Trial

Trial

Danxia Mountain had been hollowed out and converted into Alchemy Rooms and Artifact Refining Rooms of various sizes. Qi Refining Stage disciples who wanted to make pills or refine artifacts would rent a chamber in Danxia Mountain.

Halfway up the mountain stood a Black Grand Hall, more than ten zhang tall. People came and went without pause.

As soon as Shi Yue entered the hall, he found himself in a vast lobby a hundred zhang across. More than a dozen red-robed disciples stood near a long black counter, ready to show renters to their chambers.

"I'd like to rent an Alchemy Room," Shi Yue said, walking up to the counter and addressing the steward disciple behind it.

"One Spirit Stone per day. How long do you want it for?" The steward disciple gave Shi Yue a glance and asked flatly.

"Two days." Shi Yue thought it over, then took out two Spirit Stones and set them on the counter.

"Zhao Feng, take him to Alchemy Room No. 45. He's renting it for two days," the steward disciple instructed a fair-faced Red-Clad Man. Then he took out a red Square Token and tossed it to him.

"Come with me." The Red-Clad Man left him with those words and headed toward a passage on the left side of the lobby.

Shi Yue hurried after him. After several twists and turns, they reached a row of closed Stone Rooms. A faint medicinal fragrance hung in the air.

He noticed several red-robed disciples standing outside the Stone Rooms, apparently waiting for something.

The Red-Clad Man stopped in front of a Stone Room carved with the number "45" and placed the Square Token into a groove above the stone door.

After he channeled his magical power into it, the Square Token shone brightly.

The next instant, the stone door rumbled open.

The Alchemy Room was small, only five or six zhang across. A Yellow Furnace with an antique elegance stood in the middle of the room. Each of the three stone walls held two lifelike, golden-red dragon heads. Their mouths were raised slightly toward the furnace, as if spitting fire, and they looked incredibly realistic.

In front of the Yellow Furnace lay a green cushion.

"Junior, the earthfire needed for pill refinement comes from these six dragon heads. You can adjust the flames' size and height as needed. The instructions are recorded on this token." The Red-Clad Man pointed to the dragon heads and explained. He handed Shi Yue the Square Token, then seemed to remember something and added, "You only paid two Spirit Stones, so you can stay here for two days. I'll come get you when your time is up. If you stay longer, you'll have to pay the extra fee. Also, once this stone door closes, it cuts off all contact with the outside. No one can get in from outside unless a Core Formation Cultivator intervenes. So feel free to refine pills in peace. No one will disturb you!"

"Many thanks for the guidance, Senior Brother." Shi Yue cupped his hands in gratitude.

The Red-Clad Man nodded and gave him a few more instructions before leaving.

Shi Yue channeled his magical power into the Square Token. A beam of red light shot from it and sank into the stone door.

With a bang, the stone door closed by itself.

Shi Yue sat cross-legged on the cushion, placed the Square Token against his forehead, and sent his divine sense into it to read its contents.

Before long, he withdrew his divine sense. Forming Hand Seals with both hands, he sent six successive spells into the dragon heads. They immediately shone brilliantly, then opened their mouths and each spat out a finger-thick crimson flame. The six flames converged beneath the Yellow Furnace.

Seeing this, Shi Yue changed his Hand Seals. The flames from the dragon heads grew much thicker, and roiling fire engulfed the Yellow Furnace.

Satisfied, he nodded and withdrew his Hand Seals. The flames vanished in an instant.

Then he took out the Jade Slip containing the method for refining Bigu Pills and pressed it to his forehead.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Shi Yue had memorized the steps for refining Bigu Pills and put the Jade Slip away.

At its core, pill refinement meant breaking down medicinal ingredients and combining them again, using high heat to condense them into pills.

Everyone knew the process, but few could actually make pills. Success tested a pill refiner's skill in every area, from mixing ingredients to controlling the temperature and judging when to remove the pill from the furnace.

Even the slightest mistake in a single step could ruin the entire process. Learning pill refinement therefore consumed vast amounts of Spirit Stones, and only wealthy cultivators could afford the cost.

Time passed ten times faster in the Mysterious Space than in the outside world. As long as he had seeds, he could grow large quantities of Spirit Herbs. That was the capital Shi Yue had for learning pill refinement.

The first step in refining a Bigu Pill was to wash the Spirit Rice, remove the husks, and grind it into powder. Next, he had to wash the Blood Qi Fruit and Purple Luo Apricot, then cut off their flesh. The second step was to put the Spirit Rice powder and the flesh of the Blood Qi Fruit and Purple Luo Apricot into the furnace and refine them into a pill.

There were two steps in all. The first was simple: wash and prepare the ingredients. Whether he could make a Bigu Pill depended on the second step.

Shi Yue took out several grains of Spirit Grain, removed their husks, and washed them clean. He cut them into small pieces with a dagger and ground them into powder. Then he took out a Blood Qi Fruit and a Purple Luo Apricot, washed them, cut off their flesh, and mixed it with the Spirit Rice powder.

He sent six Hand Seals toward the dragon heads. Each spat out a finger-thick crimson flame, which gathered beneath the Yellow Furnace and slowly heated it.

After a little less than a quarter of an hour, the Yellow Furnace had grown hot, radiating astonishing heat.

Shi Yue sent a Hand Seal toward the furnace lid. It immediately flew up and landed steadily on the floor. Then he poured the Spirit Rice powder and the flesh of the Blood Qi Fruit and Purple Luo Apricot into the furnace, one after another.

He formed a Hand Seal with one hand and pointed at the furnace. The lid flew up and settled neatly back into place.

Inside the furnace, the fruit flesh baked in the intense heat and melted into several puddles of juice. The juice mingled with the Spirit Rice powder, turning into a pale-yellow, sticky mass.

As time passed, the moisture in the juice slowly evaporated, leaving only the essence behind.

A faint fragrance drifted out of the furnace.

Seeing this, Shi Yue changed his Hand Seals. The flames from the dragon heads suddenly swelled to more than twice their former size, and roiling fire engulfed the furnace.

A quarter of an hour passed, and the fragrance grew stronger and stronger.

Most of the magical power in his body had been spent, but he didn't dare let his guard down. He hoped he could hold out until the pill was ready.

Another half-quarter of an hour passed. With a bang, a plume of black smoke rose from the Yellow Furnace, engulfed in roaring flames before him. A faint burnt smell mingled with it.

Seeing this, Shi Yue's brows lifted. He withdrew his Hand Seals, and the flames around the furnace vanished into thin air.

Then he sent a Hand Seal toward the lid. It flew up by itself and landed steadily on the floor.

He stood and hurried to the furnace. Looking down, he saw a lump of dark-brown material at the bottom, giving off a burnt smell.

Shi Yue sighed and shook his head. His first attempt at pill refinement had failed.

He carefully retraced each step. He had followed the instructions in the manual to the letter. If something had gone wrong, it was probably the length of time he had controlled the flames.

Once he understood that, Shi Yue poured the charred waste from the bottom of the furnace.

Then he took out a Gugu about the size of an infant's fist, removed its husk, washed it, and ground it into powder. He also took out a Blood Qi Fruit and a Purple Luo Apricot, washed them, and cut off their flesh.

Once the lid was in place, Shi Yue formed Hand Seals with both hands and sent six in succession into the dragon heads. Each one spat out a finger-thick crimson flame, which gathered beneath the furnace.

Time trickled by. Two quarters of an hour passed, and success seemed within reach. But at the last moment, a bang rang out, and a pungent burnt smell came from inside the furnace.

His second attempt had failed too.

After resting a while and recovering his magical power, Shi Yue began his third attempt.

He took out another set of ingredients, prepared them, and poured them into the furnace. Then he controlled the dragon heads to shoot out flames.

This attempt failed as well.

A look of determination crossed Shi Yue's face. He refused to believe he couldn't refine even one batch of Bigu Pills. He took out another set of ingredients and began again.

The fourth attempt ended in failure too.

The fifth failed as well.

The sixth still didn't work.

......

A day later, a muffled bang sounded from the Alchemy Room. Another plume of black smoke rose from the Yellow Furnace, engulfed in roiling flames before Shi Yue, and the smell of something burnt drifted out.

Shi Yue's expression darkened. He let out a sigh and withdrew his Hand Seals. The flames around the furnace immediately vanished.

He had lost count of how many times he had failed. The Blood Qi Fruit and Purple Luo Apricot were all gone, and he hadn't refined even a single Bigu Pill.

The manual had clearly stated that beginners failing a hundred times was perfectly normal. But when Shi Yue faced this for himself, the blow still hit hard.

His initial enthusiasm had given way to deep dejection.

The Blood Qi Fruit and Purple Luo Apricot were gone. He couldn't continue refining pills even if he wanted to.

After a while, Shi Yue slowly regained his composure. Several things had gone wrong with this attempt. Apart from controlling the flames, the way he had prepared the ingredients was also a major factor. He decided to find a few books on pill refinement in the Scripture Repository or ask a pill refiner for guidance before trying again.

After all, pill refinement burned through piles of Spirit Stones!

At the thought of wasting dozens of Spirit Stones, Shi Yue's heart ached.

He rose to his feet and gave the Square Token in his hand a wave. A beam of red light shot out and entered the door.

With a bang, the door swung open, and Shi Yue stepped outside.

"Hey, Junior, you're out already? It hasn't even been two days." The Red-Clad Man standing guard outside looked at Shi Yue in surprise.

"I ran out of ingredients. Here's the Restriction Token." Shi Yue explained, returned the Square Token to the Red-Clad Man, and headed back the way he had come.