The Nine Revolutions Qi-Connecting Pill, as its name suggested, was a pill that promoted the passage of qi. What did that mean? It used its medicinal properties to strengthen the stomach and intestines, cleansing them further to release gas and expel toxins.
Simply put, it was a laxative. Ordinary laxatives had side effects that harmed the stomach and intestines, but the Nine Revolutions Qi-Connecting Pill could protect and even strengthen them.
Those with low Dou Qi cultivation could not yet use Dou Qi to control their internal organs, so they sometimes needed pills like this.
"Shi Hao, that's a fine name you've chosen, but don't you think using such a splendid name as Nine Revolutions Golden Pill on a second-tier pill is a bit of a waste?" Elder Li tried to make his smile as kindly as possible.
"Teacher, I think it's great," Shi Hao said innocently.
"All right, then. You can call it that, though you might not be able to register that name in the future." Elder Li rubbed his forehead.
Then he instructed him, "The main ingredient of the Nine Revolutions Qi-Connecting Pill is the large intestine of a Tier 2 Magical Beast. What you need to do is use nine medicinal ingredients to cleanse the impurities from the intestine, preserving its most fundamental essence energy. Understood?"
"Understood! Don't worry, Teacher. I'll definitely refine it!" Shi Hao nodded obediently.
"For those nine ingredients, you can choose a combination from dozens of medicinal ingredients, including clearwater grass, purple-leaf mint... and so on. Second-tier pills are fairly easy to refine, as long as you use the ingredients properly."
As Elder Li was giving him pointers, he felt the Sound Transmission Jade Talisman inside his Storage Ring vibrate slightly.
"Students, keep refining. I need to attend a meeting, but I'll be back soon." With that, Elder Li vanished in a blur.
Shi Hao carefully recalled Elder Li's words. A moment later, he took a small jar of Beast Milk out of his Storage Ring.
"Glug, glug, glug!" After downing the Beast Milk, he wiped the white liquid from the corner of his mouth and spat out a mass of azure flame.
It was the beast flame of a sixth-tier magical beast-the Azure-Scale Eagle Flame.
Watching the azure flames rise inside the pill furnace, Shi Hao tossed in a half-meter-long section of large intestine from a Tier 2 Magical Beast, a Red-Cloud Pig.
Whoosh! The moment the intestine entered the furnace, azure flames swept over it.
"Preserve the intestine's essence," Shi Hao murmured.
Under the scorching azure flames, the half-meter-long intestine soon began to shrink rapidly.
"Still not enough. I haven't extracted the essence energy yet." Shi Hao stared intently at what was happening inside the furnace.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, the intestine had shrunk considerably, and quite a bit of powder had been roasted out of it. Under normal circumstances, this powder would serve as the raw material for refining the Nine Revolutions Qi-Connecting Pill.
But to extract the superior intestinal essence his teacher had mentioned, Shi Hao kept roasting it. After all, these intestines were very cheap.
Another ten minutes later, the charred intestine, now roasted down to the size of a finger, burst apart with a pop. A trace of disappointment appeared on Shi Hao's face.
He was only a twelve-year-old child, after all. He could not remain calm and composed at all times.
Just as he was about to take out another section of intestine, a mass of golden powder appeared inside the medicinal cauldron.
"Hm?" Shi Hao's eyes lit up.
"The intestinal essence! Hahaha! I finally extracted it." With excitement on his face, Shi Hao hurriedly removed the golden powder and placed it in a jade bottle.
"Why does it have a faint foul smell?" His brows knitted, then relaxed again.
A Red-Cloud Pig's large intestine stank to begin with, so it was normal for its essence to retain some of that odor. In the world of pill refining, plenty of pills did not carry a medicinal fragrance.
There was no shortage of pills with all kinds of strange odors, either.
He steadied himself and began refining the remaining ingredients.
Flames rose across the plaza, and the youths were all engrossed in creating and improving new pill recipes.
Meanwhile, in a hall on one of the Pill Tower's upper floors, experts had gathered in force. Numerous high-ranking alchemists filled the hall, and even Yao Lao was seated among them.
"Is everyone here?" Xuan Kongzi glanced over the alchemists in the hall.
"Yes, everyone's here," the Great Elder said. "Aside from a few who are in sealed seclusion, everyone has arrived. But President, don't we have one extra person at this meeting?"
As he spoke, he cast another glance at Yao Lao.
"Old Lin, don't be so petty. Keep this up and you'll suffer another loss," Yao Lao replied with a broad smile.
"You!" A flush of anger appeared on the Great Elder's face.
"It's fine!" Xuan Kongzi waved a hand. "What we're discussing today is no secret. We're merely announcing it here. With Yao Chen's influence, he would hear about it by tonight at the latest anyway."
He paused before continuing, "Everyone, I've summoned you here today to announce some news. A heavenly flame has appeared in the western Central Plains!"
"A heavenly flame has appeared!" At his words, the previously silent elders all grew excited.
How great was the allure of heavenly flames to alchemists? With a heavenly flame at their side, an alchemist could raise their pill-refining ability by an entire level. Heavenly flames also enhanced their combat strength.
As for the dangers of refining a heavenly flame, many alchemists were more than willing to take that risk.
Wasn't Venerable Yao, Yao Chen, who sat among them, able to hold a slight edge over the Pill Tower's Three Giants in alchemy precisely because he possessed the eleventh-ranked Bone Spirit Cold Flame?
"President, may I ask which heavenly flame has appeared this time?" an elder asked, rising to his feet.
"The heavenly flame that has appeared this time..." After pondering for a moment, Xuan Kongzi said evenly, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the twenty-first-ranked Yin-Yang Twin Flames..."
"The Yin-Yang Twin Flames?" A hint of disappointment first appeared on the alchemists' faces, followed by delight.
They were disappointed because the Yin-Yang Twin Flames ranked only twenty-first, making them considerably weaker than Yao Chen's Bone Spirit Cold Flame. They were delighted because the Yin-Yang Twin Flames should be much easier to subdue than the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
Seeing the smiles on their faces, Xuan Kongzi suddenly revealed a peculiar smile of his own.
"Everyone, don't get ahead of yourselves."
"The heavenly flame this time may not be destined for us old fellows..."
"What are you saying? What kind of talk is that?" Some alchemists grew displeased. Many of them were advanced in years, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, their alchemy had already reached its lifelong limit. A heavenly flame was precisely one such unforeseen circumstance.
"This heavenly flame appeared in the Fertile Plains in the western Central Plains. According to rumors, not long ago, the space above the Fertile Plains shattered out of nowhere, and the ruins of an ancient city descended from thin air."
Ignoring the alchemists' complaints, Xuan Kongzi continued.
"As you all know, hiding an entire city within space is a feat only a Dou Sheng Expert could accomplish.
"And before this Dou Sheng Expert died, they placed restrictions on the ruins: anyone whose cultivation exceeds Dou Zong cannot enter the ancient city.
"If an excessively powerful force tries to break in, the ancient city will explode, along with the measures left behind by that Dou Sheng Expert and the Yin-Yang Twin Flames..."
At those words, disappointment appeared on the faces of the assembled alchemists.
Only Yao Lao wore a pleased expression.