Chapter 44: The first pill

During the entire process, Cao Yun had used both his Yi and Zhi to observe every tiny detail of Xiao Xuefeng's alchemy. As it was a lesson, she was very slow in her movements and explained each step carefully.

"The Five Golden Elixir Principles are thus as follows: Cauldron Maintenance, Ingredients Preservation, Flame Control, Yin-Yang Balance, Five Elements Wheel.

The most important one to understand in the long run is the Five Elements Wheel. Thanks to it, an accomplished alchemist can refine a pill without any formula. If he knows the properties of the pill and of the ingredients, by using this principle he's able to determine how to best combine the ingredients together.

You see, the human body also contains the five elements, so do the diseases. The pill will act upon these elements to produce the desired effects. If you understand the elements of the body, you know how the pill should interact with them. And if you know that, you know how the elements of your ingredients should interact to refine it.

It allows alchemists to research new ways to refine the same pill more efficiently."

She then presented the pill to Mei Hua. After watching the gorgeous alchemy of Xiao Xuefeng, she was a little more calm, but her face was still tensed. "This is..." When she examined the pill, she smelled its fragrance and concluded. "94% of the medicinal essence?"

"Indeed. Chen Guo, you may know that pills can be judged from how much of the medicinal essence they preserved. 60% is the strict minimum to not be considered a failed pill. To judge this number, you have to take into account the color, the smell and the size. There are many other factors, but these are the main three. And when you develop spiritual senses, you can literally see the medicinal essence.

A pill with 100% is almost impossible to obtain as some medicinal essence is always lost. But some pills are so close to it that we call them True Essence pills. There are two other categories. A pill with more than 90% is considered as Perfect and more than 95% as Pure."

Cao Yun took the pill in hand and he could indeed feel a sweet fragrance coming from it. Right now, he had no way of clearly identifying its level, but it seemed high.

Xiao Xuefeng took back the tools from her desk in her spatial ring and flicked her hand again. These same tools appeared before both of the disciples.

"Now, you'll try."

"But, Elder Xiao, today, I'm not sure that I can..."

"I know, I know. But it's important to train even if you fail. When you're a master alchemist, you sometimes have to work in bad conditions. Your pill will probably suffer a bit, but you should be able to forge one anyway. And it will keep your mind off your little sister's troubles for a moment. So, please humor me."

"I understand, Elder Xiao."

"Elder Xiao, about the materials..." Cao Yun was embarrassed because he knew that he would be wasting the materials as he had never refined any pill before.

"You'll be using my materials, do not worry about it."

"But I had some Embalming Lake Lotus Leaves, so I'd like not to waste yours."

"Well, I got those thanks to you as well, so go ahead."

"Fine." Cao Yun was not at all convinced that he could replicate any of what he had just seen. But by using his yi and Zhi at full capacity he remembered almost everything.

-

First, they both prepared the ingredients without any difficulty. Seeing Cao Yun replicate the moves of Xiao Xuefeng so easily, Mei Hua was wondering whether he had ever practiced alchemy or not. However, he had no reason to lie about that.

Soon, they were both done preparing the ingredients. Mei Hua's preparations were a little superior as she had extracted a bit more powder from her Embalming Lotus Leaf. Even by mimicking a grand master, it was not possible to be one.

Then, they started their flame. When Cao Yun ignited his flame, it became too big for an instant as he was not used to it at all. As a matter of fact, he had never started a fire under a cauldron before. The only fires he ever started were campfires in the wild.

Mei Hua could immediately see that he really was a novice. However she was surprised to see him put the flame under control fairly quickly. It was not as good as hers, but great for someone inexperienced.

Cao Yun understood that the most crucial step in this refinement would be the flame. He had memorized the order of each ingredient as well as the timing. He just had to put them in the exact same way, there was no technique involved once you knew that.

On the other hand, controlling the flame was difficult. The flame was alive, it was never exactly the same, so you had to manage it at all times. Even though he knew what powder to use to change its attributes and what temperature should be ideal, he couldn't simply tell the flame. He had to control the amount of powder he used and adjust the flame in real-time.

They both started to refine the pill. Cao Yun was entirely focused on his task as he circulated Yi and Zhi to their fullest. Mei Hua on the other hand was distracted by watching him perform. The matter with her little sister was also cluttering her mind.

During the process, she made some mistakes but soon corrected them. Thanks to her experience, she was able to compensate every distraction. But each one created more frustration and caused other distractions and thus mistakes.

Beside her, Cao Yun was trying to control his flame. It was even more difficult than he had first imagined. When Xiao Xuefeng did it, it seemed as if it was nothing much. Now, he fully realized how talented she was. She was able to control her flame with such ease while explaining everything to them and determining the correct order and timing for the ingredients.

Xiao Xuefeng was observing both of them. She found that she had been correct in pushing Mei Hua. Her pill would probably not be perfect, but she learned a lot by correcting her own mistakes and pushing through. Alchemists needed to control their mind, and by training in these conditions, Mei Hua was training her will and her focus.

She got more surprised by Cao Yun. At first, she just wanted to be polite to him by giving some pointers. Having the most basic of knowledge was beneficial for cultivators as they would often require pills. Some alchemists were scammers and you could even buy a dangerous pill without realizing it. During the entrance examination, the boy had showed a great mind in the Yin-Yang Torture Illusion array, but it did not mean that he could necessarily become a good alchemist.

Now, she saw that he was really good. He had memorized all the process just by seeing it once. And even though he lost control of his flame several times, he had been able to adjust. The final product would be impacted but he could probably succeed.

After a long time, the pills were both done. The two of them were able to forge one.

"Good, very good."

Xiao Xuefeng first took the pill of Mei Hua. "87%!" This shocked Cao Yun as it was the exact same as Feng Yingyue when she made this same Frozen Heart Pill in Yinmen City.

Mei Hua seemed mentally exhausted but she held her head high and proud to face Cao Yun.

Taking the pill of Cao Yun in hand, Xiao Xuefeng could feel it was lacking in comparison. "68%. For a first attempt, it's still very good. After all, the Frozen Heart Pill is a 5-star Earth rank pill. And it's known to be difficult to forge. Had it been another pill of the same rank, you probably could have reached 75% or 80%. It's good."

Mei Hua was surprised. The first time she had ever forged a pill, it was a 1-star Earth rank and she only attained 67%. Anyway, she was pissed at Cao Yun so she wouldn't congratulate him directly. "Not bad, your pill is not a total failure."

"Chen Guo, I know you don't want to focus an alchemy, but I think you have all the dispositions to be a great alchemist. You should think about it."

Hearing this praise, it pissed off Mei Hua even more. In reality, she had no qualm with Cao Yun, but she was just in a bad mood and he just happened to be here so she tried to vent her anger on him. She couldn't vent it on Xiao Xuefeng after all.

"Elder Xiao, you should not give him ideas. After all, he just wanted to learn 'a little bit'. If he tries to learn more and fails, it would be too disheartening for him, so we should not get his hopes high."

In a normal occasion, Xiao Xuefeng would have reprimanded this little girl, but she knew what had happened and was a bit too lenient today.

"Chen Guo, I'd like to gift you this pill." She took the perfect Frozen Heart Pill she had forged and handed it over to the boy. "I know you really need it."

"Elder, I can't."

"Again?! You never seem to be able to accept any gift. You know that one day someone will take it literally and take his gift back. In exchange for it, I can still take one of the Embalming Lake Lotus Leaves that are yours."

"Elder, if I remember right, I had ten leaves, so what about you take two of them, one to compensate the one used in the refinement and the other for the refinement itself?"

"Fine." She then turned toward Mei Hua. "And you, you should consume this pill, it's very beneficial for the mind and it will help you deal with your troubles."

Mei Hua did not hesitate and swallowed the small pill. All of a sudden, she felt better. The medicinal essence would keep flowing in her body for quite some time, but the first effect was already so potent. She wanted to apologize to Cao Yun but she really did not know how, so she kept her facade.

"So, Mister 'a little bit', are you decided on learning alchemy yet?"

"It's even more difficult than I thought, but I quite liked it. I don't want it to sound disrespectful, but if I have time, I want to learn more."

"Good. It's not a bad thing to know what you want. If alchemy is not your priority, it's still good to learn a little. Maybe one day, you'll change your mind... I'll choose a good instructor for you. I don't think that I could teach you well considering your low level. Next time, the receptionist will know who to send you to."

"Thank you, Elder Xiao. I'll take my leave. Sister Mei."

"Humph! I guess we'll see each other during the training session in three days."

"Oh? While you're at it, take this." Xiao Xuefeng had almost forgotten. A small manual appeared from her spatial ring and landed in Cao Yun's hands.

"It's the 'Four Seasons Cycle Classic'. It contains the basics of alchemy. All alchemists have read it at least dozens of times. It elaborates on the Five Golden Elixir Principles and even talks about other minor principles. It's always a good read no matter your level."

"Thank you again, Elder Xiao."

When he left, Xiao Xuefeng turned toward Mei Hua. "I know you're angry after yesterday, but that was a bit too much, I think."

"I know, Elder Xiao. It's just that..." Although she tried not to, Mei Hua started to cry. The effect of the pill was powerful on the emotions and what she was trying to suppress came crashing to the surface.

"I know, I know." The grand master took this little girl in her arms. "I'll deal with it, do not worry."

-

As servants were not allowed within the study, Huang Cixi was waiting outside when Cao Yun came out.

"Senior Chen! How was your lesson?"

"Very good! I learned a lot today. Maybe being an alchemist wouldn't be so bad. But it takes a lot of time to master it... I'll have to think about it more carefully. Let's go back for now."

This time, Cao Yun came back before the sun set. With a perfect Frozen Heart Pill, he really wanted to advance his mind cultivation.

Back in his room, he consumed the pill. The effect of the pill was noticeably better than the pill he had received from Feng Yingyue.

He immediately circulated the Zhi character and realized he was able to draw it ninety-six times. He was getting very close to Perfection. The medicinal essence also circulated through the Yi character and even in the Drop of Wrath. If nothing unusual happened, he would be able to sleep well for many nights to come.

He then read the 'Four Seasons Cycle Classic'. It explained everything Xiao Xuefeng had already said and went beyond. In particular, it expanded upon the Five Elements Wheel. In less than an hour, Cao Yun was able to read and remember everything. Alchemy was even more subtle than he thought.

The manual talked about the different kinds of fire and what powders could produce them. It compared some cauldrons to teach the reader how to choose one and how to maintain it or feed it. It showed various ingredients with basic techniques to prepare them and how to adapt them to other ingredients. The manual was very rich.

Even though he had remembered every word and drawing, it did not mean that Cao Yun could apply everything in real life. He still needed to train and gain experience.

The manual was advising young alchemists to try and control a flame outside of a refinement. This way they would not waste any important ingredients, only the powders. This was called 'Nurturing the Dragon'. As controlling the flame was often the most difficult part for beginners, this technique was well explained with various exercises.

Some of them even produced an unstable flame so that you could train on how to stabilize it, 'Poison the Dragon to Nurture it'.

Cao Yun was really thinking about learning this craft. He probably wasn't going to need it much, but it was interesting. And he also had a stupid thought, it would give him a topic of conversation with Feng Yingyue.