Second-Tier Alchemist

Seeing that Qin Fei was getting serious, the Big Yellow didn't hesitate and said:

"My special training method is called the Three-Turn Pill Tempering Method, which uses recognizing the medicine as the eye, controlling the fire as the foundation, and condensing the pill as the heart."

"The first stage is identifying herbs. The medicinal properties of the herbs required for second-tier pills are complex, with mutual reinforcement and restraint. One mistake can ruin the entire batch."

"Every morning, you must study the herbal medicine guide I provide until you can recite it from memory."

"In the afternoon, according to the herbal medicine guide, we will identify the medicinal properties, age, and growing environment of the medicinal herbs."

"At night, they would pair up herbs and deduce their medicinal properties. Only when they were sure they were on the right track would they move on to the next stage."

"As for the night, I'll leave it for you to practice your Cultivation Method and recover your energy."

After saying that, he took out the Jade Slip he had prepared beforehand and handed it to Qin Fei.

"This is today's herbal guide; we can begin."

Qin Fei nodded resolutely and released his Divine Sense to investigate.

The encyclopedia records one thousand kinds of spiritual herbs commonly used in alchemy, with illustrations of the herbs above and detailed textual descriptions below.

This was only for one day; every day thereafter, the Big Yellow would bring out a new Jade Slip for him to study.

Fortunately, after cultivating the "Divine Soul Sensing Chapter," his soul became increasingly powerful, and his memory became almost photographic.

Otherwise, an ordinary Rogue Cultivator would probably be quickly overwhelmed by these complex pharmacological properties and characteristics.

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was noon.

Just as he was studying it intently, the Big Yellow suddenly stepped forward and snatched the Jade Slip from his hand.

"It's noon, Qin boy, it's my turn to test you."

"Name the herb in front of you, its age, and its pharmacological properties."

It randomly selected a herb from the ones it had previously purchased and placed it on the stone table.

Qin Fei examined it carefully for a while, then smelled it against his nose and said:

"The Scarlet Yang Grass has stems like red copper and leaves like flames. When mature, a small vermilion fruit grows at its tip. There are twelve golden lines on its stem and leaves, one for each year, indicating it is twelve years old. It tastes bitter and contains fiery energy, and can be used for..."

Watching Qin Fei speak eloquently, the Big Yellow nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, continue."

It then took out a spirit medicine and placed it in front of Qin Fei.

"Azure Scale Grass, second-tier inferior grade, with slender leaves and greenish-blue scale-like patterns on the surface..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Big Yellow chimed in:

"Let's take another look."

Qin Fei was puzzled and observed carefully for a while, but couldn't figure out where he went wrong.

The Big Yellow's voice came again:

The focus is on the stem.

Qin Fei followed the gaze and soon realized what was going on.

"No, it's not Azure Scale Grass, it's Azure Scale Snake-Tail Grass!"

"Although they look similar, the stem of the Azure Scale Snake-Tail Grass curves slightly like a snake's tail. The former can detoxify, while the latter contains a deadly poison!"

Qin Fei broke out in a cold sweat. If he used the wrong method when refining pills, it could lead to a terrible mistake.

Pharmacology is a vast and profound field, and it should not be underestimated.

In the evening, the Big Yellow started quizzing us on the principles of pharmacological combinations and their interactions.

And so, the days passed one by one.

As Qin Fei read more and more illustrated guides, his understanding of various herbs gradually deepened.

He could pick up any medicinal herb at random and not only accurately describe its pharmacology and properties, but also explain the precautions to take.

The number of mistakes made during midday and evening examinations also decreased.

By March, Qin Fei had gone a month without answering any questions incorrectly.

The Big Yellow promptly began the second training exercise:

Fire control.

Controlling the fire is of paramount importance in alchemy; whether or not a pill can be formed, and its quality, are all greatly influenced by it.

Gentle fire nourishes the liquid, strong fire condenses the elixir, and Heart Fire solidifies the form.

The so-called "gentle fire" refers to using Spiritual Power to drive the alchemical fire, maintaining a constant furnace temperature, and refining spirit medicine into elixir.

The liquid must be free of impurities and have a uniform color; if even the slightest black spot appears, the process must be restarted.

After obtaining the elixir, it is necessary to apply high temperature with a powerful fire to force out excess substances from the elixir.

At this point, the heat must be controlled precisely. If it is overdone, the pill will crack; if it is underdone, the pill will become cloudy.

Finally, using one's own Divine Sense as a guide, Heart Fire is formed to shape the elixir.

If successful, the elixir will be round and full, with clear patterns.

If it fails, at best the elixir will be destroyed, at worst the furnace will explode.

Under the guidance of the Big Yellow, Qin Fei took out the Primordial Eight Trigrams Furnace and began to practice controlling the heat.

The special training method was quite interesting. There was a piece of ice crystal ore in the furnace, Qin Fei had to melt it at a specific time, not even a second too late.

This requires extremely high control over the heat, and constant observation of the state of the ice crystals inside the furnace is necessary to make timely adjustments.

At first, Qin Fei couldn't do it, and on several occasions, he was more than ten seconds off from the required time.

However, he was not discouraged; instead, he fought with even greater courage.

One day, two days, three days...

There was always a busy figure inside the cave abode, never stopping.

With persistent efforts, the results have been quite gratifying.

Qin Fei's control over the heat has steadily improved, and to this day, it has reached an unbelievable level.

The ice crystals inside the furnace had long since been replaced with various herbs; when they would melt, when they would liquefy, and when they would solidify was entirely under his control.

The Big Yellow also officially announced the end of the second phase of special training.

Next comes the real-world application.

The two simulated all the unexpected situations that might occur when refining the Foundation Establishment Pill. They first tried using a first-order Pill Formula, and then steadily worked their way up to the second order.

Finally, a month later, Qin Fei successfully refined his first second-tier pill.

This also means that he has officially entered the ranks of second-tier Alchemist.

Qin Fei did not slacken his efforts, but continued to consolidate his alchemy skills until he could consistently refine second-tier pills before stopping.

"It's time to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill."

He muttered to himself, then went out and extended the lease on the cave abode for another year.

He then returned to the secret room, lay down on the bed, and fell fast asleep.

Three days and three nights later, he finally woke up, feeling refreshed and all the fatigue of the past few days had vanished.

Release the Iron Guard, Qin Fei instructed:

"Guard the cave abode well, and don't disturb me no matter what the most important matter is."

From then on, no further sounds came from within the cave abode.

As spring turns to autumn, the greenery in the mountains fades, replaced by a golden coat.

The weather is getting cooler, but it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on those who are practicing spiritual cultivation.

On this day, two streaks of light flew in from the horizon.

"You mean, this cave abode was rented by a Qi Refinement cultivator?"

"That's good. There are still six months left on the lease. Senior Caiyi, why don't you change to another one? There are still plenty of vacant cave abode left in the Jia-character area."

The Fairy Caiyi raised an eyebrow and shook her head, saying:

"This place is quiet, which suits me well. I'll negotiate with that cultivator first. Don't worry, I know the rules and won't force anything."

The woman who had led the way was somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

"Please come with me, senior; we'll be there soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge vortex suddenly formed in the clouds on the horizon, and countless streams of Spiritual Qi surged in like a tidal wave.

A fierce wind howled through the mountains, sending sand and stones flying everywhere.

And at the center of that vortex was the cave abode the two were heading to.

The woman leading the way was terrified and quickly steadied herself to avoid falling from the air.

The Fairy Caiyi was also surprised and said in disbelief:

"It's actually Foundation Establishment phenomenon!"