The next morning, after finishing his daily tasks, Zhao Sheng skillfully flew to the foot of Sunset Peak using his flying sword.
As the sword light dissipated, Zhao Sheng entered the mountain from the cave entrance at the foot of the mountain, walked through a long passage, and arrived at the area in front of the Earth Fire Chamber.
Today, the guards at the gate were a different group. Just as Zhao Sheng was about to go in, he was blocked by a burly man in armor who was nearly ten feet tall.
"Where's the pass? Without the pass, you can't get in!"
This burly man in armor was clearly not very bright; he didn't even notice the guest advisor token that Zhao Sheng had deliberately displayed at his waist.
Zhao Sheng shook his head secretly, then released his Foundation Establishment realm aura.
"I have an appointment to meet someone in the underground fire chamber. Please move aside!"
"Foundation Establishment Senior, please!"
The armored giant sensed Zhao Sheng's Foundation Establishment aura and was immediately startled, quickly agreeing.
He had just taken two steps back when he suddenly hesitated, looking conflicted, as if he wanted to stop Zhao Sheng but didn't dare to. He could only look at Zhao Sheng with a conflicted gaze.
Seeing this, Zhao Sheng found it quite amusing, so he took off his guest elder token and handed it to the man: "Do you recognize this?"
The burly man scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "I know it, this is a guest elder's token. Please, senior! I've only been here for a couple of days. If I offended you just now, please forgive me!"
Seeing that the other party was sensible enough to apologize repeatedly, Zhao Sheng nodded slightly to the big man and walked into the passageway.
After walking through a passage paved with fire-resistant bricks for several hundred meters, Zhao Sheng found himself in a very spacious circular grotto.
The temperature in the grotto is very high, averaging over forty degrees Celsius, and the hot air is mixed with various medicinal smells and the fragrance of cinnamon.
The entire grotto is constructed from precious fire-resistant stone, with a diameter of nearly thirty or forty zhang and a height of five or six zhang.
On the stone walls surrounding the grotto, there are eight almost identical black passageways, each about two zhang high and one zhang wide. The top of the passageway entrance is engraved with runes such as A, B, C, D, etc.
The cave was quiet and deserted, but muffled explosions could be heard from the depths of the passageway from time to time, and occasional curses could be faintly heard from the underground fire chamber.
According to Jin Dancheng, the alchemy room on Wanxia Peak has a total of eight Earth Core Fire Pillars, which are divided into sixty-four Earth Fire Eyes, or sixty-four Earth Fire Chambers.
The further forward the serial number of the earth fire chamber in each passage, the better and more stable the quality of the earth fire, and the higher the success rate of alchemy.
The No. D Fire Chamber in the Jiazi Road is Jin Ming's private alchemy room, and it is also Zhao Sheng's destination.
In front of the Jia Ding Fire Chamber, after Zhao Sheng transmitted his thoughts into it, the stone door opened automatically very quickly.
Zhao Sheng entered the room, and Jin Ming stood up from the futon, shaking his head with a wry smile, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, you have really given me a big surprise! If I had known that your basic skills were so solid, I would not have let my little disciple make a fool of himself."
With a wave of his hand, Zhao Sheng closed the stone door and took two steps forward, smiling as he said, "Fellow Daoist Jin, this is not my fault. I did not expect your disciple to teach such a simple and superficial method."
Jin Ming gestured for Zhao Sheng to sit down, and said dejectedly, "It's my fault for not figuring things out beforehand! But, have you ever heard the ancient proverb, 'Everything can be made into medicine, everything can be refined into elixir'?"
Zhao Sheng nodded upon hearing this and smiled, "I understand what Fellow Daoist Jin means. Of course, I will not take the processing of medicinal herbs lightly in the slightest."
"Indeed! Fellow Daoist, you are new to the path of alchemy and yet you have already grasped its true meaning. This is truly commendable. Ordinary alchemists only use prepared medicinal herbs to refine pills, but they do not know that a true alchemist will personally prepare medicinal herbs to become familiar with and precisely control every aspect of their medicinal properties. In this way, the pills refined will not only be more numerous but also of higher quality."
As for extraordinary figures like alchemy masters and even grandmasters of alchemy, they are the ones who can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. The birth of each new type of elixir is often accompanied by the explanation of the medicinal properties and pharmacology of more unknown medicinal herbs, which also means that the art of alchemy has a new development.
Fellow Daoist Zhao, have you ever heard of elixirs like the "Marrow Spirit Pill"?
Zhao Sheng nodded slightly and said, "The Marrow Spirit Pill is so famous, of course I've heard of it."
As Jin Ming got excited, he said, "Fellow Daoist, do you know that five thousand years ago, the Heavenly Pillar Realm did not have the Marrow Spirit Pill? At that time, no one thought that the brain fluid of demonic beasts could be used to refine pills."
The idea only arose when Grandmaster Chen Mo appeared; he had conceived of this idea when he was still an apprentice alchemist. After nearly sixty years of arduous exploration, Grandmaster Chen Mo finally succeeded in refining the first Marrow Spirit Pill: the Dragon Beard Fish Marrow Pill.
Without Zhao Sheng's help, Jin Ming's speech quickened, "The Fish Marrow Pill can actually enhance a cultivator's spiritual power, and it's incredibly cheap. This is simply contrary to normal alchemical principles. Therefore, the appearance of the Dragon Beard Fish Marrow Pill immediately sparked an unprecedented debate. Few people in the entire Shattered Star Sea alchemy community supported Grandmaster Chen Mo; most were critical and sarcastic, with some even believing that the Dragon Beard Fish Marrow Pill had significant hidden dangers and must be destroyed as soon as possible."
At this crucial moment, Grandmaster Chen Mo actually refined a second type of Marrow Spirit Pill: the Marrow Pill made from the brain marrow of a deformed sea octopus. The Marrow Pill still belongs to the category of pills that can enhance a cultivator's spiritual power.
At this moment, Jin Ming spread his hands with a mocking expression and said with a wicked smile, "After the Marrow Elixir comes the Golden Crystal Beast Marrow Elixir, and then a series of Marrow Spirit Elixir. Grandmaster Chen Mo used irrefutable facts to refute the world's doubts about him. Those alchemists who mocked him were slapped in the face. Now, after thousands of years of expansion and improvement, the Marrow Spirit Elixir has grown into a famous category of spiritual pills."
After listening to his words, Zhao Sheng stroked his chin and suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist, after saying so much, does this mean that the first type of elixir you taught me to refine today is the Marrow Spirit Pill?"
"Indeed! Fellow Daoist Zhao is indeed exceptionally intelligent. No wonder you've successfully established your foundation at such a young age. Today, I'll ask you to refine the Dragon Beard Fish Marrow Pill. It's a first-tier spiritual pill, not too difficult to refine, perfect for practice." Jin Ming couldn't help but praise.
After saying that, he took out twelve bottles and jars from his storage bag, and finally pulled out a square porcelain box.
Upon opening the porcelain box, one finds nine fist-sized transparent glass bottles, each containing a half-finger-deep, clear, jelly-like liquid.
Zhao Sheng looked down, while Jin Ming opened the other bottles and jars one by one and asked, "Do you remember the recipe for the Dragon Beard Fish Marrow Pill?"
"I remember! One portion of dragon beard fish marrow liquid, three qian of orchid stone powder, three liang and six qian of five-leaf cistanche, and one thirty-year-old coral worm corpse…" Zhao Sheng said skillfully.
Upon hearing this, Jin Ming smiled happily and praised, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, you are indeed very dedicated. However, alchemy is a skill that relies heavily on practice. No matter how many pill formulas you know, it is not as good as trying to refine a elixir yourself."
"Come, let me introduce the facilities of this underground fire chamber to you first."
As he spoke, Jin Ming stood up from the prayer mat and walked to the center of the stone chamber. Zhao Sheng also walked behind him and carefully observed the surroundings.
The entire fire chamber was roughly circular, about four or five zhang in area, with fire-repelling stones on all sides. In the inner part of the chamber, there was a stone platform about one foot high, with a circular, recessed pit about the size of a water bucket in the center.
Outside the pit, eight thick earth fire pipes are embedded in a ring, each with a red toad head at its opening, its mouth wide open. The mouth is tilted upwards, pointing directly at the center of the pit, as if it's about to spew something out—it's incredibly realistic.
At this moment, Jin Ming took the initiative to explain to Zhao Sheng, pointing to the pit and saying, "This is the Earth Fire Mouth, and the Earth Fire comes out from here. However, when refining first-order spirit pills, the main fire mouth is generally not needed; these eight branch fire mouths are sufficient."
"Look, this red toad has a fire-regulating array embedded in its mouth. You can use spiritual power to adjust the size and height of the earth fire. Of course, fellow Daoist, using your divine sense would be even more convenient."
At this point, Jin Ming changed the subject, saying, "Although refining pills with earth fire is convenient, it is ultimately not as convenient as using heaven and earth spiritual fire. Fellow Daoist, you must try your best to refine a kind of heaven and earth spiritual fire in the future. Otherwise, you will not be able to unleash the potential of the Nine Dragon Cauldron."
Zhao Sheng nodded silently after listening.
At this point, Jin Ming briefly explained a few precautions for alchemy and the rules for using the Earth Fire Chamber.
The Earth Fire Chamber can be used for one day, and each day requires fifty merit points, which is equivalent to eighty spirit stones per day.
If you don't have enough merit points, you can rent a few hours. But you need at least three hours to start.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Let's begin refining the pills!"
After Jin Ming finished speaking, he turned around and returned to the prayer mat, sitting cross-legged. Zhao Sheng, seeing this, felt a rare mix of excitement and nervousness.
He immediately sat down next to Jin Ming, released his divine sense, and observed Jin Ming's every move with full concentration.
"go"
After a low shout, a silver-white three-legged cauldron suddenly grew several times larger, transforming into a cauldron the size of a water vat, and flew down onto the pit, its bottom completely covering the pit.
"The first step is to warm and nourish the alchemy furnace!"
As he spoke, Jin Ming made a hand seal, and eight beams of spiritual light shot out from his fingertips, striking the red toad's mouth and disappearing in a flash.
The next second, the eight clam mouths suddenly spewed out eight thick blue flames, which gathered at the bottom of the furnace, and a large patch of blue earth fire blazed up.
After a few breaths, the temperature in the fire chamber rose rapidly, the air became hot and dry, and the silver-white alchemy furnace quickly became scalding hot.
Jin Ming continuously cast alchemy incantations onto the alchemy furnace.
Soon, the furnace walls began to faintly glow red.
At this moment, Jin Ming's expression turned serious, and he said in a low voice, "There are countless alchemy techniques, but they are generally divided into fire refining and water refining. Nowadays, the mainstream of alchemy is fire refining. Watch closely, I will start adding spiritual herbs now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the lid of the silver-white alchemy furnace suddenly opened a crack, and Jin Ming pointed to the bottles and jars on the ground in front of him.
Suddenly, a four-foot-long, arm-thick insect corpse covered in light blue scales flew out of a clay pot that was narrow at the top and thick at the bottom.
The insect corpse flew high into the air, covering a distance of more than ten feet, before falling into the alchemy furnace.
At the same time, Jin Ming flicked his finger, and gray powder from a transparent glass bottle floated out and quickly disappeared into the alchemy furnace.
Bang!
The furnace lid immediately returned to its original position, and Jin Ming continued to cast spiritual spells, which greatly reduced the earth fire in the eight red toad mouths to the thickness of a finger.
While carefully observing the alchemy furnace, Jin Ming explained to Zhao Sheng, "This step is to refine the elixir base, which will take about 15 minutes."
Zhao Sheng stroked his chin, his heart gradually filled with excitement.
In his two previous lives, although he had never tried alchemy, he had spent a great deal of time studying the art in his spare time.
Therefore, he was not unfamiliar with the art of alchemy.
Zhao Sheng knew that the success of the elixir depended mainly on the heat of the alchemy process, the degree of fusion of the medicinal properties, and most importantly, the timing of the elixir's formation.
It's too early; the elixir hasn't fully fused yet, and the pill isn't fully formed.
If it gets too late, the elixir will burn into a pile of dregs.
As for the ingredients and quantities of the medicinal herbs used, they are clearly stated in the prescriptions based on countless practical experiences and summaries from our predecessors, so there is generally no need to worry about these.
Of course, if you want to improve a elixir, you can appropriately increase or decrease the quantity or purity of certain medicinal ingredients, as long as you can afford the losses from failed alchemy.
However, while it sounds simple, it's incredibly difficult to put into practice!
There's a saying in the cultivation world: "The poor make talismans, the rich forge weapons, and those with mines at home learn alchemy."
There is a saying that goes, "The methods of alchemy take years to perfect, but the hardship of refining elixirs is only for one lifetime."
This means that the resources and time required to train an alchemist are too high.
To name just two challenges: first, accurately controlling the temperature of the alchemy furnace; and second, precisely timing the opening of the furnace.
These two difficulties are a nightmare for any alchemist; even master alchemists would have to admit, with a touch of shame, that the success rate of alchemy is really low. A success rate of more than 50% in refining graded spirit pills is something to celebrate.
In the cultivation world, alchemy is widely recognized as an art that requires extensive experience and is highly practical.
In terms of difficulty, it ranks second only to divination and formations among the various arts of cultivation, making it extremely difficult to learn, master, and advance in levels.
Thinking like this, half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
"Next step: refine the medicinal properties!"
Jin Ming let out a low shout, and several auxiliary spiritual medicines flew out of the bottles and jars in front of him, landing perfectly into the alchemy furnace as the furnace lid opened.
"Fire! Three-quarters of an hour, keep a close eye on it!" The more focused Jin Ming was, the more concise his words became.
As he unleashed several spiritual spells, the earth fire spewed from the eight red toad mouths suddenly thickened, and the indoor temperature rapidly increased.
Just then, Zhao Sheng's expression changed, and a look of shock flashed across his face.
He was at the Foundation Establishment stage and had already developed divine consciousness.
Compared to Jin Ming, who relied solely on observation and experience, Zhao Sheng had already probed into the alchemy furnace with his divine sense, using it to precisely observe the melting of the spiritual herbs inside, as well as the various phenomena of the extraction and mutual reactions of medicinal properties.
This is very intuitive and also very shocking!
Divine sense is a powerful tool for alchemy and an advantage for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As Zhao Sheng observed the changes in the reaction of the spiritual medicine inside the furnace and secretly memorized all the reaction phenomena, time passed little by little.
Three-quarters of an hour later, a fist-sized, light brown, semi-solidified liquid rose and fell in the center of the alchemy furnace. Under the invisible high temperature, the medicinal properties in the liquid were almost completely integrated.
Inside the Earth Fire Chamber, Jin Ming occasionally cast a pill incantation while constantly controlling the intensity of the fire, a few drops of sweat beading on his forehead.
But at this moment, he didn't care about wiping it off at all, estimating that it was almost done.