Cautiously Cultivating Immortality in a Strange World

Chapter 10: Alchemy

The alchemy recipe that Zhao Zhengyuan had given him recorded a type of pill called the Initial Yuan Pill, which had a significant effect on improving the cultivation of Qi Refining period cultivators.

Of course, this referred to the original effect of the recipe.

Now, one of the main ingredients, "Cloud Ascension Fruit", has been replaced with a common "Ten Fragrance Fruit". Even if he could successfully refine the pill, it was hard to say whether it would still have the original effect.

First, he simply processed the raw materials and divided them into ten portions according to the recipe.

Then, he picked up the simple alchemy furnace.

It was called an alchemy furnace, but it was actually just a uniquely shaped iron pot, and not a magical artifact that could increase the success rate of alchemy.

Using such a tool, not only could he only refine the lowest-grade pills, but the success rate was also said to be very low.

However, a high-grade alchemy furnace was a high-end product, and even if he could buy one, the price was beyond his means.

Just ten portions of alchemy materials had consumed half of the spirit stones he had risked his life to obtain.

High-grade pills required the use of an alchemist's true fire, or earth fire, and other innate flames.

If the recipe hadn't been modified, the Cloud Ascension Fruit's characteristics wouldn't have been compatible with ordinary fuel, but after replacing it with Ten Fragrance Fruit, this was no longer a problem.

Under the fanning of the hand-cranked fan, the fuel burned more and more fiercely, soon emitting a red glow.

Chen Lin took a deep breath, lit the remaining half of the tranquilizing incense he had saved from crafting the Soul-Restraining Talisman, and began to add the materials to the alchemy furnace in sequence.

Logically, as a beginner, he should have refined each material into a half-finished product before finally combining them.

This rough method was usually used by experienced alchemists when refining familiar pills.

But his situation was different; he just wanted to refine the pill in a reasonable way.

The alchemy furnace was slowly stirred, rotating.

The flames also fluctuated in strength with the fan's speed.

After more than half an hour, adding fuel several times, the materials in the pot finally began to melt, slowly turning into a paste.

Chen Lin didn't know if this was correct, but it was similar to the recipe, so he began the next step – adding the main ingredient, Ten Fragrance Fruit.

"Boom!"

As soon as the Ten Fragrance Fruit was added, it was like throwing a fireball into a pile of explosives, causing a massive explosion that sent the entire iron pot flying, and the medicinal paste inside splattering everywhere.

Chen Lin let out a strange cry and quickly retreated, frantically wiping the medicinal residue off his face.

He didn't care about the large blisters on his face and quickly extinguished the fire, and then rushed to the table to check the remaining materials.

After seeing that all the materials were intact, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

"I didn't think refining pills was so dangerous, no wonder there are so few alchemists."

Muttering to himself, Chen Lin began to clean up the mess and reassembled the alchemy furnace.

He continued to refine the pills.

At this point, other beginners might want to investigate the reasons behind the problem, but he just wanted to quickly increase his success rate.

However, he had also learned his lesson this time. He added several layers of clothing, and wrapped his head and hands tightly to prevent being scalded again.

The steps were still the same.

When it came to adding the Ten Fragrant Fruits again, it still exploded with a loud bang.

Chen Lin, who was prepared this time, didn't get hurt. After simple processing, he began his third attempt at refining.

Time passed slowly.

The sky outside had already darkened.

Finally, he reached the tenth attempt at refining.

Because he didn't need to use too much spiritual energy, Chen Lin didn't feel too tired, except for the moment of explosion.

As a cultivator, even the lowest-level ones, their physical and mental strength were not something ordinary people could compare to.

Looking at the last remaining material on the table, Chen Lin took a deep breath and approached the iron pot.

After several attempts at refining, he had already become proficient.

However, refining pills was not like crafting talismans; even with great proficiency, the timing of the fire had to be just right.

Half an hour later, the auxiliary materials began to melt.

Chen Lin picked up the Ten Fragrant Fruits, vigorously fanned the flames, and increased the temperature of the fire.

All nine previous attempts at refining had failed at this step, and to be honest, Chen Lin was also a bit anxious.

Although he had undergone countless experiments and had proven his innate abilities, this was his first time using them for refining pills.

After a while, the medicinal liquid in the pot began to boil.

Chen Lin prepared his defenses and quickly threw the Ten Fragrant Fruits into the pot.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion occurred.

The same scene as before repeated itself, and the medicinal liquid in the pot suddenly erupted.

Just as Chen Lin's face changed color, thinking that his golden finger abilities had failed, a familiar energy fluctuation suddenly appeared.

An invisible large hand gently swept up all the splashing medicinal liquid and gathered it back into the iron pot.

Then, the medicinal liquid began to solidify at a visible speed, finally forming ten milk-white, quail-egg-sized pills.

Hahaha!

Chen Lin was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He quickly took out the pill, extinguished the flame, and began to check it impatiently.

The ten pills, each emitting a fragrance that delighted the heart, were round and flawless, and it was obvious at first glance that they are not ordinary objects.

After admiring them for a while, Chen Lin took out a porcelain bottle and carefully placed the pills inside.

His golden finger ability was as domineering as ever, although it took ten attempts to succeed once, but as long as he succeeded, the result was perfect. This pill recipe could theoretically produce ten pills per furnace, and he had managed to refine all ten.

Even a master of alchemy would probably not be able to achieve this success rate.

Of course, it is impossible for a master alchemist to succeed in only one out of ten try.

After cleaning up the mess, Chen Lin hastily left the room.

He returned after a while, carrying a cage with a small white rabbit inside.

Although the pills were refined according to the recipe given by Zhao Zhengyuan, Chen Lin didn't know anything about refining and couldn't determine whether the pills were genuine or toxic, so he needed to test them.

He took out an Initial Yuan Pill and fed it to the rabbit, then quietly observed.

Soon, the rabbit began to act frantically, constantly colliding with the cage.

The rabbit's body also began to swell, like a balloon being inflated, and seemed about to burst at any moment.

Seeing this, Chen Lin's face turned somewhat unsightly.

However, as time passed, the expected scene didn't occur, and the rabbit's body began to slowly recover to its original state, no longer acting frantically, and its fur even became shinier.

Chen Lin thought for a moment, and some understanding dawned on him.

The situation just now was probably not a problem with the pill, but rather the rabbit's inability to withstand the refined energy within the pill, after all, it was just an ordinary rabbit, not a demonic beast.

With this thought, Chen Lin's face relaxed, and he continued to observe the rabbit's changes.

He waited until the next morning, and when he saw that the rabbit not only didn't die, but became even more cheerful, he finally felt at ease.

He hastily hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, sat down on a meditation cushion, and adopted a cultivation posture, and began to calm his mind and quiet his spirit.

Half an hour later, Chen Lin suddenly opened his eyes, took out the small bottle containing the Initial Yuan Pill from his bosom, poured out the pill, and swallowed it in one gulp.

As soon as the pill entered his stomach, it immediately exploded into an energy cluster, which then spread to his limbs and bones.

This made him feel a slight stinging pain in his meridians.

This situation made him not surprised but delighted, because this energy could be guided by his cultivation method, indicating that the pill was genuine, and the stronger the pill's effect, the better the results.

This gave him hope for a breakthrough.

The original host's cultivation had already reached the peak of the Qi Refining second stage, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through to the Qi Refining third stage. He had also taken some cheap pills before, but they had no effect.

This time, it seemed that the opportunity had finally arrived.

After feeling surprised and delighted, Chen Lin immediately gathered his spirit and focused all his energy on guiding the medicinal power according to his cultivation method.