Chapter 162: Dragon-Transforming Spiritual Liquid

Looking at the bronze scrap in his palm, Ye Cheng smiled slightly. With a gentle flick of his hand, he tossed the palm-sized piece of bronze into the air, and immediately mobilized his spiritual consciousness to summon the fire spirit residing within his body.

Under Ye Cheng's control, the crimson flames transformed by the fire spirit instantly surged out from his body, enveloping the bronze scrap and causing it to tumble and burn intensely in mid-air.

Using his spiritual consciousness, Ye Cheng shielded the room from the scorching heat of the crimson flame, preventing it from reducing the inn's chamber to ashes.

The temperature of the flame formed by this fire spirit was dozens to a hundred times higher than ordinary fire. Even top-tier apothecaries, employing advanced fire-control techniques to forcefully raise the temperature of ordinary flames by over fivefold, could not compare to this earth-fire level blaze.

This was one of the key advantages that allowed Ye Cheng to stand out among numerous apothecaries, and it was also one of the qualifying conditions for him to eventually step into the ranks of alchemists.

Without the fire spirit bestowed by his fire-affinity physique, even with the pharmacological knowledge imparted by that top-tier apothecary, it would have been impossible for Ye Cheng to refine a first-grade potion within just a few days, let alone successfully brew a second-grade potion a few months later and become a second-grade apothecary.

Furthermore, his success rate in brewing potions vastly surpassed that of other apothecaries.

Hiss... hiss!

Enveloped by the fire spirit, the bronze scrap hovered in mid-air. Its initially greenish copper surface began to wrinkle, emitting faint wisps of smoke. Within a few breaths, the copper outer layer completely peeled away.

A wisp of white light emerged from beneath the peeled bronze layer. Meanwhile, the discarded bronze was melted by the extreme heat of the flame into a pool of green liquid, dripping down drop by drop and producing a sizzling sound.

"This ball of light?" When the last drop of molten bronze fell, nothing remained within the fiery embrace except a milky-white ball of light, floating right before Ye Cheng's eyes.

"Withdraw!" Controlling the fire spirit with his spiritual consciousness, Ye Cheng recalled it into his body. Staring fixedly at the milky-white light before him with a puzzled expression, he turned to Elder Mu beside him.

"What is this?"

"It's a piece of energetic information. As for what specific information it contains, you'll only know once you receive it," Elder Mu replied.

"How do I receive it?"

"Touch it with your spiritual consciousness, and it will actively enter your body," Elder Mu instructed.

"Alright!" Ye Cheng nodded. Following Elder Mu's instructions, he extended his spiritual consciousness, cautiously reaching toward the floating orb of light while feeling an irrepressible wave of anticipation in his heart.

"Whoosh!"

Under the watchful eyes of Ye Cheng and Elder Mu, the moment his spiritual consciousness touched the light sphere, it seemed like a lost child finally finding its parents, darting straight along the spiritual thread and into Ye Cheng's mind.

In an instant, Ye Cheng felt a modest flow of information flood into his consciousness, as if something new had been added to his awareness. Upon careful sensing, four golden characters suddenly emerged within his memory.

"Dragon-Transforming Spirit Liquid!"

Clearly, this was a recipe for a potion. Ye Cheng knew of it from the pharmacological experience passed down to him by the master of the ancient cavern, but those records had only contained a brief description without the actual formula.

Categorized by grade, this Dragon-Transforming Spirit Liquid was a fifth-grade potion. However, considering its true efficacy, it would hardly be surprising if its effects rivaled those of a sixth-grade potion.

The reason lay in its ability to increase the probability of peak Origin Realm experts breaking through into the Ancient Dan Realm. The gap between the Origin Realm and the Ancient Dan Realm was as vast as heaven and earth. Back then, when Grandfather Ye had just broken through to the Ancient Dan Realm, neighboring factions immediately lowered their postures, wagging their tails as they came to offer congratulations.

All arrogant facades appeared pale and powerless in the face of absolute strength.

Yet, transcending this step was easier said than done. The preciousness of any potion capable of increasing the success rate of this breakthrough was self-evident.

Seeing the joy on Ye Cheng's face, Elder Mu stroked his white beard and smiled, "I told you it was something good. Tell your teacher what it is."

"Dragon-Transforming Spirit Liquid!" Ye Cheng answered truthfully, explaining the potion's effects to Elder Mu, which prompted the old man to nod with a smile.

With such a fine treasure, his disciple's growth rate would accelerate significantly, bringing Elder Mu's expectations for him one step closer to reality.

Suddenly, however, he noticed that the joy on Ye Cheng's face had morphed into a wry smile. Puzzled, he asked, "Is there a problem with the formula?"

"No!" Ye Cheng shook his head with a bitter smile, then spread his hands in a somewhat helpless manner and said, "There's nothing wrong with the formula, but the ingredients required are rather troublesome. Whether I can actually find them remains a question."

"Oh?" Elder Mu chuckled and said, "Let's hear it!"

"The recipe for this Dragon-Transforming Spirit Liquid requires one hundred and eighteen auxiliary herbs. But those auxiliary ingredients aren't a major issue; I have quite a few in my storage ring, and even if I didn't, they can be easily purchased on the market. However, among the five main ingredients mentioned in the formula, I only possess the Qilu Lingzhi and the Nirvana Flower, which I obtained back in the ancient cavern—they are exceptionally rare medicinal materials."

"As for the remaining Infant-Transforming Grass, Hundred-Refined Grass, and the inner core of a Heaven-Fleeing Python, I don't have them," Ye Cheng said slowly, his tone carrying a deep sense of helplessness.

Even though he had swept up countless rare medicinal herbs from the ancient cavern, as fate would have it, the primary ingredients needed for the Dragon-Transforming Spirit Liquid were precisely the ones he lacked. Furthermore, each of these primary ingredients was guarded like a priceless treasure by others, with very few ever willing to put them up for sale.

Hearing Ye Cheng's description, Elder Mu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Judging by the potion's potency, it's hardly surprising that it requires such components."

"Don't you already have two of the main ingredients on you? As for the Heaven-Fleeing Python, it's merely an Origin Beast; with your current strength, you have a decent chance of hunting one. Even if you don't hunt it yourself, the inner cores of Heaven-Fleeing Pythons are frequently auctioned off at special venues like auction houses."

"It's even possible that the Infant-Transforming Grass and Hundred-Refined Grass might appear as well. Besides, you still have quite a distance to go before breaking through to the Ancient Dan Realm. You can slowly gather these main ingredients over time," Elder Mu comforted him.

"I suppose that's the only option." Hearing Elder Mu's words, Ye Cheng could only nod in agreement.

Early the next morning, Ye Cheng was startled out of his quiet meditation by a loud, boisterous shout.

"Ye Cheng, you little bastard, get your ass out here!"

Suddenly, a crude and furious curse echoed from outside into Ye Cheng's ears, causing his brow to furrow slightly.