A day later, Chu Xuan was deep in spell cultivation when he suddenly smelled an intoxicating fragrance. This aroma could nearly bewitch all living beings on earth, not through physical effect but by enchanting the soul itself.
Chu Xuan's face brightened with delight, and he quickly used his Spiritual Qi to block his nose and mouth, turning his gaze towards the Wolf King. As expected, the previously budding Life Soul Flower had now burst into full bloom!
The Wolf King, who had been barely clinging to life for over four months, died at that moment. Its soul and vitality were completely usurped by the plant growing from its body.
The Life Soul Flower was unremarkable in appearance. It lacked large petals and looked no different from many common wildflowers. Were it not for its soul-entrancing fragrance, it would likely be indistinguishable from any wildflower.
"One, two, three... six petals!" Chu Xuan counted carefully three times, astonished. A Life Soul Flower usually grew at least two petals, but it was rare to see more than four. Even during the zenith of the Infinite Sect, when they cultivated these flowers in large numbers, they usually had around four petals. His luck was extraordinary to have cultivated a six-petaled Life Soul Flower!
"It's likely related to the virtue accumulated through my actions," Chu Xuan mused. Indeed, having virtue was beneficial. Such fortuitous occurrences could be influenced by the intangible virtue one possessed.
Chu Xuan carefully took out a small jade scissors, meticulously snipping the Life Soul Flower at the stem and storing it in a jade box. With this, a great weight was lifted from his heart.
The Life Soul Flower is a Foundation Establishment stage of spiritual medicine. This single flower, with its six petals, could be processed into the elixir for three Foundation Establishment Blood Pills. For many Qi Refining stage solitary cultivators of mediocre talent, this flower represented a stepping stone to the Foundation Establishment stage—an opportunity no one would want to miss.
Even during the peak times of the Infinite Sect, when Life Soul Flowers were cultivated in large quantities, their price remained exorbitantly high. If placed in the current market of Peace Market, this Life Soul Flower could likely fetch tens of thousands of small spiritual stones!
Having secured the most important ingredient, Chu Xuan quickly began processing the auxiliary materials. Some spiritual medicines needed to be dried to remove all moisture. Others had to be crushed into powder to maximize their effect. For some, the stems and outer shells were unusable, and only the extracted juices could be utilized.
Chu Xuan had these steps memorized by heart. In less than an hour, he had all the auxiliary materials prepared.
Finally, with solemnity, he took a pill furnace out from his storage bag.
This furnace is called the Hundred Herbs Furnace, which he had purchased from another market town. The Hundred Herbs Furnace is merely a mid-grade magic tool.
Typically, mid-grade magic tools are not very expensive, costing around two hundred small spiritual stones. However, the crafting of a pill furnace differs entirely from that of ordinary magic tools, thus demanding a higher price. This Hundred Herbs Furnace had cost him nearly four hundred small spiritual stones.
"Begin pill concoction!" Chu Xuan rubbed his fingers together, ignited the spiritual wood with flames, and heated the furnace. For his first attempt at pill concoction, he did not start with the Foundation Establishment Blood Pill but chose a Qi Refining stage pill to practice with.
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Rejuvenation Pill. Consuming this pill accelerates wound healing and is useful in many situations. At the Foundation Establishment stage, cultivators could take the Greater Rejuvenation Pill, which has an even better healing effect. However, many Foundation Establishment cultivators find the Greater Rejuvenation Pill too expensive and prefer to use the Rejuvenation Pill for healing. Practicing with the Rejuvenation Pill was most fitting for Chu Xuan.
Once the Hundred Herbs Furnace was sufficiently heated, he placed the three types of spiritual medicines required for the Rejuvenation Pill inside. Midway through the process, the flames suddenly diminished, causing the pill liquid to solidify prematurely.
Although Chu Xuan tried his best to salvage it, the pill liquid ultimately solidified into an awkward lump. Such a semi-finished product had weak medicinal strength and was rich in pill toxins.
Chu Xuan didn't mind; it was his first attempt at a pill concoction, and failure was inevitable. He cleaned the furnace and restarted the process. The second furnace still ended in failure. But then the third and fourth attempts.
Chu Xuan's speed and skill in producing Rejuvenation Pills improved with each attempt. Another cultivator might have felt frustrated and given up after one or two failures, but Chu Xuan was well-prepared mentally. He had prepared materials for forty batches of Rejuvenation Pills!
By the sixth furnace, Chu Xuan's eyes lit up.
Success!
Although the Rejuvenation Pills were somewhat uneven and not aesthetically pleasing, they were clearly successful. A flash of insight sparked in Chu Xuan's mind. He immediately grasped that fleeting insight and eagerly continued his pill concoction.
The seventh, eighth, and ninth furnaces... all were successful. The Rejuvenation Pills produced were smooth, plump, and bright red, emitting a refreshing fragrance. They were nearly indistinguishable from the Rejuvenation Pills made within the Infinite Sect, perhaps even surpassing them!
Chu Xuan was immensely pleased. The insight that had flashed through his mind was his profound understanding of the process of making Rejuvenation Pills.
"I never expected that after concocting just six furnaces of Rejuvenation Pills, I would attain such a profound understanding. Am I now truly a bona fide alchemist?"
Chu Xuan's face broke into a gratified smile. This was clearly another benefit brought about by the accrual of merit. He did not pause, instead beginning to experiment with a new type of pill.
This time, he attempted the Featherlight Pill. After consuming this pill, one feels as light as a swallow, whether in pursuit or in flight, the effect is remarkably good.
The speed of concocting the Featherlight Pill was faster than Chu Xuan had anticipated. Only one furnace failed; the second batch was a resounding success.
Following this, Chu Xuan continuously tested several types of Qi Refining stage pills.
Two days later, Chu Xuan had achieved a 90% success rate in the pill concoction. This was a staggeringly high figure. Many Foundation Establishment stage cultivators might not achieve this. But Chu Xuan, through his relentless effort and that slight, almost negligible accrual of merit, had done it!
Without a moment's rest, he rubbed his hands together, eager to leverage the momentum from concocting Qi Refining stage pills to succeed in producing the Foundation Establishment Blood Pill in one fell swoop!
"Foundation Establishment Blood Pill! Begin concoction!"
Chu Xuan maintained his composure. Because the materials for the Foundation Establishment Blood Pill were limited to three portions. If he failed three times, he would have to resort to using the Foundation Establishment Pill from Ouyang Hao for his Foundation Establishment, which carried a much lower chance of success.
The first furnace.
During the mid-phase of the concoction, the flames began to die down, and Chu Xuan added more spiritual wood; however, the flames suddenly flared up.
The liquid within the pill furnace was burned off in a very short time, leaving behind a sticky, black mess at the bottom of the furnace.
"Why can't this Hundred Herbs Furnace have a non-stick feature?" Chu Xuan muttered under his breath. But he wasn't disheartened. After cleaning the Furnace, he began the second batch of the Foundation Establishment Blood Pill.
This time, everything went smoothly, avoiding all issues, and he proceeded directly to the final step.
Hum! The pill was formed!
A rich, fragrant aroma permeated the air of the rooftop.
Chu Xuan took a deep breath, and immediately felt refreshed and invigorated, as if the speed of his blood flow had accelerated in that instant!
"Did it really succeed on the second batch?"
Chu Xuan was astonished. Was he really that skilled in concocting Foundation Establishment stage pills? It truly was thanks to his unyielding efforts!