Chapter 25: Pill Refining

After putting away his Green Flame Dragon Finch, Qin Shu pondered for a while.

Earlier at the Money God Shopping Mall, he had inquired about sending messages back home.

The answer was yes, but it would have to be through the mall’s special channels, and the price was outrageously high—tens of millions of spiritual soul coins were needed.

Clearly, such an expense was beyond his means as well.

So, he decided to stick with diligent cultivation and save money along the way.

To save money, one essential skill couldn’t be missing.

He took out the foundational pill-concocting manual to study.

There were primarily two methods of pill concoction: fire refining and water refining.

In fire refining, medicinal materials were burned with flames, their essences extracted and then fused together during baking. This method was highly efficient but had a low margin for error, making it difficult to control the quality of the resulting pills.

Water refining involved using water to extract the essence from medicinal materials, followed by fusion under high pressure within the liquid. Its advantages included a higher tolerance for errors and the ability to produce high-quality, stable pills. However, its drawback was lower efficiency.

Fire refining was at least ten times more efficient than water refining, and this disparity increased further when dealing with higher-grade pills.

Qin Shu pondered for a moment before deciding to use traditional techniques: fire-refining pill method.

The fire-refining pill method tested the alchemist’s control over their spiritual energy, requiring precise manipulation of heat intensity. Too little heat would prevent the essence from being extracted, while too much could easily burn the entire medicinal plant to ash.

Therefore, learning how to concoct pills began with recognizing various medicinal herbs, followed by mastering fire control.

Even basic pill concoction contained vast herbals with illustrations. Qin Shu spent over a month studying these, committing images of all fifth-rank or lower medicinal plants to memory along with understanding their properties.

As for controlling fire, that was somewhat easier.

His mastery of Fire Element Great Escape allowed him to precisely manipulate flame temperatures.

Now, he only needed practice.

To start refining pills, one first required a pill furnace and then medicinal ingredients.

Basic Pill Concoction included more than ten fundamental pill formulas which Qin Shu could use for practice:

Fasting Pills, Rebirth Pills, Nourishing Foundation Pills, Pure Heart Pills, Blood Purifying Pills were all first-rank formulas.

In his possession, second-rank formulas included Foundation Establishment Pills, Gathering Origin Pills, Pure Origin Pills, Wound Recovery Pills, and Poison-Relief Pills.

Qin Shu had purchased both the pill concocting method and the pill formulas, but he hadn’t yet prepared the pill furnace or gathered the necessary ingredients.

So, he made another trip to the Money God Shopping Mall to buy a third-rank pill furnace and medicinal materials for first- and second-rank pills.

This particular pill furnace was considered one of the most challenging artifacts to refine within its rank, costing him a staggering 30,000 spiritual soul coins.

The ingredients for the lower-ranked pills also set him back over 3,000 spiritual soul coins, significantly depleting his resources in a short span of time.

But he believed it was all worth it.

As Qin Shu was about to leave the mall, Zhao Gongqian approached him.

“Qin-gongzi, please wait a moment.”

Qin Shu halted and turned to look at Zhao Gongqian. “What does Manager Zhao need?”

Zhao Gongqian asked, “Could we discuss this matter on the fourth floor? A business opportunity has come up, and I’d like to invite Qin-gongzi to collaborate.”

Qin Shu pondered briefly before nodding. “Very well.”

They ascended to the fourth floor, and Zhao Gongqian posed a question. “If Qin-gongzi were to venture into the Abyss again now, would you feel confident in making it out safely?”

Instead of answering directly, Qin Shu countered with his own query. “Are you asking me to lead someone through the Foundation Establishment Abyssal Tribulation?” He couldn’t think of any other reason for such a request.

“Exactly.” Zhao Gongqian nodded. “In the city center, there is a woman from the Lu family named Lu Yixi who has awakened with a Sunlight Rank Spiritual Soul. However, it’s an auxiliary-type soul, somewhat lacking in combat power. Thus, they wish to invite a highly skilled awakened being to help her through the Abyssal Tribulation. The compensation will surely be satisfactory for you, Young Master Qin.”

Qin Shu said, “I imagine there must be more to it than just helping through the Abyssal Tribulation?”

“That’s correct!” Zhao Gongqian didn’t hide it. “The Lu family wants Miss Lu Yixi to kill as many abyssal monsters as possible within the Abyss to receive greater rewards from the world.”

Qin Shu asked, “How many would ‘as many as possible’ be?”

Seeing that Qin Shu was asking such specific questions, Zhao Gongqian knew he was interested. He mentally nodded and said, “Of course, the more the better. After meeting the minimum requirement to pass the Abyssal Tribulation, Miss Lu Yixi will earn 3,000 spiritual soul coins for each additional second-rank monster she kills. If she can kill third-rank monsters beyond her level, each one will be worth 300,000. Does this deal sound enticing to you, Young Master Qin?”

Qin Shu estimated quickly: A second-rank Abyssal Tribulation shared between two people should have at least a hundred second-rank monsters and three or more third-rank ones.

After over a month of cultivation, his cultivation base had only advanced slightly within the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. A significant amount of time was still needed before he could break through to the next level, with little improvement in battle strength.

To guide someone through the Foundation Establishment Abyssal Tribulation would likely require him to unleash his full combat potential, which gave him some concerns.

Noticing Qin Shu’s conflicted expression, Zhao Gongqian asked, “Is there something troubling you, Qin-gongzi?”

Qin Shu inquired, “What is the Lu Family’s reputation like?”

Zhao Gongqian smiled, “On that matter, please rest assured. The Lu Family has an excellent reputation. Moreover, since our Money God Shopping Mall has come seeking your collaboration, we will naturally ensure your absolute safety in this world. It just remains to be seen whether you trust us, the Money God Shopping Mall.”

This reassurance calmed Qin Shu, who smiled and said, “If that’s the case, I accept this collaboration offer. When should we begin?”

“In three days,” replied Zhao Gongqian, “right here at this exact time.”

Qin Shu nodded, “Very well, I’ll arrive then.”

Zhao Gongqian rose to see him off, saying, “Safe travels, Qin-gongzi.”

Upon returning to his residence, Qin Shu took out a third-rank pill furnace and began condensing true fire to refine it.

As for leading people through the Foundation Establishment Abyssal Tribulation in three days, that was a matter for later. For now, it was time to focus on the task at hand.

The pill furnace, named the Burning Flame Furnace, excelled at conducting true fire.

Qin Shu used his great escape technique of fire to condense Karma True Yuan into a flame of fortune. The azure flames danced with vibrant life force.

With such potent flames, how could he fail in his alchemical endeavors?

In just one day, he fully refined and nurtured the Burning Flame Furnace.

Now it was ready for pill concocting.

He decided to start by practicing with Fasting Pills.

Fasting Pills primarily required first-order spirit rice and beast flesh, supplemented by Golden Origin Yam, White Jade Poria, and Red Lotus Root.

First, Qin Shu added one kilogram of first-order spirit rice to the pill furnace and extracted its essence using the Karma True Fire.

Before long, each grain of spirit rice turned golden-brown, releasing strands of white vital energy. These coalesced within the furnace, forming a medicinal liquid roughly the size of an infant’s fist.

Without Qin Shu’s divine sense supporting them, the remaining impurities naturally sank into the Pill Bed.

Qin Shu extended his hand with a wave, enveloping the spirit rice medicinal solution in true essence before pouring it into a jade bottle.

Next, he subjected the monster meat and three additional ingredients to the auspicious true essence’s heat, extracting their essences as well. This process filled five bottles in total.

After refining all five liquid medicines, Qin Shu poured them into the pill furnace.

Using the Karma True Fire, he refined them further while applying pressure with his divine sense, ensuring the thorough fusion of the five essences.

As the auspicious true fire continuously baked the mixture, a pale red medicinal liquid, roughly the size of an infant’s fist, materialized at the center of the pill furnace.

The initial concoction of the Fasting Pill was successful.

Qin Shu found the process quite straightforward, not much more challenging than cooking regular food.

Finally, it was time for the last step: dividing the pills.

He split his divine sense into ten strands, separating the medicinal liquid into ten portions.

Through constant baking and compression, the liquid gradually solidified into ten perfectly round pills, each about the size of a small thumb.

Qin Shu lifted the lid of the pill furnace and with a wave of his hand, the Fasting Pills flew into the prepared pill bottles.

Ten pills, each a resounding success.