Inside the cultivation chamber, Elder Huo, who had been refining pills with practiced ease, suddenly seemed to encounter a problem.
He let out a muffled groan, his aura fluctuating rapidly. Fortunately, with Lin Feng's prompting, he quickly calmed himself, his powerful soul force surging forth to suppress the impending explosion of the energy ball.
"Elder Huo, what's this?" After Elder Huo had regulated his breathing for a moment, Lin Feng approached to inquire.
This scene was truly unexpected for Lin Feng. Logically, for an alchemy master like Elder Huo, who had studied alchemy for many years and was extremely experienced in both theory and practice, such a situation was highly unusual.
"I'm sorry to have made Elder Lin Feng laugh!" Elder Huo gave a bitter laugh, his usually irritable face now filled with resentment. "Over the years, I've tried to advance to the sixth rank many times, but I've always failed. I never imagined it would develop into a psychological trauma."
"I thought that with Elder Lin Feng's advanced alchemy techniques, I could overcome this, but alas..."
Looking at Elder Huo's disheartened face, Lin Feng's mouth opened slightly, unsure how to comfort the old man who had lost faith. After all, a mental illness requires a mental cure. Overcoming Elder Huo's psychological trauma was extremely simple; he just needed to personally refine a sixth-rank pill.
To overcome the psychological trauma, one must refine a sixth-rank pill. However, to personally refine a sixth-rank pill, one must overcome the psychological trauma. This seemed to form a vicious cycle.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Elder Huo abruptly looked up, his gaze burning as he stared at Lin Feng. That look made Lin Feng inexplicably uneasy.
"Could it be that Elder Huo has suffered too much and developed some strange thoughts?" Thinking this, Lin Feng silently took a step back, ready to retreat at any moment.
"Elder Lin Feng, I've suddenly had a brilliant idea that will surely help me overcome my psychological trauma. I implore you, Elder Lin Feng, to grant my request!"
Elder Huo, unaware of Lin Feng's strange thoughts, made a serious request, bowing slightly as he spoke.
Lin Feng quickly stepped aside. "Elder Huo, there's no need for that. Just speak plainly."
"My psychological trauma stems from repeated failures in my advancement. Even with Elder Lin Feng's top-tier alchemy skills, I still failed. Perhaps, relying solely on my own strength, I certainly won't be able to advance!"
Elder Huo stroked his beard, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
"However, if I could witness an alchemist advance to the sixth rank, it might just be the beginning of overcoming this psychological trauma. Especially since my sixth-rank alchemy skills are from Elder Lin Feng's own school, there's a very high chance of success!"
Elder Huo became increasingly excited as he spoke; if Lin Feng hadn't been there, he might have been dancing with joy.
Upon hearing this method, Lin Feng was initially astonished. "Elder Huo's advancement actually depends on his success?"
After Elder Huo's continued analysis, Lin Feng began to believe it, as psychological trauma can sometimes be quite mysterious.
"Since that's the case, then I'll give it a try!"
Regardless of whether the method would work, Lin Feng slowly walked to the center of the cultivation chamber, took out his six medicine cauldrons, and smashed them onto the ground with a clang.
Elder Huo stepped aside, his eyes fixed intently on Lin Feng's actions, hoping that Lin Feng's success could truly help him overcome his psychological trauma.
With a "bang,"
a pale blue flame appeared, which was then placed into the cauldron to begin preparations—warming the cauldron!
Lin Feng closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. Unless it was an emergency, Lin Feng always required himself to reach a perfect state before starting any alchemy process. This was not without reason; it not only helped improve concentration but, more importantly, cultivated good habits for an alchemist.
He had done the same before, but never understood why, until he received Yao Chen's inheritance. An alchemist not only relies on powerful soul force and talent but, more importantly, on meticulous accumulation over time.
Only through this gradual process can one gradually grow into a true master alchemist and create miracles at crucial moments. This was the insight of the great master Yao Chen. Thinking of this, Lin Feng felt a surge of gratitude. "If there's an opportunity in the future, I might be able to help him without harming my own interests."
A soft breathing sound emanated from Lin Feng, almost imperceptible even to Elder Huo, who was intently observing. At a certain point, Lin Feng suddenly opened his eyes. "Advancement, let's begin!"
With a wave of his hand, more than twenty bright and shiny medicinal herbs flew out from Lin Feng's storage ring. Elder Huo, standing beside him, recognized the type of pill Lin Feng intended to refine.
"So it's a Demon Transformation Pill!"
Demon Transformation Pill: Rank 6. It's a simplified version of the Transformation Pill, with similar effects. It can only partially transform a magical beast into human form, but this simplified version is more highly regarded and sought after than the Transformation Pill in some magical beast families.
The reason for this isn't hard to guess, since the Transformation Pill is Rank 7. Not only are Rank 7 alchemists extremely rare in magical beast habitats, but even if one is fortunate enough to encounter one, the reward for their work is extremely high. The Demon Transformation Pill, a Rank 6 pill, is, in every aspect, more in line with the interests of magical beasts.
Although they were refining different pills, Lin Feng was just as cautious as Elder Huo. While his pace was much slower than usual, stability was paramount.
One spiritual herb after another was continuously burned. After extracting the necessary substances, Lin Feng burned the useless parts into ashes, which were then sunk to the bottom of the cauldron for later processing.
When the last spiritual herb, the Transformation Grass, was finished, Lin Feng paused briefly. Then, an immense surge of soul power erupted, startling Elder Huo, who involuntarily took a few steps back before rushing forward to observe every movement.
From Elder Huo's perspective, Lin Feng was meticulously fusing the various energy clusters and medicinal powders according to the pill formula and pharmacological principles.
When only two orbs of light remained within the cauldron, Lin Feng's expression grew increasingly serious, while Elder Huo's expression was even more exaggerated, his eyes wide, constantly stroking his beard, almost pulling out a layer of hair.
"Boom!"
In a sudden moment, a thunderous sound erupted from within the cauldron, followed by a massive pillar of energy emanating from it.
In an instant, the entire inner courtyard sensed this commotion; most were oblivious, while a few knowledgeable students and most elders were utterly astonished.
"This is... the birth of a sixth-grade pill!?"
(End of Chapter)