Body Tempering Pill

Yao Yan sensed the Soul Power circulating faster within his body.

After completing one full cycle and thoroughly absorbing the medicinal effects, he abruptly opened his eyes and looked at his arm.

His previously crimson skin had gradually faded to a milky white.

"This Whale Rubber actually has beautifying effects too."

After thinking it over, Yao Yan concluded that the Whale Rubber had expelled impurities from his body, which was why it had produced such an effect.

"It really is a treasure!" He nodded to himself.

When Zhu Zhuqing, who had been standing quietly beside him, saw that he had opened his eyes, she hurriedly asked, "How was it? How effective is it?"

Yao Yan smiled in satisfaction. "Quite good. You should try some too." As he spoke, he scooped up a spoonful and held it to her lips.

Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth and swallowed it. A powerful wave of nausea immediately shot straight to her head. Her pretty face turned deathly pale at once, but she endured it and sat down cross-legged, her skin rapidly flushing red all over.

Her Whole Body felt as though it were being scorched by blazing fire!

She held on for less than ten breaths before she could no longer endure it. She suddenly rose to her feet, staggered toward the bathroom, and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Soon after, the urgent sound of running cold water rang out.

Yao Yan was slightly stunned. He had not expected her reaction to be so intense. "Could the medicinal effect be too strong?" He quickly deduced the reason.

As for why he himself could withstand the effects of this thousand-year Whale Rubber, it was likely inseparable from his long-term body training.

It seemed that if he refined it for others in the future, he would have to start with hundred-year Whale Rubber and help them build a foundation first.

Once he had made up his mind, he went to the bathroom door to make sure Zhu Zhuqing was all right before turning around to prepare for alchemy.

He took out the Mountain Smelting Cauldron and tossed in Fire Essence Stones to kindle the flames. Watching the fire dance within the furnace, Yao Yan suddenly thought of the Purple Flame Xiao Yan used.

It came from the Amber Crystal Source that accompanied the Amber Crystal Winged Lion King. After planting a Core Flame within one's body, one could ignite it with battle qi and use it to refine pills.

"I wonder if I can use a similar method to condense a Core Flame within my body..." he muttered softly.

After all, the Taoist Inner Elixir Technique could also control energy.

Once the Alchemy Furnace had reached a frightening temperature, Yao Yan temporarily suppressed those thoughts. He opened the cauldron lid and placed the Whale Rubber inside. As it softened, he added a Crimson Sun Seed and let it merge with the Whale Rubber.

Besides tempering the body, the Crimson Sun Seed could also mask odors. The taste of Whale Rubber was simply too awful; many people would surely find it unbearable.

When the Crimson Sun Seed gradually shriveled and transformed into a mass of red liquid, Yao Yan abruptly increased his Soul Power output. Two streams of green Soul Power wrapped around them, guiding them to blend together.

After the Crimson Sun Seed had been completely absorbed by the Whale Rubber, the Whale Rubber gradually turned red. With a wave of one hand, Yao Yan opened the lid and caught it in a bowl.

He took a small taste. The nausea had been greatly reduced. Yao Yan nodded in satisfaction; it was now within a tolerable range.

He put it back into the furnace, then added the herbs he had prepared long ago into the Alchemy Furnace.

The medicinal ingredients gradually fused together.

Before long, a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted from the Alchemy Furnace, filling the entire alchemy room.

As his hand seals changed, a pill embryo appeared within the furnace. He suddenly intensified the flames, scorching the embryo and refining away the last impurities within it.

Once it gradually became smooth and round, Yao Yan waved one hand, opened the lid, and drew it into his palm. Examining the pill, he saw that its surface was crimson red and radiated a searing aura.

"I wonder how effective it is?" He swallowed it in one gulp, sat cross-legged on the floor, and began circulating the Inner Elixir Technique.

The instant the pill entered his dantian, a scorching energy spread throughout his Whole Body. His meridians felt as though they were being burned by raging flames. Steam rose from all around Yao Yan, as if he were sitting inside a steamer.

He forcibly circulated his Soul Power, trying to merge with and refine the scorching current. Yet it only grew fiercer and fiercer, flooding every meridian.

"Hot!"

He felt as if his Whole Body were on fire, as though a furnace had been lit within him. Unable to hold on any longer, he glanced at the bathroom door.

Just then, Zhu Zhuqing had finished bathing. Misty vapor still clung to her body, making her all the more captivating through the haze. No longer able to endure it, he rushed past her under her stunned gaze and jumped straight into the bathtub.

He turned on the cold water to cool himself while gritting his teeth and driving his Soul Power.

"Yao Yan, should I get some ice?" Seeing steam billowing from his body, Zhu Zhuqing could not help asking worriedly.

Yao Yan waved his hand.

After four hours of refinement and expelling wave after wave of reddish-black impurities from his body, the burning sensation finally began to subside.

He slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath. "I nearly got roasted alive."

"I still need to reduce the medicinal effect a little more." He stood up, changed into the clothes Zhu Zhuqing had prepared for him, and threw himself back into improving the pill formula.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Autumn winds rustled through the treetops, sweeping down layer after layer of withered yellow leaves.

Only one season of winter remained this year. There were still two years until Tang San departed for Shrek Academy.

Yao Yan was also about to complete his first year living in Qingshan Town. After three months of improvements, his body-tempering pill had finally been created.

He named it the Body Tempering Pill. Based on its efficacy, it was divided into three grades: high, middle, and low. High-grade pills doubled cultivation speed, with each lower grade decreasing in effect accordingly.

However, the high-grade pill's medicinal potency was too fierce. Even now, he could not fully withstand it. He would likely need to break through to rank forty Soul Power before he could completely refine it.

Over these three months, after the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear consumed the snake venom, it had only suffered vomiting. Its body had gradually developed antibodies.

Before long, the main ingredient for the Jade Phosphor Serpent's Detoxification Pill would be secured.

One morning.

A carriage slowly rolled into Qingshan Town and stopped in front of Spark Pharmacy.

"Xiaoyan, your package is here!" Wang Xiaobo shouted from the carriage.

"It's coming," a crisp female voice replied. Zhu Zhuqing leaned out from the window and nodded at Wang Xiaobo before turning and quickly heading downstairs.

She accepted a long object wrapped in thick cloth. It felt rather light in her hands, and she could not help feeling puzzled. After thanking him, she carried the package back to the third floor.

When she reached Yao Yan's bedroom door, she knocked. "Yao Yan, are you up?"

"Coming." Yao Yan opened the door in his pajamas. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing dressed in a black leather Jinzhuang that perfectly outlined her tall, graceful figure, he found her cold beauty imbued with a deadly allure.

He pulled her into his arms and fiercely kissed her forehead.

"Causing trouble first thing in the morning!" Zhu Zhuqing leaned against his chest, her cheeks slightly flushed as she lightly punched him.

Yao Yan chuckled, took her hand, and led her to the package. He fetched a pair of scissors and carefully opened it, revealing a scroll inside.

He cautiously spread it open. On the scroll was a blond, elegant young nobleman with ordinary features but a gentle temperament.

"Isn't this the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire?" A flicker of surprise crossed Zhu Zhuqing's eyes. "Why did you commission a portrait of him?"

"Once the Pills go on sale, I'll need her protection. Naturally, I have to be her die-hard fan," Yao Yan explained.

Zhu Zhuqing pondered it for a moment, then nodded.

If one wanted someone else's protection, talent alone was not enough. One also had to let the other party feel one's respect.

Only then would they be willing to open their heart to you.

Benefits were indeed a lubricant, but if you wanted someone not to abandon you in a crisis, you still had to remain on the same side as them.

"Then where are you planning to hang this portrait?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.

Yao Yan pondered briefly. "On the wall of the pharmacy's first floor!"