https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-899-Divine-Brushwork-Instant-Success/13111262/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-901-Returning-to-the-Past-Back-to-Dust/13111333/
Chapter 900: Self-Created Dan Technique, Xuan Yan
Chapter 900: Self-Created Dan Technique, Xuan Yan
Regarding the Pill Sage Hall trial, Luo Chen had already figured out the gist of it.
Overall, it didn't possess the level of danger associated with the various inheritance trials in the cultivation world.
Moreover, before the trial, a pavilion was specifically set aside for participants to prepare in advance.
Such an arrangement was too lenient.
But after careful consideration, this inheritance was meant for the Abyss Sect and its future generations, so it couldn't possibly be designed with extreme danger.
Additionally, Dan Sheng Daniang herself was a gentle and kind person who wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for others.
The purpose of her trial was mainly focused on 'screening'.
The first stage, which he had just experienced, and the content of previous first-stage assessments, were all aimed at screening out those with a profound foundation in Dan Dao.
Those with shallow foundations were to be filtered out.
However, upon reaching the second stage, Luo Chen became uncertain.
【Return to Origin, Reverse Refinement, Pass the Gate】
What did this question mean?
At least the first stage provided a hint about passing a hundred times, but what was the standard for the second stage?
Was it merely about 'reverse refinement'?
According to the literal meaning, it seemed to be about reversing the refinement of pills, returning the various materials that composed the pills to their original state.
But to what extent should the reverse refinement go, and how many materials were required to pass? The spacious room was empty, and no one could provide Luo Chen with an answer.
Luo Chen fell into deep thought.
Time passed quietly, and no one entered the empty room for a long time.
This shouldn't be the case.
When Luo Chen passed the first stage, he clearly sensed that the other three participants were not far from completing the trial.
Especially Chen Mozzi, who, like Luo Chen, was taking the fastest route, might have been held up by a few pills, but as long as he was careful, he could still identify them.
Luo Chen believed that there was no exaggeration in his reputation, and the other party wouldn't be that incompetent.
Since it had been so long without anyone else appearing, it suggested that each person might be directed to a different room after passing the trial.
Luo Chen didn't delve further into this matter and continued pondering the intention of the second stage's question setter.
Gradually, Luo Chen seemed to have an epiphany.
"If the goal is truly to screen out those with a profound and extensive foundation in Dan Dao, then there shouldn't be a separate pavilion for preparation, acting as a pool of questions."
"In other words, the range of pills covered in the pavilion's Dan Shu corresponds to the knowledge required for the trial."
"The hundred pills selected in the first stage are the ones that each participant is most familiar with and has the most confidence in. Even if they haven't personally refined them, the knowledge gained from the pavilion will leave a deep impression. If we are to reverse refine, it should be the hundred pills that we are most confident in."
"The knowledge recorded in the pavilion's Dan Shu also corresponds to the medicinal ingredients, preparation work, refinement techniques, pill characteristics, and cultivation storage methods required for pill refinement."
"Therefore, the books in the pavilion do help trial participants reverse refine pills, especially those unfamiliar pills that they haven't refined before."
"Then, how do we determine the success of reversing the refinement of a pill?"
"It should be considered successful if we can reverse refine the original materials that make up the pill!"
"The knowledge recorded in the pavilion serves as a reference for us trial participants."
"However, no pill refiner in the world has the confidence to guarantee success every time, let alone reversing the refinement of a hundred pills."
"Therefore, the standard for passing the trial doesn't lie in the number of pills reversed but in the final outcome of the reversed materials!"
After this analysis, Luo Chen gradually understood the question setter's intention from his initial confusion.
This second stage tested two broad points.
One was still the pill refiner's foundation.
The other, however, involved the pill refiner's skill.
The former was about experience and knowledge, while the latter required practical application.
Normal refinement was already extremely difficult, let alone reverse refinement?
Although Luo Chen was confident in reversing the refinement of some low-level pills, he hadn't even considered reversing high-level pills, especially since many of the hundred pills he had selected were ones he had never refined before.
The passing condition emphasized the original materials!
Luo Chen's gaze swept over the hundred pills surrounding him, and his mind gradually recalled the composition of each pill's ingredients.
He suddenly realized that among the hundred pills he had chosen, many had similar properties, and some were even the same medicinal ingredients.
"The hundred pills that are most familiar and well-known tend to be chosen based on personal preferences, leaving ample room for adjustments."
Luo Chen already had a plan in mind.
Regardless of the standard, he intended to reverse refine every type of original material if possible.
If there were any failures, he would keep a portion of the same original material from other pills.
As for the starting point? Luo Chen smiled slightly and picked up a first-grade Nourish Qi Pill.
This time, he would start from the easy and gradually explore the more difficult pills.
...
Initially, Luo Chen didn't have any expectations regarding the Dan Sheng inheritance.
Because he had no idea about it!
It wasn't until they were on their way to the Abyss Sect that Ye Lingtian brought up the matter, probably to ensure Luo Chen didn't think that the Abyss Sect Patriarch was going back on his word by adding conditions to the agreed-upon terms.
It felt like a situation from his previous life, where a company's CEO would offer a high salary and a managerial position, only for the employee to later discover that they had to pass a performance evaluation first before getting the promised office.
Upon learning the truth, Luo Chen wasn't overly upset.
A Dan Sheng inheritance wasn't that valuable to him.
Even after years of intermittent research, Luo Chen had yet to fully comprehend the intricacies of the Dan Sheng Inheritance.
Not to mention the fifth, sixth, and even eighth-grade pill formulas within.
When Qixia Yuanjun requested the formula for the Hedao Pill, why did Luo Chen agree so readily?
Aside from the overwhelming power gap, Luo Chen's inability to grasp the Hedao Pill formula was a significant factor.
Meat that couldn't be tasted in a short time, or even a long time, would be of little use, and it would be better to give it up to save one's life.
But I digress.
From the very beginning, Luo Chen's attitude towards the Dan Sheng Inheritance was exactly as Ye Lingtian had observed.
He neither actively pursued nor rejected it, nor was he overly enthusiastic or fearful.
However, as he progressed through the Pavilion's learning and the first assessment, Luo Chen became increasingly intrigued by the inheritance.
No, it shouldn't be called an inheritance, but rather a trial!
Luo Chen found himself captivated by the challenges of each stage of the trial.
The systematic learning, the direction-setting assessments, and the emphasis on foundational knowledge were far beyond the satisfaction of crafting a specific pill.
It was like... a student who, after nine years of compulsory education, gradually passed the college entrance examination.
The examination didn't focus on solving complex problems but rather tested the foundation built over those nine years.
Through these trials in the Dan Sheng Hall, Luo Chen truly assessed his abilities accumulated over three hundred years!
In terms of foundation, his depth of knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary Dan Zhi Shi.
The title 'Dan Zong' to outsiders meant he could refine various high-grade pills, but to him, it meant that any low-grade pill was within his grasp, and he could effortlessly employ numerous Dan Shu.
At this moment, during the second trial, Luo Chen's mastery of countless Dan Shu was on full display!
"The Nourish Qi Pill, the most versatile low-grade pill in the cultivation world, can be consumed by Xiu Shu practitioners with various spiritual roots and constitutions in the Qi Refinement stage."
"The materials used are balanced and primarily consist of low-grade, five-elemental, and yin-yang-balanced raw materials."
"The refinement method can be fire or water-based, but the one left by the Dan Sheng ancestor includes both."
"The chosen Dan Shu techniques are the nine basic ones, including Hua Yun Hand, Pei Yuan Hand, and Gu Qi Technique..."
"If you want to reverse refine, choose three of them!"
The same question can have different solving methods.
After understanding the examiner's intent, Luo Chen quickly selected the method he was most adept at.
Boom!
The Primordial Cauldron appeared once more after many years.
Its color remained unchanged, but there were still faint cracks on its surface that hadn't fully healed.
However, for the current purpose of reverse refining pills, it was more than sufficient.
Placing the Nourish Qi Pill inside, Luo Chen skillfully employed various Dan Shu techniques.
His fingertips manipulated the flow of spiritual power, and his hand seals and techniques were as graceful as a butterfly dancing among flowers.
In less than half a day, he derived thirteen types of raw materials.
Some were solid, some liquid, and some were even ethereal auras.
These were the most widely used raw materials for pills in the cultivation world!
Compared to Luo Chen's early days of refining first-grade pills with only a single-digit number of raw materials, the Nourish Qi Pill, despite its simplicity, required thirteen types of materials, explaining its versatility.
For the first time, he succeeded!
Without pausing, Luo Chen shifted his attention to the second pill.
It was the Yulu Pill!
The second-grade pill that had helped him establish a firm footing in Tianlan Immortal City and was treasured by the Feng Hua Palace was also popular within the Abyss Sect.
Luo Chen was confident in handling this pill.
The corresponding raw materials, refining techniques, and specific characteristics flooded his mind.
Luo Chen worked swiftly, disassembling the Yulu Pill without any hindrance.
But at the end, as he watched the streams of spirit light, his face turned ashen.
Most of the spirit lights were clear and pure, indicating the purest raw materials.
However, one of them had a mixed color and chaotic aura.
This meant that...
"Such a smooth reverse refinement, I've already extracted eighty percent of the raw materials, but the last two components failed to separate and became even more entangled!"
"Where did I go wrong?"
He paused his reverse refinement of the next pill and began reflecting on this failure.
Even though he had extracted eighty percent of the raw materials, failing to reverse refine two components of his most proficient pill was considered a failure in Luo Chen's eyes!
One day, two days...
After several days, Luo Chen woke from his contemplation with a newfound understanding.
"Reverse refinement and normal refinement are inherently different."
"Whether it's the Dan Shu techniques used, the general process, or the depth and intensity of spiritual power manipulation, corresponding adjustments should be made."
Luo Chen took a deep breath, collected the successfully extracted materials, and set aside the failed ones separately.
Then he began reverse refining the next pill.
During the process, Luo Chen muttered softly, almost inaudibly.
"If there was a Dan Shu technique specifically designed for reverse refining pills, it would be incredibly convenient."
This murmur was fleeting, and Luo Chen didn't give it much thought, considering it a mere passing thought.
How could such a Dan Shu technique exist in this world?
However, as he continued to succeed and fail repeatedly, this fleeting thought surged through Luo Chen's mind with increasing intensity.
There were countless Dan Yao, and the required Dan Shu techniques were incredibly complex!
The raw materials involved, even if they leaned towards Luo Chen's expertise, were vast and profound.
Even with his profound foundation in Dan Dao, it would take at least seven or eight years, maybe even over a decade, to categorize and reverse refine all these hundred pills.
But before entering, the old ancestor of the Abyss Sect only gave him ten years!
Luo Chen paused in his preparations for refining the third-tier Dan Yao and hesitated.
"If there really is such a Dan Shu, it would be a permanent solution!"
"I possess numerous Dan Shu, and most of them have reached the pinnacle, achieving a state of perfection. I've even delved into the Dan Shu of both the demon and immortal paths."
"Based on this foundation, by combining strengths and compensating for weaknesses, incorporating all aspects, I might be able to create a reverse refinement Dan Shu. It's not just a pipe dream."
"But the time it would take..."
Luo Chen looked at the more than seventy remaining Dan Yao, his hesitation deepening.
Suddenly, his hesitation vanished, replaced by determination.
"As for the Dan Sheng inheritance, it's nothing more than a few advanced Dan Fang, some Dan Dao books, and perhaps some remnants of Dan Sheng's legacy."
"Compared to Lian Tian's Magic King Dao Tradition Transmission, it's not that important."
"On the contrary, if I can create a reverse refinement Dan Shu, it will be a significant leap forward for my Dan Dao!"
"This place is obviously the most suitable for creating a new Dan Shu. How can I afford to waste this opportunity?"
Huff...
Luo Chen exhaled a long breath, his mind made up.
He was determined to use this sudden burst of inspiration and the suitable environment here to try and create a new Dan Shu.
Even if he missed out on the Dan Sheng inheritance, it would be worth it!
"Let's start with the Wuyun Pill as the first experimental target!"
"The Dan Shu used in its refinement were the Yunhua Seal, Wuji Hand, and Chuixing Technique. I should use these Dan Shu for the reverse refinement as well."
"If I can reverse the technique seal and integrate it into the basic Dan Shu, I wonder if it will succeed?"
...
Outside the Pill Sage Hall.
Ye Lingtian walked along the mountain path, his figure faint.
This Dan Sheng Hall Trial was presided over by him.
However, he wouldn't dedicate all his energy to overseeing this place. In his free time, he would still go to a fourth-tier cave abode in the mountains to cultivate.
Upon arrival, he saw Lu Chun still sitting outside the hall.
Ye Lingtian shook his head and walked over.
"How many years has it been?"
Lu Chun responded instinctively, "Three years."
"Three years! I wonder what's happening inside?" Ye Lingtian muttered, then frowned at Lu Chun, "Since you've already failed, why not return? There's no point in staying here."
Lu Chun raised his head and said solemnly, "It's meaningful. I've relied on my memory to repeatedly review the first trial that I failed in my mind, and I've finally found the solution. If the Dan Sheng Hall opens again, and the first trial remains the same, I'm confident I can pass it!"
"Hehe."
Ye Lingtian smiled but didn't argue.
How could there be so many 'ifs' in the world? Perhaps someone will directly pass the trial and obtain the Dan Sheng inheritance this time?
Even if everyone fails, the next time the hall opens, according to the methods left by Dan Sheng, the questions inside won't remain the same.
However, Lu Chun's talent is quite good. He was able to find the problem by reviewing the trial on his own.
If he had put this effort into Dan Dao instead of trying to forcibly raise his realm through other means, the outcome of this trial might have been different.
Just as the two were chatting, a black wind swept through outside the hall.
Ye Lingtian's expression changed, and he exclaimed, "Who's there?"
The black wind dissipated, revealing an old man in a dark robe.
His hair was mostly white but neatly combed.
Wrinkles covered his face, but his complexion was rosy and full, and he exuded vitality.
"Ye Daoyou, don't you remember me?"
Ye Lingtian was taken aback.
Lu Chun, standing beside him, stood up respectfully and bowed to the visitor.
"Junior Lu Chun pays his respects to Xuan Yan Xianren!"
Xuan Yan Xianren laughed and waved his hand, "Lu Daoyou, there's no need for such formalities. You're no longer the junior you once were; we are peers now."
Lu Chun shook his head, not agreeing with this statement.
Ye Lingtian realized, "So it's Xuan Yan Xianren!"
No wonder Lu Chun, despite being at the same Yuanying Realm, addressed him as a junior.
The visitor's age was truly remarkable, unmatched among the Yuanying Zhenren of the Abyss Sect.
At the age of 1100 years, he had reached the lifespan limit of Yuanying Xiu Shu practitioners!
Moreover, he had entered the realm of Dan Dao Grand Master at a very early age, making him a senior to most Dan Zhi Shi in the Abyss Sect and even the entire Dong Huang.
Even the already ascended Dan Sheng, Chu Yan, owed him a debt of gratitude!
Ye Lingtian composed himself, "Xuan Yan Xianren, what brings you here today?"
"What's the matter?"
Xuan Yan Xianren laughed heartily and started walking towards the Pill Sage Hall.
"Before I leave, I want to see what that girl left behind."
His laughter still echoed in their ears as his figure disappeared into the clouds.
Ye Lingtian opened his mouth, his expression changing, but he didn't stop the old man.
Xuan Yan Xianren had made significant contributions to the Abyss Sect, even playing a role in Dan Sheng's rise.
Despite his advanced age and the obvious signs of a final burst of vitality before death, obtaining the Dan Sheng inheritance wouldn't benefit the Abyss Sect much. However, given his contributions, Ye Lingtian couldn't stop him from seeing the legacy left by his departed loved one before he passed away.
However, this matter should be reported to the three old ancestors.
The response from Mount Yanfu was the same as his thoughts.
"Let him be!"
(End of Chapter)
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