Chapter Twenty-Two: The Profound Mystery of Reversing Creation

Perhaps thanks to the inertia of his thoughts, Yingchen did not blindly rely on repeated trial and error to accumulate experience.

In his view, this level of alchemy did not involve the profound use of magical power or spells; as long as one was adept at thinking and summarizing, there would surely be something to gain.

"The color of the Azure Ganoderma powder deepens in the heat of the alchemical furnace, and once it turns purple, the medicinal potency rapidly dissipates..."

"But this period is extremely brief. When the powder first shows a faint purple hue, one must switch to counting rather than observing."

"Golden Thread Ganoderma has already been roasted with fire, so it does not undergo noticeable changes in the furnace, but its progress can be tracked by the level of pure water..."

Yingchen summarized the reasons why he missed the timing during his second attempt, and after carefully sorting them out, he began his third trial.

This time, the medicine he produced finally took on the form of pills and powder, and the loss of potency was far less than during his first attempt, with about forty to fifty percent retained.

This was already a 'spiritual medicine' that could truly benefit cultivators.

Yet Yingchen did not stop there. After another round of summing up and reflection, he embarked on the fourth attempt at alchemy.

This time, he was fully confident; as he added each ingredient, he could anticipate the changes it would undergo. The entire process flowed smoothly, and after carefully timing the fire for three hours and letting it stand for one more, he opened the furnace to a rush of exquisite fragrance.

Legend has it that truly supreme pills emit no fragrance whatsoever, for such pills do not let a trace of potency escape.

But for spiritual medicines like Three Ganoderma Moonlight Powder, the richer the scent upon completion, the more potent the medicine.

Yingchen smoothed his somewhat disheveled hair and gazed into the furnace, seeing each pill crystalline and translucent, like jade beads. He took one, swallowed it, and immediately felt a coolness spreading through his heart and lungs.

Success!

The medicinal power of this batch of Three Ganoderma Moonlight Powder was almost identical to the prescription recorded in "Thirty-Six Formulas." Even if not utterly perfect, it was very close.

A look of joy appeared on Yingchen's face. He took out the prepared pill bottle and collected every pill from the furnace, not missing a single one.

Then, he covered the furnace, paid it no further heed, and sat cross-legged on the stone couch in the alchemy room.

Although the ingredients he had prepared were enough for another batch, the process of alchemy was truly exhausting for both mind and spirit. Four attempts, totaling sixteen hours, had left Yingchen weary.

Moreover, after successfully producing a batch of Three Ganoderma Moonlight Powder, the tension he'd been holding onto dissipated.

He knew that making another batch now would not be more perfect than this one, so it was best to leave it for another day.

For now, he wanted to see what wonders this Three Ganoderma Moonlight Powder could truly achieve.

Settling himself, Yingchen regulated his breath for a moment, then poured twelve pills into his palm and swallowed them all.

Though these were not true pills, they were not meant to be taken all at once; one must gauge their own cultivation level, otherwise wasting the medicine's potency was minor, but too much supplementation could be disastrous.

Yingchen considered: with his cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refining, taking twelve at once should be just right. Yet after circulating his energy for one cycle, he felt he could absorb even more of the Three Ganoderma Moonlight Powder simultaneously.

Yingchen was both surprised and delighted, and a strange sense of awe welled up within him.

At the White Bone Assembly that day, although he hadn't heard the later conversation, Yudaojing and the other were correct: his talent was merely average.

This "talent" referred not only to speed of cultivation.

Some people advanced rapidly, easily surpassing the painstaking efforts of others; some, though progressing at an ordinary pace, rarely suffered from bottlenecks, eventually reaching heights others could not even hope to attain; yet others, though lacking in cultivation prowess, naturally possessed much deeper magical power...

These are all types of Daoist aptitude, and anyone excelling in one area would already stand out at Redwater Cliff.

Unfortunately, Yingchen had none; he was merely average.

Among Daoist cultivators, there is talk of entering the Dao in a hundred days. Yingchen had taken ninety-nine days to step into the gate of Qi Refining—slightly faster than the most mediocre, but only marginally.

After that, Yingchen showed no special traits, not even in his magical power's capacity.

According to "Thirty-Six Formulas," the prescribed dosage for a normal sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator was around twelve pills, so logically, Yingchen should be correct in taking that amount.

But now, this feeling suggested that his magical power capacity had inexplicably increased!

The only reason Yingchen could think of was Sacred Essence.

The Way of Man: Take from the insufficient to serve the abundant!

By seizing the essence of living beings to strengthen oneself, could it not only boost cultivation but also improve his innate aptitude?

If he continued refining Sacred Essence, would he one day rival those Daoist prodigies, perhaps even surpass them in every aspect?

Yingchen steadied his breath, but his ears were filled with the thunderous pounding of his heart.

Indeed, refining Sacred Essence is no easy task—it is even more demanding than alchemy and pill forging, requiring greater skill. To refine Sacred Essence, the "material" is a major challenge.

Demonic beasts? Demons are divided into nine grades. Aside from those that have just attained sentience and are not ranked, a first-grade demonic beast's cultivation roughly matches a fourth to sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator; second grade corresponds to seventh to ninth level...

And so on. After the ninth grade, those who form a demon pill are no longer beasts, but are called "Great Demons."

Now that Yingchen had reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, to hunt demonic beasts and use the plundering method, he would have to target higher-grade beasts, which was no simple task. Moreover, the ritual platform and materials for the plundering method would also need to be upgraded—

This was one major reason why Yingchen was unwilling to rely on the plundering method for cultivation.

Yingchen furrowed his brow, his heart torn between the wild joy of the Dao opening its doors and contemplation over whether he should continue refining Sacred Essence, as well as awe at the "Forty-Two Sacred Arts of the Supreme Lord."

Just one chapter in the "Forty-Two Sacred Arts of the Supreme Lord" possessed such world-altering mysteries—how unfathomable must the Demon Lord behind it truly be?

"Supreme Lord, Supreme Lord, just what manner of demon are you..."

Yingchen murmured softly, then closed his eyes.

He knew that for himself, the more he was awed, the more suspicious he became, the more dangerous it would be; he decisively chose to cut off distraction.

After meditating for a long time, Yingchen finally felt peaceful and his thoughts refined. Without further deliberation, he poured out four more pills of Three Ganoderma Moonlight Powder, swallowed them, and began circulating his energy.