Chapter 48

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Chapter 48: Flawless Spirit Pills

Ice Second Brother, shocked, couldn’t help but ask Longxing Tianxia, "Fifth brother, do you think our Big Brother secretly practiced before?"

"Pure nonsense!" Longxing Tianxia retorted. "Big Brother only obtained this inherited true fire after his encounter in the Cycle of Fire. That’s how he walked the path of Dao as an alchemist. Before that, attempting alchemy would’ve gotten him blown to pieces. When could he have practiced?"

"That’s true, but look at his current proficiency. Can you believe he never trained?" Ice Second Brother pressed.

"Well…" Longxing Tianxia smiled bitterly. "Honestly, I’m finding it hard to believe too!"

Meanwhile, Fang Lie had fully immersed himself in the process. As more essences were extracted, his methods grew increasingly intricate.

He alternated between low and high temperatures, sometimes even requiring controlled airflow. At times he blended two Spirit Liquids, other times mixing three, five, or even a dozen in precise sequences within narrow time windows – where any mistake meant total failure.

These complex procedures could fill entire chapters of manuals, yet Fang Lie executed them flawlessly.

After one hour, Fang Huo was gasping from exhaustion, his Magic nearly depleted from assigned tasks. Ice Second Brother and Longxing Tianxia reluctantly channeled their own Magic into him to sustain the flames.

Another hour later, all three men neared collapse. Mao Mao could only watch helplessly due to the Deadly Poison in her Magic.

Fortunately, Fang Lie completed refining all Herbs according to the Mo Ancestor’s Pill Scripture. Dismissing the others, he personally tended the Pill Furnace.

Fang Lie’s cultivation surpassed theirs – while Ice and Fire Poison Dragon’s Qi Seas measured under hundred zhangs, his spanned 250 zhangs, granting Magic reserves dwarfing theirs.

He effortlessly maintained furnace heat while circling the Pill Furnace, imprinting secret techniques. Initially unnoticed, a pattern emerged: each step triggered a technique that enriched the pill energy.

"By the heavens!" Fang Huo suddenly cried. "The Heavenly Gang Big Dipper Pill-Conceiving Steps! Big Brother knows this secret Mo Sect alchemist divine skill? The complete version? This… this is Incredible!"

"What’s that?" Ice Second Brother pressed urgently.

"A special skill boosting pill success rates through footwork channeling Big Dipper’s stellar power into the Pill Furnace," Fang Huo explained. "Seven steps total! I once served a Purple Palace Pill alchemist – Mo Sect’s elite prodigy. Yet he only mastered three steps! The rest require Immortal qualification. But Big Brother…"

"Heh, obvious really," Longxing Tianxia chuckled. "Our Big Brother survived three unyielding tortures, conquered Cycle of Fire, retrieved the Ancestor’s Token. He’s Mo Ancestor’s recognized successor! Knowing Mo Sect secrets is natural."

"Right!" Ice Second Brother’s eyes shone. "Big Brother’s risen to greatness. We mustn’t shame him – we’ll live gloriously!"

The others nodded solemnly as Fang Lie remained wholly focused. The Five Elements Detox Pill required meticulous care – one error would waste precious Herbs.

Dawn broke after a full day’s work. An impatient Ice Second Brother rushed forward. "Big Brother, succeeded? I smell medicinal fragrance!"

Fang Lie first accepted Mao Mao’s warm towel to wipe his face before answering tiredly, "Check the lid yourselves."

The trio eagerly lifted the furnace cover… and simultaneously gasped in astonishment.

Fang Lie was startled and quickly asked, "What’s wrong? Didn’t it succeed?"

"No, it succeeded too well!" Fang Huo exclaimed, his face filled with shock. "It’s so incredible that I wonder if Big Brother is the Reincarnation of the Pill God!"

"Is there even such a thing as a Pill God?" Fang Lie retorted with an annoyed laugh. "Let me see what you’ve refined!"

"Yes!" Fang Huo replied. With a wave of his hand, he channeled his magic, and eighteen radiant golden pills, perfectly round and flawless, flew out of the Pill Furnace.

Each pill was the size of a longan, glowing with treasure-like light and emitting a fragrant aroma that refreshed the mind just from a whiff.

Fang Lie glanced at them and frowned in disappointment. "Only eighteen? We used thousands of pounds of herbs, and this is all we got? What a failure!"

Ice Second Brother and Longxing Tianxia, who had both served as Furnace Watchers, understood pill refining basics. Hearing Fang Lie’s words, they exchanged exasperated glances with Fang Huo.

"Big Brother, do you even realize what you’ve made?" Fang Huo cried out indignantly.

"Aren’t these Five Elements Detox Pills?" Fang Lie asked, confused.

"They are!" Fang Huo shouted. "But Five Elements Detox Pills have grades! The lowest, most common ones are low-grade pills—barely edible due to impurities. Then there are medium-grade and top-grade pills with fewer impurities. But these pills of yours are all Flawless Pills, completely pure! Do you know what Flawless Pills mean?"

"What’s the big deal?" Fang Lie asked, puzzled.

"If a low-grade Five Elements Detox Pill is worth one hundred thousand spirit stones, a medium-grade one is one hundred fifty thousand, and a top-grade one two hundred thousand! But Flawless Pills? They’re treasures! Each is worth at least three hundred thousand to five hundred thousand spirit stones!" Fang Huo said, his voice trembling with frustration. "The best batch I’ve ever seen had one top-grade pill, three medium-grade, and five low-grade—and that caused a sensation! Yet you used a giant furnace and low-quality herbs to make eighteen Flawless Pills and call it a failure? How will other alchemists survive?"

"Ah, I truly didn’t know!" Fang Lie frowned. "The secret records from our ancestors who have ascended to the Immortal Realm state that only flawless pills are acceptable—any with impurities are trash. And they produced dozens per batch. Eighteen is indeed too few!"

Ice Second Brother sighed. "Big Brother, the era of our ancestors is nothing like today! Back then, treasures from heaven and earth were abundant, making Flawless Pills common. Now, spiritual items are scarce, and pill formulas have degraded. Flawless Pills are nearly impossible! We’ve had to settle for impure ones!"

"Ah!" Fang Lie slapped his forehead. "I forgot how times have changed!"

"Big Brother!" Longxing Tianxia interjected. "These pills are too exceptional. Are you sure you want to reveal them? It might invite envy."

"Right," Ice Second Brother added. "Shouldn’t we sell them discreetly?"

"Why fear?" Fang Lie declared. "The Fang Family acts openly! Let the world know we have Flawless Five Elements Detox Pills! Our methods are righteous—let the scheming devils come! I’ll crush anyone who dares challenge us!"

"But Big Brother," Fang Huo urged, "avoiding trouble is wiser. We already have enough!"

"Wrong!" Fang Lie sneered. "I’m already drowning in enemies—what’s one more?"

The trio paused, then understood. Fang Lie had slaughtered members of the Eight-Hundred-Generation Families and made countless foes. Whether he had these pills or not, he was a target.

By flaunting his skills as an alchemist, he might deter smaller clans like the Yuan family. After all, few dared offend a pill master—cultivators relied on them too deeply.

Resigned, the three dropped their objections.

Fang Lie placed three pills into a worn clay jar and divided the remaining fifteen among Ice Second Brother, Fang Huo, and Longxing Tianxia.

"You’ve all accumulated pill toxin over the years. Now’s your chance to cleanse it!" he said.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" they chorused.

"But one pill each is enough," Fang Huo protested. "Five is excessive!"

"These are worth three hundred thousand spirit stones!" Ice Second Brother added. "Taking more feels wasteful!"

"Keep the extras to sell!" Longxing Tianxia insisted.