Analyzing the Pill Formula

Mang Ba felt somewhat disappointed. He scratched his bald head with a palm as broad as a fan and muttered, "Gathering herbs really is like snatching money. If I'd known, I would've sent the little brat at home to Myriad Medicine Hall as an apprentice."

Of course, he was only saying that. Becoming a qualified medical apprentice was far from easy. Even probationary apprentices faced a terrifying elimination rate; those who did not study seriously or lacked talent would be weeded out in the first round.

Besides, Yan Qingshan had only discovered that White Orchid Fruit because of his astonishing powers of observation. Even Xiao Yi Xian had recognized it only after Yan Qingshan pointed it out. If it had been an ordinary probationary apprentice, even if Yan Qingshan pointed directly at that cluster of white flowers, he might not have found it.

Yan Qingshan surveyed the surroundings again from the corner of his eye before turning to Mang Ba. "By the way, Uncle Mang Ba, what did you need me for?"

Mang Ba smacked his forehead and pushed Yang Wu beside him forward. "It wasn't me. It was Yang Wu. He came to thank you."

Yang Wu was the mercenary Yan Qingshan had just saved. He carefully held out a polished white crystal core, looking as though he feared Yan Qingshan might refuse it. "Brother Qingshan, thank you for saving my life. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

"It was nothing. We're all in the same team, so helping each other is only natural. There's no need to thank me."

Yan Qingshan waved his hand dismissively, then shook his head. "You should keep the Crimson Ice Serpent's crystal core. It isn't easy for you to make a trip out here, so there's no need for this. If you really want to thank me, then make sure the herb-gathering team stays safe from here on out.

Also, I'd like to ask you for a favor. Try to help me find some Wood Attribute magical beasts. First-tier Wood Attribute Magic Cores are still somewhat useful to me."

"Fine, you brat..."

Yang Wu was about to say more, but Mang Ba slapped him on the shoulder and cut him off. He pointed at Yan Qingshan, then at Xiao Yi Xian, and left with Yang Wu, laughing.

"Brother Yan..."

Xiao Yi Xian's gaze darted away. Yan Qingshan smiled and withdrew some of the heat from his eyes. He spoke softly, drawing the two closer once more. The girl was no longer tense, and their laughter continued without pause.

Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yi Xian found a few more ordinary herbs beside the cliff before returning to join the others. Yet no one noticed the deep, unfathomable look in Yan Qingshan's eyes as he left.

At the northern entrance of Qingshan Town, a fully loaded carriage arrived at the entrance of Myriad Medicine Hall under the escort of more than a hundred people. After settling the mercenaries' pay, the herb-gathering team brought an entire cartload of medicinal herbs into Myriad Medicine Hall.

Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yi Xian stored the herbs they had collected and received a substantial reward. Then he hurried back to his small room, unable to wait any longer before sinking his consciousness into his mind.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

Yan Qingshan vaguely heard notification sounds by his ear. Excitement and nervousness filled his face as countless streams of information intertwined within his mind. Several messages displayed various progress levels.

Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid: Purple Leaf Orchid Grass, two five-year Bone Cleansing Flowers, one first-tier Wood Attribute Magic Core... 99.9%

Qi Gathering Powder: four fifty-year Ink Leaf Lotuses, two ripe Snake Saliva Fruits, one roughly twenty-year Spirit Gathering Grass, and one second-tier Water Attribute Magic Core... 60%

Blood Coagulation Powder: one Blood Coagulation Grass, one Vitality Fruit, two poppy flowers... 80%

Blood Lotus Pill: Blood Lotus Essence, Ice Spirit Flame Grass, fourth-tier Water Attribute Magic Core... Progress... 20%

Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill: Azure Flame Grass, Black Gastrodia... 11%

Qi Return Pill: Spirit Return Crimson Fruit 3%

Earth Spirit Pill: Earth Core Fire Ganoderma, Dragon Beard Ice Fire Fruit, Azure Wood Immortal Vine, sixth-tier Water Attribute Magic Core... 0.1%

Yan Qingshan waited intently for the final moment, his heart filled with tension and anticipation. If this succeeded, it would prove that his idea was sound. Then he would possess the first capital needed to rise on the Dou Qi Continent.

Naturally, Yan Qingshan had thought of ways to strengthen himself so he could rise. Relying on his powerful memory, he had forcibly dug up several fully described pill formulas from the novels he had once read and used Shuguang to conduct deductions.

Shuguang's computational mechanism was based on his cognitive database. As long as he had personally encountered a medicinal herb and experienced its exact effects, he could enter the complete data. Through big-data deduction and filtering, it was possible to analyze a complete pill formula.

That was right—a complete pill formula. A true medicinal pill formula did not merely record the proportions of medicinal ingredients; it also included processing methods and precise steps. Even with all that, alchemists still often made mistakes. Yan Qingshan only knew the ingredient ratios, so charging in and trying it head-on would definitely leave him with nothing.

Fortunately, he still had Shuguang. Shuguang could not conduct scientific research or break through difficult problems, but once it collected enough data, it could perform endless deductions. In theory, it could derive every feasible plan and outcome.

Yan Qingshan still remembered the effects and some rough steps of these pill formulas. He knew portions of the process and the final effects, so the difficulty and progress of the deductions were greatly reduced, making success far more likely.

Of course, Yan Qingshan could not find some of the precious medicinal ingredients at all right now. If he could not encounter them, he naturally could not gather their data. Relying solely on the brief descriptions in the medicinal herb compendium, he could not begin the deductions.

Furthermore, his mind had its limits. He could only work through them one at a time. The first two pill formulas were what he needed most urgently, so they had the highest analysis progress. Among them, the most important Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid had already entered its final countdown.

Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

As the digits after the decimal point continued to pulse, the progress of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid formula finally reached one hundred percent. A massive stream of information exploded in his mind, and Yan Qingshan's smile widened so much that his mouth practically split open.

Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid: three Purple Leaf Orchid Grasses, two five-year Bone Cleansing Flowers, one first-tier Wood Attribute Magic Core.

Preparation method: Crush and stir three Purple Leaf Orchid Grasses with Dou Qi to extract their liquid essence. Add the Bone Cleansing Flowers and stir to the limit before soaking them. Crush the Wood Attribute Magic Core, then blend it into the medicinal liquid at an ultra-high speed of over 1,500 rotations...

Naturally, the formula Yan Qingshan had analyzed differed from the original. It was not that he could not derive the original steps, but that his current circumstances simply did not allow him to use those methods to make medicine. Old Ya was a peak eighth-grade Alchemist, so refining Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid was naturally simple for him.

But what kind of conditions did Yan Qingshan have? It was impossible for him to use that method. The powder he could make with his current plan involved more complicated steps and was far less effective than Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, but it was the very best he could achieve under his present circumstances.

Still, he was not discouraged. Something capable of assisting Dou Qi cultivation was incredibly precious. When all was said and done, he had made an enormous profit.

Five months later, as the year drew to a close, snowflakes drifted down over the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The silver-wrapped peaks faced the biting wind, and there was scarcely a trace of people or beasts in the silent forest.

In the rear courtyard of Myriad Medicine Hall, even the once-lively main hall had grown much quieter. Myriad Medicine Hall also took a holiday during the New Year.

Nearly all the apprentices returned home. Only those like Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yi Xian, who no longer had much family left, remained at Myriad Medicine Hall. At the very least, they still knew a few people here.

In Yan Qingshan's courtyard, a figure sat cross-legged in a bath barrel. Time had passed, yet he was still that same young man.

Over the past half year of cultivation, the youth had often gone out, but he spent far more time inside than outside. Having rarely seen sunlight and often soaked in water, his skin appeared exceptionally fair. He was not particularly handsome, but he looked clean and pleasant, with a faintly unworldly air.

"Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out..."

Yan Qingshan circulated his Dou Qi. The liquid in the bath barrel rippled faintly, and amid the shimmering waves, streams of energy entered his body with every breath, filling him and strengthening his aura.

The pale green liquid continued to change, visibly thinning and fading. Yan Qingshan's Dou Qi also grew stronger and more vigorous. At a certain moment, it finally reached its peak and approached a barrier. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Finally... Ninth Duan Dou Qi."

Yan Qingshan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Slightly dark impurities shot out like an arrow of air, stretching nearly three feet. After finishing his cultivation, he felt an immense lightness in his body, while the Dou Qi within him had reached its limit.

Reaching the peak of Ninth Duan Dou Qi in half a year was an astonishing cultivation speed. Yet compared to those true monsters blessed by fate, it was still far too slow.

"The peak of Ninth Duan Dou Qi... Then next comes..."

Yan Qingshan entered the room and took a sealed jade-like bottle from a locked cabinet. The bottle, which resembled warm jade, was not actually made of jade. It was made from an excellent wood known as the Jadeite Tree, which was most suitable for storing powders.

"One month should be enough. Please don't let this fail. If I lose this batch, I don't know how long it'll take to gather another set of ingredients!"

Yan Qingshan held the wooden bottle to his ear and gently shook it, his eyes full of tension. "Qi Gathering Powder requires four fifty-year Ink Leaf Lotuses, two ripe Snake Saliva Fruits, one roughly twenty-year Spirit Gathering Grass, and one second-tier Water Attribute Magic Core.

It also requires the painstaking refinement of a qualified Fourth-grade Alchemist. It is one of the most difficult fourth-grade pills to refine, and it can assist someone at Ninth Duan Dou Qi in breaking through to become a Dou Zhe.

The ingredients alone cost more than fifty thousand Gold Coin, not to mention the need for an alchemist. Naturally, it is not something I could afford. Fortunately, aside from the Water System Magic Core, I found everything else in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

According to Shuguang's deduction, this should be the most suitable preparation method for my current conditions. After being stored for a month, it should be enough to dissolve the most difficult Water System Magic Core. The medicinal liquid produced certainly cannot compare to genuine Qi Gathering Powder, but it should have the effect of Qi Gathering Spirit Liquid before it is condensed into a pill.

That is already good enough for me. It is still better than attempting the breakthrough directly without any assistance, isn't it?"

With a restless heart, Yan Qingshan opened the tightly sealed medicine bottle. A rich fragrance rushed into his nose, and merely smelling it made his Dou Qi stir once more. Inside the bottle was a green-blue liquid, thick as honey yet crystal-clear like glazed glass.

After breaking the seal, he did not dare hesitate. He immediately raised it to his mouth and gulped it down. The medicinal liquid he had prepared could not compare to a pill. Once the seal was opened, its medicinal properties began to dissipate, and it could not be preserved for long.

Therefore, once he confirmed that the medicinal liquid had succeeded, he could only take it immediately and attempt to break through to Dou Zhe. As for whether he could truly become a Dou Zhe, that depended on whether heaven favored him.

After draining the medicinal liquid, Yan Qingshan trembled as he tossed aside the wooden bottle. Then he returned to the slightly chilly bath and sat cross-legged once more, beginning his attempt to break through to become a one-star Dou Practitioner.