Chapter 131: The Ruyi Pill

A streak of light flashed, and Yue Qianchou returned directly to his small courtyard, which he had been away from for many days. In reality, this trip to the Demon Ghost Domain and back took no more than ten days. Releasing his spiritual sense to investigate, Ling Feng and the others were not present, likely out working. He returned to his room, closed the door, and then vanished.

Guan Yu and Chen Feng, seeing Yue Qianchou appear, both called out, “Boss,” with somewhat dejected expressions.

Something was off? Yue Qianchou still nodded and smiled, walking over to them. He saw nearly four hundred people gathered in a hollow ahead, precisely the disciples from various sects he had brought back from the Demon Ghost Domain. Both men and women sat on the ground, looking dispirited. Their primordial spirits had all been stripped away by Bai Suzhen, so naturally, their spirits weren’t in good shape.

These two probably saw them and thought of themselves, feeling a sense of shared fate. Yue Qianchou frowned, then turned and lightly chided, “Don’t overthink it, you two. Don’t you know what kind of person Sister Bai is? Oh, right, Chen Feng, have you finished planting the spirit herbs I asked you to?”

“Yes, I have,” Chen Feng replied.

“I need to refine a batch of pills. Help me get three portions,” Yue Qianchou nodded. After Chen Feng left to carry out the order, he looked at the disciples from various sects in front of him, stroking his chin, and began to ponder.

Not long after, Chen Feng brought the spirit herbs to him. Yue Qianchou’s gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, remaining silent for a long time, making them feel a bit uneasy. Finally, he spoke with a very serious expression, “There are some important matters that I need to entrust to you two. I’ve actually been thinking about this for a long time, and I’ve been very worried. Worried about what? Worried about whether you two can handle it. Why worried? Because you two are brothers I can trust.”

After he finished speaking, all three fell silent. A moment later, Guan Yu and Chen Feng exchanged glances, and Chen Feng excitedly said, “Boss, just tell us whatever you need. We’ll definitely do our best.”

Yue Qianchou patted his shoulder with satisfaction and said, “This matter is of great importance, truly concerning our future. Forget it, I won’t say more for now. I’ll refine a batch of pills first, then we’ll have a good talk when I return.”

Leaving the two with mixed feelings, Yue Qianchou directly used teleportation to reach the deep valley. The misty grand formation, seeing his arrival, immediately opened a path for him. After he entered, it closed again. It was Bai Suzhen controlling it from within. Ever since she brought back a pile of these things, Bai Suzhen had hardly left, guarding the ‘Udumbara Flower’ for fear of it being stolen.

Looking at the massive pile of shimmering purple top-grade spirit stones in front of him, Yue Qianchou couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. This was his family fortune. He grabbed a handful, letting them cascade down, thinking, ‘This is money!’

“Sister, let’s begin!” Yue Qianchou, having indulged himself, said to Bai Suzhen. She nodded, and a blush actually rose on her usually serene face, clearly indicating some excitement. For a woman, eternal youth was an irresistible temptation.

Yue Qianchou climbed onto the large black object, carefully observing the ‘Udumbara Flower’. He hadn’t really looked at it closely since discovering it and bringing it back. Legend had it that it grew only a single strand every thousand years. Counting them, there were nearly two hundred strands. So, this cluster of ‘Udumbara Flower’ must have grown for nearly two hundred thousand years?

It was indeed a bit difficult to start. Nearly two hundred thousand years! What kind of concept was that! What a sin! Yue Qianchou silently chanted, “My sin, my sin,” and gently plucked three strands with his fingers. After jumping down, he showed the white fluffy strands he was holding to Bai Suzhen, saying with a wry smile, “Such a small thing, three thousand years!”

Bai Suzhen nodded, then suddenly asked doubtfully, “Are three strands enough? Should I pluck a few more?”

“Enough, enough,” Yue Qianchou quickly waved his hand, saying, “One strand is enough for one set of spirit herbs. Sister, don’t underestimate this small thing! This is a heaven-and-earth treasure that takes a thousand years to nurture a single strand! Using too much in a pill is actually bad for people. One strand is just right.”

The two exited the grand formation and entered a small cave, descending deep underground. The temperature gradually rose, and they could vaguely see rolling red magma ahead. The two turned into a newly excavated stone chamber, where fire surged. From a central hole in the ground, raging earth fire erupted. Bai Suzhen swept her sleeve, and a pill furnace nearby flew up, perfectly covering the fire opening.

The stone chamber immediately darkened considerably. Yue Qianchou took out the pill formula jade slip, found the ‘Ruyi Pill’ among the top-tier pills, and repeatedly recited and compared the already memorized formula. He also performed several mental simulations to ensure everything was foolproof. By then, the pill furnace was almost preheated.

The furnace lid opened, and a strand of ‘Udumbara Flower’ was thrown in along with several spirit herbs. Yue Qianchou immediately sealed the furnace top and focused on refining. He suddenly noticed a wisp of spiritual sense attached to the furnace wall. Needless to say, it must be Bai Suzhen’s; there was no one else here.

Before long, the various spirit herbs were refined into crystalline liquids of different colors. When the strand of ‘Udumbara Flower’ was refined, it immediately transformed into a tiny drop of spiritual liquid radiating brilliant light. Heaven-and-earth treasures were indeed heaven-and-earth treasures, truly incomparable to ordinary spirit herbs.

Yue Qianchou steadied his mind, his heart as still as water. His spiritual sense controlled the airflow, carrying the various spiritual liquids, and began a dazzling performance. Lights and shadows intertwined, separating and merging, like a dream, captivating Bai Suzhen. Although she wasn’t skilled in alchemy, she had traveled the cultivation world for many years and knew a thing or two about it. She had never seen such an unconstrained refining technique; it was simply incredible.

It wasn’t until the performance inside the furnace ended and the pills had formed and were baking that Bai Suzhen slowly withdrew that wisp of spiritual sense. Her bright eyes looked at Yue Qianchou, who was closing his eyes and regulating his breath, and a hint of infatuation flashed in them.

“Sister, receive the pills.” Yue Qianchou struck the furnace lid with a palm in mid-air. In an instant, ten glowing pills shot out of the furnace. Bai Suzhen, having recovered, spread her slender palm, and the ten glowing pills arced gracefully through the air, gathering in her hand.

Yue Qianchou then ran over with a cheerful smile, but suddenly froze when he saw the dazzling brilliance in Bai Suzhen’s palm. He picked up one from her hand, and even he was surprised. The ‘Ruyi Pill’ between his two fingers was almost impossible to see clearly inside, enveloped by a layer of pill aura. This pill aura was completely unlike any he had seen before; it was actually a seven-colored glow shining brightly. It would probably illuminate a dark room.

Bai Suzhen covered her mouth in surprise, while Yue Qianchou chuckled foolishly, “Sister, it should be refined, right?” The latter nodded vigorously. If this wasn’t considered refined, then what would be?

Although the pill formula jade slip didn’t record such a phenomenon after a pill was formed, anyone could see that this batch of pills was extremely successful. Yue Qianchou had no experience with such a situation and attributed it to the miraculous effects of the ‘Udumbara Flower’. However, he didn’t know that the alchemy technique he had inadvertently invented already had the qualifications to establish its own school, which could only be described as good fortune, but he himself was still ignorant of it.

Continuing with renewed effort, two more batches of perfectly formed pills emerged from the furnace. In Yue Qianchou’s view, there was nothing strange about this; he had never refined a waste pill. If the alchemy masters from thousands of years ago knew this, they would probably be too ashamed to show their faces.