Chapter 142: The Earthfire

With a swift and practiced motion, Ye Cheng retrieved a cyan medicinal cauldron, about human-height and half a meter wide, from his spatial ring, materializing it out of thin air within the cavern.

The cauldron was cast in a dark cyan hue with a faint luster. Sculpted around its body were the images of a Azure Dragon and a White Tiger, appearing as though they were roaring at each other. At the base of the cauldron protruded a carved snake head, angled slightly downward. At the very tip of the snake head was a red button.

Ye Cheng pressed the red button, and the mouth of the protruding snake head suddenly snapped open, revealing a small aperture. This was designed so that once the medicinal concoction was refined, opening this vent would allow the liquid to flow smoothly out through the downward-sloping snake head.

On the lid of the cauldron were two exhaust vents, serving to dissipate heat and prevent any potential cauldron explosion caused by excessively high temperatures.

Gazing at the intricately manufactured and gorgeously crafted medicinal cauldron, Ye Cheng nodded in satisfaction. He then retrieved a first-grade medicinal formula, the Hemostatic Powder, from his spatial ring. As he unrolled the scroll, the formula dissolved into a stream of information that flowed directly into Ye Cheng's mind.

Under Ye Cheng's mental perception, the medicinal ingredients for the Hemostatic Powder slowly materialized, line by line.

"Three taels of Coptis chinensis..."
"One stalk of Serpent-Saliva Grass..."
"One qian of Golden Thread Silver..."

One common herb after another spilled from Ye Cheng's lips. Like a magician performing a trick, he retrieved ten portions of the twenty he had previously purchased at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, placing them neatly on the dry rock beside him.

Carefully matching the herbs against the formula in his mind and confirming there were no omissions, Ye Cheng nodded with satisfaction. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion certainly handled matters reliably.

Setting the herbs aside, Ye Cheng did not rush into refining the pills. At present, he was still unfamiliar with the refinement process of the Hemostatic Powder and needed to spend some time digesting the knowledge.

To blindly attempt it without preparation would merely waste materials.

As Ye Cheng intentionally concentrated on familiarizing himself with the Hemostatic Powder formula and contemplating the medicinal properties of each herb, a sudden sense of déjà vu washed over him. Abruptly, an even vaster torrent of information surged up from the depths of his consciousness.

"Whoosh!"

In an instant, Ye Cheng felt his entire head tighten, and he instinctively tried to block the influx of information.

"Kid, open your mind and heart! This was left behind in your consciousness by the fellow who imparted the fire-control technique, the 'Mystic Fire Art', to you last time. It will be of immense benefit to you." Sensing Ye Cheng's resistance, Elder Mu hurriedly materialized and spoke out to stop him.

Nodding, Ye Cheng forcibly suppressed the throbbing pain in his head and closed his eyes. After a few breaths, the headache gradually subsided.

All at once, the names, appearances, and medicinal properties of countless herbs, along with empirical knowledge regarding how various properties complemented or clashed with one another, flooded Ye Cheng's mind, giving him the momentary illusion that he was deeply versed in pharmacology.

"Kid, what was that information?" Seeing that Ye Cheng had recovered his composure, Elder Mu asked curiously.

"This is..." Ye Cheng stood in a daze, a wave of ecstatic joy instantly washing over his handsome, resolute face. "It's experience regarding pharmacology!"

"Hmm?" Elder Mu's query was a bit vague, causing the elder beside him to miss it. "What did you say it was?"

"The information just now consisted of insights into pharmacology and medicinal properties, making it feel as though I've suddenly become intimately familiar with all kinds of medicinal substances," Ye Cheng said with a smile.

Originally, Ye Cheng was a complete novice when it came to pharmacology. He knew only the most basic herbs and remained entirely ignorant of the relationships between medicinal properties.

Familiarizing oneself with pharmacology and medicinal properties required not only prolonged immersion in herbal texts but also extensive trial and refinement over a long period to gradually build expertise. Such experimentation often demanded countless failures before anything could be verified.

Whether dealing with liquid concoctions or solid pills, mastering pharmacology and medicinal properties was a major key. The compatibility or conflict between various herbs was often enough to affect the efficacy of the final product. Refining substances with opposing properties together would only diminish their medicinal power, whereas combining compatible properties was enough to significantly boost the success rate.

It could be said that this accumulated experience in pharmacology and medicinal properties instantly transformed Ye Cheng from a novice into a quasi-master. It would save him countless detours and lay a solid foundation for his future path in alchemy.

"Oh!" Hearing Ye Cheng's words, a smile also surfaced on Elder Mu's aged face. "That fellow was quite thoughtful, planning even this much out for you. With this, your journey into apothecary learning will be much easier."

At these words, the smile on Ye Cheng's face grew even brighter. He had originally been planning to bitterly cram various herbal texts upon returning to his family clan, but this unexpected pleasant surprise had directly granted him mastery over all manner of pharmacology.

It felt akin to a gambler drowning in debt suddenly being told by the creditors that they no longer wanted repayment—that overwhelming sense of sudden relief.

"At this stage, all you lack is technique and the control of spiritual awareness. As long as you repeatedly practice the apothecary techniques and learn to command the flame intensity with your spiritual awareness, you'll be nearly there." Elder Mu looked at Ye Cheng with a smile, stroking his white beard.

"Hmm? Spiritual awareness control? Isn't Teacher supposed to know nothing about alchemy?" Hearing Elder Mu's professional terminology, Ye Cheng blinked in confusion.

"Ahem, even if one has never eaten pork, surely one has seen a pig run," Elder Mu retorted with a trace of dissatisfaction.

"Alright, enough idle chatter, let's begin! The Heaven-Selecting Tournament is half a year away, and this place is hundreds of thousands of miles away from Nanyang Prefecture's capital. The journey alone will take a month. Calculating properly, you only have four or five months left to refine medicinal liquids and elevate your cultivation base."

"As long as you quickly refine the Blood-Coagulating Powder and the Qi-Solidifying Powder, you can use them in place of the blood core to aid your cultivation. Only then can you advance your cultivation realm more swiftly," Elder Mu said indifferently.

"Understood."

Nodding, Ye Cheng lifted the lid of the medicinal cauldron and closed his eyes slightly, sensing the fire spirit that had always rested quietly beneath his dantian. The moment Ye Cheng's consciousness touched it, the fire spirit darted about like a frightened child, scuttling through his meridians.

"Condense!" But as Ye Cheng exerted his will, the fire spirit suddenly calmed down, obeying the guidance of his consciousness. It slowly traveled through his meridians to the palm of his hand. Following a brief moment of stillness, as if pulled by a fierce suction force, it suddenly burst forth from his palm, passed through the open lid, and dove straight into the medicinal cauldron.

"Whoosh..."

Upon entering the cauldron, the fire spirit instantly transformed into a deep red flame, churning and burning within the vessel. The scorching heat caused even Ye Cheng, standing outside, to feel a wave of intense warmth.

Although this fire spirit was only of a low-grade earthly fire tier, its temperature was vastly superior to ordinary flames, surpassing even subterranean magma. Under the burning of this fire spirit, ordinary heavenly treasures could be refined; drop even a rock inside, and it would be reduced to powder in no time. One could only imagine just how high the temperature truly was.