Successful Refinement

The next morning, Xiao Jin got up early. It was rare for him not to sleep in. Although he was already a Sixth-grade Alchemist, he did not have absolute confidence in directly refining a fifth-grade pill without any hands-on practice. He only had about an eighty percent chance of success.

Xiao Jin rummaged through Xiao Ying's room and soon found a set of black robes.

He put on the black robes and wrapped himself up tightly. Even if Xiao Ying stood before him, he probably would not recognize him. This time, he decided to imitate Xiao Huohuo and disguise himself before heading to the Mite'er Auction House. Along the way, he took out the Earth Demon Kui. As a Sixth-grade Alchemist, it was perfectly reasonable for him to have a Dou Zong expert accompanying him.

When he arrived at the entrance of the Mite'er Auction House, Ya Fei had already been waiting for a long time. The moment she saw Xiao Jin approach, she hurried over to greet him, with Gu Ni following close behind.

"Old sir, you must be little brother Xiao Jin's teacher, correct? Mittal welcomes your esteemed presence."

Ya Fei spoke respectfully. After hearing Xiao Jin mention yesterday that his teacher was a Sixth-grade Alchemist, she had deliberately closed the auction house for the day, ordered the servants to clean the Mite'er Auction House from top to bottom, dressed up meticulously, and brought all of Mittal's staff to welcome Xiao Jin's teacher.

Ya Fei looked exceptionally beautiful today. Her already curvaceous figure was breathtaking in her formal attire. From her hairstyle to her clothing, every detail was exquisite; it was obvious she had prepared carefully, and her presence was utterly commanding.

"You've put a lot of thought into this, girl," Xiao Jin said in a hoarse voice.

"Old sir, I'll be relying on you for today's matter. If the refinement succeeds, Ya Fei will certainly offer an additional reward," Ya Fei said solemnly.

"Don't worry. Since this old man promised you, I will naturally do my utmost."

"Then perhaps we should go inside the auction house and rest first. You must be tired after the journey, old sir," Ya Fei suggested.

"No need. I have matters to attend to once the refinement is complete," Xiao Jin replied indifferently, fully displaying the cold aloofness and pride of a Sixth-grade Alchemist.

"Very well, this way, old sir." Ya Fei led the way ahead, and Xiao Jin followed her. The Earth Demon Kui trailed closely behind him.

After arriving at the Alchemy Room, Ya Fei said to the Earth Demon Kui, "Sir, why not come outside with me for a cup of tea, so you won't disturb the old sir's alchemy?"

"It's fine. Let it remain in the Alchemy Room to guard me," Xiao Jin said calmly.

"Then... very well. Old sir, I'll leave everything to you." Ya Fei spoke solemnly before leaving the Alchemy Room.

Looking at the neatly arranged medicinal ingredients in the Alchemy Room, Xiao Jin sat down on the meditation cushion. An ordinary Alchemy Furnace was absolutely unsuitable for refining a fifth-grade pill. When a fifth-grade pill took shape, it would produce powerful energy ripples that struck the furnace. An ordinary furnace likely would not withstand even two rounds before shattering, resulting in failed alchemy.

Xiao Jin took out the Myriad Auspicious Cauldron. Looking at the unremarkable cauldron before him, he felt somewhat uneasy. He did not know whether this medicine cauldron was reliable. Still, since it came from the system, there should not be any problems.

Xiao Jin closed his eyes and began recalling the method for refining the Azure Nether Longevity Pill. He wanted to think through every step before beginning so that he could proceed smoothly during the refinement. He then inspected the age of the medicinal ingredients again to prevent any mishaps during the alchemy.

"It seems Master Gu Ni's fundamentals are solid. Every medicinal ingredient is old enough, and he even prepared two sets of ingredients. The value of these two sets is no small sum. Sister Ya Fei must have spent heavily as well."

After confirming that nothing had been overlooked, Xiao Jin closed his eyes and focused. A cluster of Seven-Colored Flame suddenly appeared in his hand. He threw it into the medicine cauldron, and Dou Qi from within his body continuously flowed into it. The entire Myriad Auspicious Cauldron suddenly emitted dazzling seven-colored radiance.

Xiao Jin tossed the Wood Attribute Fifth-Order Magical Core into the medicine cauldron. The raging Seven-Colored Flame immediately wrapped the Fifth-Order Magical Core tightly and began burning it. Suddenly, a beastly roar seemed to emerge from within the core, filled with unwillingness and resentment. Yet it quickly fell silent, and the magical core rapidly melted, soon turning into a pool of liquid.

It seemed to be a trace of resentment left behind by the Fifth-Order Magical Beast at the moment of its death, attached to the magical core. However, before the Nascent Emperor Flame, it had nowhere to hide. The purification power possessed by the Imperial Flame cleansed it away completely.

Do not underestimate that trace of resentment. It could directly lower the pill's quality by twenty percent. This Azure Nether Longevity Pill could originally extend one's life by ten years. If the alchemist using this magical core failed to notice that trace of resentment, then the Azure Nether Longevity Pill he refined would only extend one's life by eight years.

For old fellows who needed pills to prolong their lives, two years were immensely important. Xiao Jin was the only reason this worked; only his Nascent Emperor Flame and the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame within the Demonic Flame Space possessed the ability to purify all things. Otherwise, even if this pill were refined, its effect would not be as good as it should have been.

Xiao Jin then threw the supplementary medicinal ingredients into the medicine cauldron one after another. Dou Qi within his body surged madly into the cauldron, raising the temperature inside, while his Soul Power enveloped the entire cauldron and carefully observed the changes in the ingredients. The hand seals in his hands shifted continuously, and before long, all the medicinal ingredients had transformed into clusters of medicinal liquid.

Xiao Jin was delighted. He had not expected the Nascent Emperor Flame to possess such power. Refining medicinal ingredients was actually this easy.

Xiao Jin changed his hand seal, and the Soul Power within his body surged wildly into the medicine cauldron, causing the medicinal liquids within to spin and merge frantically. Under the constant scorching of the Imperial Flame, they gradually formed a cyan pill. Seeing this, Xiao Jin's expression turned serious. The energy ripples were about to begin.

Just then, the pill inside the cauldron contracted once, and waves of energy ripples began continuously striking the medicine cauldron.

As for the Myriad Auspicious Cauldron, it did not change in the slightest. Those waves of energy ripples seemed like gentle breezes, while the Myriad Auspicious Cauldron was a massive boulder in the mountains. When the breeze blew against the boulder, it felt nothing at all. Xiao Jin was overjoyed. As expected of a medicine cauldron ranked on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking—it was truly powerful.

The remaining steps were simple. Xiao Jin continued injecting Dou Qi into the medicine cauldron and waited for the pill to fully take shape.

Half an hour later, the pill fragrance in the room began to contract back into the pill. Xiao Jin withdrew the flames and struck the furnace. A cyan pill slowly rose up, and Xiao Jin placed it into a medicine bottle. He let out a breath of relief. It had finally succeeded.

Xiao Jin sat on the meditation cushion and rested for a while. After restoring his Dou Qi to its peak, he began preparing for the next refinement.

Outside the door, Ya Fei paced back and forth along the corridor. She had invested more than half her savings into this alchemy attempt. If it failed, her hopes of returning to the family would once again become nothing but a fleeting dream.