First Time Refining Pills

Another two years passed.

The peach tree in the courtyard had grown lush and full.

Tang Xichen's meridians gradually recovered.

She could cultivate now.

Chen Sheng and Huang Wangyou specifically found her a superior fire-element Qi Refinement technique.

—"Three Yang Gold Transformation Art."

At this moment.

Inside the Training Room.

Tang Xichen wore a Cloud Pattern Training Robe.

Her small figure sat cross-legged on a Cattail Mat, her hands overlapping before her lower abdomen as she earnestly circulated the Hand Seal.

She began her first Qi Refinement cultivation session.

Chen Sheng and Huang Wangyou sat beside her.

Faint spiritual power lingered around the couple as they guarded their daughter.

Several incense sticks later.

Tang Xichen suddenly opened her eyes. Her round eyes darted about lively, filled with delight.

"Father, Mother, I refined a strand of spiritual power!"

Chen Sheng smiled and reached out, lightly placing his fingertips on her wrist pulse to examine her.

After a moment, he nodded.

"That's right. Keep your mind steady and continue working hard."

Huang Wangyou clenched her fists as well.

She waved them, cheering her daughter on.

And so.

Under the couple's watch.

Two hours passed.

Tang Xichen cultivated with great determination until her meridians felt swollen, only then ending her first session.

She had refined a total of nine strands of spiritual power.

Chen Sheng patted her little head and encouraged her. "My daughter is truly determined."

Huang Wangyou also leaned over with a smile and pinched her daughter's cheek.

"A Mid-grade Spiritual Root really is impressive. Your mother only refined four strands of spiritual power during her first session."

Chen Sheng heard this.

Yet he did not use his wife as a comparison.

With Huang Wangyou's temperament, she could never have sat still during her first cultivation session.

She probably would not have lasted even half an hour before finding an excuse to slip away.

Chen Sheng gradually recalled his own early cultivation.

Then he deducted the effects of Spirit Rice and pills.

He silently estimated it.

He finally reached a conclusion.

Thirty percent!

A Mid-grade Spiritual Root cultivated a full thirty percent faster than a Low-grade Spiritual Root!

In other words.

Even without any support from Spirit Rice or pills, his daughter's cultivation speed was no worse than his current speed.

Not to mention.

The purity of the spiritual power they refined and the bottlenecks they faced were completely different.

Chen Sheng secretly clicked his tongue.

"On the path of immortality, aptitude is greater than heaven!"

That afternoon, in the Alchemy Room.

The fragrance of herbs mingled with the scent of smoke and fire.

Chen Sheng and Li Huayao had just learned the basic Pill Condensation Technique.

There were only three steps.

First step: Liquid Gathering and Spiral Condensation.

Second step: Pill Stabilization and Spirit Locking.

Third step: Furnace Opening and Pill Collection.

It seemed simple, but there were many details, and the Hand Seals were quite complicated.

The slightest carelessness would result in a pile of ashes.

The only way to improve was through repeated practice.

At this moment.

Before the Alchemy Furnace.

Under Huang Yueyang's guidance.

The two began refining pills for the first time.

The pill they were refining was the most basic Grain Abstinence Pill, with an extremely low cost.

It was the most suitable for practice.

Li Huayao, refining pills for the first time, was full of anticipation.

"Rest assured, Master. I'll definitely succeed!"

With that, she walked over to the Alchemy Furnace.

She honestly followed the steps.

Igniting the fire and melting the liquid both went very smoothly.

Just as she had said, the Threefold Flame Control Technique was completely sufficient!

The next step—Liquid Gathering.

Li Huayao formed Hand Seals, sweat beading on her forehead as she struggled to stabilize the conflicts between the various medicinal liquids.

The next moment!

A tongue of flame swept through the furnace, and all the medicinal liquid turned to ashes.

Li Huayao pouted.

"I haven't even reached Pill Condensation yet. How did I fail already?!"

Huang Yueyang watched and shook his head.

"First, your timing for Liquid Gathering was wrong. Your grasp of medicinal properties is insufficient, and the conflict between the medicinal effects was too obvious."

"Add the Azure Dew earlier to neutralize the medicinal effects."

"Second, it's still the same old problem. Your fire control was unstable. One careless mistake, and you destroyed the medicinal liquid."

After giving his assessment, he looked toward Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng nodded in acknowledgment.

He walked to the Alchemy Furnace and skillfully placed down Spirit Stones, activating the fire-channel Formation Patterns carved into the furnace walls to create a flame.

He formed the Xuanyang Flame Control Art and gradually brought the furnace fire under control.

Then he tossed in one processed medicinal ingredient after another.

He used the Fourth Layer fire-control Hand Seal—the Whirlwind Wheel.

The flames inside the furnace spun like a vortex, drawing all the medicinal ingredients into them.

The marvel of this Hand Seal was that it heated evenly, preventing the medicinal ingredients from scorching due to localized overheating and losing their medicinal power.

It could also use the force of rotation to remove many impurities, greatly improving the quality of the finished pill.

Very soon.

Clusters of medicinal liquid floated within the furnace.

"Liquid Gathering!"

Chen Sheng's Hand Seals shifted.

Guided by his Hand Seals, all the medicinal liquid in the Alchemy Furnace gradually gathered into a single mass.

"Spiral Condensation!"

He formed Hand Seals and sent several Hand Seals into the furnace.

The medicinal liquid inside the Alchemy Furnace began to rotate bit by bit, faster and faster...

In the end, all the medicinal liquid condensed into a sphere amid the high-speed rotation.

At that moment.

Chen Sheng sent several Pill Stabilization and Spirit Locking Hand Seals into the furnace.

After three incense sticks.

"Open the furnace!"

Chen Sheng's spiritual power surged as he sent several Pill Collection Hand Seals into the furnace.

The Alchemy Furnace rumbled.

A pale yellow pill flew out and landed in Chen Sheng's hand.

Before Chen Sheng could rejoice.

The Grain Abstinence Pill's color rapidly deepened, turning black... before finally becoming a pile of ashes.

Huang Yueyang stood to the side and commented.

"Your fire control, liquid melting, Liquid Gathering, Spiral Condensation, and Pill Stabilization were all commendable. Your fundamentals are solid."

"Your Spirit Locking and Pill Collection Hand Seals were wrong. You collected the pill too early, before the spiritual power had been sealed, causing it to leak out."

"Even if it had succeeded by chance, it would only have been a useless pill."

As he spoke, Huang Yueyang demonstrated the corresponding Hand Seals once more, along with Chen Sheng's mistakes.

Before long.

Chen Sheng nodded.

"Thank you for your guidance, Father-in-law."

With this experience.

For the second attempt.

Li Huayao improved somewhat, but failed at Pill Condensation.

Meanwhile, on Chen Sheng's second attempt at refining pills.

He successfully refined a pale yellow Grain Abstinence Pill.

Huang Yueyang picked up the pale yellow pill and sniffed it lightly, then commented.

"The color is even, and it carries a faint fragrance. It has roughly seventy percent efficacy, so it barely qualifies."

"But do not grow complacent. The Grain Abstinence Pill is merely the foundation. There is still much room for improvement."

Chen Sheng nodded.

He had seen his father-in-law refine Grain Abstinence Pills—the pill bodies shone, with a Spirit Pattern attached to them.

Those were truly fine pills, with ninety percent efficacy.

According to his father-in-law, there were even Top-grade pills above them, bearing three Spirit Patterns and possessing Nine-Nine Perfection efficacy, with practically no Pill Toxin or impurities!

At the same time.

The gates of the Qin Mansion slowly opened.

A middle-aged man in bloodstained clothing stood at the entrance, his face weathered, a swaddled infant in his arms.

It was Qin Shuang, who had been away for several years.

"Shuang'er!"

Qin Dajiang hurried forward to support him. When he saw the bloodstains on Qin Shuang's body, his expression changed drastically.

"What happened?"

Qin Shuang handed the infant in his arms to his father, speaking in a hoarse voice.

"This is my son, Qin Yuan."

"I obtained a strand of Foundation Establishment Fiendish Qi through a fortunate opportunity, but the news leaked, and I was plotted against."

"Yuan'er's mother fought two thieves to the death in order to protect me. Only then was I able to break out with him."

As he spoke.

Qin Shuang paused, determination flashing through his eyes.

"I will leave immediately to attempt Foundation Establishment. If I succeed, I will return in a few months."

"If I fail, I entrust this child to you, Father. Please forgive your son for being unfilial."

Upon hearing that Qin Shuang possessed a Foundation Establishment spirit item.

Qin Dajiang was an experienced man of the Jianghu. He knew this item was the root of the trouble, and that delay would only make the situation more dangerous.

He did not waste words. He merely patted Qin Shuang on the shoulder, telling him to put down his burden.

Qin Dajiang said in a deep voice.

"Go. With me at home, there is nothing to worry about."

Hearing this, Qin Shuang looked deeply at the swaddled infant, then turned and left resolutely.