"Alright, Mr. Cheng, please wait a moment. We have the herbs you need here in the hall. I’ll prepare the medicine for you."
Not long after, Lin Xuelian walked over and brought out five portions of herbs.
"Thank you."
Su Mu did not waste time. He took the herbs without inspection, directly paid five thousand five hundred taels of silver, and left.
Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the alchemy room, Su Mu’s eyes reflected a gradually dimming flame. The gang force in his hands was slowly retracted, showing an expression of anticipation.
He had a premonition that this batch could succeed.
Whew!
Time seemed to slow down several times at this moment. Suddenly, the Three Flood Dragon Pill Furnace trembled slightly, wisps of faint red pill mist seeped out, weaving into strands in the void, ethereal like smoke.
A peculiar fragrance, mingled with a blood scent, filled the room. At first, the blood scent was intense, but upon careful examination, it was as though a warm breeze enveloped him, gently dispersing through the cracks in the door and windows.
Outside the room, Li Lu was practicing the Deer and Crane Double Play. Her toes lightly touched the ground, her figure like a crane gliding through the air, but in the instant of turning, her whole body froze. She abruptly turned her head toward the tightly closed door of the alchemy room.
An unusual fragrance invaded her nostrils, stirring up her blood, as if it were about to boil!
"This medicinal fragrance... can even stir one’s blood!"
Li Lu felt as though an invisible hand was agitating her blood. Just by the fragrance of the pill, she knew that the elixirs Su Mu was refining this time were much better than those from a month ago.
Recalling a month ago, the alchemy room was shrouded in black smoke, with muffled sounds reminiscent of a furnace explosion. Li Lu was utterly amazed.
A month ago, Su Mu was evidently just beginning with alchemy, but now, after rebirth-like transformation, the fragrance of the elixirs he refined could stir her blood, which was truly astonishing change in just one month.
"This pill fragrance... it has succeeded!"
Inside the alchemy room, Su Mu let out a long breath, his lips curling slightly. After six failures, the seventh batch finally succeeded!
Soothing his mood, Su Mu eagerly anticipated opening the pill furnace. Fixing his gaze, in the furnace filled with scorched, incompletely fused medicinal liquid, lay a solitary pale red pill, its surface decorated with three pill patterns, though the third pattern was somewhat indistinct.
"Three pill patterns, this is undoubtedly the Qi and Blood Pill!"
Su Mu held the sole refined pill in his palm, a rich fragrance of qi and blood wafting towards him, causing his internal qi and blood to stir slightly.
Alchemy Skill (Small Success 15%)
In just three days, since the first Seventh Grade Qi and Blood Pill was refined, Su Mu’s small success in alchemy skill had improved considerably. Continuing further would soon surpass artifact refining skill.
"One pill is too few, let’s continue!"
After carefully examining for a while, Su Mu placed the sole Qi and Blood Pill into a new porcelain bottle and then turned to continue refining.
The new first batch was still one pill, but the third pill pattern had become clear.
Second batch, two pills refined.
Third batch, black smoke billowing, Su Mu gave a wry smile, seemingly rushing the process. Refining Qi and Blood Pills consumed far more mental energy than Bone Strengthening Pills.
At that moment, Su Mu decisively stopped the refining at hand, calmed his mind, learned from the mistake, then chose to rest soundly for the night.
The next day, refreshed, Su Mu began the fourth batch of refining. This time, his tense nerves relaxed a bit, and just as the pill was about to form, a flash of genius intuition swept through his mind, as if the current batch would be a great success.
"Four pills, a full four pills!"
Just as expected, upon uncovering the lid, Su Mu’s eyes narrowed. After yesterday’s failure, the first batch today not only succeeded but also refined four Qi and Blood Pills at once, equaling the total of the previous three batches.
Time flashed forward, and three days later, Su Mu purchased another batch of herbs. After spending over ten thousand taels, he held a total of two bottles containing twenty Qi and Blood Pills.
Since beginning alchemy, nearly thirty thousand taels had been spent. Su Mu decided to pause his alchemy efforts for now.
From the outset, Su Mu engaged in alchemy to enhance his prowess, not merely to become an outstanding alchemist. He hadn’t forgotten that; alchemy was merely a means to an end and should not overshadow the main goal.
"These twenty Seventh Grade Qi and Blood Pills should assist me in completing the remaining two viscera purification."
Without hesitation, Su Mu quickly swallowed a Qi and Blood Pill, then activated the Five Elements Technique to start digesting the pill’s power for purifying his liver.
The concentrated qi and blood power within Su Mu spread throughout his body as it circulated, soon filling every part of him, rendering his whole body warm. Immediately, under Su Mu’s spiritual power control, the power of the pill slowly adhered to the unfinished purified liver.
As the Cyan Wood Light circulated, the remaining third of the unpurified liver tingled, swelled, and transformed.
Having ceased alchemy, Su Mu then devoted himself fully to cultivation.
Three days later, cyan light circulated over the liver, and faint blue wood patterns began to emerge.
Thus, the purification of the third viscera, the liver, was complete!
Of the Five Elements, the liver belongs to wood, responsible for purging and storing blood. Post-purification, it can significantly enhance the control over qi and blood and additionally improve digestion.
"At this digestion speed, after purifying the liver, which initially took nearly three days to digest one Qi and Blood Pill, now would only require two and a half days... The efficiency of digesting the pill has increased by over fifteen percent."
On the twentieth day, the purification of the fourth viscera, the spleen, was complete.
In the Five Elements, the spleen belongs to earth, responsible for transportation, and is the source of qi and blood generation, known as the postnatal source. Post-purification greatly enhances the digestion and absorption of substances containing qi and blood, such as food, elixirs, and spirit fruits, and also aids in controlling qi and blood.
The spleen and liver complement each other: the former primarily controls qi and blood, aiding digestion; the latter is the reverse, primarily digestion, aiding control over qi and blood.
"The efficiency of digesting Qi and Blood Pills has improved again... Now only requires one and a half days, compared to the initial pace, increased by over thirty percent!"
As time passed, another fifteen days went by. Su Mu and Li Lu had already spent two months in Donglai County, and on this particular day, supported by ample Qi and Blood Pills, Su Mu completed the purification of the final viscera, the lung.
Of the Five Elements, the lung belongs to metal, offering significant enhancement during breathing exercises and gang force cultivation, accelerating the training process.
In introspection, the five viscera radiated light matching the corresponding Five Elements, endlessly generating each other.
Buzz!
Su Mu’s whole body trembled, his robust qi and blood tumultuous. He could clearly sense that he was on the verge of the Secondary Blood Exchange!