0048 - Standard Trial.

Lu Sheng's body moved again, and this time it tossed all the ingredients into the Pill Cauldron, leaving nothing behind.

"What are you doing?" Lu Sheng asked, slightly confused by the System's actions.

[Just wait and watch.]

After tossing all the ingredients, it closed the lid and put Lu Sheng's palm on the lid. Lu Sheng felt his meridians pulsating again as a wave of Spirit Essence concentrated in his palm on the lid.

[No matter how much the Pill Cauldron gets hot, the lid will protect us.] 

The System assured Lu Sheng, sensing his wariness towards the heat.

"Oooh, I see what you are going to do," Lu Sheng said, his eyes lighting up with understanding.

[Yes, we are going to create a new Pill Crafting method which only you can use. It will be much faster, efficient, potent, and have less wastage of materials.] 

"You are awesome!" Lu Sheng praised, impressed by the System's resourcefulness.

[I was always awesome.]

"Yeah, yeah...now show me the miracle," Lu Sheng said, eager to see the results.

The Spirit Essence entered the pill cauldron and covered the entire metallic body in its verdant glow as the color of the pill cauldron started to change from green to yellow to red. Sizzling sounds escaped from its inside, indicating the materials were being processed.

However, that was only a requirement to break the initial need of rousing the essence trapped in those materials as they got released. If Lu Sheng could see inside the pill cauldron, he would find a similar event to the creation of his Spirit Bead happening inside.

Creating the spirit bead was a simple process with only one variable of one spirit essence, but here, the variables are multiple with multiple spirit essence varieties to take care of. The pill cauldron started to tremble, and then a faint metallic ting echoed, as if a balance had been achieved.

And then, with a snap, everything stopped, the red metal sheen cooling down visibly in a matter of moments.

[Open the Lid.]

"You want me to do it?" Lu Sheng asked, slightly surprised.

[Of course.]

Lu Sheng's palm, still on the lid, gently grabbed it. It was a little warm, nothing harmful at all, as he lifted it up. A medicinal aroma, a large vapor, escaped the cauldron, filling the room with its fragrant essence. Lu Sheng's eyes widened in amazement as he looked inside the contents.

Inside the cauldron, perfectly formed pills glowed with a radiant light, as if they were not pills but marbles, each one pulsating with potent energy. They seemed to exude an aura of power and vitality.

"This is incredible!" Lu Sheng cried out, unable to contain his excitement as he grabbed one of them. "Ouch!" The pill was hot to touch.

[Let me.] 

The System said, and a faint glow covered Lu Sheng's palm as it picked up one pill.

"This is a pill? This looks exactly like a Spirit Bead," Lu Sheng commented with awe.

[The process was the same, and it was much cleaner, efficient, effective, and potent, leaving nothing behind at all. No loss at all, 100 percent utilization and very less pill waste or toxicity after eating it. Pure extraction!]

"Can it be eaten? It does not look edible, more like glass," Lu Sheng asked, still unsure about the nature of the pill.

[More like candy, give it a try.]

Lu Sheng trusted the System and threw the pill in his mouth. It was still warm, but as it touched his saliva, it started to melt, releasing a sweet sap-like juice, a honey-like texture, and yet very juicy, not much sweetness and yet very tasty.

His breath turned fragrant like mint as he gulped, swallowing it down his throat. A surge of warmth spread through his body, tingling and invigorating his skin. It was as if the essence of the pill was flowing through his veins, energizing him from the inside out.

"I am feeling full of power, energy, and heat," Lu Sheng said, his eyes shining with excitement.

[That's why it's called the Spirit Nourish Pill.]

Lu Sheng looked inside the pill cauldron and counted the number of pills.

"22 Pills? Is that enough?" Lu Sheng asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

[Yes, it will be enough for now. Let's go and hunt for our real cultivation resource.]

"Wait, why take such a risk?" Lu Sheng said, furrowing his brow. "If we can make pills like these easily, then why not gather more ingredients and just make more pills?"

[Not a bad idea if you are going to live forever in this room.] 

the System replied, a slight annoyance in its tone. 

[Why do you forget about our real task here? When we will hunt those escaped souls and ghosts, do you not think we will get into more danger, and we would need to fight to protect us? If we do not practice, then we will be in serious trouble.]

"I am not going to fight. Why do I need to when you are here?" Lu Sheng expressed his full confidence in the System. 

[You keep forgetting the crucial points. Did you forget that your will overrides my automation? What if, in the heat of the fight, you close your eyes or scream like a girl after seeing the ghost?]

"So, you are asking me to practice these things so that I will not get shocked when it's really needed, right?" Lu Sheng said, his expression becoming one of understanding.

[Right, now you understand. Let's go. Let's train harder and get stronger.]

Lu Sheng nodded, a determined expression on his face, as he left the Pill Crafting room and headed towards the Void Anchor room.

"Tell me again, what are we going to do?" Lu Sheng asked, his voice steady.

[We are going to use this standard trial and collect the chaos essence for us as a reward.]

"The wolves, right?" Lu Sheng said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

[Yes, do not be afraid.] 

The System reassured him. 

[Thanks to you, now we have weapons to defend and pills to replenish ourselves.]

"Okay, I believe you." Lu Sheng took a large breath, visibly calming himself down. "Automate it," he commanded, his voice clear with no hint of doubt in it.

[Automation Initiated.]