Mortal: Fifteenth Realm Sword Cultivator

This trip by Lu Jianghe was the longest he had ever been, lasting more than a month.

Every day as dusk approached, Xin Ruyin would subconsciously walk to the porch and gaze toward the courtyard gate, as if waiting for something.

At first, I didn't even realize it.

But the emptiness and bewilderment in her heart drove her to repeat this action every day.

Until a few days ago, she suddenly realized that she had unknowingly mistaken Lu Jianghe for Qi Yunxiao.

Is it out of habit, or is it the eternal void in my heart that's causing this?

She didn't want to think about it in detail, much less dare to delve into it.

Xin Ruyin vaguely realized that the aloof, taciturn, and powerful Senior Lu had quietly taken over the spot left by Brother Qi after he left, in some corner.

When Lu Jianghe finally appeared in the courtyard and said, "The medicinal herbs are all here," a sense of relief and satisfaction instantly welled up in my heart, even overshadowing the joy of knowing that the main ingredients were all available.

The sense of relief and joy that welled up in my heart when I saw him return was far greater than the good news itself.

However, there is this subtle, quietly growing dependence within me.

Xin Ruyin only vaguely sensed its presence, like a gentle breeze brushing across the water, creating a ripple.

But she deliberately avoided the question, refusing to delve deeper and choosing to remain silent.

Lu Jianghe took out the Seven Star Pill Furnace and placed it in the center of the courtyard, then laid out the remaining main ingredients and auxiliary materials one by one.

The seven-star perforated holes on the furnace body faintly flow with light, echoing the surrounding spiritual energy and forming a stable domain of its own.

"The refining of this pill must be continuous and without the slightest error. During the process, Miss Ruyin, you will wait quietly in the quiet room and listen to my message."

Xin Ruyin took a deep breath, suppressing the ripples in her heart, and solemnly replied, "This junior understands."

Lu Jianghe said no more and casually set up multiple layers of isolation barriers in the courtyard to ensure that the alchemy process would not be disturbed in the slightest.

He sat cross-legged in front of the alchemy furnace, true fire ignited between his fingers, and pure blue flames were poured into the bottom hole of the Seven Star Furnace.

hum~

The alchemy furnace vibrated slightly, and the seven stars on its body lit up with soft light in turn. The temperature inside the furnace began to rise slowly at an extremely stable and even rate.

A faint fragrance of grass and wood, along with the aroma of fire, filled the air.

Lu Jianghe remained focused, sometimes channeling pure magical power, sometimes adding auxiliary ingredients, his movements fluid and effortless.

Several precious medicinal herbs, over 500 years old, including Longyan ginseng, Buyehou, and Chaoyuan calyx, along with several rare auxiliary ingredients, were successively put into the alchemy furnace.

The moment the furnace lid closed, a burst of light appeared inside, and the medicinal properties of various herbs began to slowly melt and be extracted under the combined effect of the alchemical fire and starlight.

The medicinal herbs gradually transformed into a viscous spiritual liquid, its color constantly changing. Sometimes it displayed the warm, golden hue of Longyan ginseng, and other times it was imbued with the deep purple of Buyehou. Finally, under the unique purple-gold blending of Chaoyuan'e, it slowly settled into a jade-like color that possessed inner radiance and was full of vitality.

An indescribable, rich fragrance began to waft out from the gaps in the stove lid.

The aroma isn't strong, but it has a cleansing power that refreshes the lungs; one breath and even the spirit feels relaxed.

Time began to stretch out endlessly.

The fragrance of herbs in the courtyard grew richer and more mellow. Inside the furnace, the chalcedony-colored liquid gradually condensed and swirled under the blending of the last few auxiliary ingredients and Lu Jianghe's fire control skills. The rudimentary forms of six longan-sized pills, perfectly round and radiating a warm, jade-like light and vibrant vitality, were slowly taking shape.

On the surface of the elixir, there are faint, fine natural patterns flowing.

The next stage is a long and painstaking process. Although the essence of the medicinal herbs has begun to condense, it is not yet a millennium-old delicacy, and the foundation of its medicinal power is inevitably mixed and loose.

According to the usual alchemy methods in the human world, one only needs to follow the steps to solidify and shape the substance.

However, what Lu Jianghe sought was a flawless medicinal effect that nearly reshaped the origin of his bloodline. His method was exquisite and demanding, completely different from ordinary alchemy.

He strives for perfection and will not tolerate even the slightest flaw that could lead to an explosion in the furnace, ruin the elixir, or cause all his efforts to be in vain.

Therefore, he deliberately slowed down the quenching and fusion process to the extreme.

With his former cultivation level as an immortal, he could easily condense such a pill with just a flick of his wrist.

However, nowadays, he can only use this body at the Core Formation stage, relying on his vision and micro-management far exceeding this stage, to carefully control every wisp of fire and every strand of spiritual power.

Inside the furnace, light flowed and six jade-colored pills, each the size of a longan, slowly rotated under the gentle and continuous glow of the Seven Stars and the pure fire of the alchemical furnace.

With each rotation, it seems as if imperceptible impurities are stripped away and annihilated by an invisible force, while the medicinal power becomes increasingly pure and refined through slow compression, and the natural patterns on the surface of the pill become clearer and more dynamic over time.

Time slipped away quietly in the courtyard, day and night alternated, and the stars shifted.

Lu Jianghe sat cross-legged in front of the furnace, his entire mind and spirit immersed in it.

Once the medicinal fragrance has completely dissipated and is fully contained within the pill, that is the final stage.

This kind of mental and physical exertion is definitely not something that can be accomplished in just a few days.

According to Lu Jianghe's estimate, even if he had everything under perfect control, it would be extremely difficult to refine these six "white bones and flesh" to a perfect and flawless state without more than several dozen days.

According to the rules of alchemy passed down from the Great Wall of Sword Qi, the time required for alchemy and medicine making often follows the natural order, taking numbers such as thirty-six, forty-nine, eighty-one, or even three hundred and sixty, which are in line with the cycle of the four seasons.

Even though the spiritual energy in the human realm is scarce, such a destiny still has its mysteries, secretly conforming to the principle of the flow of the Great Dao.

The few "White Bone and Flesh" pills that Lu Jianghe is currently refining are made from second-grade five-hundred-year-old spiritual herbs. The number of pills that are successfully formed is destined to be low, and it is difficult to reach thirty-six, but it is still necessary to try to get as close as possible to this number of cycles.

Once this elixir is refined, its effects may transform a person, rejuvenate them, nourish their essence, and even potentially rebuild the damaged and withered meridians of Xin Ruyin, which were caused by the Dragon Roar Body, giving her a foundation for rebirth.

However, it is still far from the legendary miraculous effect of truly reversing life and death, instantly regenerating flesh from bones, and restoring the mind in an instant.

Aside from the initial need to expend true essence and mental energy for precise control, in the mid-to-late stages, as the nascent form of the pill stabilizes and the fusion progresses smoothly, the need for Lu Jianghe's continuous intervention has greatly decreased.

Seeing that there was still a long time before he could recover, he simply closed his eyes and sat down to meditate.

Another several dozen days of tempering.

The Seven Star Furnace has pushed the medicinal power to the limit that a five-hundred-year-old spiritual herb can achieve.

The number "six" in the elixir's formation corresponds to the variables of the Small Heavenly Circuit. Although it is not as high-grade as the previous one, it is already the perfect result that can be refined at present.

At that very moment, all the previously dissipated medicinal fragrance, like the return of seawater, instantly poured back into the alchemy furnace.

Lu Jianghe suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes without hesitation, and raised his hand to flick his finger.

The furnace lid is opened.

Six emerald green beams, shimmering with jade-like light, suddenly shot out, flying in all directions of the courtyard.