Unbeatable Martial Emperor

C6 – Essence Cleansing Powder

As the temperature within the cauldron climbed, Zhenkang swiftly snatched up the Earth Cloud Grass at his side and tossed it into the Nine Dragons Cauldron. A sizzling sound emanated from within, signaling the flames were methodically stripping away the impurities from the herb, which then turned to ash and vanished into the air.

Watching the Earth Cloud Grass transform into a tiny droplet of essence, Min Zhenkang carefully separated a fraction of the cauldron’s flames to envelop the precious drop, ensuring it remained at a steady temperature.

Next, Min Zhenkang added the Blazing Fruits to the fiery mix. Just like the grass, the fruits were consumed by the flames, their impurities burned away, leaving behind only a small concentration of essence. He then used the flames to move this essence to a corner of the Nine Dragons Cauldron.

In this manner, Min Zhenkang meticulously extracted the essence from seven or eight different medicinal herbs. With the impurities gone, he embarked on the most crucial phase of pill refining—fusion.

Pill refining is typically divided into four stages: tempering, condensing, nurturing, and collecting.

Tempering involves refining the raw medicinal herbs into either powder or liquid form, a critical step that largely dictates the pill’s quality and the success of the subsequent fusion.

Condensing is about blending the extracted essences together, a true test of the alchemist’s knowledge of medicinal properties. Even with an abundance of impurities, a deep understanding could lead to successful fusion, while a lack of it could result in failure.

Successful condensation leads to nurturing the pill, the most time-intensive stage of the process.

The final stage is collecting the pill. Refining low-level pills poses little danger, but as the grade of the pill increases, so does the difficulty of this last step. The pill gains its own sentience upon formation, and the heavens may unleash a pill calamity—all challenges that the alchemist must face.

Min Zhenkang meticulously blended the extracted essences, carefully considering the unique properties of each ingredient. He began by combining the volatile Flame Fruit with the milder Earth Cloud Grass, tempering the former’s intensity. He then methodically integrated the remaining herbs, culminating in a final fusion of the already combined materials.

Within the Nine Dragons Cauldron, a pill the size of a fist gradually took shape, its nascent fragrance wafting from the cauldron—a telltale sign of the pill’s formation. All that remained was for Min to adjust the flame’s heat to meet the evolving needs of the pill, refining and purifying it further in the crucible of fire.

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To Min’s own astonishment, he succeeded in his first attempt at pill refinement. Perhaps it was his yearning for greater cultivation, the weight of the six-month deadline, or his unwillingness to disappoint the expectations of his parents and fiancée that drove him to triumph with only his experience to guide him.

Yet the journey was far from over. The completion of the pill was not fraught with danger, but it demanded patience. Often, pills were ruined at this stage when the alchemist’s Profound Qi proved insufficient to sustain the furnace’s flame, leading to a sudden and disastrous temperature shift.

Min’s reserves of Profound Qi were nearly depleted, but his pride would not allow the pill to be destroyed on his watch. He strained to extract every last vestige of Qi within him, though it seemed unlikely to fulfill the pill’s final refinement needs.

Just when failure loomed, a surge of Profound Qi burst forth from his Dantian. It was a modest amount, but it was just enough to tip the scales in favor of success.

After fifteen minutes, the rich scent of the pill permeated the entire room, so potent that it nearly condensed into liquid within the cauldron. The once fist-sized pill had been honed down to the size of a thumb—a clear indication that the refinement was complete.

Min Zhenkang swiftly retrieved a Jade Bottle from his Bag of Heaven and Earth, and then carefully transferred the “Marrow Cleansing Powder” from the Nine Dragons Cauldron into the bottle.

As he gazed upon the impeccably crafted Pill within the Jade Bottle, Min Zhenkang found himself so depleted that the joy of success eluded him. He collapsed to the ground, his clothes drenched in sweat.

Yet, even in this state, Min Zhenkang was far from idle. As he replenished the Profound Qi within his body, he attentively checked his dantian for any changes, finding none. The mystery of the sudden surge of Profound Qi remained unsolved.

With time, his Profound Qi nearly fully restored, Min Zhenkang faced a dilemma. The current reserves of Profound Qi were insufficient for the pill formation of the “Marrow Cleansing Powder.” Despite having reconnected all the minor meridians, only a few primary veins remained. Without external aid, it was uncertain when he could resume his cultivation practice.

The unpredictability of the Profound Qi that had previously emerged from his dantian was troubling. If it were to cease unexpectedly, a failed pill refinement would be the least of his worries. A backlash could prove catastrophic.

Amidst his contemplation, a daring strategy surfaced in his mind—refine multiple herbs simultaneously during the initial step.

This approach would exponentially increase the difficulty of the first step, demanding near-impossible precision in flame control and a wealth of alchemical knowledge. Yet, the potential benefits of time and effort saved were enticing.

It was a radical notion, one no sane alchemist would entertain, but for Min Zhenkang, it was the sole option.

Resolved to act on his idea, he allowed himself a brief respite. Once at his peak condition, he commenced the pill refinement.

Min Zhenkang began by selecting two herbs known for their gentle properties and placed them into the Nine Dragons Cauldron for tempering. They coexisted harmoniously within the cauldron, each undergoing its own refinement process. Following this, he introduced additional mild herbs into the cauldron to continue the delicate tempering.

Next up was the Flame Fruit, known for its volatile medicinal properties. Min Zhenkang added two herbs into the mix. Initially, each ingredient was being refined on its own, but suddenly, the Flame Fruit’s essence turned aggressive. Min Zhenkang swiftly focused all his attention on the Flame Fruit, neglecting the other ingredients. Consequently, the essence within the Nine Dragons Cauldron erupted uncontrollably, like a pot boiling over.

Boom—

A dull thud echoed as the essence inside the Nine Dragons Cauldron was reduced to ashes, dispersing into the wind.

Thankfully, Min Zhenkang didn’t experience any backlash, which was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

Covered in soot from the pill furnace’s explosion, Min Zhenkang was a picture of dishevelment. Yet, this setback did nothing to dampen his spirit; it only bolstered his resolve. Had this daring experiment succeeded, Min Zhenkang would have ascended to a new tier in the art of alchemy, perhaps even pioneering a novel method.

As Min Zhenkang recuperated, he reflected on the failure, pinpointing the cause to a slight fluctuation in the flame during the Flame Fruit’s refinement, which unexpectedly agitated its essence.

After some rest, once his Profound Qi was fully replenished, Min Zhenkang resumed his alchemical work. This time, he proceeded with extreme caution, learning from his previous mishap. His diligence was rewarded; within fifteen minutes, he completed the refinement of all the herbs, saving a third of the time and using nearly half the Profound Qi.

The subsequent step involved merging the essences of the herbs within the Nine Dragons Cauldron, a task that posed no challenge for Min Zhenkang.

Two hours later, a new batch of ‘Essence Cleansing Powder’ was ready. Although it fell short of the first batch’s quality, it was still a superior-grade Pill by the standards of fragrance and color.

Deep into the night, Lang Huan stopped by to invite Min Zhenkang to dinner, but a maid convinced her to leave. Learning that Min Zhenkang was resting, Lang Huan chose not to disturb him.

At that moment, Min Zhenkang gazed at the two pills before him with immense joy.

However, these pills weren’t sufficient for Min Zhenkang to fully restore all his primary meridians. Therefore, he decided to auction off the lesser ‘Essence Purification Powder,’ confident it would fetch at least the price of three batches of raw materials. The higher-quality pill, he reserved for his own use.

He tipped the Essence Cleansing Powder into his palm, and a potent yet subtle fragrance instantly permeated the room. Without hesitation, he popped the pill into his mouth.

“Ah~”

A low growl escaped Min Zhenkang’s throat as his entire body writhed, feeling as though millions of ants were gnawing at his bones and meridians. The excruciating pain nearly drove him to shout aloud.

Wasting no time, Min Zhenkang began channeling the Heavenly Imperial Immortality Spell to reconnect his main meridians. The reconnection process was now over ten times faster than before, but the agony had also intensified. He had to bear the pain from both the meridian reconnection and the potent effects of the Altering Meridian Cleansing Powder.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the effects of the Body Refining and Marrow Cleansing Powder were fully absorbed. By then, only the Ren and Du Meridians, along with the three main meridians traversing his body, remained to be reconnected.

After a quick wash, Min Zhenkang left the Min’s mansion.

He slipped into an inconspicuous nook and donned a disguise consisting of a black bamboo hat and jacket. The outfit concealed his physique and features and shielded him from spiritual probes, making such disguises essential in Suanikos.

In Whalespell, Min Zhenkang was known as someone incapable of martial cultivation, much less pill concoction. If it became known that he could not only practice martial arts again but also produce high-quality or even superior pills, it would spell unnecessary trouble for him.

“Excuse me, sir, may I ask if you’re here to auction something or to have an item appraised?” The auction house guard intercepted Min Zhenkang just as he approached the entrance.

Min Zhenkang altered his voice, adopting the gravelly tone of a man well into his fifties or sixties.

“May I inquire whether you wish to have a Pill appraised, or perhaps a weapon, a cultivation technique, or some other celestial treasure?” the gatekeeper probed further.

“Pill,” Min Zhenkang replied, succinct as before, his voice still carrying the weight of age.

“Very well, please come with me.” With that, one of the attendants led Min Zhenkang into the auction house.

Inside, the auction house was dimly lit, save for a lower area in the center designated for the display of auction items. Seating was arranged in concentric circles around the auction stage, each tier slightly elevated above the one before it to afford a clear view of the proceedings to everyone present.

Encircling the auction stage was a second floor, divided into individual rooms constructed from special materials designed to block any and all forms of detection, thus ensuring the privacy of the occupants. These partitioned spaces served as the auction house’s VIP rooms, offering an unobstructed view of the entire ground floor. However, access to these rooms was exclusive to those holding VIP cards from the Heaven and Earth Auction House; all others were to be seated with the general audience on the first floor.