BXBX NOVEL Chapter 246: First Attempt At Concocting
Chapter 246: First Attempt At Concocting
Ultimately, being proficient in everything really meant being mediocre in everything.[1]
A cultivator might not be able to achieve a high level of mastery in alchemy even if they spent a lot of time studying it. Moreover, most people would only need to concoct pills a few times in their lifetime. It made more sense for cultivators to pay a master alchemist for their services, which would be much more reliable and convenient than doing it themselves.
Alchemists, artificers[2], formation specialists, talisman specialists, and beast tamers eventually emerged in the world of immortality cultivators... and were now considered mainstream professions. Among them, alchemists were the highest earners.
Like alchemists, having a high level of precision and skill was necessary for those who wanted to become artificers. However, artificers earned significantly less than alchemists.
The reason for that... was probably simply because concocting pills was more difficult than making tools. Seeing as concocting pills was more difficult, that meant there were fewer alchemists, and because there were fewer alchemists, they were paid more.
There was probably just one reason that made concocting pills more difficult than making tools. If a cultivator failed to concoct a pill successfully, then their efforts and the ingredients they used would all go to waste. They wouldn't be able to salvage much from the failed pill. Whereas, if a cultivator's attempt to make an enchanted tool failed, the materials could usually be salvaged for the next attempt. They would just need to put in the effort to engrave the enchanted formations again.
That's why extremely talented young cultivators interested in these two professions usually started studying alchemy. If they couldn't succeed in concocting pills, they would then study how to make enchanted tools instead.
That was, for example, what a certain Mount Shu Sect disciple with the surname Wen had done. Of course, Wen Yulong's failure with alchemy wasn't because he lacked talent for alchemy. Rather, it was simply the wrong path for him.
And now, Chu Liang was sitting in front of an alchemical furnace.
...
"A branch of Jade-Green Flowers that's one chi and two cun long[3], a section of Brightly-Lit Bamboo, three drops of fluid from a Blue-Eyed Centipede, one chunk of crystallized wood spiritual qi... these are the four main ingredients."
"Three White-Lake Narcissus petals, five Qi-Condensing Lotus petals, three qian[4] of spirit sand, five qian of Water-Ink Alchemical Sand, and a pinch of Light-Circulating Powder... these are the five auxiliary ingredients."
Chu Liang was reading the alchemical recipe for the Green Pill that he'd asked from Chen Su.
He had been interested in alchemy for a long time. Well, he was interested in all potential avenues of income.
Facing the obstacle of needing a high-grade Green Pill just gave him greater motivation to kickstart his self-study of alchemy.
After all, if he didn't have skills in alchemy, he would ultimately be subjected to the whims of others who did.
Coincidentally, Chu Liang had picked up some ingredients suitable for alchemy from that alchemist he'd killed. So, Chu Liang decided to just try them out.
The alchemical recipe for the Green Pill wasn't considered particularly precious, and Chu Liang had even prepared some gifts to give to Chen Su. So, Chen Su ended up secretly giving Chu Liang the alchemical recipe.
It didn't matter that much anyway. The alchemical recipe was considered exclusive to their sect, but the fact was that only the Alchemy Master and a few of his disciples were capable of concocting a high-grade Green Pill.
Chu Liang didn't think he would be able to concoct a high-grade pill on the first try. He just happened to have inexpensive ingredients suitable for beginners in alchemy, so he decided to use them for his first attempt at concocting a pill.
First, Chu Liang placed the captured cyan alchemical furnace with a gold overlay. Then he placed four blocks of Divine Fire Gel underneath the alchemical furnace and used them to ignite a Five-Spirit Divine Fire.
The Five-Spirit Divine Fire Seal was a fairly easy one to learn. Chu Liang had mastered it after only practicing for a short while.
Whoosh.
The moment the five-colored flames of the divine fire burst into existence, they emitted bright but hazy rays of divine light. The paintings of mountains and seas on the alchemical furnace seemed to come alive. There was even the sound of sea waves rolling ashore!
Chen Su had previously explained to Chu Liang that the divine-light enchanted formations engraved on the alchemical furnace were not just to make it look good or cool... Well, perhaps that might be part of the intended purpose.
The main purpose of the divine light was to provide a visual indication of the fire's intensity, allowing alchemists to have better control over the temperature of the fire.
After all, alchemists couldn't use their hands to accurately gauge how hot the fire was. An alternative was to use the intensity of the foundational qi they had poured into the fire as the gauge, but it wasn't a beginner-friendly method.
Ultimately, the light show was the best option for beginners. It served as a system to separate the intensity of the fire into different levels for ease of use.
Chu Liang let the fire grow for a while before putting the first ingredient into the alchemical furnace—three drops of fluid from a Blue-Eyed Centipede.
The three drops of turquoise fluid fell into the alchemical furnace, evaporating immediately in the heat. However, instead of rising out of the alchemical furnace as steam, the evaporated drops transformed into a cloud of green qi that stuck to the bottom of the alchemical furnace.
This was the mystical property of the fluid from the Blue-Eyed Centipede; it became adhesive when heated.
The green qi at the bottom of the alchemical furnace was akin to having another layer of partitioning at the bottom of the furnace. With that, the other ingredients wouldn't have direct exposure with the intense flames of the divine fire.
Chu Liang then placed the chunk of crystallized wood spiritual qi.
The wood attribute of the crystal was in conflict with the fire, so direct exposure would cause a loss in the ingredient's quality and effects, which was why a buffer was necessary.
Shrouded in the green qi, the crystal gradually melted into a liquid, and droplets of it dripped down.
Chu Liang then added the Brightly-Lit Bamboo. The translucent green bamboo absorbed the wood spiritual qi as it was heated, becoming increasingly transparent until it nearly disappeared. That was when Chu Liang added the final main ingredient, a branch of Jade-Green Flowers.
This ingredient was added last because it was the least heat-resistant of all the main ingredients. It was now the perfect time to combine it with the other ingredients.
After adding all four main ingredients, Chu Liang slightly stirred up his foundational qi in the furnace a little to increase the intensity of the fire.
Whoosh.
Chu Liang had trained a lot in exercising fine control over his foundational qi, and it was not at all inferior to the average alchemical apprentice. He was able to make even minute changes to the intensity of the fire.
Every action Chu Liang had taken so far had been done meticulously according to Chen Su's instructions. This was his first attempt at concocting a pill, but he had yet to make even the slightest error. If Chen Su were present to guide him, she would surely exclaim in admiration that Chu Liang was astonishingly talented.
In the short time of just a few breaths, the main ingredients in the alchemical furnace broke down one by one, combining into a dense and intensely fragrant cloud of green spiritual qi.
Chu Liang then began adding the auxiliary ingredients. As soon as the three White-Lake Narcissus petals were added to the mixture in the alchemical furnace, they turned into white qi amid the green qi.
He used his foundational qi to manipulate the white qi, stirring it gently to evenly distribute the medicinal properties contained within the green qi. This was the purpose of adding the White-Lake Narcissus petals. They acted as a catalyst that agitated the spiritual qi without causing damage to the medicinal properties.
After that, Chu Liang threw in a substantial amount of spirit sand, the most commonly used type of alchemical sand. The alchemical sand hung in midair, surrounded by the green qi inside the alchemical furnace.
Next, Chu Liang put in the Qi-Condensing Lotus petals. As they fell into the furnace, they immediately absorbed the surrounding green qi and started condensing it. The alchemical sand acted as a binder, and the spiritual qi was slowly condensed with it.
Once all of the spiritual qi had integrated with the alchemical sand, Chu Liang threw in the Water-Ink Alchemical Sand—a substance that was as pliable as water. He controlled it with his foundational qi and instantly enveloped the spirit sand, forming a protective layer.
The next step was the most important one.
Chu Liang could form a pill at this stage without doing anything else, but it would be an ordinary medium to low-grade Green Pill. To produce a high-grade Green Pill, he needed to move swiftly at this moment and add a small amount of Light-Circulating Powder, ensuring that it was evenly dispersed in the Water-Ink Alchemical Sand.
If a cultivator were to consume a medium to low-grade Green Pill, they would be able to blend in with plants, hiding amid their spiritual qi. If they were to consume a high-grade Green Pill that had Light-Circulating Powder, they would be able to connect with the spiritual qi of the surrounding plants, which was a truly impeccable result.
The thing that made it difficult to produce a high-grade Green Pill was that the Light-Circulating Powder was an extremely unstable ingredient. The slightest exposure to light could cause it to explode.
Ultimately, the key to successfully concocting a high-grade Green Pill was to have fine control over their hands, working swiftly and precisely.
Just as Chu Liang was preparing to put his fine control to good use with his hands, he felt something vibrate inside his storage enchanted tool. It was the Soul Subjugator Token.
Crap.
Chu Liang got a little distracted.
It was just for a moment. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't matter, but when it came to adding ingredients to concoct a pill, it was absolutely crucial to add the ingredients at the right time.
Boom!
...
[Eastern-Route Guider]: "The White-Bone Hall was besieged by three immortal sects. Are you all okay?"
[Sixtieth]: "I'm fine."
[Fifty-Ninth]: "Thank you for your concern, sir. The three of us weren't on White-Bone Mountain at the time, so we're relatively safe. However, our chamber master, General Hei Yu, is dead. We're now stranded outside and don't know how to return to the White-Bone Hall. Although we've only been with the White-Bone Hall for a short time, we've acquired some useful information. It turns out that Enchantress Liu of the Scarlet-Robe Hall and the Southern-Route Guide were lovers! They were initially going to explore the Blue Dragon's Hidden Realm together, but the Southern-Route Guide died, so Enchantress Liu worked with Master Mu instead."
[Eastern-Route Guider]: "What? That's unexpected..."
[Eastern-Route Guider]: "That reminds me... Before all this, only a few of the Marquess' and the White Silver King's subordinates knew about their locations. If what you're telling me is true, then it's very likely that the Southern-Route Guider was the one that leaked the information about their locations to the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals! I never expected him to collude with the Scarlet-Robe Hall!"
[Fifty-Ninth]: "Heavens! The Marquess held him in such high regard, yet he betrayed the Marquess? What a despicable person!"
[Eastern-Route Guider]: "I'll report this matter to the Marquess. You've done well. Since your true identities haven't been discovered, I'll find a way to arrange for you to join another chamber soon."
[Eastern-Route Guider]: "What about Fifty-Eighth? Why hasn't he sent any messages? Could it be that something has happened to him?"
A short time passed by before the Guider finally received a response.
[Fifty-Eighth]: "I'm fine..."
1. Basically “jack of all trades, master of none.” ☜
2. Artificers are inventors and craftspeople. If you're a very advanced reader, you might remember that we had this profession as “artifact crafter” previously. However, we realised with this chapter that it wasn't quite right for the profession. So, we discussed for quite a while and ultimately decided on “artificer” after seeing DND's description for it. It seems pretty spot-on for this profession in YNS. ☜