Refining Rank 5 Pills (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Follow-ups)

With the Inner Courtyard Selection Competition over, Xu Haoyu had claimed the final championship. Yet he felt nothing special—perhaps because he had won too easily.

The day after the Inner Courtyard Selection Competition ended, Xu Haoyu went to the Alchemy Department as usual. Upon arriving, he received an enthusiastic welcome.

He was now the pride of the Alchemy Department.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Haoyu went up to the fifth floor, selected a room, entered, shut the door, and locked it from the inside.

He was being so cautious because he wanted to attempt refining a Rank 5 Pill. He was currently a Fourth-Rank Alchemist; as long as he could refine a Rank 5 Pill, he would become a Fifth-Rank Alchemist.

To raise his chances of success, he did not want anyone disturbing him. He needed absolute quiet.

Xu Haoyu then sat down beside the meditation cushion and closed his eyes, adjusting his condition. Only when his heart was completely still did he open his eyes and begin preparing.

He took out his usual medicinal cauldron from his Storage Ring and placed it before him. Then, he removed the ingredients he had gathered to refine the Ice Soul Pill.

Xu Haoyu spoke with a calm heart:

"My fire-control ability has already reached a rather advanced level. Moreover, I have never failed when refining Rank 4 Pills. That proves I can be considered an experienced Fourth-Rank Alchemist. Refining a Rank 5 Pill now, even if it is a peak Rank 5 Pill, should still have a chance of succeeding."

As his words fell, Xu Haoyu raised his right hand. With a soft puff, white flames began to burn in his palm.

With a flick of his hand, the ball of flame flew toward the medicinal cauldron. It entered through the fire vent, then blazed fiercely within, preheating the cauldron.

After a while, the temperature inside the medicinal cauldron had risen, and Xu Haoyu began the true refining process.

First came the Ice Spirit Grass. He directly tossed the thirty-centimeter stalk, ice-blue throughout and radiating a faint chill, into the cauldron for refinement.

The white flames pounced on it and wrapped around the Ice Spirit Grass. The grass tumbled up and down within the fire, releasing waves of cold air to resist the surrounding flames.

The higher the grade of the herb used to refine a pill, the more abundant the energy it contained. To extract its medicinal essence, one not only needed precise control over the heat, but also high-quality flames. Otherwise, the energy-rich herb could not be suppressed.

Without blinking, Xu Haoyu stared at the Ice Spirit Grass churning amid the flames in the cauldron. His soul perception continuously poured out, filling every corner of the cauldron as he precisely controlled the heat and ensured the refinement proceeded smoothly.

What he needed most at this moment was patience, and Xu Haoyu did not lack it. He simply waited in silence.

After a long time, the Ice Spirit Grass's cold aura was finally exhausted. The white flames broke through its defenses head-on and began scorching the grass itself.

Under that scorching heat, droplets of ice-blue juice seeped out from the Ice Spirit Grass. They eventually gathered together and condensed into a crystal of ice, gleaming brilliantly amid the flames.

"Whew..."

Having completed the refinement of the first ingredient, Xu Haoyu let out a slight breath. It was a good start.

He stretched out his right hand, formed it into a claw, and pulled back. The ice crystal flew out of the flames and out of the medicinal cauldron before landing in Xu Haoyu's hand. He stored it in a Jade Bottle.

After finishing this, he adjusted himself once more. Only after his condition had recovered and his mind had calmed did he continue refining the ingredients.

He repeated the process, extracting the medicinal essences from the Azure Frost Fruit and Cold Marrow Branch. Last came the Magical Core of the Rank 5 Ice-Type Magical Beast.

The Magical Core of this Rank 5 Ice-Type Magical Beast contained terrifyingly dense ice-type energy. During refinement, waves of that energy spread outward, not only causing the flames to sway constantly but also crashing against the inner walls of the medicinal cauldron.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

A series of extremely faint sounds arose from within the medicinal cauldron. Xu Haoyu's expression changed, and he silently cursed. His cauldron seemed unable to withstand the impact of this ice-type energy.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Haoyu changed his hand seals. Using the Pill Fire Technique, transforming fire into qi, the white flames began to writhe and extend into a layer of white fire curtain. It spread outward, clinging tightly to the inner walls of the cauldron and taking their place in withstanding the energy's impact.

Xu Haoyu's expression was grave. The pressure on him was immense now, and his Dou Qi consumption had more than doubled. Fortunately, his Dou Qi was far more abundant than that of an ordinary Dou Ling. Otherwise, if he could not withstand the energy's impact, there would be only one outcome: a Cauldron Explosion.

It seemed that after today, he would have to find a high-grade medicinal cauldron. Otherwise, he could not casually refine high-grade pills in the future. This four-legged cauldron would be ruined after this attempt.

At this moment, the layer of fire curtain within the medicinal cauldron was blocking the impact of the ice-type energy, so the refinement process remained on track.

As the flames burned, the Magical Core finally melted into a mass of liquid energy. Yet the energy fluctuations it emitted still made one's heart tremble.

Xu Haoyu did not dare delay. He tossed the medicinal essences of the Ice Spirit Grass, Azure Frost Fruit, and Cold Marrow Branch back into the medicinal cauldron.

After warming them slightly and bringing their medicinal properties to their optimal state, Xu Haoyu's young face turned solemn. His hand seals changed again as he began the final fusion.

Wrapped in flames, the medicinal essences of the three ingredients merged into that mass of liquid energy.

Boom! Boom!

In an instant, even more violent energy impacts began spreading in every direction. Xu Haoyu gritted his teeth and poured out his Dou Qi with all his strength. At such a crucial moment, if a Cauldron Explosion occurred, everything would be ruined.

"Phew, phew..."

Xu Haoyu's breathing came rapidly as he watched the inside of the medicinal cauldron with nervous eyes. Guided by his soul perception, the energy was being compressed into the initial form of a pill.

Before long, a medicinal fragrance spread out, invigorating Xu Haoyu's spirits. He looked into the cauldron at the pill embryo tumbling amid the flames.

Xu Haoyu grinned. He had succeeded, but he could not let his guard down yet. He gathered his focus and carefully completed the final warming process.

Second by second, the medicinal fragrance grew richer and richer. It even drew Heaven and Earth Energy together, stirring ripples of energy through the air. The source of it all was the medicinal cauldron.

The appearance of such a phenomenon meant that the Rank 5 Pill had truly been completed.

Within the medicinal cauldron, amid the white flames, was a pill the size of a longan, ice-blue in color. Layer upon layer of patterns surfaced on its surface, intertwining like a continuous glacier.

This was the Ice Soul Pill, a pill with an unusual effect that nevertheless stood at the peak of Rank 5!

Xu Haoyu's rapid breathing finally gave way to uncontrollable laughter:

"Haha, I succeeded..."