Soon, Su Shi'er was the only one left in the Waste Pill Room.
The vast place was deserted, and from afar came the faint howls of wolves and roars of beasts. Standing in the courtyard, Su Shi'er was deeply alarmed. No matter how bold he was, he was still only half-grown.
But he knew well that if he wanted to learn Immortal Arts, he had to overcome the trial before him. Lowering his head to look at the Waste Pill Compendium in his hand, Su Shi'er began reading through it.
The compendium contained brief introductions to over a hundred kinds of Medicinal Pills, along with illustrations of what their waste pills looked like. Waste pills were the products of alchemists' failed pill refinements. They contained large amounts of impurities and even toxins, making them impossible to consume.
For other children, understanding it would have taken quite some effort. But Su Shi'er had learned to read and write from his grandfather since childhood and had devoured countless books. With his quick mind, after silently reading it several times, he had memorized seven or eight tenths of the compendium's contents.
Holding the compendium, Su Shi'er turned and entered the storeroom where the waste pills were kept. He had seen the written descriptions and illustrations; next came identifying the real things.
Inside the storeroom, all kinds of waste pills were piled up like mountains.
However, Su Shi'er, who had committed the compendium to memory, immediately recognized that there were not many varieties among these waste pills—only three to five kinds.
The most numerous were Foundation Cultivation Pills, which outer disciples consumed to strengthen their bodies, cultivate their foundation, and purge impurities from within.
Next were Qi Gathering Pills, consumed by Qi Refining disciples to increase their cultivation speed, as well as Minor Restoration Pills used for healing wounds.
Looking over the tens of thousands of waste pills before him, Su Shi'er could not help sighing inwardly. If these were not waste pills, and if he could possess so many Medicinal Pills, how wonderful would that be?
Unfortunately, for him, it could only remain a thought.
Su Shi'er stayed in the storeroom until nightfall. Besides those three kinds of Medicinal Pills, he found waste pills from two other kinds as well.
However, these waste pills were unwanted trash. At most, he could learn a little more about Medicinal Pills from them.
It was getting late, and Su Shi'er planned to return to his room to rest.
Just then, bursts of low beastly roars and heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
The muffled sounds were like rolling thunder, like drumbeats striking Su Shi'er's heart again and again.
</di>
"Wild beast?!"
Su Shi'er turned pale with fright. At once, the image of those figures on the stretchers, their hands and feet severed, surfaced in his mind.
"What should I do?" He froze where he stood, not daring to move recklessly for fear of alarming the beast outside.
Yet the ferocious beast outside showed no intention of leaving.
The footsteps drew closer and closer. With a thud, something seemed to vault over the courtyard wall and leap inside.
Hearing the sound, Su Shi'er's heart suddenly raced. Holding his breath, he carefully peered outside through a crack in the storeroom.
In the courtyard prowled a fierce tiger with hanging eyes and a white brow, its eyes scarlet red. Each breath came with a huffing sound, and white vapor streamed from its mouth and nose.
Its eyes, large as bronze bells, gleamed with savage light. As it breathed, it seemed to catch the scent of a living person. The fierce tiger gave a low roar, shook out its fur, and slowly headed toward the storeroom where Su Shi'er was hiding.
At the sight of this, Su Shi'er's pupils contracted, and his entire body trembled. With his small frame, he could never be a match for the fierce tiger. He probably would not even be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth.
Su Shi'er was scared out of his wits, but the more frightened he became, the calmer he grew.
Turning to look at the mountain of waste pills behind him, a bold idea surfaced in his mind.
Without the slightest hesitation, he hurried over to the pile of waste pills, quietly dug out a deep pit, and buried himself within the heap.
Bang!
Only a few minutes later, the storeroom door was pushed open, and a huge, vicious tiger head poked inside, looking around.
Those teeth flashing with cold light, that gaping bloody mouth exhaling a rank stench—Su Shi'er was so terrified that he held his breath and did not dare move at all.
Fortunately, the enormous quantity of waste pills concealed Su Shi'er's scent. After looking around for a while, the fierce tiger turned and left.
Seeing this, Su Shi'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. But afraid that the fierce tiger might leave only to return, he remained hidden among the waste pills until dawn.
Only after repeatedly confirming that there was truly no movement outside did he crawl out from the pile of waste pills.
"What kind of cursed place is this? A fierce tiger this big showed up the moment I arrived? If I stay here, sooner or later that fierce tiger will eat me!"
Su Shi'er's little heart pounded wildly as he muttered to himself, his face filled with lingering fear.
He certainly did not think his small body could stand against that fierce tiger.
"But if I leave, how will I come into contact with methods of cultivation?"
"If I cannot cultivate, how will I avenge Grandfather and the others? And that mysterious Pill Furnace—I have to find out what it does too!"
As he pondered, Su Shi'er pulled the worn, ancient Pill Furnace from his clothes.
Seeing the Pill Furnace again, his pupils shrank, and he could not help staring blankly.
"Huh? Why are there two Medicinal Pills?"
Inside the Pill Furnace lay two thumb-sized medicinal pills, crystal-clear and translucent like jade.
He hurriedly poured the two pills into his palm. At once, a rich medicinal fragrance spread out, instantly refreshing him and sweeping away his hunger and exhaustion.
Su Shi'er perked up. He grabbed another handful of waste pills and compared them in his hand.
The waste pills were all pitch-black and gave off a faint foul odor. Compared with these two medicinal pills, they were as different as heaven and earth.
After examining them closely for a long time, he finally confirmed that the two pills were actually proper Foundation Cultivation Pills.
"Strange. How did two Foundation Cultivation Pills suddenly appear in this Pill Furnace?"
"I only used this thing to hold salt before. I had never seen any Medicinal Pills appear in it."
"Could it be... a waste pill fell into it last night?"
Thinking of this, Su Shi'er immediately began testing it. He placed a waste pill into the Pill Furnace, then watched without blinking.
Under his gaze, a layer of green light covered the waste pill, and the black color on its surface faded at a visible rate.
It looked as though the impurities on it had been refined away by some kind of power.
</di
br>
In just a few breaths, the waste pill changed from black to grayish green.
After another dozen or so breaths, a crystal-clear Foundation Cultivation Pill, like jade, appeared inside the Pill Furnace.
"Hiss—"
Watching this happen with his own eyes, Su Shi'er could not help sucking in a cold breath.
"This Pill Furnace can actually turn waste pills into proper Medicinal Pills? Turning waste into treasure—this is far too miraculous, isn't it?!"
"No wonder... no wonder those Immortals wanted this Pill Furnace so badly!"
"But I wonder whether this Pill Furnace can keep refining them forever?"
With an uneasy heart, he stuffed a handful of waste pills into the Pill Furnace.
Before his eyes, every single waste pill became covered in a layer of green light.
After another dozen or so breaths, the light vanished, replaced by one crystal-clear, flawless Foundation Cultivation Pill after another.
Su Shi'er tried more than ten times in a row. No matter how many Medicinal Pills he put inside, as long as the Pill Furnace could hold them, they would be refined into normal pills within ten to twenty breaths.
From beginning to end, the Pill Furnace remained ancient and worn, without the slightest change.
After confirming the Pill Furnace's function, Su Shi'er turned to look at the mountain of waste pills beside him, his breathing growing rapid.
At this moment, in his eyes, how could these be unwanted trash? They were clearly Medicinal Pills that could be used for cultivation, one after another!
"With so many Medicinal Pills, even if my Spiritual Root is somewhat poor, I will definitely achieve something!"
"No, I absolutely cannot tell anyone about this!"
He clutched the Pill Furnace tightly against his chest, his little heart pounding and his small face flushed red.
Though he did not know much about cultivation, he had realized the value of this Pill Furnace.
After hiding the Pill Furnace close to his body, he found several Porcelain Bottles in the storeroom and stored the refined Medicinal Pills inside. Only then did he return to his room.
"Now, it depends on whether these refined Medicinal Pills are truly effective!"
With that thought, Su Shi'er took a Foundation Cultivation Pill from his clothes.
Before you continue