Immortal Grade Pills

The greatest pain in the world was watching someone precious be slaughtered before one's eyes while being powerless to do anything.

Hate, hate, hate...

Li Mu hated his own naivety, hated himself for betraying Xiaoyu's trust, hated the injustice of this world, where sinister enemies possessed crushing strength. He hated that although he had the Simulation System cheat, he still could not turn the tide at this moment.

"The Simulation System? Right, I still have the Simulation System. There must be a way."

In the depths of despair, Li Mu frantically entered the Simulation System within his consciousness. It had been his greatest reliance since crossing into the Immortal Realm; surely, he could find a way to survive from a desperate situation within it.

Shop System—no equipment that could help him. Skip!

Talent System—he had not reached the Core Formation Realm, so he could not unlock the second layer of talents. Skip!

Warehouse System—there were only various pills and miscellaneous items inside. Useless. Skip!

Refinement System—he had never used it before, and there was a heavy gambling element to it. It seemed...

"Right, the Refinement System! There are so many pills in the warehouse. Refining them can yield pills of a higher grade. Although what I get depends entirely on luck, my life is already hanging by a thread. Why should I fear wasting pills? Maybe if my luck defies the heavens, I can gamble my way into tomorrow!"

As though he had seized a lifeline, the ruthlessness in Li Mu's bones erupted completely. His consciousness swiftly shifted, entering the tree hollow space. Before Seria, he emptied every pill from the iron treasure chest, then directly entered the Refinement System interface.

His consciousness space shifted instantly. Li Mu found himself standing amid a vast starry sky. Beneath his feet was an enormous six-pointed star formation radiating dazzling light. Six display platforms formed from light and shadow continuously revolved around the formation; four remained concealed in darkness, clearly not yet unlocked. At the center of the star formation stood a pentagonal pedestal even more radiant and magnificent than the six platforms.

"So this is the Refinement System? Beginner refinement only opens two refinement slots. It seems the others can only be used after future upgrades. I wonder what effect refining with all six slots at once will have."

Li Mu stepped over to the two unlocked platforms glimmering with starlight and pulled out all the pills on him in one sweep. His usual reserves, together with the assorted pills he had refined over time, totaled more than a hundred. Yet most were ordinary Mortal Grade Pills below the fifth grade. The best were two Mortal Grade Nine All Things Spring Revival Pills.

"By conventional experience, I should refine the low-grade pills first. That way, I can increase the number of high-grade pills, then refine the high-grade ones in pairs. That's when luck comes into play. It would be great if I could refine even a single Immortal Grade Pill."

There was no concept of time in the Simulation System's consciousness space. No matter how long Li Mu stayed inside, only an instant passed in reality. He had once considered cultivating within the Simulation System to save time, but there was no Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi here to absorb, so that road was impassable.

Li Mu first took out two of the most ordinary Mortal Grade One Qi Replenishing Pills and placed them separately on the crystal pedestals. Then, in his consciousness, he confirmed refinement. As a shower of starlight descended from above onto the six-pointed star formation, the two Qi Replenishing Pills vanished instantly, while a new pill appeared on the central pedestal.

"Refinement successful. Mortal Grade Two, Healing Pill."

As the electronic notification sounded, Li Mu learned the information about his new pill. He was fairly satisfied with this auxiliary function of the Refinement System. Otherwise, if he truly synthesized some high-grade pill, he would not even be able to identify it.

"My first refinement succeeded, and it even raised the pill by one grade. Not bad, not bad. Keep going..."

That first successful refinement greatly boosted Li Mu's confidence in the Refinement System, but the final result proved that luck was always conserved. Out of a total of ninety pills below the fifth grade, he ultimately refined only one sixth-grade pill. The success rate could only be described as dismal.

"Adding the ones I already had, there are five sixth-grade pills left, two seventh-grade pills, one eighth-grade pill, and these two Mortal Grade Nine All Things Spring Revival Pills."

Watching the great pile of pills continuously vanish into the six-pointed star formation, Li Mu felt rather helpless. After all, these were gleaming Cangyun Coins. They had all been refined away just like that, and the expected bountiful harvest had not appeared.

"It's fine. My luck was bad earlier, so the good stuff will definitely come at the end. Wasn't this always the routine when refining runes in games? There's no other feasible way now. I can only gamble once."

Having adjusted his mindset, Li Mu continued refining the remaining pills. First came the sixth-grade pills, then the seventh-grade ones, and finally the eighth-grade pill. Perhaps the Simulation System had heard his complaints, because several refinements succeeded unexpectedly. In the end, four full ninth-grade pills appeared in Li Mu's hands: besides the original two All Things Spring Revival Pills, there were also two Glazed Golden Phoenix Pills.

"There are four ninth-grade pills in total. The description for these Glazed Golden Phoenix Pills says they raise the level of phoenix bloodline. It's probably another strange bloodline power, useless to me. As for these All Things Spring Revival Pills, they can rapidly restore one's condition to its peak. But even at my peak, I'm no match for that Beast Tamer, so they can't help me either."

After carefully analyzing the four ninth-grade pills in his hands, Li Mu discovered that none could help him break the current deadlock. Gritting his teeth, he placed the two Glazed Golden Phoenix Pills onto the pedestals. His consciousness confirmed the choice, activating the Refinement System once more.

"Perhaps the only thing that can let me turn the tables against the wind now is an Immortal Grade Pill. But ascending from Mortal Grade to Immortal Grade is easier said than done. Even the previous small-grade increases were exceptionally difficult. The odds of crossing an entire major grade are far too low."

Li Mu knew that upgrading Mortal Grade Pills to Immortal Grade was already exceptionally difficult, and his Refinement System was only at the beginner level, making the chances even lower. But there was no road left to take except staking everything on one throw. So long as it could help him escape alive, even if these four priceless Mortal Grade Nine pills were truly destroyed, it would be worth it.

"Refinement failed. Pills destroyed."

As the piercing electronic voice Li Mu least wanted to hear rang out, the two Glazed Golden Phoenix Pills vanished within the six-pointed star formation. The value of a single Mortal Grade Nine pill could support an ordinary household in Qinglan City for ten years. Li Mu had accumulated wealth through the Noble Lady Cream business for so long, yet had only bought two ninth-grade pills. Now, in the blink of an eye, both were gone.

"It's just as much of a scam as refinement in games. Back then, who knew how many players went head-to-head with this feature and ended up losing everything."

Though his mouth kept complaining, Li Mu still placed the final two All Things Spring Revival Pills onto the crystal pedestals. If he had not been driven into a corner, how could he waste treasures so recklessly?

As the star formation spun without pause, Li Mu had already closed his eyes. He did not dare look at the result at all. If it failed, he truly would be doomed today, and Nie Xiaoyu would also perish like jade and vanish like fragrance because of his poor decision.

"Refinement successful. Immortal Grade One, Pure Yang Sky Burning Pill."

The Simulation System had ultimately not disappointed Li Mu. That incomparably wonderful electronic notification sent him into wild ecstasy. Yet even amid his delight, he calmly checked the pill's description first. If it happened to be an Immortal Grade Pill he could not use, that would truly be a tragedy.

Pure Yang Sky Burning Pill, Immortal Grade One. It could activate the power of pure yang within the user's body, granting the power to control flames for a short period. Those below the Nascent Soul Realm must not consume it. Otherwise, after one incense stick's time, they would be unable to control the power of pure yang. At best, their dantian would be utterly destroyed; at worst, they would explode and die.

"Ah?"

At first, upon seeing the pill's effect, Li Mu had lamented that the goddess of luck had finally smiled upon him. The power to control flames was exactly what he needed to restrain the Beast Armor possessed by the Ice Serpent. But then came the warning that those below the Nascent Soul Realm must not consume it. If he forcibly took it, after one incense stick's time, he would be unable to control the immense power of pure yang. In the worst case, his life would be in danger.

Li Mu was instantly caught in a dilemma.