Translator: AnubisTL
After a long interval, the Great Sun Golden Flame's intensity was reduced to a bare minimum, leaving only residual warmth to catalyze the medicinal liquid.
Finally, as the massive pool of medicinal liquid within the furnace began to solidify, Li Qing's divine sense surged.
Buzz!
The Annihilation Furnace trembled slightly as the vast mass of spirit herb essence began to divide. This was the critical moment of pill separation.
Li Qing took a bold gamble, dividing the essence into nine portions, aiming for a batch of nine pills in a single refinement.
Of course, his actual expectation was that the batch would yield two or three pills, enough to recoup his losses.
"Final step: furnace closure, condense pill!" Li Qing murmured, extending a single finger. With a surge of his profound true essence, he sealed the Annihilation Furnace completely.
This was the crucial moment for the pill refinement. The final nine medicinal pills would completely shed their spirituality, condensing into individual pills.
After about fifteen minutes, Li Qing slowly withdrew the true essence sealing the furnace.
He eagerly peered inside, eager to see how many pills had formed in his first attempt at pill refinement.
But as he gazed at the furnace's interior, the anticipation on his face gradually froze into disappointment.
The result was deeply disheartening. Within the Annihilation Furnace, six of the nine pills had completely collapsed into waste residue. The remaining three pills were extremely dull, barely showing any luster.
Without a doubt, if consumed, these three pills would likely be far more toxic than medicinal. They were hardly Jade Bone Pills; Bone-Corroding Pills would be a more fitting name.
Three pills formed from an entire batch, and all of them were waste pills!
"Hiss... Is my aptitude for pill refinement really this poor?"
"I followed the pill formula's steps perfectly, with only minor imperfections in my technique. How could there be such a drastic difference in results?"
Li Qing's scalp tingled with frustration. He hadn't even identified the root of the problem, leaving him deeply discouraged.
This time, without external guidance, he had to rely solely on the pill formula and his own trial-and-error approach.
Pill refinement proved significantly different from artifact refinement. Mastering heat control alone wasn't enough.
Slowly calming his agitated mind, Li Qing meticulously reviewed each step of his previous attempt, comparing it against the pill formula's instructions.
Memories of Senior Bai Ling's teachings gradually resurfaced in his mind.
Finally, he identified several shortcomings in his refining process that could be improved and refined further.
"My steps were correct, but my technique was too crude. Pill refinement is a delicate art, not like forging weapons with broad, sweeping motions."
"I need to make gradual improvements, not expect instant success."
Over the years, Li Qing had studied numerous pill refinement techniques. Though he rarely practiced them, his theoretical knowledge was extensive.
Now, he put this knowledge into practice, beginning to refine his second furnace of Jade Bone Pills.
The spirit fire blazed, illuminating the cave abode with flashes of light.
This refinement process took Li Qing two full days, significantly longer than his first attempt.
He followed the steps in the pill formula meticulously, but this time his technique was far more refined, no longer as crude and rushed. He worked with deliberate composure.
After two days, Li Qing once again opened the Annihilation Furnace, his gaze fixed on the nine pills within.
This time, the results finally met his expectations. A look of delight spread across his face.
"Five pills successfully refined, with only one waste pill!"
With a thought, four perfectly round, crimson-tinged medicinal pills floated out of the furnace and landed in Li Qing's palm.
The pills' refreshing fragrance filled his nostrils, and he couldn't suppress his joy. He grinned widely and burst into laughter.
The first furnace yielded four Jade Bone Pills, a slight deviation from the pill formula, but Li Qing was already quite satisfied.
The second furnace successfully produced perfect Jade Bone Pills, exceeding his expectations.
"Keep going! Continue refining!" Li Qing took a deep breath, cleared away the waste pills and dregs, and began the third furnace.
Time flew by, and over thirty days passed in the blink of an eye.
After successfully refining the first batch of Jade Bone Pills, Li Qing, eager to maintain his momentum, immediately refined seventeen more furnaces in his cave abode.
His divine soul was exceptionally strong, and his energy seemed inexhaustible, leaving no room for rest.
Of these seventeen furnaces, four failed, and one nearly exploded, but he managed to salvage it.
From the thirteen successful batches, he harvested a total of seventy-four Jade Bone Pills, bringing his current stockpile to seventy-eight.
Just as Li Qing was about to continue refining, a sharp pain pierced his divine soul, signaling he was nearing his limit.
Even with a divine soul as powerful as that of a late-stage Divine Transformation Realm cultivator, such intense concentration inevitably led to exhaustion.
There's always a limit!
"Whew! Pill refinement is no easy task," Li Qing muttered, rubbing his temples and trying to relax.
What he didn't realize was that few pill refiners would attempt to open nineteen furnaces of medicinal pills in one go—it was considered a reckless act.
Typically, after refining one batch of pills, refiners would rest for a day or two to recover their divine sense before opening another furnace.
But Li Qing, with his limited knowledge of pill refinement, treated it like artifact refinement. As long as his divine soul hadn't reached its limit, he continued refining without pause.
"A decent haul. Time for a break. Nearly eighty Jade Bone Pills should last me a while."
"Next, I'll gather more Old Yellow Essence leaves. Once I have that last spirit herb, I can keep refining pills until I've forged a Jade Bone body."
"No, I could even sell some Jade Bone Pills for merit points. With so many body refiners in Profound Ancient City, the demand for this pill would be immense."
"Even fifth-tier body refiners would benefit greatly from it."
"This pill won't advance their body arts cultivation, but it will strengthen their bones within their existing body refinement realm. It should be quite popular."
Li Qing muttered to himself, already finalizing his plans.
Profound Ancient City was located in a remote region, and Li Qing was certain that no pill formula for the Jade Bone Pill existed here. This was likely due to the scarcity of cultivators ascending from the lower realm and the limited interaction with humans from other continents.
Therefore, the Jade Bone Pills he had brought from the lower realm could become his exclusive means of accumulating wealth.
"If I were on a major human-populated continent like the Heavenly Origin Continent, the Jade Bone Pill wouldn't sell nearly as well. Even if there wasn't an identical pill formula, there would be superior alternatives."
"The spirit realm's human race possesses profound resources that shouldn't be underestimated."
Li Qing understood his limitations well, avoiding unrealistic ambitions. He knew he couldn't rely solely on the Jade Bone Pill for carefree cultivation.
With this in mind, Li Qing retrieved a Jade Bone Pill and swallowed it whole.
The pill had a slightly sweet taste and didn't dissolve immediately upon entering his mouth. Instead, it settled in his abdomen, slowly releasing its medicinal power.
Soon, Li Qing felt a cool, moist sensation spreading through his bones and tendons.
(End of the Chapter)
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