In one corner of the meditation room originally for sitting, now transformed into a temporary pill room. The air was filled with faint medicinal fragrance, and a strange aura that could calm the heart and mind.
Xiao Qi stood before a semi-tall, ancient pill furnace with focused expression. This pill furnace was not a standard sect-issued formation furnace but something he had obtained from the pill room in the secret realm's core hall. The furnace body was dark cyan. Above were carved intricate and ancient flame cloud patterns. Three-legged, the shape was simple and sturdy. Most eye-catching was the Vermilion Bird relief around the furnace belly. When fire inside the furnace rose, those bird patterns seemed to come alive, flowing with faint red light. This furnace was called "Lihuo" (Departing Fire). It was a rare ancient treasure that had strong amplification effects on heat conduction and stability, and could purify medicinal power to a certain extent—precisely what Xiao Qi needed most.
Beside him, several jade boxes and bottles were arranged, containing various processed spiritual herbs, spiritual fruits, and auxiliary materials, all classified neatly. Most of these he had exchanged some spiritual herbs from the secret realm with the sect, or purchased with contribution points. Among them, several main herbs, like "Blood Essence Grass" and "Dew-Forming Flower," had particularly rich auras—these were clearly ingredients for refining "Condensed Origin Pills" commonly used by Foundation Establishment cultivators to enhance their cultivation.
Xiao Qi took a deep breath. He did not immediately begin alchemy but first closed his eyes to review once more the alchemy insights from the ancient jade slip obtained in the secret realm. That jade slip was not a specific pill formula but a profound feeling and technique explanation about basic steps like fire control, purification, merging, and gestating pills from an ancient alchemist. Its concepts were exquisite beyond what currently circulated ordinary alchemy techniques could match.
Especially the mentioned realm of "using spirit to control fire, using heart to sense medicine," it emphasized that alchemy was not mechanically repeating steps, but required the alchemist to use their own spiritual sense with extreme precision to control every bit of flame change, using their heart to sense the medicinal nature's fusion and transformation under fire. This had extremely high requirements for spiritual sense strength and control, but once mastered, the pill success rate and quality would qualitatively improve.
After a moment, Xiao Qi opened his eyes, his gaze clear. He did not use ordinary earth fire or spirit fire he condensed himself, but instead summoned that black iron frying pan.
The frying pan floated below the Lihuo furnace, bottom facing up. Xiao Qi formed hand seals with both hands. "Spring Evergreen Technique" spiritual power flowed. He guided a thread of Southern Ming Lifefire origin, initially refined by the Vermilion Bird Soul Crystal and Purifying Spirit Flame. A extremely thin, yet emitting shocking heat and pure aura of crimson-gold flame, jumped from his fingertip and fell into the frying pan's bottom.
"Hum—"
The frying pan emitted a low hum. Those seemingly chaotic patterns on the pan body faintly glowed under the flame's burning, dispersing that thread of Southern Ming Lifefire evenly, transforming it into a gentle yet stable crimson-gold flame blanket, steadily roasting the Lihuo furnace above. Through this "relay" by the frying pan, the originally overbearing and blazing Southern Ming Lifefire became exceptionally docile and easy to control. Heat distribution was uniform, with almost no blind spots.
This was precisely Xiao Qi's uniquely developed alchemy technique—"Pan-Bottom Fire Transmission." The frying pan could not only fight and cook. Its characteristic of uniform heat conduction actually had unexpected effectiveness in alchemy fire control, especially suitable for an alchemy newcomer like him who possessed special flames but lacked fire control experience.
Preheat the pill furnace. Add the first auxiliary herb "Cloud Rain Grass." Xiao Qi was fully focused. His spiritual sense was like the finest tentacle, going deep into the furnace. He sensed the Cloud Rain Grass gradually soften under appropriate heat, seeping drops of emerald green essential liquid. He carefully controlled the fire. It could not be too high to cause medicinal power volatilization, nor too low to extract the essence.
Following ancient insights, he did not rush to separate the liquid. Instead, he used spiritual sense to guide that drop of liquid to slowly rotate in a specific region within the furnace, maintaining its activity. Then he added the second and third auxiliary herbs... Each herb had different melting points and medicinal natures, requiring different fire and extraction times. Xiao Qi was like a patient conductor, precisely adjusting fire intensity changes. His spiritual sense carefully observed every bit of medicinal nature's extraction and fusion.
The entire process was smooth like clouds and water, full of a unique beauty. Thanks to "Heart Concentrating and Qi Stabilizing Art" cultivation, his mind remained in a clear lake state, undisturbed. He could keenly capture the finest energy changes within the furnace. The Purification Source's sensitive perception of energy essence also allowed him to more clearly "see" impurities contained in medicinal power, attempting to use barely noticeable purification power to quietly remove them during the merging and refining process.
This undoubtedly greatly increased the difficulty and mental consumption of alchemy. But Xiao Qi enjoyed it endlessly. He knew this was the true key to improving alchemy skill, not merely pursuing successful pill formation.
When all auxiliary herbs were refined and became a colorful, yet harmonious mixed liquid, Xiao Qi's expression became more solemn. Next came the main herbs "Blood Essence Grass" and "Dew-Forming Flower." These two herbs had fierce medicinal natures and existed in mutual rejection. This was the key to successful pill formation, also the step most prone to failure.
He took a deep breath and simultaneously added both main herbs into the furnace. The flame suddenly changed, from previous gentleness to blazing. Like intense fire attacking urgently, it instantly wrapped both main herbs. The Blood Essence Grass transformed into a blazing mass of blood-red energy. The Dew-Forming Flower spread into cool light blue mist. The two violently conflicted within the furnace, emitting sizzling sounds.
Beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Qi's forehead. His spiritual sense ran at full capacity, balancing the conflict point of two energies like walking a tightrope. He recalled the ancient insight about "balancing yin and yang, harmonizing water and fire," no longer forcibly suppressing but guiding the thread of vitality fire from the Vermilion Bird within the Southern Ming Lifefire to serve as a bridge communicating both. Simultaneously, he used spiritual sense to finely adjust the rotation frequency of the two energies.
Gradually, the blood-red energy and light blue mist no longer rejected each other but began intertwining and permeating. Under the special environment of the Lihuo furnace and Southern Ming Lifefire's catalysis, they slowly merged into a more pure, aura-overwhelming deep purple liquid.
"Medicine merging succeeded!" Xiao Qi was slightly relieved in his heart, but did not dare relax in the slightest. Next came the gestational stage. He needed gentle fire to slowly simmer, allowing all medicinal powers to fully fuse and condense into pill form.
He carefully changed the flame to its previous gentle state. His spiritual sense, like a mother cherishing a baby, constantly paid attention to the liquid's changes, finely adjusting the fire to ensure even heating. Time passed bit by bit. That deep purple liquid gradually contracted and condensed, beginning to take on the rudimentary form of a pill.
After an unknown duration, when the first trace of faint, yet unmistakable pill fragrance drifted out from the furnace, Xiao Qi knew the moment had arrived!
He changed hand seals, Let out a low shout.: "Condense!"
The Lihuo furnace trembled lightly. The furnace lid did not open, but the Vermilion Bird patterns on the furnace body glowed brilliantly. Within the furnace, that already-formed liquid abruptly solidified. Its surface took on a translucent sheen.
Xiao Qi withdrew the fire. The frying pan flew back to his hand. He impatiently opened the furnace lid. Instantly, a fragrance several times richer than before rushed toward his face, refreshing his spirit. At the furnace bottom, quietly lay five pills the size of longans...