Chapter 159: Perfection in the First Layer of the Blazing Divine Wood Art, Talent Refresh (Part 2)

Chapter 159: Perfection in the First Layer of the Blazing Divine Wood Art, Talent Refresh (Part 2)

He had been waiting for the Blazing Divine Wood Art to reach perfection in the first layer, anticipating a talent related to pill concoction.

And now, his conjecture had been proven correct.

However, what surprised Chu Ning was that he had expected the hidden talent to be similar to the analytical talent he had for talisman-making.

But he never imagined that it would be Refining Spirit! At this moment, Chu Ning's mind automatically acquired a set of techniques for refining spirits.

With this, he could finally begin his journey into pill concoction.

Over the past two years, Chu Ning had already familiarized himself with the basic pill concoction techniques he obtained from Peng Dajun.

He had memorized the formulas for the Azure Wood Primary Yang Pill and the Mysterious Spirit Treasure Pill.

He had even gone so far as to use Illusion Magic to disguise himself and travel to various islands to collect additional formulas, ensuring he had enough to practice with in the early stages.

If necessary, he could prepare a higher-quality pill furnace afterward.

With all the preliminary preparations in place and his spiritual body talent refreshed, all that was left was to wait for Cen Zikin to arrive and assist in setting up the array to draw out the earth fire.

Nine days later, according to her usual schedule, Cen Zikin should have appeared by now.

However, Chu Ning waited until evening, but she still didn't show up, leaving him perplexed and uncertain. He decided that if she didn't come the next day, he would go looking for her.

Early the next morning, just as Chu Ning finished his cultivation and the tending of his spirit plants and spirit fields, Cen Zikin, the number one fairy of the Thousand Lakes and Islands, arrived gracefully.

"I thought you would have come yesterday. Was there a delay at Cen Workshop?" Chu Ning asked as soon as he saw Cen Zikin, his words bringing a touch of warmth to her enchanting eyes.

"It wasn't the workshop, but some disputes among the elders in the family," Cen Zikin replied, her eyes losing some of their warmth as she spoke of the troublesome matters within her family.

However, her smile soon returned, and she said lightly, "I truly envy you for being able to live so carefree and relaxed here. To be honest, I'm quite envious of you right now."

"Then stay a few more days," Chu Ning suggested with a smile, already reaching for the tools to prepare some spiritual tea.

Cen Zikin's enchanting eyes fixed on Chu Ning, but she didn't respond to his suggestion. Instead, she reached up to remove her veil, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Then she took the tea preparation tools from Chu Ning.

"Come to think of it, I always thought that the spiritual tea from our Cen Workshop was among the best. But after drinking the tea you planted, I feel that our tea is rather ordinary. Your skill with spirit plants has indeed surprised me," Cen Zikin said, her eyes shining with curiosity.

The seeds for this spiritual tea had originally been given to him by her, and the variety was the same.

However, the first time she had tasted the tea he prepared, she noticed that its quality was noticeably better than the tea from her family, with a richer spiritual energy.

This improvement could only be attributed to Chu Ning's skill in cultivating the plants.

Chu Ning smiled at her words and said, "My skills are quite impressive, whether it's cultivation or something else. For example, I want to try pill concoction."

As he spoke, Chu Ning deliberately circulated his spiritual power, subtly releasing the aura of a cultivator who had reached the perfection of Qi Refining.

In fact, he had already released this aura when Cen Zikin first arrived, but she had been too focused on their conversation to notice.

"You've reached the perfection of Qi Refining?" Cen Zikin's eyes widened slightly as she noticed the aura he was exuding, her enchanting eyes sparkling with surprise.

Chu Ning nodded, "I broke through last month."

"In that case, congratulations, Fellow Daoist Chu!" Cen Zikin exclaimed with a giggle, her demeanor that of a playful young girl.

Only in front of Chu Ning would she reveal this side of herself, hidden from the rest of the Thousand Lakes and Islands.

Chu Ning smiled back and said, "I still have a long way to go to catch up to you, a Core Formation cultivator."

"Then you have to work harder in your cultivation, or how will you keep up with me?" Cen Zikin teased, tilting her head up slightly with a hint of pride.

However, she quickly turned her head away, leaving Chu Ning with only a glimpse of her delicate profile.

Chu Ning laughed and steered the conversation in a different direction. "I remember you mentioning that there's earth fire beneath this mountain range, and we just need to set up an array to draw it out. Are there any special items needed for the array? I want you to help me draw out the earth fire."

"Draw out the earth fire?" Cen Zikin's attention was immediately captured by Chu Ning's request.

She recalled their previous conversation and furrowed her brows slightly. "Now that you've reached the perfection of Qi Refining, why don't you focus on cultivating and striving for Foundation Establishment? Why divide your attention between talisman-making and pill concoction?"

"My cultivation technique is different from others," Chu Ning explained.

"To achieve Foundation Establishment, I need a special kind of pill that only I can refine."

Hearing this, Cen Zikin's brows knitted even tighter, and she looked at Chu Ning with a hint of displeasure. "Then why didn't you start learning pill concoction earlier? Such a unique pill must require a lot of time to master. Don't you think it's too late to start learning now?"

Chu Ning smiled at Cen Zikin's concern and asked, "Are you worried that I won't be able to achieve Foundation Establishment, or are you afraid that I'll be too late?"

Cen Zikin's furrowed brows relaxed at Chu Ning's words, and she gave a slight nod. "Whether or not you achieve Foundation Establishment has nothing to do with me. I'm just worried that you're too distracted to focus on talisman-making."

As she spoke, Cen Zikin's expression returned to its usual calm, her tone matter-of-fact.

However, Chu Ning thought he caught a fleeting look of uncertainty in her eyes.

After taking a delicate sip of tea, Chu Ning spoke up. "Rest assured, I've had prior experience with pill concoction. I just wanted to focus on cultivation these past two years without too many distractions. As it turns out, I have a natural talent for pill concoction, and it won't take me long to master it."

Hearing this, Cen Zikin looked at Chu Ning with a mixture of doubt and curiosity.

But when she saw the confident look on his face, she stood up and said, "Then let me see your pill concoction skills."

As she spoke, she took out a compass-like object and several array flags from her storage bag.

"Lead the way to the hidden spirit vein. I already have a good idea of where the earth fire is located within this mountain range. By combining it with the path of the spirit vein, we can pinpoint the most accurate location of the pure earth fire," Cen Zikin instructed.

Hearing this, Chu Ning stood up as well and led her to a stone chamber. They descended a stone staircase into the mountain's belly, where the spirit vein was located.

As Cen Zikin's enchanting eyes fell on Chu Ning, her expression became pensive.

"Didn't you call me here earlier to set up an array to draw out the earth fire because you were afraid I would discover this hidden spirit vein?"

Chu Ning didn't hide anything at this point and nodded.

"That was indeed my initial thought after you first mentioned it. I was afraid that the Cen family would claim it for themselves. But after my trip to Pinghu Island, I changed my mind. I didn't ask you to set up the array earlier simply because I didn't need to at the time."

Hearing Chu Ning's straightforward admission, Cen Zikin shot him a glance.

However, instead of getting angry, she began to cast her spells to examine the area.

After a while, as they stood in front of the newly set-up alchemy room, three stone chambers away from their living quarters, Chu Ning couldn't contain his eagerness.

Having a master array-setter help him out was indeed very convenient.

At this moment, in the center of the alchemy room, there was an alchemy furnace with a black hole beneath it, but no flames were visible.

A small array had been set up around the furnace, and Cen Zikin explained its usage to Chu Ning; it was quite simple.

Chu Ning waved his hand, and a burst of spiritual power rippled towards one corner of the array surrounding the alchemy furnace.

A moment later, a streak of crimson flame emerged from the black hole, dancing within the furnace.

Chu Ning observed the pure flame with a satisfied nod.

Then, his gaze shifted to the outer restrictions and the figure of Cen Zikin standing outside them.

He asked, "The array and restrictions here are well-set. Why is there an additional layer of protection when the stone chambers are already restricted?

"It's naturally to safeguard this cave abode," Cen Zikin replied, her enchanting eyes shining as she spoke. "I've heard that explosions often occur during alchemy and artifact refinement..."

Hearing Cen Zikin's words, Chu Ning glanced at her, seeing the playful smile on her charming face.

Without responding to her implication, Chu Ning reached into his storage bag and took out several spirit herbs one after another.

Seeing that Chu Ning was about to start alchemy, Cen Zikin asked curiously, "What pill are you planning to refine?"

"The Gathering Yuan Pill!" Chu Ning answered softly.

Upon hearing this, Cen Zikin was taken aback for a moment before asking, "The Gathering Yuan Pill? The one used by cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining?"

Chu Ning nodded, "Yes, I haven't practiced alchemy in a long time, so naturally, I have to start with the most basic pill."

Hearing this, Cen Zikin nodded slightly, acknowledging his words.

At this moment, as she watched Chu Ning take out the spirit herbs from his storage bag one by one, she remained silent.

Of course, she also understood that it was best not to disturb someone during the alchemy process.

In fact, many alchemists didn't allow others to observe them while refining pills.

Chu Ning arranged the spirit herbs in front of him and used the Cleansing Technique to remove any impurities from their surfaces.

Then, he cast a series of spells on the alchemy furnace, his movements fluid but not overly fast.

While his gestures and spells seemed reasonably proficient, this was his first practical attempt, and his casting speed could be improved.

Once the flame in the furnace reached the required level, Chu Ning began to add the spirit herbs according to the steps for refining the Gathering Yuan Pill.

He started the process of extraction and refinement.

At this point, even Cen Zikin, who was observing from outside, became unsure about Chu Ning's alchemy skills.

She had seen others refine pills before, but the way Chu Ning was handling the herbs didn't seem entirely natural for someone with experience.

Yet, his movements were too smooth for a beginner.

Chu Ning, however, paid no heed to Cen Zikin's thoughts.

After completing the extraction and refinement, Chu Ning frowned slightly as he sensed the state of the herbs inside the furnace.

"The purity of the extraction doesn't seem very good, probably only about 70%. Looks like alchemy isn't as easy as I thought."

Although he wasn't satisfied, Chu Ning continued with the next step.

At this stage, he needed to merge the extracted liquids.

This process went smoothly, and Chu Ning could sense that the liquids in the furnace had fully blended.

He continued to cast spells, dividing the merged liquid into nine equal portions without any deviation.

Now, he proceeded to the crucial step of pill condensation.

He cast spell after spell...

Everything seemed to be going well, but suddenly, Chu Ning paused and opened the furnace.

Inside, there were only nine lumps of pill residue.

His first attempt at alchemy had failed.

Cen Zikin, who had been watching from outside, was about to say something when Chu Ning opened his mouth, but she stopped herself.

Chu Ning cleared the residue and cleaned the furnace before starting his second attempt.

This time, during the extraction process, he intentionally slowed down and carefully sensed the state of the furnace.

After completing the extraction and refinement, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

But even so, the final pill condensation still failed.

"It seems that the fusion wasn't thorough enough during the melting process."

Chu Ning analyzed his experience, cleaned out the residue, and began his third attempt at pill concoction.

And when he opened the pill furnace for the third time, dumping out the pill dregs, a glint of uncertainty finally appeared in Cen Zikin's eyes.

Initially, she had only been curious and wanted to watch, but now, as she looked at Chu Ning, a hint of doubt clouded her gaze.

"Does this guy really know how to concoct pills? The Gathering Yuan Pill is supposed to be a very basic pill.

If he really knew how to concoct pills, how could he fail repeatedly like this?"

As she recalled how Chu Ning had told her earlier that he didn't know anything about pill concoction when she mentioned the presence of earth fire, Cen Zikin felt that Chu Ning must have lied to her about something.

If it weren't for the fact that Chu Ning always seemed so calm and confident, Cen Zikin would have questioned him right away.

But now, she simply watched from a distance.

A while later, as Chu Ning opened the pill furnace once more and dumped out the pill residue, Cen Zikin walked over.

"So, you really do know how to concoct pills. Hmm, wait a minute..."

As Cen Zikin took one of the pills from Chu Ning's hand, she sensed something amiss.

"There's no spiritual energy fluctuation in this pill at all."

"It's a waste pill!" Chu Ning explained at that moment.

He then tossed six of the seven pills aside, keeping only one.

"This one barely counts as a finished product, but the quality isn't high."

Chu Ning said as he put the pill into a jade bottle.

Cen Zikin looked at him and finally asked, "Have you really concocted pills before?"

"Of course!" Chu Ning nodded.

"I haven't concocted pills in a long time, so it's natural that I'd be a bit rusty. Don't worry, from now on, my success rate will increase rapidly!"

Cen Zikin thought for a moment and shook her head. "I don't believe it. Just now, when you were concocting pills, you seemed like someone who had never done it before.

And you only managed to condense one pill out of four attempts. How can I believe that your success rate will suddenly soar?"

Chu Ning laughed and said, "Then how about we make a bet? If I can quickly improve my success rate, you'll be responsible for helping me sell the Gathering Yuan Pills and the subsequent Spirit Gathering Pills.

At the same time, you'll have to provide me with more spirit herbs for practice."

Without hesitation, Cen Zikin readily agreed.

"Alright, just like with the talismans, I'll sell however many pills you give me."

Her Cen Workshop had been doing well in the talisman business over the past two years, and other businesses had also picked up.

Cen Zikin was confident that she could sell these pills.

Hearing this, Chu Ning immediately took out a large number of medicinal ingredients from his storage bag without another word and began his next attempt at concocting the Gathering Yuan Pill.

And so, Cen Zikin was amazed to discover that Chu Ning's previous claim about rapidly improving his success rate was not just empty talk.

In the next attempt, Chu Ning successfully concocted two Gathering Yuan Pills.

In the following attempt, he produced three pills.

And in the attempt after that, he managed to create four pills.

At this point, Chu Ning stopped for the day, as he had exhausted his spiritual power and divine sense, and needed to rest.

Cen Zikin had already agreed to stay for a few more days when Chu Ning had previously invited her, so she didn't leave.

The next day, she waited in the alchemy room and watched as Chu Ning continued his pill concoction.

And she witnessed his success rate soaring even further.

In the first three attempts that morning, Chu Ning successfully produced four Gathering Yuan Pills each time.

And in the fourth attempt, the number rose to five.

By the seventh attempt that day, Chu Ning was able to condense six pills.

After finishing the morning's concoction, Chu Ning took a break to meditate and restore his spiritual power and divine sense, then continued in the afternoon.

In the afternoon, he maintained a sixty percent success rate for each attempt.

Just when Cen Zikin thought that this was probably Chu Ning's limit, he surprised her once more in the final attempt of the day by producing seven pills.

He had put in nine pieces of medicinal ingredients, and only two turned out to be waste pills, while the remaining seven were all successfully condensed.

Moreover, Cen Zikin could clearly sense that the quality of the pills was steadily improving.

Even she, an outsider to the art of pill concoction, could perceive this improvement.

It was only then that Cen Zikin finally believed that Chu Ning truly knew how to concoct pills.

After all, it was unimaginable for someone who had never practiced pill concoction before to master the art so quickly and produce pills of such high quality and success rate.

Three days later, Cen Zikin left Chu Ning's abode, taking away several bottles of Gathering Yuan Pills.

She promised to return in ten days and bring more ingredients for the Gathering Yuan Pill, as well as for another type of pill called the Spirit Gathering Pill.

A month later, the ingredients she provided had progressed to those required for the Greenwood Prime Yang Pill and the Mysterious Spirit Treasure Pill.

And Chu Ning's pill concoction skills rapidly improved under this high-intensity practice.

He was preparing for the next step of concocting the Greenwood Prime Yang Pill and the Mysterious Spirit Treasure Pill.

Tomorrow's update will be around 9 pm~

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end