One Kun Year...Forming A Pill

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At night, Qi Yuan stood atop a towering mountain, hands clasped behind his back.

A streak of light approached from the horizon, and a woman's figure emerged.

Duobao landed respectfully and bowed. "I greet the master."

Qi Yuan didn't turn around. His deep voice carried through the night. "Why did you seek me out?"

A flicker of light appeared in Duobao's hand, revealing a yellow and blue pill. "Master, I found this while exploring an abandoned cave. After consulting ancient texts, I discovered it is the long-lost Jade Pill. It can shorten the time needed to form a golden pill, so I brought it to you."

Jade Pill. A rare treasure that accelerates pill formation.

The time required to form a golden pill varies based on spiritual roots. Even a talented cultivator like Han Li, with four spiritual roots, took over five years to succeed. With Qi Yuan's five-element spiritual roots, wouldn't it take at least seven? And that was without factoring in the risk of failure. If he failed, he would have to start all over again, wasting precious years. Most cultivators would crumble under such pressure.

Qi Yuan turned, taking the Jade Pill and examining it closely. With two years of alchemy experience, he could judge whether Duobao was telling the truth.

Duobao lowered her head, awed by Qi Yuan's transcendent aura. When would she reach such heights?

A storage bag landed in her hands. Qi Yuan's voice was calm. "The pill is genuine. These are your rewards. Train well."

"Thank you, Master."

Peeking into the bag, Duobao's eyes lit up with joy. He handed out pills as if they were worthless.

Qi Yuan gave her a final warning. "Be discreet. If word gets out, the consequences will be dire."

"I understand. I will be careful," Duobao assured him, her tone serious.

Once she left, Qi Yuan pondered. Lately, Duobao's luck seemed extraordinary. It was as if every step she took led her to fortune.

Returning to his cave, he spent time refining pills, producing thirty Jade Pills before setting off for the Purple Gold Kingdom.

He settled on a remote mountain, preparing for seclusion. Before withdrawing, he sent word to his companions, assuring them of his safety and entrusting Nangong Wan with their care.

He gathered a collection of thousand-year-old spiritual medicines—Heavenly Fire Liquid, Snow Spirit Water, Jade Pill, Five Elements True Spirit Fruit—each floating before him.

Qi Yuan began.

He drank the Heavenly Fire Liquid, and searing heat spread through his meridians and organs. Then, the Snow Spirit Water, an icy pain stabbing into his very flesh. The cycle repeated before he consumed the Five Elements True Spirit Fruit. The rich elemental energies exploded within his dantian, forcing him to activate the Reversed Five Elements Technique to refine them.

At last, he swallowed the Jade Pill.

Using his spiritual sense, he observed his dantian. A swirling mass of five-colored liquid slowly condensed, taking the shape of an incomplete pill.

Then, a wisp of white mist drifted down from the Chaos Cauldron, seeping into his dantian.

Qi Yuan frowned. Was this interference a blessing or a disaster?

The white mist merged with the forming pill, abruptly splitting it into five distinct portions—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth.

His golden pill had been divided. The newly condensed pseudo-pill turned back into five separate streams of liquid.

Uncertain of its significance, Qi Yuan had no choice but to continue consuming elixirs.

One year passed.

Then another.

Another half-year.

After cycling through his stock of spiritual medicines, five golden pills finally condensed within his dantian. Each gleamed in a different hue, circulating in an endless cycle of elemental balance.

Was this the Golden Core stage?

No. His aura remained at the Foundation Establishment level.

Qi Yuan focused inward. The five golden pills were flawless in energy and structure, yet he had not advanced to the Jindan stage.

Could the Chaos Cauldron have led him astray?

He contemplated the interaction of the five elements.

Creation. Destruction.

Chaos.

Unity.

The five elements must return to one.

Realization struck him. Qi Yuan controlled the five golden pills, attempting fusion through the cycle of mutual creation.

Wood generated fire. Fire created earth. Earth produced metal. Metal birthed water. Water nourished wood. As they merged, his five-element golden pill shone brilliantly. But the next instant, it split once more into five separate pills.

Reversing the cycle, he tested mutual destruction.

Wood overcame earth. Earth subdued water. Water extinguished fire. Fire melted metal. Metal cut wood.

Violent turbulence erupted in his dantian.

Qi Yuan coughed blood repeatedly, consuming more pills to recover from the backlash.

One final attempt.

Qi Yuan forced the five golden pills to merge again.

A radiant glow burst forth as his aura surged. In a single moment, he stepped into the Jindan stage.

Above the mountain, thunderclouds roiled, flashing with streaks of violet lightning.

Spiritual energy from thousands of miles away converged into a pillar of light, cascading down upon the peak. Flowers bloomed instantly, trees flourished, and the land teemed with new life. Some plants even transformed into spirit creatures, gaining sentience.

This spectacle did not go unnoticed.

Passing cultivators stared in shock.

"Someone is forming a golden pill here?"

"This light… I've never seen such a phenomenon recorded in ancient texts. What kind of pill formation is this?"

A regal figure arrived, accompanied by guards. A man clad in princely robes exuded a commanding presence—King Jinwu of the Purple Gold Kingdom.

Another figure stood nearby, a woman crowned with flowers, her gaze locked onto the scene—Fairy Bizhen of the Shenshui Palace.

Gasps echoed among the onlookers.

"Fairy Bizhen and King Jinwu are both here?"

The Zijin Kingdom was a modest nation, but its dominant forces were the Zijin Dynasty and Shenshui Palace. Their rivalry had lasted for years.

King Jinwu's voice was heavy with authority. "Fairy Bizhen, do you know who is forming a golden pill inside?"

Fairy Bizhen's phoenix-like eyes lingered on him. "Your Highness, you jest. How would I know? I assumed another Jindan cultivator was born within your kingdom."

Their factions had long been at odds, constantly wary of each other's rising talents.

King Jinwu laughed. "If neither of us recognizes this person, then it must be an outsider who came to our lands for seclusion."

Fairy Bizhen smirked. "To choose such a desolate place, they must be a rogue cultivator. King Jinwu, I trust you've thought of this as well?"

Ignoring her, King Jinwu gave silent orders to his men, preparing to send gifts in an effort to recruit this mysterious figure.

Fairy Bizhen was not to be outdone. She took out a sound transmission talisman, whispered a few words, and vanished into the void.

A thunderous explosion echoed across the heavens.

The celestial phenomenon abruptly vanished. The sky cleared, as if nothing had happened.

Success or failure?

The spectators held their breath, watching the mountain peak.

Hours passed. No one emerged.

Fairy Bizhen hesitated before sending another transmission talisman toward the mountain. Then, she too disappeared.

King Jinwu scoffed, leaving behind his own sound transmission note before departing.

The cultivator within had made their stance clear. They had no desire to meet anyone.

(End Of Chapter)