The selection of herbs, the order of their addition, and factors like temperature were all strictly followed according to the pill formula.
While the refinement of sixth-grade pills presented some difficulty, it was ultimately within their capabilities.
However, no matter how many times they tried, every single one of the refined Qi-Burst Pills they produced had problems.
They could even be used as poison...
This shouldn't be happening, though.
Where exactly was the issue...
The other elders also wore troubled expressions.
Previously, a cultivator from the royal family had obtained this Qi-Burst Pill formula in a secret realm, which had thrilled them at the time.
Despite being sixth-grade pill masters, the top alchemists in the Great Liang Kingdom and even the surrounding nations, they possessed very few sixth-grade pill formulas.
The invasion by the Demon Realm back then had inflicted almost catastrophic losses upon the cultivation world.
Not only did top-tier cultivation experts perish, but even the传承 (inheritance) of alchemy and artifact forging suffered a terrifying斷層 (chasm).
It could be said.
This Qi-Burst Pill formula was equivalent to a national treasure.
This feeling of standing before a treasure trove yet being unable to make use of it was driving them mad...
Every step was meticulously followed, yet they still couldn't succeed...
As she watched, Yan Ruyu noticed something seemed amiss.
The herbs on the table looked different from when she had left.
Had one of the auxiliary ingredients been swapped?
Yan Ruyu shook her head helplessly and reached out to switch the herbs back.
No need to ask, it must have been that mischievous child, Xiao Rujing...
This child was becoming increasingly naughty.
But then, her movements froze...
Wait a moment...
Seven-Colored Vine?
The Qi-Burst Pill formula wasn't complete.
When they obtained it, the position of the final ingredient was damaged.
They had spent over a month researching, considering the various changes produced by other herbs and the medicinal effects of the Qi-Burst Pill, before inferring that the final ingredient should be the Ten-Thousand Knot Flower.
After all, the effect of the Qi-Burst Pill leaned towards explosive properties, and the cold attribute of the Ten-Thousand Knot Flower could effectively neutralize the violent energy of the potent herbs, bringing the pill to a stable state.
However, the Ten-Thousand Knot Flower also had a drawback: when combined with the Purple Gold Clover, it would produce substances harmful to the human body.
In fact, she had been considering for the past few days that the excessive toxicity of the Qi-Burst Pills they had refined was likely due to the Ten-Thousand Knot Flower and the Purple Gold Clover.
But the problem was, apart from the Ten-Thousand Knot Flower, they couldn't find a more suitable auxiliary ingredient.
Other herbs used as auxiliary ingredients wouldn't produce harmful substances, but they couldn't neutralize the explosive properties of the main ingredients.
In that case, forget about forming a pill, they might even blow up the entire pill tower...
If it were the Seven-Colored Vine...
Yan Ruyu seemed to have figured something out, and she excitedly grabbed the herb and hurried to the nearby alchemy furnace to work.
The elders exchanged confused glances.
What was Junior Sister Yan doing?
Why was she using the herbs Xiao Rujing had haphazardly swapped to refine pills?
Did the Seven-Colored Vine hold some hidden secret?
Thinking of this, their gazes immediately turned to Elder Wang.
In terms of alchemical mastery, apart from Yan Ruyu, Elder Wang was the most accomplished.
Now that Junior Sister Yan was busy refining pills, they naturally couldn't disturb her.
Elder Wang stroked his chin, narrowed his eyes, and pondered.
Seven-Colored Vine...
Seven-Colored Vine...
So that's it!
"Slap!"
Elder Wang, having figured it out, slapped his junior brother's thigh next to him...
The slapped elder's face was full of dejection.
Senior Brother, you can slap your own thigh, why are you hitting mine?!
Isn't it just because Junior Sister Yan spoke two and a half more sentences to me yesterday than to you?
I strongly suspect you're taking personal revenge!
Elder Wang beckoned the others and walked towards a corner of the room.
"We've been failing all this time, mostly because of the Ten-Thousand Knot Flower and the Purple Gold Clover, right?"
Elder Wang whispered:
"If we switch to the Seven-Colored Vine now, won't the problem be solved?"
The other elders immediately gave him disdainful looks.
Nonsense!
The problem is, tell us the principle!
Elder Wang smiled slightly, exuding an aura of dominance.
As expected.
In terms of alchemical mastery, you weaklings are no match for me!
You insignificant scumbags still want to compete with me for Junior Sister Yan, you must be dreaming!
"We previously dismissed the Seven-Colored Vine because we felt its cold attribute wasn't strong enough to neutralize the explosive energy of the other herbs, right?"
Under the murderous glares of the other elders, Elder Wang finally spoke:
"But think about it again, what if we added the Seven-Colored Vine before adding the Wild Steel Flower and the Crimson Dragon Grass?"
Upon hearing this, the other elders suddenly understood!
So that's how it is!
Although the Seven-Colored Vine indeed lacked sufficient coldness, when combined with the Wild Steel Flower and the Crimson Dragon Grass, it would activate their hidden cold attributes.
And this slight amount of cold attribute was precisely enough to achieve the same effect as the Ten-Thousand Knot Flower!
Alchemy is often like this.
Knowledge reserves are only one aspect; more often, what's missing are some creative ideas.
Back then, they were solely focused on how to achieve the optimal cold attribute, thus they instinctively discarded the Seven-Colored Vine.
Moreover, the ability of the Seven-Colored Vine to stimulate the cold attribute of the Wild Steel Flower and the Crimson Dragon Grass was so rarely used in practical applications that they hadn't even considered it.
It was like everyone knew that when starving, grass roots and bark could be used to fill one's stomach.
But when there was plenty to eat and drink, hardly anyone would research how to make grass roots and bark more delicious...
Having understood, everyone stood there and watched Yan Ruyu refine pills.
Although the method had been found, it didn't guarantee success.
Herbs themselves possessed various properties, and each herb paired with another would foster even more changes.
With so many herbs combined, the number of resulting changes was staggering.
And these were just the fundamental aspects.
Even a slight difference in temperature would exponentially increase the number of these terrifying changes.
Coupled with all sorts of other factors, the number of variables was truly frightening.
Furthermore, this was a pill that had never been successfully refined before, making the difficulty index even higher.
Yan Ruyu's refining process lasted a full three days!
During this time, she went through over a dozen sets of herbs and caused seven or eight furnace explosions of varying degrees...
A beautiful woman was reduced to looking as if she had just been dug out of a coal pile...
But she paid no mind, remaining intently focused at the alchemy furnace.
If her true qi ran low, she'd pop a pill and continue!
By this point, the other elders were no longer watching; they had each retreated to their own rooms to try for themselves.
At noon on the fourth day.
Yan Ruyu, covered in black soot, stared intently at the alchemy furnace before her.
Due to extreme tension, her body was trembling slightly.
She had even forgotten to use her true qi to maintain her appearance due to her intense concentration.
At this moment, Yan Ruyu looked like a typical old woman, except this old woman was just excessively dark...
This time, the refinement proceeded without any incidents; everything was incredibly smooth.
From this point on, she no longer needed to use her true qi to regulate the temperature; all she had to do was wait for the allotted time and open the furnace.
Would it succeed this time?
Finally, the furnace fire extinguished.
A refreshing, subtle fragrance wafted out from within.
Yan Ruyu eagerly opened the alchemy furnace.
Three crystal-clear pills lay quietly within the furnace, emitting a faint, soft blue glow from their surfaces.
Yan Ruyu excitedly retrieved the pills.
The pills from previous failures, while successfully formed, had emitted a slightly greenish glow.
However, the formula clearly indicated that the glow of a successful pill should be a faint blue.
Success at last!!!