Chapter 72: Chapter 72: One Yang Li Fire

“You’re quite lucky, Hai Tu. I used my Enchanting Skill on your wives and concubines and didn’t find anything amiss. Otherwise, I would have killed you on sight.”

Si Yuan spoke in a chilling tone. Perhaps because he’d been raking in too many Spirit Stones, his subordinate, Wang Tong, had been getting a bit too big for his britches lately.

He was taking this matter so seriously only partly because Wang Tong’s behavior was indeed out of line; his main goal was to put his subordinate back in his place.

Only when he saw Yang Jing’s shaken and terrified expression did he nod in satisfaction.

“I’ve approved your request for the Spirit Medicine; it’ll be delivered in a couple of days. However, you’ve handed over far too few Muscle Strengthening Pills recently, and I’m very displeased. Put more pressure on the Alchemists under you. You have a knack for squeezing those Alchemists, so don’t disappoint me.”

When Yang Jing looked up, Si Yuan had already vanished. He maintained his look of lingering fear, only straightening his back after he returned to his Cave Mansion.

’Although Si Yuan is at the Foundation Establishment Stage, he feels countless times weaker than Biyuan Ancestor and Song Luoxi.’

He returned to the Quiet Chamber, where Yinjiao was coiled on the Meditation Cushion, circulating Spiritual Qi.

It had drawn in so much Water Element Spiritual Qi that the Quiet Chamber had almost become a water-curtain grotto, with droplets of moisture clinging to every surface.

Yang Jing glanced at Yinjiao’s status panel and saw that its comprehension of the Jade Water Skill had reached a state of refined skill. It had come from behind to surpass Iron Head.

“Master!”

Upon seeing Yang Jing, Yinjiao slowly ceased its cultivation. It then manipulated the water in the air, gathering all the moisture in the Quiet Chamber into a single sphere and sending it flying outside.

“Go have Senior Brother Iron Head come up and take your place. I have instructions for him,” Yang Jing said.

Yinjiao paused. “Master, are you having Senior Brother Iron Head come up for Alchemy? I’ve been learning some Alchemy from him recently. I didn’t want to waste Spirit Medicine, so I only practiced refining Blood Circulation Pills. I hope I can perform Alchemy for you in the future, too.”

Yinjiao had decided to learn Alchemy for a couple of reasons. First, Senior Brother Iron Head spent so much time on Alchemy and held nothing back in teaching him, yet Yinjiao always reaped the benefits without contributing. He felt uneasy about it.

Second, his master’s Dao Seed Implantation Skill was simply miraculous—practically an Immortal Technique. Senior Brother Iron Head performed Alchemy day in and day out; his toil, if not his accomplishments, was worthy of merit. As a Flood Dragon, Yinjiao might enjoy his master’s favor for now, but if he came to believe his position was unshakeable and simply reaped the rewards without contributing, he would sooner or later incur his master’s displeasure.

That was why Yinjiao had gotten the idea to study Alchemy.

Yang Jing’s plan for the two was to have Iron Head handle internal affairs by earning cultivation resources, while Yinjiao would handle external matters, slaying Demons and defending the righteous path.

Due to the difference in their aptitudes as Guardian Beasts, the amount of Spirit Stones required to enhance their various Cultivation Techniques and skills from the Hundred Skills of Cultivation varied enormously. Iron Head possessed the Bright Qi Talent, making it better suited for the three arts: Pills, Artifacts, and Arrays.

Yinjiao, on the other hand, had better aptitude, and its various top-tier Talents complemented each other perfectly in Magical Combat. He hadn’t expected it to be so ambitious as to volunteer to learn the Alchemy Skill.

Yang Jing nodded in satisfaction. “Fine. For now, use the Profound Gold Tripod to refine Blood Circulation Pills and hone your Alchemy. Once you’ve achieved some success, I’ll have Senior Brother Iron Head teach you how to refine Muscle Strengthening Pills.”

’This works out perfectly,’ he thought. Si Yuan needed him to supply Muscle Strengthening Pills, and as Iron Head’s Alchemy improved, producing Middle and Lower Grades of the pill required a dedicated refining session. In the future, Yinjiao could handle all of them.

Alchemy was a skill that required the backing of an organization to flourish. Now that he had infiltrated the Profound Carp Association, Yang Jing no longer had to worry about securing Spirit Pill Materials or finding buyers. Even the Lower Grade Blood Circulation Pills Yinjiao would make for practice could fetch a price in the Demon Country.

’An extra worker is always a good thing.’

Once Yinjiao’s Alchemy improved, his two disciples could meet the Profound Carp Association’s entire supply demand for the Huangyuan Marketplace. He could then pull a few strings and line his own pockets; his profits might even surpass those of his superior, Si Yuan.

’Improving Iron Head’s and Yinjiao’s Cultivation Techniques costs Spirit Stones. If I don’t make a killing now, when will I?’

At this thought, Yang Jing was exceptionally pleased with Yinjiao’s perceptiveness.

When Iron Head came up from the cellar, Yang Jing led it to the Fire Room in the courtyard.

The Fire Room had accumulated a thick layer of dust from long disuse. Yang Jing cast a Cleaning Spell to clear it away, revealing an Array laid out within the room.

It was a Tier One Upper Grade One Yang Li Fire Formation, capable of converting Fire Element Spiritual Qi into One Yang Li Fire.

One Yang Li Fire was easy to manipulate with precision and contained Yanghe Qi, which could enhance the efficacy of most Tier One Spirit Pills. It was the most suitable Spiritual Fire for Low Tier Cultivators to use for Alchemy, far surpassing the Spiritual Fire produced by burning Silver Silk Charcoal.

In Yang Jing’s eyes, this Array was no different from a Spirit Stone Mine. As long as Iron Head diligently performed Alchemy, it would be a ceaseless source of Spirit Stones.

Iron Head’s eyes also lit up. The Mica Pill Book held the One Yang Li Fire in the highest esteem. ’With One Yang Li Fire and the Nine Cranes Furnace,’ it wondered, ’could I refine the legendary Super-grade Spirit Pills?’

“Ah, Iron Head. I’ve already managed to gather the Spirit Medicines for the Transformation Pill Formula. However, I can see you aren’t yet completely familiar with this One Yang Li Fire and the Nine Cranes Furnace. Once you can handle the Spiritual Fire and the new Pill Furnace with masterful ease, I’ll entrust the Spirit Medicines to you for refining.”

Yang Jing said with his hands behind his back.

The fighting spirit in Iron Head’s eyes practically ignited. It looked at Yang Jing with immense resolve and nodded solemnly.

It immediately placed the Nine Cranes Furnace in the center of the Magic Array and activated the One Yang Li Fire Formation.

As roiling Spiritual Qi was devoured by the Array, an apricot-yellow flame of Spiritual Fire slowly ignited. As the fire’s intensity increased, the feathers of the Flying Cranes on the Nine Cranes Furnace lit up one by one. Under Iron Head’s control, they continuously inhaled and exhaled the Spiritual Fire, regulating the temperature inside the furnace.

With great effort, Iron Head formed the spell seals with its claws, tossing various Spirit Medicines into the furnace in the correct sequence and at the perfect moments.

Inside the Nine Cranes Furnace, the One Yang Li Fire refined the various Spirit Medicines into medicinal essences, while Iron Head manipulated the Restrictions to expel the useless impurities. The Restrictions on the Nine Cranes Furnace were far more complete than those on the Profound Gold Tripod, allowing Iron Head to easily purge all impurities, leaving behind only the pure essences.

Under the power of the Spiritual Fire and the Nine Cranes Tripod’s Restrictions, the multicolored essences gradually coalesced into a single mass.

As Iron Head formed a new mantra, a long, clear crane’s cry echoed from the Pill Furnace. The nine spiritual cranes on its walls exhaled wisps of white smoke, and a rich Pill Fragrance filled the air.

Lifting the furnace lid revealed twelve perfectly round and flawless Bone Marrow Transformation Pills lying inside. These were all Upper Grade pills, and their pill aura was pure and contained. Even among Upper Grade pills, their quality was outstanding. In the Demon Country, they were a harder currency than even Spirit Stones.

Yang Jing admitted to himself that even though he shared Iron Head’s Alchemy skill, there was no way he could perform with such excellence.

Months spent in front of the Pill Furnace had allowed it to hone a profound, almost mystical intuition for Alchemy. If Yang Jing wanted to achieve a similar level of skill, he would have to undergo the same high-intensity training.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep