Gou Zai Sect Beast Taming Longevity

Chapter 148 One Furnace, Ten Pills; Each Pill Has Two Patterns

The alchemy furnace was filled with steam and heat. Gongsun Yang remained calm and waved his fingers, sending more and more medicinal herbs into it.

"Black crystal, tricolor flower, rainbow dew... these auxiliary ingredients have relatively mild medicinal properties. Adding them too early will cause the medicinal effects to evaporate and be lost. Adding them now, when the main ingredients have been refined and fused together, will maximize the medicinal power of each ingredient and neutralize the differences, making it easier to condense the pill later."

While refining pills, Gongsun Yang explained the breakfast ingredients to Yu Changsheng. His movements were fluid and his expression was natural and unaffected, showing the demeanor of a master.

"Okay, I've got it." Yu Changsheng watched carefully and took notes diligently. When he encountered something he didn't understand, he would ask questions. Gongsun Yang was generous with his guidance and was very patient. He deliberately slowed down the alchemy process so that Yu Changsheng could see it more clearly.

Yu Changsheng also had to admit that Gongsun Yang was a very dedicated and conscientious master.

"In alchemy, the further you want to go, the more you need to pursue perfection in the details. A truly perfect elixir must be strictly controlled in every aspect, not just the changes in the heat."

There are also the age of the medicinal materials, the exact amount used, the order and timing of their application, the method of application, and even environmental factors such as whether the temperature is suitable.

"Whether or not a pill with cinnabar patterns can be refined depends on the handling of these details."

Gongsun Yang instructed gently, and the fragrance of the medicine in the furnace grew stronger. Seeing that it was almost ready, Gongsun Yang changed his technique again, his eyes narrowed, and he whispered:

"Pay close attention to the use of air fire!"

The previously still fire suddenly flickered. Just then, Gongsun Yang's heart was as calm as still water. The flame vanished and reappeared in an instant, its pale yellow color mixed with a silvery-white that seemed to have gained some insight, revealing a sense of emptiness and clarity.

It is truly emptiness and fire! Like emptiness and spirit, illusory emptiness and vanishing illusion.

The moment the empty fire appeared, the alchemy furnace suddenly boiled and churned, and spiritual energy in the void suddenly surged. Under the tempering of the empty fire, it flowed into the alchemy furnace in an orderly manner and merged with the medicinal materials. The temperature around the alchemy furnace fluctuated, the firelight flickered, and invisible energy surged in from all directions.

A bead of sweat trickled down Gongsun Yang's forehead, and his expression turned serious. He closed his eyes, focused his senses, and frantically controlled the fire, all the while explaining to Yu Changsheng:

"This is the Void Fire. Its application is not only for refining medicinal materials, but more importantly, for refining beneficial factors in the external environment. It is elusive yet crucial. The stronger one's spiritual sense, the clearer one's perception and application of the Void Fire will be."

"The greatest application of empty fire is during the elixir-making process. Refining the elixir through empty fire not only makes it more solid and its medicinal effects more concentrated, but also has the potential to improve its quality and increase the probability of the elixir developing its characteristic patterns!"

Yu Changsheng listened quietly, his divine sense condensing into a ball, sensing it with exquisite detail. In an instant, he suddenly realized something, and his understanding of the Void Fire deepened, allowing him to use it more skillfully.

"The elixir is complete!"

Gongsun Yang's eyes widened suddenly, and he slammed his hand hard on the alchemy furnace. With a muffled thud, as the flames gradually weakened, a stream of light emanated from the furnace. Several pills, guided by his divine sense, jumped out of the furnace and rushed into a ball of empty fire, with wisps of faint black smoke drifting out.

As the fire dispersed, ten round, azure pills, resembling longan fruits, came into view. They were radiant, surrounded by wisps of medicinal energy, appearing both real and illusory. There was no fragrance of pills, as the medicinal effects were entirely concentrated on them without any loss.

What impressed Yu Changsheng the most was that each of the ten pills had two faint patterns surrounding it, like swimming dragons, adding to its mystery and extraordinary nature.

One batch of ten pills, each with two pill patterns—this alone demonstrates Gongsun Yang's exceptional alchemy skills.

Gongsun Yang took out a jade bottle, carefully placed the pill inside, and then handed it to Yu Changsheng. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking slightly tired.

Clearly, refining this batch of pills was not easy for him. He needed to patiently and meticulously explain each detail to Yu Changsheng while refining the pills, which greatly extended the refining time and increased the mental strain on him day by day.

Without strong cultivation as a support, this is extremely torturous.

Moreover, this was his first time refining the Beast-Nourishing Pill, so his technique was inevitably a bit rusty.

Yu Changsheng accepted the Beast-Nourishing Pill, feeling somewhat moved, and bowed to Gongsun Yang.

Gongsun Yang suppressed his mental exhaustion and feigned a calm and relaxed demeanor, saying:

"This is the fire in the air; I'm sure you can feel it more deeply now."

"The key to making this batch of pills all of the second-level pill quality lies in the final step of quenching the pills in empty fire, which is crucial for further improving the quality of the pills."

"Of course, it is also the most difficult step, which consumes a lot of mental energy. After all, fire is still fire, and naturally it also has the violent nature of flames."

"When the pill is formed, it is not yet fully stable and has no protection. If it is directly subjected to air-fire tempering, even a slight fluctuation could destroy the pill, rendering all previous efforts useless. At best, the quality will decrease; at worst, it will turn to ashes."

"Therefore, you must be extremely careful; only through diligent practice can you master it."

Don't be fooled by how easily Gongsun Yang did it just now; only he himself knows the difficulty involved. After refining the pills, he was completely exhausted.

Yu Changsheng nodded. He had indeed felt it. In the final scene, Gongsun Yang directly sent the pill into the empty fire, which startled even him.

"What I refined this time is only the Lesser Beast-Nourishing Pill, which is used for daily beast nurturing and enhancement. As for the Greater Beast-Nourishing Pill used for breaking through the realm, you can try refining it after you have completely mastered the Void Fire. It won't be difficult for you."

Gongsun Yang slowly exhaled and swallowed a recovery pill without making a sound.

"Okay, thank you, Master."

According to the recipe for Beast-Nourishing Pills, there are actually two types: one is the Small Beast-Nourishing Pill, which is used for daily nurturing and enhancing the ability to control beasts, and the other is the Large Beast-Nourishing Pill, which is specifically used for breakthroughs and advancements. The ingredients for both are mostly the same, with minor differences, and the difficulty of refining them is also different.

The pill that Gongsun Yang demonstrated today was the Lesser Beast-Gathering Pill. He was worried that the Greater Beast-Gathering Pill would be too difficult for Yu Changsheng to refine, so he started with something simple.

After all, the main purpose of this alchemy session was teaching, progressing from simple to complex in a step-by-step manner.

"If there's nothing else, go back first and think about the air fire carefully. If there's anything you don't understand, let me know."

(End of this chapter)