The night in the Qingming Pill Sect was as thick as ink, wrapping the biting chill of the Back Mountain tightly around the abandoned pill-room. The howling mountain wind lashed against the battered window lattices, emitting a series of sobs as if sighing for the arduous exploration about to begin. Lin Xiao curled up before a stone table. The rough animal-skin parchment was densely covered with vigorous handwriting and complex symbols, casting chaotic shadows under the flickering candlelight like a mysterious star map. The prompt from the mysterious elder still lingered in his ear: "The herb proportions are the key..." He subconsciously stroked the Bronze Bracelet, its icy touch recalling the obscure and difficult equations from modern chemistry classes. A fierce fighting spirit gradually ignited in his eyes, resembling two leaping flames.
"If the refining of the Qi Gathering Pill is viewed as a chemical reaction, where the Ink Jade Vine provides spiritual energy and the Bitter Gall Grass neutralizes the toxicity, then there must be a precise proportional relationship between them," Lin Xiao muttered to himself. His voice was low and resolute, echoing through the silent pill-room. He picked up a charcoal pencil and wrote and sketched on the parchment, every stroke carrying the determination of burning his boats. The Cangxuan Continent had no periodic table; he could only rely on fragments of memory to match herb properties with chemical substances one by one. The spiritual fluctuation contained in the Ink Jade Vine had an astonishing flammability, akin to hydrogen; the neutralizing effect of the Bitter Gall Grass was precisely like an alkaline compound, capable of skillfully balancing various medicinal properties.
The calculation process was exceptionally difficult, with every single data point resembling a towering mountain blocking his way. Without a calculator, he could only use rough tree branches to draw vertical lines on the ground for counting, one after another, until his fingertips were red and swollen. Lacking measuring cups, he used seashells of various shapes to measure the weights of the herbs, cross-checking them repeatedly to strive for absolute precision. Every piece of data had to be verified ten or even twenty times; the slightest error could lead to the destruction of the pills and a terrifying disaster. When the first proportioning formula was finally completed, the edge of the sky outside had already turned the color of a fish's belly, and the morning light gently spilled over his exhausted face. His eyes were bloodshot like a spiderweb, and his fingers were dyed pitch-black by the charcoal as if wearing black gloves, yet an excited smile bloomed on his face—the joy of harvesting hope after enduring hardship.
Li Ergou walked cautiously into the pill-room holding a coarse ceramic bowl, the thin porridge inside still steaming with heat. Seeing the densely packed, ant-like symbols on the parchment, his eyes widened with surprise and curiosity. "Brother Lin, what are these things that look like ants? They're even harder to understand than the Sect's runes!"
"These are chemical equations. They can calculate the optimal proportion of herbs," Lin Xiao explained patiently while carefully placing the weighed herbs into the pill furnace, every movement as cautious as treating a rare treasure. This time, he adopted a new feeding sequence: first adding the Ink Jade Vine, and after its active ingredients were extracted at eighty degrees, slowly introducing the Bitter Gall Grass. Every step had been deduced countless times.
The pill furnace began to operate, and the rune array emitted a soft blue light like a deep night sky. Lin Xiao stared intently at the Temperature Measuring Stone, beads of cold sweat breaking out on his palms and soaking a large part of his robe hem. When the temperature reached one hundred and twenty degrees, he held his breath, his heart seemingly stopping, and injected spiritual energy precisely according to the calculated timing. Every sliver of spiritual energy was like a precious thread that could not afford any mistakes. The medicinal fragrance gradually permeated the air. Unlike before, this time the aroma was richer, carrying a hint of elusive sweetness as if it were a portent of success.
"We've got a shot!" Li Ergou jumped up excitedly, his face radiant with a bright smile and his voice filled with anticipation. However, just as the medicinal pills were about to take shape, the pill furnace suddenly emitted a harsh hum, like an enraged behemoth roaring. The rune light began to disarray, resembling dark clouds before a storm. Lin Xiao's expression changed drastically; he discovered that the neutralization speed of the Bitter Gall Grass far exceeded expectations, causing the spiritual energy to fail to condense stably, running out of control like a wild horse without a bridle. "The ratio is still wrong!" he gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with unwillingness as he rapidly adjusted the spiritual energy output, but it was too late. With a loud "boom," the pill furnace exploded. Black, dense smoke surged straight up to the ceiling, and a pungent odor permeated the entire pill room, lingering for a long time.
The blow of failure plunged Lin Xiao into a low point. He slumped onto the ground, looking with hollow eyes at the mess all around him—the shattered herbs and charred animal skins looked like his broken dreams. Li Ergou squatted beside him, silently handing over a clean cloth with deep worry in his eyes. "Brother Lin, why don't we take a break for a few days?"
"No!" Lin Xiao suddenly stood up, his gaze turning resolute once more, burning like a raging fire. "I must have overlooked some crucial variable." He thought of the incomplete Essence of Alchemical Prescriptions in the mysterious elder's stone chamber; perhaps it held the key to unlocking the door to success.
Late at night, all was silent except for the sound of insects echoing in the darkness. Lin Xiao sneaked into the elder's cave, the moonlight filtering through the vines at the entrance and casting mottled light and shadow on the ground like a dreamy painting. He carefully opened the Essence of Alchemical Prescriptions, the yellowed pages making a rustling sound as if telling an ancient story. Suddenly, a line of small characters caught his eye: "The nature of herbs changes with the seasons." It was as if he had been struck by lightning; he suddenly remembered that due to different seasons, the spiritual energy contained in the herbs of the Cangxuan Continent would also fluctuate. He had always calculated with fixed ratios, which explained why he repeatedly failed. This revelation felt like a sudden flash of insight.
Lin Xiao hurried back to the pill-room overnight with hasty footsteps, as if racing against time. He re-harvested the herbs of the current season, sitting by the herb field for an entire day. Despite the scorching sun and sweat soaking his clothes, he remained entirely oblivious. Using a self-made balance, he repeatedly weighed and recorded the weight and spiritual energy intensity of every single herb, pouring his heart and soul into every piece of data. When the new proportioning formula was born, his hands trembled slightly—this time, he had factored in the seasonal changes of the herbs, the spiritual energy fluctuation coefficient, and even incorporated the heat dissipation efficiency of the pill furnace into his calculations, thoroughly considering every single detail.
The process of refining the pills once more was tense and prolonged, the air heavy with suspense. Lin Xiao stood guard before the pill furnace like a statue, every movement precise to the extreme, as if conducting a sacred ritual. Li Ergou stood nearby without even daring to breathe loudly, afraid of disturbing him, his eyes filled with tension and anticipation. When the temperature of the pill furnace reached the critical point, Lin Xiao slowly added the final auxiliary herb—the Snow Ganoderma. This was a precious medicinal herb he had obtained from the mysterious elder, rumored to stabilize spiritual energy. At this moment, it felt like the decisive key to success or failure.
Time ticked by second by second, each second feeling as long as a century. The medicinal fragrance inside the furnace grew increasingly rich, sounding like the blast of a victory horn. Finally, with a crisp "click" sound, the pill furnace opened automatically, as if lifting a mysterious veil. Three Qi Gathering Pills radiating a warm luster lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace, fine halos swirling across their surfaces like three dazzling stars emitting a charming glow. Li Ergou jumped up with excitement, throwing his arms around Lin Xiao with a voice choked with tears. "Brother Lin, it worked! It really worked!"
Lin Xiao picked up the pills with trembling hands, his eyes brimming with hot tears—tears of joy and the relief of having endured hardship. This was not just a success in alchemy; it was the triumph of combining modern science with ancient alchemy, the crystallization of wisdom and perseverance. However, before he even had time to celebrate, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the pill-room, the noisy sounds shattering the joy. Wang Hu's voice clearly carried over: "I smell the fragrance of medicinal pills! It must be that brat Lin Xiao up to something! I'll make sure he pays for this today!"
Lin Xiao and Li Ergou exchanged a glance and quickly hid the pills, their eyes filled with vigilance. They knew that greater challenges lay ahead, and the path forward remained full of thorns. But at this moment, holding the pills condensed from countless efforts in his palm, Lin Xiao felt full of confidence. He firmly believed that as long as he persisted on his path, one day, the entire Qingming Pill Sect, and even the entire Cangxuan Continent, would witness the infinite possibilities of this brand-new alchemy method and write a legend of his own.