It was said that in ancient times, cultivators, regardless of their level of cultivation, had to dabble in artifact refining, elixir refining, talisman making, array drawing… Only by mastering all these skills could one be considered a qualified cultivator.
However, as the cultivation world evolved, this model was gradually phased out. Cultivators found that no matter which field they delved into, it required a great deal of time and resources.
Being a jack of all trades meant being a master of none.
Spending a lot of time studying elixir refining, it was uncertain whether one could achieve a high level of proficiency. Moreover, there might only be a few times in one's life when elixir refining was extremely necessary. It was more convenient and reliable to hire a professional elixir master.
The cultivation world gradually saw the emergence of specialists in various fields such as elixir masters, artifact masters, array masters, talisman masters, beast tamers… Today, they have become the mainstream.
Among them, elixir masters were the wealthiest.
Despite being a highly skilled profession, artifact masters were not as wealthy as elixir masters.
At its root, the reason why elixir masters made more money was probably because it was more difficult.
Because it was difficult, it was rare, and because it was rare, it made more money.
Elixir refining was more difficult than artifact refining, mainly because once the elixir failed, all the materials would be wasted, with little room for salvage. However, if the artifact failed, the materials could often be preserved, at most requiring additional effort to embed the array patterns.
Therefore, a young man with exceptional talent, if interested in the path of creation, would generally start with elixir refining. Only if he failed at elixir refining would he be eliminated and go on to learn artifact refining.
Like a certain disciple surnamed Wen from Shu Mountain.
Of course, the reason why Wen Yulong failed in elixir refining was not so much a lack of talent as it was a deviation from the right path.
And today, Chu Liang was also sitting in front of the elixir furnace.
…
"One foot and two inches of jade flower branch, one section of clear bamboo, three drops of green-eyed centipede liquid, one crystal of wood spirit… These are the four main ingredients."
"Three petals of White Lake narcissus, five pieces of Qi-condensing lotus, three liang of spirit sand, five liang of ink elixir sand, a pinch of following light powder… These are the five auxiliary ingredients."
This was the recipe for the Green Elixir that he had asked Chen Su for.
In fact, Chu Liang had long been interested in elixir refining – he was interested in any way to make money.
And this time, being stuck by the superior Green Elixir, it further aroused his desire to learn elixir refining on his own.
If you don't master the technology, you will always be controlled by others.
Just so happened that he had killed an elixir master and left some items suitable for elixir refining, so he took the opportunity to start trying.
The recipe for the Green Elixir was not too precious. Chu Liang also prepared some gifts to give, and Chen Su quietly gave it to him. After all, even with the exclusive elixir recipe, only the Elixir Elder and a few direct disciples could refine the superior Green Elixir.
Chu Liang didn't expect to refine a superior one at once, but this elixir was also cheap and suitable for beginners, so he used it as a trial for beginners.
He first placed the captured green gilt elixir furnace, then placed four pieces of fire spirit paste underneath, and then ignited the Five Spirits Divine Breath Fire.
The Five Spirits Divine Fire Jue used to ignite this fire was not difficult to learn. Chu Liang practiced it for a while and mastered it proficiently.
Whoosh—
The five-colored divine fire was misty and radiant. As soon as it was ignited, the mountain and sea scroll on the elixir furnace seemed to flow, and the sound of waves came rolling in!
Chen Su had explained to Chu Liang that the spiritual light patterns on the elixir furnace were not just for looks or coolness… Of course, that might be part of the reason. Its main function was to display the intensity of the fire, so that the elixir master could better control the heat.
After all, elixir masters couldn't feel how fierce the fire was with their hands, and relying on the intensity of the injected true qi was not friendly to some novice elixir masters. This intuitive display of the intensity of the fire was as clear as if it had been divided into gears by humans.
Chu Liang let the fire heat up for a while before throwing the first ingredient into the furnace, the three drops of green-eyed centipede liquid.
These three drops of green liquid evaporated immediately upon heating, but they did not fly out of the elixir furnace. Instead, they turned into a ball of green gas and stuck to the bottom of the furnace.
This was the magical property of the green-eyed centipede liquid, which would adhere to the heat.
In this way, it was as if there was an extra layer of membrane at the bottom of the furnace, and the other materials would not directly touch the divine fire. Chu Liang then put the wood spirit crystal in.
The wood spirit crystal clashed with the fire attribute, and direct roasting would cause loss, so some buffering was needed. After a while, it also slowly melted in the green gas, and drops of water fell.
Chu Liang then put in the clear bamboo. This semi-transparent green bamboo section became more and more transparent as it absorbed the wood spirit and heat, until it almost disappeared. Chu Liang then put in the last main ingredient, the jade flower branch.
The reason it was put in last was because it was the most heat-sensitive, and at this time it could melt together with the other materials.
After all four main ingredients were put in, Chu Liang slightly urged his true qi to increase the intensity of the fire.
Boom—
In terms of manipulating true qi, he had also undergone a lot of training, and now he was no less proficient than some elixir apprentices, easily controlling the subtle changes in the fire.
He strictly followed the steps Chen Su had told him for the entire operation process, and there were no mistakes even though it was his first time. If Chen Su were there to guide him in person, she would definitely exclaim at his amazing talent.
In a few breaths, the main ingredients in the elixir furnace had all melted, turning into a mixed ball of green spirit qi, thick and sticky.
Chu Liang then began to put in the auxiliary ingredients, three petals of White Lake narcissus, which turned into white gas as soon as they entered the furnace.
He used his true qi to move this white gas, gently stirring it, evenly rotating the green qi containing the medicinal power. This was the use of the White Lake narcissus flower, which could serve as a primer for stirring the spirit qi, exerting force without damaging the medicinal power.
After that, Chu Liang put in the substantial spirit sand – this was the most commonly used type of elixir sand.The cinnabar floated in mid-air, enveloped in a mist of azure qi.
At this moment, Chu Liang added a Qi Condensing Lotus. As its petals scattered, it immediately began to absorb and condense the surrounding azure qi. The cinnabar served as the center of this absorption, slowly gathering all the spiritual energy.
Once all the spiritual energy had merged into the cinnabar, Chu Liang then added the Ink Cinnabar. This substance was as gentle as water, and under the control of his true qi, it instantly enveloped the cinnabar, forming another layer of barrier.
Now came the crucial step.
If he simply allowed the Ink Cinnabar to envelop the cinnabar, a pill could still be formed, but it would only be a common mid-to-low grade Azure Pill. At this point, he needed to quickly add a small amount of Light Tracing Powder, allowing it to evenly disperse into the Ink Cinnabar. Only then could he produce a high-grade Azure Pill.
While a mid-to-low grade Azure Pill could also merge with the spiritual energy of plants and trees, a high-grade pill enhanced with Light Tracing Powder could communicate with the surrounding plant and tree spiritual energy, achieving a truly flawless effect.
The difficulty lay in the fact that Light Tracing Powder was extremely unstable and could explode at the slightest exposure to light.
Mastering the "technique".
This was the key to refining a high-grade Azure Pill.
Just as Chu Liang was preparing to demonstrate his micro-control technique, he suddenly felt a slight tremor from the Soul Binding Order in his storage artifact.
Damn.
Chu Liang's mind was slightly distracted. It was just a momentary lapse, but at this critical moment of placing the ingredients, timing was everything.
Boom——
……
【Eastern Guide】: "The Bone Palace is besieged by three Immortal Gates. Are you all okay?"
【Sixty】: "We're fine."
【Fifty-nine】: "Thanks for your concern, Eastern Guide. The three of us weren't on Bone Mountain at the time, so we're safe. However, our hall master, General Black Feather, is dead. Now we're stranded and don't know how to return to the Bone Palace. Although it's been a short time, we've gathered some useful information. It turns out that Liu Mojie of the Red Robe Hall and the Southern Guide under the Marquis are lovers! They were planning to explore the Azure Dragon Secret Realm together, but after the Southern Guide died, Liu Mojie sought cooperation with Master Mu."
【Eastern Guide】: "What? This is news to me…"
【Eastern Guide】: "So, the positions of the Marquis and the Silver King were only known to a few of us who are closest to them. If this is true, it's very likely that the Southern Guide leaked it to the people of the Misty Immortal Mountain! I can't believe he's colluding with the Red Robe Hall!"
【Fifty-nine】: "My God! The Marquis valued him so much, and he betrayed the Marquis? He's really heartless!"
【Eastern Guide】: "I will report this to the Marquis. You've done well. Since your identities haven't been exposed this time, I'll arrange for you to enter other halls after a while."
【Eastern Guide】: "What about Fifty-eight? Why hasn't there been any news? Has something happened to him?"
After a while, a reply came.
【Fifty-eight】: "I'm fine…"
(End of the chapter)