"Master succeeded!"
Clutching the broom, Li Lu’s face showed joy, her nose twitching. She was in a great mood and secretly let out a sigh of relief, feeling genuinely happy that Su Mu had succeeded.
Inside the tightly closed Alchemy Room.
"It’s done!"
It was proven that with the solid foundation of perfect alchemy and perfect medical skill, coupled with an incredible comprehension, sometimes all it takes is a little guidance to overcome a bottleneck.
One day and night of contemplation, three days of alchemy, and in just four days, Su Mu successfully refined his first true Entry-Level Bone-Strengthening Pill.
Previously, the Jade Bone Pill had only reluctantly shown some Entry-Level pill spots, which could not be considered Entry-Level at all.
Slowly fading inscriptions on the Three Flood Dragon Pill Furnace gave way to a room filled with a soothing fragrance as the lid was opened, revealing several smooth pills faintly visible inside the furnace.
Focusing his gaze, there were a total of ten Bone-Strengthening Pills in the furnace. Su Mu used a jade vessel to take out each pill and examine them carefully.
"Ten Bone-Strengthening Pills, one successfully refined, the other nine were wasted."
Refining ten pills with only one success, the success rate could be considered low, but a slight smile appeared on Su Mu’s lips. He picked the refined pill out and placed it in his palm. The pill was thumb-sized, slightly yellow, and on it were two pill patterns, one clear and one vague.
As for the remaining nine, they weren’t completely wasted; one also bore a single pill pattern but appeared more dark yellow.
"The beginning is always the hardest; as long as you can succeed once... thereafter, it’s only an upward path!"
To ordinary alchemists, succeeding in alchemy two or three times could be merely luck, and they would still need to expend a lot of resources to truly get started on a kind of elixir. Selecting a newcomer from among the apprentices and grooming one capable of refining Eighth Grade elixirs usually takes one and a half years or more. If they don’t practice for a while, their success rate would even decrease.
But for Su Mu, one success means entry-level, and from then on, the rate of successful pill refinement would only rise with no room to decline. If the people from Qiancao Hall knew Su Mu took only four days from his first Entry-Level Elixir attempt to successful refinement, they would surely be dumbfounded.
"Let’s test the effect of this Bone-Strengthening Pill."
Su Mu slightly frowned, tilted his head back, and swallowed the only successful pill. Its taste was bitter, but a sweet aftertaste followed, soon turning into a fiery torrent baking every Jade Bone. Gradually, the heat penetrated from the outside to the bone marrow, and instantly a stabbing pain arose amid the scorching heat.
"Such strong medicinal power!"
If any elixir is taken in large quantities over time, the body will naturally develop resistance. This kind of deep bone-searing sensation was something Su Mu hadn’t experienced in a long time. He then attempted to stimulate Gang Force to accelerate the dispersion of medicinal power.
At once, the flame inside him surged, the heat and pain intensified, almost doubling, as if he were thrown into a Pill Furnace.
"Not bad, the medicinal power is more than twice that of the Jade Bone Pill; indeed, it is an Entry-Level Elixir."
Su Mu was a bit surprised, as his original estimate was only about 30 to 50% higher. After all, the Jade Bone Pill is not a common recipe, but an ancient one mentioned by Pharmacists, with a medicinal power beyond that of ordinary pills.
"The elixirs in the ’Ten Elixir Herbs Manual’ are extraordinary..."
Though it was only his first time refining an Entry-Level Elixir, this thought inexplicably emerged in Su Mu’s mind. At that moment, Su Mu opened his comprehension panel to check.
Alchemy Skill (Entry 21%)
"The Bone-Strengthening Pill can be used for the Fifth Bone Forging, first using it to enhance the Alchemy Skill, and after achieving Small Success, attempt refining the Qi and Blood Pill."
A set of Qi and Blood Pill materials costs over one thousand taels of silver. Not to mention Su Mu’s wealth, even when the Pill Cauldron Pavilion trains budding alchemists, they wouldn’t squander like this, unless it’s a prodigious alchemist favored by the Pavilion Master who might enjoy such treatment.
"Continue!"
In the time that followed, Su Mu spent part of the day cultivating ’Three-Turn Dragon Elephant Skill’, ’Hundred Battle Fist’, and other Middle Third Grade Martial Arts. Occasionally, he would take time to guide Li Lu in her martial arts, and then immerse himself in alchemy.
With Vast Qi achieved, Su Mu’s spiritual power was significantly enhanced, needing only a brief moment of rest each day.
On the other hand, Li Lu also became busy. The brewing equipment brought from the old liquor shop in Canghe County was arranged by Li Lu in the room adjacent to the kitchen in the courtyard. She began trying to brew independently, following the brewing manual left by Li Kang.
After starting to brew independently, Li Lu increasingly appreciated the subtleties of the Deer-Crane Double Play taught by Su Mu. Her physique became unknowingly stronger, and practicing the Deer-Crane Double Play also helped alleviate the fatigue from a day’s brewing.
Discovering this, Li Lu put more effort into her martial practice and would sometimes consult Su Mu on issues encountered in martial arts training. Naturally, Su Mu would not be stingy and resolved them one by one.
Li Lu’s martial arts talent was average, but under Su Mu’s guidance, her progress wasn’t slow.
The two lived a reclusive life, with Su Mu absorbed in martial arts and alchemy, while Li Lu focused on brewing and took care of daily meals.
The teacher and student under the same roof often only met and chatted during meals. Although Su Mu could enjoy solitude, having someone nearby to converse with occasionally was a different kind of pleasure. Both were content and lived their days steadfastly and securely.
When one’s entire being is engaged in something, time flows by like water through fingers, and in the blink of an eye, it had already been a month since the teacher and student arrived at Donglai County.
"Buzz——!"
The fragrance of elixirs filled the air, medicinal mist swirling.
Another batch of Bone-Strengthening Pills was successfully refined. At this moment, the figure in front of the Pill Furnace trembled slightly, and a surge of spiritual light in his mind effortlessly broke through an invisible bottleneck.