Alchemy
The intense heat, accompanied by the humming of the Dark Red Medicinal Cauldron, emanated from the Central Stone Platform where Lin Ming was located.
The Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame burned fiercely inside the cauldron, scorching and distorting the air, making the air in this area extremely dry. Even the Alchemist on other stone platforms in the distance could faintly feel a burning sensation that stung their skin.
As the temperature inside the Medicinal Cauldron gradually rose to a constant and perfect state under the precise control of his Soul Power, Lin Ming's eyes narrowed slightly, and he casually swept his palm across the void in front of him.
In an instant, dazzling lights flashed one after another!
One by one, the medicinal herbs of different shapes and colors seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, rushing out of his Storage Ring and finally floating in an orderly manner in the void around the stone platform, surrounding Lin Ming and the Medicinal Cauldron like stars surrounding the moon.
At a glance, there are probably nearly a thousand kinds of these floating medicinal herbs! The rich Medicinal Fragrance they emit intertwines to form a powerful energy tide, causing the Heaven and Earth Energy to fluctuate slightly.
Judging solely from the sheer quantity of medicinal herbs, any Alchemist with even a modicum of knowledge could conclude that the pills Lin Ming had refined were definitely of the Tier 8 rank! In fact, they might not even be ordinary Tier 8!
The process of refining Tier 8 Medicinal Pill is terrifyingly complicated. It involves hundreds, even nearly a thousand, kinds of medicinal herbs, and the extraction temperature, fusion timing, and energy balance of each one must be precise to the millimeter.
For ordinary Alchemist, let alone perfect refining, even controlling nearly a thousand medicinal herbs to levitate simultaneously and constantly sensing their status would be enough to exhaust their Soul Power, causing them to become flustered and ultimately fail.
However, these problems, which would drive most Alchemist to despair, posed no challenge whatsoever to Lin Ming's Spirit Realm Grand Perfection and his vast, ocean-like Soul Power.
His Soul Power was like countless invisible and precise hands, steadily supporting each medicinal herb and clearly sensing the most subtle changes in their energy. He handled the whole situation with ease and composure.
After taking out nearly a thousand kinds of medicinal herbs used as auxiliary ingredients, Lin Ming waved his hand again, and seven jade artifacts, shimmering with a warm luster, flashed out and finally gently floated in front of him in the most convenient position.
These seven jade artifacts are clearly far more valuable than the ordinary medicinal herbs around them.
The first four are exquisitely crafted Jade Box. Even with the lids slightly ajar, one can sense the astonishing energy contained within.
A strange flower shaped like Fenghuang spreading its wings, its feathers burning with illusory flames; a root entirely ice-blue, its interior seemingly filled with condensed snowflakes; a fist-sized, bizarre fruit with dragon scale patterns on its surface, pulsating like a heart; and a clump of soil sealed within an amber crystal, constantly changing shape. Any one of these four main ingredients would be enough to incite Dou Zun expert to fight over them.
The other three jade artifacts, however, were even more eye-catching.
First, it was a Jade Box made entirely of dark gold, engraved with Seal Runes.
The box was tightly closed, but a terrifying aura still emanated from it, a powerful and tyrannical pressure originating from the depths of one's bloodline. Inside was an Eighth Order Monster Core! Moreover, judging from its aura, the Eighth Order Magical Beast was undoubtedly powerful in its lifetime.
Secondly, it was a Jade Bottle that was only the size of a palm.
Its bottle is entirely emerald green, as if carved from the finest jade. Natural wood grain patterns, like tree rings, adorn its surface. The bottle's mouth is sealed by a strange energy, but through the translucent walls, one can vaguely see that it contains about half a bottle of thick, honey-like liquid.
The liquid possessed a pure and flawless emerald hue, with a faint blue halo seemingly flowing and breathing within, releasing an immense and wondrous power imbued with boundless creation and vitality. It was none other than the incredibly rare Bodhi Treasure Liquid, aged nine hundred years!
The last one is also a Jade Bottle, but the material is translucent milky white jade.
Inside the bottle was a liquid about an inch deep. The liquid had a very peculiar form, like liquid diamonds, shimmering with countless tiny starlight, and a pure, almost ethereal, Soul Origin emanated from it.
This item is the very Saint Soul Marrow that Lin Ming obtained after overcoming numerous hardships from the Half-Saint Remains in the Saint Demise Valley, deep within the Barbarian Race Land! This item has incredible effects on nourishing and strengthening the soul.
With all the necessary preparations complete, Lin Ming's usually calm expression gradually became extremely solemn.
The pill he was about to refine was the highest-grade pill he had ever prepared to refine, and also the most difficult one.
This elixir wasn't made from a ready-made, perfect formula verified by countless predecessors, which Lin Ming created by repeatedly deducing, considering, and combining various methods based on a single formula, his own understanding of medicinal properties, and his extensive study of countless elixir formulas in the Pill Tower Library Pavilion's library. This was done through his profound knowledge of alchemy and extraordinary comprehension.
Even with a mature formula, refining High-Grade Pills can be extremely difficult. A slight miscalculation in controlling the heat or a minor deviation in one's spiritual control can lead to complete failure, a furnace explosion, and the destruction of the pills. One can plummet from the brink of success to the abyss of defeat, and may even suffer severe backlash...
What's more, this is a unique formula that Lin Ming derived himself and hasn't yet been tested in practice. The risks and uncertainties involved increase exponentially!
Lin Ming slowly closed his eyes. In his mind, the detailed refining steps of this pill, the conflicting properties and fusion points of each medicinal ingredient, and the required Soul Strength and flame temperature for each stage...
All the information flowed by quietly, like a clear stream.
He memorized every detail that needed attention, every possible unexpected situation, and every possible solution with his powerful Soul Power, repeatedly rehearsing and ensuring that nothing went wrong.
"Call..."
A moment later, Lin Ming's slightly narrowed eyes suddenly snapped open, a sharp glint flashing in his dark pupils! Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly flicked his sleeve!
From the torrent of medicinal herbs swirling around the stone platform, the first few needed herbs were separated. They joined together end to end, transforming into several streams of light, and precisely entered the huge dark red Medicinal Cauldron.
The moment the medicinal herbs entered the Medicinal Cauldron, they were instantly enveloped by the eerie Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame. Under the terrifying temperature of the Heavenly Flames, the herbs withered and charred almost visibly, their impurities mercilessly burned to nothingness.
However, under Lin Ming's incredibly powerful Soul Power, the destructive power of the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame was confined to an extremely precise range.
The flames, like the most nimble fingers, gently brush over the herbs, removing only the unwanted parts while perfectly preserving and refining their most essential medicinal power.
In just over ten minutes, these high-grade medicinal herbs, which are considered precious even in the outside world, were refined into pure medicinal powder or liquid with pure color and full energy. They were suspended in specific areas inside the Medicinal Cauldron, emitting a shimmering light.
One by one, high-grade medicinal herbs that most of the Alchemist present had probably never even seen before were continuously being thrown into the Medicinal Cauldron by Lin Ming.
The Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame seemed to possess a life of its own; with just a casual flick of its wrist, the purest medicinal power most needed from a single herb was quickly and perfectly extracted, with almost no waste whatsoever.
As time went by, more and more pure medicinal power floated in the Medicinal Cauldron, densely packed, colorful, and filled with astonishing energy fluctuations, as if a miniature energy galaxy had been opened up inside the cauldron.
Lin Ming's expression remained unchanged as his hands moved in rapid succession, the movements fluid and rhythmic. He meticulously controlled the order of adding nearly a thousand medicinal herbs, the timing of the refining process, and the energy interactions between them...
Despite the extreme complexity of the process, Lin Ming remained completely calm and focused. His Soul Power spread out like a spiderweb, precisely controlling every detail.
The complexity of the original elixir he refined was terrifying. If one's Soul Manipulation was not up to par, just watching nearly a thousand medicinal herbs fly before one's eyes would likely cause dizziness, let alone refining and fusing them one by one with terrifying precision.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the plaza, on the stone platform where Xiao Yan was located.
In front of Xiao Yan, there was also a large number of medicinal herbs floating. Although the number was much less than Lin Ming's nearly a thousand kinds, there were still as many as three or four hundred kinds at a rough glance. Obviously, the grade of the pills he was refining was definitely not low, at least at the Tier 8 level.
At this moment, as Xiao Yan methodically refined the medicinal herbs, a sense of admiration welled up within him.
"The benefits of advancing to the Tier 8 Alchemist are finally starting to show!"
Because when he was refining medicinal herbs, Xiao Yan could clearly feel that now, almost as long as he had a thought, the temperature of the new Heavenly Flames formed by the fusion of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and the other two Heavenly Flames would change very subtly, and then the medicinal herbs would be refined to the purest degree. This sense of control over the flame was something he could hardly achieve when he was at the Tier 7.
Moreover, what surprised Xiao Yan the most was that the medicinal herbs he had refined now seemed to have a faint, unique Spirit Qi mixed in. Although this Spirit Qi was very faint, it was enough to subtly increase the quality and Spirituality of the refined medicinal powder or liquid.
This qualitative leap prompted Xiao Yan to marvel at the wonders of Tier 8 Alchemist, and he couldn't help but mutter, "Tier 8 Alchemist, truly extraordinary..."
If Lin Ming could sense Xiao Yan's movements and thoughts, he would surely chuckle to himself, thinking with a hint of mockery.
"Little brother Xiao Yan is indeed little brother Xiao Yan. I, your older brother, have long since reached the Tier 8 rank and have been immersed in this realm for quite some time. Only you are still sighing over just reaching the Tier 8."
As Xiao Yan murmured with slight delight, all the Alchemist on the stone platforms above the huge plaza entered their most tense moment.
No one paid attention to anyone else; everyone was completely focused, continuously adding medicinal herbs into the Medicinal Cauldron in front of them. Their Soul Power was highly concentrated as they carried out the most crucial and tedious step of refining the herbs.
Thousands of flames soared, and the Medicinal Fragrance filled the air. A grand alchemy feast, concerning glory and the future, slowly reached its climax amidst this silent busy activity.