Chapter 83:【Pill Refining Room: lv1】
"Alright."
Wen Lin took a deep breath and eventually nodded. "There are some matters I'd like to discuss with Brother Ji."
"Then come in and let's talk."
As neighbors and given Wen Lin's decent character, Ji Yuan couldn't possibly refuse him entry.
He first deactivated the building's effects, and only then did the two enter the house.
Ji Yuan even poured a cup of tea for Wen Lin.
Wen Lin hurriedly stood up and received it with both hands.
After they both sat down, Wen Lin finally said thoughtfully, "Brother Ji, you must be preparing for Foundation Establishment as well, right?"
"Foundation Establishment?"
Ji Yuan smiled and shook his head. "That's still a long way off. Why do you bring it up, Brother Wen?"
Wen Lin fell silent for a moment, seemingly hesitant.
Ji Yuan wasn't in a hurry and waited for a while before hearing him say, "For those with pseudo-spiritual roots aiming for Foundation Establishment, Foundation Establishment Pills are necessary. You should be aware of this, Brother Ji."
"I am."
"In my early years, I came across an incomplete recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill. I learned that one of the key ingredients is a medicinal herb that's rare even in the Water Dragon Sect."
"Oh?"
This piqued Ji Yuan's interest.
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Wen Lin continued, "However, there's just such a plant in the Yunyu Marshlands, and I happen to know its location."
He spoke in a hushed tone.
Ji Yuan remained calm after hearing this.
"What do you need me to do, Brother Wen?"
Ji Yuan got straight to the point.
"Well—" Wen Lin hadn't expected Ji Yuan to be so direct, but he had no choice but to speak up. "I need your help to deal with a few people."
"How many?"
"Three."
"How many of them are at the late stage of Qi Refining?"
"All three."
Ji Yuan: "...."
"Brother Wen, you really think highly of me." Ji Yuan had a wry smile. "I've just broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining, and you want me to take on three others at the same stage."
"No, it's just that this matter—"
Before Wen Lin could finish, Ji Yuan shook his head and interrupted,
"It's too early to talk about this now. Since you can stay here for a year, things must be stable. In that case, let's wait a few more years until my cultivation is higher."
Wen Lin was definitely from a cultivation family in one of the markets of Yunyu Marshlands, much like Qin Wei from the Qin family.
Ji Yuan had already figured this out.
So, it wasn't surprising that he knew about these matters.
As for the medicinal herb needed for Foundation Establishment, it was impossible not to be tempted.
But asking Ji Yuan to confront three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators now was a life-threatening task he wouldn't undertake.
With the panel, he could afford to wait.
Once his cultivation improved, he could rely on his strength.
There was no need to take such a risk.
He could even forgo the Foundation Establishment herb for now.
He had considered calling upon Yao Jingfeng and the others, but since there was only one such herb, how would it be divided even if they obtained it?
It would only lead to complications; better to wait.
"Alright."
Wen Lin nodded silently. "That family surely wouldn't be willing to use such a valuable item, let alone give it away. They're probably saving it for someone in their own family."
"But if they're aiming for Foundation Establishment—" Wen Lin shook his head. "Currently, no one in that family can achieve it. They'll have to wait a few decades and see about the next generation."
Wen Lin seemed to know that family well. Ji Yuan didn't inquire further, just smiled and nodded. "No rush, then."
"Indeed."
Wen Lin stood up and cupped his hands, about to leave, but Ji Yuan smiled and said,
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Brother Wen. I happen to have something I'd like to ask you about."
"Oh? What is it, Brother Ji?"
Wen Lin was slightly surprised.
He couldn't imagine what a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Ji Yuan would need to ask him.
"I'd like to ask about the path of pill refining—how does one get started?"
Ji Yuan voiced a thought he'd been pondering for a long time.
Currently, he could skillfully draw mid-grade Tier 1 talismans, but he hadn't been able to grasp high-grade ones.
He was always just a bit short in skill. Given that, he thought it better to start developing his pill refining skills.
Moreover, with the Foundation Establishment Pill ahead, he couldn't miss out on the path of pill refining.
Firstly, refining the Foundation Establishment Pill himself would be more secure, without any worries.
Secondly, doing it himself would save a lot of spirit stones—not just on materials, but also on the cost of hiring someone else to refine it, which was no small expense.
Thirdly, there was the issue of success rate.
Hiring another pill refiner didn't guarantee success every time. If they succeeded four or five times out of ten, that would be considered very good.
If he sought out a top-tier pill refiner with a higher success rate, even if he found one, they might not be willing to help.
Not to mention, finding one was a challenge in itself.
With that thought, Ji Yuan glanced at the panel.
【Pill Refining Room: lv0 (Current)】
【Pill Refining Room: lv1】
【Effect: Tier 1 pill success rate +20%, Tier 2 pill success rate +5%】
【Upgrade Requirements: 10 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, "Introduction to Pill Dao" ×1, Successfully refine 1 "Hundred Herbs Pill" (Not yet achieved)】
The effects of the [Pill Refining Room] and the [Talisman Room] were almost identical.
As long as it was upgraded to Level 1, it could increase the success rate of Tier 1 pills by 20%.
In this way, his pill formation rate couldn't be considered low. Rather than relying on others, it was better to spend more time doing it himself.
“Pill refining?!”
Wen Lin's eyes lit up upon hearing this. “Brother Ji is interested in pill refining as well?”
“Exactly.”
Ji Yuan smiled and nodded.
Upon hearing this, Wen Lin flipped his hand and took out a copy of "Introduction to the Dao of Pills." “Has Brother Ji read this book?”
“I have.”
As Ji Yuan spoke, he also took out a small, twin-handled bronze cauldron from his storage pouch, along with a Heaven Spirit Fruit, Nine-Leaf Ganoderma, Five-Willow Root, and Lampwick Ash, among many other medicinal ingredients.
With just a glance, Wen Lin commented, “Brother Ji is starting with the Hundred Herbs Pill.”
“Exactly.”
The Hundred Herbs Pill was also a Tier 1 low-grade pill and happened to be one of the clearly listed pills required for the Pill Refining Room.
Ji Yuan naturally wouldn't look far for something nearby.
“Three steps to pill refining—Fusion, Purification, and Pill Formation. Which step is troubling Brother Ji?”
“Pill formation.” Ji Yuan recalled his pill refining process and said solemnly, “The earlier steps are fine, but every time I reach the pill formation step, it fails.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Lin smiled and clasped his hands. “Forgive me for speaking bluntly—”
“Between us, Brother Wen, feel free to speak your mind.”
“Then I won't be courteous. In my years of pill refining experience, I'd say it's most likely that something went wrong in one of the earlier steps.”
“Oh?”
“If there were no problems earlier, pill formation shouldn't be a big issue.”
“That does make sense—”
Thinking it over, that sounded logical.
“How about this? If it's convenient for you, Brother Ji, let me observe you refining a batch of Hundred Herbs Pill to see where the issue lies. How about it?” Wen Lin suggested.
“Nothing could be better.”
This was precisely what Ji Yuan had in mind.
Having an expert point out a thing or two would surely help him get started with the Hundred Herbs Pill.
At first, he had thought about seeking out Cripple Li, who was also a pill refiner, but on second thought, his relationship with Wen Lin’s family was better, so there was no need to look farther.
When refining Tier 1 pills, using the “Lihuo Technique” to control the flame was sufficient.
Only when refining Tier 2 and above did one need to draw on the power of the earth veins.
So Ji Yuan began his attempts at home.
Following the instructions on the “Hundred Herbs Pill Formula,” he first used a jade knife to de-seed the Heaven Spirit Fruit, then soaked the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma in Rootless Water, and finally ground the Five-Willow Root into fine powder to mix with the Lampwick Ash.
Throughout this process of preparing the ingredients, Wen Lin watched silently without interrupting.
Only after Ji Yuan finished did he say, “The preparation step is flawless.”
An hour later, when the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma had soaked sufficiently—
Ji Yuan formed the Lihuo Technique hand seal and summoned a crimson flame, which hovered beneath the pill cauldron.
The first step of pill refining was Fusion, which meant refining all the ingredients into medicinal liquid.
After five breaths, Ji Yuan sequentially added the Heaven Spirit Fruit, Nine-Leaf Ganoderma, and the powder mixture of Five-Willow Root.
After the ingredients were added, the flame maintained its original temperature.
This continued for about half the time of burning an incense stick, until all ingredients were liquefied.
Ji Yuan didn’t rush. He waited a bit longer until the medicinal liquid turned amber, then abruptly increased the spiritual energy infusion.
The fist-sized flame suddenly expanded to the size of a human head.
A wave of heat surged, and the liquid in the cauldron visibly reduced.
Ji Yuan was timing it.
According to the formula, heating should continue for ten breaths.
By the fifth breath, he was already forming the Ice Condensing Technique with his other hand.
However, he used only a tiny bit of spiritual energy.
After ten breaths, he withdrew the fire with his left hand, while his right hand's Ice Condensing Technique landed on the cauldron.
This was the second step, Purification.
The temperature inside the cauldron rapidly dropped, and a layer of dark brown impurities quickly congealed on the surface of the medicinal liquid.
After three breaths, Ji Yuan reignited the flame with the Lihuo Technique to reheat the medicinal liquid.
This was the final step—Pill Formation.
As the liquid floated mid-air, Ji Yuan formed the “Pill Condensation” hand seal and split the liquid into three parts to begin forming pills.
But just as the liquid turned into pill shapes, at the critical moment, it cracked and turned into residue.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan spread his hands, giving up resistance.
“See?”
He smiled helplessly.
Wen Lin, having watched the entire process, breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, “Fortunately, I didn’t fail the task.”
“You saw the issue?!”
Ji Yuan asked excitedly.
“Mm.” Wen Lin nodded, then explained, “Actually, the issue you encountered is something many of us water-element cultivators also face.”
“Oh?”
“It’s the purification step. Since we cultivate water techniques, and Brother Ji is at the late stage of Qi Refining, the Ice Condensing Technique you cast may have been too strong, causing the cauldron’s temperature to drop too quickly. Some impurities weren’t expelled. Next time, just hold back a bit on the spiritual energy.”
“So that’s it.”
Ji Yuan nodded in understanding.
At first it just sounded plausible, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
“Brother Wen, if you're not busy, could you accompany me to try refining another batch?”
Ji Yuan couldn’t wait and had already pulled out another set of ingredients from his storage pouch—he had more than ten sets of these.
“No trouble at all. Brother Ji, go ahead.” Wen Lin still wore his usual cheerful expression.
Over the next hour or so, Ji Yuan repeated the process.
This time, during purification, he reduced the spiritual energy, weakening the Ice Condensing Technique’s effect.
As a result, when he performed the Pill Condensation hand seal—
In the end, two of the three Hundred Herbs Pills were successfully formed and landed in Ji Yuan’s hands.
Seeing this, Wen Lin smiled and said, “Succeeded on the first try, and you even formed two pills. It seems Brother Ji’s talent in pill refining might be even greater than in talisman crafting.”
“It’s all thanks to Brother Wen’s guidance.”
Looking at the Hundred Herbs Pills in his hand, Ji Yuan was quite pleased.
After all, this was just his first successful entry into the art, yet he already refined two pills.
Perhaps, just as Wen Lin said, he really did have more talent in pill refining than in talismans.
Having succeeded, Wen Lin then reminded him of several important points in pill refining and common issues on the path.
One of the most common was that the cauldron, having to endure extreme temperature drops during purification and rises during pill formation, suffered immense stress.
Some lower-quality pill cauldrons simply couldn’t endure long-term refining.
So the moment cracks appeared, the cauldron needed to be replaced to avoid explosions.
Exploding cauldrons were extremely dangerous.
Many pill refiners had died from such incidents, so one must always be cautious.
He also told Ji Yuan that he was welcome to seek him out anytime if he had questions.
Ji Yuan naturally agreed with a smile.
After sending off Wen Lin, Ji Yuan returned to his house and looked at the Panel.
As expected, behind the [Pill Refining Room] three new words had appeared:
(Upgradeable)
Given that, Ji Yuan didn’t hesitate.
After all, upgrading the [Pill Refining Room] from Level 0 to Level 1 only required ten low-grade Spirit Stones and a copy of “Introduction to the Dao of Pills.”
With a single thought, the [Pill Refining Room] interface refreshed.
The building was now Level 1.
Immediately afterward, the upgrade conditions and spiritual benefits for Level 2 [Pill Refining Room] popped up on the Panel.