After the Li-Fire Crow tasted several portions of honey, it was utterly stunned by the rich fire-attribute spiritual energy within! The density of the energy was simply staggering.
'Is this what the boss has been tinkering with lately? This is incredible!'
It knew the bees Qi Ping raised were formidable in combat—the Ring-cutters, Ink-Armors, and Toxic Bees were all capable—but it hadn't expected them to have such astonishing brewing abilities. Qi Ping's image grew even more majestic in the crow's heart.
"Caw, caw... (Boss, the effect of this honey is amazing!)"
"Caw, caw... (I have never seen honey with such dense fire-attribute spiritual energy!)"
After trying about a dozen portions, the crow couldn't help but marvel.
"After the bees brew the Fire Spirit Grass into honey, they can better utilize its medicinal properties. These hundred portions were brewed with different combinations. Ya Ya, see which one is most helpful for your bloodline recovery!"
"Caw, caw... (Understood, Boss!)"
The crow began its serious tasting, marking each portion as it went. Qi Ping couldn't quite read the marks, but he understood they represented the density of the fire-attribute energy.
As the crow worked, Qi Ping began his own testing. He needed to find the honey most suitable for his Wood-Flame Manual and the one that possessed the effects of the Fire Spirit Tempering Pill. The former was for Qi refinement, the latter for body tempering.
If Qi Ping wanted to rapidly increase his cultivation realm, the strength of his physical body was vital. An increase in a cultivator's physical strength usually came from years of spiritual energy tempering. However, if one wanted to raise their realm in a short period, they needed a body-tempering technique or pills that strengthened the body. This was why he valued the Fire Spirit Tempering Pill so much.
'The fire energy in this one is decent...'
'This one is a bit lacking. Why is the fire energy so low? Though its body-nourishing effect is okay...'
'This one actually speeds up the flow of spiritual energy in the body? Interesting, but the effect isn't prominent enough...'
Qi Ping carefully tested each one, recording his findings. His Grand Brewer talent allowed him to clearly distinguish the nuances of the medicinal properties. He didn't want to waste a hard-earned 100-year Fire Spirit Grass on a mistake; the regret would be unbearable.
The current environment was not like the peaceful days under the Qingyuan Sect's rule. Danger and chaos were everywhere. Time was equivalent to life, and he couldn't afford errors.
As he continued his tests, he grew more shocked by the Pot-bellied Bees. While most of the honey varieties were still inferior to refined pills, their success rate was absolute! These honey varieties were all better than consuming the herbs raw. Some even possessed special effects like accelerating spiritual energy circulation or boiling the blood, though these effects weren't very pronounced yet.
'This is likely because my herb combination protocols were flawed. If an actual alchemist designed these mixes, the results might be entirely different.'
This realization intensified his thirst for knowledge regarding pill formulas and herb combinations. Only with that knowledge as a foundation could the true potential of the Brewer Pot-bellied Bees be unlocked.
'The honey brewed according to the Fire Spirit Tempering Pill formula is actually quite good!'
After two rounds of testing, Qi Ping found that this specific honey possessed fifty to sixty percent of the efficacy of the actual pill! While that might sound low, the success rate made it highly competitive with alchemists who didn't have high success rates. Furthermore, this honey's effect on spiritual energy was even slightly stronger than the pill's.
Overall, the bee-brewed Fire Spirit Tempering Pill honey exceeded his expectations and even had the unintended benefit of boosting spiritual energy and cultivation progress.
'I don't have to worry about my physical strength in the short term!' Qi Ping was overjoyed.
He recorded the findings and continued his analysis. This required patience, and he was in no hurry. Distinguishing medicinal properties required intense focus.
The Li-Fire Crow's method was far simpler. It ate everything once and decisively identified the fifty-eighth combination as having the strongest fire-attribute energy and the greatest benefit to its bloodline. Seeing Qi Ping still focused on his analysis, the crow didn't interrupt. It made a large mark by the fifty-eighth portion and flew off to the treetops to bask in the sun and absorb solar energy.
About an hour later, Qi Ping finished recording the characteristics of all the honey varieties. His eyes were bright with surprise.
'To think there would be three types of honey that provide such a pleasant surprise!'
Qi Ping had originally only hoped for two. One for the crow's bloodline and one based on the tempering pill for his own body. But he had found a third!
This third variety was based on Blood Ginseng and Fire Spirit Grass, supplemented with Spirit-Storing Fruits and Snow-White Grass. The final result was remarkable: it possessed both fire-attribute and wood-attribute spiritual energy. When Qi Ping swallowed it, the speed of his Wood-Flame Manual cultivation increased significantly!
With the body-tempering honey and the cultivation-boosting honey used together, his cultivation would surely skyrocket! It would be enough to support him through the mid-stage of Qi Refinement without issue.
"I'll name the first one, based on the pill formula, Fire Spirit Tempering Honey."
"The second one, for the crow, will be Fire Spirit Honey."
"The third one, based on the grass and ginseng for the Wood-Flame Manual, I'll call Wood-Ginseng Honey."
He called the crow back down. "Ya Ya, which one is best for you?"
"Caw, caw... (Boss, this one! The fire energy in this one is extremely dense and ferocious!)" The crow pointed without hesitation to the fifty-eighth portion—the one Qi Ping had named Fire Spirit Honey.
"Good! That one is indeed the strongest. The 100-year Fire Spirit Grass will be ready in four or five days. When it is, I will have it brewed into this honey for you. How is your bloodline recovery progressing?"
"Caw, caw... (Almost back to the late stage of the first tier, Boss!)"
"Excellent. There is still a good amount of the 20-year Fire Spirit Grass left. I will have the bees brew it into Fire Spirit Honey for you first to get you back to the late stage. When the 100-year grass is ready, we will see if we can push you all the way back to first-tier perfection in one go."
"Caw, caw... (Boss is mighty!)"