Chapter 14: Refining Spirit Origin Pills
Three months had passed since Lin Tianming arrived in Qingfeng Town. His cultivation had advanced from the fifth to the sixth level of Qi Refining, consuming four Spirit Origin Pills. He still had sixteen Spirit Origin Pills left.
In such a sparse spiritual environment, advancing one level in just over three months was significantly aided by the pills. While he had a considerable stock of medicinal herbs and pills, they were not limitless.
His current cultivation resources were adequate, but he couldn't be wasteful. Lin Tianming decided to consume two Spirit Origin Pills monthly to enhance his cultivation and spend the remaining time refining more pills.
Sixteen Spirit Origin Pills would last eight months if consumed at a rate of two per month. However, if he could refine a sufficient quantity of pills, he could increase his monthly intake to four, speeding up his cultivation.
With his proficiency in refining Qi Consolidation Pills (Bigu Pills) yielding a high success rate and quantity, he felt ready to attempt refining mid-grade first-tier pills like the Spirit Origin Pills.
He had fifty-five sets of ingredients for Spirit Origin Pills, enough for fifty-five furnaces. Successfully refining even a portion would supplement his stockpile, allowing him to increase his monthly intake and accelerate his cultivation progress.
Determined, Lin Tianming decided to start by refining Qi Consolidation Pills to get into the right mindset and practice. Spirit Origin Pill ingredients were much more expensive and the refinement process more complex, so he couldn't afford to waste them.
After adjusting his state to its peak, he prepared the furnace and fire bottle, skillfully casting incantations to begin the refinement process. Half a day later, he had successfully refined the remaining four sets of Qi Consolidation Pill ingredients, producing fifty-six pills—an increase of fourteen pills compared to his previous batch.
Satisfied with the improvement, he now had a total of 136 Qi Consolidation Pills, worth around 110 merit points—a substantial sum.
Confident from his success, Lin Tianming turned his attention to refining Spirit Origin Pills. He took out his grandfather Lin Shigong's alchemical notes and the jade slip left by Master Yuhua. Although his grandfather's alchemical skills couldn't compare to Master Yuhua's, the accumulated experience of generations of Lin family alchemists held valuable insights.
After spending half a day revisiting the notes, he focused on the key points from both masters, preparing three sets of Spirit Origin Pill ingredients. After adjusting his state for half an hour, he commenced the refinement process.
Given the high cost and complexity, he couldn't afford to be careless. He carefully followed each step, casting incantations on the Four Symbols Furnace and the fire bottle, gradually adding the ingredients.
A strange sound from the furnace and a slight tremor indicated his first attempt had failed. Opening the furnace, he found three broken pills at the bottom. Lin Tianming wasn't discouraged; failure was expected on the first try.
He scrutinized the broken pills, analyzing his process. He realized his control over the fire during ingredient decomposition was imprecise, leaving impurities that prevented successful pill formation.
Determined to correct his mistakes, Lin Tianming took out another set of ingredients, meticulously preparing and refining them. One by one, he decomposed and purified each herb, paying close attention to fire control.
An hour later, the sweet aroma of successful pill formation filled the chamber. Two pills hovered in the furnace. Lin Tianming carefully compared one to his grandfather's pill. The color was identical, but something felt off. After several comparisons, he realized his pills lacked the subtle spiritual energy halo.
He deduced that his overzealous infusion of spiritual energy during the final stage had disrupted the balance, causing the failure.
Over five days, Lin Tianming repeated the process, refining and adjusting. Finally, on the eighth attempt, he succeeded. His joy was immense as he examined the pill, identical in every aspect to his grandfather's.
The success meant he had the knowledge to refine more. He dove into a frenzy of refinement and cultivation, determined to produce as many Spirit Origin Pills as possible.