C14 The Pinnacle!

In the alchemy room, Chen Chu completed the refinement of the last batch of Armor Bind Spirit Liquid. As he did, the Third Elder entered, carefully collecting the jade bottles from the table. He gave Chen Chu a sympathetic glance and said, "Young Master, your efforts are truly appreciated. After discussing with the Patriarch, we've decided to limit the sale of Armor Bind Spirit Liquid to ten bottles per day, focusing primarily on the Origin Returning Pills. The Patriarch has engaged a Grade Two alchemist from the City Lord, so you'll only need to come by every ten days from now on."

A wave of relief washed over Chen Chu. Though daily pill-making was a form of spiritual and physical training, it was slow and restrictive. "Got it, Uncle Chen. Go ahead, I'll head out once I've doused the fire."

Chen Fu left with a smile and a nod, taking the pills with him.

Stretching languidly, Chen Chu retrieved the Spirit-transformation Pill ingredients hidden beneath the bamboo basket. He then locked the alchemy room door, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

He wasn't yet strong enough to fully craft the Spirit-transformation Pill; he could only extract the medicinal liquid for now, leaving the pill condensing for the Refining Treasure Cauldron within his sea of consciousness.

Focusing on the bronze cauldron before him, Chen Chu inhaled deeply, then crouched to furiously pump the bellows, sending flames roaring a meter high from the cauldron's mouth. He tossed the seventeen herbs in all at once and quickly pressed his hands against the cauldron's fire outlets. His Essence Strength surged, taming the unruly flames. With Chen Chu's deft manipulation, the fire refined the herbs at the perfect temperature.

Pure medicinal liquid bubbled within the flames, slowly blending together under Chen Chu's guidance. When two streams of liquid met, they reacted explosively, like oil on snow. Chen Chu swiftly incorporated the refined Purple Ling Flower liquid, and the mixture of over a dozen herbs ceased its resistance, melding into a harmonious whole.

After roasting for over ten minutes, the medicinal clump that was once the size of a fist shrank to the size of a longan. The surface was a patchwork of green, white, and gray, evenly distributed, yet the oval shape was pitted and uneven. It was clear to anyone, even those unfamiliar with alchemy, that it was only a half-finished product.

The alchemy process was intricate, involving extraction, merging, roasting, and finally, pill formation—each step critical to the outcome. The skill gap between alchemists was evident at each juncture, and the pill formation stage, especially for third-tier and higher pills, was even more complex, requiring Genuine Qi as the catalyst and Soul Energy as the pill's core.

In the Miracle World, there were tales of those with insufficient mastery suffering backlash due to lacking Genuine Qi or Soul Energy.

Chen Chu wiped the sweat from his brow and cautiously stored the nascent pill before swiftly exiting the Alchemy Hall. The pill's potency wouldn't last long since it was incomplete; he had to finish refining the Spirit-transformation Pill using the Refining Treasure Cauldron within six hours.

Exhausted, Chen Chu returned to his cabin at nightfall. His recent daily pill refining had significantly enriched his Genuine Qi, hinting at an imminent breakthrough to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Stage.

Once back in his cabin, Chen Chu quickly sat cross-legged on the bed and rushed into his cultivation practice. Upon entering a state of internal vision, he observed his nearly overflowing sea of consciousness and then shifted his focus there.

In the vast emptiness, the only thing that stood out was the Refining Treasure Cauldron, floating midair and radiating a spectrum of light, while the rest of the void was shrouded in chaos.

Standing beside the Refining Treasure Cauldron with a grave expression, Chen Chu knew his current Genuine Qi concentration was insufficient to guide the process. To avoid compromising the pill's efficacy, he had no choice but to supplement with Essence Strength. Even as a Pill Saint, he couldn't be sure his Essence Strength could withstand such a significant drain.

As his Essence Strength gently probed into the cauldron, a deep red flame erupted within. Chen Chu, momentarily taken aback, gritted his teeth and tossed the Spirit-transformation embryonic pill into the cauldron.

As the flames warmed, the once-solidified embryonic pill melted back into an oval mass of medicinal paste. Chen Chu meticulously managed the flame's heat to nurture the concoction, then cautiously siphoned a wisp of Essence Strength from the blaze, directing it towards the heart of the medicinal mixture.

The instant his Essence Strength made contact with the core of the paste, Chen Chu's connection to the soul force severed. The medicinal liquid, hovering in the air, began to rotate slowly, as if infused with life, while a sudden pull of suction force reached out to him.

Chen Chu watched the eerie transformation of the liquid with a tingling sensation at his scalp. The pill formation was underway; halting now would spell disaster, shattering the cauldron and losing the pill.

A steady stream of Essence Strength fed the pill, causing ripples to dance across its surface. The once semi-transparent liquid thickened. Despite Chen Chu's soul being over ten times mightier than his peers, it buckled under the pill's relentless demand, his mind growing heavy, his youthful face paling to a steely blue.

If I, Chen Chu, can't even produce a Third-Grade Pill, I have no right to bear the title of Pill Sage.

With a roar from Chen Chu, a gust tore through the void surrounding his sea of consciousness. Shadowy figures burst forth, converging into the Refining Treasure Cauldron.

Inside, the embryonic pill erupted in a dazzling tri-color glow. Chen Chu's heart leapt with joy at this harbinger of success. He ramped up the cauldron's flames, engulfing the embryonic pill. The intense heat smoothed out its imperfections, and in moments, it transformed into a polished, tri-colored pill.

Crimson patterns unfurled across the pill's surface. Then, with a resounding boom, a tri-colored wave burst forth, slamming into the cauldron's walls. Yet, the Refining Treasure Cauldron's walls stood firm, quivering briefly before settling.

With a firm tap on the cauldron, the pill catapulted from the mouth of the cauldron, which Chen Chu deftly caught in a jade bottle.

Fortunately, Chen Chu was a seasoned alchemist, and he crafted the Spirit-transformation Pill within his sea of consciousness. Had he been in the Alchemy Hall, the mere Qi waves emitted by the pill's formation would have been enough to shatter the copper cauldron.

To Chen Chu, the potency of a Third-Grade Pill was trivial. He recalled the time he concocted an Eighth-Grade Pill, summoning a Heavenly Tribulation so fierce it razed an entire mountain range to the ground.

Upon opening his eyes, Chen Chu refrained from immediately taking the Spirit-transformation Pill. He knew the pill's power could potentially boost his strength several levels, so he decided it would be wiser to find a secluded spot the next day to assimilate its energy in peace.

Drained of his Essence Strength, Chen Chu lay in bed, his mind foggy as he quickly succumbed to sleep.

The following day, in a seldom-visited forest behind the Chen Family's back mountain, Chen Chu found himself seated cross-legged on a smooth rock slab, an ideal spot for undisturbed cultivation.

He tipped the Spirit-transformation Pill out of its jade container and gazed at the tri-colored orb, momentarily lost in thought.

"Just a few more breakthroughs, nothing to fret over," he reassured himself with a murmur. Resolute, Chen Chu popped the Spirit-transformation Pill into his mouth without another moment's hesitation.