Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 124 The Final Step

On the third day after returning to Lanruo Temple, Zhou Ning finally made preparations for alchemy.

For the past three days, he has stayed at home and studied the alchemy tips given to him by Yan Chixia dozens of times.

He knows every step and every detail by heart.

He even simulated the alchemy process countless times in his mind, from purification to fusion to condensation, repeatedly rehearsing each step to ensure that nothing went wrong.

But he knew that a simulation was still just a simulation.

True alchemy requires hands-on practice and precise control over feel, heat, and timing.

If one is not careful, a batch of precious medicinal herbs will turn to ashes.

Moreover, the materials for the Condensing Infant Pill are hard to come by. Earth Spirit Milk, Dragon Saliva Fruit, and Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Lingzhi are all rare and precious items that cannot be obtained by chance, and no mistakes can be tolerated.

At dawn, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Zhou Ning arrived at the alchemy room on the back mountain.

The Danfang is a small stone chamber built under the cliff behind the mountain. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces a cliff on one side, making it a secluded and quiet place.

In the center of the stone chamber stands an ancient alchemy furnace, bronze in color, covered with intricate runes, radiating a faint spiritual light.

Below the alchemy furnace, there is a fire port that can be used to adjust the heat.

This alchemy furnace was used by Yan Chixia when he was young. Although it is not a divine artifact, it is more than enough to refine Nascent Soul Pills.

Yan Chixia was already waiting in the alchemy room.

He stood before the alchemy furnace, reached out and touched the furnace wall, and said calmly:

"I've used this alchemy furnace for thirty years. I've refined countless pills with a very high success rate. You don't need to worry."

He took out a fiery red crystal from his sleeve and placed it into the fire pit beneath the alchemy furnace.

"This is a fire crystal, which can generate stable high temperatures. When refining pills, the intensity of the heat is crucial. If it's too high, the medicinal herbs will burn. If it's too low, the essence of the medicinal herbs cannot be extracted."

"The refining of the Nascent Soul Pill takes forty-nine days, during which the temperature must not deviate in the slightest. You must stay by the furnace at all times and cannot leave."

Zhou Ning nodded: "This disciple understands."

He took out the Earth Spirit Milk, Ambergris Fruit, Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Lingzhi, and more than a dozen auxiliary medicines from his bag and placed them one by one on the table next to the alchemy furnace.

The medicinal herbs each exuded their own unique aroma: the earth spirit milk was light and elegant, the ambergris fruit was sweet and fragrant, and the ten-thousand-year-old lingzhi was rich in medicinal fragrance. The auxiliary herbs also had their own characteristics, complementing each other, and the entire alchemy room was filled with a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

"The first step is purification."

Yan Chixia said, "Let's start with the auxiliary medicines."

Zhou Ning picked up a medicinal herb and, following the method in his notes, condensed his true essence in his palm and carefully wrapped the herb.

Then, he put the elixir into the alchemy furnace, covered it, and lit the earth fire crystal.

Flames ignited, and the temperature of the alchemy furnace began to rise.

Zhou Ning probed the alchemy furnace with his divine sense, sensing the changes in the spiritual herbs.

As the leaves wither under high temperatures, their essence begins to seep out, turning into a drop of crystal-clear liquid.

"Control the heat; it can't be too fast, nor too slow."

Yan Chixia provided guidance from the side, his voice steady and powerful.

Zhou Ning gritted his teeth and carefully adjusted the firepower.

The flames fluctuated in size, and the temperature inside the furnace changed accordingly.

The drop of liquid spun slowly in the alchemy furnace, gradually becoming pure.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but his hands remained as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor.

After one incense stick's time, the essence of the first auxiliary medicine was purified.

Zhou Ning opened the furnace lid, took out the drop of liquid, and put it into a jade bottle.

"Not bad." Yan Chixia nodded.

"continue."

Next comes the second ingredient, the third ingredient...

Zhou Ning purified each of the dozen or so auxiliary medicines one by one, handling each one with utmost care and daring not to be careless in the slightest.

Some excipients have mild medicinal properties and are relatively easy to purify.

Some auxiliary drugs are very potent and require extremely precise temperature control; the slightest mistake can cause an explosion.

Zhou Ning was completely focused, devoting all his energy to alchemy.

One day, two days, three days...

Ten days later, all the auxiliary drugs were purified.

On the table were more than a dozen jade bottles, each containing a drop of crystal-clear medicinal liquid, each emitting its own unique aroma.

"Next, we will purify the main drug."

Yan Chixia said, "Let's start with Earth Spirit Milk."

Earth Spirit Elixir is liquid and does not require heating and purification like solid elixirs, but it does require the removal of impurities.

Zhou Ning poured the Earth Spirit Milk into the alchemy furnace and slowly heated it over a low flame.

The milky white liquid began to churn under high temperature, and a layer of black foam rose to the surface.

Those are impurities.

Zhou Ning used his divine sense to control the temperature of the alchemy furnace, gradually stripping away the impurities.

This process requires immense patience and precise control; it cannot be rushed, nor can it be slowed down.

He stood guard by the alchemy furnace, watching the changes in the liquid intently for three days.

Three days later, the purification of the Earth Spirit Milk was finally completed.

The originally milky white liquid became clear and transparent, emitting a faint glow, like morning dew, pure and flawless.

Next up is ambergris.

Ambergris fruit is a solid and needs to be heated to purify it.

Zhou Ning placed the golden fruit into the alchemy furnace and slowly roasted it over a low flame.

The fruit gradually softens under high temperatures, the skin cracks open, revealing the golden flesh inside.

The pulp melts under high temperature, turning into a golden liquid that emits a rich fruity aroma.

Zhou Ning probed the alchemy furnace with his divine sense, carefully sensing the changes in the liquid.

He simmered it slowly over a low flame, evaporating the water from the liquid and leaving only the most essential part.

This process took another three days.

Finally, there's the ten-thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum.

The most difficult of the three main ingredients to purify is the Ganoderma lucidum.

Its medicinal properties are complex, containing multiple components, and require extraction in stages.

Zhou Ning sliced ​​the Ganoderma lucidum into thin slices, placed them in the alchemy furnace, and slowly roasted them over a low flame.

The Ganoderma lucidum slices gradually change color under high temperature and emit a rich medicinal aroma.

Following the method described in his notes, he extracted the active ingredients from the Ganoderma lucidum slices in stages, each stage requiring different heat and time.

This process took a full five days.

When the last drop of Ganoderma lucidum essence was extracted, Zhou Ning let out a long breath.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Nearly 30% of his internal energy had been depleted, but a sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

"Purification complete," Yan Chixia said.

"Next is integration."

Fusion is the process of mixing all the purified medicinal liquids in a certain proportion.

The ingredients include Earth Spirit Milk, Ambergris Fruit, and Long-lived Lingzhi, as well as more than a dozen auxiliary medicines. Each of them has different medicinal properties, and they must be mixed with great care, otherwise, they may cause a conflict and lead to an explosion.

Zhou Ning poured the medicinal liquid from the jade bottle into the alchemy furnace one by one, covered the furnace, and lit the earth fire crystal.

Flames ignited, and the temperature inside the alchemy furnace began to rise.

The various medicinal liquids gradually blended under high temperature, and the color changed from transparent to milky white, then from milky white to light gold, and finally to a deep gold.

Inside the alchemy furnace, the medicinal liquid slowly rotated, like a miniature vortex, emitting an increasingly rich medicinal fragrance.

Zhou Ning probed the alchemy furnace with his divine sense, sensing the changes in the medicinal liquid.

He carefully adjusted the firepower, controlling the speed of the fusion.

Too fast and the furnace will explode; too slow and the medicinal properties will be lost.

He was completely focused and dared not be distracted in the slightest.

"Slow down," Yan Chixia said.

Zhou Ning slowed down, allowing the medicinal liquid to slowly mix.

One day, two days, three days...

Seven days later, the medicinal liquid was fully fused, turning into a ball of golden liquid that slowly rotated in the alchemy furnace.

The liquid was as thick as honey, radiating a dazzling golden light that illuminated the entire alchemy room.

"The final step: condensing the elixir."

Yan Chixia's voice became serious.

"This is the most crucial step."

"When condensing the elixir, the medicinal liquid needs to be condensed into a solid to form the elixir."

"The firepower must be intense, but the duration must be short. The slightest mistake will ruin the elixir."

"Furthermore, the process of forming the Nascent Soul Pill will cause unusual celestial phenomena, which may attract outside attention. You should be prepared."

Zhou Ning took a deep breath and turned the firepower up to the maximum.

The temperature inside the alchemy furnace rose rapidly, and the golden liquid began to boil, bubbling up.

Zhou Ning probed the alchemy furnace with his divine sense, sensing the changes in the liquid.