True to his cautious nature, he thought everything over repeatedly before getting to work. Only after making all the necessary preparations did he begin refining the Essence-Nourishing Pills.
He did not use the Alchemy Furnace his master had given him, because the furnace he had simulated during his practice in his Niwang Palace was a low-grade one. To be safe, he chose the low-grade Alchemy Furnace his Fourth Senior Brother had given him.
Everything went just as it had in practice, and Xu Qingtong proceeded methodically with the refinement. Only when the Earthfire went out and he lifted the lid to see five pills inside the Alchemy Furnace did he let out a long breath of relief.
Looking at the five pills in his hand, Xu Qingtong smiled wryly. Not a single one was Middle Grade; they were all low-grade. During his practice, almost all the pills he refined had been Middle Grade, yet in an actual attempt, they had turned out low-grade!
Putting the pills away, Xu Qingtong began refining his second batch. When he reached the extraction and purification stage, a thought suddenly struck him: would increasing the heat a little further make the medicinal liquid even purer?
As he thought this, he unconsciously increased the heat. Suddenly, he sensed a wisp of blue smoke rising inside the furnace, followed by Spiritual Qi churning and surging within.
This is bad! Xu Qingtong thought, about to shut off the Earthfire. Before he could act, the Alchemy Furnace exploded with a bang. A violent blast swept him up and hurled him far away, while fragments of the furnace struck his body heavily.
Fortunately, he had cultivated the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art to the second level, so the furnace explosion did not actually injure him. Even so, Xu Qingtong broke out