The Pill Research Institute

"Today, what we are refining is the Nether Blood Minor Longevity Pill. At its absolute limit, this furnace can yield nine pills..." "Before adding this red snow velvet into the furnace, it must first be sliced thin so that it dissolves into the medicinal base as quickly as possible, laying the foundation for the entire batch..." Xu Henshui continuously added ingredients into the alchemical furnace while providing commentary, explaining each herb's unique properties, how they should be processed for this specific recipe to maximize their efficacy, and so on. He taught fundamental principles of alchemy, and his audience consisted entirely of loyal, trustworthy people. Even so, when it came to a few of the core ingredients, Xu Henshui glossed over them and used his Dao power to mask their appearance and scent to prevent the recipe from leaking. An ordinary Minor Longevity Pill was one thing; the Monastery of Creation possessed plenty of higher-grade pill recipes. But this Nether Blood Minor Longevity Pill recipe, with blood yingluo as its primary ingredient, was of extraordinary significance. Inspired by an ancient immortal recipe, Xu Henshui's newly developed pill would drastically curb the negative side effects of blood yingluo, slightly increase the lifespan it granted, and remain free from the restrictions imposed by other longevity-extending medicines. Without Wei Yuan's consent, Xu Henshui naturally would not reveal this recipe to anyone else. The finished pills would likewise be handed over to Qingming for unified distribution. As Xu Henshui refined the pills and gave his lecture, his water-colored sleeves fluttered in the draft of the alchemical fire, lending him an aura of immortal grace. His voice was exceedingly pleasant to the ear as well, breaking down profound concepts into accessible ideas and revealing the highest truths of the alchemical dao through simple explanations. Beside him, Wei Yuan was refining simultaneously. An idea struck him, and he dispatched several Dao Foundation cultivators who held recording stones to begin capturing the scene. "What is the meaning of this?" Xu Henshui asked via secret voice transmission. "I want to record your lectures in full. Visual footage is naturally best. When we train new alchemists in the future, we can play it back for them anytime so they can study properly." "So that's how it is." Xu Henshui immediately puffed out his chest, eyes crinkling with a smile. His voice took on multiple melodic overtones, like a celestial maiden singing from the nine heavens, indescribably enchanting. His eyes shone bright as morning stars, his slender brows arching slightly now and then, as though the entire chamber were suddenly enveloped in lingering immortal mist. Meanwhile, Wei Yuan continuously swept his divine sense across the furnace before him, maintaining total command over every detail inside. Within the Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, another massive virtual furnace had appeared, mirroring the conditions inside Wei Yuan's actual furnace in real time. A group of mortals with talent in alchemy had already gathered around the orchid and the Ice Glaze Immortal Wood. Using the five nodes provided by these two immortal plants as their foundation, they tracked and analyzed the state of the batch with all their might, offering immediate recommendations. "Furnace temperature rising too quickly; optimal range exceeded." Wei Yuan instantly dialed back the flames in his hands. "The blood yingluo has not completely fused with the liquid base, or its purity is insufficient. Suggest adding a small amount more..." Wei Yuan picked up a piece of blood yingluo. Just then, a refined recommendation arrived: "...Add three qian of blood yingluo." With a flick of Wei Yuan's Dao power, he sliced off a small piece of blood yingluo—precisely three qian—and tossed it into the furnace. Xu Henshui was somewhat surprised, wondering why Wei Yuan had added more of a primary ingredient. But he did not dwell on it. Multiple cultivators were currently recording him from different angles; he could not tolerate the slightest imperfection in his own performance. Forcing down the urge to ask, he continued delivering his lecture with flawless poise. ... "...The final step is not pill condensation, but harvesting..." To the accompaniment of his melodious voice, the lid of Xu Henshui's furnace opened. A plume of five-colored light erupted from the mouth, followed by several white cranes circling the beam three times before the phenomenon slowly dissipated. Xu Henshui flicked his fingers in an orchid gesture, and pills burst from the furnace in rapid succession. They were dark red, and remarkably, this batch yielded ten pills—one of which bore a golden Dao vein! Xu Henshui's eyes lit up. Feigning composure, he placed the single-veined pill onto his palm and displayed it to the audience. The disciples from the Monastery of Creation were visibly moved, crying out in admiration, "As expected of Martial Uncle Xu! To actually refine a graded spirit pill!" "This recipe originally produced unranked pills, yet Martial Uncle Xu managed to refine a first-rank spirit pill! Truly incredible!" These disciples were not merely flattering him; it was the honest truth. Hearing their praise, Xu Henshui found it difficult to keep his smile subtle. The corners of his mouth simply refused to stay down. This single-veined spirit pill had indeed caught him by surprise. He had already exerted every effort to squeeze ten pills out of a furnace designed for nine, which was boast-worthy enough. But producing a pill with a Dao vein was an achievement that even Danmingzi would have praised. "This batch should have yielded nine pills, but if the harvest timing is seized flawlessly, it is possible to achieve more. For instance, we condensed ten pills this time..." At this point, Xu Henshui froze. He noticed that Wei Yuan was still continuously injecting true fire into his furnace. The flame in his hands was somewhat peculiar—white-gold laced with pale red, radiating clear immortal spiritual qi. Xu Henshui promptly tried to cover for him: "Harvesting late harms the pill's grade and yield. However, if any prior steps were executed imperfectly, one can make slight amends during this phase..." The Monastery of Creation disciples wore strange expressions. They could tell Xu Henshui was desperately trying to salvage Wei Yuan's dignity. From the exact same recipe, Xu Henshui had exceeded the standard in both grade and quantity, proving his harvest timing had been spot-on. Wei Yuan had dragged things out for so long that even if every preceding step had been flawless, he would be lucky to salvage a third of a normal yield. Inside Wei Yuan's consciousness, alerts chimed continuously: "Maintain low-temperature immortal fire. Liquid purity at ninety-five point six percent..." "...Liquid purity at ninety-eight point three percent..." "Purity at one hundred percent! Infuse karmic luck!" Wei Yuan instantly cast over a dozen strands of azure qi into the furnace. A faint, melodious resonance rang out from within, chiming pleasantly like tinkling bells. Wei Yuan then performed the pill harvesting art. The furnace lid flew open, unleashing a billow of white cloud, and countless immortal birds soared out, each carrying a pill in its beak! Moments later, the phenomenon faded, leaving eighteen pills suspended in the air. More than half of them bore a single pill vein, and the central one was noticeably larger than the rest, marked by two azure pill veins! Not until the pills clattered to the ground like pearls falling onto a jade plate did Xu Henshui snap out of his stupor. Only when pills gathered heaven-and-earth spiritual qi and aligned with the Great Dao during condensation would pill veins form. A pill with veins was formally graded, its efficacy far surpassing ordinary pills. Xu Henshui completely abandoned his poise. Snatching two single-veined pills and the double-veined pill, he cast art after art onto them while his eyes blazed with water-blue light, meticulously inspecting their quality. Wei Yuan used his divine sense to issue an order to record the entire refinement process. Then he assigned another task: optimization. Wei Yuan had refined this batch himself as a hands-on exercise. Now, he wondered who should refine future batches. The dragon guards and Dao Foundation cultivators standing there seemed fully capable. After assigning the tasks, Wei Yuan returned his attention to reality, only to find Xu Henshui sizing him up from head to toe as if staring at a monster. The surrounding Monastery of Creation disciples stood dumb as wooden chickens, while the outer cultivators, though not grasping the technical nuances, recognized that something extraordinary had taken place. Wei Yuan collected the wisdom-awakened Dao Foundation cultivators who had been recording footage. Suddenly, Xu Henshui grabbed him by the wrist and blurted urgently, "Come, follow me to see the Patriarch!" Wei Yuan naturally had no intention of going. Besides, Danming True Monarch was currently at the Northern Mountain Gate, and Wei Yuan had only just returned from there. Doing the math, Zhang Sheng should still be in secluded cultivation, so heading north would be pointless anyway. Xu Henshui insisted, "No, you must go! With such towering talent, how can you settle for Sky Azure Hall? You should transfer to our Monastery of Creation! You'll be the next Monastery Lord!" Wei Yuan was well aware of his own limitations. His grasp of alchemy could not match a fraction of Xu Henshui's, let alone qualify him to inherit the Monastery of Creation. Moreover, the stellar outcome of this batch was largely due to the infusion of karmic luck, coupled with the moonlight power of the celestial laurel tree serving as low-temperature immortal fire. Swapping to a different recipe would not yield the same result. Right now, Wei Yuan cared little about pill veins; his focus lay elsewhere: "How much is this furnace worth?" Xu Henshui picked up an ordinary Nether Blood Minor Longevity Pill. "Though this one grants only three years of lifespan, its greatest advantage is having no restrictions. As long as one hasn't previously consumed large quantities of blood yingluo or burned their lifespan, it will add a full three years. Lifespan of this quality commands a thousand liang of immortal silver per year, so this pill can fetch three thousand liang. Were it not for the heavy residual karmic debt, the price would be even higher." Xu Henshui then picked up a single-veined Nether Blood Pill. "This one received the essence of heaven and earth. Its lifespan-extending effect is enhanced while its karmic debt is reduced. It can add four years of lifespan and sell for six thousand liang." Finally, Xu Henshui lifted the double-veined pill produced by Wei Yuan and said simply, "This one can double again: twelve thousand liang." Wei Yuan's furnace had yielded eighteen pills: one double-veined, eight single-veined, and nine ordinary. By Xu Henshui's valuation, the batch was worth eighty-seven thousand liang. And if Wei Yuan remembered correctly, the ingredients for a single furnace cost roughly five hundred liang. Xu Henshui's batch was also worth thirty-three thousand liang. Furthermore, longevity pills had boundless demand; every pill produced would sell instantly. Wei Yuan silently calculated the profit multiplier, concluding that the otherworldly measurement tool known as a 'percentage' was entirely superfluous. For a brief moment, Wei Yuan genuinely contemplated following Xu Henshui back to see Patriarch Danming. Then he recalled the twenty million liang of immortal silver he owed in debt, wondering how much of it had been converted into cultivation resources for the Monastery of Creation. Only after personally refining a batch did Wei Yuan truly appreciate how lucrative alchemy was. He was desperately strapped for cash, and having experienced firsthand alchemy's miraculous ability to turn base materials into gold, he resolved immediately to make pill refining one of Qingming's core industries. Wei Yuan promptly issued an order directing the mortals with alchemical talent to establish a dedicated research institute to study the Dao of pills. And so, a group of mortals was selected. They found a sizable courtyard and hung a plaque above the entrance: Most Holy Benevolent Heart Pill Research Institute. Yet it was not the first specialized research institute in the mindscape world. The first was right next door: the All Beings Are Equal War Implement Research Institute.