Su Che saw that Dugu Ba was still somewhat bewildered, so he spoke plainly.
"Heaven and earth are the furnace, Creation the craftsman. What serves as charcoal, and what as copper? Medicinal herbs can be used in medicine because they possess certain useful properties. If I can achieve the same through the methods of Creation, wouldn't that be more suitable than wasting time and occupying farmland while waiting for herbs to mature?"
"Besides, the properties of herbs themselves are difficult to control. A few more rains this year, a few less winds, and their medicinal effects will shift on their own. One or two pills might not matter, but if you were refining tens of thousands, how much effort would it take to adjust them?"
Su Che pointed at the diagram in Dugu Ba's hands.
"This is called the Five-Elements Return-Origin Cauldron. Similar designs already existed in the Eastern Sea. I had one brought over and made a few alterations. A cultivator's mana serves as fuel, the spiritual energy of a Spirit Vein as the primer, the transformations of the Five Elements as the foundation, and earth as the raw material. Sort them into categories, then imbue each with medicinal properties."
As he spoke, Su Che tossed Dugu Ba a pill.
"Try it."
How could Dugu Ba possibly hesitate? He immediately cradled it in his hands and put it into his mouth. He only felt a stream of jade nectar flow straight into his dantian, then travel through the meridians of his entire body in reverse toward his brain palace. His whole body tingled with numbness, utterly relaxed and comfortable.
"From now on, aside from epimedium and eucommia bark, all the remaining pill ingredients can be dispensed with."
The Jade Dew Pill had originally been a spiritual medicine that gathered