C4 A Heaven-defying Alchemy Talent

Originally, the medicinal herbs in the Pill Furnace had already melted into a liquid. Despite the recent explosion causing some loss of the Herbal Essence, Su Ling's use of Soul Force remained unaffected, allowing him to sense the proportions of the Herbal Essence accurately.

With precise control over his Mystical Qi, Su Ling also employed a faint Soul Force to monitor the Pill Furnace's interior. He meticulously expelled the surplus Herbal Essence and then carefully combined the remaining essence in specific ratios.

Pill refining is a delicate art, demanding the utmost caution from the alchemist. However, if an alchemist possesses a robust Soul Force, the need for such caution diminishes when crafting lower-grade pills.

At present, Su Ling's Soul Force was feeble, barely approaching the first grade, yet not quite there. Consequently, he had to proceed with extreme caution while refining pills, anxious about potential errors.

With only a limited supply of herbs left, any further issues would certainly doom Su Ling's attempt to create Second Grade Pills to failure. But under his meticulous Soul Force guidance, the essence extracted from the herbs gradually coalesced, flawlessly.

"Condense the pill!"

Half an hour later, two lustrous black and red pills, smooth and perfectly rounded, materialized in Su Ling's palm. Drenched in sweat, Su Ling recognized the immense strain the process had placed on his Soul Force and Mystical Qi. Producing two Second Grade Pills under these conditions was no small feat.

"What's the quality?" he wondered, wiping the sweat from his brow and examining the pills in his hand. To his amazement, he had managed to refine two Top Grade Body Tempering Pills. "I never expected that even after the furnace explosion, I could still use the remaining ingredients to create such high-quality pills. I'm incredibly fortunate."

Joy spread across Su Ling's face. He knew well that refining even a Middle Grade Body Tempering Pill from post-explosion materials was an impressive achievement. Pills are categorized into four grades: Low, Middle, High, and Top. For most alchemists, crafting a High Grade Pill is challenging, and producing a Top Grade Pill is exceedingly rare.

Yet, through a combination of luck and exceptional control over his Soul Force, Su Ling had managed to refine a Top Grade Body Tempering Pill.

...

"That kid must have botched his pill refining!" Elder Leng surmised, squinting outside the refining chamber. It had been half an hour since the loud explosion, and Su Ling had yet to emerge.

"Elder Leng, could something have happened to him? Why hasn't he come out?" Lin Ling'er asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

As a Second Grade Alchemist certified by the Alchemist Guild, Lin Ling'er understood the complexities of refining Second Grade Pills. She found it hard to believe that Su Ling, with his less-than-first-grade Soul Force, could successfully refine such advanced pills. Despite Su Ling's arrogance and dismissive attitude, she didn't wish for any mishaps to befall him within Lanqing Pavilion. An accident involving Su Ling would surely tarnish the Pavilion's reputation.

"Lan Yun, open the Pill Refining Room door. We need to check on him," Lin Ling'er instructed gravely. The last thing she wanted was for Su Ling to meet his end in the Pavilion's alchemy room, casting a shadow over Lanqing Pavilion's esteemed name.

"Alright!"

Lan Yun responded, her concern for Su Ling's safety evident in her voice.

The explosion of the Pill Furnace was no minor incident. Su Ling had been inside the Pill Refining Room for an extended period, and his failure to emerge was a clear sign of trouble.

Lan Yun hurried forward, about to push the door open when it creaked and swung open on its own. Su Ling stepped out just as the door opened.

Lin Ling'er glanced at Su Ling, searching for any sign of Second Grade Pills. Seeing none, she concluded, "Just as I thought, a failure."

Lan Yun sighed, approaching Su Ling. "Attempting to refine Second Grade Pills with less than first-grade Soul Force was doomed from the start. Now that you've failed, do you believe what I've told you?"

"Young man, patience is key in pill refining," Elder Leng chimed in, shaking his head. "Your earlier arrogance has been humbled by this failure, which might actually be a blessing in disguise."

Su Ling, with a hint of frustration, finally spoke up, "...May I have a word?"

If Lin Ling'er and the others could see beneath the black robe shrouding Su Ling, they would spot his resigned expression.

Lowering his voice and altering its tone, Su Ling said calmly, "Though I didn't succeed in creating a Second Grade Washing Marrow Pill, I wouldn't call it a failure."

He opened his right palm to reveal two black and red pills resting quietly, their glow enticing and mysterious.

"Is that a... Body Tempering Pill?" Elder Leng gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Su Ling. "Moreover, a Top Grade Body Tempering Pill!"

Elder Leng instantly recognized the exceptional quality of the pills. A standard low-grade Body Tempering Pill might fetch five thousand middle-grade Profound Crystals, and a high-grade version could command fifty thousand. But a Top Grade Body Tempering Pill was beyond valuation, as only third-grade or higher alchemists could craft such a rarity.

For an alchemist of that caliber, spending time on Second Grade Pills would be a waste. Hence, Top Grade Body Tempering Pills were exceedingly rare on the market.

Now, Su Ling nonchalantly produced two Top Grade Body Tempering Pills that matched the quality of those crafted by more advanced alchemists, leaving Elder Leng utterly astounded.

"Inconceivable! Absolutely inconceivable! Only a third-grade or higher alchemist could possibly craft a Top Grade Body Tempering Pill. Yet you, with merely first-grade Soul Force, have managed this feat. How is it possible?"

Elder Leng's voice trembled with amazement as he scrutinized Su Ling, his expression a mix of astonishment and earnest curiosity.

"Elder Leng, are these truly Top Grade Body Tempering Pills?"

Standing next to Elder Leng, Lin Ling'er's face was etched with incredulity as she inquired.

"Absolutely! There's no mistake about it. These two pills are without a doubt Top Grade Body Tempering Pills, and not just any—they're of exceptional quality and color."

Elder Leng spoke with an air of grave seriousness, "This young man's Soul Force has just managed to scrape into the first grade, yet he's managed to produce Second Grade Body Tempering Pills—and top grade at that. His aptitude for alchemy could very well rival that of the young Pill King Luo Hee. In fact, I'd venture to say his talent for pill crafting has even surpassed that of Luo Hee in his youth."

"Surpassed the young Luo Hee? That's impossible!"

Lin Ling'er might not have been familiar with Su Ling's alchemical prowess, but she was well-versed in the legendary tales of Pill King Luo Hee.

Pill King Luo Hee began pill crafting at thirteen, possessed a fourth-grade Soul Force by eighteen, and by twenty, he was a fifth-grade alchemist—a prodigy, the youngest of his era.

Now, nearly forty, Pill King Luo Hee has ascended to the rank of an eighth-grade alchemist and is hailed as the Pill King of our time.

One could say that across the entire Lanqing Empire, even spanning the breadth of the Morning Moon Continent, no alchemist could hold a candle to Pill King Luo Hee in the realm of alchemy.

Yet here was Elder Leng, heaping such high praise on Su Ling, asserting that his alchemical talent was on par with the young Pill King Luo Hee.

Did this not suggest that Su Ling's gift for alchemy was truly extraordinary?