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Refining the 10th Tier Pill (2)
🕑 Added 2023-08-28 05:02:11 +0000 UTC--- Chapter 164 ---
In the Yao Realm.
An intense heat suddenly appeared, covering a mountain range and the surrounding area. Every plant and animal within a thousand miles is dried rapidly, losing their vitality as the heat is too much.
Swoosh!
A bright fire tornado ascended due to the turbulent winds and changed the sky.
The sky was dark, full of dark thunderclouds. The lightning bolts are swimming and waiting for their chances to strike.
Even though the heavy rain descended on the area, it still couldn't cool down the heat.
After all, this heat came from a combination of eight Heavenly Flames.
Under the ferocious might of the Heavenly Flames, almost everyone in the field couldn't help but cover their eyes. Their bodies trembled greatly because the sheer force of this natural force suppressed them.
Except for Baek Ain and four other Heavenly Flames' wielders, the Yao Clan's Patriarch, the appointed elder from the Gu Clan, and people from the Yan Clans because they possessed innate talents toward Fire Element, no one could withstand such suppression.
Even Yao Ling'er, who developed her Quasi-Heavenly Flame, could only watch behind Yao Dan's protection. She bit her lips worriedly and stared at the manly figure in the sky.
"Teacher... Please be safe." Yao Ling'er prayed while clasping her hands together.
Everyone thought the same. Of course, most cared more about the pills.
Unknown to them, Baek Ain enjoyed himself at this very moment. And it's all due to one particular skill.
A skill that Baek Ain rarely used until now.
[Fire Devouring]
[Ding! You have absorbed a large amount of wild Fire Elements]
[Ding! You have refined Fire Elements into Pure Energy!]
[The Current Pure Energy: 100 Units]
The pure energy refined from [Fire Devouring] is Natural Energy that Heavenly Flames have absorbed from their surrounding nature.
Not only could it increase one's Dou Qi substantially, but it could also help a fire to become a new Heavenly Flame. This Pure Energy is much better than Half-Saint's Energy that Baek Ain got from the Fallen Orchid Sect.
The problem is that there weren't many Heavenly Flames to begin with.
So, the amount of Pure Energy one could get is limited.
Under the effect of [Parallel Thinking], Baek Ain began to split his works into three.
The first work is refining Dou Di's Blood Purifying Pill.
The second is to absorb Heavenly Flames' Force with [Fire Devouring] and sublime the Pure Energy.
The last is to condense this Pure Energy into his Physical Body and complete the Nine Changes to True Saint Procedure.
Nine Changes to True Saint, or Sagefication, is a step one needed when entering the Dou Saint Realm.
When entering the Half-Saint Realm, one compresses energies nine times and becomes a false saint.
Sagefication is its next step, compressing these energies into one's body and evolving it to the Holy Realm! This procedure is dangerous, but the strength one achieves when becoming Dou Saint depends on how much one compresses the energy.
Yes, Baek Ain wanted to become a Dou Saint in this situation.
In the first place, why would someone let such a sweet chance go away?
The thunderclaps echoed in the area before Baek Ain could command them to start throwing the ingredients. He frowned and used True Ashen's Eyes to observe something.
'Ah, I see...' After viewing a few moments into the future, Baek Ain laughed bitterly inside.
It seems he's going to trigger Extreme Dual Lightning Calamity soon.
A buzzing sound dug into Baek Ain's ears, but he ignored it.
"Send the first batch of the ingredients first!" He commanded while waving his hand.
Yao Dan and others nodded, using their Spiritual Strengths to move the ingredients into the furnace. They put it according to specific orders and measurements, perfectly under Baek Ain's instructions.
Baek Ain formed a hand sign with one hand and refined the ingredients quickly. Every Alchemist in the area couldn't let this chance go away as they observed Baek Ain's works. They didn't even dare to blink, afraid to miss such a rare moment.
However, they couldn't believe their eyes and Spiritual Sense right now.
Inside the Ten Thousand Meteorite Furnace, there are sixteen different temperature points.
The only explanation is that medicinal ingredients had specific requirements for temperature to get refined completely.
Refining one by one will take time but also lengthen the process.
What Baek Ain doings requires extreme focus on multitasking and godly control over the fire!
If they knew Baek Ain had split his focus into three before, they'd probably start questioning their sanity and what's alchemy to them.
"Next!" Baek Ain roared, closing his eyes.
The second batch of ingredients was "Immediately." thrown into the scalding hot furnace and arranged by Baek Ain again.
After an hour, Baek Ain had refined four batches of ingredients and turned them into four blobs of medicinal essence.
Below, everyone could see Baek Ain's complexion become paler. They thought he must have consumed massive energy to refine these ingredients, but that could never be too wrong.
Under their watchful gazes, Baek Ain has completed the first compression of Sagefication. His body became pale as it started to step into the Holy Realm. It starts shedding its mortal shells.
After stabilizing the first compression, Baek Ain created another energy reserve in his body and expanded it with Pure Energy. The Natural Energy in the surrounding was sucked like no tomorrow, flowing through Heavenly Flames, then to Baek Ain.
Wiping non-existent sweats on his forehead, Baek Ain sighed in relief and said, "Continue."
As the refining of medicinal ingredients continued, Baek Ain increased the speed of [Fire Devouring] by three times as he could handle it.
All of a sudden, the lightning struck him.
BOOM!
"Teacher!!"
"Brother Lin!"
"Grandmaster Lin!"
Several shouts of worry filled the field.
Baek Ain's top got blown away, revealing his upper body. The only thing left was the swaying Windbreaker he made a few days ago.
"It has started..." A faint fire barrier surrounded Baek Ain.
He looked up and mumbled, "The Extreme Dual Lightning Calamity."
The thunderclouds revolved in the sky, seemingly observing their target and trying to determine its worth.
Baek Ain smiled helplessly, "That tickles me a little."
As if the Lightning Calamity heard Baek Ain's words, the thunderclouds throbbed and sent another lightning strike.
BOOM!
'Sheesh, chill.' Baek Ain cursed inwardly.
He wasn't afraid of Dual Extreme Lightning Calamity as he has Mighty Rajang and integrated Lightning Physique within the Myriad Behemoth Sage Physique.
Ignoring the annoyed Lightning Calamity, Baek Ain refined the fifth batch of medicinal ingredients. It took him an hour as they needed utmost care and a gentle temperature.
Baek Ain sighed and said, "Throw the next batch!"
The Lightning Calamity kept striking Baek Ain, but the windbreaker cape protected him. When Baek Ain started refining the sixth batch of the ingredients, he frowned and looked up.
A bolt of blue lightning descended. There is a hint of coldness in it.
Soon, an ice hail fell on the field.
"Ice and Lightning Storm?" Baek Ain mumbled in surprise.
Due to the ice hail, the Heavenly Flames reacted and increased their heat to counter it. And yes, it almost makes Baek Ain's control fail.
What kind of bullshit is this?
"Heavenly Flames' Wielders! Create a shield around yourself!" Baek Ain warned as the blue lightning struck him.
BOOM!
Baek Ain activated [The King of Flame] and increased his control proficiency.
He summoned Roc's Spine and freed his left hand from Alchemy, grasping the spear's handle. His left arm flexed as he threw Roc's Spine at the sky.
SWOOOOSH!
A bird's cries echoed in the sky.
BOOOOOOOM!!
Roc's Spine clashed with the Lightning Calamity.
Baek Ain continued refining the ingredients and succeeded in one hour and a half. He glanced at Yao Dan and shouted, "Brother Dan, activate the Earth Thunder Imprisoning Array!"
Yao Dan nodded and stood in the middle of the array formation. His 7-Star Dou Saint's cultivation base erupted, charging the array full enough Dou Qi.
A bright green light exploded and became a massive tiger, pouncing at the sky.
The tiger bites the incoming Lightning Calamity.
After six hours, Baek Ain successfully refined 300 8th Tier Ingredients and turned them into ten blobs of medicinal essence. He breathed heavily and complained because this was harder than he expected.
He underestimated the pill recipe from the Great Thousand World.
Well, good things also happened. Baek Ain has compressed his energy into his body six times.
There are six bloody rings on his back, looking more like a tattoo. Maybe it was the effect of his special Sagefication.
Still, he hides it with [Chaotic Mask of the Jester], causing it to appear normal.
Baek Ain inhaled and checked his progress bar, "Damn."
[The Current Pure Energy: 6,900,219 Units]
[Sagefication Progress: 60%]
Baek Ain felt his Dou Qi squirming rapidly. They are eager to be fed with Pure Energy again.
"Everyone, I must warn you... The next refining will be more intense than before."
"The remaining 33 Ingredients required a great supply of Heavenly Flames. Can you support them for another two or three days?"
"We can!" Yao Dan, the Heavenly Flames' Wielders, and others nodded.
Baek Ain smiled and said, "Well, let's start with the next batch."
Eleven heaven and earth's ingredients are "slowly." thrown into the Ten Thousand Meteorite Furnace. Baek Ain immediately locked them and allocated his fire control to refine them.
This process took two hours and a half.
The next batch took three hours and a quarter.
And the last batch took eight freaking hours.
Everyone was exhausted, mentally and physically. The amount of pressure everyone had to endure was too massive.
The other alchemists carefully used their Spiritual Strength to support Baek Ain in handling the ingredients.
The same goes for the Heavenly Flames' Wielders because they release their Heavenly Flames for a long time. They almost injured their foundation.
They couldn't even count how many Energy Recovery Pills they had consumed.
Not to mention that the Lightning Calamity kept striking them. Each strike lasted more than five seconds with 3 seconds cooldown, barely allowing them to take a breather.
Of course, they didn't take all the lightning strikes directly. Maybe only 5% of it reached them.
65% of the lightning directly went to Baek Ain.
As for the remaining 30%, it got split between Roc's Spine and Earth Thunder Imprisoning Array.
Baek Ain looked at the thirteen blobs of medicinal essences and warned everyone that this step would be the most crucial.
"I'll start now..."
Baek Ain calmed down and entered the best state to refine a pill. He looks casual and acts like the 10th Tier Pill is the 1-Tier Pill instead.
It might look weird, but to Yao Dan and other Alchemists, Baek Ain's action truly opened their eyes.
Calm.
Steady.
Casual.
Unperturbed by others.
A master with skills won't be nervous. If one trusted one's skills 100%, one could achieve a great thing!
Not to be confused with arrogance, people with skills have their own aura and persona. Overwhelming confidence that could trample any bottlenecks, which is hard to cultivate without a firm foundation.
Baek Ain casually swung his hand to form intricate seals, and thirteen blobs of medicinal essence merged into a crimson-gold orb. It rotated rapidly under the heat of Heavenly Flames, churning with bloody light.
At this very moment, the Lightning Calamity discovered a crack in their defense.
KABOOOOOOOOOM!!
A flash of golden lightning descended.
"Shit!" Yao Dan cursed as he spewed out a mouthful of blood.
He dropped to the ground alongside several elders from the Yao Clan, looking very miserable.
"The array has been broken!!"
Roc's Spine also received a sudden influx of Lightning Calamity and was locked in the air.
Several bolts of lightning struck the field, injuring everyone heavily. Some lost their limbs, eyes, and internal organs.
A powerful lightning bolt descended and pounced on the weakest Heavenly Flames' Wielder, Gu Xun'er.
The Gu Clan's young lady was alarmed as she tried to shield herself with the Dou Qi Energy Barrier, but how could Lightning Calamity be resisted easily?
"N-No way." Her eyes widened in disbelief when the Energy Barrier was "instantly." torn apart by the lightning.
Life flashed by Gu Xun'er's eyes.
Her memories, sad and happy moments, replayed back.
She recalled her father, mother, family, and a familiar-looking youth.
"B-Brother Xiao Yan, Xun'er is..." She tears up.
"Please save me..." Gu Xun'er unwillingly closed her eyes and felt a gust of wind hit her face.
A warm embrace enveloped her.
"Wake up, Lady Gu." A gentle yet manly voice brushed her ears.
"We are not done yet."
Gu Xun'er slowly opened her eyes and gasped, covering her mouth in horror. "G-Grandmaster Lin, Y-Your Chest!" She cried out.
Baek Ain currently hugged Gu Xun'er to shield her. However, he got stabbed by several golden lightning bolts in the process.
The lightning bolts are like hot knives through butter, penetrating his physical defense and chest like it was nothing. The charred bloody holes are the ones that make Gu Xun'er fall into horror.
She felt touched.
And absolutely guilty!
"I-I'm sorry..."
Hearing her trembling voice, Baek Ain wiped the blood from his mouth and smiled. He patted Gu Xun'er on the head and said, "It's okay."
"Everything will be fine as long as I'm here."
"Don't cry. A beautiful lady like you shouldn't cry so easily." He chuckled, rubbing the tears off Gu Xun'er.
[Ah, the classic~!] Alicia clicked her tongue in amazement.
[The Damsel in Distress is always effective in such a situation!]
'I didn't plan for this. Nature did.' Baek Ain countered while gazing at the thunderclouds.
The passage of time becomes unknown to them. They didn't know how long they had refining Dou Di's Blood Purifying Pill.
Baek Ain pulled out the lightning bolts and sealed them inside jade bottles, focusing his attention on the Ten Thousand Meteorite Furnace.
He cleared his throat, "Everyone!"
"Give me five minutes!"
"Five minutes, and I'll guarantee success!"
"Hahaha, we can't let Brother Lin down then~!!" Yao Dan and others laughed in expectation. If they succeed, they'll record a new mark in history.
Baek Ain gave them a thumbs up and closed his eyes, feeling the Sagefication had reached 95%. The former six bloody rings have become nine in total now.
The tenth ring is forming but faint compared to others.
As everyone activated the Earth Thunder Imprisoning Array, Baek Ain went to the Ten Thousand Meteorite Furnace. The Lightning Calamity reacted, and a new lightning struck down.
It was a flash of platinum-colored lightning, having a tyrannical Spatial Strength that could create Spatial Tears inside it. The danger increased by a thousandfold, causing everyone to release cold sweats.
However, the smiles on their faces widened.
Well, it looks more like a grin.
"GO!" Baek Ain used [The King of Flame] to its very limit-! No, he broke the limit and reached a higher stage of control.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The lightning struck Baek Ain. He gritted his teeth because it scraped his flesh and bones. The Myriad Behemoth Sage Physique actually couldn't defend this lightning strike. It was a shock to Baek Ain, who always felt overpowered.
Even though he quickly regenerated, the Lightning Calamity infused with Tyrannical Spatial Strength is no joke!
The array only absorbed 15% of the lightning. So, Baek Ain withstood the rest of it.
Even then, everyone released exaggerated, painful grunts. Their clothes are "thoroughly." burnt, and they look like beggars. Even the once refined, beautiful young ladies of the Ancient Clans look miserable.
One minute later.
Baek Ain clenched his teeth and used the Lightning Calamity to break his mortal shackle. One, two, four, one thousand lightning bolts appeared in the sky and drilled into Baek Ain's body.
Another one minute later.
They lost 50% of the people. They fainted on the spot, remaining in their last position, such as the lotus stance or standing.
Baek Ain kept absorbing Pure Energy and expanded it before compressing it into his body. The Dou Di's Blood Purifying Pill also started to form inside the Ten Thousand Meteorite Furnace.
Two minutes later.
They lost 30% more people.
The Heavenly Flames' Wielders were on their last energy reserve.
Yao Dan and others used their sheer will to maintain the array.
Sixty seconds left.
Fifty-nine seconds.
Some elders of the Yao Clan coughed a mouthful of blood.
Forty-two seconds.
95% of the Alchemists experienced Spiritual Shock and fainted.
Thirty seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Ten seconds.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGHHH!" Everyone roared at the sky.
Their bodies are so weak there is no power left to move.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Yao Dan finally fell, gritting his teeth tightly.
"BROTHER LIN, DO IT!!"
Three.
Two.
One.
The thunderclouds ultimately launched a concentrated Lightning Calamity at Baek Ain. Over ten thousand platinum-colored lightning bolts descended and pounced at him.
"FORM!!!" Baek Ain screamed at the top of his lungs.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
...
...
Silence ensued in the Yao Realm after three days and nights.
Cough!
Cough!
Gu Xun'er coughed as she pulled up her weakened body, searching for a man's presence. "Grandmaster Lin, are you okay?" She slowly walked toward Baek Ain.
She stopped and saw a charred man before the Ten Thousand Meteorite Furnace. She gasped in shock and hurriedly came to his side.
"Grandmaster Lin..." Gu Xun'er mumbled while checking Baek Ain's condition. "Xun'er doesn't know how to repay you in this lifetime."
Baek Ain smiled weakly and replied, "It's okay, Lady Gu."
"I'm not going to die so soon now."
"However, I might need your help."
"Just say it, Grandmaster! Xun'er will do anything!" Gu Xun'er grasped Baek Ain's hand sincerely.
Baek Ain coughed dramatically and replied, "Beside me and my wife, our Lin Clan only has one last legitimate heir."
"However, he was swept by a violent Spatial Storm a few years ago."
"His name is Baek Ain. Don't be confused about our different surnames because it was our mother's surname."
"B-Baek Ain... What?!" Hearing this, Gu Xun'er was shocked beyond belief.
A familiar name she hadn't heard for years!
She recalled a young man who defeated her years ago.
At the time, she was still living in Xiao Clan, trying to get Tou She's Jade.
Baek Ain acted surprised and excitedly stared at Gu Xun'er, "Lady Gu, have you perhaps met my younger brother before?"
Gu Xun'er felt complicated but still nodded, "Yes."
"Don't worry, Grandmaster Lin."
"I'll find him no matter what!"
"But... What about Dou Di's Blood Purifying Pill? Is it a failure?" She glanced at the furnace.
Baek Ain chuckled and answered, "No, it was a huge success."
As Baek Ain finished his words, a brilliant glow penetrated the dust in the field and let everyone see the first-ever 10th-tier Tier Pill!
Inside the Ten Thousand Meteorite Furnace. There are piles of crimson-colored pills with an inviting aroma.
Each Pill excluded holy aura, exceeding the long-known stage of 9th Tier Pills. Not only that, but their Dou Di's Blood felt agitated by smelling it alone. That's just how potent the Pill was.
[Ding! You have gained a grand achievement and obtained two titles!]
[Pioneer of Alchemy!]
[Mortal, Who Broke its Shackles]
[Ding! Ten Rings of Divine Blood Diagram have successfully created]
[You have accumulated the power of 1,000 Ancient Mammoths!]
[You have leveled up]
[You have successfully become 1-Star Dou Saint]
[Due to prolonged usage, Fire Devouring upgraded twice!]
[Fire Devouring(S) >>> Fire Devouring(SSS)]
[Myriad Behemoth Sage Physique has gained a qualitative change]
[Lightning/Thunder Elements(Calamity) added to Five-Elements Origin Core]
[Roc's Spine advanced from SSS(Low) to SSS(Mid) and formed a young weapon's spirit]
Baek Ain heaved a sigh of relief as his body was "quickly." swept by a comfortable feeling. He handed a spatial ring with recovery pills to Gu Xun'er and told her to share the pills with everyone.
"Give everyone with life-threatening injuries seven pills, heavy injuries five pills, and light injuries three pills."
Gu Xun'er nodded in understanding, eating the three recovery pills for herself. Unknown to her, she was helping Baek Ain spread his parasite spawns to Yan Clan and Gu Clan.
As everyone awakened, Baek Ain smiled at them, "Everyone, Good Work!"
"We have successfully concocted the 10th Tier Pill!"
"This moment will get recorded in history for eternity!!"
"For Alchemy!" He clenched his fist and raised it.
Everyone instinctively followed him and said, "FOR ALCHEMY!!"
