https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-541-The-Nine-Zhang-Giant-Cauldron-Refining-a-Hundred-Pills/12942179/
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Chapter 542: Departure! The Obsidian Sea!
Chapter 542: Departure! The Obsidian Sea!
On Moon-invoking Island.
The young man in the moon-white Dao robe, his hand seals fluttering like swallows, channeled his magical power like a surging tide.
Under his complete control, the ingredients poured into the grand cauldron, countless as stars and flowers.
Such a massive task, without any assistance, was solely manipulated by him, and one could imagine the difficulty involved.
It was rumored that when the great masters of the Dao of Pills conducted such large-scale pill refinement, they often had to prepare for a long time.
And during the refinement process, various arrays, numerous lower-rank alchemists, and even other experts in specialized skills would assist.
For example, when Green Pill Valley refined the Incarnation Pill, they prepared five third-rank alchemists, thirty experienced second-rank alchemists, and even a Green Pill Fusion Array. Finally, under the leadership of a fourth-rank alchemist from Green Pill Valley, they proceeded with the refinement of the Incarnation Pill.
Now, Luo Chen was about to undertake such a feat alone, which seemed like a wild fantasy to the world.
Only Luo Chen himself knew that he had the necessary foundational skills.
Whether it was the complete mastery of various foundational pill techniques or the perfect refinement technique of the True Flame Pill, they were enough to support him in taking this step.
Especially the Primordial Cauldron, this treasure of the Dao of Pills, was his painstakingly nurtured Lifebound Treasure, and he controlled it effortlessly.
He could capture any changes within it at the first moment.
For these reasons, he took this step.
Enlarging the pill cauldron was also unavoidable.
For such large-scale pill refinement, those small cauldrons of one or two zhang were not sufficient.
However, by doing so, many things became harder to conceal.
Of course!
There was no need to conceal anything!
Here, he was the king!
If someone happened to glimpse a move or two, he didn't care.
Regarding teaching and imparting knowledge, Luo Chen had always been quite generous.
Whether it was during the humble beginnings of the Grand River Chamber of Commerce or the rise of the Tianlan Immortal City, he was never stingy with his own knowledge, often sharing the secrets of his techniques.
After all, others would have their own insights and innovations after learning from him.
He could then learn from them and use the proficiency function of the Attribute Panel to cultivate those skills to their peak.
In this give and take, he benefited the most.
The pill refinement on the island proceeded smoothly under Luo Chen's control.
The increasingly scorching temperature gradually radiated, forcing the surrounding waiting apothecaries to move away.
In this high temperature, even space seemed to distort.
Countless cultivators watched from afar as the young man in the sky moved with graceful movements, and their eyes showed a different light.
No longer was there only pure fear and dread.
Instead, there was an added hint of respect.
Those with great skills, no matter how cunning and treacherous they were, or how domineering their actions, would always earn a few extra points of respect from others.
However.
Some sharp-eyed individuals noticed in the distorted air that Luo Chen's expressions changed continuously.
Sometimes joyful, sometimes puzzled, sometimes hesitant, and sometimes surging forward, until later, each hand seal seemed to carry a heavy weight.
If it weren't for people thinking their eyes were playing tricks on them, they might even suspect that the Azure Sun Demon Lord was sweating.
There were always people discussing these details.
But regardless, as time passed, Luo Chen's pill refinement progressed at an undeniable pace.
One day, two days, three days...
Cultivators came and went by the lakeside, leaving and returning, dispersing and gathering.
Except for those truly interested in pill refinement, others naturally couldn't stay to watch all the time.
But such a long pill refinement process, the enormous consumption of magical power, and the heavy burden on the divine soul were beyond imagination.
It was for this reason that the Flying Swans Archipelago cultivators' respect for Luo Chen grew stronger.
Until this moment, they finally felt his strength without experiencing a battle.
It was a gentle display of profound cultivation!
Naked, yet dignified!
Finally, after half a month.
A long whistle rose from the Ten Mile Flat Lake, causing countless golden waves, and all eyes turned to one place.
In the sky, a young man in a white robe with a red face held a green-skinned gourd in one hand, while the other hand reached into the air. He shouted,
"A hundred pills are ready, right now."
"Out!"
The next moment, streams of light flew out of the Primordial Cauldron like meteors.
Each pill, as red as agate, shone brilliantly, and they seemed like meteorites flying back to the sky, heading towards the young man.
The man's fingers moved swiftly, like a celestial plucking stars and grasping the moon, putting each meteor into the green-skinned gourd.
One, two, three... at first glance, there seemed to be countless pills.
But cultivators' perception was sharp, and under Luo Chen's lack of concealment, Foundation Establishment cultivators quickly counted the number.
A total of four hundred and twenty-seven pills were formed! This number shocked everyone.
And each pill was of the upper-grade quality.
A rich pill fragrance filled the heavens and earth.
Even the spirit plants on the island underwent subtle changes under the dense pill fragrance.
Some water-attributed plants became listless and drooped.
While some fire-attributed plants stretched their branches and leaves, as if inhaling the fragrance.
By the lakeside, Foundation Establishment True Cultivators smelled the pill fragrance and looked at each other in disbelief!
Four hundred and twenty-seven upper-grade third-rank pills!
Not to mention their effects, but even at the normal market price in the Northern Sea Cultivation World, a bottle of ten lower-grade third-rank pills would cost at least three thousand spirit stones, and the price would double for medium-grade pills.
As for upper-grade pills...
Sorry, they were priceless! These pills usually only appeared in grand auctions, high-rank black markets, or high-rank cultivators' bartering transactions.
If a price had to be given, a bottle would be worth at least ten to twenty thousand lower-grade spirit stones!
If calculated this way, the Azure Sun Demon Lord's half-month of pill refinement, with a hundred portions of materials, cost three hundred thousand spirit stones. In the end, he refined over four hundred upper-grade pills, selling for fifty to eighty thousand spirit stones.
After deducting the cost, the Azure Sun Demon Lord earned twenty to fifty thousand spirit stones in half a month.
No, no! He had no costs, as the materials were all freely provided by various families.
In other words, he had made a pure profit!
After calculating this, everyone couldn't help but swallow their saliva, their eyes filled with greed.
However, when Luo Chen's gentle gaze swept over them, everyone seemed to have been drenched in an icy rain, and their greed dissipated.
What a joke, that was the Azure Sun Demon Lord!
Who would dare to have designs on him.
Nevertheless, they had finally witnessed the exorbitant profits of pills! Witnessed the pill concocting master's ability to amass wealth!
There was nothing more to say; after returning, they must cultivate their own pill concocting masters as much as possible.
Even if they couldn't reach the Azure Sun Demon Lord's level, what if they could achieve half of it?
Wouldn't they still make a fortune?
The crowd stood by the shore, reluctant to leave.
On Moon Invitation Island, the nine-zhang grand cauldron had already shrunk.
The figure of the Azure Sun Demon Lord had long since disappeared.
Thin wisps of white mist emerged from the island, gradually enveloping the Ten Mile Flat Lake, concealing the small island in the center.
...
Azure Sun Hall.
Luo Chen stepped forward with slightly unsteady footsteps, reaching the hall.
Before entering, a laugh came from a soul banner leaning against the side.
"Luo Chen, you must be drenched in sweat, right?"
This statement wasn't without reason.
To focus on pill concocting, Luo Chen's usual practice of cultivating his breath couldn't be maintained with his whole heart and mind.
That was why he appeared 'discomposed' in the eyes of many cultivators.
Luo Chen rolled his eyes and said confidently, "It's fine, everything is within my calculations!"
Han Zhan smiled but didn't expose him.
Luo Chen paused, his eyes seeming to see through the soul banner, catching a glimpse of Han Zhan's lingering soul within.
He hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided against speaking, stepping into the hall.
Due to this hesitation, Han Zhan also fell silent.
As Luo Chen entered the hall, Han Zhan whispered, "Congratulations!"
Luo Chen acknowledged with a sound of agreement, stating that he needed to rest well and not be disturbed by others, which Han Zhan noted.
This rest lasted for three days and three nights.
After waking up, Luo Chen rubbed his head, still feeling dizzy and swollen.
This was the aftermath of refining a hundred pills simultaneously.
To process so many medicinal ingredients at once and simultaneously control the fusion of numerous medicinal liquids into pills was an immense challenge for any pill concocting master's divine soul.
Even Luo Chen, confident in his divine soul's foundation, believed he was no less than any mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.
But even mid-stage Golden Core cultivators would find this challenge difficult to accomplish!
Luo Chen's success was largely due to his extensive and terrifying pill concocting experience.
In the sleeping hall, Luo Chen's face carried a hint of regret.
If the Passing Through Pill could still be effective, that would be great.
Unfortunately, there were no ifs.
After forming his core, he hadn't consumed any pills to enhance his divine soul's foundation.
The growth of the divine soul relied on the tempering of time, the elevation of cultivation realms, and the slight improvement from the Microcosm Primordial Technique; there was no other method.
This was why Luo Chen hesitated when he saw Han Zhan.
The Falling Cloud Sect excelled in puppetry and was proficient in soul refinement techniques! As far as Luo Chen knew, the Falling Cloud Sect's Three Proficiencies and Two Techniques were obtained by the founding ancestor from a secret realm, and with long-term practice, the divine soul could become increasingly powerful.
It was for this reason that Falling Cloud Sect cultivators could control numerous puppets with higher cultivation realms than themselves, achieving the feat of transcending realms in challenges.
If Luo Chen could learn the Three Proficiencies and Two Techniques from Han Zhan, he would undoubtedly be able to make up for his "shortcomings" in this aspect.
But obviously!
The inheritance of a sect was not something to be granted lightly.
After hesitating, he decided against asking.
To avoid rejection and unnecessary embarrassment for both parties.
With a sigh, Luo Chen adjusted his mood and took out the green-skinned gourd from his storage ring to calculate.
Four hundred and twenty-seven high-grade True Flame Pills!
This number was significantly different from what he had imagined.
According to the success rates at various proficiency levels, after reaching Peak, he could achieve a fifty percent success rate in refining high-grade pills.
With the assistance of his Lifebound Treasure, the success rate would definitely be even higher.
Instead of six or seven hundred, it should have been at least five hundred.
But the final result was only around four hundred...
After a moment of silence, Luo Chen came to a conclusion.
It was probably because it was his first time refining a hundred pills at once, and he wasn't yet familiar with the process. After all, handling so many medicinal ingredients simultaneously would inevitably lead to a flurry of activity, and being drenched in sweat was understandable.
With more practice, familiarity would come.
Luo Chen put away the green-skinned gourd.
He opened his mouth and spat out the Primordial Cauldron
Luo Chen carefully examined it.
Finally, he nodded in satisfaction.
As one of the three great pill cauldrons of Green Pill Valley, it could be nurtured through daily pill concocting.
With the fusion of a hundred pills, a massive amount of pill essence merged into the cauldron, and the fire element's power surged.
Even some unrefined mineral materials that hadn't been processed before began to thoroughly merge into the cauldron.
In half a month, it surpassed the usual half-year's worth of grinding work!
"If possible, if this continues, in a decade at most, the Primordial Cauldron might be nurtured to its utmost, shedding all impurities and reaching the pinnacle of high-grade magical artifacts."
"There wouldn't be any mention of supreme-grade magical artifacts. Otherwise, with the foundation of this magical artifact, it was born as a high-grade one, and after shedding all impurities, it could become supreme-grade!"
In his delight, Luo Chen put away the Primordial Cauldron.
Continue refining pills?
That was out of the question.
His divine soul couldn't take it, and his magical power needed time to recover.
He would rest for half a month first.
Of course, this half-month couldn't be wasted.
Before departure, many things needed to be prepared in advance, not just cultivation and pill reserves.
After freshening up, Luo Chen enjoyed a hearty meal served by Cheng Hairen. While his body digested the massive blood meal, he began reading books about the customs and culture of the Northern Sea Cultivation World.
Reading was a good habit he had maintained for many years.
Even in the unfamiliar Northern Sea, when conditions allowed, he didn't slack off.
Many things required practical experience to truly understand.
But there were also many things that could be learned by reading the books written by those who came before.
When encountering them in reality, he would be able to handle them calmly.
As the saying goes, broad knowledge and rich experience come not only from traveling ten thousand miles but also from reading ten thousand books, which is also a 'shortcut'.
After browsing through a book titled 'History of Jade Cold City', Luo Chen headed to the side hall.
"Senior, I'm here to study formation techniques again."
In a side hall filled with eerie black qi, a three-inch-tall miniature figure flew out.
Han Zhan was surprised as he looked at Luo Chen, "Have you completely mastered all those first-rank formation techniques?"
Luo Chen smiled and waved his hand casually.
Instantly, various basic materials flew out of his storage ring, and as he arranged them according to a specific trajectory, infusing them with magical power, rays of light illuminated the ground.
First-rank Convergence Fire Formation!
It wasn't particularly complex.
But for Luo Chen to set it up with such grace and ease, without a trace of hesitation, was indeed surprising.
After Han Zhan's initial surprise, he took a deep look at Luo Chen and then waved him over.
"Come in!"
"Although I'm not a top-tier formation master, I can easily handle first to third-rank formations, and I have a basic understanding of some fourth-rank formations."
"Your foundation is solid, and with your Golden Core stage cultivation, learning the basic formations of each rank shouldn't be difficult."
Han Zhan, the Supreme Elder of Falling Cloud Sect.
Aside from the Nascent Soul stage, he specialized in puppetry and supplemented his skills with formation techniques.
It was the combination of these two that led to the Two Extremes Five Phases Sword Formation that had once forced the Proud Howling Wolf Emperor into a dire situation.
Luo Chen's foundation in formation techniques came from Min Longyu, and later, he was also taught by Fu Jiusheng for a period.
Now, with Han Zhan as his companion, Luo Chen wouldn't let go of the opportunity to learn the formation techniques his companion mastered.
The Falling Cloud Sect's Three Proficiencies and Two Techniques were their sect's heritage, and he couldn't obtain them.
But Han Zhan wouldn't be stingy with these common formation techniques.
If Luo Chen could master them all, it would greatly benefit his cultivation and combat abilities.
For an ordinary person, mastering a single technique to perfection would already be considered a genius.
Even a genius like Han Zhan, if he were to supplement his skills with other arts, could only achieve a "basic understanding" of them.
But Luo Chen was different! With his Proficiency Panel in hand, and with his alchemy skills already at their peak, he had a good chance of mastering formation techniques to a profound level.
Moreover, long ago, he had discovered something.
The key to formation techniques lay in imitation.
Imitation meant repetition, which perfectly aligned with the true intent of the Proficiency Panel.
Luo Chen was excited! Perhaps one day, he too would become a master of formation techniques.
...
Half a month later.
Ten Mile Flat Lake, the white mist dissipated once more.
A nine-zhang grand cauldron stood tall on the small island in the lake's center.
This time, the number of cultivators who came to watch was significantly fewer.
But among the crowd, there were many young Qi Refinement stage cultivators.
It was clear that these cultivators intended to use this opportunity to observe Luo Chen's alchemy and try to cultivate their own alchemists.
Luo Chen didn't mind this at all.
Before starting his alchemy, he instructed Cheng Hairen and his named disciple, Xu Muxian, to observe carefully.
Then, the process was the same as before.
This time, however, Luo Chen was much more composed, and unlike the first time, he didn't break a sweat.
Practice makes perfect! With a Foundation Establishment Peak level of proficiency, refining a hundred pills simultaneously wasn't a big deal.
And so, after half a month, it was time to collect the pills again.
Even though the crowd had witnessed it once before, they were still amazed the second time, and many even showed expressions of admiration.
...
Half a month of alchemy, followed by half a month of rest.
Time passed slowly, and six months later, the stockpile of medicinal ingredients collected by the Flying Swans Archipelago for Luo Chen was finally exhausted.
Luo Chen's True Flame Pills had reached an unprecedented number of three thousand five hundred pills!
Why so many?
The reason was that after the third time, he managed to maintain a success rate of over fifty percent!
Furthermore, on the fourth attempt, he successfully refined five hundred and fifty pills.
The fifth time, he refined five hundred and ninety.
And on the sixth attempt, he refined six hundred and thirty pills.
Combined with the previous stock, he had a total of three thousand five hundred pills! Such a fruitful outcome was only natural.
Luo Chen had become familiar with the process of mass alchemy, grasped its essence, and with the Primordial Cauldron's ability to enhance the rank of pills, it was only natural for him to achieve such abundant results.
Thus, the pill stockpile was now complete.
Next, it was time to venture out, find that special place, refine the Black Emperor Ointment, and assist in his body refinement cultivation.
...
At the Flying Swans Wharf, seven cultivators respectfully bid farewell.
The weathered Cheng Dou carefully instructed his family elder, Cheng Ji, occasionally glancing at Luo Chen with a hint of joy in his eyes.
Luo Chen was about to leave, and before he did, he borrowed Moon Invitation Island from them to help him break through to the Golden Core stage.
This was something he had longed for.
With years of cultivation in the Azure Sun Scripture, he was almost at the threshold of minor success.
If he had access to a third-rank spirit vein, combined with his Foundation Establishment Peak cultivation, breaking through to the Golden Core stage was just around the corner!
Cheng Hairen, on the other hand, stood by Luo Chen's side with a hint of worry.
"Is it necessary to go to the Obsidian Sea?"
Luo Chen glanced at her, and the woman lowered her head, no longer persuading him.
In his ear, Luo Chen's faint instructions could be heard.
"Xu Muxian's alchemy skills have reached the first rank, but his foundation is still unstable. The pill formula I gave him is quite complex. Provide him with all the ingredients collected by the various families and let him practice more."
"Additionally, if your family plans to marry a woman to Xu Muxian, I don't oppose the marriage. But before he reaches Foundation Establishment, do not damage his primordial Yang."
"Lastly, the starlight pill ingredients I asked you to collect, hurry up with those as well."
Cheng Hairen nodded, firmly remembering these tasks.
She whispered, "Should we continue to inquire about those three types of ingredients?"
"Yes, keep inquiring. If there's any news, be sure to inform me. If it's possible to obtain them, do so. If not, wait for my return!"
"I understand!"
At this moment, Luo Chen glanced at the Cheng family cultivators, including Xu Muxian, who remained on the wharf, and the distant Flying Swans cultivators who were peeking over, and he smiled slightly.
He leaped onto the Cheng family's monster hunting ship.
Cheng Ji, the experienced navigator, shouted, "Set sail!"
The large ship slowly started, and beneath the surface, five blue-ringed giant fang sea snakes swam alongside.
There was also a thick, black dragon, which, after a roll, splashed countless waves and took the lead in front of the monster hunting ship!
(End of Chapter)
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