Chapter 145: The Rigorous Path of Medicinal Cultivation

Although anyone could learn the art of potion-making, not everyone could persevere. Generally speaking, if a hundred people attempted the path of potion-making, no more than three would manage to persist. Download ebooks here—free downloads all in one place!

Many people faltered at the very last step of refining a potion. This was precisely the obstacle Ye Cheng now had to overcome. Yet he was different from ordinary people. With his aptitude, the inherited knowledge of a top-tier alchemist, and his fire constitution, he naturally found the path of potion-making far easier than others.

After all, those who possessed a fire constitution and the assistance of a fire spirit already had the potential to become true alchemists. Potion-making, which was a level beneath that, was naturally no great difficulty. The fire spirit could greatly increase the success rate of many potions.

The most important—and most difficult—stage of refining a potion was none other than the final one: fusing all the medicinal forces together. Ordinary people might not know this, but anyone with even the slightest understanding of potion-making knew that the various medicinal forces had to be fused to at least seventy percent during the final procedure for the potion to be considered a finished product.

In other words, anything below seventy percent was nothing but waste. Naturally, the higher the success rate, the better the potion’s quality and the greater its effect on a martial practitioner.

Although his first attempt at refining a potion ended in failure, Ye Cheng did not mind. He had never expected to succeed on his first try, no matter how good his potential was.

As soon as he returned to the Ye household, he resumed his daily cultivation, absorbing vital energy to temper his body and awaken the blood energy within him. At present, he could only fully stimulate his blood energy by absorbing the vital energy of Heaven and Earth. Even if he possessed a blood core, it would not be of much use to him.

Because of the special nature of his Devouring Constitution, the amount of energy he needed was simply too enormous. An entire night of cultivation was practically a drop in the bucket. Thus, Ye Cheng still regarded potion-making as the means by which he would stimulate his blood energy, form blood threads, and eventually condense blood crystals.

Only when he could refine the second-grade potions Blood凝散 and Essence-Stabilizing Powder would the speed at which he formed blood threads and condensed blood crystals increase.

According to Elder Mu, once he entered the Origin Realm, his constitution would truly awaken. At that time, the hundreds of spiritual meridians within his Devouring Constitution would activate simultaneously, and absorbing the vital energy of Heaven and Earth would become as easy as drinking water. When that day came, he would no longer be troubled by his enormous energy requirements.

Thus, the next day, when the sky was only beginning to brighten, Ye Cheng once again entered the cave and devoted himself to another attempt at refining potions.

Over the course of that day, Ye Cheng refined potions five times in total. Without exception, however, he made mistakes while fusing the medicinal forces during the final procedure, and every attempt ended in failure.

Though each attempt failed, Ye Cheng could clearly feel his progress. When his spiritual sense entered the fire spirit, the burning sensation was no longer painful or even uncomfortable. By his third attempt, during the stage of extracting the medicinal essences, he could already control the temperature each of the dozen or so ingredients in the Hemostatic Powder could withstand.

The final stage of fusion was far more difficult, because it required him to take into account the medicinal properties of every ingredient.

By his last few attempts, Ye Cheng had gradually understood that the main reason he could not successfully refine a potion with a seventy-percent yield was that he had yet to find the precise point at which the different medicinal forces could harmonize.

Only by finding that point could the medicinal forces reach a balance and avoid exploding the cauldron every time.

Speaking of exploding cauldrons, Ye Cheng was secretly grateful that he had purchased a mid-grade medicinal cauldron. Had he chosen a low-grade one, refining first-grade potions might not have damaged it, but once he advanced to second- and third-grade potions, the conflicts between the medicinal forces would resemble small bombs. It was difficult to say whether a low-grade cauldron would survive that long.

Refining potions required one to maintain complete concentration every second. The slightest lapse could ruin the medicine at best and injure the spirit at worst. Therefore, Ye Cheng proceeded with extreme caution every time, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Without question, such a complicated process was extraordinarily draining on the mind. Although Ye Cheng possessed an ancient soul jade that could nourish and restore his spiritual sense, the exhaustion of his mind could not be repaired in that way. It could only recover through daily sleep and meditation.

Thus, after five attempts in a single day, Ye Cheng was utterly exhausted. His face was devoid of color, and he looked completely worn out. Yet everything had two sides. It was precisely in this state that he gained a deeper grasp of the fusion of medicinal forces.

“Eh? What happened to Young Master Ye Cheng? Just like yesterday, he went out early this morning, and now he’s come back looking so pale, as if he’s completely exhausted.”

Watching the black-clad youth disappear inside, one of the guards spoke in confusion.

“He’s probably been pushing himself too hard in cultivation. You know perfectly well that Young Master Ye Cheng’s achievements today were all earned through his own efforts. His habit of cultivating day and night has been common knowledge throughout our town for a long time.”

After hearing the other guard’s words, the first guard’s furrowed brows relaxed. The respect in his gaze as he watched the young man became even more fervent.

After returning to his room, Ye Cheng immediately collapsed into bed and slept deeply. The following day, he once again began the refining process.

Near dusk that day, in a secluded cave in the rear mountains of the Ye household, a medicinal cauldron stood upright. Bright flames leaped within it, illuminating the otherwise dim cavern.

Under the glow of the fire, the silhouette of a young man was cast upon the cave wall. Naturally, that young man was none other than Ye Cheng.

“Whew!”

Watching a mass of black liquid flow out of the medicinal cauldron, Ye Cheng fell silent for a moment before muttering helplessly, his voice echoing through the cavern.

“This is already the third time today. I always feel that I’ve grasped the point where the medicinal forces should harmonize, yet I make a mistake at the crucial moment every time.”

His dark eyes reflected the crimson flames leaping within the cauldron. He steadied his mind, then took another portion of ingredients from his storage ring and began a fresh attempt at refining.

After two days of experience, Ye Cheng’s movements were no longer as awkward as they had been at the beginning. His hands moved with remarkable efficiency as one ingredient after another was placed into the cauldron.

His motions flowed as smoothly as water, and he finally bore some resemblance to a true alchemist.

After an entire quarter of an hour, the refining process reached the stage of fusing the medicinal forces. Ye Cheng’s concentration rose to its absolute limit as he observed the fusion of the different forces and carefully sensed every change.

He had failed at this very step every time before. This time, however, he felt considerably more confident.

“This is the moment.”

“Condense!”

In the cave, brightly illuminated by the flames leaping inside the medicinal cauldron, Ye Cheng’s tightly shut eyes suddenly opened. A sharp cry escaped his lips and lingered through the cavern for a long while.