For the first attempt at crafting an Earth-grade high-tier pill, it was indeed a bit challenging.
While refining the elixir, Tang Muxi could clearly feel that the Earth-grade was much more difficult than the Xuan-grade, consuming a significant amount of her energy. Fortunately, the furnace was top-notch, and the Solar Essence Fire was obedient, allowing them to support each other and manage the process.
The Hunyuan Spirit Fruit and the Qinglong Ginseng Roots were rather unruly, constantly trying to jump out of the furnace and get closer to her. To calm and control them, Tang Muxi expended a considerable amount of effort.
This batch of pills was extremely difficult, taking a full seven days to complete. By the time the elixir was finally formed, Tang Muxi was nearly exhausted, on the verge of collapse.
But this moment was truly the crux of the matter.
Before the pills could be taken out, she needed to condense the Dao principles into pill patterns and attach them to the elixir. If successful, golden light would descend from the heavens, and a treasure would emerge. If unsuccessful, dark clouds would gather, and heavenly thunder would strike. Not only would the elixir be reduced to ashes, but it would also backfire on her, making it an extremely dangerous endeavor.
Tang Muxi did not dare to be careless. Referring to her master’s insights and methods for refining pill patterns, she gathered her own understanding and comprehension to imprint the Dao principles within.
The majesty of a king, the compassion of a king, all were offered up.
At the same time, Wen Fei emerged from her seclusion.
After the last spiritual rain, the residual injuries within her body gradually healed, and the process of reforging her Dao bones went quite smoothly.
The six Hunyuan Spirit Fruits, theoretically, could barely restore her to the early stage of the God Transformation realm. However, with the gifts of the heavens from the spiritual rain, she was forcefully elevated to the peak of the God Transformation realm, just a step away from breaking through to the Integration stage.
Floating Immortal Island was already rich in spiritual energy, to the point of manifesting spiritual mist. Cultivating here could yield twice the results with half the effort, and it wouldn’t be long before she could advance to the Integration stage. If luck was on her side, she might even recover her cultivation level from the Tribulation stage.
The path ahead was bright, and Wen Fei was in a great mood.
The first thing she did upon emerging was to find her obedient disciple, hoping to check on her progress in alchemy.
The difference between Earth-grade and Xuan-grade was like heaven and earth; it not only required the utmost quality of the elixir but also demanded the discovery of one’s own Dao principles. Condensing pill patterns and gaining the recognition of heaven and earth was essential.
She had poured her lifelong efforts into the insights she shared with Tang Muxi, encompassing hundreds of years of experience and understanding. It was not only obscure and difficult to comprehend but also profoundly mysterious.
Back then, it took her twenty years to condense the Dao principles and another twenty years to master the Earth-grade. Adding the time spent on the Yellow-grade entry and the Xuan-grade advancement, she achieved a level of proficiency just below the Celestial grade in a little over fifty years, a truly remarkable talent.
Moreover, during that time, she also practiced talisman crafting and artifact forging, showcasing an unparalleled talent that was unmatched in history.
The Grand Elder gifted her the meticulously treasured alchemy furnace, and even her elder sister celebrated her talent by giving her the Qiluo Green Lotus for her use.
In the entire demon domain, no one dared to question her.
Wen Fei knew that Tang Muxi had even greater talent, but a mere month was still too short. She believed that it was already quite impressive for her disciple to have comprehended the insights and techniques, and she was mentally prepared to help her with any confusion.
However, she was surprised to find no one when she came out.
Wen Fei’s heart sank; could it be that without her supervision, her disciple had slacked off? Her expression darkened slightly.
“Where is your junior sister?” she asked Jiang Yin, whom she found on the deserted island.
After the spiritual rain, the entire immortal island was vibrant with life, yet the deserted island remained unchanged, lifeless and dull.
Wen Fei felt a bit suspicious, unsure of what was going on.
“Is she not in the alchemy room?” Jiang Yin asked.
Wen Fei shook her head.
“That shouldn’t be the case; she clearly closed herself off seven days ago, saying she was going to refine pills.” For the past seven days, she had been sleeping alone, and without Tang Muxi, the bed felt particularly cold, making Jiang Yin acutely aware of the passage of time.
“Refining pills?” Wen Fei was surprised. “What pill is she refining? Has she finished reading that insight?” Jiang Yin nodded, “She should have.”
“So soon?” Wen Fei couldn’t believe it and joked, “Is there no doubt? She wouldn’t be refining a Earth-grade pill, would she?”
How could that be possible? It had only been a month. It clearly took several months to master the Profound-grade, so how could she be faster with the Earth-grade?
What Wen Fei didn’t know was that Tang Muxi had been busy with many things over the past few months; refining pills was merely a pastime to pass the time, a stark contrast to her previous diligent efforts under the Great Elder.
Jiang Yin furrowed her brows, “Speaking of which, I remember her asking me about the formula for the Immortal Essence Pill and even requested a few corresponding spirit plants.”
The spirit plants required for the Immortal Essence Pill were incredibly rare, and she didn’t have many herself. She had to make a trip to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion to buy them, spending quite a bit of money.
“The Immortal Essence Pill?!” Wen Fei exclaimed in shock, “That’s a top-tier Earth-grade pill! Has she lost her mind?!” If it were any other low-tier Earth-grade pill, she might think Tang Muxi was just playing around, wanting to practice with Earth-grade pills. Not to mention the pill patterns, even forming the pill itself was difficult.
But if it was the nearly Celestial-grade Immortal Essence Pill… Wen Fei could only think that she was insane.
Jiang Yin suddenly realized that something was off and became serious, “What happens if the pill refining fails?” Wen Fei’s face turned pale, “The Immortal Essence Pill is a top-tier Earth-grade pill, just a step away from the Celestial grade. If she fails to form the pill, it would just explode the furnace. But if she successfully forms the pill and then draws the pill patterns, if the patterns are not recognized, it will summon heavenly lightning to forcibly destroy the pill. Earth-grade heavenly lightning has a minimum power equivalent to the Transformation stage. She… she just reached the Golden Core stage…” Wen Fei swallowed hard, not daring to continue.
Golden Core cultivators struggle to escape the ambush of Nascent Soul cultivators, and encountering Transformation stage cultivators leaves no chance of survival.
Moreover, with a top-tier Earth-grade pill, the power of heavenly lightning could reach the Integration stage. Even if it didn’t strike directly, just being nearby would turn one to ashes.
She could only hope that Tang Muxi wouldn’t succeed in forming the pill, or the consequences would be unimaginable. How could she expect to draw Earth-grade pill patterns after just a month? Her own success in facing the tribulation of a low-tier Earth-grade pill only came after she had reached the Transformation stage.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yin’s expression changed immediately as she summoned the Imprisoning Demon Sword, “Can you sense her aura?” She remembered clearly that the Imprisoning Demon Sword had a fondness for Tang Muxi and should be able to find her.
The Imprisoning Demon Sword was suddenly pulled out, looking a bit confused, but the mental connection allowed it to sense its master’s strong will. It scanned the surroundings and firmly pointed towards the Heavenly Island.
“Go find her!” The Imprisoning Demon Sword received the command and immediately flew off, with Jiang Yin and Wen Fei closely following.
Tang Muxi was in the cold pool of the Heavenly Island, finding it extremely difficult to condense the Earth-grade pill patterns for the first time, consuming a lot of energy. Therefore, she could replenish her strength at any time in this place.
Wen Fei only searched on the main island, so naturally, she couldn’t find any trace of her.
The process of drawing the pill patterns was not smooth; it wasn’t that she encountered obstacles, but rather she hesitated over the moral choices involved, taking quite a while to decide.
Fortunately, after some tense moments, she managed to inscribe the final stroke without any mistakes.
Tang Muxi was so exhausted that she couldn’t stand anymore and fell back, soaking in the cold pool.
At the same time, as the pill patterns were completed, a wondrous presence in the sky observed for a moment before descending a beam of golden light.
This golden light was much smaller than when she broke through to the Golden Core stage, barely enveloping the Immortal Essence Pill and her. There were auspicious clouds in the distance, but unfortunately, it fell just short, lacking the auspicious rain.
Tang Muxi felt a sense of disappointment but also understood that forming a pill at the Earth-grade was still not enough to attract the gifts of heaven and earth.
The golden light was incredibly comforting; bathing in it felt even better than lying in the cold pool. A pure power seeped through her skin, soothing even her exhausted mind.
Tang Muxi was incredulous, looking up at the sky in a daze, feeling as if the heavens were favoring her.
When Wen Fei and Jiang Yin arrived, they happened to witness the scene of the golden light descending, both stunned.
When an Earth-grade pill is born, it is accompanied by golden light.
There were no dark clouds, no tribulations, only a majestic and supreme power surrounding them.
What this meant was clear to both of them, yet neither wanted to believe it. They stood frozen in place, staring at the girl bathed in golden light, speechless.
The Imprisoning Demon Sword, however, was different. After months of absence, Tang Muxi’s aura felt even more approachable and familiar. So, upon seeing her, it quickly rushed to her side, rubbing its dark blade against her in a playful manner, completely shedding the demeanor of a divine artifact.
It was afraid of hurting her, so it retracted its murderous aura, not even daring to use its blade, only gently nudging her with the back of the sword.
Until this moment, the unsheathed Imprisoning Demon Sword suddenly regretted its actions, realizing it shouldn’t have damaged the sheath in the first place.
Tang Muxi was momentarily taken aback by the Imprisoning Demon Sword, feeling a ticklish sensation from it, and couldn’t help but giggle, her eyes soft and a smile on her brow: “Why have you come to find me again? If you’ve had enough fun, go back. Don’t let Senior Sister see you; she will get angry.” The Imprisoning Demon Sword thought to itself, this person must be a fool; her Senior Sister had been watching from the side for quite a while now.
After a while, Tang Muxi finally sensed something was off. She turned her head and saw two women, one in red and one in white, staring at her intently from several meters away, their gazes burning with emotions she couldn’t comprehend. Tang Muxi panicked, as if caught in an affair, quickly tossing the Imprisoning Demon Sword, which had been wriggling in her arms, aside and standing up hastily: “S-Senior Sister, what brings you here? Nothing happened between us!”
Imprisoning Demon Sword: ? Is this how you show courtesy?
Wen Fei waited for a moment, expecting her to call her Master, but was surprised when she was completely overlooked! She instantly regretted worrying about this carefree and ungrateful wild disciple.
Jiang Yin found it somewhat amusing and shot a cold glance at the Imprisoning Demon Sword, which was secretly trying to cling to Tang Muxi’s calf. In an instant, the dark blade froze in place before reluctantly flying back. Jiang Yin stored it in her consciousness and scanned Tang Muxi from top to bottom, her gaze landing on the shimmering elixir, still incredulous as she asked, “You refined it?”
Tang Muxi, seeing that she wasn’t angry, was slightly taken aback and approached Jiang Yin with the Immortal Essence Pill, smiling brightly: “Yes, I did! It took a lot of effort.”
Jiang Yin found it hard to believe that a high-grade Earth-level Immortal Essence Pill, just a step away from the Heavenly level, could be refined so smoothly by her. She took the pill, feeling the pure power radiating from it, and examined the complex and profound Earth-level pill patterns. With her strength, she couldn’t decipher even a bit of it.
Wen Fei, feeling neglected, grew anxious and finally couldn’t help but take the pill from Jiang Yin’s hands for a closer inspection. The Immortal Essence Pill was tightly packed, its power exquisite, with profound pill patterns imprinted on its surface, radiating strands of golden light.
It was top-notch. Not a single impurity mixed in. The principles were profound, containing supreme law light within. Just a slight probe would be met with overwhelming and majestic power, yet it was not harmful, like a revered deity, respected and benevolent.
This was Tang Muxi’s principle, one of a kind. Wen Fei held the pill, momentarily lost in thought.
“Master? Is there a problem?” Tang Muxi asked, feeling anxious as she noticed her prolonged silence.
Wen Fei finally came back to her senses, looked at her with a complex expression, returned the Immortal Essence Pill, and smiled lightly: “There is no problem. You are very talented; I… am not as good as you.”
