Lu Heng took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
In his mind, the refining techniques for the first-grade pill “Blood Clotting Powder” from the myriad realms pharmacopoeia instantly surfaced.
Purple Blue Leaf, Bone Washing Flower…
the required temperature for each herb and the timing for extraction quickly flashed through his mind.
The next second, Lu Heng opened his eyes.
At that moment, Gu Ni clearly felt the youth’s Aura change.
If he had been a mild and humble youth just a moment ago, now Lu Heng was like a newly unsheathed sharp sword—focused, sharp, and even carrying a level of sophistication that belied his age.
“This Aura…”
Gu Ni’s graying eyebrows twitched, and the slight contempt in his heart completely dissipated.
This was definitely not just for show.
Lu Heng pressed his right hand against the fire port of the Medicine Cauldron, the Qi cyclone within his body circulating.
Whoosh!
Crimson flames instantly surged into the Medicine Cauldron.
The entire cauldron emitted a low hum as the temperature rapidly climbed.
With extreme proficiency, Lu Heng’s left hand grabbed a stalk of Blood Clotting Grass and tossed it directly into the Medicine Cauldron without even a glance.
“Too fast!” Gu Ni’s heart skipped a beat.
When a novice refined medicine, who wouldn’t be trembling with fear, preheating the Medicine Cauldron for half a day before cautiously putting the herbs in?
Lu Heng, on the other hand, just threw them in as if he were tossing out trash.
But he wasn’t done yet.
Lu Heng immediately grabbed a Vitality Fruit and threw it in right after.
“Refining two at once?” Gu Ni almost cried out in surprise.
This was a multi-tasking operation that only a second-grade or even a Third-Grade Alchemist would dare to attempt.
Was this kid crazy?
However, the expected smell of burnt herbs did not come from within the Medicine Cauldron.
This was due to Lu Heng’s powerful Soul Power at the Middle Stage of the Mortal Realm!
Lu Heng’s Soul perception reached into the Medicine Cauldron like tentacles, precisely splitting the flames into two streams.
One stream of fierce fire attacked the Blood Clotting Grass, quickly incinerating its withered branches and leaves into ash, leaving behind only a single drop of emerald medicinal liquid;
The other stream of flame gently enveloped the Vitality Fruit, slowly roasting out the moisture within.
Seeing this kind of multitasking, Gu Ni’s scalp went numb.
“Young Miss…”
Gu Ni lowered his voice, his throat feeling a bit dry.
“Are you sure Lu Heng is refining medicine for the first time?
This technique…
it’s even wilder than mine!”
Ya Fei blinked.
Although she didn’t understand alchemy, seeing Gu Ni’s “seen a ghost” expression told her that Lu Heng was doing a great job.
“It really is his first time,” Ya Fei said with a hint of a smile in her voice.
“My Younger Brother Lu Heng never lies.”
Gu Ni felt his worldview collapsing.
Could someone really be born with such knowledge?
Just then, a muffled “poof” came from the Medicine Cauldron.
A wisp of black smoke rose from the holes in the cauldron lid, followed by a pungent burnt smell.
It was a failure.
Lu Heng stopped his movements and looked at the lump of black waste at the bottom of the Medicine Cauldron, his brow furrowing slightly.
“A pity.”
Gu Ni breathed a sigh of relief, feeling an unexpected sense of relief that “this is normal.”
He stepped forward, assuming the posture of a mentor.
“The heat was too rushed during the pill formation.
The previous extraction was beautiful, but the final Fusion is the key.
Haste makes waste; young people are still too…”
“The fire was about ten percent too strong.”
Lu Heng interrupted Gu Ni’s teaching.
He stared at the lump of waste and analyzed it to himself.
“The purity of the Blood Clotting Grass’s medicinal liquid was higher than I imagined.
During the Fusion just now, if I hadn’t increased the fire’s intensity to suppress it, the risk of the cauldron exploding would have been even greater.
The problem wasn’t that the heat was rushed, but that my control over this body’s total amount of Dou Qi isn’t quite there yet.”
Gu Ni opened his mouth, but the remaining words were forced back down.
This kid’s analysis seemed more accurate than his own.
“Again.”
Lu Heng wasn’t discouraged; instead, his eyes grew even brighter.
That failure just now had allowed him to find the threshold.
The sensation of the medicinal liquid rolling and fusing within the flames was rapidly correcting the theoretical knowledge in his mind.
He cleaned the Medicine Cauldron and, without resting, immediately began his second attempt.
This time, his movements were faster, and his control over the flames was more precise.
Failure.
Failure again.
Three times in a row, only black smoke emerged from the Medicine Cauldron.
The air in the alchemy room was somewhat heavy, and the floor was covered with discarded medicinal dregs from the extractions.
Gu Ni had originally been offering pointers from the side, but by now he had completely shut his mouth.
Because he discovered that with every failure, Lu Heng’s technique would show clear improvement the next time.
This wasn’t a novice practicing; this was clearly evolving at a terrifying speed.
This visible growth rate sent a slight chill down Gu Ni’s spine.
“Whew…”
Lu Heng wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face slightly pale.
The dual consumption of Dou Qi and Soul power was a bit much for this nine-year-old body to handle.
But the excitement in the depths of Lu Heng’s eyes only grew stronger.
Found it.
That subtle point of balance.
Without any pause, Lu Heng grabbed the last portion of herbs at his side.
“Still practicing?”
Gu Ni couldn’t help but speak up.
“Lu Heng, your Dou Qi is almost depleted.
Forcing a refinement will only damage your Foundation.
Take a break and try again tomorrow…”
“No need.”
Lu Heng’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unquestionable calmness.
“Trust me!
This time, it will work.”
Lu Heng could feel it; that sensation was right at his fingertips.
Inside the Medicine Cauldron, the flames rose once again.
This time, Lu Heng’s operations were as smooth as flowing water, without a single redundant action.
Extraction, removing Impurities, Fusion, nurturing.
Every step seemed meticulously calculated, without the slightest deviation.
The flames inside the Medicine Cauldron suddenly contracted, all energy converging toward the center.
“Condense!”
Lu Heng gave a low shout and slammed his palm onto the Medicine Cauldron.
Ding!
A clear and melodious clinking sound came from inside the cauldron, followed by a faint medicinal fragrance that drifted out, instantly diluting the burnt smell in the room.
It’s done!
Gu Ni was even more anxious than Lu Heng.
He rushed to the stone platform almost as if teleporting and flipped open the cauldron lid.
A pill the size of a longan lay quietly at the bottom of the cauldron, dark red all over with a smooth luster on its surface.
Gu Ni carefully picked up the Medicinal Pill with two fingers and brought it close to his eyes to examine it closely.
“The color is ruddy, and the medicinal fragrance is restrained.”
Gu Ni’s voice trembled slightly.
He abruptly turned to look at Lu Heng, his gaze as if he were looking at a monster.
“This is a Blood Coagulation Pill nearing High Grade!”
The first time he successfully refined a Medicinal Pill, it wasn’t some barely formed inferior product, nor was it a standard Low Grade one.
Instead, it had reached Medium Grade and was approaching High Grade quality!
One should know that even he, Gu Ni, could not guarantee that every batch of such first-grade pills he refined would turn out like this.
“Is he even human?”
Gu Ni held the Medicinal Pill in his hand, feeling as if it were burning hot.
Lu Heng’s body swayed as a wave of dizziness washed over him.
The high-intensity mental focus combined with the exhaustion of his Dou Qi made him a bit unsteady on his feet.
Ya Fei, who had been watching him closely, reacted quickly.
She stepped forward and grabbed Lu Heng’s arm, letting him lean against her.
Feeling Sister Ya Fei’s soft and tender body, a smile appeared on Lu Heng’s face.
Finally succeeded!
At this time, Ya Fei’s slightly reproachful voice sounded.
“Who told you to push yourself so hard?”
But in her tone, there was more heartache than anything else.