Three-Pattern Azure Spirit

The morning sky over Jingcheng was a dreary gray. As a sliver of dawn light broke through the clouds and shone upon the city, this ancient metropolis began its daily clamor.

By the time the sun had risen, within the secret rear courtyard of White Cloud Temple, wisps of purple qi rose and churned unceasingly. Yan Kuan and his parents had all appeared in the courtyard.

Old Yan had been woken up early by his son and brought to the small yard; his spirits were somewhat lacking. He stood off to the side yawning, a stark contrast to the energetic Ms. Xiao beside him.

He had been cultivating diligently lately, but his talent was mediocre at best, and he still had to manage the business outside. Compared to Ms. Xiao, he was far behind.

However, the two of them were still a long way from opening the Sea of Bitterness. Without Yan Kuan's help, it might take them a decade or more to find the opportunity to do so.

"Dad, Mom, when I start refining medicine, energy will converge here. Just sit quietly beside me and meditate, striving to open the Sea of Bitterness as soon as possible."

After instructing his parents, Yan Kuan walked over to the thatched hut within the small courtyard. On the ground there were traces of formation lines and some scorch marks. In the past, Quanzhen Dao cultivators might have placed their alchemy furnace here to refine pills.

With a dull clang, an ancient and imposing bronze cauldron, exuding a faint, profound aura, appeared in the middle of the small courtyard.

This was an ancient cauldron Yan Kuan had unearthed from Mount Ba Ling. Like the Chime Bells in the Ancient Tomb, it had been consecrated, but it bore no Dao patterns. It was likely a dining vessel belonging to that Great Saint.

Yan Kuan had no interest in the whole "bells and cauldrons for feasting" thing, but this bronze cauldron, consecrated by a Great Saint, could withstand extremely high temperatures and was perfect as a medicine cauldron. So naturally, he had taken it for himself.

After positioning the bronze cauldron, Yan Kuan raised his palm, curled his fingers, and flicked them lightly. A crimson flame burst forth violently, and in an instant, the temperature of the entire small courtyard shot up. Beads of sweat visibly appeared on the foreheads of Old Yan and Ms. Xiao.

The dancing, flickering crimson flame was casually tossed into the bronze cauldron by Yan Kuan. The temperature inside the cauldron soared, the walls glowing fiery red, and strange energy fluctuations coiled around its three legs.

Precious medicinal herbs flew out from Yan Kuan's body, floating around the cauldron under his powerful mental control.

"Green Flame Grass, Black Gastrodia... Most of the raw ingredients don't match. Good thing I went to Hubei and spent a long time identifying the medicinal properties to find substitutes."

With a movement of Yan Kuan's hand, the herbs flew into the cauldron under his control, beginning the first step of alchemy on the Battle Qi Continent: extraction.

Yan Kuan controlled the flame's temperature, slowly extracting the medicinal essence needed for the pill according to the records in the formula.

Although he had a very precise formula in his mind, Yan Kuan dared not be careless. After all, the herbs from the two worlds were different. The formula he was using now was only a preliminary deduction and modification; some specific steps were being practiced for the first time.

Fortunately, the process of extracting the medicinal essence went smoothly. When the last herb was refined, Yan Kuan let out a long breath, then moved on to the next step: pill fusion.

The crimson flame rose slowly within the cauldron. Yan Kuan stared intently at the leaping fire, his hands forming seals rapidly to control the flames. The refined medicinal essences flew out of the cauldron in an orderly fashion, and the flames surged forward, instantly enveloping the materials.

A heat sensation rose from Yan Kuan's brow, golden flames flickered in his eyes, and his surging soul power spread out, covering every corner.

Every subtle reaction from the fusion of materials inside the cauldron was instantly transmitted back to his mind. He quickly compared it with the steps described in the formula in his head to judge if the situation was correct, making micro-adjustments from time to time to ensure the pill's refinement.

"Phew... finally succeeded. A good start."

When the sun in the sky had moved overhead, a faint fragrance of pills slowly diffused. Yan Kuan wiped the sweat from his brow. A cyan pill, about the size of a longan, with a slightly rough surface and a hint of fiery red cloud patterns, looked decent overall. He played with it for a moment before placing it into a jade bottle.

After resting for about ten minutes, Yan Kuan started refining again. The same formula, the same herbs, similar steps.

But this time, his movements were fluid and smooth. In less than an hour, he had already begun the pill fusion step.

The crimson flame surged, and a faint pill fragrance wafted out. A cyan pill, vibrant like an emerald, spun continuously inside the cauldron.

This time, Yan Kuan did not immediately retrieve the pill. Instead, he formed seals again. The crimson flame enveloping the bronze cauldron receded like a tide back into Yan Kuan's body.

When the crimson flame had completely subsided, a purple flame rose from Yan Kuan's other hand and instantly poured into the cauldron, enveloping the pill.

Yan Kuan's mental energy was concentrated to the utmost. He carefully controlled the rotation of the two flames. The most critical part of refining this pill was the initial stage of the flame transition.

The normal temperatures of these two flames were different, but he had to ensure the temperature was the same during the transition. If anything went wrong, the pill would be destroyed directly.

This was an alchemy technique that severely tested the alchemist's control over flame temperature. The slightest deviation would lead to a tragic outcome.

Fortunately, Yan Kuan's physique was special, his mental power strong, and his flame control excellent. The flame transition process was only difficult at the very beginning; after one successful attempt, there were no more problems.

The purple flame emitted a faint, eerie coldness. Circles of purple patterns appeared on the cyan pill. When the second pill pattern was completely inscribed, Yan Kuan flipped his palm again. The pill with two patterns flew into his palm, and a dazzling, multicolored flame enveloped it.

Yan Kuan's control over the Empyrean Flame was beyond doubt. The final flame transition went smoothly. A burst of multicolored light shot out.

A rich, multicolored pill fragrance slowly rose, finally coalescing like a sentient, gorgeous mist, hovering above Yan Kuan's head, forming a three-layered, multi-colored cloud.

The pill fragrance had taken form, nearly triggering the energy fluctuations of heaven and earth. Old Yan and Ms. Xiao beside him couldn't help but show expressions of longing. Even with their shallow cultivation, they understood that this was definitely a peerless pill of great benefit to cultivation.

The Empyrean Flame in Yan Kuan's hand slowly receded. The longan-sized pill lay quietly in his palm. The lustrous pill was a jade-green color, and on its surface, three pill patterns—one red, one purple, and one multicolored—were arranged in an orderly manner.

The Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill, a fourth-grade pill. It came in three grades. Each grade would form one pill pattern on the pill's surface. If three pill patterns could be formed, it was the highest grade Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill.

The most ordinary Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill was the one Yan Kuan had refined first. The highest level was the one in his hand now, with three colored patterns. It was a peak fourth-grade pill that could directly increase a Grand Battle Master's cultivation, which would be of great benefit to him right now.