The cultivation room was empty, with only a simple defensive array arranged. It couldn’t resist much external attack, but it could impede others from entering at will and isolate the sound within the room.
Zhong Cai placed the pill furnace on the ground, operated his techniques, mobilized the Qi of Heaven and Earth, and infused it into the furnace.
In the blink of an eye, the palm-sized pill furnace rapidly expanded back to its original size — about three feet high, with a one-foot furnace cavity and a two-foot main furnace, standing in front of Zhong Cai.
Wu Shaoqian took out a soft couch and placed it against the wall, then lay down on it, watching Zhong Cai attentively.
Originally a bit nervous, Zhong Cai rolled his eyes when he saw Wu Shaoqian’s actions, “I feel like a street performer, and you seem like a spectator.”
Wu Shaoqian pretended to ponder for a moment, then honestly replied, “Aren’t we exactly that?”
Zhong Cai: “…” raising his eyebrows, “Just shut up!”
However, after this banter, Zhong Cai’s uneasiness dissipated somewhat. He calmed down, lightly tapped the shell of the pill furnace, and a soft fireproof silk net spread out inside the furnace cavity. After that, he took out more than ten pieces of Qinghuo wood, placed them inside the net. He also took a piece of flint and threw it into the furnace, hitting the Qinghuo wood – in an instant, several sparks burst out, igniting all the Qinghuo wood.
Below the right ear of the pill furnace, there was a small handle. Zhong Cai only needed to slide the handle to control the contraction and expansion of the silk net. Simultaneously, the flame would shrink or expand accordingly, causing the temperature to change.
Zhong Cai carefully adjusted the temperature. When it felt just about right, he took out a Peiqi Fruit and dropped it into the main furnace chamber.
The Peiqi Fruit melted almost instantly in the furnace, turning into a pool of white fruit liquid. At that moment, Zhong Cai added a section of Bai Mao Jing, over a foot long. The white fruit liquid quickly enveloped it, emitting a “sizzling” sound.
Zhong Cai turned the handle to open the net slightly.
Instantly, the flames surged upward, fiercely burning the Bai Mao Jing. The Bai Mao Jing started to melt slowly, and with each thread of melting, it interpenetrated with the white fruit liquid, transforming into a milky-white gel.
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Zhong Cai poured in the crushed juice of Qingling Grass onto the Bai Mao Jing, accurately pouring it on top.
In the next moment—
“Bang!”
The juice exploded with the Bai Mao Jing, emitting a charred smell.
Zhong Cai set aside the bowl of unused juice in his hand and reflected with regret, “I poured too much, disrupting the balance of the medicinal properties…” He sorrowfully calculated the costs, “The Peiqi Fruit costs 120 copper coins, the Bai Mao Jing costs 40 copper coins, and the Qingling Grass costs 20 copper coins each. I just poured out the equivalent of at least five Qingling Grass, that’s 100 copper coins! I failed this time, and I wasted a total of 150 copper coins! No wonder people say that alchemy burns money, it really does burn money!”
Wu Shaoqian grew up in a family of wealth and never lacked money. Even though times were different now, his savings were still intact. He didn’t think that less than two silver coins was a large sum. Understanding Zhong Cai’s nature after years of being together, he naturally comforted, “It’s alright, A Cai, you only made a mistake in this step, which already puts you ahead of many alchemists. Try again, and you’ll surely succeed.”
Zhong Cai replied, “I’ve always known I’m bad, but I didn’t expect to be this bad. And here you go calling me A Cai again…”
Wu Shaoqian: “…” It is just a slip of the tongue, he doesn’t mean it that way at all.
Seeing Wu Shaoqian’s helpless expression, Zhong Cai grinned and said, “I was just teasing you. Alright, I’ll continue!”
Wu Shaoqian felt even more helpless, but at least Zhong Cai wasn’t so disheartened anymore, which was good.
“You go figure out where you went wrong. I’ll clean up the furnace for you,” Wu Shaoqian said.
Zhong Cai’s face immediately brightened, and he hurried off to ponder his recent mistake.
Wu Shaoqian, on the other hand, took on the task without complaint, cleaning up the waste residue in the furnace.
…
Zhong Cai chose to refine Buqi Dan, which were used to replenish profound energy for cultivators in the Heavenly Induction Realm. Typically, when cultivators depleted their profound energy, they could take one of these pills to quickly recover a substantial amount. In addition, cultivators could also use it to enhance their practice, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth much faster than they could naturally—of course, the higher the aptitude, the less effective the pill.
Although Wu Shaoqian’s spiritual trauma hadn’t fully healed, it didn’t prevent him from demonstrating the full strength of the twelfth level of the Heavenly Induction Realm. However, once his profound energy was exhausted, he couldn’t absorb the essence of heaven and earth on his own and could only rely on the pills to replenish it.
Zhong Cai didn’t want his Iron Brother to be restrained. He had long been determined to refine a large quantity of Buqi Dan, selling the lower grades and letting his brother use the higher grades for fun. This ambition was commendable.
Furthermore, the more pills he refined, the more items he could obtain. Although these items were random, who knew? Perhaps his luck would be good one day and he would obtain something useful for his brother. If that happened, and they could recover, he would see his brother’s lively and energetic selves again.
However, hope was slim. Zhong Cai secretly exerted himself, but he didn’t say anything explicitly.
Success could be a surprise, and failure would at least prevent his brother from being disappointed.
The formula for Buqi Dan is relatively rare among first-grade pills. It requires only one main ingredient, the precious Peiqi Fruit, along with several common medicinal herbs: Bai Mao Jing, Qingling Grass, Kulingzi, Sangmi, and Huanglian Ding.
The total cost of the ingredients for this formula is around two silver, making it one of the more affordable pill formulas.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
However, in terms of difficulty in refining, it is not the easiest. The most challenging step in the process is integrating the juice of Qingling Grass into the Bai Mao Jing.
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Unfortunately, another half batch of ingredients was destroyed.
Zhong Cai: “…”
He felt so heartbroken!
Wu Shaoqian patted his shoulder and said, “You lasted longer than last time. Think about what went wrong again, and leave the furnace to me.”
Zhong Cai took a deep breath and began to ponder deeply, recalling where he had made mistakes.
After a cup of tea, Zhong Cai began his third attempt at refining.
“Bang!”
Wu Shaoqian cleaned the furnace.
Zhong Cai reflected on his mistakes.
After another cup of tea, Zhong Cai started his fourth attempt.
“Bang!”
Fifth time…
“Bang!”
Sixth time…
“Bang!”
Seventh… Eighth… Ninth…
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
Zhong Cai counted the silver coins on his fingers, his eyes flashing with anger. “I’ve wasted over ten silvers! And the furnace exploded again!”
Seeing Zhong Cai so utterly frustrated, Wu Shaoqian couldn’t help but want to laugh a little.
Zhong Cai looked over numbly, his anger even more palpable. “It’s a lot of money! What are you laughing at!”
Wu Shaoqian was taken aback. “Huh? Did I laugh?”
A vein popped on Zhong Cai’s forehead.
Wu Shaoqian cleared his throat lightly and hurried over to stand beside Zhong Cai. He tousled Zhong Cai’s head and said, “Alright, calm down. You’ve only tried refining a few times. Succeeding would make you a peerless genius, failing is just normal.”
“It’s only been half a day since you started. From what I know, many alchemists don’t succeed in their first ten days or even half a month. And that doesn’t even account for the time spent identifying the ingredients and getting used to the fire.”
“Today’s failure doesn’t mean tomorrow’s failure, and tomorrow’s doesn’t mean the day after’s. Take your time. The more anxious you are, the harder it is to calm your mind and the easier it is to make mistakes.” Wu Shaoqian kept pulling Zhong Cai’s head here and there. “Zhaohong studied alchemy for ten years and only managed to refine one type of very ordinary… I think it’s called Cuigu Dan? The Buqi Dan you’re trying to make now is difficult to refine. She tried more than a hundred times, gave up, and chose something easier.”
Zhong Cai’s head was spinning from being tossed around, but he calmed down a bit.
“Is that true? You’re not tricking me, are you?” He asked, sounding unsure. “I’ve never inquired about alchemists before. You’re not talking nonsense, are you?”
Wu Shaoqian held Zhong Cai’s head again to help him regain his composure, then smiled and said, “I wasn’t lying to you. Your progress is really good. I noticed earlier that the bowl of Qingling Grass juice you prepared was almost used up before the explosion. You’re not far from success, I reckon. At most three or four days, and you’ll have it down pat.”
Zhong Cai grumbled, “You’re just trying to cheer me up?”
Wu Shaoqian solemnly replied, “I am.”
Zhong Cai punched his chest lightly, finally feeling more comfortable. He snorted, “You’ve got some nerve.”
Wu Shaoqian chuckled again, “Yeah, I do.”
Zhong Cai also laughed, “Get lost. Go clean the furnace for me!”
Wu Shaoqian swiftly went off to do so.
Glancing at Wu Shaoqian’s departing figure, Zhong Cai suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
Maybe he is being a bit too hot-headed just now… But this guy is already in the mood to joke about him, so it seems he really doesn’t mind being a waste anymore. That’s… that’s actually pretty good, isn’t it?
Under the advice of Wu Shaoqian, Zhong Cai suppressed his increasingly restless emotions. He continued to eat three meals a day, slept early and woke up early, keeping his body in great shape. Throughout the day’s twelve hours, he spent roughly seven hours refining alchemy. During other times, he did whatever else needed to be done.
With this adjustment in mindset, Zhong Cai successfully broke through the most difficult stage of the Buqi Dan.
All the Qingling Grass juice was poured onto the Bai Mao Jing, accelerating the fusion of the Bai Mao Jing and the Peiqi fruit juice. At the moment when the volume of twenty Qingling Grass was completely used up, these three types of medicinal ingredients formed a pale green gel, evenly spread across the bottom of the main furnace.
Zhong Cai quickly added the Kulingzi, watching as the gel absorbed it, becoming more solid and thicker. Next came the Sangmi, the pale yellow tender buds, which quickly curled up and mixed into the gel, giving it a gradually solidifying feeling… Lastly, it was Huanglian Ding, which, upon falling onto the furnace bottom, was quickly incinerated into powder by the high temperature, all of which was absorbed into the gel…
When all the medicinal ingredients had fused together, the gel was already the size of an adult’s fist.
However, it was not a smooth process throughout this period.
When adding Kulingzi, the gel was once roasted into smoke; when adding Sangmi, the tender buds were burned into black; when adding Huanglian Ding, due to incorrect temperature, it didn’t turn into powder and when it entered the gel, it was stimulated and crazily ejected, completely unable to condense.
From start to finish, Zhong Cai spent a full five days to complete all the steps.
Until the sixth day, Zhong Cai started early in the morning and tried several times in a row. Finally, in the evening, he succeeded again and could begin to condense the elixir.
Zhong Cai manipulated the size of the flame, causing the gel to rotate quickly at the bottom of the furnace. With each rotation, something resembling dust was thrown out and accumulated in the corners of the main furnace.
After about a moment, the gel finally stopped rotating and instead, after several violent shakes, it seemed to crack, breaking into many small clusters that scattered in all directions, hitting the furnace walls and producing a continuous series of sounds.
After the dull sounds subsided, another layer of dust appeared at the bottom of the furnace; after the crisp sounds, however, small, round pills rolled around on the furnace floor.
At the same time, a faint aroma began to fill the air.
… Finally, complete success was achieved.
Zhong Cai stared at the alchemy furnace in front of him, listening to the clinking sounds inside, his face showing a hint of tension.
Wu Shaoqian was a little surprised: “It’s condensed! A Cai, you’re actually quite skilled!”
Zhong Cai, murmuring again, “I’m just afraid that the balance of various medicinal herbs isn’t good enough. If they’re all smashed in the pill furnace, we won’t be able to collect even one pill afterwards.”
Wu Shaoqian consoled him, saying, “Don’t worry, I heard clearly just now. At the very least, there are three or four intact pills.”
Zhong Cai’s eyes brightened, eagerly asking, “Really?”
Wu Shaoqian answered without hesitation, “Really.”
Zhong Cai felt slightly relieved and could barely wait patiently.
After all the sounds had disappeared, he nervously walked over and lifted the lid of the furnace.
Wu Shaoqian walked beside Zhong Cai and looked into the main furnace with him.
There were many impurities and ash at the bottom of the furnace, but there were also six round and snow-white pills rolling around—among them, some had even more vivid colors.
Wu Shaoqian pressed Zhong Cai’s shoulder and said joyfully, “Impressive! I’ve heard that the total number should be between five to eight pills, including middle-grade ones… This is only your first time making pills and you’ve already surpassed the ordinary level, reaching the ‘extraordinary’ level.”
Zhong Cai was also very happy. He picked up the pills from the furnace and carefully examined their appearance in his hand.
Wu Shaoqian lightly flicked the pills a couple of times, separating them into two groups. His eyes and face were filled with joy as he praised, “Four pills of low grade, and surprisingly, two pills of middle grade! Your talent is much higher than you thought.” He couldn’t help but tease, “Although you can’t be called a peerless genius, you’re indeed a genius.”
Zhong Cai didn’t mind the teasing at all. Instead, he proudly said, “Of course! I’m such a genius. I got eight strands of spiritual aura in just one furnace. It won’t be long before I can exchange items.”
As he spoke, he summoned the altar and pointed to the colorful light floating above the “Card Pool” for Wu Shaoqian to see.
Wu Shaoqian counted them and sure enough, there were eight beams of colored light.
Excitedly, Zhong Cai handed all six Buqi Dan to Wu Shaoqian. He even went to clean the furnace himself and loudly declared, “You help me separate these few and pack them up. There are too many impurities. Don’t eat them for now. I’ll refine better ones for you later. Just wait and see! Who cares about being a transcendent alchemist? I don’t even care about being a supreme alchemist. I’m going to become a grand alchemist, a true great man”
Wu Shaoqian couldn’t help but smile and said, “Alright, grand alchemist.”
Suddenly, Zhong Cai remembered something and turned to Wu Shaoqian, winking and making a face, “By the way, I’m not a ‘useless’ anymore. Shouldn’t you stop calling me ‘A Cai’?”
Wu Shaoqian tried to wink back, but found it difficult, so he gave up on the expression and calmly replied, “I won’t.”
Zhong Cai glared at him.
Wu Shaoqian smiled broadly, looking handsome and dazzling.
“How did you used to say to me before? That’s an intimate nickname, proof of our solid, unbreakable friendship…”
Zhong Cai couldn’t hold back his laughter either.
“Alright, alright, alright…”
Due to his outstanding performance, Zhong Cai’s emotions became somewhat unrestrained. When he tried refining another batch, it exploded naturally. After that, Zhong Cai dared not be careless again. He quickly composed himself and diligently continued the refining process.
After two more explosions, Zhong Cai finally succeeded in another batch.
This time, he refined only five Buqi Dan— one of middle-grade quality and four of low-grade quality.
Wu Shaoqian praised, “Your performance is stable, still extraordinary.”
Initially disappointed for missing one pill, Zhong Cai felt much better after Wu Shaoqian’s compliment. He immediately regained his confidence, saying, “You’re right. Although the quantity is a bit less, the quality is still there. It’s not a step back.”
Wu Shaoqian smiled and continued helping Zhong Cai clean the alchemy furnace.
After a short meditation to recover, Zhong Cai adjusted his mood and resumed refining.
Luckily, this batch was successful again.
It yielded six pills this time— three of middle-grade quality and three of low-grade quality.
Zhong Cai’s confidence soared!
Success again! Two pills of middle-grade quality and three of low-grade quality.
Failure.
Failure.
Success! Three pills of middle-grade quality and four of low-grade quality! Progress!
Failure.
Failure.
Failure.
Zhong Cai continued to refine without stopping, until his head buzzed and he felt dizzy, finally sitting down heavily… only to be promptly pushed onto a soft chair by Wu Shaoqian.
“I’m so tired,” Zhong Cai wiped his sweat, “Only the first-grade elixirs I’m refining now. When I start refining second-grade ones in the future, I’ll need to use profound energy to control the size of the flames. Oh right, I also need to buy a piece of Mu Huo, otherwise I won’t be able to melt the second-grade medicinal herbs. That stuff isn’t cheap…”
Wu Shaoqian smiled and handed two palm-sized bottles to Zhong Cai.
“Let me say something to make you happy. Today, you’ve successfully refined eighteen low-grade first-grade elixirs and eleven mid-grade first-grade elixirs.” He pointed to the altar that had been standing beside the practice room all along. “I’ve counted for you. There are forty strands of spiritual aura.”
Zhong Cai turned his head.
The altar was overflowing with colorful light, indeed that many.
Zhong Cai suddenly became excited and shouted loudly, “I can exchange now! I can do four times in a row!”
Wu Shaoqian’s gaze also turned towards the altar, and he too started to feel some anticipation.
Thanks for the update!
I want to see the things they will get from the exchange so badly🙇🏼♀️
This is the first time I’ve come across a story that actually describes the alchemy process.
Ikr more words are usually spent on describing the material gathering process than pill refining
Merci pour le chapitre 💖💖
lol wsq tried to wink but failed! i really love their dynamics. good, solid foundation for a romantic relationship.