"Liu laoshi, then... what pill are we forging?"
Knowing that there was no turning back, Mu Yangfeng put down the cauldron and lit the cauldron. Then, he turned to look at Zhang Xuan.
There were countless grade-3 pills, and one had to have a choice if one wanted to forge one.
Judging from his tone, he was probably extremely familiar with a certain pill, and that was why he dared to say such words.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have said those words and forged the pill according to his instructions.
"Pill?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He hadn't considered this matter beforehand. After a moment of hesitation, he turned to Mu Yangfeng and asked, "Right, what do I have to forge in order to become a 3-star apothecary?"
Since the 3-star apothecary examination required one to forge a grade-3 pill, there should be a rule regarding the pill. Since it was an examination, he might as well follow the rules.
"Any grade-3 pill will do. However, the grade-3 [White Sun Pill] is the pill that Apothecary Hong forged back then!"
Hearing that the other party didn't even know what pill he had to forge, Apothecary Mu rolled his eyes. An ominous premonition rose in his heart, but eventually, he nodded his head.
"Alright, I'll forge this White Sun Pill... Oh, right, can I take a look at your pill formula?"
Zhang Xuan scratched his head apologetically. "I have never seen a pill before, so I'm not too sure what medicinal herbs are required... I can only give you some pointers after I take a look at it..."
"..."
Mu Yangfeng staggered and burst into tears.
Brother, I trusted you so much that I even took out the cauldron and lit the cauldron...
Yet, you are telling me that... you have never seen the pill formula before...
You can't be such a scam...
"..."
Apothecary Hong Yun and Jiang Chen were speechless.
They thought that the other party had some capability, but to think that he was just a fool!
He hadn't even seen the pill formula before, but he was already asking for pointers on pill forging...
Would he die if he didn't act cool?
Just the thought of it left them speechless.
"This is the pill formula..."
With a resentful look, Apothecary Mu passed the pill formula over.
The White Sun Pill was one of the basic ingredients for the 3-star apothecary examination, so the pill formula wasn't much of a secret. Almost all 2-star apothecaries knew of it.
"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded. He placed his hand on the book, and the relevant content immediately appeared in his mind.
At the same time, books on refining the White Yang Pill appeared in his mind.
Zhang Xuan stored the entire book collection vault of the Apothecary Guild into the Library of Heaven's Path. Pill formulas were precious, so it was impossible for the Apothecary Guild to allow him to browse through them.
"Correct!"
With a low cry, a brand-new book appeared in front of him.
"Alright, let's begin!"
After flipping through the book, Zhang Xuan looked at Zhang Xuan with a grim expression and said, "Follow my instructions strictly, there is no room for error!"
"Alright!"
Although he was a little depressed, he had already boasted. Mu Yangfeng had no other choice but to nod helplessly.
As a 2-star pinnacle apothecary, Zhang Xuan often attempted to forge White Sun Pills.
As such, he had prepared quite a few sets of herbs in his storage ring so that he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of purchasing them.
Lighting the fire, heating the cauldron, and selecting the medicinal herbs were done in one go.
Taking a look, Zhang Xuan was impressed.
As expected of a 2-star pinnacle apothecary. His technique was many times better than what he had seen before. Even Mo Yu and Guild Leader Ouyang paled in comparison.
He walked up to the cauldron and touched it with his palm. Then, he took a few steps back and fell silent.
"The temperature is about right. Can I put in the medicinal herbs now?"
Soon, the cauldron was almost heated up. Apothecary Mu couldn't help but look at Zhang Xuan.
"Don't be anxious!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands. "Continue adding to the flame!"
"Alright!" Since Apothecary Mu was willing to listen to the other party, he didn't hesitate. He drove his zhenqi and the flame beneath the cauldron burned furiously.
"The cauldron is turning red..."
Apothecary Hong Yun and Jiang Chen stared at one another, and they nearly fainted from the sight.
Does this fellow know how to forge pills?
Forging medicinal herbs isn't like forging weapons. The higher the temperature, the better. Medicinal herbs are of the wood attribute. If the temperature is too high, it is easy for them to lose their medicinal properties, thus rendering them ineffective.
Now that the cauldron was burning red, it looked as though it would explode at any moment. Putting aside forging pills, even the medicinal herbs would be incinerated into ashes...
What the heck?
"Put in the White Wood Grass!"
Just when they were perplexed, the voice of the young man finally sounded.
"The main ingredient of the White Sun Pill... is thrown in directly?"
Apothecary Hong Yun staggered.
White Wood Grass was the main ingredient of the White Sun Pill. It was extremely fearful of fire, and upon coming into contact with it, it would burst into flames.
Under normal circumstances, it was usually placed in the midst of the forging process. Firstly, it was to prevent the cauldron from being too hot, thus reducing it to ashes. Secondly, it could be used to better fuse with the other medicinal herbs, thus bringing out the effects of the main ingredient.
But now, the cauldron was on the verge of exploding, and black smoke was rising from it... Why did he put in this thing instead of anything else...
What a scam!
Needless to say, the moment the medicinal herb entered the cauldron, it would burst into flames and turn into ashes... To bring out its medicinal properties, what the heck!
"Preposterous, this is preposterous! This fellow doesn't know anything about pill forging. I really wonder where Apothecary Mu found him! "
Harrumphing coldly, Apothecary Hong Yun's face steeled.
Needless to say, this cauldron of medicinal herbs must be a failure!
Anyone who knew pill forging in the slightest would understand this logic. Despite knowing nothing about pill forging, this fellow dared to boast that he could forge a grade-3 pill...
Where did this weirdo come from?
Apothecary Mu must be blind to believe him.
After this incident, he would have to reconsider the matter and convene an Elder Conference to teach him a lesson. Otherwise, wasting medicinal herbs might be a small matter, but the reputation of the guild would be tarnished!
Ignoring Apothecary Hong Yun, whose face was turning darker and darker, Zhang Xuan continued, "Add in the Greenwood Grass. Twelve breaths later, add in the Two-eyed Beard..."
A series of instructions.
This sequence was completely different from the usual White Sun Pill forging process. In fact, it was a little deviant. However, since he had agreed to it, he had to follow it strictly. Gritting his teeth, Mu Yangfeng continued to add medicinal herbs into the cauldron. At the same time, he controlled the temperature of the cauldron, not daring to make the slightest mistake.
"Un? Something isn't right... "
As more and more medicinal herbs were added into the cauldron, Zhang Xuan's doubts grew.
He had forged the White Sun Pill many times in the past. Usually, he would only be able to add in a few medicinal herbs before the cauldron would boil uncontrollably, threatening to explode at any moment. Why would there be no reaction even after putting in so many of them?
Could it be that all of the medicinal properties were neutralized?
If that was the case, it meant that the other party's method was correct and there was a high chance that the pill would be formed.
"Something isn't right..."
Then, he shook his head.
The fact that there was no reaction from the cauldron could only mean that there was no problem with the compatibility of the medicinal herbs. The other possibility was that... the medicinal herbs had been reduced to ashes by the searing heat of the cauldron, causing them to lose their medicinal properties.
The former was too difficult, and even some 4-star apothecaries were incapable of doing it. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like the latter was the case...
"Forget it, no matter what, I'll think about it after I finish cultivating the pill..."
Even though Apothecary Mu had guessed that it was impossible for the pill to succeed, he still followed Zhang Xuan's instructions and threw in the medicinal herbs meticulously.
Soon, the final medicinal herb was thrown in as well.
"Open the cauldron!"
Zhang Xuan instructed.
"Open the cauldron?"
Mu Yangfeng was taken aback.
Normally, after throwing in all of the medicinal herbs into the cauldron, it would take a period of time before the medicinal herbs could be fused together to form the pill.
To open the cauldron right after throwing in the medicinal herbs... Wasn't it a little too hasty?
"Quick!"
Not expecting the other party to hesitate, Zhang Xuan instructed once more.
Based on the description in the Library of Heaven's Path, he had to open the cauldron as soon as the medicinal herbs were used up. This moment of hesitation had resulted in several mistakes. Even if the pill were to be successfully formed, its medicinal properties would fall by several levels.
Contrary to Zhang Xuan's anxiousness, upon seeing this sight, Apothecary Hong Yun harrumphed coldly and shook his head.
"Can this pill be successfully forged?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but ask, "You have successfully forged the White Sun Pill before, and it has even reached the level of formation. You have the right to speak!"
Back when Apothecary Hong Yun took the 3-star apothecary examination, the pill he forged was the White Sun Pill. Furthermore, it had reached the level of formation, causing a huge uproar in Tianwu Royal City.
"Successfully forged?" Harrumphing coldly, Apothecary Hong Yun revealed a look of disdain. "Even though the cauldron didn't explode, judging from the heat of the cauldron, all of the medicinal herbs should have been reduced to ashes. To form a pill... Dream on!"
"Reduced to ashes?" Jiang Chen was perplexed.
"If you don't believe me, take a look. If I can successfully form a pill, I will chop off my head..."
Gesturing grandly, Apothecary Hong Yun revealed a confident expression.
To forge a pill carelessly despite knowing nothing at all... Wouldn't he, a 3-star apothecary, be too worthless?
He wasn't the only one who felt this way. Mu Yangfeng also didn't harbor much hope. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and opened the cauldron.
Hu!
Just as he was filled with disappointment and thought that he would only see a floor filled with slag, a rich fragrance of a pill drifted into the air.
"This..."
Mu Yangfeng was taken aback. He hurriedly rushed forward, grabbed the pill, and a round and fragrant pill appeared in his palm.
"This is... Perfect-Grade... White Sun Pill?"
Narrowing his eyes, Mu Yangfeng widened his eyes in shock.
Pills could be divided into Formation, Fullness, Perfect-Grade, Pill Inscription...
Initially, he thought that based on the forging method previously, he would definitely fail. Opening the cauldron would only result in a pile of slag. Never in his dreams did he expect that it would be Formation... and a Perfect-Grade at that!
This... How is this possible?
"What?"
"Perfect-Grade?"
While he was in a daze, Apothecary Hong Yun's body swayed and he nearly bit his tongue off.
He had just said that if the other party were to successfully form a pill, he would chop off his head...
Yet, not only did the other party form a pill, it was even a Perfect-Grade...
The heck!
How in the world did he do it?
He had never seen the White Sun Pill formula before, yet he was able to guide the forging process with just a single glance...
To heat the cauldron to such a high temperature before placing the medicinal herbs into it, not only did it not burn to ashes, it even allowed the pill to reach Perfect-Grade...
The sight before him had completely overturned his understanding of the world, leaving him frenzied.
"This... This... What is going on?"
Apothecary Mu stared at Zhang Xuan with a trembling body, curious to know what was going on.
How did he... succeed just like that?
When did a grade-3 pill become so easy to forge?
Seeing his doubtful gaze, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly.
"Even though the White Wood Grass fears fire, it doesn't mean that it can't be exposed to fire. On the contrary, in a sealed and scorching environment, the medicinal properties of the White Wood Grass can be brought out better! The first step is to place the White Wood Grass into the cauldron. The medicinal properties of the White Wood Grass will fuse perfectly with the other medicinal herbs layer by layer, thus maximizing its effectiveness! "
"Of course, as the other medicinal herbs are placed into the cauldron, the medicinal properties of the White Wood Grass will be wasted. Thus, by placing the White Wood Grass into the cauldron, the medicinal properties of the White Wood Grass will be absorbed and solidified..."
"As for the Two-eyed Beard, it grows in swamps. Even though it possesses yang attribute energy, it possesses water attribute energy as well. Only in a scorching environment can the water attribute be forced out..."
With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan explained as he walked.
"This... This..."
Initially, they were still in disbelief. However, after hearing every single medicinal herb, Apothecary Hong Yun and the others couldn't help but tremble. Eventually, their faces stiffened and they went numb.
There wasn't the slightest hint of pill forging techniques in the other party's lecture. Instead, it was from the perspective of the medicinal properties of the medicinal herbs, how to forge them, how to neutralize them, how to bring out the medicinal properties of the medicinal herbs...
It might not sound like much, but to gather all of them into a single pill formula was fearsome!
This required one to have an extremely deep understanding of each and every medicinal herb in order to achieve such a feat. The depth of one's knowledge and the accuracy of one's judgement had reached an astounding level!
"To be able to perfectly fuse the medicinal properties of the medicinal herbs... You, you aren't an apprentice. You... Who in the world are you?"
Apothecary Hong Yun stared at Zhang Xuan in horror.
To be able to forge a grade-3 pill flawlessly just based on the medicinal properties of the medicinal herbs, even the guild leader was incapable of such a feat!
Who in the world was this person before him? How could he be so familiar with medicinal herbs?
"He is the newly appointed guild leader of the Physician Guild, the one who solved the nineteen Intractable Problems perfectly..."
Apothecary Mu said, "Liu Cheng!"
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