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The fiery red molten iron, radiating intense heat, was slowly poured into the mold—this was the smallest mold that the master and disciple had ever made, only about one foot tall. However, the materials used were vastly different.
Earlier, Li Hong had a sudden inspiration, believing that the main reason the Dan Furnace could not be activated was not due to an incorrect Spirit Gathering Array engraving, but rather because the materials for the Dan Furnace were not good enough.
In Yue Changzi's view, since it was merely a Dan Furnace for refining pills, there was no need to use top-tier materials like Heavenly Gold Essence Iron that were used to forge Flying Swords; he believed that Steel Essence would suffice. However, Steel Essence was still a remarkable material in the Mortal Realm, with one tael of Steel Essence being equivalent to the price of one tael of gold. It had always been used to create exquisite swords like Giant Quiescence. Yue Changzi felt that Steel Essence was entirely adequate for crafting the Dan Furnace.
Li Hong, on the other hand, insisted that a Dan Furnace meant for refining Earth-Level pills should not be treated as an ordinary Dan Furnace; it required materials of artifact-level quality, and Steel Essence was absolutely insufficient.
The two debated back and forth until Yue Changzi reluctantly decided to take out fifty pounds of Heavenly Gold Essence Iron from his secret collection in the Artifact Hall—fifty pounds could forge thirty to forty artifact-level Flying Swords. Using True Fire from the Heaven and Earth Fire Spirit Eye at the refining platform in Fire Jade Cave, he spent three full days burning away impurities. Afterward, he added large pieces of premium fire jade fragments to enhance the Spiritual Energy concentration in the Gold Essence Iron and incorporated Bone-Melting Water and Soft Sand to fully fuse them together, giving it exceptional toughness. Finally, he poured this molten iron into the mold.
As this fine material cooled slightly, what amazed Li Hong came next.
Yue Changzi's hands flew swiftly as he peeled away the mold. The glowing red-hot model of the Dan Furnace rose into the air and began to rotate slowly. The entire mass of molten iron shimmered with a translucent fiery red hue. The initial form of the Dan Furnace had already appeared.
Yue Changzi quickly pointed his fingers, taking advantage of the fact that the Dan Furnace had not yet cooled down to rapidly engrave the Spirit Gathering Array onto its outer wall. He then flipped the Dan Furnace upside down—the lid area still had a round fiery red opening without a lid installed. Through this opening, one could see four small pill chambers inside: Dispensing Room, Wendan Chamber, Stir-Frying Chamber, and Output Room, connected by passages in sequence. Through the hole at the lid area, Yue Changzi swiftly engraved the main Spirit Gathering Array at the bottom and quickly rotated the Dan Furnace model to shape each chamber while engraving Minor Fire Arrays on the walls of the first three chambers—these would convert spiritual energy into heat to raise furnace temperature and speed up pill refining—and also engraved corresponding Perception Arrays so that those outside could adjust the fire intensity and grasp pill refining steps in real-time.
Once all internal formations were inscribed, Yue Changzi finally poured in the last bit of molten iron remaining in his crucible into the lid model. After it cooled slightly, he quickly took a sip from a gourd filled with Ice Extreme Cold Spring and sprayed it onto the lid before swiftly placing it over the furnace opening. Using spiritual energy to activate rotation, he seamlessly connected the furnace opening with its reserved hinge.
"Mission accomplished!" Yue Changzi laughed heartily as he stroked his beard and waved his right hand; the small Dan Furnace fell into the prepared Ice Extreme Cold Spring.
With a hissing sound—mist rose up in clouds throughout Fire Jade Cave—before them floated a gleaming small Dan Furnace.
Standing about one foot tall on three legs, it appeared crystal clear with a yellowish-red hue; strands of bright red Li Fire Aura danced across its surface like radiant light. This Dan Furnace looked exceptionally beautiful; such was an artifact.
The master and disciple placed the small Dan Furnace on the ground and walked around it several times in satisfaction, unanimously agreeing that this was their best and most satisfactory creation thus far.
Now came the most crucial step: they needed to see if it could be activated upon inputting spiritual energy.
Li Hong extended his hand and said, "Master, you come!"
At this critical moment, Yue Changzi hesitated, "I dare not. What if it's another useless item..."
"Don't be so timid! I'll do it!" Li Hong scoffed loudly, placing his hand on the wall of the Dan Furnace and without hesitation, he infused it with Awareness. A flash of red light appeared, followed by a humming sound; the Dan Furnace truly activated.
"Haha! Even I can refine pills now!" Li Hong laughed heartily, eager to rush over and take a bite.
Yue Changzi could no longer hold back and kicked Li Hong aside, saying, "Get out of the way! Your special spiritual energy is not useful at all; it's my turn now!"
He thrust his palms forward, channeling spiritual energy that continuously flowed into the small Dan Furnace from a distance. The humming inside grew louder, and the entire furnace began to vibrate, with wisps of green smoke seeping out from the gaps in the lid.
Li Hong shouted in fright, "Stop! There are no herbs inside yet; just heating the Dan Furnace will ruin it!"
Yue Changzi was startled and quickly halted the flow of spiritual energy.
The two cautiously leaned in to lift the lid and peek inside, simultaneously letting out a sigh of relief.
The Dan Furnace was completely fine.
Li Hong scratched his head and murmured, "It seems that even if the Dan Furnace is refined successfully, the speed, amount, and timing of infusing spiritual energy must be precise. Otherwise, what comes out will definitely be waste instead of pills!"
Yue Changzi was stunned upon hearing this. He stroked his unevenly burned beard with a troubled expression and said, "This really stumps me! You can ask me to refine tools, but sitting there using painstaking methods to study pill refining would be asking for my life!"
Li Hong chuckled and replied, "That has nothing to do with you. Hehe, Yun Jiuzi is the most suitable person for this."
The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter. One was bare-chested while the other wore a tattered Fire Rat Robe; they didn't bother tidying themselves up and hurriedly took the small Dan Furnace to fly out of the Fire Cave to find Yun Jiuzi.
Ling Yizi, the eldest disciple of Yue Changzi, was thrilled to see his master and Junior Brother emerge from their seclusion, only to witness them laughing like madmen as they dragged a shiny object away like a whirlwind.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a Dan Furnace. He chuckled with delight, "They really managed to create it! They are impressive! Hmph, from now on, our Nine Li Sect will refine pills on our own; we won't need anyone else!"
He proudly sang a little tune as he boasted about it everywhere.
The alchemy trio was officially formed, and Yue Changzi was ordered by Yun Jiuzi not to leave—because they needed to test the Dan Furnace and make improvements as necessary.
Yun Jiuzi went to Ling Xuzi to gather a large amount of various herbs, under the pretext of a trial. Thus, Ghost Stream's small hut became the temporary Alchemy Room for Nine Li Sect, where smoke billowed all day long, accompanied by loud explosions and strange noises. The Evil Spirits in Golden Lantern Gorge dared not approach, instinctively avoiding the area for at least thirty miles.
The people of Nine Li Sect were all stirred up. Initially, only the Elders went to see what was happening, but soon every disciple capable of sword flight came to observe. Eventually, even Ling Xuzi couldn't sit still and personally went to inspect. Upon arrival, he nearly burst into laughter.
He saw a sea of people; all those who came to watch were being directed by the alchemy trio. Most were sorting herbs, washing them clean and drying them. If Yun Jiuzi's hut had already transformed into an Alchemist's Chamber, then the outside Clearing had become a herb processing area, with many disciples voluntarily helping out in a continuous stream.
Only Elders at the Golden Core Stage or above were allowed inside the hut, with only four permitted at a time—this was necessary for them to channel spiritual energy into the Dan Furnace. However, too many people would be problematic; Yun Jiuzi found it cramped. Thus, a line of Elders formed outside waiting for their turn while eagerly discussing among themselves.
Inside the hut, Yun Jiuzi lounged in his bamboo chair in the sweltering heat of the Alchemist's Chamber, comfortably waving an old fan of unknown origin while pointing and directing: "Continue! Don't stop! Remember to inject slowly; absolutely no rushing! Hmph! Whoever damages our precious Dan Furnace will have to face the Disciplinary Hall!"
"Yes, yes!" The sweating Elders nodded obediently without daring to slack off. Each took their position and gradually channeled spiritual energy into the walls of the Dan Furnace as instructed.
The precious Dan Furnace hummed and vibrated slightly, with visible bright red light flashing across its walls. The fragrant aroma of herbs gradually filled the air.
Li Hong, an important member of the trio, hung high above the Dan Furnace with his legs hooked over a beam, eyes closed as if in deep concentration.
After a while, Li Hong suddenly shouted loudly: "Enough! Now everyone stop at my command! Prepare to produce pills!"
The Four Elders immediately tensed up. Hearing Li Hong shout "One, two, three, now!" they quickly withdrew their hands and obediently stretched their necks to watch the Dan Furnace.
Yun Jiuzi suddenly jumped up, pointing the fan at the Dan Furnace. A brilliant red light erupted, and the lid of the Dan Furnace opened automatically, filling the air with an intense medicinal fragrance. With a whoosh, black objects began to jump out of the Dan Furnace, quickly caught by the waiting Elders.
Several large heads immediately huddled together, and someone exclaimed, "Great! This furnace's elixir is much prettier than the last one!"
It was only then that someone noticed Ling Xuzi. Yun Jiuzi's gaze flickered as he lazily said, "Master Nephew, you're here."
Unable to contain his excitement, Ling Xuzi walked over to the group of Elders and reached for an Elixir. His brows furrowed slightly.
"This—can this really be considered an Elixir?"
"Of course it can! How could it not?" The Four Elders chimed in, "You don't know yet, Master. At first, what we refined wasn't this perfectly round shape; it was like rat droppings—black and flat, burnt to the point where you couldn't even smell it. Now, we've greatly improved! Look, this is clearly a Pill of Starvation!"
"Exactly! If we refine another batch, it will definitely be a success!"
The excited Elders spoke incoherently, shouting, "Come on, let's start another batch; this time it will surely succeed!"
Meanwhile, Yue Changzi was diligently writing in a notebook: "Two hundred eighty trials completed, nearing success. In this refining of the Pill of Starvation, it was discovered that the warming time should not exceed two hours."
He carefully closed the notebook and tucked his pen behind his ear, calling out, "Now starting the two hundred eighty-first trial for the Pill of Starvation. Who is willing to provide spiritual energy to the Dan Furnace?"
"I will!"
"I will!"
"I will!"
The Elders lined up at the entrance were all shouting enthusiastically.
Watching this scene, Ling Xuzi suddenly felt a tightness in his eyes and a lump in his chest. With such a group of people, how could the Nine Li Sect not thrive, and how could the Elixir not succeed?
He laughed heartily, rolled up his sleeves, and said enthusiastically, "Now I count as one! How can the first batch of pills from the Nine Li Sect be without me!"
Three hours later, the first batch of the Pill of Starvation from the Nine Li Sect was successfully refined.
Cheers echoed through the sky above Heavenly Grain, rising wave after wave.
Yue Changzi solemnly noted in his alchemy journal: "August Nineteenth, the first batch of Pill of Starvation from Jiu Li successfully refined."
********
Note: Steel Essence is an ancient term for high-carbon steel, see Song Dynasty scholar Shen Kuo's Dream Stream Conversations.
Note: Giant Quiescence, the famous sword forged by Ou Yezi.
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