novelraw Chapter 32 – This Elixir won't be toxic, right?
Chapter 32 – This Elixir won't be toxic, right?
"Damn! It's gone so fast?"
"I was just starting to feel something!"
Qin Yu looked up to find that the sky had already darkened; half a day had passed without him realizing it.
This time, the spiritual energy within Qin Yu wasn't depleted. It wasn't that he had more spiritual energy, but rather that his increased mental power allowed him to have better control over it.
He could allocate and use his spiritual energy more precisely, thus avoiding waste.
In other words, Qin Yu had become more enduring.
Qin Yu sat cross-legged to restore his spiritual energy. The long period of concentration made his head feel swollen.
'I can't continue with alchemy; I need to rest.'
Qin Yu changed his clothes and wandered around the sect to relax his tired nerves.
The scenery of the Xuantian Sect was quite pleasant. Although there was no electricity, candles were lit everywhere, and unknown flowers and plants by the roadside emitted a faint glow, creating a unique beauty.
After strolling for a while, Qin Yu went to the marketplace to buy some Bull Tendon Flowers and Broken Bone Tree Leaves.
Returning to his cave abode, Qin Yu put away the alchemy furnace and prepared to cultivate in his wooden house.
While alchemy was important, cultivation was the foundation for a cultivator.
A powerful cultivator named Zhou once said, "Everything a cultivator does should ultimately aim to enhance their cultivation!"
'Cultivating for just one night, using a Qi Refinement Pill seems wasteful!'
Qin Yu looked at the last Qi Refinement Pill, pondering.
'But without taking elixirs, the cultivation speed is too slow, which is a waste of time, youth, and life—utterly shameful!'
The effect of a Qi Refinement Pill could last an entire day, but Qin Yu needed to practice alchemy during the day, which would waste the pill's efficacy.
Suddenly, Qin Yu thought of a perfect solution.
'If one pill lasts a whole day, then half a pill should be just right for one night!'
Qin Yu immediately split the pill in half and swallowed it.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Qin Yu gathered his aura.
'The pill's effect indeed lasted just for the night. I truly am a genius.'
Qin Yu opened his personal panel to glance at the progress bar, which had reached 7%.
'Taking elixirs really speeds up cultivation!'
Qin Yu got up, washed up, and went to the marketplace to buy two large meat buns. After eating and drinking his fill, he began preparing for alchemy.
This time, Qin Yu didn't rush but reviewed the precautions for refining the Strength Pill.
He recalled the details of yesterday's alchemy process in his mind.
He analyzed where he might have gone wrong.
Feeling ready, Qin Yu then brought out the alchemy furnace.
With the experience and insights from the previous day, Qin Yu's alchemy process went much smoother today.
After only three attempts, he managed to fuse the Bull Tendon Flower and Broken Bone Tree Leaves. The fusion of these two materials formed the embryo of the elixir, about the size of a quail egg, entirely dark green, rolling and tumbling under the control of spiritual energy.
Only one material remained to complete the Strength Pill: Tiger Grass.
Following the steps recorded in the alchemy recipe, Qin Yu carefully added the final ingredient.
This time, he successfully integrated the Tiger Grass on his first try, thanks to his prior experience.
Only the final step remained.
High heat to refine the elixir!
The impurities in the elixir needed to be removed with high temperatures, during which the elixir would shrink in size until it was as small as a fingernail.
When the elixir's color changed from dark green to black, it signified successful refinement.
This step was extremely demanding on an alchemist's mental power.
One had to constantly observe any changes in the elixir and adjust the furnace's temperature accordingly to achieve impurity removal.
During Qin Yu's first attempt, the elixir's color remained unchanged, so he kept increasing the furnace's temperature.
Finally, through Qin Yu's relentless efforts, the elixir turned into a piece of charcoal.
A gentle touch reduced it to powder.
Having failed many times, Qin Yu was no longer bothered.
He picked up another set of materials and started over.
Through trial and error, sometimes failing at the second step, sometimes at the third, and occasionally at the final step, Qin Yu spent two days on alchemy without successfully refining a single elixir, using up all his materials.
However, the silver lining was that Qin Yu's mental power had grown stronger. Now, he could divide his spiritual energy into three or even four streams to multitask.
Moreover, Qin Yu's alchemy skills visibly improved.
Initially, he would fail at basic steps like refining the Bull Tendon Flower, but later, the earlier steps became a breeze for him. It was mainly the final step that continued to elude success.
'I can't keep working blindly like this. I should ask my senior brother for help; maybe I can find the reason for my failures.'
Qin Yu set off for the marketplace, first buying thirty sets of materials for the Strength Pill, then heading to his usual spot to find Senior Brother Li Ming.
Senior Brother Li Ming was very enthusiastic. After closing his stall in the evening, he personally came to Qin Yu's cave abode to guide him in cultivation.
Seeing Qin Yu skillfully refine the Bull Tendon Flower and fuse the Broken Bone Tree Leaves, Li Ming showed an envious expression.
'Junior Brother Qin reached this level in just two days; he's much stronger than I was!'
After watching Qin Yu's entire alchemy process, Li Ming identified the problematic step and demonstrated how to complete the final step.
Qin Yu was enlightened.
The next day, Qin Yu succeeded in refining his first Strength Pill after only three attempts.
Holding the warm elixir in his palm, Qin Yu was so excited he almost cried.
He had worked hard for four days, failed countless times, and spent nearly thirty contribution points to finally obtain this elixir.
"No, it's two!"
Qin Yu discovered another elixir at the bottom of the furnace, only half the size of the Strength Pill. This elixir was entirely white, resembling white chocolate from his previous life, looking quite appetizing.
Qin Yu scratched his head in confusion, "Why did this batch yield two elixirs?"
'Is this elixir formed from impurities?'
Qin Yu placed the white elixir under the sun for a closer look but reached no conclusion.
"Never mind, let's first test the effect of the Strength Pill I refined!"
Just as Qin Yu was about to pop the Strength Pill into his mouth, he suddenly realized something.
'What if there's a problem with my refinement process and the elixir is poisonous?'
Although Bull Tendon Flower, Tiger Grass, and Broken Bone Tree Leaves were non-toxic, who knew what strange chemical reactions might occur under high heat?
'Who should I get to be the guinea pig for this?'
Qin Yu suddenly thought of Li Zhengtong.
"Doesn't that guy have a talent for survival against all odds? He's tough as nails; even if this elixir is poisonous, it won't kill him."
"He's the perfect candidate for testing."
Qin Yu had even thought of a reason.
Didn't Li Zhengtong give him his first talisman? He could return the favor by gifting this first elixir.
Reciprocity and social etiquette must be observed!
Qin Yu eagerly knocked on Li Zhengtong's door, and fortunately, Li Zhengtong was home.
"Yu Ge, what's up?"
Qin Yu smiled and said, "I've got a gift for you, the first elixir I refined!"
Li Zhengtong quickly accepted the elixir and carefully put it away, "Thank you, Yu Ge!"
Qin Yu rubbed his hands with a mischievous grin, "Aren't you curious to test the effect of the elixir your Yu Ge refined?"
"Huh?" Li Zhengtong asked, puzzled, "There's no opponent right now; wouldn't taking the elixir be a waste?"
"It's not a waste, not a waste at all. There's plenty where that came from. Go ahead and test my craftsmanship."
"Alright then!"
Li Zhengtong took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp.
Then, an astonishing scene unfolded!