Chapter 230: The Seventh-Rank Breakthrough Pill! Pill Thunder Appears!
Still within the valley.
"Whoosh"
A hot breath suddenly burst out from Gu He's nostrils.
Immediately, his expression turned extremely solemn.
The next moment, with a thought from Gu He, a massive golden medicinal cauldron emerged from his spatial ring, falling heavily into the valley with the force of a thousand catties.
The golden cauldron, adorned with dragon patterns, landed heavily on a stone platform, causing the entire valley to tremble slightly.
The cauldron, robust in size and wrapped in a stable aura, was decorated with lifelike dragon-shaped magical beasts.
Upon closer inspection, these dragons seemed almost real, unmistakably forming the Dragon Soul Cauldron.
This pill refinement was the most challenging task Gu He had faced since becoming an alchemist, and he was naturally fully committed.
Now, the process of refining the Breakthrough Pill officially began!
Looking at the Dragon Soul Cauldron, Gu He took a deep breath and then a cluster of purple flames suddenly appeared in his palm.
With a flick of his finger, the purple flame, like a purple fire dragon, shot into the cauldron, bursting forth fiercely.
The roaring flames in the cauldron raised the temperature, adding a sense of dry heat to the surroundings.
Watching the fierce flames rise in the Dragon Soul Cauldron, Gu He's mind moved, and a large number of spiritual herbs were released. Wrapped in powerful Dou Qi, they hovered in front of him, shining like small orbs of light, looking quite spectacular from below.
"The Breakthrough Pill, a seventh-rank pill, can assist a nine-star Dou Zong in breaking through to the Dou Zun realm with a forty percent chance of success, truly miraculous."
"The materials needed for the Breakthrough Pill are extremely complex, about seventy types in total. The main ingredients are Blood Spirit Mushroom, Bone Spirit Fruit, Green Wood Spirit Vine, and the essence blood of a seventh-rank or higher magical beast. Each of these ingredients is rare and difficult to find, and the method of refining is particularly meticulous and demanding."
Gu He carefully reviewed the method for refining the Breakthrough Pill in his mind, paying special attention to the key aspects.
Needing over seventy types of materials for a single pill was a first for Gu He since he became an alchemist. Even when refining the Emperor Extreme Pill, the required herbs only amounted to half this number, illustrating the difficulty of making the Breakthrough Pill.
Dismissing the myriad thoughts in his mind, Gu He refocused, checked the temperature inside the cauldron, and nodded slightly. With a slight gesture, the raging purple flames inside the cauldron gradually weakened.
His gaze fixed on the cauldron, Gu He moved his finger and a light flashed, bringing forth a blood-red mushroom, which landed in his hand.
This mushroom, the Blood Spirit Mushroom, one of the main ingredients for the Breakthrough Pill, emitted a strong smell of blood. Within this scent, one could sense a pure energy fluctuation.
The Blood Spirit Mushroom, notoriously difficult to form, requires the absorption of essence blood from three seventh-rank magical beasts.
Gu He could feel an intense cold power within the Blood Spirit Mushroom.
Then, grasping the mushroom, he flicked his finger, and the Blood Spirit Mushroom transformed into a red light, plunging into the golden cauldron.
As soon as the Blood Spirit Mushroom entered the cauldron, it was engulfed by the purple flames.
At that moment, Gu He's thoughts moved, and dozens of herbs floating in the air were added to the cauldron, thrown into the fierce flames.
The hidden cold force within the Blood Spirit Mushroom would dissipate upon contact with the fire.
To extract its medicinal essence, other herbs that neutralize the coldness were required, which Gu He had prepared in advance.
Simultaneously refining such a quantity of herbs placed strict demands on soul power, but fortunately, Gu He had already broken through to the Spirit Realm and possessed the necessary qualification and strength.
As the herbs entered the purple flames, they quickly turned to ash in a few breaths.
Pure drops of medicinal essence were left behind, which under Gu He's meticulous control of his soul power, gradually merged and evenly dripped onto the increasingly withered Blood Spirit Mushroom.
As the drops fell on the mushroom, its blood-red color slowly faded, and flakes of blood-red skin fell off. In just a moment, the color of the Blood Spirit Mushroom turned pale.
Gu He didn't pay much attention to the pale mushroom. The real essence of the Blood Spirit Mushroom was not inside it but in the blood-red flakes, which were necessary for making the Breakthrough Pill.
Drops of pale medicinal liquid fell on the blood-red flakes, which quietly melted under a constant temperature. Minutes later, a fist-sized mass of blood-colored liquid appeared inside the cauldron.
Witnessing the successful refinement of the first step, Gu He let out a sigh of relief. Waving his hand, the purple flame enveloped the shrinking blood-colored liquid, which became increasingly concentrated in color as it reduced in volume.
When the blood-colored liquid shrank to the size of a thumb, it became extremely viscous. Gu He smiled slightly, summoning a white fruit covered in pits and dents – the Bone Spirit Fruit.
Refining the main ingredients was extremely demanding. Without specialized methods, it would be nearly impossible to extract the necessary medicinal power from them. This was true for the Blood Spirit Mushroom, the Bone Spirit Fruit, and even more so for the upcoming Green Wood Spirit Vine.
The refinement of the Bone Spirit Fruit was even more challenging, requiring nearly twenty different ingredients for neutralization. It took Gu He about an hour to successfully extract a drop of marrow-like white liquid from it.
Following the Bone Spirit Fruit, Gu He placed the Green Wood Spirit Vine into the cauldron. This vine was extremely tough, neither wood nor metal, and its resistance to fire was astonishing. Even with his primordial divine fire, it took Gu He two hours to crack its surface.
As the Green Wood Spirit Vine cracked, more than twenty orbs of light entered the cauldron and were refined by Gu He into drops of essence, which fell onto the vine.
With the harmonizing power of these many ingredients, the vine, resembling a dry twig, finally burst open after about half an hour. Light green powder sprinkled out and was solidified by Gu He's soul power into a green powdered ball.
With the three main ingredients successfully refined, the observing Black Scaled Cold Jiao also heaved a sigh of relief, dazzled by Gu He's rapid refining technique.
Though not knowledgeable about alchemy, it could still appreciate the fluidity and elegance of Gu He's methods, which was quite pleasing to the eye.
After refining the three main ingredients and taking a short break, Gu He continued his work.
Gu He's focus returned to the cauldron. He poured his soul power into it, monitoring the flame's temperature and the reactions occurring during the blending of various medicinal liquids.
Inside the golden cauldron, the purple flame enveloped a half fist-sized liquid, which was somewhat variegated in color but primarily crimson. Within the crimson, several different energies were slowly and continuously blending.
Feeling the tranquility within the liquid, Gu He relaxed slightly. After the earlier mishap, the rest of the process had become more stable. It seemed that as long as all the medicinal powers within fully merged, the pill embryo would gradually take shape.
However, this was a slow process. Gu He estimated it would take at least five days.
Taking a deep breath, Gu He closed his eyes and absorbed the surrounding natural energy, while his soul power continued to control the fire and the blending of the medicinal powers.
All he needed to do now was to wait quietly.
And this wait lasted for six days.
Although Gu He seemed as tranquil as a meditating monk, inside the golden cauldron, it was like a stormy collision of thunder and fire, with rumbling noises echoing incessantly. A terrifying soul power whirled within, dominating even the primordial divine fire.
Any high-level alchemist witnessing Gu He's state would be astounded, as he had entered what is known in the alchemy world as the "Pill Soul Realm."
In this state, the soul power is infinitely amplified. With this immense, albeit fleeting, soul power, the chances of pill refinement failure are nil. Entering this state guarantees success in the current alchemy task.
However, this state is elusive and depends on chance. Fortunately, Gu He, with his seven-orifice exquisite pill heart, was naturally attuned to the ways of alchemy, making the Pill Soul Realm a more common occurrence for him.
After six days, as the morning sun broke through the horizon on the seventh day, sunlight illuminated the stone platform and enveloped Gu He.
Under the warm sunlight, Gu He, who had kept his eyes closed for six days, slowly opened them with a slight tremble.
He turned his gaze to the cauldron, where the pill embryo, wrapped in flames, was now a crimson pill. A look of relief appeared on Gu He's face.
The pill embryo was formed, and the next step was nurturing the pill. This step was risk-free thanks to Gu He's entry into the "Pill Soul Realm." With all the medicinal powers perfectly merged within the pill embryo, even without this final step, the pill's efficacy wouldn't be far off.
Naturally, as an alchemist, Gu He aimed for perfection, so he didn't skip the final step. The purple flame weakened, emitting a mild temperature that gently permeated the pill embryo.
This final nurturing step didn't take long. About ten hours later, the pitted pill embryo in the flames transformed into a thumb-sized pill, half red and half purple, resembling a
yin-yang fish pattern on its surface. It looked almost sentient, quite miraculous.
Just as the pill formed, the sky above the valley suddenly darkened, with heavy clouds rapidly gathering, and silver lightning snaked through them.
The sudden change startled the Black Scaled Cold Jiao, who stared in awe at the thickening clouds.
Then, a massive bolt of silver lightning burst forth, illuminating the darkened land.
Gu He looked up at the thick clouds and the roaring thunder nearby, feeling a buzzing in his ears.
"Is this the Pill Thunder?"
Watching the lightning snaking through the clouds and sensing the immense power it contained, Gu He's eyes flashed with surprise and excitement.
For countless alchemists, the greatest aspiration is to refine a high-level pill that can summon Pill Thunder, a mark of great honor.
And for Gu He, it was no different.
(End of Chapter)
==================================================================
🌟 Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! 🌟
Hello, beloved readers and supporters!
I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon community, you'll unlock a treasure trove of benefits, including:
📚 Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore new chapters, experiencing the twists and turns of our tales well ahead of regular readers. Your journey through our stories doesn't have to wait!
💬 Connect with the Community: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage in exciting discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.
👏 Support the Creator: Your patronage directly contributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the content you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!
100 ps = 1 extra chapter
200 ps = 2 extra chapters
300 ps = 3 extra chapters
400 ps = 4 extra chapters
500 ps = 5 extra chapters
750 ps = 6 extra chapters
1000 ps = 7 extra chapters
please show your love by donating powerstones, and I will post the relative goal extra chapters. Thank you for your love until now, and please keep up the support.}
