Chapter 29
The most difficult magic pill.
In the afternoon, You XiaoMo doesn't go to the Hall of Enchanted Herbs to refine magic pills. The other day, he had asked for two days of leave. Furthermore, he no longer has to report to the Hall of Enchanted Herbs everyday. Those few days they went to the Hall of Enchanted Herbs was because they had just entered TianXin sect, so there were a lot of things that they didn't understand. That's why Elder brother Fang brought them there. Now that they have all learned how to refine magic pills, as long as they have a cauldron, they can refine anywhere they want. But You XiaoMo still goes to the Hall of Enchanted Herbs to collect three hundred stalks of level one magic herbs. He feels that from this day on, his life will be like walking on a long arduous road.
What he doesn't know is that a few of Earth peak disciples are lying in wait for him in the stone room to question him further. Just like this he somehow manages to avoid it all.
Back in the room, You XiaoMo closes the door and windows tightly before entering the dimension.
In the dimension lie all the things he prepared yesterday. After encountering Ling Xiao, he had not dared to come back for fear of being discovered.
From the cupboard, he takes out the level one magic herb seeds that were gifted by Orchid pavilion. You XiaoMo takes the ones he is familiar with and scatters them on the ground. After using up about one third of the land, he stores the remainder. Then he takes out a few packets of the level two magic herb seeds. Regarding level two magic herbs, You XiaoMo had asked Elder brother Fang ChenLe about them before. The level two magic herbs in Earth peak's medicine garden are mostly the common ones. In the future, if he were to ascend to be a level two mage, he can go the Hall of Enchanted Herbs to get his share of level two magic herbs. That is to say that he can get whichever magic herbs he wants as long as he is able to produce the magic pills. That's why he only takes out eight packets of level two magic herb seeds. He plans to first try it out with the ingredients for two types of magic pills. The rest he would wait to see how it goes.
He scatters half of each of the eight packets. As a result from two thirds of the remaining land, he is now left with one fifth of unused land. This remaining one fifth You XiaoMo intends to grow level three magic herbs. Since he is now only a level one mage, he has no need for level three magic herbs. So he decides that he will only plant a little and prioritize the level two magic herbs. When he has free time, he would do more weeding and prepare more land.
After sprinkling the seeds, You XiaoMo takes out a medium wooden bucket and a ladle from the cupboard. He bought these from the wooden furnishings shop. Because he had considered that the seeds would have to be watered, he had asked the manager to find him a bucket and a ladle.
The water in the lake is as clear as before. So clear that the bottom of the lake is visible. No matter what You XiaoMo does to the water, it is as if there is a filter installed in the lake. Not long later, the impurities will automatically disappear and the water will regain its original appearance. You XiaoMo has wondered about this before. He even went as far as to wash his dirty clothes in the water but the result is still the same as mentioned above. The dirt will sink to the bottom and after not very long they will disappear without a trace, as if they had disintegrated. Because he doesn't see any harmful effects, You XiaoMo just forgets about it after some thought.
He fills the wooden bucket to the brim and brings it back to the field. He then proceeds to water the field one ladle at a time. He finishes watering everything after using up eleven buckets of water. Looking at the moist ground, You XiaoMo smiles in satisfaction. This is the result of two hours of his hard work. Wiping the sweat off his brow, You XiaoMo puts down the bucket and ladle before turning around to leave the dimension.
Just when he turns his back, the area behind him that was sprinkled with level one magic herb seeds is suddenly covered with sprouts. Tender and green. Vigorous and fresh. Even swaying strangely as if sitting in shallow stagnant water......
You XiaoMo who had already left is completely unaware of all that. He is preparing to practice another type of level one magic pill. That magic pill is called Spiritual energy pill. It is the most difficult level one magic pill to refine. It is made up of three types of magic herbs, seven petal flower, fragrant fruit, and dried leaf herb. The reason why it is the most difficult is because its main purpose is to produce spiritual energy. Not the same as the Accumulate energy magic pill.
Accumulate energy pill works by concentrating the spiritual energy from the surroundings into the body of the martial artist. So when using the Accumulate energy pill, one must find an area that has a relatively high level of spiritual energy. On the other hand, the Spiritual energy magic pill is like a reserve. The magic pill is filled with pure spiritual energy. This spiritual energy comes from the seven petal flower, fragrant fruit, dried leaf herb as well as the surrounding spiritual energy that is present when the magic pill is refined. So the Spiritual energy pill is a test of a mage's skill. The purer the surrounding spiritual energy, the better. More impurities means the spiritual energy will not be pure.
Normal magic herbs, because of differences during cultivation will contain some defects. Even high grade magic herbs will contain a certain amount of impurities. So during the distillation process the mage must increase the number of rounds. If not, the spiritual energy in the Spiritual energy magic pill will not be pure, decreasing its value significantly.
There is a reason why You XiaoMo chooses the Spiritual energy magic pill. Ever since he was harassed by Ling Xiao yesterday, he has been worrying over one thing. He had originally planned to rely on refining magic pills to earn money to buy magic herb seeds. But if he has to turn over fifty magic pills to Ling Xiao everyday, he simply will be left with nothing to sell. This means that this way of livelihood is over. In order to keep this mode of income alive, he scoured through the ancient books and found the Spiritual energy magic pill.
The Spiritual energy magic pill is the most difficult level one magic pill. Because of that, its price is more than double that of other level one magic pills. Especially the ones with purer spiritual energy. The price of this type of magic pill can only be high.
Before he starts out, You XiaoMo calculates it out. For each stalk of magic herb, he can distill them three to four times. This is calculated based on his soul force. When his soul force is full, he can distill each magic herb four times. But later on it won't be possible. Three times would already be considered a lot. This could be related to the resilience of his soul.
Taking all this into account, You XiaoMo divides out the magic herbs on the table. Other than the ingredients for the Spiritual energy magic pill, there are also that for the Accumulate energy magic pill. The flower of the seven petal flower has seven petals, hence its name. You XiaoMo plucks the seven petal flower and throws it into the cauldron. Then he takes the fragrant fruit that is as big as his finger and the stalk of the dried leaf herb and throw them all into the cauldron before starting. Like before, he divides his soul force into three parts and like little streams, fly into the cauldron. Then he envelops the three types of magic herbs. Because his current condition is optimal, he easily distills the three types of magic herbs four times.
Just when he wants to stretch his hand into the cauldron, something crosses his mind. He shifts his line of vision into the three small holes. For some reason, You XiaoMo intuitively feels that he can do it. He can distill the magic herbs for the fifth time. This is a baseless gut feeling, kind of like a sixth sense. He takes a deep breath and decides to follow his heart. He then proceeds to manipulate his soul force into the little holes.......
Quietly, the sun that was hanging high in the sky falls below the western horizon. When Ling Xiao opens the door, he sees a figure with its back facing him falling backwards. As if reflexively he rushes over to catch the figure. When he looks down, he sees a rather pale-faced You XiaoMo. There is a layer of sweat on his forehead. As if having lost half his life, his weak body falls into Ling Xiao's arms. In his hand, he holds a magic pill?
Notes:
seven petal flower - Paris Polyphylla
fragrant fruit - Malus Asiatica Nakai