Lin Yun summoned the pack of Basic Fire Crystals. They clinked together in his palm, glowing with a warm, inner light.
Lastly, he called forth the Qi Gathering Pill herb bundle. A cloth pouch appeared, its contents giving off a faint, grassy aroma.
He slotted it into the designated depression at the cauldron's base. Taking a steadying breath, he channeled a wisp of his spiritual energy into it.
Whoosh!
A steady, controlled flame erupted, bathing the bottom of the cauldron in a warm, orange glow. The room was instantly filled with a gentle heat.
Now came the hard part.
He selected the first ingredient from the pouch: a brittle, blue-veined Frost-veined Leaf. He held it in his palm, just above the warming cauldron. The heat would make the leaf more pliable, its spiritual pathways easier to access.
Closing his eyes, he willed his spiritual energy to flow into his hand, attempting to envelop the leaf. It was like trying to grip smoke. His energy was wild, unrefined, slipping and flaring without precision. He could feel the fragile leaf trembling under the clumsy assault, on the verge of being damaged rather than purified.
Frustration began to bubble up. This wasn't working. His control was abysmal, just as he'd feared.
Then, he remembered his trump card.
"Heavenly Eyes," he whispered, pouring spiritual energy into the skill instead.
His vision shifted. The world gained a golden overlay. The Frost-veined Leaf in his hand was no longer just a leaf; it became a complex map of swirling energy. He could see the vibrant blue spiritual veins, but also the murky, grey patches of impurity scattered throughout its structure like blight.
More importantly, text began to scroll across his vision, a real-time analysis provided by the system.
[Target: Frost-veined Leaf. Purity: 62%]
[Recommended Action: Apply gentle, oscillating spiritual pressure at a frequency of 3 pulses per second. Focus on nodes marked in grey.]
[Optimal Temperature for Purification: 45 degrees Celsius. Current Cauldron Surface Temperature: 48 degrees. Adjust.]
Lin Yun's eyes widened. This was it! This was the cheat code!
It wasn't just showing him the problem; it was giving him the exact solution, the perfect "input" for the desired "output." He wasn't just guessing anymore; he was following a recipe for purification.
He immediately adjusted his energy output to the cauldron, reducing the heat slightly. The flame dimmed, and the golden text confirming the temperature shifted to a satisfactory green.
Then, he focused on his spiritual energy. Instead of trying to brute-force the impurities out, he carefully modulated the flow, trying to mimic the gentle, rhythmic pulsing the system recommended. It was incredibly difficult, like trying to make his heartbeat follow a specific, unnatural rhythm.
His brow furrowed in concentration. Sweat beaded on his temples and trickled down the side of his face. His entire being was focused on this single task. The spiritual energy in his dantian, already meager, began to drain at an alarming rate. His muscles ached from the sustained, precise effort.
At this moment, the door to the training room creaked open a sliver. Yu Tao'er peeked in, woken by the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy and the light from the fire crystal. Her eyes widened at the scene.
Her Young Master was kneeling before a cauldron, his face pale and strained, drenched in sweat. His expression was one of intense pain and concentration.
She had never seen him look like this. He usually approached cultivation and alchemy with lazy reluctance, never with this kind of desperate, all-consuming focus.
Her first instinct was to rush in and stop him. He was clearly overexerting himself, especially after his injury! But something held her back. The look on his face wasn't one of foolish recklessness; it was one of profound, determined will. She hesitated, her hand hovering on the doorframe, watching silently with worried eyes.
Back inside the room, Lin Yun was oblivious to her presence. His world had shrunk to the leaf in his hand and the golden instructions in his vision. He could see the grey impurities slowly loosening their grip, drawn out by the precise vibrational pulses of his spiritual energy. It was working!
The process was agonizingly slow. Minutes felt like hours. His spiritual energy dipped dangerously low, and a throbbing headache began to pound behind his eyes. But he didn't stop. He gritted his teeth, pushing through the discomfort.
Finally, with a last, concerted pulse of energy, the last stubborn grey blotch in the leaf dissolved. The entire leaf now glowed with a uniform, vibrant blue light in his Heavenly Eyes vision.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[Purification Successful. Frost-veined Leaf Purity: 83%]
[Progress on Daily Quest (C-Rank): 1/10]
The strain vanished from Lin Yun's face, replaced by a wave of utter exhaustion and overwhelming satisfaction. He let out a long, ragged breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. His body trembled with fatigue.
He looked at the leaf in his palm. To the naked eye, it looked much the same, perhaps a slightly brighter shade of blue. But to his spiritual sense, and to the system, it was transformed. It felt lighter, cleaner, humming with pure, potent energy.
A wide, triumphant grin spread across his sweat-streaked face. He had done it. Against all odds, with trash-tier proficiency and a beginner's cultivation base, he had purified an ingredient to over 80% purity using only spiritual energy.
"Huh?!"
From the doorway, Yu Tao'er gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She might not have the Heavenly Eyes, but she could feel the change in the spiritual aura emanating from the leaf. It was purer, stronger, more vibrant than any ingredient she had ever seen her Young Master handle.
This... this was unprecedented! How had he done it?
Lin Yun looked up, his grin still in place, and noticed her standing there.
"Tao'er," he said, his voice hoarse but filled with pride. He held up the purified leaf. "Look. Not bad, right?"
He was exhausted, drained, and he had nine more to go. But in that moment, holding that perfectly purified leaf, Lin Yun felt a surge of confidence so potent it dwarfed his fatigue…