Once Lin Xiao Yue left him to settle in, Gù Tiānháo wasted no time transforming the simple storage room into a temporary, secure alchemy space. First, he checked the door and window, ensuring they latched securely from the inside. He then spent nearly an hour carefully arranging small pebbles near the entrance and infusing faint traces of his Qi into the doorframe – simple, low-level warning measures that would alert him instantly if anyone tried to enter unannounced, without creating any noticeable external energy signature that might attract unwanted attention. Satisfied with the basic security, he turned his focus inward.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, meditating for a short while to calm his mind and center his focus, pushing aside all distractions. Alchemy, according to the Bead's fragmented knowledge, required absolute concentration and precise control; any wavering of intent or Qi could lead to failure, wasting precious ingredients or even causing dangerous backlashes. Only when his mind felt as still and clear as a mountain lake did he begin the next stage.
With careful movements, he retrieved the items purchased from the market: the sturdy iron cauldron, the packets containing Spirit Calming Flower, Seven Star Grass, and Iron Bone Root Powder, and finally, the most crucial component – the 300-year Blood Ginseng, still carefully wrapped. He placed the cauldron in the center of the room, ensuring it sat level on the packed earth floor. He laid out the supplementary herbs nearby, examining each one again under the dim light filtering through the high window, confirming their quality and freshness. Then, with reverence, he unwrapped the Blood Ginseng. Even in the dim light, the root pulsed with a vibrant, blood-red glow, emitting an incredibly rich life force and potent medicinal Qi that filled the small room. Its energy felt almost alive, ancient and powerful. This single root held the potential to significantly accelerate his progress, allowing him to potentially skip months or even years of standard cultivation needed to reach the Meridian Opening Realm. Failure was not an option he could easily afford.
Before touching the ingredients, he spent several more hours deeply immersed in the information provided by the God and Demon Slaying Bead regarding the Meridian Opening Pill. He mentally rehearsed each step of the refinement process: the precise order of adding ingredients, the specific temperatures required at each stage (controlled by Qi infusion into the cauldron), the delicate balance needed during the fusion of energies, and the final, critical condensation phase where the medicinal essence coalesced into a pill. He paid particular attention to the warnings about the potency of the Blood Ginseng and the stabilizing role of the supplementary herbs.
Only when he felt he had internalized every detail of the formula did he begin the physical preparation. Using his sharp hunting knife, cleaned meticulously, he first addressed the Blood Ginseng. With surgical precision, guided by his cultivator senses, he carefully sliced the vibrant root into ten perfectly equal segments. Each small piece throbbed with concentrated energy, the cut surfaces gleaming like polished rubies. He handled them with extreme care, placing them on a clean cloth.
Next, he turned his attention to the supplementary ingredients. He measured out the Spirit Calming Flower, Seven Star Grass, and Iron Bone Root Powder, dividing each into ten identical portions, ensuring the ratios matched the formula exactly for each potential attempt. This painstaking process took hours, his focus unwavering. By the time he finished, ten complete sets of ingredients lay neatly arranged around the cauldron. The air in the room was thick with the combined scent of herbs and the potent aroma of the Blood Ginseng. Tiānháo felt a surge of anticipation mixed with nervous tension. Everything was ready. The true test – his first attempt at alchemy – would begin soon.