Something Strange

Leaving aside Shopkeeper San's inward grumbling, Yuan Ming reflected on his process of refining the Black Origin Pill and discovered that this time, what he lacked was actually Fire Control Ability.

To provide the firepower needed to refine a fourth-grade Pill, Yuan Ming had activated another new earthfire named the "Spirit-Transforming Golden Flame." Its flames were exceptionally fierce and possessed the wondrous effect of transmutation, capable of burning plants into gold and stone, and gold and stone into plants.

When used in pill refinement, this flame could improve the efficiency of condensing spirit liquid into pills, thereby increasing the number of finished pills.

Though it was merely one additional earthfire, the pressure it brought Yuan Ming multiplied severalfold.

With the assistance of the Flame Emperor Ruyi Cudgel, he could keep all three strange flames perfectly obedient. Yet refining the Black Origin Pill required several earthfires to cooperate with one another, and that lay beyond the fire-stoking rod's control. Yuan Ming had to regulate them personally.

As a result, Yuan Ming's current mastery of the Zhurong Heart Art was somewhat unable to keep up.

Having found the crux of the problem, he temporarily stopped practicing pill refinement and instead began improving the Zhurong Heart Art.

Of course, based on his previous experience, Yuan Ming knew perfectly well that relying on himself alone to improve the Zhurong Heart Art within a short time was fundamentally impossible.

Fortunately, he had long prepared for this and asked Shopkeeper San about his progress in cultivating the Zhurong Heart Art.

"I have already cultivated it to the fifth realm. This art is truly profound and marvelous, but if I wish to advance further, it seems something is missing. Even if I cultivate with all my strength, I cannot reach the completion of the fifth realm." Shopkeeper