Grandmaster (Part 2)

The flat ground, paved with white jade slabs, was already prepared with various specialized protective formations. As the heavy, enormous pill furnace slowly descended, it made absolutely no sound. Lin Xiao cast a spiritual technique, and a red light shot out from the furnace's belly. Wrapped in a thin layer of pale white heavenly fire, a red crystal pillar pierced the ground like thunder, aiming for a spiritual nexus three miles below where spiritual veins intertwined. The location for placing the pill furnace had also been meticulously surveyed by Daoist Yi Yi, who had invited a senior disciple from the Origin Sect, the most skilled in dragon-finding and vein-tracing. To ensure sufficient spiritual energy to support the massive pill furnace's consumption, Daoist Yi had, over the past 108 days, even invited three senior cultivators from the Origin Sect who were in secluded cultivation. They had meticulously relocated and connected over a dozen small spiritual veins in the vicinity to this spiritual nexus.

The ground trembled slightly, and flames several feet high suddenly erupted from the red crystal pillar. The countless medicinal herb and floral patterns carved on the pill furnace simultaneously flickered with a dim light, and a faint, almost imperceptible heat began to emanate from within the furnace. Gradually, the spiritual energy surging up from underground along the crystal pillar became as dense as thick porridge. A layer of red light enveloped the pill furnace, and heat gradually filled the area. Thousands of Origin Sect disciples who had followed to watch the spectacle exclaimed in surprise and slowly dispersed.

Lin Xiao systematically cast spiritual techniques into the pill furnace, slowly channeling the fiery spiritual energy absorbed by the furnace into true fire to warm the furnace body, and gradually preheating the forty-nine pill cauldrons within. Once all preparations were complete, the pill furnace was spewing purple smoke and crimson fire. The air within a radius of several miles had become distorted and undulating due to the radiating heat, blurring objects even a dozen feet away. Only then did Lin Xiao heave a sigh of relief and ask Yi Xing with a slight smile, "Sect Leader Yi Xing, what kind of pills is the Origin Sect currently most in need of? My cultivation is insufficient. In the Great Luo Pill Dao's Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow, Cosmos, and Primordial realms of pills, I currently only have absolute confidence in refining pills of the Primordial grade."

Daoist Yi Yi's eyes lit up. He glanced at Daoist Yi Yi.

Daoist Yi Yi quickly said, "Qi Gathering Pills, Qi Condensing Pills, Spirit Cleansing Pills, and also a large quantity of Grain Abstinence Pills, Detoxification Pills, and External Wound Pills. The first three are what our Origin Sect's younger disciples urgently need, while the latter are what our Origin Sect's pharmacies have had the greatest demand for recently." Daoist Yi Yi omitted one detail: they could maintain normal sales of Grain Abstinence Pills and External Wound Pills using their existing stock. However, for various grades of Detoxification Pills, apart from the most basic types that the Origin Sect could refine themselves, other slightly better detoxification pills were already out of stock.

Near Qi Yuan Star, where the Origin Sect was located, there were dozens of desolate planets with ancient ruins. Every year, countless cultivators ventured to these planets to explore and seek fortune. The Origin Sect served as their most convenient supply station. Grain Abstinence Pills, Detoxification Pills, and External Wound Pills were precisely the medicines most consumed by these adventurous cultivators.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Xiao took out a set of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone from his bracelet. Qingchu walked forward obediently and helped Lin Xiao spread out the paper and grind the ink. Lin Xiao wrote down seven pill formulas in one go and casually handed them to Daoist Yi Yi, who was standing nearby. "Senior Yi Yi, please prepare the medicinal ingredients according to these pill formulas. I intend to refine Qi Gathering Pills, Qi Condensing Pills, Spirit Cleansing Pills, Grain Abstinence Pills, Jade Truth Detoxification Pills, Meteor Reception Pills, and Muscle Regeneration and Pus Removal Powder simultaneously!"

Refining seven different types of pills simultaneously! Refining seven different types of pills in a single furnace!

Cold sweat beaded on Daoist Yi Yi's forehead. He wasn't afraid, but rather excited and hopeful.

If Lin Xiao truly succeeded, and if this pill furnace's output was as immense as he described, its value to the Origin Sect would be immeasurable.

A white-faced Daoist behind Daoist Yi Yi snatched the pill formulas and quickly scanned them. The Daoist suddenly looked up, staring at Lin Xiao, and asked in shock, "These pill formulas, these pill formulas—"

Lin Xiao looked at the Daoist and said in a deep voice, "Our Great Luo Pill Dao modified these basic spiritual pill formulas a thousand years ago."

The white-faced Daoist rushed in front of Lin Xiao, grabbed Lin Xiao's arm, and exclaimed, "But! Looking at this Qi Gathering Pill, how can the Star Grass and Climbing Snake Vine not collide in their medicinal properties?"

Sect Leader Yi Xing let out a low cough and swiftly moved in front of the white-faced Daoist. He snatched the pill formulas from the Daoist's hand and handed them to Daoist Yi Yi, then slowly said, "Junior Brother Yidan—these are the unique secrets of the Great Luo Pill Dao. How could you—"

Lin Xiao looked at Daoist Yidan with surprise. His Daoist title even contained the character 'Pill.' Was this Daoist Yidan a pill-refining fanatic?

He then heard Daoist Yidan anxiously say, "Tell me why the medicinal properties of Star Grass and Climbing Snake Vine won't conflict and generate potent poison, and I will impart the Origin Sect's 'Heart Refining Secret Record' to you!"

'Heart Refining Secret Record'? The legendary supreme heart-refining scripture in the cultivation world that could perfectly resist the invasion of outer-worldly demons? Lin Xiao looked at Daoist Yidan in surprise. Sect Leader Yi Xing, however, coughed forcefully and pointed at Daoist Yidan's back, causing him to choke and be unable to speak for a long time. Two Origin Sect elders quickly flashed over and nimbly dragged Daoist Yidan away.

Daoist Yidan struggled frantically, his eyes fixed on Lin Xiao, his mouth agape. He finally exhaled, "Young friend Lin Xiao! Fellow Daoist Lin Xiao! — Great Master Lin Xiao! If you tell me the method, I will impart not only the Heart Refining Secret Record but also our Origin Sect's 'Primordial Supreme Clarity Treasure Scroll' to you! This is the supreme Qi-refining method in the cultivation world! Have you considered it carefully—"

An Origin Sect elder covered Daoist Yidan's mouth. The Origin Sect disciples gathered around, watching the spectacle, their eyes turned green. The 'Primordial Supreme Clarity Treasure Scroll'! This was a supreme scripture that fewer than a thousand people in the entire Origin Sect were qualified to cultivate! With over a million disciples, only a thousand could cultivate it, which showed how precious and miraculous its techniques were.

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes and looked speechlessly at the sky. Daoist Yidan shouldn't be in the Origin Sect; he should have joined the Great Luo Pill Dao!

Sect Leader Yi Xing chuckled dryly, "Heh heh heh," unsure of what else to say. Daoist Yidan was the direct junior brother of the same master as Sect Leader Yi Xing. Seeing his junior brother behave so disgracefully, Sect Leader Yi Xing felt his own reputation tarnished. The conditions Daoist Yidan offered were simply astounding! He was so casually promising to give away the two supreme scriptures that the Origin Sect relied on for its foundation in the cultivation world. What was this supposed to mean? Didn't it make the Origin Sect's secret manuals seem too cheap?

Daoist Master Yizhen broke the awkward atmosphere at just the right moment. He chuckled, patted Lin Xiao's shoulder affectionately, and pointed at the pill furnace, saying, "Young friend Lin Xiao, your pill furnace's names like 'Pill Frying Furnace,' 'Flowing Pill Furnace,' or 'Pill Sea Furnace' are truly unpleasant. It's a rare high-grade Precious Artifact, you should give it a majestic name to do it justice!"

Lin Xiao stood up straight, bowed deeply to Daoist Master Yizhen, and said calmly, "The pill furnace was crafted by all of you seniors. Please, seniors, give it a name!"

As soon as Lin Xiao said this, dense green light erupted from Daoist Master Yizhen's eyes, while Sect Leader Yi Xing, Yi Xin, and the other Origin Sect elders hastily retreated dozens of feet away. Lin Xiao was surprised, but Daoist Master Yizhen had already grabbed Lin Xiao's shoulder, his eyes glazed over, and he shouted with spittle flying, "Then, I won't be polite. Do you think this pill furnace should be called the 'Chaos Furnace' or the 'Creation Furnace'? Or perhaps, 'Heavenly Furnace' would also be fitting! 'Earthly Furnace' could also barely match it! Hmm, how about 'Primordial Qi Furnace of Heaven and Earth'? Or, 'Great Dao Creation Furnace'? Hmm, or what about 'Number One Furnace Dominating the World'? Hmm, this seems a bit overbearing, so let's call it 'Number One Furnace Under Heaven.' Given its massive size, calling it number one under heaven isn't wrong!"

Specks of saliva splattered onto Lin Xiao's face. Lin Xiao watched the rapidly moving lips of the old Daoist Master Yizhen, feeling his vision darken. He had only made a polite remark out of instinct, never expecting it to cause him so much trouble.

However, Qingchu's eyes sparkled with starlight as she gazed at the eloquent and voluble Daoist Master Yizhen with immense admiration. Qingchu, with her limited knowledge, felt that Daoist Master Yizhen's ability to come up with so many majestic names was truly amazing and incredible. As expected of an ancestor, the names he thought of were different from ordinary people's. Qingchu felt that she could at most think of names like 'Pill Refining Furnace,' 'Fire Burning Furnace,' or 'Medicine Boiling Furnace,' nowhere near as resounding as the names Daoist Master Yizhen uttered!

In the time it took to finish a meal, Lin Xiao's head was spinning from the thousands of majestic and imposing names spouted by Daoist Master Yizhen. He blinked his eyes blankly at Daoist Master Yizhen, feeling his heart tremble. He wanted to pull his arm out of Daoist Master Yizhen's 'claws,' but the burly Daoist Master Yizhen was incredibly strong. Lin Xiao, whose body had been tempered by heavenly fire, was still weaker than Daoist Master Yizhen. With his arms held tightly, Lin Xiao couldn't move at all.

Fortunately, Daoist Yi Yi arrived with a large group of green-robed Daoists, rescuing Lin Xiao.

Daoist Master Yizhen, who hadn't yet decided on a name for the pill furnace, reluctantly released his grip with some annoyance, watching Lin Xiao escape. Lin Xiao went with Daoist Yi and the green-robed Daoists to the pill furnace, where he began to instruct Daoist Yi and the Daoists on how to continuously add medicinal ingredients when using the pill frying furnace. Daoist Yidan, who was being held tightly by two fellow disciples, suddenly mustered a surge of divine power from somewhere. He forcefully threw his two senior brothers dozens of feet away, his eyes shining as he rushed forward, following Lin Xiao closely, listening to him explain the mysteries of the pill furnace.

"Few understand! The world only pursues flying swords and magical artifacts, unaware that flying swords and magical artifacts also need a pleasant name to do them justice!" Daoist Master Yizhen sighed with a hint of melancholy. His glowing eyes suddenly fixed on Qingchu, who was looking at him with immense admiration.

"You—your name is Qingchu, right?" Daoist Master Yizhen crouched down in front of Qingchu with a smile, grabbing the somewhat frightened Qingchu, who kept backing away. He smiled at Qingchu and chuckled, "Little girl, pick a nice name for this old Daoist, one that befits the name of this pill furnace. Hmm, I'll give you a high-grade flying sword to play with, how about that?"

Daoist Master Yizhen's smile was extremely strange, and Qingchu was truly afraid of his smile. However, upon hearing about a high-grade flying sword! Qingchu was a little tempted.

This moment of hesitation completely plunged Qingchu into the boundless sea of suffering that Lin Xiao had just escaped. Daoist Master Yizhen sat cross-legged in front of Qingchu with great enthusiasm, his eyes glowing as he unleashed a torrent of words upon Qingchu. Large amounts of saliva rained down on Qingchu's head and face. Qingchu's small face became a wrinkled mess. She looked tearfully at Daoist Master Yizhen, regretting her small moment of greed.

"Wuwu, I should have gone with Big Brother Lin to refine pills earlier," Qingchu said, carefully raising her sleeve to wipe away the saliva that was enough to wash her face. Her head almost drooped to the ground.

Daoist Master Yizhen continued to babble incessantly, his imagined names becoming increasingly ethereal, grand, and ancient.

Lin Xiao's explanation to Daoist Yi Yi, Daoist Yidan, and later Sect Leader Yi Xing, Yi Xin, and other Origin Sect elders, was nearing its end.

The pill frying furnace was actually designed by Lin Xiao's ancestor, Luo Yu, based on the principles of an assembly line. Using some incomplete ancient formations he had deciphered, he constructed forty-nine small pill cauldrons within the pill furnace. Each small cauldron could be considered an independent pill furnace. Each cauldron was solidified with formations for steps such as refining medicinal ingredients, condensing medicinal properties, extracting effective components, fusing medicinal properties, refining medicinal properties, brewing pills, and forming spiritual pills. Furthermore, the spiritual formations on the cauldrons could change according to the alchemist's will.

For example, the forty-nine pill cauldrons could simultaneously transform into medicinal cauldrons for refining raw medicinal ingredients, or they could simultaneously change into cauldrons for brewing pills. In short, they could transform infinitely according to the alchemist's will, possessing endless mysteries. As long as the alchemist set the refining program for each of the forty-nine cauldrons in the pill furnace, the furnace could automatically complete the entire pill refining process at a stable rate.

The only troublesome part was that after the medicinal ingredients in the first cauldron for refining were transferred by the spiritual formations to the cauldron for the next refining step, someone needed to refill the cauldron with new medicinal ingredients. However, with the help of the two hundred green-robed Daoists assigned by Daoist Yi Yi, Lin Xiao only needed to monitor the pills being refined in the furnace and didn't have to worry about these trivial matters.

The preheating of the pill furnace had long been completed. After explaining the main principles of pill refining with the pill furnace, Lin Xiao looked at the pill furnace before him with a sigh, silently prayed to his long-departed ancestor Luo Yu, and then raised the furnace lid with a spiritual technique. With a muffled 'buzz,' a column of purplish-red flame shot up for over a hundred feet. A few green-robed Daoists standing slightly too close to the pill furnace were caught off guard, and their clothes burst into flames.

Yi Xin let out a soft reprimand, and fine mists of water appeared out of thin air, spraying onto the Daoists' bodies and extinguishing the flames. The burned skin on the Daoists' bodies also gradually healed under the nourishment of the mist, although the speed was slightly slow.

Lin Xiao shook his head apologetically at the Daoists. He flicked his fingers, and a few 'Azure Wood Pills' he had refined in Spring Return Valley flew out, transforming into wisps of green energy that merged into the Daoists' bodies. Their wounds healed at a visible rate, quickly forming scabs and then falling off, revealing smooth, clean skin underneath. The Daoists looked at each other and then bowed to Lin Xiao in thanks.

Sect Leader Yi Xing and the other Origin Sect elders exchanged glances, nodding repeatedly with smiles. The spiritual pills of the Great Luo Pill Dao were indeed more than twice as effective as those refined by other sects. The Origin Sect also refined some basic spiritual pills for treating burns, but their efficacy was nowhere near as fast or as potent!

Sect Leader Yi Xing even unconsciously glanced at Daoist Yidan. Perhaps Daoist Yidan could learn something from Lin Xiao?

However, Sect Leader Yi Xing quickly dismissed the thought with shame. Greed was the most taboo thing for a cultivator. He silently recited a few incantations, calming the sudden surge of greed in his heart.

Lin Xiao muttered a few more words to the green-robed disciples responsible for adding medicinal ingredients, reminding them of the order of administration. Then, he sat cross-legged by the pill furnace and slowly extended his divine sense into the furnace, setting the programs for each small cauldron. Refining seven types of spiritual pills simultaneously, with the most requiring thirty-seven medicinal ingredients and the least requiring only six, each ingredient's extraction degree and order were different, the temperature the medicinal ingredients could withstand and the intensity of the fire when fusing medicinal properties were different, and even the conversion rate of gentle and fierce fire required for pill nurturing was different.

It required someone who was proficient in all kinds of pill formulas and all kinds of spiritual pill refining processes to meticulously set up each cauldron before the pill frying furnace could be used for refining.

The pill frying furnace, while seemingly convenient and fast, was an auxiliary treasure that greatly increased the speed of pill refining. However, for this convenience and speed, how many spiritual pills would an alchemist have to refine in an ordinary pill furnace beforehand to become so familiar with every pill formula and every spiritual pill refining process?

Only Lin Xiao was fortunate enough to inherit the Great Luo Pill Scripture from Yao'er. Without undergoing extremely arduous training, he gained the qualification to use the pill frying furnace.

Furthermore, it was the flesh and blood of the entire Great Luo Pill Dao sect that allowed Lin Xiao to seek refuge under the Origin Sect and gather the materials to refine such a pill frying furnace!

So, when Lin Xiao slowly opened his mouth to order the disciples in green robes to begin preparing the medicinal ingredients, his heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions. His heart felt heavy, as if it were sinking to the ground, and waves of bitterness and pain washed over him like muffled thunder, making his vision blur and his insides clench into a knot.

The various medicinal ingredients required for the seven types of spiritual pills were added to the alchemical furnace in the correct order.

Lin Xiao closed the lid of the alchemical furnace and, with a flick of his finger, a beam of spiritual light shot out. The fire within the furnace surged, and the spiritual energy from the ground was continuously drawn up by the crystal pillars, integrating into the furnace to generate scorching flames.

In just a quarter of an hour, Lin Xiao raised the alchemical furnace again and said in a deep voice, "Prepare the medicinal ingredients again!"

Yi Xing and the other Origin Sect elders were simultaneously startled! They hadn't even seen the pills emerge yet, and he was preparing the ingredients again?

However, upon recalling what Lin Xiao had said earlier about the wondrous properties of this alchemical furnace, Yi Xing and the others managed to suppress their curiosity. They silently stood behind Lin Xiao, a hundred paces away.

Thus, in a very short period, Lin Xiao had the disciples prepare the medicinal ingredients seven times in a row. Lin Xiao's hand seals shifted through thousands of variations, taming the furnace fire to be as obedient and docile as a well-behaved kitten. Daoist Yidan, standing beside Lin Xiao with his eyes glowing green, watched Lin Xiao's unpredictable fire-controlling spiritual techniques with a yearning heart, sighing softly, "This is a Grandmaster-level fire-controlling spiritual technique! The Origin Sect's other skills aside, this alchemy ability... how many people in the world can match it?"

Lin Xiao suddenly shouted, "The spiritual energy is too abundant, the furnace fire's spiritual power is too strong, and the pill condensation speed is too fast! Quickly, prepare various jade containers, prepare to receive the first batch of pills!"

Before his voice even faded, seven human-head-sized openings appeared on the lid of the alchemical furnace. Seven wisps of purple smoke rose, forming ganoderma-shaped clouds above the furnace, and a wondrous fragrance wafted far into the distance.

As Daoist Yi Xing and the others frantically took out three to five jade bottles and jars from their storage magical treasures, countless specks of crystalline light shot out from the seven openings like a swarm of locusts with a 'whoosh'. Lin Xiao yelled loudly, frantically manipulating his spiritual techniques to collect over two thousand spiritual pills. The remaining countless points of light all sprayed into the sky, then rapidly descended.

Yi Xing and the others, having collected only over twenty thousand pills, had exhausted all their jade containers. They could only watch helplessly as the remaining over seventy thousand points of light fell to the ground with a 'pitter-patter', scattering pills of all colors everywhere.

"Good heavens! A single furnace really produced a hundred thousand pills!" Daoist Master Yizhen, who had been chattering away, gaped with his mouth wide open, unable to close it.

Qingchu, who was desperately wiping away the alchemy residue with her sleeve, turned around and stared blankly at the tens of thousands of pills rolling on the ground. Her small mouth suddenly opened, and her eyes widened to the extreme. "Big Brother Lin, you're so amazing!" Qingchu gazed at Lin Xiao, who was frantically controlling the furnace fire, with adoration, her eyes shining brightly.

Daoist Yi Yi looked at the pills rolling on the ground with a beaming smile, chuckling, "The floor is made of jade too, it's fine, it's fine. A little dust... it's fine, we can sell them to those cultivators later... hahaha, as long as it's not for our own disciples to consume, what does a little dirt matter?"

Yi Xing stroked his beard and laughed heartily, relieved. After consuming so many materials to refine such a massive alchemical furnace, he could finally give an account to the reclusive Supreme Elders.

Yi Xin also smiled gently. She looked at Yi Xing, and as long as Yi Xing smiled, she would smile happily.

The disciples in green robes had forgotten to continue preparing the medicinal ingredients, and Lin Xiao no longer issued orders to do so. Daoist Yi Yi and the others had made complete preparations, but they simply hadn't prepared enough containers for the pills. This batch of pills was only to verify the correctness of Patriarch Luo Yu's theory, and refining a batch was enough to give the Origin Sect some confidence.

The alchemical furnace erupted with six more bursts of pills, and hundreds of thousands of pills rolled all over the ground, the air filled with the fragrance of various spiritual pills.

Lin Xiao gently caressed the alchemical furnace and mused in a low voice, "High-grade Precious Artifact? It probably has the power of a Cosmos Grade alchemical furnace, and it makes refining pills exceptionally easy and convenient. Considering this, the Heaven Grade alchemical furnaces in the sect, aren't they... treasures surpassing Immortal Artifacts?" The hairs on the back of Lin Xiao's neck stood on end. Those alchemical furnaces had all fallen into the hands of the Blood God Ancestor!

Daoist Yidan simply squatted on the ground, staring blankly at the pile of spiritual pills before him.

Both their color and fragrance were several grades superior to the pills he refined. Moreover, Lin Xiao had refined hundreds of thousands of these basic spiritual pills in one go, whereas Daoist Yidan could refine at most a thousand of the most basic pills per furnace!

"This is the gap... truly Grandmaster-level skill!" Daoist Yidan's eyes were shining, and he sighed in a low voice, "I wonder when young friend Lin Xiao will be able to refine more advanced spiritual pills? I imagine it would broaden my horizons immensely?"

While the elders of the Origin Sect were either rejoicing or in a daze, the Origin Sect disciples who had come to watch the spectacle now looked at Lin Xiao with eyes full of reverence and adoration.

A Grandmaster of Alchemy! Absolutely!

They had never imagined that alchemy could be as earth-shattering and wave-crashing as this, with hundreds of thousands of spiritual pills gushing out of the alchemical furnace with a 'whoosh'! Even for the most basic Grain Abstinence Pills, they couldn't imagine such a scene.

Lin Xiao was a genuine Alchemy Grandmaster!

The eyes of the Origin Sect disciples shone. It was truly wonderful to have an Alchemy Grandmaster in their sect! (To be continued)