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Back in the Herb Garden after more than ten days, Xunuo was surprised when Jing Lide mysteriously arrived. He opened a cloth bag and took out nine herbs. Upon seeing them, Xunuo's heart leaped with joy, as they were precisely the ingredients listed in his formula.
Even though there was only one set, he was still thrilled. He instructed Jing Lide to make preparations for the alchemical process.
Xunuo first asked Jing Lide to gather a large amount of firewood and stack it inside the house. Then, he lit a fire beneath the Alchemical Cauldron to preheat it. Sitting cross-legged beside the cauldron, he reviewed the details of the alchemical process once more. When he felt that the temperature of the Alchemical Cauldron was sufficient, Xunuo picked up a herb called Sheng Shou Wu, lifted the lid of the cauldron, and dropped the herb inside. He instructed Jing Lide to gently fan the flames, allowing the cauldron to gradually heat up. Meanwhile, Xunuo sent his Divine Sense into the Alchemical Cauldron to observe the herbs.
Before long, Sheng Shou Wu began to emit a fragrant aroma within the cauldron. Xunuo knew he had reached a critical step. According to the Elixir Formula, at this moment, he needed to use his Divine Sense to turn the herbs into a fine powder in order to extract their medicinal properties.
Focusing his Divine Sense on Sheng Shou Wu, he silently recited an incantation: "Rise." The herb stirred slightly within the Alchemical Cauldron but did not transform into powder as expected. The strong fragrance filled the room. Growing anxious, fearing that if he delayed any longer, the herbs would burn and lose their potency, Xunuo suddenly slapped the side of the Alchemical Cauldron with one hand and shouted: "Rise!"
With that powerful shout, Sheng Shou Wu exploded into a cloud of powder that filled the Alchemical Cauldron. In that instant when Sheng Shou Wu transformed into powder, Xunuo's Divine Sense shattered violently. He felt his mind slipping away and was on the verge of losing himself.
In an instant, a splitting headache struck him; it felt as if his Mud Pill Palace would burst open. Gritting his teeth, Xunuo struggled to keep the powdered herbs suspended within the Alchemical Cauldron while probing into his Mud Pill Palace for inspection.
The excruciating pain from his Mud Pill Palace had eased somewhat. The faint light within seemed to shine even brighter now, illuminating a radius of several dozen feet around it. The thin mist that had previously obscured this light dissipated completely. The entire Mud Pill Palace was divided into two layers centered around this light: above was a dark mass resembling turbulent clouds, rolling ominously; below lay a pool of water shimmering under this light.
Xunuo leaned forward and scooped up a handful of lake water. Instead of flowing through his fingers, it merged into his body. A surge of joy filled Xunuo's heart.
What entered his Sea of Consciousness was essentially an incarnation of his Divine Sense. The fact that this pool of water could merge with him indicated that it was all transformed from his own Divine Sense. This must be what was referred to as the Sea of Consciousness in the Elixir Formula.
Suppressing his overwhelming excitement, Xunuo turned and soared upward. However, before he could approach that dark mass of clouds, an intense sense of danger washed over him. The dark clouds began to churn violently ahead.
Xunuo was taken aback and quickly retreated to the center of the glowing light. The dark clouds above stabilized, still rolling ominously but no longer exuding the terrifying pressure of a fearsome beast. Xunuo couldn't help but grumble internally: how could one not investigate their own territory?
He redirected his attention to the point of light in the center. It seemed to be the same size as before, but it emitted a much brighter glow, illuminating an area two or three times larger than previously. Yet, the light remained exceptionally gentle, not at all blinding; one could gaze at it for a long time without discomfort. Under this light, Xunuo felt only warmth and comfort enveloping him.
Suddenly, he thought that this place resembled a mother's womb, but regrettably, he could not indulge in such a sensation. With a soft sigh, he withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness.
At that moment, the herbal powder formed from Sheng Shou Wu was gradually undergoing changes under the high temperature in the Alchemical Cauldron. Some impurities began to filter out and settle at the bottom. Xunuo noticed that the more potent parts of the herbs were easier to control with his Divine Sense, while the impurities were more resistant to it. This made it easier to refine the medicinal properties.
Xunuo gestured for Jing Lide to stabilize the flames while he single-handedly lifted the cauldron lid. Using his Divine Sense, he extracted a handful of impure powder from the Alchemical Cauldron. With this most difficult portion removed, controlling the medicinal pressure became significantly easier.
Following the Elixir Formula's instructions, Xunuo spun the mixture in one direction. Indeed, those without medicinal properties were gradually flung outward, leaving only the essence of the herbs in the center. As more impurities accumulated on the outside, Xunuo tapped the cauldron lid again to expel another handful of dross.
After repeating this process three or five times, the cauldron was finally free of impurities. Xunuo then took a Porcelain Bottle and opened the lid of the cauldron, allowing the herbal essence powder to flow like a fine stream into the bottle.
He instructed Jing Lide to extinguish the flames beneath the cauldron to lower its temperature before refining another batch of herbs.
Jing Lide stood by, utterly astonished. Having worked as a manager in the herb field for half a year, he had witnessed several instances of alchemy and herb preparation. However, Xunuo's methods far exceeded his understanding. Aside from being amazed, he felt an urge to learn from him.
Yet, Xunuo could effortlessly expel dross with a tap of his lid and draw in herbal powder like a whale drinking water into his Porcelain Bottle. To Jing Lide's eyes, such feats required profound internal skills—something he lacked.
Although Jing Lide was also part of the Inner Sect, the internal cultivation techniques he learned were subpar. After over ten years of practice, he had only opened a few acupoints and would likely never master even one meridian in his lifetime. Anxious about this limitation, he resolved to ask Xunuo for some alchemical techniques once he finished refining his herbs.
Meanwhile, Xunuo took this opportunity to check his Sea of Consciousness again and activated the third segment of Elixir Formula with a thought.
After a stick of incense's time, the temperature in the Alchemical Cauldron dropped. Xunuo, with a joyful expression, realized that he had unintentionally advanced the Elixir Formula to the third stage.
Xunuo instructed Jing Lide to reignite the fire and began refining the second type of medicinal herb. With the experience from the first attempt, this refinement was much easier. Moreover, during the process of pulverizing the herbs into a paste, there were no further mishaps with his Divine Sense.
It took an entire day for Xunuo to successfully purify all nine types of herbs. The next step was to merge their medicinal properties. This fusion required not only precise sequential steps but also different temperature requirements.
Xunuo told Jing Lide to eat something and take a break. He closed his eyes and focused, reviewing the fusion steps once more before instructing Jing Lide to light the fire and begin the final step. As he observed the furnace temperature rising, Xunuo opened the cauldron lid and poured in the nine types of herbs one by one. He then urged Jing Lide to fan the flames vigorously.
To Jing Lide, it seemed that Xunuo was simply dumping all the herbs into the cauldron without much thought. In reality, there was great significance in this action; the nine types of herbs were suspended in nine separate clumps within the Alchemical Cauldron. This allowed all the herbs to preheat evenly, facilitating their subsequent fusion.
This step appeared simple but had long been a barrier for Xunuo, preventing him from delving deeper into alchemy. Controlling nine types of herbs with his Divine Sense was already considered a form of differentiation. Compared to the Elixir Formula, which often involved hundreds or thousands of complex techniques requiring Divine Sense differentiation, this seemed trivial—merely an initial foray into this field. However, it was a precious insight that Xunuo had painstakingly pondered over.
Sitting before the Alchemical Cauldron and feeling the heat wave wash over him, Xunuo suddenly felt a shift in his mind. Two clumps of powdered herbs leaped out and began to swirl together in the center of the cauldron. After a moment, Xunuo made a hand gesture, causing another clump of powdered herbs to jump into the center and merge with the larger mass.
After incorporating six types of herbs, this mass of powder began to take on a dense appearance. Suddenly, Xunuo shouted for Jing Lide to fan the flames with all his might. Jing Lide bent forward and vigorously fanned with both hands.
Meanwhile, Xunuo rapidly spun this mass of herbs in the center of the Alchemical Cauldron while layering the remaining three clumps above it. Soon, under Jing Lide's relentless fanning, the cauldron glowed red-hot. Sitting beside it, Xunuo felt as if his skin would crack from the heat; his hair and beard crackled from the intensity. He quickly circulated his Huayang Classic technique, using True Qi to shield himself from the scorching waves.
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