Chapter 104: Su Lingxiu Refines Pills

Chapter 104: Su Lingxiu Refines Pills

Su Lingxiu felt deeply touched. Having such a powerful master as her backer filled her with a sense of security, and she no longer had to worry about being captured one day.

"Yes, Master. I will definitely work hard in my cultivation and won't disappoint you!"

"Mhm."

Li Xuan nodded.

"Junior sister, come, tell your senior brother who's been bothering you. Once I enter the Inner Realm, I'll make them pay!"

Xu Yan said angrily.

"Yes, yes. Once we're in the Inner Realm, your senior brother will help you get your revenge!"

Meng Chong also nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, senior brother. But don't worry, once I've cultivated sufficiently, I'll deal with them myself. I'll bury them all!"

Su Lingxiu clenched her fists and said indignantly at the end.

"Good. If you need any help, just say the word. We can't let them bully you!"

Xu Yan nodded.

"Mhm, thank you, senior brother!"

Su Lingxiu felt warmth in her heart.

Ever since she fled, no one besides Aunt Zhou had shown her any concern.

Now, she finally felt the warmth of family.

Zhou Ying's eyes turned red. Her young miss was finally safe. With a caring master and senior brothers, one day, they would return to the Inner Realm and kill those people!

"Zhou Ying thanks Senior for your kindness. I, Zhou Ying, have caused you trouble with my young miss."

Zhou Ying knelt before Li Xuan.

Li Xuan replied indifferently, "Lingxiu is my disciple. You don't need to be so polite."

Su Lingxiu possessed monstrous talent. It was rare for someone to comprehend the Divine Apothecary Compendium so quickly, and her cultivation speed was exceptionally fast. Not only in the frontier but even in the Inner Realm, it would be difficult to find such a suitable disciple for cultivating the Dao of alchemy and martial arts.

As long as she could contribute to his grand martial pursuit, Li Xuan didn't mind any trouble that might come their way. After all, finding a suitable disciple was no easy task.

Anyone who dared to cause trouble for his disciple was causing trouble for him. Anyone who stood in the way of his martial path was his enemy.

And Li Xuan had never shown mercy to his enemies.

Just as he had taught his disciples, crush them to dust and annihilate their souls!

Zhou Ying still bowed her head and kowtowed three times before standing up.

Holding the pill furnace in her hands, Su Lingxiu said, "Master, I'm going to start refining pills now!"

Li Xuan nodded, "Go ahead. Figure it out and grasp the process yourself."

"Yes, Master!"

Su Lingxiu was thrilled.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong were also curious about the pill-refining process.

"Junior sister, do you need any help?"

Meng Chong asked.

"Not for now..."

Su Lingxiu wasn't sure herself.

After all, she had never refined pills before; she had only rehearsed the process in her mind.

The actual operation was still a mystery.

Shi Er also stepped forward, curious about the process.

After cleaning the pill furnace, Su Lingxiu placed it on the prepared pill furnace stove. She wondered what kind of pill she should refine.

Refining Skin Toughening Pills? She didn't need them anymore. Although she required the Tempering Bone Pills, attempting to refine them for the first time might result in failure, which would be a waste of precious medicinal ingredients.

Su Lingxiu glanced at Shi Er and had an idea.

Shi Er seemed to be at the stage of refining his organs, unable to progress to the stage of muscle and bone transformation and breakthrough to the Qi and Blood realm. So, she decided to refine Qi and Blood Pills, which could aid in breaking through to the Qi and Blood realm and enhance one's qi and blood, assisting in cultivation and restoring any depletion.

"For the first pill refinement, be cautious and don't waste the ingredients. We'll aim for a third of the yield of a full batch."

Su Lingxiu prepared the ingredients required for the Qi and Blood Pills, thinking that this would be a good starting point.

She ignited the Divine Fire Stones and threw them into the pill stove to heat the pill furnace. Looking at the medicinal ingredients in her hands, she hesitated, unsure of the next step.

"Do I need to add water when refining pills?"

She turned to her master, wanting to ask for guidance, but she was afraid that he would think she lacked insight and leave a bad impression of her as a dull disciple.

"Refining pills is about extracting the essence and removing impurities. Won't adding water increase the impurities?

"But if I don't add water, and without any foundation in martial arts, how can I manipulate my qi and blood to process the ingredients? Won't the pills just end up being scorched?"

Su Lingxiu pondered, feeling that there might be some issues with the pill-refining method she had simulated in her mind.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong stared at the pill furnace, then at their junior sister. The furnace was already heated, yet she hadn't added any ingredients. Was pill refining that complicated?

Neither of them understood pill refining, so they could only wait for their junior sister's next move.

"Since we're extracting the essence of the medicinal ingredients and removing impurities, we need to melt the medicines. And this pill furnace isn't an ordinary iron furnace; it's a treasure with unique properties.

"Moreover, it's a pill furnace I specifically made for refining pills."

Suddenly, Su Lingxiu understood. She was refining pills, not boiling medicinal pills.

How could she have overlooked the fact that the pill furnace was a treasure and not an ordinary iron furnace?

Coming back to her senses, she noticed that the pill furnace had heated up, and a scorching aura surrounded it. It seemed to be ready.

"The first step in refining Qi and Blood Pills is to add a piece of Nine-Leaf Primal Grass and refine it..."

Following the pill-refining method she had comprehended, Su Lingxiu threw a piece of Nine-Leaf Primal Grass into the pill furnace, covered it with the lid, and raised her tender white hand, preparing to pat the furnace and vibrate it to refine the medicine.

"Second Senior Brother, use your qi and blood to vibrate the pill furnace gently and slowly. Don't be too forceful..."

Seeing Meng Chong squatting beside her, she instructed him.

The first senior brother was at the Innate Realm, and his innate true qi was too strong for her to control, so she turned to Meng Chong for help.

"Alright!"

Meng Chong was excited and raised his hand, covering it with a layer of lustrous golden light as he channeled his qi and blood. He gently patted the pill furnace.

Bang!

A dull sound echoed, and the pill furnace trembled slightly.

Su Lingxiu sensed the tremors in the pill furnace and carefully perceived the changes occurring within it. "Second Senior Brother, increase the qi and blood slightly.

"Good!"

Bang!

Meng Chong struck the pill furnace with another palm.

Su Lingxiu narrowed her eyes and extended her tender white hand, caressing the pill furnace gently. She seemed to sense the changes within, as if she could perceive the transformation of the medicinal ingredients inside.

"Ease up on the qi and blood a little."

Su Lingxiu continued to guide him.

Meng Chong struck the pill furnace with another palm, adjusting the force according to her instructions.

From time to time, Su Lingxiu would touch the pill furnace, adjusting the force and rhythm of the pats according to her intuition, creating a certain pattern.

"That's it!"

After patting the furnace nine times, Su Lingxiu sensed that the Nine-Leaf Primal Grass inside had likely melted.

"Senior Brother, when I open the lid, seal the mouth of the furnace to prevent the medicinal essence from evaporating."

"No problem!"

Xu Yan nodded eagerly.

Su Lingxiu opened the lid of the pill furnace, and a stream of true qi sealed the mouth of the furnace. She then added the second ingredient, a piece of blood-red medicine made from tiger blood.

"It's too troublesome to open the lid each time. Let's add the rest of the ingredients together. This first attempt at pill refining is more about gaining experience anyway."

Su Lingxiu thought to herself.

She added the remaining ingredients from the pill formula into the pill furnace and closed the lid.

She placed three more Divine Fire Stones into the pill stove to intensify the flames.

This time, Su Lingxiu didn't ask Meng Chong to pat the pill furnace. Instead, she closed her eyes slightly, carefully sensing the pill furnace. Her tender white hands occasionally patted and vibrated it, adjusting the force with each strike.

Su Lingxiu shook her head. "Pill refining cannot be done through the hands of others. If Senior Brother isn't around, how can I refine pills by myself? This heat won't hurt me."

Meng Chong nodded, agreeing with Su Lingxiu's reasoning.

In the estate, everyone except for Li Xuan gathered together to watch Su Lingxiu's pill refining process.

Li Xuan, too, was itching to join them. But as their master, how could he simply go and join in the fun? That wouldn't befit his status as a strict and lofty master.

"How's the pill refining going?" Li Xuan asked, sensing Su Lingxiu's actions. He was curious about the progress.

"Our third junior sister should be able to refine the pills, right? If this batch fails, she can always try again and summarize her experiences. It shouldn't be too difficult after that." Xu Yan said.

Everything is difficult in the beginning. Once she succeeds in refining pills and understands the technique, it will be like opening a door to the world of pill refining. The core of the Dan Yi martial arts path, pill refining, will then be unveiled.

Su Lingxiu gently patted the pill furnace and suddenly said, "Make the fire a little smaller!"

"No problem," Meng Chong replied. He took out two Divine Fire Stones from the pill stove and pressed them into the soil to extinguish them, causing the flames to immediately decrease in size.

"Make the fire even smaller!" Su Lingxiu instructed further.

Meng Chong took out another Divine Fire Stone, reducing the flames further.

This was the advantage of using Divine Fire Stones as fuel for pill refining. If they wanted the flames to be stronger, they could add more Divine Fire Stones, and if they wanted the flames to be smaller, they could simply take some out.

"Extinguish the fire!" Su Lingxiu ordered, her face flushed.

The pill refining had reached its climax!

As the fire in the pill stove went out, everyone held their breath and stared at the pill furnace.

Su Lingxiu continued to gently pat the pill furnace, and the vibrations within it became stronger and stronger. A faint rolling sound could be heard from within.

Dan pills!

Could it be that the pill refining was successful? Su Lingxiu's forehead was covered in sweat as she reached the critical moment of pill refining.

Condensing the pills!

Since she was not yet a Qi and Blood Realm warrior, she couldn't use her qi and blood to refine the pills. Instead, she had to rely on sensing the vibrations of the pill furnace and her own intuition.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the air hole of the pill furnace opened with one of Su Lingxiu's pats, and a burst of hot air escaped.

Removing the impurities from the pills!

Su Lingxiu was thrilled. The pill furnace she had created was perfect!

She quickly patted the pill furnace a few more times.

Bang!

The pill furnace landed back on the pill stove.

"Pill refining complete!" Su Lingxiu said, her small hands slightly red from the heat.

"Quick, quick, open it and take a look!" Xu Yan rubbed his hands together, full of anticipation.

If the pill refining was successful, it would mean that their cultivation would have an auxiliary aid, making it easier for them to improve. With the help of the pills, his parents and family members would also be able to quickly enhance their strength.

"Okay!"

Su Lingxiu tapped the lid of the pill furnace, and with a bang, the lid popped open. She tapped the furnace again, tilting it downward, and three pills fell out.

Meng Chong reached out and caught them in his hand.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the pills in Meng Chong's palm.

The three pills were a bit charred and not very round, instead resembling three small lumps. They lay quietly in his palm.

"It failed!" Su Lingxiu said dejectedly.

"Junior sister, it's already impressive that you were able to form pills on your first try. Just refine a few more batches, summarize your techniques and experiences, and I'm sure you'll succeed soon," Xu Yan consoled.

"That's right, it's normal for the first attempt at pill refining to fail," Meng Chong nodded in agreement.

Su Lingxiu picked up one of the pills. Although the refining had failed, it wasn't a complete failure. These pills still had some effectiveness.

The medicinal ingredients for pill refining were not cheap, so they couldn't afford to waste them.

She handed the three lumpy pills to Shi Er and said, "Shi Er, you've been stuck at a bottleneck in your cultivation. Take these three pills and eat them. They might help you break through!"

This was the reason why she had chosen to refine Qi and Blood Pills.

Even if the refining failed, as long as the pills weren't completely useless, they could still be given to Shi Er to consume, preventing them from going to waste.

Shi Er was stunned as he looked at the pills in his hand. They were charred, uneven, and lumpy. He swallowed his saliva—could these even be eaten?

"These pills failed. Can they still be eaten?" Shi Er asked hesitantly.

"Failed pills are still pills. They won't be poisonous; they'll just have weaker effects. Don't waste them; eat them quickly so I can see how they work," Su Lingxiu urged.

"This... this..." Shi Er's face fell. Was this really safe to eat?

"Don't be so indecisive. These are pills, and even if they failed, they won't be poisonous. They're much better than those ordinary medicinal pills. Don't you trust your junior sister's words?" Meng Chong grabbed Shi Er's hand and stuffed the pills into his mouth.

Shi Er wanted to cry but had no tears. It was easy for them to say, but they weren't the ones eating these questionable pills! Su Lingxiu glared at him, her eyes wide.

Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Zhou Ying also stared intently, not blinking.

"How do you feel? Any effects?" Su Lingxiu asked.

"It feels a bit warm," Shi Er replied, feeling a warm sensation in his body after swallowing the pills.

"Quick, start cultivating. Maybe you can break through the bottleneck!" Su Lingxiu encouraged.

Shi Er's spirits lifted, and he said, "Okay!"

He hurriedly began to cultivate.

As he cultivated, he felt a surge of qi and blood emerging, and his body grew warm. The bottleneck that had been hindering him seemed to be loosening.

Shi Er was overjoyed. Even though the pills were not successfully refined, they still had an effect.

Could he be about to break through to the Qi and Blood Realm?

Li Xuan had been paying close attention, and at this moment, he felt a stir in his heart. "Shi Er is about to break through. Although the pills weren't completely successful, they still have some effect and are helping Shi Er break through his bottleneck."

Indeed, Shi Er's body began to resonate with the sound of rumbling tendons and bones, and strands of qi and blood emerged from his body.

The rumbling of his tendons and bones grew louder, and the qi and blood became more and more intense.

Su Lingxiu and the others stepped back a bit to give Shi Er some space.

Zhou Ying was stunned by the display. So this was the Qi and Blood Realm? It was incredibly powerful!

Just by breaking through to this realm, Shi Er's strength had far surpassed her own.

So this was what it meant to have qi and blood like a rampaging torrent?

"A third-rank warrior, no, he's even stronger than a typical third-rank warrior," Zhou Ying thought, her heart pounding.

At that moment, she felt a strong desire to switch to cultivating the martial path. In the frontier, she wouldn't be able to continue cultivating and breaking through.

Moreover, it was clear that the martial path taught by their master was even more powerful than the one practiced in the Inner Realm.

However, she was already a fourth-rank in the martial path, and her foundation was almost set. Switching paths now would be challenging.

Boom!

Shi Er's tendons and bones rumbled, and his qi and blood surged like a torrent, enveloping his entire body.

He was thrilled at this moment. He had finally entered the door of martial arts! Even though the pills weren't successfully refined, they still had such a powerful effect!

(End of Chapter)

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