All Things as Ingredients, Creation Alchemy, Off to the Scripture Repository-New Book Seeks Everything

Qingyun Back Cliff.

Xu Luochen earnestly imparted his knowledge of the Way of Alchemy.

Ye Ping listened with rapt attention.

"Junior Brother Ye, every medicine carries three parts poison. That is an ironclad law that cannot be changed."

"Yet if one truly wishes to refine a Poisonless Pill, do you know what lies at the heart of it?"

Xu Luochen asked.

"I do not."

Ye Ping thought for a while, but he could not figure it out.

If every medicine carried three parts poison as an ironclad law, then theoretically, it was simply impossible to refine Poisonless Pills.

Though he had never refined pills, Ye Ping knew a little about traditional Chinese medicine from his previous life.

The toxins in medicinal herbs came in every conceivable form. A certain herb might be greatly nourishing, yet excessively yang in nature. Thus, those with weak constitutions could not consume highly nourishing things, or they could easily be nourished to death in one go.

To suppress that excessive yang, one had to add yin-nourishing herbs. Yet yin-nourishing herbs also had their flaws, so other herbs had to be added to reduce their toxicity.

Once several herbs were mixed together, some compound toxins would arise.

Therefore, theoretically, there was simply no way to solve this problem.

Furthermore, Poisonless Pills could also be understood as universal pills, capable of being consumed by any constitution, any being, under any circumstances.

Thus, Ye Ping truly could not think of any way to resolve Pill Toxin.

Yet Xu Luochen merely smiled calmly before speaking slowly.

"Actually, it is very simple. If you do not use medicinal herbs, then there will be no Pill Toxin, will there?"

Xu Luochen said.

The moment those words were spoken, Ye Ping could not help but freeze.

At first hearing, it seemed to make sense.

But could one refine pills without medicinal herbs?

Brother Luochen, though I do not understand anything, I am not a fool.

In an instant, Ye Ping fell silent.

He did not know what to say.

It felt a little absurd.

Sensing the change in Ye Ping's expression, Xu Luochen did not panic in the slightest. Instead, he grew even calmer.

"Junior Brother Ye, do you think that I am fooling you?"

Xu Luochen asked, his expression tranquil.

"Of course not."

Ye Ping shook his head and directly denied it.

Though he did have some doubts in his heart, Ye Ping truly did not think Xu Luochen was deceiving him. He merely found it somewhat absurd.

The next moment, Xu Luochen chuckled softly.

"It is only natural that you harbor doubts. But if the alchemy art I teach you were the same as ordinary methods of pill refinement, then how could it be called one of a kind?"

Xu Luochen smiled confidently.

At those words, Ye Ping could not help but sink into thought.

That was right. How could what a Peerless Expert taught possibly be the same as what ordinary people taught?

Before Ye Ping could speak, Xu Luochen continued.

"Junior Brother Ye, it is perfectly normal for you to have doubts, because you do not understand. Since you do not understand, you are confused."

"For example, when you were still a mere mortal in the mortal world, if someone told you that peerless Sword Immortals existed in this world, capable of cleaving a star apart with one sword strike, would you have believed it?"

Xu Luochen spoke slowly.

At those words, Ye Ping was instantly enlightened.

That was right. Many things were not impossible; he merely thought they were impossible because he could not do them. But his inability did not mean no one in heaven and earth could accomplish them.

Thinking of this, Ye Ping immediately spoke.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for clearing away my confusion. This junior brother has truly been like a frog at the bottom of a well."

Ye Ping was completely enlightened, and even felt ashamed. He had never expected that one day, he would become someone like a frog at the bottom of a well.

"Do not blame yourself." Xu Luochen smiled gently, then continued.

"The secret of Poison-Free Alchemy lies in not needing medicinal herbs. Junior Brother Ye, the art of pill refinement is nothing more than three steps: gathering medicinal herbs, refining them with spiritual fire, and finally condensing them into pills with Daoist arts."

"But what is the foundation of medicinal herbs?"

Xu Luochen looked at Ye Ping and asked seriously.

What was the foundation of medicinal herbs?

Ye Ping frowned. He did not know how to answer that question.

Before long, seeing that Ye Ping remained silent, Xu Luochen spoke directly.

"The foundation of medicinal herbs is spiritual energy."

"Heaven-and-earth spiritual herbs all grow in places where spiritual energy gathers. Thus, medicinal herbs are formed from spiritual energy condensed into another form."

"But why do medicinal herbs possess toxicity? Spiritual energy is without impurity; it is the purest thing between heaven and earth. Yet after growing forth, it becomes tainted by the acquired qi of the Five Elements, naturally gathering foul and impure qi."

"That is how toxins come to condense."

"So Poison-Free Alchemy means directly casting aside the medicinal herbs themselves, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth directly, and using supreme Daoist arts to condense top-grade pills. Do you understand?"

Every word Xu Luochen spoke was a pearl of wisdom. Especially that final sentence—it was like the toll of a great bell, exploding in Ye Ping's mind.

Directly gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, then use supreme Daoist arts to condense top-grade pills?

This!

This!

This!

If Ye Ping had indeed still suspected Xu Luochen of joking with him before, then after hearing this theory, he was utterly shaken.

He no longer had the slightest doubt, because this theory sounded extraordinarily correct.

What did the heavenly treasures of the cultivation world contain?

They contained spiritual energy.

So Xu Luochen was not wrong at all.

Medicinal herbs were merely spiritual energy transformed into another form.

And the reason medicinal herbs contained toxins was because they had been tainted by the acquired qi of the Five Elements.

That was the difference between the innate and the acquired.

It was like how a person, before being born, possessed an innate body.

But after birth, he immediately became an acquired body.

Unless one neither breathed, ate, drank, nor came into contact with anything of the Five Elements—but that was simply impossible.

Brother Luochen's theory seemed complicated, but as Ye Ping pondered it carefully, it became exceedingly simple.

Use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to directly condense pills.

Such pills would naturally contain no Pill Toxin, because they were not refined from medicinal herbs, but condensed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"This junior brother understands."

Ye Ping was completely convinced by Brother Luochen.

The small doubt in his heart instantly vanished like smoke in the wind.

"Good, very good. Since Junior Brother Ye has already comprehended it, the steps of this Poison-Free Alchemy method are all recorded in this book. Study it carefully. Come find me again once you have refined a pill."

Xu Luochen spoke, then handed a book to Ye Ping.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for bestowing this method."

Ye Ping accepted the alchemy book with great solemnity, his eyes brimming with excitement.

A Poison-Free Alchemy method.

If he mastered this pill-refining art, would he not be able to take pills to level up in the future without worrying about side effects?

"Junior Brother, do you have any other questions? If there is anything you do not understand, feel free to ask."

After handing the manual to Ye Ping, Xu Luochen continued asking.

If there was nothing else, he would leave first.

Yet when it came to questions, Ye Ping truly had one.

"This junior brother does indeed have a question, and hopes Senior Brother can answer it."

"What question do you have?"

"Senior Brother, if one has not cultivated, can one take a Qi Cultivation Pill?"

Ye Ping asked with great curiosity.

Could someone who had not cultivated take a Qi Cultivation Pill?

Xu Luochen scarcely needed to think before giving an affirmative answer.

"To Qi Refining cultivators, a Qi Cultivation Pill is a greatly nourishing pill. But for cultivators without any cultivation, consuming it will not produce any effect. At most, it can nourish their spiritual veins."

Xu Luochen explained. This was common knowledge.

If a Qi Cultivation Pill was given to an ordinary person outside the Qi Refining Realm, it would neither poison him to death nor make his body explode. But its effects were minimal, and it could only nourish his spiritual veins. Only major sects or cultivation families would do such a thing.

After all, a single Qi Cultivation Pill was worth a considerable sum. Who would use something like that merely to nourish spiritual veins?

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

Ye Ping nodded, understanding now.

But soon after, Xu Luochen continued, "If there is anything else you do not understand in the future, you can go to the Scripture Repository and look through those alchemy books and manuals. Most questions are answered in the books."

Xu Luochen offered the reminder kindly.

Though the sect's Scripture Repository did not have many books, it still had quite a few basic texts. Many matters of common knowledge were written within, saving Ye Ping from agonizing over such minor questions.

At those words, Ye Ping was instantly enlightened.

He had been focused on comprehending the Sword Mark during this time and had forgotten that the Scripture Repository even existed.

Thinking of this, Ye Ping immediately thanked Xu Luochen again.

"Alright, I shall not disturb you any longer. Junior Brother Ye, study the Way of Alchemy well. Come find me after you have refined a pill. If you cannot refine one, do not be anxious either. After all, the Great Dao has three thousand paths."

Xu Luochen gave one final reminder before leaving, his face bright as the spring breeze and his mood excellent.

Look at what it meant to be a model teacher.

Look at what it meant to impart knowledge and transmit the Dao.

Look at himself.

Then look at Eldest Senior Brother?

Sigh, not a shred of patience.

How would he inherit the position of Sect Leader in the future?

Should he compete for the position of Sect Leader someday?

Xu Luochen was in an excellent mood, and had even begun considering whether he should contend with Su Changyu for the position of Sect Leader.

Meanwhile.

At the Back Cliff.

Ye Ping began flipping through the Poison-Free Alchemy manual.