Immortality Begins With The Alchemical Master Chapter 168: Mountain Collapse Technique, Refining the Path to the Netherworld Pill - Novel Cool

Chapter 168: Mountain Collapse Technique, Refining the Path to the Netherworld Pill

Chapter 168: Mountain Collapse Technique, Refining the Path to the Netherworld Pill

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three days had passed in a hurry.

After finishing the afternoon's Jade Marrow Pill refinement, Luo Chen did not go to the wasteland below Radiant Leaf Mountain to practice techniques.

Instead, he stayed in the Alchemy Hall, observing Mili refining Fasting Powder.

With a large supply of raw materials, Mili's Fasting Powder refinement skills had reached a level of mastery.

Out of ten attempts, she could successfully refine two to three batches.

If this were in the system, it would definitely be considered a perfect level of proficiency.

Luo Chen was very satisfied with Mili's progress.

The profit margin for Fasting Powder was not high, and the market competition was particularly fierce.

The purpose of refining Fasting Powder was not to make money but to meet the internal needs of Luo Tianhui.

With the arrival of winter, the activities of cultivators were greatly affected.

Although the Lianyun Business Alliance took advantage of the situation and occupied the market that used to belong to Spirit Source Hall, they transported a large amount of Spirit Rice from other places to sell.

However, as of now, it was still insufficient to meet the needs of the remaining tens of thousands of independent cultivators in Great River Workshop.

Many cultivators in Luo Tianhui were also affected by this.

Under these circumstances, the fact that the Alchemy Hall could provide Fasting Powder at a low price was very popular among the cultivators.

Compared to the Five Grains, Fasting Powder, which contained a hint of spiritual energy and could satisfy one's hunger, was much better.

After Mili, it was Tang Quan's turn to refine the Wondrous Pill.

Mili, who had washed her hands, stood in the corner with a little boy, watching from the sidelines.

Luo Chen stood in front with his hands behind his back, his expression calm.

"How many times has it been?"

"I don't know, but there must have been over a hundred!"

"So many attempts, and not a single success? Is he really capable?"

"Who knows? After all, Uncle Tang Quan is Elder Zeng Wen, a highly respected and powerful figure."

"But with such waste of medicinal ingredients, doesn't the President feel heartbroken?"

The whispered discussions came from the apprentices and fire workers who were helping.

Although Tang Quan was already used to it, his mood sank at this moment.

This was the last batch of raw materials for the Wondrous Pill in the Alchemy Hall! If he failed again, President Luo Chen might not bother with this pill in the future.

Everyone knew that Luo Tianhui's focus was now entirely on the Jade Marrow Pill.

As Tang Quan thought about these things, he began to refine the Wondrous Pill.

Halfway through the process, a slightly burnt smell wafted out.

It was so familiar! Tang Quan's heart sank.

Just then, Luo Chen pulled him to the back.

"Watch carefully, this is how the Wondrous Pill is refined."

"I'll only demonstrate this one last time. If you still fail after this, it proves that you truly lack the talent for pill refinement."

After taking over from Tang Quan, Luo Chen infused a strand of spiritual energy into the Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace.

With the spiritual energy in the furnace, the medicinal power was prevented from further decomposition.

Separating and then merging! Luo Chen's ten fingers moved like dancing flowers, graceful and free.

The crowd watched in awe, feeling that there was a world of difference between Luo Chen and Tang Quan.

Luo Chen didn't pay attention to this; his mind was entirely focused on the pill furnace, occasionally injecting spiritual energy.

The fire workers by his side adjusted the fire's intensity according to his instructions.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a refreshing pill fragrance wafted out from the bronze furnace.

"Rise!"

The furnace lid floated up, and Luo Chen reached out to grab it.

In an instant, ten deep red pills with three cloud patterns fell into his hand.

The scorching temperature seemed non-existent.

Luo Chen casually tossed the pills, and Tang Quan hurriedly caught them.

"High-grade!"

Mili exclaimed from the side, "President Luo, your pill refinement skills have improved again!"

Looking at the pills, Tang Quan was deeply shocked.

It was no secret that President Luo could refine high-grade Wondrous Pills.

But just now, this batch had almost failed!

Under such adverse circumstances, he could still turn the situation around, calmly condensing the pills and even achieving a high-grade product! What an incredibly profound pill refinement technique!

After the initial shock, Tang Quan felt a deep sense of bitterness and defeat.

Did he truly lack the talent for pill refinement?

While Tang Quan was lost in thought, Luo Chen walked past him and headed outside.

As he passed by the door of the pill refinement room, Luo Chen paused.

He rubbed Qu Lingjun's little head and asked with a smile, "Have you fully understood the Hundred Herbs Atlas?"

Qu Lingjun raised his head, looking up at Luo Chen with admiration.

Excitedly, he nodded.

"I've memorized it all, and I've passed the understanding test. Mili can vouch for me!"

Luo Chen looked at Mili, who gently nodded in agreement.

"I've tested him several times. Initially, there were errors, but now he can mostly get them all correct."

"In terms of understanding the Hundred Herbs Atlas, he's among the top even among the apprentices."

Indeed, he seemed to be a smart and clever child! Unfortunately, his talent was slightly lacking.

Luo Chen glanced at Qu Lingjun, and his body emitted a faint spiritual energy fluctuation.

This was a sign of having just entered the first layer of Qi Refinement.

However, the spiritual energy fluctuation was extremely weak, almost non-existent.

As far as Luo Chen knew, Qu Lingjun had started cultivating a month ago.

As the only cultivator in the Qu family, Qu Hancheng would definitely not neglect him.

But after a month, was this all he could achieve? Luo Chen thought of Yuan Xiaoyue; it had only taken her a month to advance from the second to the third layer of Qi Refinement.

After some thought, Luo Chen took out a small bottle.

"Well done! You have perfectly completed the task I gave you, and this is your reward."

Qu Lingjun excitedly took the bottle but was stopped by Luo Chen when he tried to open it.

"Wait until you get home to open it!"

Qu Lingjun immediately understood the meaning behind Luo Chen's deep gaze.

He was a sensible child and quickly bowed to thank him.

Luo Chen didn't mind and turned to leave the pill refinement room, leaving the others to clean up the mess.

Qu Lingjun acted like a little adult, following the others to clean the pill furnace, repair the fire pit, and replace the fireproof bricks.

When he encountered the remaining medicinal residue, he carefully collected it.

Mili smiled gently and asked him, "These medicinal residues are usually buried in the wasteland because they have little use. Why are you collecting them?"

Qu Lingjun just stared with wide eyes, saying, "These are the residues from successful pill refinement. By comparing them with the residues from failed attempts, I might be able to find other differences between success and failure."

Outside the pill refinement room, Luo Chen was about to return to the stone house when he paused for a moment.

He also had a similar habit of learning from each failure and drawing lessons from it.

However, he seemed to have never paid attention to the medicinal residues left over from successful pill refinement.

It was like solving a math problem.

Many people, when they get the wrong answer, will go back and try to find where they went wrong.

But few people, after getting the correct answer, will go back and study the meaning of each step in the calculation process.

Because people are immersed in the joy of success.

Whether it's pill refinement or solving math problems.

"Although it's better than nothing, it has indeed opened up a new way of thinking for me.

Luo Chen chuckled lightly and then stopped paying attention.

After returning to the stone house, he activated the formation array and descended into the mine, heading towards the Changyin Mountain.

Both the Earth Mountain Technique and the Wave Technique had reached the perfect level.

In the cultivation world, this level of mastery was considered between minor and major accomplishments, and he could already wield them at will.

Today, he wanted to try combining the Fireball, Earth Mountain, and Wave Techniques into a second-stage technique, the Mountain Collapse!

...

"Lingjun, stop playing with mud and start cultivating."

"Grandpa, I'm not playing with mud!"

Qu Hancheng smiled indulgently, pulling the dirty Qu Lingjun away from the basin.

He glanced down and smelled a fragrant aroma mixed with the scent of burnt hair.

"Is this medicine residue?"

"No, this is not ordinary medicine residue!"

Qu Lingjun smiled triumphantly, "This is medicine residue that is close to failure and success!"

"Hmm?"

"Forget it, Grandpa, you're old and don't understand these things."

"Tsk, you stinky kid, go and wash up."

While Qu Lingjun was washing up, Qu Hancheng gazed at the gradually darkening sky, his eyes looking towards the former Great River City.

Now, it had become a ghost city.

All of his descendants, his son and daughter-in-law, and his two grandchildren without spiritual roots, had died inside.

"Seek immortality, and go with peace of mind! I will definitely nurture Lingjun to become a powerful cultivator."

With determination, Qu Hancheng took out two jade bottles from his storage bag.

The first was a low-grade Jade Core Pill, which he had purchased and stockpiled at an internal price during his time in the Po Shan Gang.

It was very suitable for Qu Lingjun's current cultivation level.

The second was a Qi Nourishing Pill, which he had recently purchased at a high price from the southern black market in the outer city.

This was produced by the Medicine King Sect, with a gentle effect and no side effects.

"Taking too many low-grade Jade Core Pills can lead to the side effect of Dantian Jade Transformation."

"Logically, Lingjun should take the Qi Nourishing Pill, but I..."

Qu Hancheng thought about his limited lifespan and the severe injury he had suffered in the past, realizing he didn't have many good years left.

Even as a fire worker in the Alchemy Hall, despite the president offering him better treatment several times, the spirit stones he earned in a month were barely enough to reach the late-stage Qi Condensation level.

"Qi Nourishing Pills are getting more and more expensive, and my spirit stones can't buy much."

"Let's keep these few bottles for now. When Lingjun reaches the middle stage of Qi Condensation, stop using the Jade Core Pills and switch to the Qi Nourishing Pills!"

After making his decision, Qu Hancheng carefully put away the bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills.

When Qu Lingjun finished washing up and ran out naked, Qu Hancheng smiled and scolded him to put on his clothes before cultivating.

Unexpectedly, Qu Lingjun stood on the bed, shaking his little bird, and loudly stated his reasons:

"No!"

"I heard the president say the other day that getting close to nature and experiencing the Great Dao is the foundation of cultivation."

"Wearing clothes during cultivation will hinder my absorption of external spiritual energy."

Qu Hancheng was stunned. Was there such a saying? It was just a layer of close-fitting clothing.

But when he remembered that Luo Chen had said it, he couldn't help but half-believe and half-doubt, and so he believed it for the time being.

"Alright, it's up to you. This is the pill you need for today's cultivation. Take one before you start cultivating."

As he spoke, the old man lit a fire basin in the corner of the room.

The charcoal fire brought a warm glow to the room.

He also opened the window a crack, allowing the cold air from outside to seep in.

He couldn't let his grandson freeze, nor could he risk any mishaps from the stuffy air inside.

It was indeed a challenge for this old man.

However, when he turned around, he found that Qu Lingjun wasn't cultivating right away.

Instead, he squatted on the bed, staring blankly at the pill in his hand.

"But there's nothing special about a low-grade Jade Core Pill..."

Qu Hancheng was stunned.

The pill in the child's hand clearly had three cloud patterns, which meant it wasn't a low-grade Jade Core Pill.

It was a high-grade Jade Core Pill!

He snatched the pill, his face tense, "Where did you get this?"

Qu Lingjun pouted, "The president rewarded it to me today, saying I memorized the Hundred Herbs Atlas well."

Given by the president!

He had initially worried that Qu Lingjun had stolen it, but upon hearing that Luo Chen had given it, the weight on his heart lifted.

The Qu family, whether in the Po Shan Gang or the Luo Tianhui, had always relied on being honest and dedicated, gradually rising above the numerous wanderers.

Stealing was a taboo!

It was something they must never get involved with.

After heaving a sigh of relief, Qu Hancheng finally realized what was happening.

"A high-grade Jade Core Pill!"

"Oh my!"

"Has the president's pill refining technique advanced to such a level? It's been such a short time, and he's already refined a high-grade Jade Core Pill."

"If Elder Mi were still alive, he would probably be overjoyed as well."

As he muttered to himself, Qu Lingjun tugged at him.

"Grandpa, you can't tell anyone about this!"

"Hmm?"

Qu Hancheng didn't understand why the president's pill-refining skills couldn't be shared with others.

Qu Lingjun pouted, imitating Luo Chen's demeanor from earlier, staring intently at his grandfather.

He said seriously, "You must not tell anyone, this is the president's order!"

Qu Hancheng opened his mouth, surprised by his grandson's demeanor and tone.

For a moment, he sensed a hint of Luo Chen's essence.

Since this was the case, he also put aside the thought of promoting the president's reputation.

Flattery shouldn't go as far as the horse's hoof.

However, this made him hesitate.

Should he let his grandson use the low-grade or high-grade Jade Core Pill?

"The high-grade one!"

"Since the president rewarded a bottle, he must have considered Lingjun's cultivation level."

"Moreover, he seems to like this child. If Lingjun's cultivation level improves, he can help with tasks and might even be promoted."

"I'll keep these low-grade Jade Core Pills for myself. After all, I haven't taken many pills in my life."

Finding a reason to enjoy the pills himself, Qu Hancheng urged his grandson to start cultivating.

He stood at the door, letting the indoor air circulate for Qu Lingjun, ensuring that the spiritual energy wouldn't be divided.

Facing the biting cold wind, Qu Hancheng took out a tobacco pipe from his waist.

Skillfully using the Fireball Technique, he lit the tobacco pouch and took a puff.

He felt that the once-choking tobacco leaves now had a hint of sweetness.

...

A worried expression appeared on Luo Chen's face as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and took a small sip of Deficiency Supplement Pulse Liquid.

Lowering his head, he looked at the small mound not far away.

"Is this the power of a second-stage technique?"

"Damn it!"

"The Zhenlong Black Market wouldn't sell counterfeit goods, would they?"

Luo Chen cursed and muttered to himself, recalling the situation.

According to the secret manual, as long as the three techniques reached the minor accomplishment level, one could start cultivating the Mountain Collapse technique.

His Fireball Technique was already at the Great Perfection level, and both the Earth Mountain and Wave Techniques were at the perfect level, surpassing the minor accomplishment level.

But, the three techniques couldn't be combined!

"Where did it go wrong?"

The fundamental conditions were all met, yet it still failed. Why?

Luo Chen didn't doubt his magical talent.

Even compared to Foundation Establishment Stage and Golden Core Stage cultivators, his talent for pill refinement was genuine.

Out of all the techniques he had learned, not a single one was acquired through the System's beginner level.

He had relied solely on his own efforts in his solitary cultivation.

As he pondered, Luo Chen looked at the small mound of dirt.

This was the effect of the Earth Mountain Technique.

If he had exerted his full strength, it should have been at least several dozen meters high.

But when he released it just now, his spiritual energy became chaotic, and there was a momentary burst of power.

Not only did the technique fail, but it also caused slight damage to his meridians.

Fortunately, he had the Deficiency Supplement Pulse Liquid from High Tingyuan's inheritance, or else today would have been a real setback.

"Where's the water?"

"I also activated the Wave Technique, but I didn't see a single drop of water, nor did I sense any water-based spiritual energy."

"It can't be that I haven't mastered the Earth Mountain Technique and Wave Technique yet!"

In his confusion, Luo Chen suddenly realized something.

Perhaps it wasn't that he hadn't mastered these two prerequisite techniques.

Instead, his proficiency in the Fireball Technique was too high.

The fully mastered Fireball Technique, when pushed to its limits, was almost comparable to a second-stage Fire Liye Technique.

The combination of the three techniques required balance before unleashing their power.

Without achieving balance first, how could there be an explosion?

The result was an early detonation.

And when it detonated early, the caster was the one who got hurt!

"So, I need to improve my proficiency in the two prerequisite techniques."

"Or perhaps, I should control the input of spiritual energy into the Fireball Technique?"

The former required time and effort, at least measured in months.

The latter, however, was easier to handle.

In the past few months, he had been optimizing the Fireball Technique.

The fully mastered Spirit Eye Technique had greatly enhanced his abilities.

Even now, the optimization of the Fireball Technique had reached an advanced level.

If he combined it again to form the Liye Technique, its power would be three times greater than before.

Given enough time and by draining all his spiritual energy, he could definitely unleash a dazzling strike.

If it was just about controlling the input of spiritual energy, that wasn't a difficult problem.

Luo Chen was about to continue practicing his techniques when his eyes narrowed slightly.

In the night, a powerful old wolf was climbing up the mountain peak from a hundred miles away.

Then, a mournful and deep howl echoed through the ancient mountains and forests.

"Today is not a good day to continue practicing this technique."

"Never mind, since I've already found the general problem, I'll master this technique sooner or later."

Without hesitation, Luo Chen turned and left.

He unleashed the Carefree Wind Riding technique, and the howling wind concealed his figure with black clouds.

In an instant, Luo Chen disappeared from Changyin Mountain.

...

Upon returning to the Slanting Moon Valley, Luo Chen didn't immediately start cultivating.

Over the past few days, he had already processed the raw materials for the Path to the Netherworld Pill.

Ten portions of the main ingredients were stored in his storage bag.

"Oh well, protective cultivation methods are ultimately just for protection, cultivation is the foundation."

"Let's refine the Path to the Netherworld Pill first and increase my cultivation level!"

System, beginner level!

Without hesitation, ten achievement points were deducted from his panel.

And on the attribute panel, a new entry appeared.

【Path to the Netherworld Pill 1/100】

Based on his past experience, this additional "1" represented that Luo Chen had already succeeded once by default.

Therefore, it was evaluated as a beginner level.

Don't underestimate this "1".

Without this "1", no one would know how many failures one had to go through before this.

At least Luo Chen had experienced the frustration of not succeeding even once from Tang Quan.

Tang Quan had refined the Wondrous Pill more than a hundred times in an attempt to learn it.

At a cost of five spirit stones per attempt, he had already wasted five hundred low-grade spirit stones.

What did this mean? When Luo Chen first started with nothing, his entire net worth was only fifty spirit stones.

Five hundred spirit stones would require him to start from scratch and rise again ten times!

Even then, there was no sign of success.

Only after that one success could he record the most wonderful memory and draw more success experiences from it.

In a word, success begets success!

A fleeting thought crossed Luo Chen's mind as he released the Four Symbols Cauldron.

This was the most familiar magical tool he had, even surpassing the Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace, Xuan Yun Cauldron, and Divine Wood Cauldron.

"Old Mi, I miss you!"

He sighed, lit the fire himself, and then added the medicinal ingredients one by one.

"Zhanxin Grass, Bamboo Yellow..."

"Phantom Dark Grass, with Blue Tangerine Grass Juice in between..."

"Finally, Snow Fox Demon Blood, and then..." No, that's not right!"

In just an instant, Luo Chen snapped out of his daze.

And in that moment of daze, a pungent stench filled the air.

He rose into the air and looked down at the cauldron.

A mixture of white solid and liquid was flowing inside.

The stench came from this mixture.

Luo Chen's face darkened; he had failed!

It didn't even reach the stage of merging medicinal powers; it failed.

Not to mention the pill condensation step.

"Just the hallucinatory effect of stimulating the Snow Fox Demon Blood made me indulge for a moment."

"And in that moment, the pill refinement failed!"

"This is the only time in my years of pill refinement that I've experienced a backlash from the pill."

This situation was rare.

Or rather, it did exist!

But it usually only occurred in high-level pills.

For example, when refining high-level pills that use living creatures, one must face the backlash from the pill's ingredients.

Who would've thought that even a low-level pill like the Path to the Netherworld Pill would have this issue.

"Maybe I didn't suppress the hallucinatory ability of the Snow Fox Demon Blood in the modified pill formula, causing this."

"But now that I've entered the beginner level, it's too late to modify and optimize the pill formula."

"I need to find a way to prevent being affected by the pill's hallucinations during refinement."

When faced with a problem, Luo Chen didn't give up. He had experienced many failures and wasn't discouraged.

Without these failures, how could there be more successes?

However, in just this short day, he had experienced both technique and pill refinement failures, which left him mentally and physically exhausted.

"Maybe it's also because I've been too tired recently."

"It's a good time to rest since my meridians are slightly damaged."

"I won't cultivate today; I'll just take the Golden Essence Liquid and Clear Essence Liquid, and then go to sleep!"

Luo Chen understood the principle of 'excess leads to deficiency'.

He decisively chose to sleep.

Indeed, he slept soundly.

...

(End of Chapter)

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