95:

  “Would it not have been possible to use an Earthen Clay Pill instead?” Xiao Feng asked as he stared at the pill furnace with a resigned expression upon his face, knowing that he had just blown his chances of getting a second attempt on the same day due to the properties of the Flashfrost Pills. Once used, they required a day to thaw and until the debris from the failed refinement was cleared, Xiao Feng could not use his pill furnace.

  “The Earthen Clay Pill is primarily used for certain pill refinements where preserving batches of various semi-refined mixtures is more efficient for the final refinement than refining them all at once is. I believe I mentioned the shortcomings of the Earthen Clay pills when I introduced them to you, but if you require confirmation then no, it would not be possible because the intensity of your refinement has already exceeded what the pill is capable of containing,” Lianhua explained, her tone clear and confident as she made the assessment.

  “It was worth the ask,” Xiao Feng replied with a shrug, unable to keep the disappointment out of his expression. He had gone into the refinement expecting to fail, but for him to fail so quickly was a disservice to the efforts he had put in and more importantly, the precious guidance his master had offered him.

  “Do you know why you failed?” Lianhua asked, her tone softening a touch as she posed the question to him.

  “I used too much unattuned Qi,” Xiao Feng sheepishly replied, running a hand through his hair to slick back the sweat he had built up due to the heat.

  “But why?” She asked.

  Xiao Feng blinked, not having given the matter much thought beyond his obvious point of failure.

  “Uhh,” He began, trying to buy time to think of an answer as he tried to consider the problem from different angles. “Because I’m not used to the process and it’s really hard to tell how much of the unattuned Qi is absorbed by the refining mixture as opposed to what just gets diffused into the environment.”

  Lianhua gave him an odd look, her gaze flickering from him to the pill furnace as she spoke, “Below the Nascent Soul Stage, most would consider it impossible to detect the behavior of unattuned Qi that has been released into the world unless done so in vast quantities. But yes, your answer is partially correct.”

  Man, I suck with secrets, Xiao Feng chastised himself.

  “Tell me about it,” His predecessor chimed in with a mocking tone.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Did you just speak in english? He asked his predecessor, a little taken aback by hearing the familiar yet increasingly distant language spoken by another.

  “What, are you the only one allowed to learn from the memories of another world?” His predecessor switched back to his native tongue. “This study of psychological manipulation your people call “Marketing” has given me much to think upon, I must admit.”

  It’s not— whatever. Have fun, I guess, Xiao Feng concluded the mental exchange, snapping himself back into the present.

  “Partially?” He asked Lianhua.

  “You forget that I am an alchemist. We might be at the same cultivation stage, but I have not faced a heavenly tribulation anywhere near yours when it comes to its intensity. My Spiritual Roots have not received the same boon yours have and the intensity and concentration of Qi that can flow through my meridians is but a shadow of yours,” She reminded him. “Just because I was required to imbue my Qi through the entire refinement process does not mean you are needed to as well. Now that you have the experience of a refinement under your belt, I believe that you will be able to fine-tune your output with a greater degree of clarity.”

  Damn, I didn’t even consider that, He thought. Then again, I don’t see myself as all that much stronger than her, so it tracks. She almost had me down on the floor in yesterday’s sparring session, it’s hard to feel superior to her rate of improvement.

  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Xiao Feng said with a sigh.

  “You may use my pill furnace.”

  “Um, you sure?” He asked uncertainty. “I’d rather not leave a Senior Alchemist unable to refine pills if something comes up.”

  “I have a spare furnace for emergencies,” She replied with a cheeky grin on her face.

  Xiao Feng couldn’t hold back the chuckle, as he good-naturedly retorted, “Of course you do. Well, you offered.”

  Having kept his own Pill Furnace in a far corner of Lianhua’s room, navigating which was no small task given that his pulse had randomly decided to pick up as he made sure not to disturb anything in the room or let his gaze linger at any one object for too long, before he hastily retreated to the Alchemy Vault with Lianhua’s furnace.

  When the time for his second refinement attempt came, Xiao Feng’s gaze was blazing with a determination that was befitting upon a Martial Cultivator’s visage.

  Lianhua had done too much for him, gone far beyond what duty dictated.

  He would not disappoint her.

  Refining the mixture of bone extract and blood marrow went flawlessly as Xiao Feng cut his output of unattuned Qi to a fourth of what he had outputted in the last refinement. The Pearl Orchid Bulb was released into the Pill Furnace and Xiao Feng shielded it with practiced ease, lowering the layer of protective Wind Qi ensconcing the Pearl Orchid far slower this time, even if it required him to hold his concentration longer.

  This time, the Pearl Orchid Bulb fully dissolved into the melange of three ingredients.

  Now came his next test in the form of the Weaving Technique.

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