Chapter 219: Refining Pills Once More, Astonishing the Golden Core

Chapter 219: Refining Pills Once More, Astonishing the Golden Core

Chu Ning emerged from his cave abode a full month later.

During this month, he had meticulously refined and perfected the pill formulas within the confines of his abode, finalizing the techniques for their concoction.

The transplanted spiritual herbs were also growing healthily.

After giving some instructions to Ling Xiaobai, he headed straight for the Pill Refining Pavilion.

With the theoretical research completed, all that remained was the practical experimentation.

As he had already prepared all the necessary spirit herbs, Chu Ning went directly to the pill refining chamber upon arriving at the pavilion.

By the time Ling Cang received the message and rushed over, Chu Ning had already opened the restrictions in the pill refining room.

Once again, the Golden Core Elder in charge of the pavilion had missed him.

However, Ling Cang didn't seem the least bit annoyed; instead, he left with a joyful expression on his face.

"A mind free of distractions—excellent!"

Chu Ning, of course, had no idea that several Golden Core Elders in the sect had been waiting to meet him for an entire month.

Upon entering the pill refining chamber, Chu Ning began his attempts at crafting the pills.

This time, he intended to experiment with three different pill formulas.

Two of them were spirit-type pills created based on ancient formulas, and the other was a body-refining pill that he had modified from a formula in the Ling Dan Ji Yao (Essentials of Spirit Pills).

Drawing from his previous experiences, he knew that failure was inevitable, so he approached each attempt as an opportunity to identify and address any issues.

After each failure, Chu Ning would spend half a day or even a full day researching and making improvements.

The actual pill refining process didn't take too long, but the refinement and improvement process afterward was time-consuming.

Thus, he spent another two months in the pill refining chamber.

Two months later, several jade bottles were neatly arranged in front of Chu Ning.

"Concentration Iron Spirit Pill, Earth-Treasure Spirit Pill, and Dragon Saliva Black Flood Dragon Pill," Chu Ning murmured, reciting the names of the three pills he had created. He had named each pill after two of its key ingredients.

"All of them are high-grade lower-tier pills, and in terms of quality, they are undoubtedly top-notch within their tier!"

He spoke softly, his voice tinged with unconcealed pride.

Even though these three pills had only reached the high-grade lower-tier level after being refined with his spirit, the fact that he had independently researched and created four intermediate upper-tier pills would still be astonishing to many pill refiners.

At this moment, Chu Ning put away one of the bottles containing the Earth-Treasure Spirit Pills.

This pill was crafted based on a formula from the Nineflower Sect, and it didn't utilize the Iron Spirit Flower.

While the spirit herbs used in its refinement were precious, they could all be found on Nineflower Mountain.

When refining this pill, Chu Ning hadn't added the powder from the Yin-Yang Mule Deer's antlers, yet it had still reached the intermediate upper-tier level.

However, without the addition of the deer's antler powder, the pill's tier wasn't as high.

Chu Ning intended to find an opportunity to contribute this pill formula to the sect, both to accumulate contribution points for future pill refining and to fulfill his promise to Ling Cang.

As for the other pills, he had no plans to reveal them for the time being.

Moderation was key; he believed that presenting just the Earth-Treasure Spirit Pill would be enough to astonish everyone.

Claiming to have researched and created four intermediate upper-tier spirit pills within half a year might be a bit too sensational.

Additionally, the Iron Spirit Flower and the Flame-Twin Birthfruit were difficult to find, and the Nineflower Sect wouldn't be able to make use of them anyway.

"Now, it's time to test the effects of these pills I've refined," Chu Ning said, glancing at his cultivation proficiency before taking out a pill and beginning his cultivation.

[Yan Huo Shen Mu Gong (Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art, Xuan Tier Upper-Tier), Third Layer (3450/20000)]



[Jiu Yan Lian Ti Jue (Nine-Origin Body Refining Technique), First Volume, Undying Golden Body (445/10000)]



[Lian Shen Shu (Spirit Refining Technique), Fourth Layer (92/64000)]



Over the past four months, aside from spending ample time in his cave abode researching pill formulas and cultivating, Chu Ning had also dedicated some time each day to practicing the Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art and the Spirit Refining Technique, although his progress in these arts wasn't particularly fast.

After all, he hadn't set aside dedicated time to consume pills and focus solely on cultivation.

Of course, that issue wouldn't persist any longer.

After trying out the three different pills, Chu Ning continued cultivating for nearly another month.

Ten days later, he checked his cultivation proficiency and nodded in satisfaction.

[Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art (Xuan Tier Upper-Tier), Third Layer (3450/20000)]



[Nine-Origin Body Refining Technique, First Volume, Undying Golden Body (495/10000)]



[Spirit Refining Technique, Fourth Layer (192/64000)]



The Concentration Iron Spirit Pill and the Earth-Treasure Spirit Pill each increased his proficiency in the fourth layer of the Spirit Refining Technique by 50 points.

This wasn't entirely unexpected, as his spiritual power was now comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator.

A 50-point increase in proficiency from a single pill was already a delightful surprise.

However, even with his current spiritual power, it would still take him five full days of high-intensity cultivation to completely refine a single pill.

Under normal circumstances, it might take around ten days.

On average, that amounted to about a 5-point increase in proficiency per day.

Chu Ning was generally satisfied, as cultivation became increasingly challenging at higher levels.

It was only natural that he couldn't make breakthroughs as swiftly as he had in the past, taking only a few years to advance to a new realm.

As for the Dragon Saliva Black Flood Dragon Pill, it also increased his proficiency in the Undying Golden Body of the Nine-Origin Body Refining Technique by 50 points.

If Chu Ning cultivated normally, it would take him about ten days to refine this pill as well.

It could provide a proficiency increase of around 5 points per day, which was undoubtedly pleasing to him.

Before this, he had struggled to increase his proficiency in the Undying Golden Body by even a single point with daily cultivation.

Of course, the most crucial aspect of cultivating this technique was overcoming the bottlenecks that would inevitably arise later on.

That, however, was a problem for another day, and he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Additionally, Chu Ning had discovered that different pills, despite being consumed during the same cultivation session, didn't seem to conflict or interfere with each other due to their distinct effects.

Before he could even leave the Pill Refining Pavilion, a figure appeared before him.

"Elder!"

To his surprise, it was Ling Cang, and Chu Ning immediately cupped his fists in greeting.

"You're here too?"

"Here?" Ling Cang shook his head and smiled. "I've been keeping an eye on your movements and have been waiting for you for over two months now."

Chu Ning was stunned by his words.

"Waiting for me? For over two months?"

Ling Cang didn't directly answer Chu Ning's question. Instead, he asked curiously, "Have you been in the pill refining chamber refining pills for the past two months? What kind of pills are you making that takes so long?"

Chu Ning didn't evade the question. "Not entirely. I've mostly been researching new pill formulas."

"Oh? New pill formulas?" Ling Cang's eyes widened in surprise at his words, but he didn't press further. Instead, he said, "Let's go. Follow me to the Jiu Xiao Peak."

As he spoke, Ling Cang started walking towards the exit.

"Jiu Xiao Peak?"

Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat when he heard that Ling Cang was taking him to the foremost peak of Jiuhua Mountain.

He had been in the Jiuhua Sect for over a year and knew that Jiu Xiao Peak was the dwelling place of the two most powerful cultivators in the sect.

However, Ling Cang didn't seem inclined to explain further.

Chu Ning hesitated for a moment, then followed him out of the Pill Refining Pavilion and flew towards Jiu Xiao Peak.

Upon arriving at Jiu Xiao Peak, they passed through a dense white mist filled with rich spiritual energy and arrived at a small pavilion that wasn't particularly tall.

Ling Cang didn't pause for a moment and led Chu Ning inside.

They entered a modest-sized hall.

Chu Ning's eyes fell on the figures surrounding a round table, and he immediately cupped his fists and greeted them. "Disciple Chu Ning, greetings to all the elders..."

As he spoke, Chu Ning's gaze landed on the middle-aged cultivator sitting in the master's seat, who looked rather ordinary.

He recognized the others, but who was this man?

Just as this thought crossed Chu Ning's mind, the middle-aged cultivator spoke up.

"You are Chu Ning?"

Ling Cang's voice joined in.

"Ling Cang, greet the Sect Master."

Hearing this, Chu Ning's heart clenched.

Yu Changge, the Sect Master of the Jiuhua Sect, was a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Although the Jiuhua Sect's Nascent Soul ancestor was nearing the end of his lifespan, it seemed unlikely that he would live long enough to see the emergence of the next Nascent Soul cultivator in the sect.

However, this was only because of his advanced age.

Yu Changge was widely acknowledged as one of the most promising Golden Core cultivators in the Yunxiao Alliance, with a high chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage within the next three hundred years.

This fact alone was enough to command respect from countless cultivators.

These thoughts flashed through Chu Ning's mind, and he respectfully said, "Disciple Chu Ning, greetings to the Sect Master!"

After the greeting, Chu Ning slightly raised his head and glanced at Yu Changge.

Based on the information he had gathered during his half-year stay in Jiuhua City, this Sect Master Yu had a good reputation in the Yunxiao Mountains.

Rumor had it that many cultivators were deeply loyal to him.

However, Chu Ning never expected him to appear so unassuming.

As Chu Ning pondered this, Yu Changge's next words made his heart sink, and a chill ran down his spine.

"Chu Ning, it's been about two years since you came to Jiuhua Mountain from the East Sacred Continent, and over a year since you joined our Jiuhua Sect. How are you adapting?"

"I..."

Chu Ning's gaze rose to meet the eyes of the five Golden Core cultivators before him.

As his heart sank, his hand instinctively reached for his storage bag.

Seeing this, Yu Changge burst into laughter.

He turned to the elders and said, "Look, this young man is thinking of attacking us."

The elders' faces simultaneously broke into smiles.

Yu Changge continued to observe Chu Ning with keen interest.

"What do you think your chances of victory are against five Golden Core cultivators?"

A bitter smile appeared on Chu Ning's face as he replied, "None."

"But you had the idea, and if we were to make a move, you'd want someone to take the fall, right?"

Yu Changge glanced at Chu Ning and laughed again.

"It seems we've underestimated you. Your capabilities are far beyond what you've shown so far.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't even consider fighting against Golden Core cultivators.

However, don't worry; we don't plan to take action against you."

Yu Changge waved his hand dismissively.

"If we intended to harm you, we wouldn't be sitting here chatting with you.

I won't joke about this anymore. Elder Gong, why don't you talk to him?"

"Chu Ning, we called you here with no ill intentions," Elder Gong Yuquan said, nodding.

"Back then, you displayed an extraordinary talent for pill refining in the Pill Refining Pavilion.

Afterwards, Ling Cang and I suspected that 'Xiao Danshi' had an incredibly heaven-defying talent.

Furthermore, Ling Cang carefully recalled and studied your pill refining techniques.

He discovered that the fire control technique you used during pill refining resembled the descriptions of pill refining techniques from the East Sacred Continent recorded by our sect."

Elder Gong continued, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Chu Ning, "Then, when we investigated, we found out that during those two days, an outsider had inquired about Xiao Danshi's residence.

After that, this cultivator disappeared, and Xiao Danshi refined new pills, including... the Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Hearing this, Chu Ning sighed inwardly.

He realized that he had been too quick to assume things. The Jiuhua Sect had stood firm in the Jiuhua Mountains for thousands of years, and the surrounding area was well within their sphere of influence. Even if he thought he had acted discreetly,

The Jiuhua Sect had appointed him as the head of the Pill Refining Pavilion; how could they not investigate him?

Sure enough, Ling Cang immediately took over the conversation and said, "Chu Ning, my brother, the Jiuhua Sect's Pill Refining Pavilion is not as prosperous as it used to be, but after all, it has been passed down for thousands of years.

Back then, I was so excited to see that you could enter the state of unity with heaven and man while refining pills.

And at that time, it was indeed a favorable situation, and I wanted the Pill Refining Pavilion's pill masters to rise again from their previous weakness.

So I couldn't help but appoint you as the chief executive of the Pill Refining Pavilion.

Afterwards, I still couldn't help but discuss it with Elder Gong. I think you can understand, right?"

"I understand," Chu Ning replied, and then remained silent for a few breaths before raising his head to look at Yu Changge.

"I don't know what the sect plans to do with me now?"

"Deal with you? Why would we deal with you?" Yu Changge laughed.

"Of course, everything will remain the same. Our Jiuhua Sect is fortunate to have such a talented pill refiner; we would be seeking it if we didn't have it!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning paused slightly.

At this moment, Ling Cang smiled and said, "Chu Ning, you probably don't know, but I originally wanted to keep this from you, but the Sect Master said to tell you directly."

As he spoke, Ling Cang told Chu Ning in detail about the discussion they had a few days ago.

After hearing this, Chu Ning's eyes flashed with a strange light before returning to normal.

His gaze fell on the unassuming Yu Changge in the middle, and he fell into deep thought.

Yu Changge met Chu Ning's gaze, his eyes calm, and he slowly opened his mouth:

"Chu Ning, if you have any concerns, just say it. If there's anything difficult to say, you can tell us frankly.

Although there are many powerful cultivators on the East Sacred Continent, they can't reach us here in the Western Alliance.

I can't speak for others, but when it comes to protecting our disciples, I believe that no other sect in the Western Alliance can surpass the Jiuhua Sect."

As Yu Changge spoke, a gleam flashed in his eyes.

Chu Ning replied, "As for that, I'm not worried. I was originally a wandering cultivator on the East Sacred Continent, and by chance, I obtained the pill refining techniques of an ancient sect.

Later, I accidentally offended a Golden Core cultivator and was chased, which is how I ended up in the Western Alliance.

Although that Golden Core cultivator belongs to a powerful force, it's unlikely that they would go to war over a nameless person like me."

Chu Ning paused slightly and then continued, "Since the Sect Master and elders are treating me with sincerity, I will naturally not be ungrateful.

From now on, I will devote myself to the study of pill refining and cultivation, and I hope to contribute to the prosperity of the sect."

"Good!" Yu Changge was delighted to hear this and stood up.

"Chu Ning, I know you may not feel at ease right now, but time will prove our sincerity.

The longer you stay, the more you will understand that I, Yu Changge, am not pretending."

Chu Ning sighed, "Sect Master's frankness truly astonishes me."

At this moment, Chu Ning understood to some extent why Yu Changge had such a good reputation.

Yu Changge's straightforward and open approach was indeed very likable.

And the reason why the belief in the revival of the Jiuhua Sect was so strong might also have something to do with the Sect Master's personality and behavior.

Hearing Chu Ning's words, Yu Changge smiled without replying and instead asked, "Then, Chu Ning, do you have any other requests for staying in the Jiuhua Sect?"

Chu Ning thought for a moment and said, "What I want most is to cultivate in peace, and I hope the sect can provide me with the necessary resources."

He paused slightly and added, "In the later stages, I may also need to choose a higher-level cultivation technique."

"No problem. You can choose any cultivation technique within the sect."

Yu Changge readily agreed and added, "We old fellows have also obtained some other cultivation techniques over the years.

If you have any specific requirements, Chu Ning, you can tell us, and you might be surprised."

Although he knew that Yu Changge was just echoing his previous promise to eliminate any of his worries, Chu Ning couldn't help but feel grateful.

Compared to Master Xin Wuiai of the Qingxi Sect, who had nominally accepted him as a disciple and promised to cultivate him but had actually placed many restrictions on him, Yu Changge's style was indeed much more generous.

"It's time for me to show my sincerity," Chu Ning thought to himself.

With his personality, he naturally wouldn't completely open up just because of this one conversation.

But based on what he had seen and heard in the sect over the past year, at least at this moment, Chu Ning believed in their words.

As for the future, as Yu Changge said, time would tell.

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning took out a small bottle and a jade slip from his storage bag and handed them to Ling Cang.

"Elder, this pill is a spiritual pill that I have researched based on the sect's ancient pill formula.

It's called the Earth-Treasure Spirit Pill, and all the ingredients used are currently available spiritual herbs."

Upon hearing this, Ling Cang immediately took it and asked with great interest, "Oh? Is this the new pill formula you mentioned?"

As he asked, Ling Cang opened the bottle.

In the next moment, the Golden Core Elder of the Jiuhua Sect widened his eyes in surprise.

"Intermediate upper-tier pill!"

As he spoke, Ling Cang examined the pill carefully, and after confirming that he had not misidentified it, he looked at Chu Ning in astonishment.

"You actually researched and created an intermediate upper-tier spirit pill, and it's a spirit-enhancing pill at that?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end