C12 Spirit Extraction Hand
Today, Breeze Town buzzed with even more activity than the day before. The once-quiet northern district was now a hive of activity, with thousands of people jostling in front of the Wondrous Hand Medical Hall, clamoring to purchase their pills.
In a mere day, the Wondrous Hand Medical Hall raked in a staggering 400,000 copper coins, with that sum coming solely from sales of the Fighting Spirit Pill. Over the past three years, the hall hadn't seen profits anywhere close to this, all thanks to Jiang Xiaofan, the once-derided nobody from the Jiang family. His influence now reached tens of thousands in Breeze Town, and both the Fighting Spirit Pill and the Life Return Pill had even caused a stir in the Royal Capital's Medicine Controlling Sect.
Fourteen Life Return Pills were auctioned off at 30,000 copper coins each, selling out instantly. The frenzy was so intense that near-brawls broke out in the Wondrous Hand Medical Hall.
Even the pills that had languished unsold were now snapped up in the frenzy. By afternoon, Ann Yunshan had to shutter the doors; the hall's entire stock of pills had been cleared out, fetching twice their normal price.
This turn of events left the Hanging Pot Pharmacy restless. They wasted no time in sending for reinforcements from the Ocean Pavilion!
"System Prompt: Iron Stone Herb peeling failed. Alchemy Proficiency +1."
"System Prompt: Congratulations, player's Pharmacist level has increased. Current level: Eighth Grade of the Yellow Level, Proficiency (0/15000)."
"Damn it! A failed extraction leads to a level up?"
Jiang Xiaofan scrutinized a stalk of Iron Stone Herb, swearing under his breath, "What on earth are you, making you so tough to peel?"
Jiang Xiaofan hadn't accomplished anything else all day. From dawn till dusk, he attempted to peel nearly ten thousand Iron Stone Herbs without a single success. Ann Yunshan, waiting anxiously outside the cellar, was on the verge of giving up, fretting over what he'd sell the next day.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xiaofan was even more frantic. If things kept up like this, how could he compete in the Pharmacy Conference? Failing to clinch the championship would render his S-class mission fruitless and delay his mission to save Jiang Nianrui.
Nearly ten thousand stalks of Iron Stone Herb were meticulously extracted. Jiang Xiaofan's mastery over Martial Qi had become even more precise than before, and combined with his family's ancestral Pill Refining Furnace, he was now able to consistently produce pills of the highest caliber.
After a long period of reflection, summarizing his newfound insights and techniques, Jiang Xiaofan picked up another stalk of Iron Stone Herb and set to work. The herb's surface rustled as it was reduced to powder under the careful application of Martial Qi. Jiang Xiaofan watched intently, allowing no distractions, knowing that a single stray thought could spell failure.
To his surprise, the process went exceptionally smoothly this time. With meticulous care, he peeled away the herb's outer layer to reveal the veins and flesh of the leaves. A surge of joy filled him, and he once again channeled Martial Qi to gently strip away the remaining parts of the herb.
Sweat streamed down his forehead, his clothes soaked through. Then, with a faint click in his mind, a pale yellow Medicine Vital appeared in the palm of his hand.
"Ding!"
"System Prompt: Congratulations, player, for successfully extracting the Iron Stone Herb. Pill Refining Proficiency increased by 30. Iron Stone Herb's Medicine Vital obtained."
"System Prompt: Jiang Xiaofan has successfully extracted the Medicine Vital and acquired the Spirit Extraction Hand skill."
[Spirit Extraction Hand: An essential skill for extracting the Medicine Vital from Spirit Herbs. Once learned, proficiency increases automatically with each extraction. The greater the proficiency, the higher the success rate and the quicker the extraction process.]
Wow, that's incredible!
Jiang Xiaofan hadn't expected to gain a new skill. It seemed the old adage was true: heaven indeed rewards the diligent. Through his hard work, determination, and patience, he had finally achieved success.
Without lingering, Jiang Xiaofan placed the Spirit Herb into the Pill Refining Furnace. He then carefully guided the Medicine Vital into it with Martial Qi. As the furnace blazed and the Martial Qi refined, about three minutes passed until a clear "ding" signaled the completion of the pill.
"System Prompt: Pill refining successful. Pill Refining Proficiency increased by 50. Stone Condensing Pill x1 obtained."
Upon opening the Pill Refining Furnace, a rich and potent fragrance of the pill wafted out. Jiang Xiaofan inhaled deeply, savoring the exquisite scent.
Ann Yunshan finally reached a point where he couldn't stay seated any longer. He strode into the cellar and said, "Xiaofan, peeling the Iron Stone Herb is such a tough task. Maybe we should just let it go. There are plenty of Seventh Grade Yellow Level pills we could focus on instead of..."
He trailed off as the scent of the pill hit him. Stunned, he momentarily forgot his advanced age and dashed to Jiang Xiaofan's side. Gazing at the dark-brown pill in the furnace, his face broke into a childlike grin. "It's a success! We've actually done it!"
Jiang Xiaofan glanced at Ann Yunshan and chuckled, "Elder Ann, I've gone through more than half of the 20,000 Iron Stone Herbs. Sorry about that."
But Ann Yunshan didn't seem to mind. He continued to stare at the pill in the furnace with the tender affection of a father for his child. "No worries. We still have another 30,000 stalks in the yard. I'll bring them down for you right away!"
With that, Ann Yunshan turned to leave, taking a few steps before pausing to laugh heartily. He resumed walking, only to stop again for another chuckle. His stop-and-go progress, punctuated by laughter, made him seem almost mad with joy.
Jiang Xiaofan watched Ann Yunshan's retreating figure, his mouth agape, a shiver running down his spine. Was it really necessary to be this dramatic in the dead of night?
Using his storage ring, Ann Yunshan swiftly transported all the Iron Stone Herbs downstairs. Then, with a reluctance akin to a bashful woman, he hesitated to leave.
Feeling awkward under Ann Yunshan's intense gaze, Jiang Xiaofan failed twice more in his attempts to peel the herbs. Finally, he offered a sheepish smile and suggested, "Elder Ann, perhaps you'd like to take a seat over there?"
"Absolutely!" Ann Yunshan agreed enthusiastically, sitting on the ground with the rapt attention of a curious child, watching Jiang Xiaofan's every move.
Jiang Xiaofan shook his head, amused, and began to employ the Spirit Extraction Hand technique to separate the medicinal essence from the Iron Stone Herb. Ann Yunshan watched the intricate process with unabashed excitement.
Being new to the Spirit Extraction Hand, Jiang Xiaofan's success rate wasn't high—less than 10%. But once he extracted the essence and placed the herbs into the pill furnace for refining, his success rate skyrocketed to nearly 100%, with 70% of the pills being of superior quality and 30% of exceptional grade.
Refining the medicinal essence is a delicate art; a single misstep could render all previous efforts futile. Even a successful extraction might not be flawless, which in turn, directly impacts the pill's quality. But it seems only someone as extraordinary as Jiang Xiaofan would be dissatisfied with high-grade pills. Regardless of the type, whether it's a First Grade Hemostatic Pill or any other, a high-grade pill would be eagerly sought after by all, especially the high-grade Stone Condensing Pill.
Jiang Xiaofan spent another sleepless night, with Ann Yunshan keeping him company. Initially, Ann simply observed, but he later attempted the extraction himself, though without success. Eventually, he joined in to assist Jiang Xiaofan with the pill refinement.
After refining 30% of the medicinal essence, and then 50%, they had worked through 80% by the time dawn broke, resulting in 190 Stone Condensing Pills. Jiang Xiaofan kept ten of the finest for himself and handed the rest over to Ann Yunshan.
Ann Yunshan was effusive in his praise for Jiang Xiaofan after receiving the pills, and he quickly dashed out of the cellar.
Jiang Xiaofan checked his level—a Ninth Grade Yellow Level Pharmacist—and allowed himself a satisfied smile.
Meanwhile, Qin Chuan and his group were fraught with anxiety. Usually, Ann Yunshan would open the door at the Yin hour, but today, well into the Mao hour, he was still absent from his room.
In the past, this wouldn't have been cause for concern, but today was different. The entrance to the Skilled Hand Medical Hall was congested with over ten thousand people. Not just from Breeze Town, but also from neighboring towns, they had all come, effectively jamming the entire town.
When Ann Yunshan finally opened the doors to the Skilled Hand Medical Hall, a flood of people surged in. The first wave was composed of Spirit Martial Stage practitioners, with even mightier Profound Martial Stage experts among them. Using their superior martial prowess, they held back the less powerful and were the first to push their way into the front hall of the Skilled Hand Medical Hall.
"Shopkeeper! I'll take all your Fighting Spirit Pills. Let's talk price," bellowed a burly man, stepping forward with a battle axe slung over his shoulder.
"Why should I sell it to you? Do you think you're special?" A young man clad in a white robe entered and countered.
The burly man's brow furrowed, and he unleashed a crushing aura upon the crowd. Having advanced to the Spirit Martial Stage, he was a force to be reckoned with at the initial level of the Profound Martial Stage. His overwhelming presence left everyone in the Skilled Hand Medical Hall gasping for air.
The man in white flashed a grin as he released a pressure far surpassing that of the burly man, effortlessly repelling the oppressive force. The burly man staggered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, as he pointed at the white-robed figure and stammered, "You are... Su Fenghan?"
The white-robed man gave a slight bow with his hands clasped, "Indeed, it is I."
"Good heavens, it's Su Fenghan! The prodigious disciple of the Divine Wind Sect! To think he's reached the Profound Martial Stage at just twenty!"
"He's so dashing! I want to marry him!"
"Me too, I want to marry him!"
"Brother, you're a guy—why join in on this? Really?"
...
Ann Yunshan surveyed the crowd, leaning on his cane with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, but we've run out of Fighting Spirit Pills."
The big man's expression hardened, and his aura erupted once more. This time, Su Fenghan did not intervene, "No Fighting Spirit Pills? What about the Life Return Pill?"
"We've run out of those as well," Ann Yunshan admitted, mopping the sweat from his brow.
"Damn it! If you're out of everything, then why even bother? I'm going to demolish this clinic today!" he bellowed, hoisting his battle axe.
"Hold on, brave warrior, what do you make of this?" Ann Yunshan was adept at playing coy, as he placed a top-notch Stone Condensing Pill on the counter.
Both Su Fenghan and the burly man tuned in with their consciousness, probing the pill with the unique mental sea of the Profound Martial Stage. Through their heightened senses, they could detect even the slightest stirrings in their vicinity. At the peak of their power, they could claim a life from a hundred meters away without lifting a finger.
"This is..."
"This is..."
Simultaneously, their faces lit up with astonishment as they exclaimed in harmony, "This is a top-grade Stone Condensing Pill!"
"What? A Stone Condensing Pill? I thought no one could manage to refine that!"
"Holy cow! The Pharmacist at Mighty Hand Medical Hall is incredible! They can actually produce a Stone Condensing Pill—and a top-tier one at that!"
"I've got to get one!"
"I'll take ten! Money is no object!"
Ann Yunshan's lips curled into a smile as he announced, "There's a limit of one per customer, and it goes to the highest bidder."
"I bid 50,000 Copper coins!"
"80,000 here! It's mine!"
"Damn! 100,000 from me. Any takers?"
Su Fenghan offered a slight smile, pulled a silver coin from his pocket, and set it on the counter. "I bid one Silver Coin. I'll take that first Stone Condensing Pill."
A Silver Coin!
Everyone's eyes bulged. A Silver Coin? That was the currency of the elite and the powerful!
It took a whopping 1,000,000 Copper coins to exchange for just one Silver Coin!
Su Fenghan had made a bold move, casually offering a Silver Coin, and the crowd fell silent.
After scanning the crowd and pausing for a few seconds, Ann Yunshan declared, "With no further bids, this premium Stone Condensing Pill goes to Young Master Su."
