Chapter 555
After a while, Zheng Fa opened his eyes and explained to Zhao Jingfan, "Xiao Xianzi has finished exploring the cave of that Yuanying alchemist."
"That was quick! Xiao Xianzi really is..." Zhao Jingfan was surprised and quickly asked, "Did she find anything?"
"Some alchemical furnaces, magical tools, and techniques, but they aren't very useful."
Although they were only at the Golden Core stage, the remnants of a Yuanying alchemist didn't hold much value for Zheng Fa anymore. At most, they would enrich the resources of the Jiushan Sect and fill in some gaps in their accounts.
"As for the spirit pills, they’ve all decayed."
Zhao Jingfan felt a bit disappointed upon hearing this.
"However, Xiao Xianzi was worried we might be anxious, so she read through the alchemist's findings first and did make some discoveries..."
"What did she find?"
Zhao Jingfan perked up.
"There are no other clues, just a recipe for a pill that requires Han Shuang Ye (Frostleaf). But I can't make sense of it... You should take the Tongjian (Universal Reference) and ask Elder Xiong."
Zhao Jingfan rushed to Elder Xiong's alchemy chamber, shouting, "Elder, Xiao Xianzi has found a lead on Han Shuang Ye!"
Elder Xiong was taken aback and quickly extended his hand, exclaiming, "Let me see!"
He took the Tongjian and glanced at it, murmuring, "Huanglong San? Never heard of it. Is it a lost recipe?"
"This method..."
He stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead and shouted, "How did I not think of that?"
Inside the room, Master Song and several Golden Core alchemists turned to look.
"I thought I had heard of Han Shuang Ye but never used it... This spirit herb needs to be processed with water techniques!"
"Water technique alchemy?" Master Song understood immediately and added, "Our Qingmu Sect isn't skilled in that; no wonder we couldn't manage..."
Elder Xiong paced back and forth in the room, thinking aloud:
"This isn't something our Qingmu Sect can handle..."
Zhao Jingfan was stunned.
Was Elder Xiong really going to give up after hearing about Xiao Yuying?
Surrender?
"You don't understand the difficulty of water technique alchemy. It's a relatively obscure path in alchemy, and our Qingmu Sect lacks the inheritance in this area. We've been trying to gather information but have had little success," Elder Xiong shook his head. "At this point, without understanding this secret method, it’s impossible to refine that spirit pill properly!"
Master Song nodded in agreement.
"This secret method is also a closely guarded secret among many sects... Continuing down this path would likely be a waste of time."
After a moment of thought, Elder Xiong gritted his teeth and said, "I know a master alchemist who specializes in water technique alchemy, and I have some connections with him... Let's get the spirit pill refined first!"
Master Song concurred, "That sounds good. As long as we can produce this spirit pill, our Qingmu Sect will take the lead."
...
Elder Xiong pulled Zhao Jingfan along and hurried to Zheng Fa's alchemy chamber, bursting through the door while shouting:
"Alliance Leader, I understand now! I know what’s going on with Han Shuang Ye!"
"It's water technique alchemy, an extremely precious secret method that I can't grasp in a short time!"
"I know someone..."
Zheng Fa held a transparent glass cup in his hand, inside which was a swirling solution radiating a faint blue spiritual aura, with frost forming on the walls of the cup.
He glanced at the astonished Elder Xiong and then back at the simple, unadorned Han Shuang Ye solution in his hand, equally bewildered:
"This thing is called water technique alchemy?"
"Precious?"
(End of this chapter)
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**Chapter 414: Craft Transformation, The Leading Brother**
Elder Xiong stared at the transparent glass cup in Zheng Fa's hand, the ice crystals on the cup glimmering so brightly that he found it hard to look directly at it.
But Zheng Fa's expression was even more difficult to read.
"This is water technique alchemy?"
Zhao Jingfan leaned in, curiously peering at the glass cup.
Zheng Fa regarded the solution in the cup with caution, "I don't know much about water technique alchemy; I'm just purifying it."
Whether it was the previous experimental process or the final medicinal property tests, all pointed to one issue—the purity of the pill was insufficient.
To achieve purification, there are only a few chemical methods. Looking back at the previous experimental records, Zheng Fa's first thought was extraction.
Based on his current observations, Zheng Fa had a hypothesis:
Han Shuang Ye could form a solvent under certain conditions.
This solvent could dissolve the effective components of the Wuxing Lan (Five Elements Orchid), separating them from other impurities.
Then, through some secret methods, by altering environmental parameters, the solvent could be reformed into crystals or powder, yielding an intermediate product with medicinal properties.
What was in the beaker now was the Han Shuang Ye solution that had dissolved the Wuxing Lan powder.
He was currently observing under what conditions the Wuxing Lan powder dissolved most thoroughly.
Zhao Jingfan turned back to Elder Xiong, seemingly seeking a definitive answer. Elder Xiong felt disdain for his lack of insight—if he knew, would he have made such a fool of himself?
He took a couple of steps, focused on the Han Shuang Ye solution in the glass cup, sniffed it, and seemed uncertain but still nodded slightly, "It resembles something I’ve sparred with a master alchemist skilled in water technique..."
"Though I haven't seen his secret methods, I have encountered similar spirit waters."
This was indeed possible; for instance, some solutions could be preserved for a long time and even sold as raw materials to other alchemists.
"Whether it works or not still depends on the pill's formation."
As Elder Xiong spoke, he bit his thumb, his expression revealing a hint of eagerness—clearly, he wanted to try it himself.
Zheng Fa had come to understand Elder Xiong's character over the past few days.
This man was likely quite obsessed with alchemy. After working in the Jiushan realm for a few months, although he had the carrot of the Huashen method dangling in front of him, Zheng Fa had noticed his serious dedication.
Now, feeling that this thing was related to the legendary water technique alchemy, it was only natural for him to feel a sense of longing, much like a drunkard encountering an exquisite wine.
After a moment of thought, Zheng Fa finally spoke:
"Elder Xiong, I trust your skills, but we have our own plan for this experiment."
"I'm afraid..."
"You say what I do!"
Elder Xiong pounded his chest, assuring that he would definitely listen.
"Not to me..."
"…"
"But to them."
Zheng Fa pointed at the several Foundation Establishment disciples in the room, four of whom Elder Xiong recognized well—those four disciples he had previously had some disagreements with.
Elder Xiong fell silent.
Zheng Fa wasn't trying to humiliate him or put the disciples on the spot; rather, it was a matter of expertise. He truly didn't understand alchemy. Although he had proposed a broad framework, the specifics of the operation had to be handled by these specialized disciples.
To guide Elder Xiong in alchemy, they naturally had to be involved.
"I..."
Seeing Elder Xiong hesitating, Zheng Fa understood that whether for the sake of the Yuanying alchemist's reputation or due to their previous minor conflicts, this elder from the Qingmu Sect was struggling to overcome his inner barriers.
He no longer waited for Elder Xiong's response and instead nodded at the disciples.
In the alchemy furnace, the spiritual fire reignited as Zheng Fa added the Han Shuang Ye solution, which had dissolved the Wuxing Lan powder, into the cauldron.
Another round of experimentation began.
Elder Xiong watched from the side, silently observing every move of the disciples. This time, he seemed to truly see the faces of these disciples—including those four who were quite familiar to him.
The thoughts of those in the alchemy chamber varied, but the majority of their attention remained focused on the furnace.
As the spiritual fire extinguished and the furnace cooled, everyone could see several pills forming through the transparent glass of the furnace.
These spirit pills looked distinctly different from the previous ones.
The earlier pills were mostly murky blue-black.
Now, the spirit pills in the furnace were a vibrant blue, even shimmering with a crystalline luster.
The room was filled with a fragrant aroma.
This scent was light yet warm, like orchids blooming in a secluded valley, quietly flourishing by the lakeside.
There was hope!
Even without the verification from Madam Xuanhua, everyone felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation!
Elder Xiong closed his eyes, deeply inhaling the fragrance in the room, and ecstatically exclaimed, "Top quality!"
Zhao Jingfan, filled with excitement, said, "Is this really a top-quality pill? Just a few days ago, we were still refining waste pills!"
Elder Xiong's face stiffened, the intoxication fading as if someone had stabbed him awake from a dream...
Zhao Jingfan's words cut like a knife...
Wasn't that waste pill precisely what he had refined?
Zheng Fa looked at the spirit pills in the furnace, not feeling overly proud due to Elder Xiong's endorsement of their top quality. Instead, he took out a jade bottle, waved his hand, and had the disciples collect the pills to send to Madam Xuanhua for inspection.
Everyone in the room awaited the test results, while Zheng Fa reviewed the experimental records from earlier.
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