Pill Refining Skill

As dawn broke, Wang Yue emerged from the Essence Chamber, still carrying the faint aura of pure essence.

Daily cultivation in the chamber had led to steady growth in his Qi and Blood. His ten strands of Qi and Blood grew increasingly robust, and his proficiency with the fourth stance of the Blood Dragon Secret Method improved with each practice. Every time he circulated the technique, he could clearly feel the increase in strength within his body.

This feeling of putting in hard work today and seeing results tomorrow brought Wang Yue immense satisfaction. He had always enjoyed martial arts, and more than anything, Wang Yue relished the process of becoming stronger step by step.

"Today, I'll check out the Alchemy Workshop first, and then head back to the Weapon Forging Workshop in the afternoon. I won't neglect either," Wang Yue mused to himself as he made his way towards the Alchemy Workshop in the Wang Clan's side courtyard.

Weapon forging could enhance physique and control over strength, while mastering alchemy would solve his need for cultivation pills. Both were indispensable aids to him, complementing each other perfectly.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of the alley leading to the side courtyard. A golden plaque hung on the gate, bearing the resplendent characters "Alchemy Workshop." Even before pushing the door open, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out from within, mixed with the warmth of charcoal. The scent invigorated the senses.

Wang Yue pushed open the wooden door, revealing a small courtyard. Bamboo racks for drying medicinal herbs lined both sides of the yard. Several youths in apprentice robes were gathered around the racks, engrossed in thick scrolls, their brows furrowed in thought. They occasionally whispered to each other, their expressions focused.

"Wang Yue, why are you here at the Alchemy Courtyard too?" a clear voice, like tinkling silver bells, suddenly called out with a hint of surprise.

Wang Yue followed the sound and saw Jiang Peiling emerge from a room at the back of the courtyard. She was dressed in a light-colored dress, holding a porcelain plate with a few freshly picked herbs. A faint smile graced her face, and a flicker of curiosity about alchemy shone in her eyes.

"Peiling, you're learning alchemy too?" Wang Yue replied with a smile. He hadn't expected to run into Jiang Peiling here.

Jiang Peiling walked up to him, dimples appearing on her cheeks. Her voice held a touch of excitement, "Master Fu said my sensitivity to medicinal herbs is quite good, so he asked me to try learning it and see if I have any talent for alchemy."

Her eyes were filled with admiration. Although Fu Shuangyun was discerning, he was exceptionally patient with talented disciples. He had taught her many tricks for identifying herbs over the past few days.

The apprentices in the courtyard stopped their work upon hearing their conversation and stared at Wang Yue blankly.

They were all newly recruited outer disciples who had only recently joined the Wang Clan. Although they had heard of Wang Yue's name, they had never met him in person. Seeing how familiar Jiang Peiling was with him, they secretly speculated about his identity.

Wang Yue paid no mind to the apprentices' gazes. As his eyes swept across the courtyard, they paused on a slender apprentice. The apprentice appeared to be only sixteen, with a frail build, clearly not having practiced martial arts. Yet, as he perused the scroll, a unique divine light flickered in his eyes.

It was as if he could perceive a different kind of interest from the dry herb illustrated manuals, and a hint of imperceptible confidence graced his brow.

"They say eyes are the windows to the soul. This young man's comprehension talent is likely much higher than ordinary people," Wang Yue thought to himself. He had seen many exceptionally talented disciples, but few could exhibit such focused and spirited eyes in a non-martial arts domain.

However, he quickly withdrew his gaze, his heart undisturbed. No matter how high this apprentice's comprehension talent was, how could it compare to his own?

Now, his sole focus was on improving his strength. The talent of these apprentices was of no consequence to him; it was a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.

"Master Fu is inside refining pills. Let's not disturb him here; let's go inside and take a look?" Jiang Peiling suggested softly, seeing his gaze linger, assuming he was curious about the alchemy process.

Wang Yue nodded in agreement and followed Jiang Peiling into the alchemy room at the back of the courtyard.

The alchemy room was warmer than the courtyard. A cauldron half the height of a person stood in the center. Its body was dark red, intricately carved with cloud patterns. The rim of the lid had several adjustable air vents. Below, in the charcoal basin, coke was burning intensely, with orange-red flames licking the bottom of the cauldron, continuously providing heat.

Fu Shuangyun stood before the cauldron, dressed in a blue long gown, his expression focused as he adjusted the size of the air vents. His fingers occasionally tapped the cauldron lightly, as if judging the heat of the pills inside by sound.

A faint medicinal fragrance enveloped him, and his movements were unhurried.

Wang Yue did not step forward to disturb him, but stood quietly to the side, his gaze fixed on the cauldron. He wanted to observe the alchemy process and also use his system panel to confirm if Fu Shuangyun possessed any alchemy talent or special equipment.

A quarter of an hour later, Fu Shuangyun finally stopped. He took a deep breath, gripped the handles of the cauldron lid with both hands, and slowly lifted it.

"Buzz."

As soon as the lid was opened a crack, a rich yet not pungent medicinal fragrance erupted. The aroma carried a hint of warmth, and upon inhalation, it made Wang Yue's Qi and Blood stir slightly, as if nourishing his body.

"It's a Blood Replenishing Pill, and judging by the strength of the medicinal fragrance, it's a high-quality one!" Wang Yue rejoiced inwardly. He had seen ordinary Blood Replenishing Pills at the Martial Academy before, and their medicinal fragrance was nowhere near as rich. Clearly, Fu Shuangyun's alchemy skill far surpassed that of ordinary alchemists.

Fu Shuangyun carefully scooped out the pills from the cauldron with a jade spoon. There were over a dozen pills, all crimson, round, and plump, with a faint luster on their surface. They were clearly of excellent quality.

He placed the pills into a porcelain bottle, sealed it, and then turned around, his gaze falling on Wang Yue.

"You must be Wang Yue," Fu Shuangyun said, his voice gentle, a faint smile appearing on his handsome face. "After arriving at the Wang Clan, I often heard your elders mention you, saying you are the pride of the younger generation of the Wang Clan, with a speed of Qi and Blood condensation far exceeding that of ordinary people."

He had actually heard Wang Yue's name from Xu Weiwu long ago. Xu Weiwu had praised the young man a bit, and anyone praised by Xu Weiwu might be a promising talent. Fu Shuangyun, who was already particularly attentive to disciples with good talent, became even more interested upon seeing Wang Yue in person.

"Junior Wang Yue pays his respects to Master Fu," Wang Yue said, bowing respectfully.

Fu Shuangyun waved his hand, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry. "Are you here at the Alchemy Workshop today to request pills?" As he spoke, he took out the porcelain bottle containing the Blood Replenishing Pills from his embrace and offered it to Wang Yue. "If you are here to request pills, consider this bottle of high-quality Blood Replenishing Pills as a welcome gift. It contains ten pills, enough for you for a while. If you need more pills in the future, as long as the Wang Clan can provide the medicinal ingredients, I can sell them to you at a preferential price."

Wang Yue looked at the porcelain bottle offered to him and was slightly taken aback.

But he did not accept it. Instead, he looked up at Fu Shuangyun and said sincerely, "Junior thanks Master for his kind intentions. However, I am here today not only to witness the art of alchemy but also to ask Master if he would be willing to guide me if I wished to learn alchemy."

Wang Yue bowed his head, his tone filled with earnestness, "This disciple truly wishes to learn the art of alchemy and wants to try. I implore Master Fu to fulfill my wish!"

Upon hearing this, Fu Shuangyun's eyebrows moved slightly, and his fingertips unconsciously caressed the edge of the cauldron. He knew that although the Dragon Transformation Sect had methods for discerning talent, there were never absolutely accurate standards. Some disciples with heaven-defying martial arts comprehension were like rotten wood when faced with the heat of medicinal ingredients, while some seemingly ordinary individuals, on the other hand, could shine in the path of alchemy.

The experience the sect had accumulated over the years was merely a rough method of "observing essence, and examining spirit." Those with strong essence vitality and full essence and spirit had at least a thirty percent chance of being suitable for alchemy. Although it was often a mismatch, it was the most feasible method of judgment.

"Then I shall test you," Fu Shuangyun said, stepping forward slowly. He extended his right index finger and lightly pinched Wang Yue's forearm.

Wang Yue felt a coolness on his skin as a wisp of pale golden essence was drawn out by the other party and suspended at his fingertip. Fu Shuangyun gently clenched his fist, and the wisp of essence surprisingly did not disperse. It even exuded active fluctuations, as if flowing in his palm with life.

"Hmm?" Fu Shuangyun's brows suddenly furrowed, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. 'He's only in the Blood Condensation Realm, how can the quality of his essence be so high?'

The essence of ordinary Blood Condensation Realm disciples was mostly pale white and loose, scattering with the slightest effort. Yet, Wang Yue's essence was not only condensed like silk but also terrifyingly active. This defied all reason!

"Could it be...?" A bold guess flashed through Fu Shuangyun's mind. He suddenly looked up, his eyes fixed intently on Wang Yue's eyes, trying to find the answer in their clarity. Disciples with excellent root bone and comprehension talent often had a natural radiance in their eyes, an innate foundation that could not be hidden.

Wang Yue felt uncomfortable under his gaze and instinctively shifted his eyes away. Fu Shuangyun's gaze was too sharp, as if it could penetrate his body. The very existence of his skin made him uneasy, fearing his secret would be exposed.

Seeing that Wang Yue's eyes were bright yet steady, and his essence and spirit were so full that they almost overflowed, without any trace of superficiality, Fu Shuangyun gradually reached a conclusion: "Sufficient essence and spirit, and strong essence vitality. At least on the fundamental level, he is already qualified to embark on the path of alchemy."

He withdrew his gaze, a gentle smile returning to his face. He turned and walked to the bookshelf, taking a thick, yellowed booklet from the top shelf and presenting it to Wang Yue. "This 'Hundred Herbs Illustrated Manual' records three hundred common medicinal herbs. Take it and study it first."

Wang Yue reached out and took it. The moment his fingertips touched the rough pages, golden text instantly appeared in his mind:

[Tier 2 Pill Refining Talent: Herb Recognition] Recognizes spiritual materials, understands medicinal principles, can quickly identify the properties of medicinal herbs, and master basic medicinal knowledge.

He was delighted but suppressed the urge to extract it.

He held the booklet to his chest, his fingertips gently stroking the pages, feeling the pill refining knowledge contained within. He feigned a look of concentration.

"If you can identify all the herbs in the manual, I'll give you a pill recipe and let you refine a batch of pills using this cauldron," Fu Shuangyun said, pointing to the Qi Gathering Cauldron beside him, his tone guiding.

"Thank you, Master! Your disciple will not fail you!" Wang Yue nodded heavily. Under the guise of bowing, he subtly moved closer to the pill cauldron. He had already noticed that within the cloud patterns carved on the cauldron's body, faint spiritual light flowed, clearly hiding a secret.

The next second, golden text popped up on his panel one after another, making his heart tremble:

[Tier 2 Item: Flowing Cloud Cauldron]

[Martial Soul: Azure Flow Sword (Proficient)]

[Martial Soul: Three Revolutions Dragon Transformation Strength (Beginner)]

[Martial Soul: Flowing Water Strength (Beginner)]

[Martial Soul: Returning Cloud Strength (Beginner)]

[Tier 1 Pill Refining Talent: Pill Refining Skill] Master the basic pill refining process, capable of independently refining Tier 1 low-grade pills.

[Tier 2 Pill Refining Talent: Hundred Pills Mastery] Familiar with the refining techniques for a hundred types of pills, capable of flexibly adjusting pill recipe details.

"There are so many Martial Souls and Pill Refining Talents!" Wang Yue rejoiced inwardly.

But he didn't rush to act. Based on his experience extracting the weapon forging talent, Wang Yue knew it was better to extract Tier 1 first. Whether it was pill refining or weapon forging, if he couldn't refine Tier 1 pills, how could he refine Tier 2 pills with more experience? It was better to start with the basic [Pill Refining Skill] and proceed step by step.

He quietly placed his palm on the edge of the pill cauldron, using the booklet to shield his action, and silently chanted in his mind, "Extract Tier 1 Pill Refining Talent [Pill Refining Skill]!"

A gentle energy surged from the cauldron into his body, transforming into countless shadowy figures that flowed through his mind. From the pre-processing of medicinal materials, to temperature control, to cauldron regulation, and judging the finished pill, every step of pill refining became incredibly clear, as if he had refined pills thousands of times before.

Wang Yue let out a soft sigh of relief, suppressing his excitement. He looked up at Fu Shuangyun. "Master Fu, your disciple wishes to take the manual back to his residence to study. If I encounter anything I don't understand, I will come to you for guidance."

Fu Shuangyun shook his head slightly, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes. His tone carried a touch of helplessness. "You are quite impatient. If you study the manual here, you can ask me if you don't understand the medicinal principles. If you take it back, I'm afraid you'll only be able to figure it out yourself."

He mistakenly thought Wang Yue was just seeking novelty and wanted to show off with the manual.

"Your disciple will study it diligently and will not be negligent!" Wang Yue quickly declared. Holding the 'Hundred Herbs Illustrated Manual', he bowed and saluted, then turned and walked out of the pill refining workshop. He wanted to return to the essence cultivation room as soon as possible to extract [Herb Recognition].

Fu Shuangyun watched the direction he left, shook his head gently, and returned to the pill cauldron, picking up a jade brush to clean the dregs inside.

In the pill refining room, the aroma of medicine still lingered.

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