"Combined training...?"
Looking at the shyness hidden in Zhou Fuling's beautiful, blinking eyes, Lu Ming hesitated slightly. He didn't really know if this so-called "joint refining" would succeed. This was the last batch of medicinal materials. Not only could he not fail, but the " Thunderclap Pill " he refined had to be at least of medium quality, otherwise he would not be able to surpass Song Ren and Su Tao.
However, he finally nodded and smiled, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Sister."
Forget it, let him do it himself. He's not confident he can refine Thunderclap Pill that surpasses Song Ren's and the others' anyway, so it's better to take a gamble.
Zhou Fuling blushed and nodded slightly.
To be honest, Lu Ming couldn't quite understand her shy demeanor. "We're practicing together, not dual cultivation! What's with all this bashing?"
Of course, he dared not say these words aloud, otherwise, given his senior sister's proud and arrogant nature, she would probably be very angry with him for a while, and even with Lu Mengmeng's help, the effect would probably be minimal.
However, Zhou Fuling's sudden appearance also drew surprised and suspicious glances from some people. Even the Dao of Alchemy masters such as Pang Qingsong frowned slightly, as this move was somewhat against the rules.
"Hehe, Chairman Pang, they want to use the 'combined refining' method to refine the Thunderclap Pill. That shouldn't be against the rules, right?" Zhou Xuan's voice chuckled as he spoke.
"Combined Refinement?!"
Upon hearing this, many people looked astonished.
The young alchemists exchanged bewildered glances. They had heard of "joint alchemy," but frankly, very few people actually used this technique. It required not only that both practitioners cultivated the same Dao of Alchemy arts, but also that they had a high degree of tacit understanding. Therefore, the difficulty of joint alchemy was, on the whole, higher than that of individual alchemy.
"I never expected that a disciple of Master Zhou Xuan would possess such skills. We're certainly getting to see something new," Ye Changfeng said with a faint smile, his tone indifferent.
The other Dao of Alchemy masters from the Alchemist Association nodded, looking on with amusement.
However, no one objected. After all, as Zhou Xuan said, combined alchemy is a proper technique in Dao of Alchemy. As long as Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling can cooperate well, no one can find fault with it.
"Hmph, quite a few tricks up their sleeves."
Song Ren glanced sideways at Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling, secretly scoffing. Lu Ming had already used up two portions of medicinal herbs, both ending in failure. Was he now trying to salvage the situation with this so-called "combined refining" method, as if he had nothing to lose?
Innocent.
Su Tao watched with great interest, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. It seemed to be the first time she had ever seen someone actually using the "combined refining method" to refine pills.
However, it was clear that none of them believed Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling could succeed.
"Senior Sister, I'll first refine the medicinal herbs and fuse their medicinal power, then I'll pass it on to you so you can perform the final pill-forming step." Lu Ming ignored the gazes around him and spoke earnestly to Zhou Fuling.
Seeing Lu Ming's serious and solemn face, Zhou Fuling tried her best to adjust her mindset and hide the shyness in her eyes. She understood how much Lu Ming valued this " Netherwater Flame ", and now, this was the last chance.
She must do everything in her power to help Lu Ming achieve his wish.
"Good."
Without further hesitation, Lu Ming skillfully grabbed the third batch of medicinal herbs and tossed them into the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace in front of him.
Because he needed to combine the ingredients, he did not take the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace back into his body, so he could not easily activate the Flame of Life. Instead, he used his own Primordial Qi to transform into alchemical fire to melt the medicinal materials.
Although the lack of the Flame of Life would result in a slightly less effective outcome, it was still better than having the Dao of Alchemy masters present notice something amiss. After all, although Lu Ming didn't know what level of Spirit Fire the Flame of Life was, its wondrous power was an absolute temptation that no alchemist could resist.
As the alchemical fire rises, medicinal herbs are rapidly melted and refined, with different medicinal powers circulating within the fire.
This method of refining medicinal power externally is more time-consuming and labor-intensive than internally refining the pill, but it is the only option for now in order to make the transfer of medicinal liquid to the pill furnace smoother during the refining process.
Lu Ming pretended to reach out and touch the alchemy furnace, closing his eyes slightly and looking very serious, as if he was fully focused on integrating the medicinal power.
As time went by, mist gradually emerged from the alchemy furnace, along with a rich aroma of medicinal herbs.
As soon as the fragrance of the medicine wafted out, it immediately drew astonished glances from several Dao of Alchemy masters on the balcony.
"Wow, such a rich and pure medicinal fragrance."
"Moreover, there are no impurities in it, which is a sign of exceptionally good fusion of medicinal properties."
"This kid can actually integrate the medicinal effects to this extent perfectly? He seems to be even better than Song Ren and Su Tao in this respect."
"She does have some talent."
"..."
Even Pang Qingsong, the president of the Alchemist Association, looked surprised. As masters of Dao of Alchemy, they naturally understood just how outstanding Lu Ming's current fusion of medicinal power was. To put it bluntly, the pure medicinal power produced by this fusion already possessed the potential to become a high-grade Thunderclap Pill.
"How could you fail twice in a row if you could fuse the medicinal power to this extent?" Pang Qingsong asked with some doubt.
"That must be a problem with the pill-forming process," Su Wan, the only female Dao of Alchemy master present, mused.
"It seems that Lu Ming's talent is somewhat unorthodox." A master of Dao of Alchemy couldn't help but chuckle. The fusion of medicinal power was almost perfect, but the pill-forming technique was a bit rough. If a score were to be given, Lu Ming would get close to full marks for the fusion of medicinal power, but he could only barely get five points for pill-forming. This averaged out and dragged down the final score.
"No wonder they chose to refine it together; they probably wanted that little girl to complete the pill-forming process."
However, despite saying this, the Dao of Alchemy masters present looked at Lu Ming with more attention. After all, the fusion of medicinal power is the most difficult, requiring extremely keen perception. The slightest mistake will result in the incorporation of impurities, causing the medicinal power to be lost and affecting subsequent alchemy.
As for the pill-forming technique, it can be compensated for by proficiency, so Lu Ming's growth potential is very high. If it weren't for the current limitation of only three medicinal herbs, Song Ren and Su Tao might not be able to compare with him.
Zhou Xuan noticed the changing expressions on the faces of the Dao of Alchemy masters from Fengyang Prefecture, and felt a sense of relief. These guys had been wary of him and ostracizing him as an outsider, which annoyed Zhou Xuan, but he could do nothing about it. After all, alchemists held a special status, and even for Huo Shanhe's sake, they wouldn't give them much face.
If Zhou Xuan hadn't been a master of Dao of Alchemy himself, they probably wouldn't have allowed him to bring people to compete for the " Netherwater Flame."
On the alchemy platform, Song Ren, Su Tao, and the other young alchemists also noticed the purity of the medicinal power that Lu Ming was refining, and their expressions immediately changed.
"This kid actually has such talent?" Song Ren's expression changed, with a hint of jealousy in his eyes. After all, only those in the know could understand how amazing Lu Ming's talent for refining medicinal power was.
Didn't you notice that the short-haired, pretty girl named Su Tao's gaze towards Lu Ming has started to change?
In fact, it wasn't just them who were amazed by Lu Ming's smooth and effortless technique in refining medicinal herbs; even Zhou Fuling, who was familiar with him, was a little dazzled. As an alchemist herself, she also understood how captivating this perfect technique was, truly giving one a sense of being immersed in it.
She couldn't help but steal a glance at Lu Ming, who was diligently refining medicinal herbs. The young man had a handsome and heroic face with distinct features. The flames of the alchemy illuminated his face, making him appear somewhat arrogant, but also exuding a special charm that no scion of a family with supernatural powers possessed.
Zhou Fuling's pretty face flushed slightly as she watched.
"Senior sister, are you ready?"
Lu Ming opened his eyes at this moment, seemingly ignoring the astonished gazes, and looked at Zhou Fuling beside him.
Zhou Fuling's delicate body trembled slightly, her fair earlobes burning a little. She dared not look directly into Lu Ming's eyes, nodded guiltily, and then lightly raised her fair hand to summon her Dao of Alchemy furnace, which was a catalytic alchemy technique.
"Senior sister, I'm here. Be prepared!" Lu Ming said in a deep voice.
Zhou Fuling blushed and nodded in a voice barely audible.
"Um."