Chapter 47: The Yin-Yang Separation and Union Spirit Control True Technique

In the private room on the seventh floor of the Gathering Pavilion.

Shopkeeper Liao knocked on the door, "Master, I have urgent news to report!"

A voice as cold as ice came from inside the room.

"Enter!"

Only then did Shopkeeper Liao carefully push open the door and step inside.

"Master."

"Fellow Daoist Qin just came to the shop to purchase spirit materials."

"He is preparing to break through to become an intermediate alchemist."

Gu Qingzhao was sipping tea while reading a scripture. Upon hearing this, she abruptly straightened her body, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked at Shopkeeper Liao and said, "What?!"

Shopkeeper Liao quickly bowed and recounted the entire story without missing a single detail.

"This matter was handled excellently. You will be credited with a great achievement."

"When the Immortal City of Cloud Marsh is completed, there will be a place for you in the pavilion."

"Continue to maintain good relations with Fellow Daoist Qin. If he comes to the shop again, report directly to me." Gu Qingzhao's star-like eyes flickered, as if deep in thought.

...

Qin Ming left the Gathering Pavilion.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

He skillfully made his way to Su Yuqing's residence.

"Brother Su, this is Spirit Bamboo Wine. It has an excellent taste, so I brought a jar for you to try." Qin Ming took out the spirit wine from his storage bag and handed it to Su Yuqing.

Su Yuqing's face lit up with joy as he accepted the Spirit Bamboo Wine. Opening the seal, an overwhelmingly rich fragrance of spirit wine filled the entire room.

"Excellent wine! Brother Qin, you always have such fine things! I'll gladly accept it."

This man had two great passions in life: one was alchemy, and the other was spirit wine and spirit tea.

Su Yuqing eagerly took out two wine cups, ready to taste it.

Seeing this, Qin Ming raised his hand to stop him. "Brother Su, I'm here today to borrow the alchemy room to refine pills. I've already had some earlier, so I won't drink anymore."

"Alright, go ahead. I'll enjoy this Spirit Bamboo Wine." Su Yuqing nodded, then picked up the wine cup and prepared to head to the courtyard. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and casually asked, "What kind of pill are you planning to refine?"

"Qi Gathering Pills." Qin Ming answered without hesitation.

"Oh~" Su Yuqing responded at first, but then suddenly reacted with surprise, his tone rising. "What did you say?!"

"Qi Gathering Pills? Are you sure?"

"This pill is one of the most difficult to refine among all intermediate-grade spirit pills."

Qin Ming replied with absolute certainty, "Yes, it's this very pill."

His choice of the Qi Gathering Pill was deliberate. For him, this pill currently offered the best effect for advancing his magical energy cultivation.

This time, just preparing the ten portions of spirit materials required for refining the Qi Gathering Pills cost him several hundred spirit stones.

"Alright then, Brother Qin always likes to take on high difficulty challenges." Su Yuqing was used to it by now and went off to enjoy his wine, cradling the jar.

Next.

Qin Ming entered the alchemy room, clearing his mind of distractions and focusing solely on refining the pills.

The formula for the Qi Gathering Pill, as well as the refining process, were meticulously recorded in Su Yuqing's notebook.

Qin Ming had rehearsed it countless times in his mind, committing every detail to memory.

After further enhancing his soul power.

The steps of extracting medicinal essences and preparing the spirit herbs proceeded smoothly without any issues.

He opened the fire valve beneath the pill furnace.

Boom!

Intense underground flames surged forth.

Qin Ming began controlling the flames, evenly heating the pill furnace.

When the timing was nearly right.

He gestured with his hand, and one portion of the prepared spirit herbs flew into the pill furnace.

Next came the most critical step.

Relying on his powerful soul, Qin Ming carefully controlled the underground flames while fusing the spirit herbs within the pill furnace.

After a long while.

Pfft!

A cloud of acrid black smoke erupted from the pill furnace.

Clearly, his first attempt at refining had failed.

Qin Ming had anticipated this outcome. After all, the difficulty of refining intermediate-grade spirit pills far exceeded that of low-grade ones.

Expecting success on the first try would be nothing short of a pipe dream.

With an impassive expression, Qin Ming began clearing the residue from the pill furnace, summarizing his experience, and preparing for another attempt.

Time passed.

From within the alchemy room, the sounds of repeated failures continued to echo.

After seven consecutive failures.

Finally, Qin Ming's expression began to falter.

"What could be going wrong?"

"I've followed the steps exactly, almost to the letter." He was utterly baffled, stuck in a deadlock.

Unable to grasp the key issue, continuing to refine under these conditions would only lead to the same result—failure.

Outside the alchemy room.

"How's the refining going?" Su Yuqing saw Qin Ming looking disheveled and entered the alchemy room with an amused smile, hands clasped behind his back.

He casually picked up one of the failed pills Qin Ming had refined, gently crushed it with his fingers, and began examining the grayish-black residue closely.

He then brought it to his nose to sniff.

After a long while.

Su Yuqing frowned slightly, deep in thought. After pondering for a moment, he finally asked,

"How long have you been trying to refine the Qi Gathering Pill?"

Qin Ming was puzzled. Whenever he came to refine pills, Su Yuqing usually paid no attention. Today, however, he unexpectedly entered and asked a question.

Instantly alert, Qin Ming replied honestly, "I just started today. I've only attempted it seven times."

Su Yuqing: "."

"Seven attempts and you've reached this level?"

"Are you joking with me?"

Su Yuqing rubbed the residue in his hand. The outer layer of black ash fell away, revealing a small, almond-sized, half-finished pill inside.

"You've already succeeded about one-third of the way."

Qin Ming stared at the failed pill and shrugged. "This might just be a lucky accident."

He then sifted through the remaining residue and found that only the one in Su Yuqing's hand was a half-finished product.

Seeing this.

Su Yuqing's face showed a conflicted expression. After hesitating for a long time, he sighed heavily and said,

"Alright, Brother Qin, to be honest, among all the spirit planters I've met, you have the highest talent for alchemy."

Qin Ming: "?!"

In his heart, he couldn't help but think that if it weren't for the significant enhancement of his soul power, he'd still be struggling with basic detoxification pills.

"The steps and process you used to refine the Qi Gathering Pill were all correct."

"It's just missing one thing." Su Yuqing said slowly.

Qin Ming's heart leapt with joy. Finally, he was about to get the answer to the puzzle that had been troubling him.

He asked curiously, "What's missing?"

"I'll demonstrate it once. Watch carefully." Su Yuqing walked over to the table after speaking.

His demeanor changed completely.

He then began refining the Qi Gathering Pill.

Under his masterful technique, the spirit materials were swiftly broken down. His movements flowed like clouds and water, seamless and effortless. Every step was executed with precision.

In just half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Chirp!

The clear sound of successful pill formation echoed from the pill furnace.

Twelve deep blue, high-quality Qi Gathering Pills emerged fresh from the furnace.

Su Yuqing waved his hand, and the pills flew into his palm.

Qin Ming was utterly mesmerized. His clumsy techniques couldn't compare to this.

"It seems there's a difference in the alchemy technique." Qin Ming hesitated before voicing his thoughts.

He clearly saw that during the final step of fusing the spirit herbs, the quality of the pill should have been ordinary.

However, Su Yuqing used a peculiar technique. The nearly formed pill liquid separated again, then re-fused until it reached perfection.

Only then did it succeed in one step, producing high-quality Qi Gathering Pills.

Su Yuqing smiled faintly and nodded. "Exactly. This Yin-Yang Separation and Union Spirit Control True Technique is my unique alchemy method. It's a culmination of insights I've gained over years of studying alchemy, and I'm still constantly improving it."

"The fusion technique within it—I dare say, aside from myself, even second-tier or higher alchemists wouldn't be able to figure it out."

"You've been watching me for so long, but you've only learned the surface. You haven't grasped the essence."

Qin Ming suddenly realized. "So that's how it is."

"I can teach you this Yin-Yang Separation and Union Spirit Control True Technique, but you must swear never to pass it on to others." Su Yuqing suddenly spoke with utmost seriousness.

Qin Ming was momentarily stunned!

Amidst his overwhelming joy, he couldn't help but feel astonished. Such an important technique—how could Su Yuqing so easily teach it to him?

'Could it be…'

(End of Chapter)