Chapter 117: New Medicinal Pills

‘Encountered deceased brainwaves, Degradation Rate 99%. Read now?’

The familiar interface popped up.

“Read!”

Without hesitation, Chen Luo chose to read immediately.

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth?

Five obsessions surged into his body, and Chen Luo instantly comprehended the aptitudes of these five Foundation Establishment cultivators before their demise, as their obsessions directly related to those elements.

“There are still two missing, likely possessing Wind and Thunder attributes for their spiritual roots…”

As Chen Luo gazed at the scattered remains on the ground, a hint of regret flashed in his eyes.

Initially, he thought seven Foundation Establishment cultivators had been engaged in combat, only to be ambushed by a powerful member of the Corpse-Raising Sect who reaped the benefits like a fisherman waiting downstream. However, it seemed that was not the case; all seven individuals belonged to the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. Three were elders, while the other four were hard-to-find solo cultivators. Assembling such a group of seven Foundation Establishment cultivators was no easy feat, even for the Divine Lake Immortal Sect, requiring significant effort.

“Could there be some hidden secret within this Woodmount City?”

Chen Luo glanced back at the nearby mineral vein.

Suppressing this idle curiosity, Chen Luo focused on what truly mattered—his own strength—and directed his attention to the minds of the newly acquired five Foundation Establishment cultivators.

‘Why can’t my Gold Element Sword Art cut through him?’

‘I should have never gotten involved; exploiting opportunities from a Gold Core patriarch is not so easy.’

‘Seven spiritual roots for nurturing a pill? The Divine Lake Immortal Sect’s leader aims to ascend to a higher realm.’

’…’

These five obsessions represented their final thoughts.

Chen Luo deduced the general situation, confirming his initial suspicions. These individuals had undertaken a secret mission from the Divine Lake Immortal Sect’s Core Formation ancestor—to nurture a pill here, possibly involving some secret technique. Unfortunately, it ended in failure, evident by their tragic fate. It seemed the Corpse-Raising Sect had betrayed them, resulting in the death of all seven operatives.

No wonder the Corpse-Raising Sect and Nine Poisons Valley were so audacious.

The crisis for the Divine Lake Immortal Sect likely began at that very moment.

“Not a single one skilled in pill concocting.”

Chen Luo wasn’t particularly concerned with inter-sect affairs. After briefly examining these memories, he shifted focus to matters more relevant to him. However, luck was not on his side this time.

None of these five Foundation Establishment cultivators excelled in pill concocting, and even their perception of Qi Refinement techniques was significantly lacking. Their path to Foundation Establishment seemed unconventional, akin to specialized cultivation by the Divine Lake Immortal Sect for executing specific secret techniques. In terms of capabilities, they fell far short compared to the two ‘predecessors’ Chen Luo encountered on Wu Dao Peak.

“Water Condensation Technique!”

Chen Luo attempted to activate the water attribute brain among the five, feeling an instant familiarity as if he had practiced it countless times before.

Gathering spiritual energy, a water sphere roughly the size of his head materialized in his palm.

Over the past three months, he had engaged in numerous trades with Zhou Tianyang, acquiring various foundational spells and divine abilities in exchange for medicinal pills. These included elemental techniques, sword cultivation methods, and physical cultivation practices. However, the ones available through trade were predominantly basic and low-level, mostly limited to small spells suitable for the first three layers of Qi Refinement. Calling them divine abilities might have been an exaggeration.

The cultivation techniques circulating among solo cultivators were generally disregarded by large sects. Occasionally, valuable secrets emerged, but those who obtained them kept them hidden, making them unavailable for trade.

“Sharp Metal Technique.”

Dissipating the water ball, Chen Luo picked up a nearby branch, and with his gold elemental spiritual root activated, familiar sharp metal power flashed through him. Holding the branch, he gently swung it towards a nearby stone.

Shunk!

The stone instantly split into two halves, displaying mastery as if honed over decades of practice.

Discarding the branch, Chen Luo proceeded to similarly activate the remaining three brains one after another.

He discovered that each brain exhibited exceptional proficiency in its respective elemental techniques but lacked skill in other domains. By acquiring these five brains, Chen Luo’s expertise in the five elemental spell arts significantly improved.

“It’s better than nothing,” Chen Luo murmured, somewhat disappointed. The value of these five brains for him was limited. Their knowledge had been too narrow, making their usefulness restricted compared to the divine abilities and techniques Chen Luo already possessed.

After searching the area further, Chen Luo respectfully reburied the five predecessors.

Returning to his courtyard, he began contemplating how to integrate these new external brains with the existing ones.

Three days later.

Boom!

The pill furnace exploded, sending the lid flying and tearing through the room’s roof.

Inside his room, Chen Luo expressionlessly retrieved the pill furnace and, with a wave of his hand, used spiritual energy to hold the fallen bricks and tiles from the roof.

A flick of his sleeve guided all the debris into a corner, joining the pile of charred bricks and medicinal waste already there.

The process of refining Spirit Explosion Pills was not entirely smooth. As its name suggested, these pills contained highly volatile spiritual energy; even the slightest oversight could lead to an explosion.

The newly acquired five Foundation Establishment brains only enhanced his combat capabilities, having minimal impact on his pill concocting skills. The only exception was the fire attribute Foundation Establishment brain, which significantly improved Chen Luo’s control over flames during the refinement process. Consequently, his success rate for creating Spirit Explosion Pills slightly increased. However, mastering temperature alone wasn’t sufficient; the complexity lay in balancing pharmacological components. Otherwise, cultivators with fire elemental spiritual roots would have nothing else to focus on but learning pill concoction blindly.

“Used up again?”

Using spiritual energy, Chen Luo repositioned the pill furnace neatly. Only when he went to add more ingredients did he realize that the nearby chest containing herbs was empty. He had just exchanged these herbs with Magistrate Zhou yesterday evening, yet they were already depleted. Particularly concerning was the violet gold vine, essential not only for refining Spirit Gathering Pills but also for Spirit Explosion Pills.

The consumption rate was immense; if not for his connection with the Loose Cultivators Union, he wouldn’t have been able to gather enough ingredients for pill concoction.

Chen Luo stood up and walked over, retrieving a pile of herbs from another black bag of holding.

These were meant to last him three more days.

As he picked out a handful of dried herbs, Chen Luo suddenly paused.

“This is… Spirit-Draining Grass?”

He examined the herb closely, noticing it wasn’t part of his previous stock.

‘Adding Spirit-Draining Grass will make it even more perfect.’

‘The medicinal properties can be enhanced by three layers.’

Both the deer monster’s mind and the newly acquired wood attribute Foundation Establishment brain provided immediate feedback.

This insight made Chen Luo’s eyes flicker. Through the perspectives of the deer monster and the wood attribute Foundation Establishment expert, he perceived aspects invisible to other alchemists.

“But this doesn’t seem to align with the pill formula…”

Holding the Spirit-Draining Grass, Chen Luo scrutinized it carefully. It resembled a twig with only three leaves, each leaf wilted and yellowed like its stem. As he grasped the herb, he could sense the flow of spiritual energy, which gave rise to its name.

“Let’s give it a try; at worst, it might just result in an explosion.”

With a wave of his sleeve, the previously prepared herbs flew back into the pill furnace. Activating the Fire Incantation, the temperature rapidly increased. Once the combined herbs liquefied, Chen Luo opened the furnace again, enveloped the Spirit-Draining Grass with spiritual energy, and cautiously placed it inside.

Buzzing

As soon as the Spirit-Draining Grass entered the pill furnace, it began to tremble violently, with the lid clanging incessantly, as if on the verge of exploding.

‘The temperature is too high.’

The Wood Attribute Foundation Establishment brain provided immediate feedback. Indeed, when it came to sensing the properties of herbs, this brain was exceptionally keen.

Chen Luo swiftly adjusted the spirit flame under his control. With his Fire Attribute Foundation Establishment brain, he effortlessly lowered the temperature of the Flame Ignition Technique. As the heat decreased, the pill furnace’s shaking immediately stabilized. The recently added Spirit-Draining Grass also started gradually melting. Throughout the process, several close calls with volatile transformations nearly led to an explosion.

Under the ‘collaboration’ of the deer monster and Wood Attribute Foundation Establishment brains, the medicinal properties became increasingly stable, and the form of the medicinal pill slowly took shape.

“Solidify!”

Finally, after four hours, the medicinal pill coalesced into its complete form.

Opening the pill furnace, a rich herbal aroma surged upwards, filling the entire courtyard. Remarkably, upon contact with this energy, some withered yellow leaves turned green once again.

With a wave of Chen Luo’s hand, the medicinal pill instantly flew out, spinning suspended in mid-air.

The potent fragrance wafted over, evoking an irresistible urge to consume the pill.

“It actually worked!”

A spark of surprise flickered in Chen Luo’s eyes.

The spirit pill before him was not crafted using the Spirit Explosion Pill formula; instead, he had improvised both technique and pharmacology based on insights from the deer monster’s brain and the Wood Attribute Foundation Establishment brain. Notably, incorporating Spirit-Draining Grass was something no previous alchemist dared to attempt due to its conflicting properties, which risked catastrophic explosions.

Its precise effects remained unknown!

However, solely from the perspective of successful creation, this entirely new medicinal pill had been brought to life.

His unique concoction method relied heavily on his individual abilities. No one else could replicate it. The innate perception of ingredients from the deer monster’s brain, combined with the feedback on pharmacological properties from the Wood Attribute Foundation Establishment brain, and finally overlaid with the dexterous control provided by the Fire Attribute Foundation Establishment brain—all these elements synergized to achieve success. This realization broadened Chen Luo’s approach significantly.

In pill concocting, there was no need to strictly adhere to conventional methods.

What worked for others might not apply to him. His goal was to leverage his strengths and develop his own exclusive style of pill concocting! Pill formulas were merely guidelines worth referencing.

“I must find someone to test it.”

Chen Luo placed the medicinal pill into a bottle and bestowed upon this self-created ‘pill’ a resounding name—Spirit Foundation Pill! It signified the most potent spirit pill below Foundation Establishment level.

Clutching his newly concocted spirit pill, Chen Luo stepped out.

“Brother Chen, you’ve emerged from seclusion?”

As soon as he opened the door, he encountered Zhou Tianyang entering from outside. After three months of collaboration, this representative of the Loose Cultivators Union had completely lowered his guard around Chen Luo. Now, all the medicinal ingredients for Chen Luo’s pill concoction were purchased through him. Additionally, any surplus mid-grade and low-grade medicinal pills were sold via Zhou Tianyang’s channels.

Not every cultivator aimed for Foundation Establishment, especially within the solo cultivator community.

Most focused solely on enhancing their current strength, barely able to manage immediate concerns, let alone worry about the future. For them, toxic Qi Nourishing Pills or Spirit Gathering Pills weren’t issues; as long as these pills could boost their cultivation base at a cheap price, they dared to buy them.

“Zhou bro! Perfect timing!”

Seeing Zhou Tianyang enter, Chen Luo smiled warmly.

Just as he was looking for someone to test the pill, Zhou Tianyang conveniently showed up. With his Eleventh Layer of Qi Refinement strength, similar to Chen Luo’s own, he would be ideal for testing the new creation.

“I just successfully refined a Spirit Explosion Pill and was about to seek you out for selling it.”

“Spirit Explosion Pill?!”