Chapter 498 – A Pill That Can Increase Cultivation

Inside the pill furnace, the round, sphere-like mass of medicinal liquid floated quietly in midair. The essence within it revolved faintly, and specks of starlight visible to the naked eye shone from within—clear signs that this was no ordinary pill-refining method.

Just as Elder Zhang was about to step up to the furnace, how could Zhang Xiaohua possibly let him see all this? He immediately called out: “Elder Zhang, please wait.”

Startled, Elder Zhang turned back in confusion. “Young Hero Ren, is something the matter?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and pointed at the furnace. “Elder Zhang, please don’t get too close. This is a critical moment in the gestation of the pill. The temperature inside the furnace must remain stable. If you come too near, you might affect the surrounding air. If that affects the surrounding air, it could influence the furnace’s temperature, and if that—”

After hearing several rounds of “if that…,” Elder Zhang immediately retreated several steps. Only when he reached Zhang Xiaohua’s side did he cautiously ask, “Is this distance acceptable?”

Seeing how careful Elder Zhang looked, Zhang Xiaohua was already laughing inside, though he merely nodded solemnly on the surface. “Mm, this is best. Don’t come any closer. If you have any questions, Elder, just ask me.”

Elder Zhang felt utterly stifled. I haven’t seen a thing. Ever since you added the ingredients, all I’ve seen at the bottom of the furnace is a pool of medicinal soup. What questions could I possibly have?

After racking his brains for a while, he hesitated before asking, “Well… this Scarlet Flame Pill—exactly how many years of cultivation can it increase?”

Zhang Xiaohua froze. He truly had never considered this question. The jade slip he possessed only described the effects of the Meridian-Nourishing Pill—its ability to moisten and strengthen the meridians. It said nothing at all about directly increasing cultivation. Even the scroll Elder Zhang had given him had not explained it clearly.

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head. “Elder Zhang, I really can’t answer that. The scroll you gave me didn’t mention it either—where would I find such an answer for you?”

“Heh heh, no matter. As long as it can raise cultivation, that’s enough. In Spring Rebirth Valley it’s been passed down by word of mouth that the Scarlet Flame Pill can increase five years’ worth of cultivation. It’s also said to benefit the meridians, making future training twice as effective.”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded, thinking to himself, Whether it can increase cultivation, I don’t know. But if we’re talking about benefits to the meridians, that part is certainly true.

He then said: “Elder Zhang, even if we don’t know exactly how many years of cultivation it adds, couldn’t you get a sense of it by comparing it to other pills whose effects you do know?”

“Other pills?” Elder Zhang laughed. “Young Hero Ren, that’s easy for you to say. As for other pills that increase cultivation, this old man doesn’t dare boast, but aside from our Spring Rebirth Valley’s Scarlet Flame Pill, in this world there really are—”

Zhang Xiaohua thought he was about to say none, but Elder Zhang changed his tone. “—very few.”

Zhang Xiaohua shrugged. “But that still means there are some. Since Spring Rebirth Valley is famed for its pills, surely you know of them. A simple comparison should give an idea, no?”

Elder Zhang still shook his head. “Most pill formulas are incomplete. Those things are controlled by major sects like Dalin Temple, the Incense Spreading Sect, and, in the past, the Piaomiao Sect. How could Spring Rebirth Valley know their details? Besides, even if you had the formula, what then? As the saying goes, ‘Even the cleverest housewife can’t cook without rice.’ Without herbs of sufficient age, the pill would still be nearly impossible to refine successfully.”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded as well. “If Spring Rebirth Valley didn’t have Vermilion Pearl Grass and Scarlet Flame Grass, the Scarlet Flame Pill truly couldn’t be refined.”

At this, Elder Zhang’s face filled with longing. “According to old records passed down in the valley, several hundred years ago, a pill called the Qi-Boosting Pill appeared in the martial world. It was a miraculous medicine said to increase cultivation. A single pill could add thirty years of cultivation. They say the entire jianghu was thrown into bloody turmoil over it back then, and many famous martial arts masters lost their lives because of it.”

“Qi-Boosting Pill?” Zhang Xiaohua blurted out. The name sounded extremely familiar—hadn’t he seen it in some jade slip before?

Hearing him react, Elder Zhang wasn’t surprised. “Yes, the Qi-Boosting Pill. I imagine you’ve heard of this legendary miracle pill as well. Unfortunately, not only has the pill vanished, but even its formula has long been lost. It’s only said that its main ingredients include Dragon-Slaying Grass and Peacock Herb. But even those main herbs—I’ve only ever heard the names, never seen illustrations. The records passed down in Spring Rebirth Valley mention them only briefly, without any real detail. I suppose only ancient super-sects with ten-thousand-year legacies, like the Incense Spreading Sect, might still have a few clues.”

“Dragon-Slaying Grass? Peacock Herb?” Zhang Xiaohua frowned slightly. He didn’t seem to recall seeing those two herbs in his jade slips either. But then he relaxed. The Compendium of Herbs recorded countless kinds of herbs—how could he possibly remember them all? When he had time in the future, he could look more carefully. They might prove useful someday.

Seeing Elder Zhang talk on and on, Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Scarlet Flame Grass and Vermilion Pearl Grass may not be as rare as Dragon-Slaying Grass or Peacock Herb, but they’re still spiritual herbs, and they each have a medicinal age of a hundred years. They may not necessarily be inferior to this so-called Qi-Boosting Pill. If the refinement succeeds tomorrow, once you and Valley Master Nie take it, you’ll naturally know its effects. Guessing blindly now is pointless.”

Elder Zhang gazed longingly at the pill furnace over the earth fire and gave a bitter smile. “Truth be told, five years of cultivation might not make that great a difference to me. But to personally see and personally consume the miraculous medicine described in the scrolls—this… this… even if this old man were to die afterward, I’d die without regrets.”

By the end, Elder Zhang was speaking a bit carelessly.

Zhang Xiaohua could understand that feeling. As the ancients said, ‘To hear the Dao in the morning and die in the evening would be enough.’ Being able to personally experience something one had long dreamed of was far more important than simply gaining a few extra years of cultivation.

After chatting a while longer, Elder Zhang prepared to leave. Zhang Xiaohua reminded him: “Elder Zhang, before noon tomorrow, I’ll be here in the pill room guarding the refinement. Absolute quiet is required—don’t let anyone come to disturb me. You and the Valley Master should also avoid waiting outside. There are many people from the Incense Spreading Sect in the valley right now. If you show too much concern, it may draw their attention. I doubt you want them to learn that Spring Rebirth Valley possesses the Scarlet Flame Pill.”

Elder Zhang nodded. “Young Hero Ren speaks wisely. We definitely won’t come before noon tomorrow. The Valley Master and I will wait in my pill room instead. If the refinement succeeds, come find us there directly. How does that sound?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled. “Perfect.”

With that, Elder Zhang left with a pleased expression.

Zhang Xiaohua then activated the restrictions on the pill room. Sitting cross-legged before the furnace, he carefully formed the necessary hand seals and attentively observed the changes in the pill inside.

Zhang Xiaohua continued until deep into the night. After casting the final hand seals, he took a yuan stone in hand and prepared to cultivate the Carefree Heart Sutra. Before closing his eyes, he still couldn’t help glancing once more at the medicinal liquid inside the furnace, its rotation gradually slowing. This was the final night—hopefully nothing would go wrong.

Soon, starlight streamed in. The specks of light within the forming pill grew even more radiant amid the dense cluster of stellar glow, occasionally drawing in more starlight. But eventually, the rotating medicinal mass gradually came to a halt. The “formation” on the outer layer of the Scarlet Flame Pill took shape, and no more starlight could penetrate it. Within the blazing furnace, amid invisible streams of stellar energy, the now sizable pill floated there quietly, completely still.

After quite some time, dawn slowly broke. Zhang Xiaohua suddenly opened his eyes and hurriedly looked toward the pill in the furnace. Seeing it motionless, his heart jumped. Only after extending his divine sense and observing that the pill’s emitted vital energy had grown faint—and was still gradually diminishing—did he relax. It seemed the pill gestation was nearing completion, and nothing unusual had occurred during the night.

Still uneasy about the Scarlet Flame Pill, Zhang Xiaohua removed the restrictions on the pill room. He then stood at the doorway and practiced the Big Dipper Divine Fist twelve times before immediately returning to the furnace, not daring to leave its side for even a moment. He didn’t study the Heavenly Dao or recite incantations—he simply extended his divine sense and observed carefully, afraid that something might go wrong at the final step.

Time passed quickly—and painfully slowly. That morning, Zhang Xiaohua lost the patience one would expect of an Immortal Path Qi cultivator and actually began pacing back and forth in front of the furnace.

Just as he was about to lose his composure, the sound of footsteps came from outside the pill room. Zhang Xiaohua was startled. He had already instructed Elder Zhang yesterday not to disturb him today. So why was someone outside the pill room?

Frowning, he extended his divine sense—and what he saw surprised him.

The people outside were not Valley Master Nie, nor Elder Zhang, nor anyone from Spring Rebirth Valley. Instead, there was a veiled woman, accompanied by a short, stout man. Behind them stood several men and women dressed in tight martial attire.

Zhang Xiaohua recognized the short, stout man—he had seen him the previous night accompanying Valley Master Nie at the banquet. As for the woman, she was the one who had been issuing orders within the Incense Spreading Sect caravan the day before.

Zhang Xiaohua understood at once—this woman must be the envoy from the Incense Spreading Sect, and the short, stout man was the Steward Yang, whom Nie Qianyu had mentioned.

Sure enough, he saw Steward Yang smiling obsequiously, pointing toward the pill room where Zhang Xiaohua was and saying something to the woman. From time to time, she nodded. With a veil covering her face, her expression couldn’t be seen. Before Steward Yang even finished speaking, she lifted her head, glanced ahead, and walked forward, seemingly uninterested in his introduction. Steward Yang froze for a moment, then hurried after her again, pointing toward the medicinal herb garden ahead and continuing his explanations.

Only after they had gone some distance did Zhang Xiaohua withdraw his divine sense. He had been a little worried—if the envoy and Steward Yang had barged into the pill room, how would he have handled it?

When he turned his attention back to the pill furnace, he suddenly realized that earlier he had been overly anxious, losing the calm and composure a pill refiner ought to have. If not for the distraction caused by the arrival of the Incense Spreading Sect’s people, he might have rashly tried to draw the pill too soon and ruined an entire furnace of perfectly good medicine.

At once, Zhang Xiaohua sat down cross-legged.

Before long, his gaze rested on the tip of his nose, his nose aligned with his heart, and his mind became utterly clear and tranquil.