in cold sweat as the pill fire, merged with the furnace, scorched his heart. The pain was a hundredfold worse than the tearing of his meridians.

Nonetheless, Jiaoyang bit down hard and persisted. Whispering to himself, he summoned his willpower to channel Spirit Power, intensifying the furnace's flames to craft the Spirit Gathering Pill.

"The earthenware furnace still hasn't cracked?" The Pill Refining Apprentices watching were astounded, murmuring among themselves as they looked on at Jiaoyang with a mix of surprise and respect.

"Loong Jiaoyang must be in excruciating pain. Look at the cold sweat drenching him, his veins bulging. He can't last much longer."

"What's the use of such stubbornness? He's delusional to challenge Senior Brother Gao Chuan. He's heading straight for a fate of crippled hands."

Guo Liangren watched as Loong Jiaoyang, his body slick with cold sweat and veins bulging, struggled to endure. In his heart, he fervently repeated, "Hang in there, Loong Jiaoyang, stay strong, Brother Long, you must persevere..."

The ordeal peaked for Loong Jiaoyang as the triple flames finished forging the Medicine Pill - the Spirit Gathering Pill was finally complete! The Pill Refining Furnace in his hands shook violently, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The devastating recoil from the Blood Offering Pill Furnace had inflicted a severe blow to his heart, causing internal injuries. Inside the earthen furnace, the green Spirit Gathering Pills lay still at the bottom, fully refined. However, the furnace required the time it takes an incense stick to burn to cool down before the pills could be retrieved.

"I can't wait, I must take the pill now!" Loong Jiaoyang's endurance had hit its breaking point. The agony in his heart was excruciating, leaving him no choice but to thrust his hand into the blistering furnace and forcefully extract the pill!

Sss!

Loong Jiaoyang's hand secured the green Medicine Pill, but his palm sizzled like water hitting a hot iron, emitting a ghastly noise. Yet, such pain was nothing to him; the searing of his flesh paled in comparison to the inferno raging in his heart.

"Is he really forcing the pill out? Does Loong Jiaoyang no longer care for his hand?" someone cried out in alarm.

"Has Loong Jiaoyang actually managed to refine the Spirit Gathering Pill?" another voiced, filled with disbelief.

"Extract the pill!" Loong Jiaoyang bellowed, as he retrieved a cyan Medicine Pill and placed it carefully into the Sandalwood Pill Box. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he then extracted two more cyan pills. As he reached for the fourth Medicine Pill, the earthenware Pill Refining Furnace could no longer hold together and burst apart with a resounding explosion. A burst of pill fire scorched numerous holes into Loong Jiaoyang's clothing. He felt as though his heart had been struck with the same force, causing him to cough up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Guo Liangren couldn't contain himself and called out, "Fellow Daoist Loong Jiaoyang, are you okay?"

Loong Jiaoyang channeled his Spirit Power to quell the sharp pain in his heart and responded, "I'm fine."

"Did you manage to refine the Spirit Gathering Pill?" Guo Liangren asked, his voice tinged with urgency.

"I did." Loong Jiaoyang's declaration sent a ripple of surprise through the crowd. All eyes were drawn to the three Sandalwood Pill Boxes on the pill refining stage. The boxes were sealed, leaving everyone in suspense about whether they contained the Spirit Gathering Pills.

"Loong Jiaoyang, you only used half the herbs. How could you possibly have refined a Spirit Gathering Pill?" Yue Bai, in a state of alarm, pressed for an answer upon witnessing Loong Jiaoyang's apparent success.

Ignoring Yue Bai, Loong Jiaoyang squatted down and began meticulously searching for the shards of the shattered Pill Refining Furnace.

"I won't go back on my word. I'll find a feng shui treasure spot for your burial," Loong Jiaoyang murmured, gently wrapping the fragments of the furnace in his outer garment.

Half an hour later, Gao Chuan completed his pill refinement. Throughout the entire process, he hadn't allowed himself a moment's distraction. At the conclusion, Gao Chuan, with a cold smirk, eyed Loong Jiaoyang's right hand, now burned and blistered with blood: "Loong Jiaoyang, it looks like there's no need for me to present my pill. You're already in a position to cripple your hands and disgracefully leave the Profound Girl Sect!"

"Gao Chuan, the decision of who will cripple their hands depends on the pill's composition. That's not for you to judge," Loong Jiaoyang retorted icily.

"Haha, with your furnace blown to bits, how do you propose to challenge me on the Medicine Pill's composition?" Gao Chuan scoffed.

"Gao Chuan, my furnace may have exploded, but I've still succeeded in refining the Spirit Gathering Pill. Stop wasting time, bring out your pills and let's compare!" Loong Jiaoyang demanded, his voice firm.

Gao Chuan's expression froze, and he turned to look at Yue Bai and the others.

Yue Bai quickly spoke up, "Senior Brother Gao Chuan, Loong Jiaoyang has indeed crafted a Medicine Pill, but he only used half the ingredients. It's anyone's guess what pill he's managed to produce."

"Heh, Loong Jiaoyang, you didn't even complete the Spirit Gathering Pill's recipe. How could you possibly have succeeded in making one?" Gao Chuan's demeanor regained its composure, his face etched with scornful pride.

"A Spirit Gathering Pill's authenticity can certainly be verified by experts. After all, there isn't just one formula for it in this world," Loong Jiaoyang stated confidently.

Gao Chuan looked at Loong Jiaoyang with a mocking smile, "Loong Jiaoyang, what does it matter if you've managed to scrape together a Spirit Gathering Pill? A year ago, I was already refining second-cycle Spirit Gathering Pills. Do you really think you can match me in terms of the pill's composition?"

Medicine Pills are not only categorized by grade but also by their medicinal properties, which are determined by the number of cycles they possess, ranging from one to nine, with one being the weakest and nine the strongest.

The difference between the first and second cycle is slight, yet it's enough to double the potency of the Medicine Pill, serving as a true measure of an alchemist's skill.

Upon seeing Loong Jiaoyang's arduous pill-making process, Guo Liangren's hopeful expression drained of color. This was Loong Jiaoyang's first attempt at a Spirit Gathering Pill, and Guo Liangren could only assume it was the most basic, lacking even a single cycle. He faced the grim prospect of being unable to escape a lifetime of servitude to Gao Chuan, burdened with a debt of millions of gold coins.

Loong Jiaoyang remained unfazed as he said, "Retrieve the pills. If your pill refining fails, there's nothing left for us to compare."

"Heh, as if I would fail," Gao Chuan boasted with unchecked arrogance, lifting the lid off the Spirit Jade Pill Refining Furnace to collect the pills.

Gao Chuan carefully extracted a single Spirit Gathering Pill, pinching it between his thumb and index finger. He presented it to Yue Bai, Guo Liangren, and the others, announcing, "Junior Brothers and Sisters, observe closely. This is a second-tier Spirit Gathering Pill!"

"Senior Brother Gao Chuan is truly a prodigy. To refine a second-tier Spirit Gathering Pill at just thirty years old, his potential is boundless!" Yue Bai didn't even glance at the pill, instead clasping his hands in admiration before turning a venomous gaze toward Loong Jiaoyang. His voice dripped with icy contempt as he demanded, "Loong Jiaoyang, what are you waiting for? Take the knife, sever your own hands, and exile yourself from the Profound Girl Sect!"