C42 The Enlightenment of the Core Formation

Pyroxenite, when energized with Essence, could produce bright flames that were not only stable but also reached higher temperatures.

Guided by the Qian Yuan Sword, Ye Xiao divided his purchased medicinal ingredients into three portions. He took one portion and meticulously arranged it in the grooves of the pill furnace. Then, he positioned the pyroxenite directly beneath the furnace, cradling it with his palm.

"Once you're a Master-level practitioner, you'll be able to project your Essence outward. You won't need to physically hold the pyroxenite then. But for now, you must channel your Essence directly into it to activate the flames!" explained the Qian Yuan Sword.

Ye Xiao hesitated. "If the pyroxenite can generate such intense flames, is it really safe to hold it in my hand?"

"You understand nothing! That's the marvel of pyroxenite—it produces flames, yet whatever it touches doesn't feel the heat. That's the magic of it," the Qian Yuan Sword retorted with a touch of scorn.

As Ye Xiao was about to place the lid on the pill furnace, the Qian Yuan Sword interjected, "Leave it be. You're concocting the most basic Yuan Dan. It's an opportunity to observe the herbs' refinement process. However, for more advanced Yuan Dan, a completely sealed environment is essential!"

Heeding the sword's advice, Ye Xiao settled into a cross-legged position beside the pill furnace, his palm still supporting the pyroxenite.

Essence surged within him and flowed into the pyroxenite. In a tranquil moment, the stone erupted in a burst of dazzling blue light, which swiftly enveloped the pill furnace.

A soft thud emanated from the furnace.

"That's enough, kid, stop!" came the Qian Yuan Sword's frustrated voice.

Ye Xiao was puzzled. Was that really it? Pill refining seemed too simple.

"Is it finished already?" he wondered silently.

"Nonsense! The ferocity of your Essence infusion turned the flames too fierce, and you've reduced the herbs to ash!" the Qian Yuan Sword snapped irritably.

Ye Xiao was momentarily taken aback before peering into the pill furnace. As he suspected, the herbs he had placed inside had turned to ash.

A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Even though it was only a third of the herbs, they were worth dozens of azurite. Ye Xiao was once again reminded of the costly nature of an Apothecary's craft.

Regaining his composure, Ye Xiao retrieved another batch of medicinal ingredients and carefully placed them into the furnace.

"Remember, control your Yuan Qi. Infuse it slowly into the pyroxenite. This is alchemy, not a challenge!" instructed the Qian Yuan Sword.

Once more, Ye Xiao cradled the pyroxenite, meticulously channeling his vital energy into it, thread by thread.

The blue, translucent pyroxenite glowed with a steady blue light. Unlike before, it didn't surge abruptly but rose gently and purposefully. The beam of light was stable and strong.

The blue glow ascended to the furnace's base, spreading out slowly to envelop it. Once the base was fully covered, the ascent of the blue light ceased.

Observing Ye Xiao's skillful handling of the pyroxenite, the Qian Yuan Sword finally spoke up, "In pill refining, the flame is paramount. Ordinary flames are too fierce and can incinerate the herbs. The pyroxenite's blue flame, however, is both gentle and potent, making it an Apothecary's ideal choice. In combat, the key is the explosive force of one's Yuan Qi, but in pill refining, it's about the endurance of that energy."

"The progress of the herbs' refinement requires divided attention and control, using your Yuan Qi to gauge the state of the herbs within the furnace. Neither too fast nor too slow, and with varying quantities and types of herbs, the complexity of control increases. It's said that the optimal method involves using one's divine consciousness to monitor the herbs' refinement process within the furnace—a technique of incredible finesse. However, given that cultivators' divine consciousness is currently too weak, Apothecaries have devised the use of Yuan Qi for this purpose, though it pales in precision compared to divine consciousness."

Ye Chen, utterly unfamiliar with these concepts, could only listen to the Qian Yuan Sword's thorough explanations.

Refining pills demands exceptional vitality quality. Even crafting the simplest Yuan Dan requires sustained output for nearly an hour. Without the endurance to maintain this output, all previous efforts would be wasted. I've never heard of anyone practicing Mortal Realm techniques who has managed to become an Apothecary.

"Your practice of the Qianyuan Spell is precisely why you can successfully refine a Yuan Dan. Other cultivators struggle with this process until they reach the Master level."

As the Qian Yuan Sword spoke, warmth filled the air from the pill furnace, and a delicate fragrance began to waft through the room.

"Place one hand on the edge of the pill furnace, divide your Essence into five streams, and probe the progress of the herbs' refinement."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiao pressed his hand to the furnace, allowing his vitality to flow through it. With focused control, he split his vitality into five distinct streams. To his amazement, he could sense things through his vitality that had previously eluded him.

The streams of vitality moved at varying speeds, sometimes dispersing, sometimes concentrating, leaving Ye Xiao awestruck, as if he had entered a world at the atomic level.

Soon, his vitality reached the herbs, and Ye Xiao could distinctly feel the five herbs melting slowly under the flame, transforming into droplets of medicinal liquid.

"These herbs can be refined simultaneously. Control your Essence to shield the faster-refining herbs and slow their refinement pace!" The Qian Yuan Sword's voice echoed once more.

Ye Xiao did as instructed, and with two streams of Qi enveloping the herbs, the refinement process noticeably decelerated.

A quarter of an hour later, the herbs were nearly refined in unison. "Ramp up your Essence output, intensify the flame!" urged the Qian Yuan Sword.

With a surge of Essence, the blue flame atop the pyroxenite swelled in an instant, enveloping two-thirds of the pill furnace. Above, the mist rose and gathered into billowing white clouds.

Guided by the Qian Yuan Sword, the blue flame ebbed and flowed in intensity. After another quarter of an hour, it slowly receded and eventually vanished, leaving the blue pyroxenite unchanged – a marvel indeed.

One of the most crucial steps in the process is pill condensation! By channeling Essence to refine the medicinal liquid, gathering it, and then shaping the Pills, we reach a point where flames are no longer necessary—only residual heat is required. The key to this stage is to achieve a perfect fusion of every medicinal liquid; once that's accomplished to the utmost degree, a Yuan Dan can be formed.

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiao guided one drop of medicinal liquid towards another. The two drops rubbed together, gradually merging into one, two, three... After twelve drops had combined, they could no longer merge any further, and the fused liquid had taken the form of a bead the size of a pinky finger.

Struck by a sudden inspiration, Ye Xiao divided the liquid bead into two halves in a Tai Chi-like motion. The halves swirled around each other, and to his surprise, he was able to incorporate even more medicinal liquid!

The Qian Yuan Sword, sensing Ye Xiao's maneuvers, couldn't help but blurt out, "You fool, the Pills are already formed. What are you doing now?"

But Ye Xiao, deeply engrossed in his work, was oblivious to the Qian Yuan Sword's words, his entire being absorbed in the process.

One, two... More medicinal liquids continued to blend until the count reached twenty drops. The two halves, reminiscent of a Tai Chi symbol, merged once again into a bead, which then solidified under the embrace of Essence, growing to the size of a longan fruit.

Witnessing this spectacle, the Qian Yuan Sword was left utterly astonished.