Wang Fan sat cross-legged in the quiet room, not starting immediately.
Just now at the Exchange, he had already firmly memorized the Mystic Yin Skill and the Blood Coagulation Pill formula, every word, every detail, already imprinted deep in his Sea of Consciousness.
The reason he gave the Jade Slip and booklet to Jiang Xue was merely making use of waste, and incidentally applying pressure to see her limits.
With a thought, he took out a half-human-tall black Alchemy furnace from his storage bag.
The Alchemy furnace was cast entirely from black iron, with an antique style, and only a few simple fire-gathering runes on its surface, making it the most common type among first-grade Alchemy furnaces.
Even so, it had almost depleted all the Spirit Stones on him.
The hundred Spirit Stones issued by the Sect, after buying the Pill Formula, medicinal herbs, that book Mystic Yin Skill, and this Alchemy furnace, there was little left.
Ten portions of Blood Coagulation Pill medicinal herbs, each portion costing one Spirit Stone. A finished Blood Coagulation Pill on the market is worth three Spirit Stones.
This meant that his success rate for forming pills had to reach at least thirty percent just to barely recover the cost of the medicinal herbs.
If all ten portions of medicinal herbs failed, he would be completely penniless.
Pressure, it was ever-present.
Wang Fan took a deep breath and calmed his thoughts.
He didn't rush to light the fire, but instead took out the first portion of medicinal herbs and spread them out in front of him.
A small piece of dark red beast blood clot emitting a Fishy smell smell, several stalks of Blood Coagulation Grass with thick leaves and mucus, several deep-colored Extreme Yin Flowers emitting a cold aura, and auxiliary herbs like licorice and summer cypress.
He closed his eyes, and in his mind, he began to rapidly simulate every step of Alchemy.
The order in which the medicinal herbs were added, the precise control of the heat, the timing and strength of the spiritual energy injection... How the fire-attribute spiritual energy of the Flame Fire Art would drive the furnace fire, how the wood-attribute spiritual energy would nourish the medicinal properties, how to coordinate the two, how to avoid conflict...
Every detail in the Pill Formula was repeatedly analyzed and refined in his mind, striving for perfection.
After a long while, Wang Fan opened his eyes, his gaze clear.
He extended his right hand, and at the tip of his index finger, a cluster of crimson flames ignited out of thin air, precisely the pure spiritual fire generated by the Flame Fire Art.
The spiritual fire was placed at the bottom of the Alchemy furnace, the furnace body vibrated slightly, and the fire-gathering runes on the furnace wall slowly lit up.
The temperature, under the precise control of his Divine Sense, gradually increased.
The time had come!
Wang Fan's expression was focused, and according to the order simulated in his mind, he successively put the Blood Coagulation Grass, Extreme Yin Flowers, and other auxiliary herbs into the Alchemy furnace.
The medicinal herbs quickly melted and decomposed under the high temperature, emitting a pungent odor.
His Divine Sense was highly concentrated, cautiously controlling the heat, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Finally, it was that piece of beast blood clot.
The moment it was added, the Alchemy furnace emitted a 'sizzling' sound, and the previously somewhat stable medicinal liquid suddenly boiled violently, a burnt smell permeated the air.
It failed.
Wang Fan expressionlessly withdrew the spiritual fire, opened the Alchemy furnace, and inside was only a pool of black sticky waste residue.
He was not discouraged, nor was he impatient.
He cleaned the Alchemy furnace and took out the second portion of medicinal herbs.
Closing his eyes again, he replayed the process of the previous failure in his mind, analyzing every possible flawed step.
Was the heat too high?
Or was the timing of adding the beast blood incorrect?
Adjusting again, he opened the furnace once more.
This time, he was even more careful, his Divine Sense controlling the heat with extreme precision.
The process of the medicinal liquid fusing seemed to go a little smoother, but just at the final crucial moment before forming the pill, the spiritual energy inside the furnace suddenly became chaotic.
Puff!
With a soft sound, the Alchemy furnace trembled slightly.
The second time, it still failed. Only a pile of gray-white powder remained at the bottom of the furnace.
Wang Fan frowned slightly.
Two consecutive failures, at different steps.
He cleaned the Alchemy furnace again and took out the third portion of medicinal herbs.
This time, he didn't start immediately, but sat down cross-legged and circulated the Flame Fire Art.
Crimson and emerald spiritual light flowed around his body, replenishing the spiritual energy consumed during the previous Alchemy attempts.
At the same time, his brain, like the most precise instrument, operated frantically, constantly comparing, analyzing, and reorganizing the experiences of the previous two failures, the records in the Pill Formula, and the characteristics of the Flame Fire Art.
The heat, the timing, the method of spiritual energy injection, and even the subtle conflicts that might arise when different medicinal herbs fused...
Every detail was dissected and repeatedly scrutinized by him.
The third time.
Wang Fan opened the furnace again.
This time, he used the wood-attribute spiritual energy of the Flame Fire Art in an extremely subtle way, intertwining it thread by thread around the violent fire-attribute spiritual energy, like putting a flexible leash on a raging lion.
His mind was immersed, spiritual energy flowed, and the medicinal herbs were added in sequence.
When the beast blood clot entered the furnace again, the moment that violent aura just rose, it was gently enveloped, permeated, and soothed by the ready wood-attribute spiritual energy.
Inside the furnace, it was no longer just high-temperature burning, but a hint of vitality contained within the intense heat, guiding the Fusion of the medicinal properties.
Time passed little by little.
A strange medicinal fragrance gradually permeated the Alchemy furnace, mixed with a faint bloody smell.
It succeeded!
Wang Fan's eyes moved slightly, and he formed a hand seal, the furnace fire abruptly extinguished.
The furnace lid opened, and a pill the size of a pigeon egg, with a pitted surface, a dark red color, and faintly visible Impurities, lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace.
He reached out and drew it into his palm, examining it carefully.
Blood Coagulation Pill, Low Grade.
The surface of the pill was rough, its color impure, and it contained at least thirty percent Impurities.
Pills of this quality have violent and mixed medicinal properties. If taken directly, they would lightly damage the Meridians and leave hidden dangers, and severely, cause spiritual energy conflict and lead to Qi Deviation.
However, Wang Fan had no intention of taking it himself.
Putting away the Alchemy furnace, he walked out of the quiet room and into the courtyard.
"Zhang Hu."
Zhang Hu, who was in the open space in front of the side room in the west of the courtyard, performing basic physical training according to Wang Fan's previous instructions, immediately stopped his movements upon hearing the call and jogged over.
He was burly, with dark skin, and a simple, eager-to-please smile on his face.
"Master, you called for me?"
Wang Fan handed over the Low Grade Blood Coagulation Pill in his hand.
"Eat it and circulate your cultivation method."
Zhang Hu looked at the pill in Wang Fan's hand that was emitting a bloody smell, and his eyes instantly lit up.
A pill! Master actually bestowed a pill upon him!
Although the quality of this pill didn't seem very good, for a menial slave with Low Grade Spiritual Roots like him, it was a great gift!
He accepted the pill without hesitation, grateful to the point of tears: "Thank you, Master, for the reward! Thank you, Master, for the reward!"
After speaking, he couldn't wait to swallow the Low Grade Blood Coagulation Pill in one gulp.
Upon entering his stomach, a violent Heat flow instantly exploded within his body, like countless steel needles piercing his Meridians frantically!
Zhang Hu grunted, his face instantly flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead, and he quickly sat cross-legged according to a superficial Qi Refining chant that Wang Fan had casually taught him before, attempting to guide the violent medicinal energy.
Just then, Wang Fan's cold palm gently pressed down on the crown of Zhang Hu's head.
The Flame Fire Art quietly circulated.
Zhang Hu felt that the violent and splitting energy within his body seemed to have found an outlet, surging frantically towards the top of his head, and flowing away continuously through that cold palm.
The pain slightly lessened, but the spiritual energy in his body was also being drained at an alarming speed.
Wang Fan closed his eyes, feeling the streams of spiritual energy that had been initially refined by Zhang Hu's body, although still mixed, were much gentler, surging into his own body through his palm.
The fire and wood dual Spiritual Roots of the Flame Fire Art were like two greedy whirlpools, rapidly decomposing, purifying, and absorbing this external spiritual energy.
The violent medicinal properties of the Blood Coagulation Pill, the Impurities in the pill, the impact on the Meridians... All these negative effects were borne by Zhang Hu.
And Wang Fan only needed to reap the benefits, absorbing the relatively pure energy.
This was the purpose of a spiritual slave.
Just a 'cauldron' to provide cultivation for the Master.
Soon, the medicinal energy of that Low Grade Blood Coagulation Pill was initially refined by Zhang Hu and then completely absorbed by Wang Fan.
Wang Fan could clearly feel that his Qi Refining Stage - First Level cultivation had reached its peak, only a step away from breaking through.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took out another pill from his storage bag.
It was precisely the Blood Coagulation Pill that Senior Brother Mo Yan had given him earlier.
This pill was round in color, with restrained blood light, and faint runes flowing on its surface. Its quality was far superior to the Low Grade pill he had refined himself, clearly a high-grade item.
Wang Fan's expression was emotionless. Just as the medicinal energy of the Low Grade Blood Coagulation Pill was exhausted and Zhang Hu's Meridians were still in a state of expansion and stinging, he directly stuffed this high-quality Blood Coagulation Pill into Zhang Hu's mouth.
"Ugh!" Zhang Hu's body trembled violently, his eyes widened, and an expression of extreme pain appeared on his face.
If the Low Grade pill just now was like steel needles piercing, then this high-grade pill was simply a red-hot branding iron crashing through his body!
A more vast, more pure, and also more violent medicinal energy erupted!
Zhang Hu's body trembled violently, as if countless small snakes were wriggling under his skin, and faint blood streaks seeped from his orifices.
But he dared not resist, nor even dared to stop circulating that superficial chant, because that cold palm on the top of his head was still firmly pressed down, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, hanging over his neck.
Stop, death!
Don't stop, there's still a sliver of hope!
Wang Fan's expression remained unchanged, fully circulating the Flame Fire Art, accelerating the absorption of the more pure and vast spiritual energy that was transmitted from Zhang Hu's body after preliminary refinement.
Boom!
An invisible wave of air suddenly spread out centered on Wang Fan.
The spiritual energy Bottleneck in his body, under the impact of this pure energy, broke through!
Qi Refining Stage - Second Level!