Translator: AnubisTL
Li Qing was deeply drawn to the abundant opportunities hidden within the Heavenlight Secret Realm, so much so that he could barely contain his excitement.
However, the realm's opening was still years away, and even with his burning anticipation, he needed to temper his impatience.
In the meantime, he had to find every possible way to enhance his strength. Facing the divine transformation realm experts from other powerful clans, Li Qing knew he couldn't afford to underestimate his opponents.
"The other clans will undoubtedly send late divine transformation realm cultivators into the Heavenlight Secret Realm, since the restriction only applies to those below the void refinement realm."
"My cultivation is still quite a distance from the mid divine transformation realm. Without spirit pills and elixirs, it will be difficult to advance quickly."
"I'll have to focus on other methods to maximize my combat power."
Li Qing murmured to himself, his eyes flickering as he pondered how to improve his strength in the coming years.
Treasure refinement was currently out of the question, as his spiritual materials were limited. He only possessed a single piece of Ghost Eye Purple Gold, not enough to refine a complete spirit treasure.
"Fortunately, the Crimson Jade-Essence Fruits in the Heavenly Wonder Immortal Mansion have ripened. Though not particularly old, they're now suitable for medicinal use."
With a flicker of movement, Li Qing entered one of the medicinal fields within the Heavenly Wonder Immortal Mansion.
The Crimson Jade-Essence Fruits he had personally planted long ago had ripened into plump, vibrant fruits, each glowing with a crimson luster and brimming with vitality.
"I also have the pill formula for the Jade Bone Pill, complete with detailed refinement steps. All that's missing are a few auxiliary ingredients."
With this thought, Li Qing resolved to refine the Jade Bone Pill himself. After all, the medicinal field now held a plentiful harvest of Crimson Jade-Essence Fruits, giving him ample room for error during the refinement process.
Without hesitation, Li Qing began harvesting the fruits one by one. Soon, the entire medicinal field was stripped bare, its once-lush canopy reduced to bare stalks.
The spirit plants, though stripped of their fruits, did not wither. Instead, they entered a dormant state, awaiting the next century—or perhaps even less—to mature and bear fruit once more.
"A total of 223 Crimson Jade-Essence Fruits harvested this time. Quite a haul! This counts as a major harvest."
Li Qing clicked his tongue in satisfaction before departing the Heavenly Wonder Immortal Mansion.
To refine the Jade Bone Pill, he needed several auxiliary ingredients in addition to the Crimson Jade-Essence Fruits.
Fortunately, these auxiliary ingredients were neither rare nor difficult to obtain. They could be easily sourced within Profound Ancient City, requiring only a modest expenditure of contribution points.
Thus, Li Qing left his cave abode and ventured into the city's immortal cultivator market.
"Senior, this is Old Yellow Essence branch and leaf. Though not particularly rare, our shop offers the lowest price in the entire city! You won't find it cheaper anywhere else!"
Inside the Herb Pavilion, a spirit herb shop, Li Qing frowned, holding a stem covered in yellowish leaves.
This was the final spirit herb he needed to refine the Jade Bone Pill. He had easily gathered the other ingredients, but this one proved surprisingly expensive.
Each stem cost three hundred merit points and could only be purchased with top-grade spirit stones.
After scouring the city, Li Qing had just over seven thousand merit points remaining. If he spent them all on Old Yellow Essence branches and leaves, he could only acquire about twenty stems.
Since refining a single furnace of Jade Bone Pills required one Old Yellow Essence branch as an auxiliary ingredient, even if he bought them all, he could only refine around twenty furnaces.
"This Old Yellow Essence branch and leaf isn't particularly rare, so why is the price so high?" Li Qing asked, his brow furrowed.
The shopkeeper smiled warmly. "Senior, centuries ago, these branches and leaves were indeed cheap and plentiful. But then a pill refiner reconstructed a fragmented ancient formula."
"One of the auxiliary ingredients required for this ancient formula is the leaves and branches of the Old Yellow Essence. The spirit pill refined from this formula strengthens the body and is highly sought after by body refiners!"
Hearing this, Li Qing finally understood why the seemingly ordinary Old Yellow Essence leaves and branches commanded such a high price.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and spent every last merit point he had, purchasing twenty-six Old Yellow Essence branches.
With this purchase, his recently accumulated merit points plummeted to less than one hundred, leaving him practically penniless.
"Enough for twenty-six furnaces of Jade Bone Pills," Li Qing sighed, returning to his cave abode. "If I can refine at least ten furnaces successfully, it'll be worth it."
Back in his cave abode, Li Qing spent about a day meditating and adjusting his breathing before retrieving the Great Sun Extinction-Creation Furnace.
The precious furnace no longer appeared dull and black. Now, it radiated a vibrant, iridescent glow, with thirty-six Gold Flame Marks tightly pressed against its inner walls.
The entire furnace continuously shifted between two states: annihilation and creation. In its annihilation state, it was a formidable weapon of destruction; in its creation state, it was a holy artifact of healing.
Bang!
Li Qing struck the Great Sun Extinction-Creation Furnace several times with his palm, channeling streams of true essence into its interior. The furnace quickly stabilized in its creation state.
Immediately afterward, a brilliant golden spirit fire, as dazzling as the great sun itself, erupted within the furnace, illuminating Li Qing's entire cave abode with its radiant glow.
Under the scorching heat of the Great Sun Golden Flame, the Annihilation Furnace quickly warmed up, emitting faint wisps of vital energy.
"It's been ages since I last refined pills myself," Li Qing murmured. "My skills have grown rusty."
"Back then, Senior Bai Ling guided me step-by-step. Now, I'm on my own."
He had considered hiring Old Man Jian, the city's renowned pill refiner, using his merit points. However, this risked the Jade Bone Pill formula being leaked, which would inevitably drive up the prices of the other auxiliary herbs.
Moreover, commissioning Old Man Jian to refine a batch of spirit pills would cost three thousand merit points—a prohibitively high price.
Unless it was a medicinal pill like the Dustfall Pill, which he urgently needed, Li Qing preferred to refine them himself.
After all, cultivating a Jade Bone required long-term consumption of the Jade Bone Pill. Relying on a pill refiner for every batch would be far too costly.
As the Annihilation Furnace reached optimal temperature, Li Qing meticulously followed the pill formula, feeding each spirit herb into the furnace in the prescribed order.
The only good news was that Li Qing had become a grandmaster of fire manipulation. The heavenly spirit fire responded to his will with perfect obedience, as if it were an extension of his own body.
In pill concocting, the most crucial step is mastering heat control, a skill Li Qing had honed to perfection.
"The initial phase requires intense heat to extract the essence from several auxiliary herbs, refining the spirit herb liquid's core within the furnace."
"Finally, add the Crimson Jade-Essence Fruit. As the fruit bursts open, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, gradually infusing the fruit's essence into the medicinal liquid."
"..."
The pill refinement process was meticulously detailed. With his formidable divine sense, Li Qing followed each step of the pill formula precisely, refining with effortless precision.
(End of the Chapter)
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