Chapter 6696 Minor Experiment
Chapter 6696 Minor Experiment
The moment the Moon Flame appeared, Qu Liushang was badly startled.
He had not sensed the slightest fluctuation of flame energy from Long Chen’s body. That was precisely why he had been surprised earlier when Long Chen claimed to know alchemy.
Since Long Chen had said he only knew a bit, Qu Liushang had assumed Long Chen merely knew some basics about medicinal pill tiers and basic techniques.
However, the Moon Flame shattered Qu Liushang’s assumption completely.
Long Chen was a real alchemist.
What Qu Liushang did not know was that Long Chen’s flame was entirely controlled by Huo Linger. Unless Long Chen allowed it, almost no one could sense his flame fluctuations.
He threw all the medicinal ingredients into the pill furnace, where an intense heat instantly liquified them.
This scene left Qu Liushang dumbfounded. Although he was not an alchemist, he knew the fundamentals, and this refinement bordered on taboo.
The core part of alchemy lay in the fusion of ingredients. Medicinal ingredients complemented and restrained one another in intricate ways to produce the final effect. Their age, quantity, and quality had to be selected with strict standards.
Even more critical was the order of refinement. A single mistake could ruin everything.
Yet, Long Chen had simply refined them all at once. Was this truly what “knowing a bit” looked like?
It wasn’t long before the pill furnace quivered. A dense medicinal fragrance seeped out as runes along the furnace’s surface slowly lit up. Medicinal qi filled the furnace.
Suddenly, the lid burst open.
Medicinal qi gushed out, and all the ingredients inside vanished.
At the same time, the furnace’s runes glowed brilliantly with spiritual light, as though the pill furnace itself had come to life.
Seeing this, Qu Liushang felt a wave of shame wash over him.
Long Chen had been nourishing the pill furnace. No wonder he had casually tossed all the medicinal ingredients inside.
At this moment, he formed a seal with one hand, and a second batch of medicinal ingredients entered the furnace.
The Moon Flame flared again. The ingredients liquefied instantly, but this time they condensed into beads that rolled smoothly within the furnace.
The pill furnace’s runes flashed.
Then, threads of black qi oozed out of the furnace as the impurities were expelled.
Qu Liushang guessed that Long Chen had nourished the pill furnace first specifically to activate its ability to expel impurities.
Mu Qing watched every movement with rapt attention. She dared not blink, afraid of missing even a moment. Her mind had entered a kind of meditative state.
Inside the furnace, the liquid beads continued to spin as medicinal qi thickened and started to merge.
The speed was gobsmacking.
Within a few breaths, hundreds of precious medicinal ingredients fused together.
Throughout the entire process, Long Chen maintained an extremely high temperature. Unlike ordinary alchemists, he did not adjust the flame to suit each ingredient’s nature.
Instead, he worked with absolute confidence, like a master chef cooking everything over full fire without hesitation.
The pill furnace started shaking.
Qu Liushang was shocked. Was it already the final part?
Bang!
The refining room quivered slightly. The lid flew open, and several medicinal pills rose into the air, bathed in golden light.
“Golden pills?” Qu Liushang exclaimed. “Middle-grade golden pills?! And six of them?!”
Spirit pills, treasure pills, golden pills—the three tiers of medicinal pills. From the three, golden pills stood at the peak.
Within the Starry River Palace, even low-grade golden pills were rare. A first-rate alchemist could only produce a few of them a year.
Yet, Long Chen had refined six middle-grade golden pills in a few breaths! How could Qu Liushang not be shocked?
However, Long Chen frowned. He glanced at the residue left inside the furnace and sighed.
“It’s been too long since I refined pills,” he said. “I’ve actually regressed this much.”
“R-regressed?”
Qu Liushang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. If he did not know Long Chen’s temperament, he would have thought Long Chen was mocking him.
Long Chen waved his hand, and another batch of medicinal ingredients entered the pill furnace. As the Moon Flame rose, the second refinement of pills started.
In Qu Liushang’s eyes, the first refinement had been an extraordinary success. However, it was a failure for Long Chen.
There were three reasons for this failure.
First, it had been too long since he last refined pills, and this was a new formula.
Second, he was unfamiliar with this pill furnace. For alchemy, newer was not necessarily better. A seasoned furnace was often superior.
Third, refining the Sovereign Dao Foundation Breaking Pill required precise ignition of astral energy. Long Chen had not yet mastered the exact proportions.
As a result, not only was the pill grade too low, but some pills had even been wasted.
In just a few breaths, the second furnace of pills was done. When the lid opened, nine pills appeared.
Bang!
“Three high-grade... six middle-grade?”
Even prepared, Qu Liushang was still stunned.
...
Bang!
The third furnace of pills opened.
“Seven high-grade, two middle-grade?”
...
Bang!
“T-top grade?! Eight high-grade and one top-grade golden pill?!”
Qu Liushang was truly stunned.
In the entire history of the Starry River Palace, fewer than ten top-grade golden pills had ever appeared.
Today, he was witnessing the birth of another top-grade golden pill with his own eyes. His shock was indescribable.
Bang!
“Three top-grade, six high-grade?”
Bang!
“Five top-grade, four high-grade?”
Bang!
“Nine... they’re all top grade?!”
Qu Liushang finally lost all composure.
When the furnace opened this time, he could not restrain himself and seized one pill.
The moment it touched his hand, he felt the roaring medicinal energy and vast astral power contained within. Only then was he sure that this was truly a top-grade golden pill.
Qu Liushang was deeply shocked. These alchemy arts bordered on the divine.
Could it be that Master cares so much about Long Chen because he saw through Long Chen’s status as an alchemist?
If Long Chen remained within the Starry River Palace and refined pills for its geniuses, the palace would soar beyond imagination.
Qu Liushang was incredibly excited.
At this moment, Long Chen stopped and returned the pill furnace to Mu Qing.
“How much did you understand?” he asked.
“Lord Long Chen, Mu Qing is foolish. At most, I can say I understood sixty to seventy percent,” Mu Qing replied, blushing.
She had done her best to learn, but Long Chen’s alchemy process contained too many aspects that she did not understand.
Long Chen had refined several furnaces of pills for her without hiding anything. However, she didn’t really get it yet. The shame made her want to dig a hole and hide.
After all, alchemy legacies were always kept secret. Even masters withheld their deepest techniques from disciples.
Thus, Mu Qing cherished this opportunity. Unfortunately, her best was not good enough.
Long Chen smiled and rubbed her head.
He said, “Being able to understand that much is excellent. It’s beyond my expectations. You can slowly try to grasp the rest over time. My refinement process for the Sovereign Dao Foundation Breaking Pill has already been imprinted into the furnace. It won’t be long before you can refine high-grade golden pills yourself.”
“Really?”
Mu Qing’s eyes widened.
“Of course. You will definitely become the Starry River Palace’s best alchemist. You’ll be countless times greater than those fools who only know how to abuse their position and scheme against each other!”
Qu Liushang was speechless. Was that last part directed at him?
Still, today had been truly eye-opening.
Compared to Long Chen’s near-divine alchemy arts, the entire pill hall was not even fit to carry his shoes.
When he thought of how hundreds had joined the trial and only one had not cheated, Qu Liushang swallowed a torrent of curses.
Seeing that Mu Qing’s excitement was tinged with uncertainty, as though she did not know where to go next, Long Chen smiled and extended his hand.
“Don’t worry. You will definitely be able to climb with this,” Long Chen said.
A little rabbit wreathed in flames appeared in front of Mu Qing.