Chapter 106: Mastering the Fundamentals of Pill Concoction

Chapter 106: Mastering the Fundamentals of Pill Concoction

Outside the manor, in the mountains, Su Lingxuan was digging a hole to bury Kou Ruozhi.

"Kou Ruozhi, how dare you! I agreed to become the Heavenly Mother, but we had an agreement. You were supposed to provide me with the resources I needed, and in return, I would use my medical skills to treat the poor and ailing common folk.

"You used me to gain followers, spreading propaganda and rallying the people's support. How bold of you!"

Kou Ruozhi was panic-stricken as he watched the hole getting deeper. He hurriedly tried to explain, "Heavenly Mother, that was just a temporary measure! It was for the greater good of our sect. I didn't actually intend to use you to lure people; I was only deceiving Xu Yan. And how could I dare to take advantage of someone as powerful as you?"

Su Lingxuan scoffed, "Do you think I'll believe that? From the first moment I met you, I knew you were a scheming individual. If it weren't for the need to obtain more precious medicines and the fact that the Heavenly Mother Sect has its ears to the ground, why would I have agreed to become the Heavenly Mother?"

The reason she had agreed to take on the role was not only to have a place to stand but also because the sect had its fingers on the pulse of Qi and Wu. This allowed her to stay informed about the goings-on in those kingdoms.

The Heavenly Mother Sect provided her with various medicinal resources, fulfilling her every need. In return, she used her medical skills to treat the impoverished and sick, and the sect used her good deeds to spread their teachings and gain the support of the people.

As for revolting or causing unrest, Su Lingxuan didn't care about any of that. At the end of the day, she had come to the frontier to seek refuge.

Moreover, with the strength of the Heavenly Mother Sect, it was impossible for them to achieve anything significant in Qi or Wu. They couldn't even create a ripple, let alone a wave.

"Heavenly Mother, Xu Yan is truly a genius among geniuses. There is no one else in this world who can match your greatness. I was only thinking of what's best for you!" Kou Ruozhi's panic intensified.

Su Lingxuan let out a cold laugh. "And who gave you the right to decide what's best for me?"

The hole was now ready.

"Shi Er, throw him in!"

Without another word, Shi Er picked up Kou Ruozhi and tossed him into the hole.

Kou Ruozhi glared at Shi Er, cursing him for his brutality and for not even attempting to plead for mercy on his behalf.

Su Lingxuan began filling the hole with dirt at a rapid pace.

Kou Ruozhi's face turned pale with fear.

She was actually going to bury him alive! "Spare me, Heavenly Mother! Please spare me! I won't dare do it again. I was only deceiving Xu Yan; it wasn't true. You have to believe me..."

Su Lingxuan's speed in filling the hole was astonishing, and her skill seemed to suggest that she had done this many times before.

Shi Er's eyelids twitched as he watched, wondering just how many people she had buried to become so adept at this.

He recalled the rumors about Su Lingxuan persuading evildoers to change their ways, and he guessed that there must have been at least several dozen, if not a hundred, who had met this fate at her hands.

"Shi Er, please beg for mercy on my behalf!" Kou Ruozhi pleaded frantically.

Shi Er's heart softened, and he opened his mouth to speak, but a glare from Su Lingxuan silenced him. He quickly shut his mouth, deciding that it wasn't worth incurring her displeasure and risking his future supply of pills.

The dirt had already reached Kou Ruozhi's neck, and he was truly terrified now. His mind raced as he desperately tried to think of a way to save himself.

"Divine Fire Stones! Heavenly Mother, if I die, who will be in charge of mining the Divine Fire Stones? The old mine is almost depleted, and only I know the location of the new one!"

He blurted this out in a panic.

Su Lingxuan paused and looked at him. "You know of a new Divine Fire Stone mine?"

"Yes, yes! I stumbled upon it by accident, and it has even more stones than the previous one!" Kou Ruozhi nodded vigorously.

Su Lingxuan grabbed a shovel and struck him on the head with the handle. "From today onwards, your life belongs to me. You will be in charge of the Divine Fire Stones; do you understand?"

"I understand!" Kou Ruozhi nodded hastily.

Su Lingxuan took out a brown-red pill and threw it to Shi Er. "Feed this to him."

"Yes!" Shi Er nodded and, despite Kou Ruozhi's furious glares, forced his mouth open and shoved the pill inside, making sure he swallowed it.

"This is the Heart Melting Pill," she explained coldly. "It will activate once every six months. Without the antidote, it will slowly melt your heart, and you will die a painful death over the course of half a month.

"I won't go into detail about the agony you'll experience during that time."

Kou Ruozhi's face went pale.

"I am a martial artist and a pill concocting warrior, and I have many tricks up my sleeve," Su Lingxuan continued. "So, don't you dare try to deceive me. As long as you complete the tasks I assign you, we won't have any problems. Otherwise..." She trailed off, leaving the threat hanging in the air.

Su Lingxuan then turned and strode back toward the manor, shovel in hand.

"Heavenly Mother, please let me out!" Kou Ruozhi called out anxiously.

"Shi Er, remember to dig Kou Ruozhi out after twelve hours," Su Lingxuan instructed.

Upon returning to the manor, Su Lingxuan excitedly resumed her pill concocting endeavors.

Finally, the issue of acquiring Divine Fire Stones had been resolved, addressing the burning problem during pill concoction. Now, the only thing lacking was medicinal ingredients.

"It's a pity that there are no spiritual herbs in the frontier!" Su Lingxuan sighed.

Pills concocted using spiritual herbs would undoubtedly be incredibly effective, even for those at the Precelestial stage.

Before beginning her pill concoction, Su Lingxuan picked up a draft and carefully reviewed it, committing to memory the summary of her previous pill concocting attempts, as well as some new ideas that had come to mind.

Then, she lit the fire and began the pill concoction process.

Zhou Ying attended to her, and Shi Er watched with eager anticipation, waiting for the pills to be completed.

A few days passed.

After finishing her cultivation practice, Su Lingxuan dedicated herself entirely to pill concoction. Unfortunately, she still hadn't succeeded in refining the Qi and Blood Pill, but her understanding of the pill concocting process became increasingly comprehensive.

The failed pills were all fed to Shi Er, ensuring that none went to waste.

Shi Er was thrilled, feeling that his qi and blood were improving at a much faster rate.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong occasionally returned from their training on the hillside to observe Su Lingxuan's pill concoction attempts.

Several days went by without any more grandmasters showing up to cause trouble.

Zhou Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that their whereabouts hadn't been exposed.

On this particular day, Li Xuan watched Su Lingxuan as she cultivated, his thoughts drifting into a contemplative state once more.

"Something's not quite right. She's about to refine her bones into golden bones."

Su Lingxuan's cultivation speed was unexpected.

The manor's courtyard was no longer barren but now boasted various flowering trees, their blossoms filling the air with a delicate fragrance.

Su Lingxuan had planted them all.

"This girl... Could she have some kind of special body constitution?"

As he watched her practicing among the flowers, a thought suddenly occurred to Li Xuan.

"And this unique constitution just so happens to be perfectly suited for the cultivation of the Pill Concocting Martial Way, which is why her progress is so rapid."

Li Xuan felt that this explanation made a lot of sense.

"Learning medicine at the age of four and curing illnesses at six..."

Just thinking about Su Lingxuan's monstrous talent in medicine left him in awe.

After finishing her cultivation practice, Su Lingxuan resumed her pill concoction attempts.

"She's about to succeed in pill concoction. Her understanding of the art should be reaching a breakthrough soon."

Li Xuan waited with anticipation.

Three days later.

Full of confidence, Su Lingxuan began a new round of pill concoction, once again attempting to refine the Qi and Blood Pill.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong had returned to witness their junior disciple sister's pill concoction.

Finally, the last stage of pill concoction, the pill condensation stage, was upon her.

"This time, I will definitely succeed!"

Clenching her pink fists, Su Lingxuan was thrilled.

Bang! With a flick of her wrist, she opened the lid of the pill furnace, and three pills tumbled out.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong eagerly leaned in for a closer look. They saw a pitch-black pill, slightly uneven, resting on Su Lingxuan's delicate, pale palm. The other two pills were a brownish-red color, smooth and round, and emanated a faint, pleasant fragrance. Success!

"Congratulations, Junior Sister, on your successful pill concoction!" Xu Yan and Meng Chong exclaimed excitedly.

"Hehe, I finally did it!" Su Lingxuan jumped up, her face radiant with excitement, her cheeks flushed.

She casually tossed the failed pill to Shi Er and then, holding the other two pills, ran eagerly to her master.

In the instant that Su Lingxuan successfully refined the pill, Li Xuan, seated in his chair, saw a golden light appear.

He was immediately filled with excitement.

"Your disciple, Su Lingxuan, has comprehended the pill concocting techniques you fabricated and has successfully refined a pill. Your basic pill concocting technique has reached perfection."

In his mind, the pill concocting technique appeared.

However, this was just the basic technique! "This is just the fundamental level of pill concoction, which means there is still room for improvement."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Li Xuan. "My third disciple has only comprehended the preliminary levels of the Divine Pill Compendium and pill concocting techniques. She has merely scratched the surface, while I have obtained the complete version. If I were to impart the full Divine Pill Compendium and basic pill concocting technique to her..."

"Perhaps she could use this foundation to comprehend even higher levels of the Divine Pill Compendium and pill concocting techniques?"

"If this works, then I can repeatedly exploit this loophole in the golden finger!"

The more Li Xuan thought about it, the more he felt it was worth a try.

After all, pill concocting techniques and the Divine Pill Compendium were different from martial arts cultivation methods.

His disciples comprehended the martial arts he had mastered, and the resulting insights only affected their cultivation realm, as they already possessed the necessary techniques.

However, with pill concocting, Su Lingxuan had only grasped the basics, while he had obtained the complete and perfected techniques.

By teaching her, he could save her time in perfecting her pill concocting techniques and allow her to more quickly comprehend higher levels.

"It might just work!"

Li Xuan's heart raced with excitement. If this method proved successful, he could repeatedly exploit the loophole in the golden finger for pill concocting techniques, separate from the cultivation methods of the Danwu martial arts.

Su Lingxuan approached him excitedly, her eyes sparkling with joy. She couldn't hide her enthusiasm as she said, "Master, I've successfully refined the Qi and Blood Pill."

Li Xuan nodded approvingly as he looked at the two brownish-red pills resting on her delicate, pale palm. "Well done. It's commendable that you were able to comprehend the basic pill concocting technique in such a short time.

"From today onwards, you are truly my disciple."

Having gained her master's recognition and officially become his disciple, no longer at risk of expulsion, Su Lingxuan's heart, which had been heavy with worry, finally eased.

"Thank you, Master!"

"Now that you've comprehended the basic pill concocting technique, it's time I showed you my skills!"

Li Xuan smiled.

It was time once again to showcase his prowess as a master.

Su Lingxuan's eyes lit up at his words. Her master was going to refine pills! Xu Yan and Meng Chong were equally eager to witness this.

Their master was going to personally refine pills?

Li Xuan raised his hand, and the pill furnace flew over to him.

"Today, I will demonstrate the basics of pill concoction."

"Yes, Master!"

Su Lingxuan's bright eyes fixed on the pill furnace.

"Let's refine the Qi and Blood Pill."

As he spoke, Li Xuan reached out and grabbed the exact amount of ingredients needed for the Qi and Blood Pill.

He held the furnace in his left hand, and his true qi surged, resembling dancing flames.

Soon, the pill furnace grew scorching hot.

Placing the ingredients into the furnace, Li Xuan remained seated in his chair, not bothering to stand up.

The pill furnace hovered in mid-air, surrounded by his true qi, which swirled and spun rapidly. Thus began the pill concoction.

Su Lingxuan's face was filled with awe.

Was this the basic pill concocting technique? At that moment, she felt ashamed. She hadn't even comprehended the fundamentals, yet here her master was, effortlessly demonstrating his mastery.

As she watched him, she saw a graceful and unrestrained master at work, making pill concoction seem effortless.

Moreover, he remained seated throughout the process, exuding a casual and relaxed demeanor.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong were equally astounded. They had never imagined that the basic pill concocting technique could be so extraordinary.

If this was the power of the basic technique, they dared not imagine what more advanced techniques would be like.

Shi Er and Zhou Ying, their eyes wide, couldn't blink. The impact of what they were witnessing was indescribable.

Li Xuan noticed his disciples' reactions and felt a sense of pride. This was the power of a true master.

Bang! The lid of the pill furnace opened, and twelve pills flew out.

Li Xuan waved his hand, and the pills landed in his palm.

The pills were smooth and lustrous, and the pill fragrance was rich and lingering. Just by looking at them, one could tell that they were far superior to the pills Su Lingxuan had refined.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent the pill furnace back to the pill stove.

"Did you understand the process?"

He turned to Su Lingxuan and asked.

"I remember the movements, but I haven't yet mastered the martial arts, so I can't replicate what you did."

Su Lingxuan replied sheepishly.

"Don't just focus on imitating my movements. What I'm demonstrating is not just a set of techniques but the profound principles and essence of pill concoction. You must strive to understand the underlying meaning, not just the form."

Li Xuan emphasized, his tone serious.

Simply copying his actions without grasping the underlying principles would hinder her progress in pill concoction.

"Yes, Master, I understand!"

Su Lingxuan replied respectfully.

Li Xuan casually handed the Qi and Blood Pills to Xu Yan, who needed them for his family's cultivation.

As for Meng Chong, he was already close to perfecting his qi and blood, and he didn't rely on pills for assistance.

"I will impart to you the basic pill concocting technique and the foundational knowledge from the Divine Pill Compendium. Remember them well."

After showcasing his skills, Li Xuan began to teach Su Lingxuan the basic pill concocting technique and the foundational knowledge from the Divine Pill Compendium.

The divine fire stones needed for pill concoction were running low, so Shi Er went to urge Kou Ruozhi to procure more.

Zhou Ying tended to the estate's garden, watering the flowers that Su Lingxuan had planted.

Xu Yan took the pills and returned to East River County, while Meng Chong went to the hillside to continue his knife cultivation.

Seated in his chair, Li Xuan began imparting the knowledge of the Divine Pill Compendium and the basic pill concocting technique to Su Lingxuan.

The Divine Pill Compendium contained numerous pill formulas, along with clear annotations explaining the theoretical combinations of ingredients. This would provide Su Lingxuan with inspiration as she continued to explore the path of pill concoction.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end