Burst Qi Realm

"Ah, Pharmacist Lin, you've returned." The young pharmacist bowed respectfully upon seeing the man approach. When he heard Pharmacist Lin's request, his expression immediately turned troubled. "Pharmacist Lin, you've come at an unfortunate time. Alchemical Room A has just been occupied."

"What?" Pharmacist Lin's eyes widened. "Occupied? Could it be that Old Mo has returned?" As he spoke, Pharmacist Lin's gaze fell toward Alchemical Room A, just in time to see Zhang He's figure slip inside.

Pharmacist Lin's face darkened instantly. "You say it's occupied—don't tell me it's that young man? Hmph, you have some nerve, allowing a pharmacist who lacks the proper rank to use Alchemical Room A without authorization. Do you no longer wish to remain in the Pharmacist Association?"

Pharmacist Lin knew well that those in charge of scheduling the rooms often took bribes, sneaking others into the A and B rooms whenever they were vacant. Usually, he would turn a blind eye, but he was in a hurry to process the herbs he had just gathered. To think this brat would actually dare to block his path!

Damn it!

"Ah, Pharmacist Lin, you truly wrong me. Even if I had the courage of a giant, I wouldn't dare cross you. It's just... he is also a Bronze-Rank pharmacist!" the young pharmacist said with a bitter smile.

"What? He's a Bronze-Rank pharmacist too?" Pharmacist Lin's first reaction was a cold sneer. "How have I never heard of such a young Bronze-Rank pharmacist in the association? You've truly grown a bear's heart and leopard's gall; not only do you refuse to repent, but you also dare to lie to me. I think you've worked your last day at the Pharmacist Association!"

"I wouldn't dare lie to you, Pharmacist Lin!" the young man said, anxious. "He really is a Bronze-Rank pharmacist, and Master Lu Tiao personally instructed me to bring him here. If you don't believe me, you can go verify it with Master Lu Tiao. I would never dare to lie."

What! Pharmacist Lin's expression shifted instantly. He looked toward Alchemical Room A, but the door was already shut, hiding everything inside! However, judging by the young pharmacist's reaction, Pharmacist Lin believed he wasn't lying.

The back and profile he had seen earlier were incredibly young! By the look of it, he couldn't be even twenty years old. He... was actually a Bronze-Rank pharmacist of the association?

Pharmacist Lin was a veteran; he knew how hard it was to attain the Bronze rank.

Could he be someone from the higher-ups? So young, yet already a Bronze-Rank pharmacist... hiss... Pharmacist Lin pondered in shock. Otherwise, why would Lu Tiao have made the arrangements personally?

His mind raced with thoughts, but after a moment, he regained his composure. Seeing the young pharmacist still waiting, he let out a cold snort. "What are you standing there for? Go prepare Alchemical Room B at once!"

Inside Alchemical Room A, Zhang He looked at the complete set of alchemical equipment and couldn't help but sigh. "The Pharmacist Association is truly wealthy. This set of equipment alone is worth a fortune."

He had actually found a strainer woven from pure gold wire. In ordinary alchemical rooms, strainers were usually made of thin bamboo strips. Bamboo strainers could contaminate the medicinal liquid, and their filtering efficiency was poor. A gold-wire strainer, however, not only prevented contamination but was several times more effective than bamboo.

Zhang He had his own set of equipment, obtained from Wu Xuan, but his set was designed for portability and lacked some performance. The equipment before him was absolute top-tier.

Using these tools was no challenge for Zhang He. Having experience with Wu Xuan's set, he handled this one with ease.

Refining the Mind-Clearing Pill was not difficult for him. In his previous life, he had refined these pills many times; he was highly experienced! As long as he controlled the steps and utilized the relationship between the primary and secondary herbs—ensuring they acted as both links and checks—he could balance the opposing properties of the two main ingredients and succeed.

Zhang He performed the initial processing of the herbs and then began the formal refinement!

More than half a day passed, and Zhang He's expression looked rather grim.

"Damn it, what is going on? I followed every step strictly, so why does it keep failing?"

Zhang He had failed twice in a row. He looked at the few remaining herbs. The secondary herbs were replaceable, but the two main ingredients were hard to come by. If he failed this time, he had no idea when he would be able to gather them again.

"The remaining herbs are only enough for one more attempt. If I don't succeed, all my previous efforts will have been for nothing!"

Zhang He frowned at the remaining materials. Beside him lay two pills with distinct color variations.

Both pills were composed of red and blue, but one was predominantly blue, while the other was predominantly red.

Think carefully. Where did the first two attempts go wrong? Zhang He quickly reviewed the possibilities. The first attempt resulted in the toxic power of the Drunken Immortal Peach suppressing the Six-Leaf Heart-Extinguishing Flower; consuming it would cause manic agitation, eventually leading one to exhaust themselves to death. The second attempt was the exact opposite: the Six-Leaf Heart-Extinguishing Flower's toxicity overwhelmed the peach, which would cause the user to lose all consciousness and potentially become a vegetable!

"I followed the steps strictly both times. Yet... I failed. This means the error isn't in the procedure; it must be in the dosage."

Zhang He's gaze fell on the two main ingredients. Because of the first failure, he had assumed the Drunken Immortal Peach dosage was too high and had deliberately reduced it for the second attempt, yet it still failed.

He was puzzled. He had used the same proportions as he had in the past, so why the failure?

Could it be that the toxicity of these two main ingredients is more potent than what I've used before? Zhang He considered the possibility.

With a sudden thought, he grabbed a cutting blade and sliced the main ingredients into smaller particles. This would allow the toxic power to release more quickly during the refinement process, preventing the particles from releasing toxins continuously and ruining the batch.

Zhang He took a deep breath and, confirming nothing was missed, began the third attempt.

He added the herbs one by one, watching the colors in the furnace shift. Once the color stabilized, it was time to add the final ingredient: the Six-Leaf Heart-Extinguishing Flower.

Zhang He had an idea. Instead of tossing the flower in directly as he had before, he placed it into the strainer and lowered it into the furnace along with the strainer. He shook it gently to ensure the medicinal liquid mixed more evenly.

He kept his eyes locked on the furnace as he shook the strainer. When the colors inside reached a near-perfect balance of red and blue, he dripped in the final secondary ingredient. Instantly, the furnace turned a milky white.

Zhang He held his breath, continuing to shake the strainer. This was the final, critical moment! The milky white liquid churned, and suddenly, a flash of red and blue bloomed like a flower, emerging from the white.

Zhang He pulled the strainer out without a moment's hesitation!

"It's done!" Before Zhang He lay five vibrant pills, the blue and red colors evenly blended, possessing a unique, aesthetic beauty.

This refinement had nearly ended in total failure. Had he not devised a countermeasure at the last second, the final attempt would likely have failed as well.

"The Mind-Clearing Pill is complete. The hope of breaking through to the fourth stage of the True Martial Realm, the Burst Qi Realm, is now great!" Zhang He was filled with excitement. Facing the pill, he could no longer suppress his burning desire to push through the bottleneck.

"I might as well break through right here!" Zhang He picked up a pill and swallowed it.

The True Qi within his body circulated slowly, gradually permeating most of his meridians.

As the pill hit his stomach, Zhang He felt a strange power disperse, rapidly enveloping his entire being. His mind became incredibly sharp and powerful in that moment.

He could clearly feel the circulation of True Qi through his meridians.

"The fourth stage, the Burst Qi Realm, requires the 'fusion' of spirit and True Qi." Zhang He knew exactly how to manipulate this fusion. Now that he had consumed the Mind-Clearing Pill, his control over his spiritual power was meticulous, making the process feel natural and well within his grasp.

Zhang He possessed a wealth of experience in facilitating the "fusion" of spirit and true qi. Once all the conditions were met, the remaining steps were merely a matter of the water flowing to form a channel.

Zhang He's perception continuously made contact with his true qi.

Slowly, a unique sensation welled up in his heart.

Though his eyes were closed, he felt as if an image of his internal organs had appeared before him. Every powerful beat of his heart was clearly reflected in his mind's eye.

Internal vision! This is the manifestation of spirit and true qi merging! Zhang He could not help but feel excited. He had succeeded! Being able to achieve internal vision meant that his spirit had already fused with his true qi.

The true qi within his body accelerated, constantly pushing toward the surface of his skin.

Whoosh!

The surrounding air surged violently, and a layer of dense, blood-colored light suddenly covered the surface of Zhang He's body, extending out by three inches.

True qi manifesting outside the body!

Zhang He opened his eyes and flicked his finger sharply toward the floor three feet in front of him. Swish! A faint puff of dust rose from the hard bluestone floor, where a finger-thick hole had clearly appeared. Its edges were smooth and pitch-black, its depth impossible to discern.

True qi attacking from a distance! This was the hallmark of the Burst Qi Realm!