Xiao Yu sat cross-legged in the alchemy room, the fire beneath the furnace flickering.
Hua Lian was beside him, stacking spirit wood into a pile, smiling as she kindled the fire.
In the Judgment Chamber, Bai Yue listened to the crackling of the flames and spoke softly, "Ordinary alchemists use fire catalyzed by magical power for refining pills."
None of us here can perform Qi-Fire Transformation, so we have to use spirit wood infused with spiritual power to make a fire, then manually grind the spirit herbs into the right form, and finally add spirit stone dust into the pill furnace along with the alchemical ingredients to refine the pills!
This method is somewhat backwards, and it greatly diminishes the value of the spirit herbs, but to pass tomorrow's inspection, we have no choice."
Following the instructions, Xiao Yu gathered some spirit herbs and materials that were decades old.
He also brought over the ingredients he had ground during the day and pondered, "Hmm... It seems Elder Wu knows a new supervisor is coming tomorrow, so he wants me to prepare the ingredients."
Hua Lian carefully controlled the fire throughout the process.
She smiled as she helped Xiao Yu add the ingredients into the pill furnace in order.
The flames danced, growing more intense.
Inside the furnace, the ingredients gradually melted, turning into a liquid.
Bai Yue closed her eyes and focused, "Now we need manual operation, much like the process of mortals refining pills. Let my disciple demonstrate!"
Hearing this, Xiao Yu called out, "Miss Hua Lian, your master wants you to demonstrate the next steps!"
Hua Lian responded, taking out a few pieces of spirit wood and adjusting the flame.
Then, using a metal ladle, she guided the liquid, successfully forming the pills.
The pills emitted a faint glow.
Xiao Yu stroked his chin in amazement.
Considering they couldn't use magical power, these two were indeed experts from the Jade Maiden Sect.
They could refine pills without magical power.
But the more skilled they were, the more wary Xiao Yu became.
From now on, he would try not to let them speak, and Bai Yue would not be left alone with them.
If they took advantage of his inattention to refine pills that could enhance cultivation or poison him, he would be defenseless.
If they wanted to play tricks, they couldn't blame him for not playing fair!
Just then, Xiao Yu saw Hua Lian pick up a spirit herb he didn't recognize, about to throw it into the furnace.
He quickly got up and snatched the two spirit herbs away.
Hua Lian raised her eyebrows and softly asked, "What's wrong, benefactor... Is there a problem?"
Xiao Yu looked at the two spirit herbs, puzzled, and asked, "Aren't we making Hemostasis Pills? What are these?"
Hua Lian blurted out, "This is Coagulation Herb, which, when combined with Hemostasis Herb for making Hemostasis Pills, works even better!"
[Detected that the vicious maiden Bai Yue intends to refine a poison pill to harm the host, Sin Value increased to 98%!]
[Detected that the vicious maiden Hua Lian intends to refine a poison pill to harm the host, Sin Value increased to 50%!]
Xiao Yu nodded, somewhat understanding, then looked at the ingredients behind him and said, "Well, I want to try refining pills myself now. Could you help me grind some ingredients? Let's try to finish all the pills before nightfall!"
"I have important matters to discuss with you tonight!"
Hua Lian's eyes tightened, her right fist clenching the hem of her skirt.
She glanced at the pill furnace, then forced a smile, "Sure, if you need any help, feel free to ask me!"
With that, she went to grind the ingredients.
Xiao Yu watched her coldly, then went to a corner and took out Elder Wu's alchemy arts.
Venomblood Grass...
It could be combined with Hemostasis Herb to make Venomblood Pills.
The consumer would be poisoned daily at noon, and without the antidote within an hour, they would die from a toxic blood rupture...
Seeing this, Xiao Yu's eyes filled with killing intent.
If he had really taken the Venomblood Pill, he would be at their mercy.
He couldn't make the antidote.
So, sorry...
Xiao Yu hated wasting food!
Especially when it looked so good!
In the Judgment Chamber, Bai Yue listened for a long time but didn't hear Xiao Yu starting the fire, so she became worried, "Hey... what's wrong?"
Xiao Yu pretended to ponder, holding the pills Hua Lian had just refined, and said, "Hmm, I'm checking the flaws in these pills. You guys are amazing, making first-grade, minor-flaw pills using mortal methods! No wonder the Jade Maiden Sect is renowned for its alchemy arts! Let me give it a try!"
Saying this, Xiao Yu imitated Hua Lian, starting the fire.
Bai Yue exhaled, her face filled with worry.
Recalling what her disciple had just told her, her heart was conflicted.
Initially, she didn't want to do anything to Xiao Yu, after all, he did save her.
But her disciple said...
"Master, don't be fooled by him. You're the most beautiful female cultivator on the Righteous Path, and many men would do anything to have you! Wasn't he trying to escape at that time? He knew he couldn't get away, so he risked his life to save you!
Men are all liars! The men of the Righteous Path are like this, let alone those of the Demonic Path!
He has quite the imagination, thinking he could have both our Primordial Yin and then have us teach him cultivation and alchemy!?"
Bai Yue looked conflicted, "But we're not his match now... What if we anger him..."
"Master! He's already blessed to have our Primordial Yin, even if we kill him, he's had his fill!!!
Master, you're the Saintess of the Righteous Path! If this bastard spreads rumors about us, we'll be laughed at by the whole world. If you don't want to act, let me do it! You cover for me later!
As long as he's poisoned, he'll be at our mercy!"
Bai Yue was indecisive, "But where would we go..."
"We have to find a way to leave. Master just hasn't met the right person. Why don't we go to the Jade Maiden Sect's branch hall? Didn't Junior Sister Ye Zhirou go there? We can find our branch hall's elder, and everything will be fine.
I know you have issues with the branch hall's elder, but isn't this an emergency?
The most important thing now is to control this demonic thief and make him take us away! Once we're safe, we can kill him, and who would know we were involved with the Demonic Path?
Righteous and Demonic can't coexist. Even if he saved us, so what? Demonic Path is Demonic Path, and they must die!!!"
Bai Yue pondered her disciple's words in the Judgment Chamber.
She wasn't wrong.
Other righteous factions couldn't be trusted, but they still had the Jade Maiden Sect's branch hall.
As long as they reached Donghua Prefecture and found her estranged Second Junior Sister, she could recover to the Golden Core Stage within fifty years.
Then, she could rise again and avenge her fallen disciples!
Losing her Primordial Yin was a small price; how many peers could maintain their chastity?
To seek immortality and inquire the Dao, such matters of men and women must be set aside.
If she didn't destroy the Sect of Harmonious Union, she would develop an inner demon.
Without avenging her disciples, her mind would never be at peace! This story is hosted at g.com.
Her cultivation base would end there.
As Bai Yue was lost in thought, a wisp of black smoke suddenly rose from the pill furnace.
"Boom————!!!"
Bai Yue was startled, and Hua Lian, who was grinding ingredients, was stunned.
Seeing Xiao Yu covered in ash, Hua Lian couldn't help but laugh coldly.
Xiao Yu's face was blackened, and he looked at the three pills in his hand, feeling a pang of heartache.
Hua Lian had refined ten minor-flaw pills in one go, and he had only managed to make three after all that effort?
And the quality was... flawed grade.
It was purely due to lack of skill.
Bai Yue asked worriedly, "What happened? Did you fail?"
Xiao Yu shook his head, "Hmm... sort of, I only managed to make one flawed-grade Hemostasis Pill. I'll try again!"
Bai Yue softly encouraged, "Mortal alchemy relies mainly on controlling the fire. If you can make one pill on your first try, it shows you have talent in alchemy! Don't rush!"
Hemostasis Herbs of different ages require different fire control, and without Divine Sense, you have to rely on your eyes and touch to gauge the temperature!
For fifty-year-old Hemostasis Herbs, you need to use less spirit wood, and the spirit stone dust should be diluted! Don't rush..."
Xiao Yu nodded and continued refining.
This time, he didn't imitate Hua Lian but secretly read the alchemy arts.
Hua Lian's techniques were too advanced for a novice like him.
After reading it twice, Xiao Yu tried again.
This time, his success rate greatly increased!
Five Hemostasis Pills, four flawed grade, one minor-flaw grade.
Again!
He kept refining.
Hua Lian occasionally brought freshly ground ingredients.
***
Unknowingly, it was already evening.
Xiao Yu looked at the pill bottles in front of him, satisfied, and stored them in his storage pouch.
Bai Yue was also shocked; she hadn't expected Xiao Yu's talent in alchemy to be so high.
She was a third-grade alchemist and could refine first-grade elixirs without magical power.
But Xiao Yu had never learned alchemy before, and he hadn't even reached the Qi Refining Stage.
How could he be so precise in controlling the ingredients and fire?
Could this person be a genius in alchemy?
Hua Lian, seeing Xiao Yu had finished, happily approached, "Benefactor, you've worked hard~ Why not release Master, and we can heal her eyes together and discuss how to leave here!"
Xiao Yu's lips curled slightly, and he locked the door behind him, "I don't think we can leave..."
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan