Thinking aloud, he continued, "Perhaps mixing whale gum with specific ingredients—such as a particularly potent herb—could fully unlock its potential, since whale gum has the effect of strengthening the body, improving muscles and bones, and enhancing the capacity of the meridians."
"But the problem is... I have no idea which herbs provide these benefits." He frowned. "In fact, despite all the texts I've read, there's barely any concrete information on herbal properties."
After a while, he slapped his forehead. "Of course! This knowledge is probably fiercely guarded by clans that specialize in—or have business in—medicinal arts, like the Breaking Clan, with their alchemy expertise, or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, whose medicinal baths are a major source of income."
"Besides, on the Douluo Continent, very few people would spend their time studying and recording this kind of information, unless it was about rare and precious herbs or ingredients."
With a dejected sigh, he admitted, "So I'll have to start from scratch… again. But how can I determine their properties and test each one individually?"
Shaking his head, he concluded, "No! That method would take too long. And even if it did work, I can't risk testing unknown herbs on myself; there must be another way to find out their characteristics."
"What to do, what to do…" Tenshin muttered repeatedly, deep in thought. After a while, an idea struck him.
Storing the whale gum back into his soul tool, he made his way to the forest behind his house. As he walked, he carefully gathered various herbs, roots, fruits, and vegetables that caught his attention. Once he had collected a sufficient assortment, he sat down on the ground, ready to experiment.
Picking up an herb, he closed his eyes and attempted to analyze it using his mental power. However, after some time, a sheer volume of irrelevant information overwhelmed him. He had to carefully filter through the data to find what he was looking for.
'This herb has excellent adaptability, making it a potential stabilizing agent. However… it also contains a mild toxin, which nullifies its previous usefulness.'
Undeterred, he continued analyzing the remaining items one by one. After extensive testing, he identified a combination that could work with the whale gum:
A root with slightly lower adaptability than the first herb but without the toxic drawback.
An herb rich in vitality, capable of enhancing the body's natural strength.
A fruit whose juice had a purifying effect.
With this knowledge, Tenshin thinked, 'The first herb can act as a stabilizing agent, the root will enhance or restore the body-strengthening effects of the whale gum, and the fruit juice will serve as a purifying agent for any impurities present in my body.'
Eager to test his theory, he returned to the city in search of a suitable cauldron. He also took the opportunity to purchase several porcelain containers—jade would have been preferable, but none were available.
Once he had everything, he hurried home and set up in a well-ventilated room. After double-checking his materials, he stood before the cauldron, contemplating his approach.
"There are several alchemy methods I could use, based on the fictional works from my previous life," he mused. "I could mix the ingredients directly while burning away impurities, or first extract their essences and only then combine them."
He frowned, deep in thought. "Not only that, I could also attempt to create an elixir or a potion, like in Western alchemy… So many choices."
After some deliberation, he decided on the Eastern alchemy approach— and separating the essences first.
Before beginning, he conducted preliminary tests on each ingredient to determine the required temperature and fire control. He threw a small bundle of an herb into the cauldron and lit the fire.
Burned.
Burned again.
And again.
Frowning, he realized he needed more precise control. Channeling his mental power, he focused on sensing the herb—distinguishing its essence from its impurities. At the same time, he refined his control over the flames. Instead of incinerating the herb, he needed to heat it just enough to liquefy its essence.
Frowning, he realized that he needed more precise control. Channeling his mental power, he focused on sensing the herb—distinguishing its essence from its impurities and checking that the temperature of the flames was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. Over time, he refined his control over the flames. Instead of incinerating the herb, he needed to heat it until the essence seeped from it.
After losing nearly half of the herb in failed attempts, he finally succeeded. Droplets of crystalline liquid began to seep from the surface of the herb. As the last droplet of essence was extracted, the body of the herb turned to ash and sank to the bottom of the cauldron. Tenshin quickly guided the extracted liquid into one of the porcelain containers and sealed it. The moment the lid clicked into place, exhaustion overcame him, and he collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
'This is… much harder than I thought,' Tenshin admitted, feeling the strain of expending so much soul and mental power.
As he caught his breath, his gaze shifted to the remaining ingredients. Then, glancing out the window, he realized how much time had passed. Frustration surged within him, and he let out a single exasperated shout:
"Fuck!"
By nightfall, he had finally separated all the essences. After a brief period of recovery, he steeled himself for the final step—combining them with the whale gum to forge a pill.
Taking a deep breath, he arranged the purified essences and a small piece of the whale gum beside him. He had already experimented with this process several times, causing the original piece of gum to shrink to only four-fifths of its initial size.
He began with the herb essence, which would serve as a base and stabilizing agent. Next, he added the root essence, rich in vitality, followed by the fruit essence. So far, everything was progressing smoothly—the mixture was nearly homogeneous.
Now came the crucial final step: the whale gum.
With a swift motion, he placed it into the cauldron. This time, with his refined flame control, he carefully increased the temperature around the gum while keeping the rest of the mixture stable.
One minute passed.
The gum melted into a thick liquid. Tenshin immediately incorporated it into the mixture, carefully adjusting the temperature. He stirred with precision until the entire concoction blended into a single, uniform substance.
With the last of his strength, he poured two-thirds of his remaining soul power into condensing the liquid into a solid pill. As the newly formed pill dropped into a porcelain container, Tenshin staggered back, gasping for breath. The process had drained him—but despite his exhaustion, his eyes gleamed with triumph.
He had succeeded.