Ye Xiao stored the token that represented his status as an Alchemist Apprentice in his spatial ring Ye Xiao walked toward the shelves of herbs. The attendant that previously told him to go to the Treasure Pavilion to buy a cauldron followed him. He was feeling nervous as he thought that maybe Ye Xiao will remember the grudge. But seeing that Ye Xiao didn't bother with him, he took a long breath of relief.
Ye Xiao organised the memories of Ancient Pill God and choose to refine the Body Tempering Pill which was also a tier one pill. As for the formula for refining the Body Tempering Pill, obviously he got it from those memories.
After looking in the shelves there for some time, he turned to look at the attendant and said, "Give me twenty taels of three year's old Ginseng, twenty stalks of Morning Dew Profound Grass, eleven stalks of Spirit Grass and Twenty Red Leafed Potato."
These are the medicinal herbs needed to refine the Body Tempering Pill. Ye Xiao planned to buy twenty pieces of every medicinal herb. With this, he can refine the Body Tempering Pill twenty times. So, even if he failed to refine three or four times, it will not matter. He told the attendant to give him twenty pieces of every medicinal herb for refining the Body Tempering Pill except for the Spirit Grass. He wanted only eleven stalks of Spirit Grass because he already had the nine more stalks of Spirit Grass. These nine stalks of Spirit Grass was left from the previous ten stalks of Spirit Grass which he bought to consolidate his foundation.
That attendant hurriedly took out every medicinal herbs that Ye Xiao told him very quickly this time and then he take Ye Xiao to the counter and gave everything to the counter girl and said something in her ear and then he stood behind Ye Xiao.
The counter girl looked at every medicinal herbs and then said, "Young master, you are buying twenty taels of three year's old Ginseng which cost you 6,000 gold coins. Twenty Stalks of Morning Dew Profound Grass' cost is 10,000 gold coins, twenty Red Leafed Potato's cost is 4,000 gold coins and eleven stalks of Spirit Grass' cost is 5,500 gold coins. After adding it all together, the cost of these medicinal herbs will be 25,500 gold coins. But since you are a member of our Alchemist Association, as an Alchemy Apprentice, you'll get 10% discount. So you have to pay total 23,000 gold coins."
Hearing this, Ye Xiao nodded his head and from the words of the counter girl, Ye Xiao also guessed one thing and that was as he continue to refine pills and become Alchemy Master or Grandmaster, he'll get more discount after buying something from the Alchemist Association.
Ye Xiao didn't have much money on him. So, he took out 230 Low Grade Spirit Stones which was equal to the amount 23,000 gold coins and give it to the counter girl.
"Spirit Stones.... It is Low Grade Spirit Stones!" The counter girl was shocked to see the spirit stones. She stared at the spirit stones and asked, "Young master, are you sure you want to pay with spirit stones after all spirit stones are very rare and valuable."
"I am sure. Take it." Ye Xiao smiled at her. Seeing this, that counter girl took the spirit stones with a trembling hand. Then Ye Xiao turned to leave. As Ye Xiao was about to exit the gate of the Alchemist Association, he turned around and threw a Low Grade Spirit Sone to the attendant that helped him to buy the medicinal herbs and then he left.
That attendant hurriedly caught the spirit stone and when he looked at it, he could not help but tremble with excitement. That counter girl also saw this. Then she looked at the attendant with jealousy.
.....
Ye Xiao returned and went back to his room. And then he entered the world inside the Heavenly Pearl. He Again appeared on the Grassland. Then he walked on the Jade Path and comes in front of the Nine Story Pagoda. He again entered and appeared on the First Floor of the Nine Story Pagoda.
He was planning to refine the Body Tempering Pill here because of two reason.
First one is that, the flow of time is slow here. Three days here is equal to one day outside. Since it was his first time refining the pill, he didn't know how much time it will take him to successfully refine. He only has one day left. After that the second round of the competition will start.
He then took out all the medicinal herbs and the cauldron that his master Grandmaster Wang gave him. Then placed the medicinal herbs needed to refine the Body Tempering Pill inside the cauldron. After this, each and every step must be performed extremely precisely.
He took a long breath and started to organise his thoughts.
Then he placed both of his hands on the two sides of the cauldron and then poured the Beast Fire into the cauldron and at the same time started inspecting the situation inside the cauldron with his spiritual power.
The flame was poured into the alchemical cauldron and, backing the medicinal herbs inside and drying them out. But because of some reason, there was some residue spirit energy left inside the dried medicinal herbs. So, he failed his first attempt of refining a pill.
Nevertheless, Ye Xiao was not discouraged by this. He also expected this.
Anyway, he also learned a few things because of his first attempt. He learned how formidable his flames were and that he needed to increase his control over his Beast Fire.
Ye Xiao picked up the next set of herbs and started his next attempt to refine a Body Tempering Pill. This time, he made sure to pay special attention to his control, in order to manipulate the flames correctly. He carefully backed the medicinal herbs inside the cauldron. But again, the result was failure.
He again attempted to refine the pill but again he failed.
After experiencing failure three times in a row, Ye Xiao could not help but felt somewhat dejected. But again, he has to refine the pill no matter what. And it was not like these three attempts of refining the pill was for nothing. He already had the knowledge and experience of the Ancient Pill God and now his control over his Beast Fire also increased to its peak. And he also build up his own some experience regarding concocting the pellet.
He took a rest for some time and then he attempted to refine the Body Tempering Pill for the fourth time.
On his fourth attempt, he successfully dried the medicinal herbs and extracted out all of the Spirit Qi from it. Now he entered the next phase of the alchemy.
While he was trying to concoct the Body Tempering Pill, he took a peek inside the cauldron with the help of his spiritual power. He saw various colours of Spirit Qi emitted by the medicinal herbs. Now he started to manipulate these Spirit Qi, rotating them to form a whirlpool. The already dried up medicinal herbs was also injected by his spirit energy and turned into medicinal powder.
Ye Xiao was now in the Seventh Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm. He had a good amount of Spirit Energy, yet he was already near his limit. Controlling the Beast Fire and manipulating it every time to increase and decrease its temperature, resulted in taking him to his limit.
The whirlpool that Ye Xiao formed was too big for a single pill so he divide the whirlpool into four equal whirlpool and then he started to fuse the four whirlpool of Spirit Qi with four equal portion of the medicinal power. While doing this, Ye Xiao's brows started to wrinkle and he was sweating profusely from his forehead.
Not only he need to use his spirit energy to control the flame, he also needed it to control the whirlpool of Spirit Qi as well as the medicinal powder and fuse them together. Which forced him to consume large amount of Spirit Energy.
If anyone was here and saw him doing this, they will definitely think Ye Xiao as a madman. Normally, alchemists always formed a single pill in their first time refining a pill but Ye Xiao was trying to form four pills at once. No wonder, it resulted him to consume large amount of his spirit energy, taking him to his limit.
The four whirlpools of Spirit Qi were revolving rapidly while fusing with the medicinal powder. Sometime later, he finally fused them together and gave it a circular form, forming four pills.
"I finally succeeded. I ended up spending all day just to refine these four Body Tempering Pill. Alchemy really needs a lot of time." Ye Xiao said to himself with a sigh.