Under Han Li's astonished gaze, Lin Yun dropped the Foundation Establishment Pill into the pill furnace, then gathered several medicinal herbs from the Herb Garden and added them as well.
Solar true fire surged up, heating the furnace until it glowed red. Lin Yun formed a succession of hand seals, and the Foundation Establishment Pill and the various herbs rapidly dissolved into medicinal liquid.
As Lin Yun sorted out the medicinal ingredients inside the furnace, he explained the finer points of pill refining to Han Li.
"Although I don't have any jade marrow zhi, purple monkey flowers, or heavenly spirit fruit on hand, that Foundation Establishment Pill contains components of all three. These three spiritual herbs are themselves manifestations of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, so naturally, I can use the Foundation Establishment Pill as a seed and manifest them from spiritual energy inside this furnace. Watch closely."
Lin Yun beckoned, drawing a stream of pure spiritual energy from the Herb Garden. It carried a trace of medicinal essence from the many herbs growing there as it flowed into the furnace.
Having done this, Lin Yun took out a bottle of Yin-Yang Dew he had collected several days earlier to cleanse and refine the Invisible Sword, and poured it into the furnace as well.
Lin Yun continued explaining, "A Foundation Establishment Pill can cleanse the meridians and marrow and improve one's innate aptitude, so naturally, it accords with the principles of creation. The union of yin and yang is creation itself. This bottle of Yin-Yang Dew contains the essential energy of the sun and moon, and the sun and moon embody yang and yin."
Looking at the dew in Lin Yun's hand, Han Li could not help a flicker of an unusual expression crossing his eyes as he recalled the scene of Lin Yun collecting it.
He could not help thinking, The essential energy of the sun and moon? Could the green liquid in the Little Green Bottle also be this so-called essential energy of the sun and moon?
By now, Lin Yun's hands were rapidly forming seals.
Under the cleansing refinement of the pure spiritual energy and medicinal vital energy, the liquid inside the furnace began separating strand by strand. It then combined with the essential energy of the sun and moon, transforming into two currents of vital energy, one yin and one yang. Finally, under Lin Yun's control, the two currents collided, giving rise to an entirely new mass of medicinal liquid.
Lin Yun divided the liquid into two portions, which then began condensing into pills.
"Open!"
A short while later, the pills fully took shape. Lin Yun opened the furnace, and two golden pills flew out, borne aloft by a five-colored cloud shaped like a zhi mushroom, before landing in his hand.
Lin Yun tossed one straight to Han Li. "Take it."
Han Li caught it and studied the glittering golden pill in his palm with curiosity.
Although it looked completely different from the original Foundation Establishment Pill, he did not doubt its effectiveness for Foundation Establishment in the slightest.
Having spent more than a year learning alchemy from Lin Yun, Han Li had come to understand just how absurdly accomplished this senior martial brother was in the art. He also understood that the spectacle of pills taking shape he had witnessed back then was not something an ordinary alchemist could achieve.
But thinking of his own spiritual root aptitude, Han Li still felt uncertain and could not help asking, "Senior Martial Brother Lin, will one Foundation Establishment Pill be enough?"
Lin Yun was putting away the other Foundation Establishment Pill, which he had prepared for Xin Ruoyin. Hearing Han Li question his Spirit Pill, he could not help glaring at him.
He said irritably, "You don't know a damn thing. How could those trash Foundation Establishment Pills compare to my Spirit Pill? Do you understand what Foundation Establishment is? Do you understand the workings of creation?"
"Hmph! That refined Foundation Establishment Pill in your hand could guarantee Foundation Establishment even for two cultivators with fake spiritual roots like yours!"
"Guarantee Foundation Establishment?!" Han Li exclaimed in disbelief.
Over the past few years, he had asked around extensively about Foundation Establishment Pills in preparation for establishing his foundation. As far as he knew, even cultivators with dual spiritual roots could not be certain of succeeding with a single pill.
Still sounding irritated, Lin Yun continued, "Of course. Foundation Establishment means cleansing the meridians and marrow and altering one's innate constitution so the body can adapt to holding greater quantities of purer spiritual power. The original Foundation Establishment Pill has limited medicinal potency, insufficient for a cultivator with fake spiritual roots to complete the cleansing process in one go."
"I created this pill by improving the original Foundation Establishment Pill. Through the workings of creation, its ability to cleanse the meridians and marrow and utterly transform the body far surpasses the original. Moreover, I infused it with pure spiritual energy, so there will be no concern about insufficient spiritual energy when your true essence transforms. How could the original Foundation Establishment Pill compare to mine?"
After hearing Lin Yun's explanation, Han Li immediately said in delighted surprise, "Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Lin! This is wonderful. I was struggling over whether to risk entering the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land, but now that I have this pill, I can cultivate in peace!"
Ignoring Han Li's delight, Lin Yun's smile suddenly froze as realization struck him. "Wait! You're not going to the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land?"
Although puzzled by Lin Yun's reaction, Han Li answered with a satisfied expression, "Of course not, Senior Martial Brother Lin. Since my Foundation Establishment is already guaranteed, why should I take the risk? I've heard that fewer than a quarter of those who enter the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land make it out. Though I'm confident I would probably get out safely if I remained cautious, there's no reason to take an unnecessary risk, is there?"
Han Li's decision not to enter the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land greatly surprised Lin Yun, but after considering Han Li's personality, he found it perfectly reasonable.
After a moment of silence, Lin Yun abandoned the idea of persuading him to run the dungeon together. Everyone had their own fate and opportunities, after all. If the plot had gone off course, then so be it.
After deciding to enter the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land, Lin Yun began making preparations.
His Invisible Sword was close to completing its first refinement of form and substance. He intended to finish refining it during this period.
Just as Lin Yun was about to refine the Invisible Sword to the point of having neither form nor substance, Han Li suddenly came to see him.
"Senior Martial Brother Lin, I'd like to ask you something. That dew containing the essential energy of the sun and moon that you used to refine pills earlier-what exactly is this essential energy? And how should it be used in pill refining?" After weighing the matter for several days, Han Li finally could not resist asking Lin Yun.
After seeing Lin Yun refine Spirit Pills with the essential energy of the sun and moon, he had wondered whether he could use diluted green liquid to refine pills as well.
But then he recalled the wretched state of the animals he had used to test the green liquid's effects and decided he first needed to determine whether it really was the so-called essential energy of the sun and moon.
Lin Yun glanced at Han Li upon hearing this. Although he had deliberately revealed the Yin-Yang Dew, which bore a slight resemblance to the green liquid, in front of Han Li, he had not expected him to come asking so soon.
After a little thought, Lin Yun took out the Dew-Catching Plate under Han Li's slightly apprehensive gaze.
"This is called the Dew-Catching Plate. It's a magical implement I use to gather the essential energy of the sun and moon. This so-called essential energy is the spiritual energy of the sun and moon in the heavens. Unlike ordinary five-element spiritual energy, their spiritual energy is extremely pure and plays a significant role in nature's workings of creation, making it particularly suitable for pill refining," Lin Yun explained.
Seeing Lin Yun take out the Dew-Catching Plate, Han Li could not help looking astonished. Was this really the sort of treasure one could show other people?
Before Han Li could say anything, Lin Yun continued, "Above the essential energy of the sun and moon, there is also their essence. That is solar and lunar spiritual energy even purer than their essential energy. If my Dew-Catching Plate could be upgraded into a magical treasure, it would be able to condense and refine that essence."
After Han Li heard Lin
Yun's explanation and saw him bring out his treasure to show him, he hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth, took out a jade bottle, and handed it to Lin Yun. "Senior Martial Brother Lin, please help me determine exactly what this is."
Lin Yun was deeply surprised. Given his impression of Han Li's cautious nature, he had thought that coming to him and asking roundabout questions about the Yin-Yang Dew would be as far as he would go.
He had never expected Han Li to bring out the actual stuff.
Suppressing his astonishment, Lin Yun accepted the jade bottle without changing his expression. But after just one glance, his eyes widened and his expression changed drastically. "Cosmic Light True Water!"
Although he had long known that Han Li's Little Green Bottle was connected to time, he had never expected the green liquid it condensed to be Cosmic Light True Water, one of the seven great true waters of the cosmos!
Lin Yun could not help examining it carefully. Although he had read the heavenly book's records on Cosmic Light True Water, he had never seen the real thing and still needed to identify it thoroughly.
"No, it's not just Cosmic Light True Water. There's Three Lights Divine Water in it too! That's not right either! Even diluted, its potency seems considerably weaker." Lin Yun frowned, sensing something amiss.
But after pondering for a moment with furrowed brows, his expression relaxed.
He murmured, "It is indeed Cosmic Light True Water and Three Lights Divine Water. It's probably because this world lacks primordial qi and is fundamentally only a lower realm. That's why only Cosmic Light True Water and Three Lights Divine Water of this quality can be gathered here."
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