The lid of the dan furnace was lifted, and the [Liuli Jingxin Dan] floated in the air, accepting the baptism of the lightning tribulation and undergoing continuous transformation.
Xue Qianwei was completely stunned.
High-grade pills developing sentience was not something these alchemists intentionally pursued, but rather the essence born from the reactions of various heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
The rules of the world deemed that this substance, imbued with precious power, should be given the meaning of life, and thus, the pill was born with sentience.
Xue Qianwei was utterly bewildered, her thoughts racing.
As the creator of the pill, wasn't this akin to her own child?
And of all the pills she had refined before, despite frequently achieving top-grade results, she had always focused on quality as her ultimate goal.
She had never poured any emotion into her pills. But now, it seemed that every pill born from her hands was like her child, requiring her to pour in her emotions for them to present themselves in their best form before her... and then be consumed.
The [Liuli Jingxin Dan] was still transforming, while Xue Qianwei had already sat down.
She began to gain enlightenment. The memories of the Pill Emperor and the process of a ninth-grade pill's creation before her eyes triggered some miraculous reactions, and she suddenly achieved a breakthrough.
Cultivation was such a mystical process; perhaps decades of arduous training were not as impactful as a single moment of enlightenment.
Ming Yi also noticed Xue Qianwei entering a state of enlightenment. His eyes widened, and he wished Xue Qianwei wouldn't enter enlightenment here. But it was too late, as the pill was about to be formed. After a ninth-grade pill survived its tribulation, it would transform into human form.
Then, these pill-formed humans would fear having their sentience erased, fleeing in all directions or causing a commotion, fighting to the death with the alchemist who created them.
If a fight broke out, what would happen to Xue Qianwei?
Ming Yi began to worry, "Oh no, how can she enter enlightenment here? Should I wake her up?"
But time was running out. As the lightning tribulation dissipated, the small pill transformed into a cute little loli.
The moment she appeared, Ming Yi immediately moved to grab her.
The [Liuli Jingxin Dan] was terrified, her face drained of color. She cried out in panic, "Ah! Don't eat me!"
Then, she turned into a streak of light, attempting to escape.
"Damn it, don't run! You can't escape, come back, I won't eat you!"
"Big liar! Big liar! Wuwuwu..."
The [Liuli Jingxin Dan] ran while crying. She seemed to have no combat power, perhaps only the strength of the weakest immortal.
Although Ming Yi's main profession was alchemy, he was still a Celestial King. Catching her would be a simple matter.
But the reason for his urgency was Xue Qianwei, who was sitting right there.
The [Liuli Jingxin Dan] also realized she might not be able to escape. She then spotted Xue Qianwei sitting on the ground, in a state of enlightenment.
Seeing the [Liuli Jingxin Dan]'s gaze shift, Ming Yi quickly stopped, "Wait, what are you trying to do?"
However, the [Liuli Jingxin Dan] revealed a sly smile. She went behind Xue Qianwei, placed her hands on her hips, and made a face at Ming Yi, "Come and catch me! If you dare to come closer, I'll eat this woman! Waah!"
Ming Yi's mouth twitched slightly. He was also very tired; refining a ninth-grade pill was no easy feat and required immense mental power.
"Stay away from her, I really won't eat you!"
"You hateful old man! I don't believe you! You tried to catch me the moment I appeared!"
"I am your father, how could I harm you?"
The [Liuli Jingxin Dan] cupped her ears, "Hateful old man! My ears can hear it all, you're trying to trick me like a child!"
Although this [Liuli Jingxin Dan] looked like a child, her intelligence was not low, and she wasn't easily fooled.
Ming Yi had no choice. The most troublesome aspect of refining ninth-grade pills was that these pills would develop sentience.
If you wanted to consume it, you had to erase its sentience, which was akin to killing your own child.
But if you didn't consume it, the countless immortal herbs used were a complete loss.
"Alas, then what do you want? As a ninth-grade pill, you should understand your fate. This is within the sphere of influence of [Canxiang Valley], and the Green Emperor is nearby. If he intervenes, you definitely won't be able to escape. Even if he doesn't, if you go outside, with this strong medicinal fragrance on you, others will immediately know you are a transformed pill, and you will be coveted by many greedy people..."
The [Liuli Jingxin Dan] turned pale with fear. What he said was truly terrifying.
She was just a newborn child, she didn't want to be eaten!
Just then, a massive surge of spiritual energy converged from all directions.
Xue Qianwei's cultivation surged instantaneously, and a lightning tribulation descended from the sky.
This was her lightning tribulation from the middle stage of Mahayana to the late stage.
The [Liuli Jingxin Dan] glanced at Xue Qianwei and suddenly felt that this human might be her lifesaver!
She then transformed directly into her pill form and burrowed into Xue Qianwei's sleeve.
Ming Yi reached out, wanting to say something, but in the end, could only sigh helplessly.
Looking at the surrounding converging lightning tribulation, he knew Xue Qianwei was breaking through.
"Boom!!"
Xue Qianwei opened her eyes, her gaze exceptionally bright. She had just comprehended a state during alchemy.
This lightning tribulation... a piece of cake!
However, as she blocked it, she felt a power emanating from her sleeve, forming a shield and helping her ward off the lightning tribulation from the sky.
"Huh? What's going on?"
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a glazed pill.
"Liuli Jingxin Dan? Why is it with me?"
As she pondered, the Liuli Jingxin Dan's wronged voice echoed, "Sister, please save me! That bad old man wants to eat me. I'm very strong, I can help you. Don't eat me, and don't give me to the bad old man, okay?"
Xue Qianwei gave an embarrassed smile and looked at Ming Yi, saying, "Senior, your pill has rebelled? Shall I return it to you?"
Ming Yi quickly extended his hand to stop her and said helplessly, "Don't... I'd rather not have it. It's good that you keep it."
He dared not accept it. Xue Qianwei had not yet realized the seriousness of the situation. The strength of this pill, so close to her, could take her life in an instant.
He feared that if he said anything that displeased the [Liuli Jingxin Dan], she might directly sacrifice Xue Qianwei...