Chapter 31: Five-Tier Mi Ben Foundation-Forging Pill
In the blink of an eye—
A month had passed since Yao Yan's battle with Mu Xiao. During that time, he had slowed his cultivation pace and immersed himself in alchemy every day. It was a way to become more attuned to his own strength. After all, his Dou Qi, soul power, and blood energy had grown tremendously over the past year—they now needed to be properly tempered and refined.
He started by practicing with first-tier pills. Once he'd warmed up, he began refining second- and third-tier pills, gradually raising the bar for himself until his standards became quite demanding.
An alchemist was a profession that required extreme self-discipline. Mastery over one's Dou Qi and soul power was only the foundation. What came next was perfect flame control. Essentially, every true alchemist was a master of fire—able to wield flame with more finesse than their own fingers.
In this regard, Yao Yan was no novice. He possessed nearly divine-tier bloodline power from the Yao Clan's Dou Di heritage, along with soul power infused with spiritual energy. Whether refining herbs or controlling fire, he had a natural advantage. Combined with training from a grandmaster like Hun Xuzi, his alchemy had already reached the peak of what someone his age could achieve.
His only limitations were his Dou Qi cultivation and soul power level.
Thus, when refining low-tier pills, his success rate was astonishing.
For first to third-tier pills, he had a 99% success rate—and every pill was flawless.
Had it not been for one failure due to insufficient Dou Qi, his rate would have reached a perfect 100%. Such a rate was something even many sixth- or seventh-tier alchemists couldn't achieve. And yet, Yao Yan was only a fourth-tier alchemist…
In just one month, the waterfall cave was filled with pill bottles—containing pills from tier one to four. Many of them were rare treasures one couldn't buy even with gold.
Now, they were casually stacked like garbage in a corner, left for Ling'er to feast on.
Ling'er felt this was the happiest month of her life. She could eat as much as she wanted—pill after pill filled with pure herbal essence. It was like an endless buffet. In two words: pure bliss.
And after consuming so many pills, her little body had gotten noticeably rounder…
Yao Yan was speechless about this. If he didn't know she was the spirit of a heavenly flame, he'd genuinely be worried she might overeat and harm herself. The medicinal energy within these pills wasn't a joke—especially the fourth-tier ones, which already contained traces of natural energy. They were no longer simple medicinal pills.
Luckily, the number of fourth-tier pills was low, and most were auxiliary types with average value—otherwise, even he wouldn't be able to afford raising this little glutton.
At the moment—
Yao Yan was focused on refining a fifth-tier Mi Ben Foundation-Forging Pill.
This was a legacy recipe of the Yao Clan, passed to him by Yao Nong. The pill's method of refinement was complex, and its value immense. It was an exclusive pill used to cultivate the younger generation of the clan. After consumption, it not only strengthened bones and tendons, but also enhanced talent and nourished the soul.
Even in the Yao Clan—where sixth-tier pills were taken freely—this pill was strictly limited in supply.
Three years ago—
Had Yao Yan's bloodline level tested above fourth-grade, he would've been listed as a core member of the clan, eligible to receive this pill to nurture his body, enhance his talent, and gain a huge head start over ordinary cultivators.
The means used by Dou Di clans to train their youth were unimaginable to outsiders.
Just like how Hun Xuzi trained Yao Yan—fifth- and sixth-grade Body Tempering Pills were handed out like snacks, and even precious natural treasures like Vajra Fruits were supplied in abundance. As long as his body could handle it, and his potential allowed, the cultivation resources were nearly limitless.
"Preparations complete."
The casual look on Yao Yan's face vanished. His gaze sharpened, reflecting the dazzling golden flame as he stared at the cauldron in front of him. Inside, the Illusionary Gold Flame burned fiercely. Dozens of drops of refined herbal essence floated like flawless gemstones—awaiting his next move.
Extracting herbal essence was the easiest step for an alchemist. As long as one had mastery over soul force and temperature control, it was straightforward.
If someone failed here, they were still an alchemy apprentice.
Huff~
Yao Yan took a deep breath, picked up a bottle of third-tier Qi Restoration Pills and bit one between his teeth to prepare for energy depletion. Then, he began the condensation process.
Each herb had different properties, and combining them created different effects. The role of an alchemist was to bring these different effects together into a single, unique pill. The process resembled materials science—while the pill formula acted as the synthesis blueprint.
Many alchemists liked to experiment with new combinations—trying different ingredient orders and fusion durations to create varying results.
An alchemist without any signature formulas of their own would be a laughingstock.
But that was still a bit premature for Yao Yan. For now, he only wanted to successfully refine a fifth-tier pill. His soul power was long sufficient—his only shortfall was Dou Qi. However, with help from third-tier Qi Restoration Pills, he could give it a shot. Under his control, the jewel-like droplets of herbal essence began to fuse.
During this stage, he had to control the flame's temperature, the pace of fusion, and the exact timing.
Any mistake during this part would lead to total failure.
Gradually, beads of sweat appeared on Yao Yan's forehead. Refining a fifth-tier pill was incredibly taxing. As his Dou Qi waned, he had no choice but to tilt his head back and consume another Qi Restoration Pill. The depleted energy slowly returned.
This process continued for most of the day. Only then did he combine all the herbal essence into a semi-complete pill the size of a baby's fist—glimmering with multicolored light, rotating steadily within the golden flames.
"Only… one final step left."
Yao Yan swallowed another Qi Restoration Pill, his expression becoming increasingly focused. He needed to fully merge the medicinal power into one cohesive whole. This was the most critical part of alchemy—testing an alchemist's control over soul force and flame. If he failed, the cauldron would explode, and all prior effort would be wasted.
As Yao Yan channeled more soul power, the Illusionary Gold Flame roared like molten lava. The semi-formed pill within began to shrink as it was refined further. Its multicolored sheen slowly unified into a dusky brown, while a faint medicinal aroma began to fill the cave.
Ying ying?
Ling'er, who had been napping, blinked her sleepy eyes and looked toward the cauldron. She sensed something valuable was being born. She instinctively wandered over and rubbed against Yao Yan's leg. But he ignored her, so she simply lay down beside him and continued waiting.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later—
The spinning dusky-brown pill within the flames suddenly froze. A surge of powerful energy burst from the cauldron, rippling outward like waves and striking the sides with several loud booms. At the same time, a rich fragrance spread through the air—like a faint white mist that filled the cave.
The scent was intoxicating. Just inhaling it filled one with vitality—as if soaking in a hot spring that nourished both body and spirit.
This was the phenomenon that followed the successful birth of a fifth-tier pill.
Yao Yan knew this well and remained calm, maintaining the flame to finish the final tempering process. This would determine the pill's final quality—he didn't want the Mi Ben Foundation-Forging Pill he'd just refined to end up a defective product.
After another short while—
A dusky-brown pill floated out from the cauldron and gently landed in front of Yao Yan.
"It's done!"
His face paled slightly, but a trace of joy curled at the corner of his lips.
Before he could celebrate—
A green blur zipped past and snatched the freshly refined fifth-tier Mi Ben Foundation-Forging Pill right into its mouth.
"What the hell! Spit it out!!"
A cry of shock and rage echoed through the cave.
(END CHAPTER)
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