Pill Dao

On the street, Ling Yun moved like a phantom, melting into the crowd. Before long, his presence changed, becoming utterly unremarkable.

After some time, he discreetly made his way toward the Spirit King's Manor. Along the way, the people around him seemed unable to see him.

A little caution like this could always prevent plenty of trouble. After all, he had just traded for so many things. Though he wasn't afraid of being targeted, he feared that someone with an ulterior motive might learn his whereabouts.

It looks like I'll have to find a better presence-concealing technique in the future. Hiding my presence like this is too troublesome, and it's still somewhat crude. Someone at a higher realm could detect me.

Ling Yun thought to himself.

Yesterday, the Spirit King had led his people in sweeping through the back mountain. Ling Yun hadn't dared linger there either and had left the Royal Mausoleum at once.

I wonder if the system can give me a presence-concealing technique through a check-in?

Ling Yun pinned his hopes on the system.

He traveled without stopping, and before long, he returned to the Spirit King's Manor.

His spiritual sense now extended a full thirty li, more than enough to cover the manor. Thus, he found Madam Wang without the slightest effort. It was already night, but she had still summoned the manor's senior members to make arrangements.

"I'll tell you the spiritual medicine formula for refining the antidote now."

Without wasting words, Ling Yun sent a voice transmission directly to Madam Wang.

In the great hall, Madam Wang, who was still making arrangements, immediately stood up. She hurriedly concluded what she was saying and dismissed everyone.

"Divine physician, please tell me."

Madam Wang replied eagerly.

Ling Yun did not show himself. Instead, he secretly transmitted his voice to her as he made his way toward the Royal Mausoleum.

"The antidote is called the Cold Essence Pill. It requires four main ingredients: Ice Essence Grass, Cold Marrow Liquid, Spirit Warmth Jade, and Azure Spirit Flower."

With every main ingredient Ling Yun named, Madam Wang's expression changed. By the end, it had grown somewhat gloomy.

"Not one of these four main ingredients can be omitted!"

Ling Yun spoke gravely.

Madam Wang took a deep breath and finally nodded heavily.

Ling Yun continued speaking, soon listing a long string of medicinal ingredients that were less heaven-defying, but just as precious.

After the shock of the first few ingredients, however, Madam Wang was able to keep her expression unchanged. As for what she was thinking, Ling Yun had no way of knowing.

Finally, Ling Yun instructed her, "You must gather all the medicinal ingredients within half a month."

Madam Wang wasn't sure she could, but she nodded nonetheless.

Ling Yun said no more and soon returned to his little cottage in the Royal Mausoleum.

Madam Wang, meanwhile, summoned all the senior members again, leaving those who had departed less than a quarter of an hour earlier rather puzzled.

From that night onward, everyone in the Spirit King's Manor could be said to be so busy their feet barely touched the ground.

Ling Yun had no time to concern himself with that. Once back in the cottage, he devoted himself to studying pill refining.

The Witchcraft and Gu Pill Physician could be considered a master who had brought together the greatest achievements of the Pill Dao throughout this world's history. His inheritance could be said to be the highest-level Pill Dao inheritance in the world.

"The Dao of pill refining pursues the utmost. The world says pills have nine grades and twelve tiers, but beyond that limit lies a higher realm."

"When a pill develops spiritual patterns, it is complete. Each spiritual pattern represents one grade. When a pill has nine patterns, it has reached perfection and is a ninth-grade spiritual pill."

"Above the ninth grade, there is a tenth, with pill radiance in a thousand hues, unlike anything in the mortal world."

Ling Yun was quite shaken by this.

As expected, how could anyone who became a Great Emperor be ordinary? Though the Witchcraft and Gu Pill Physician wasn't well known, he was a genuine Pill Dao Great Emperor. He broke through the limits of this world's Pill Dao and forged his own path to ascend to the heavens.

Once a pill surpasses the ninth grade, it can give rise to the light of pill radiance, signifying that it has the potential to become an immortal pill. It was thanks to this limit-breaking pill radiance that the Witchcraft and Gu Pill Physician gained the foundation to refine immortal pills.

Ling Yun fell into thought.

For many pill refiners, pills with six or seven pill patterns were already high-quality products. Those who could refine pills with eight patterns were respectfully called pill refining grandmasters, while those who could refine pills with nine patterns were hailed as divine pill masters.

Even the elder pill refiner of the Ling Kingdom's royal family could refine pills with no more than seven patterns.

Understanding dawned on Ling Yun, and he continued reading.

"The usual steps of pill refining are heating the furnace, extraction, purification, pill formation..."

"Among these, the pill furnace and the flame play extremely important roles. For beginner pill refiners, they are particularly important factors in determining whether a pill is successfully formed..."

"The flames commonly used for pill refining include earth fire, true fire, and Spirit Fire..."

Pill-refining flames!

Ling Yun's heart stirred, and he gained a clearer understanding of the many steps involved in pill refining.

Earth fire was the fire of the earth veins. Its temperature was extremely high, and it had to be drawn from the earth veins using a special method. Its advantage lay in that high temperature, which made it suitable for many substances that were difficult to smelt.

Its drawbacks were just as obvious. Earth-vein fire was too difficult to control. Without extensive experience, it was easy to lose control of the heat and cause the refinement to fail.

True fire was a better choice. It was condensed from the Spiritual Yuan of someone with profound cultivation, a pill fire belonging solely to that person. It was easy to control, and its temperature suited most pill-refining requirements.

Spirit Fire, on the other hand, was something countless people dreamed of obtaining.

Spirit Fire was a flame with spiritual properties born naturally between heaven and earth. Not only did each kind have its own characteristics and an extremely high temperature, but once absorbed by a cultivator, it could also grow stronger as the cultivator advanced.

A cultivator could control Spirit Fire and change its shape at will. In combat, it was more fearsome than many fire-attribute spells, and it was doubly effective when used to refine pills or artifacts.

Unfortunately, Spirit Fire is extremely rare, and the conditions in which it grows are exceedingly harsh. It is often accompanied by deadly danger.

Ling Yun shook his head.

After finishing with the most basic knowledge of pill refining, Ling Yun finally reached the core Pill Dao inheritance of the Witchcraft and Gu Pill Physician!

"Take the fire, construct the altar, consecrate the furnace, refine the pills, and open the furnace. The techniques include flying, rising, drawing, subduing, tapping, closing, nurturing, boiling, refining, forging, grinding, sealing..."

"The Ancient Pill Refining Technique is one of the most important parts of this inheritance. There are also various pill-refining methods and skills. By using different refining methods in different circumstances, one can ultimately refine spiritual pills of extremely high quality."

Ling Yun studied the various insights into pill refining and even wanted to refine a batch immediately. Unfortunately, his pill furnace wasn't ready yet, so he had to give up on the idea.

Ling Yun spent an entire day preparing for the pill refining to come. All that remained was to put it into practice, so that he could continue to improve his pill-refining Dao.

"Phew-"

Ling Yun let out a long breath and emerged from his study. After this crash course, he finally had a systematic understanding of beginner pill refining, and the various pill-refining methods were already familiar to him.

But there was still a vast gap between this and actual pill refining. After all, pill refining wasn't theory. Ling Yun couldn't simply shut himself away, study theory, and refine a spiritual pill in one step.

The hardest part would be bringing everything he knew about his pill-refining Dao together.

Ling Yun washed up, feeling refreshed from head to toe. Once again, he put on a black robe and mask.

By now, the sun had long since sunk in the west, but Myriad Phenomena City was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

With a few flickers of movement, Ling Yun left the Royal Mausoleum and headed toward the Heavenly Treasure Tower...