Chapter 50: Drawing a Circle with Left Hand, Drawing a Square with Right Hand . . .
In matters of martial arts, Ye Yuan might exhibit more humility, but when it came to alchemy, modesty seemed foreign to him.
It could be stated that Ye Yuan's entire past life was dedicated to the pursuit of alchemy. He was intimately acquainted with medicinal herbs and the art of crafting pills.
This familiarity wasn't just skin deep; it was etched into the very fabric of his soul. Even in a new body, the innate understanding originating from his soul propelled his actions to seamlessly align with alchemical precision.
Initially, Ye Yuan intended to maintain a low profile. However, the moment his hands touched the medicinal herbs, he found himself irresistibly drawn to complete the herb preparation and refine the medicinal essence.
While others approached measuring the herbs with trepidation, fearing any oversight, Ye Yuan effortlessly grasped them with an accuracy born out of countless repetitions. This ability was honed through an unimaginable number of practices, rendering it unattainable by imitation.
Feng Ruoqing stared blankly at Ye Yuan, unsure of how to react.
Refining a Tier 1 medicinal pill, according to him, was a simple task?
"D-do as you like. I-I'm going to the quiet chamber to meditate!"
With these words, Feng Ruoqing turned away, re-entering the quiet chamber. However, this session of meditation extended to four hours, surpassing her initial plan.
Feng Ruoqing's mental state remained tumultuous, making it challenging to achieve a meditative state. After two hours of struggling, she finally managed to clear her mind and enter a state of emptiness.
Exiting the quiet chamber, Feng Ruoqing regained her haughty and cold demeanor. Approaching the Red Lotus Cauldron, she instructed emotionlessly, "Bring the medicinal essence over. Fire up the cauldron. Refine!"
During these four hours, Ye Yuan didn't waste time. He engaged in continuous training while meditating, showcasing a diligence surpassing his past life.
The Ye Yuan who ascended to the rank of Alchemy Emperor understood the absence of shortcuts in cultivation. Regardless of talent, relentless hard work was the only path forward.
Hearing Feng Ruoqing's instructions, Ye Yuan handed her the two jade containers containing the refined medicinal essences and prepared to ignite the cauldron.
Surprisingly, Feng Ruoqing looked at Ye Yuan with surprise. Initially prepared to guide him, she was taken aback when Ye Yuan executed the assistant's role with an ease that suggested familiarity.
The pill refinement chambers in the Dan Wu Academy utilized earth fire guided through an Earth Vein. While this method was suitable for lower-tier pills, high-tier ones required heavenly and earthly flame sources. Despite this, Ye Yuan was no stranger to this style of refinement.
Opening the fire valve, scorching earth fire erupted from the ground, instantly elevating the chamber's temperature. Although earth fire paled in comparison to heavenly and earthly flame sources, it was exceptional among mortal fires, more than sufficient for refining a Tier 1 medicinal pill.
Ye Yuan swiftly formed seals with both hands and approached the fire, which obediently responded, becoming as docile as a well-trained pet.
Next, Ye Yuan spread his hands apart and commanded, "Stabilize!"
The earth fire automatically divided into two, uniformly scorching the sides of the Red Lotus Cauldron.
Observing this, surprise flashed across Feng Ruoqing's eyes once more. She had never encountered this level of fire control technique.
Earth fire was inherently unruly and required multiple layers of array formations atop the academy. Even then, it wasn't easily controlled by an average Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm practitioner.
Yet, this fire seemed submissive before Ye Yuan, obeying his every command. Feng Ruoqing couldn't afford to dwell on her astonishment; the refinement process had already commenced.
Feng Ruoqing formed hand seals with one hand, causing the cauldron lid to lift by itself. Using her other hand, she gestured, and the two medicinal essences levitated into the pill furnace.
"Yin-Yang Separation Flow Technique! Activate!"
With a low cry, Feng Ruoqing's hands moved like phantom images.
At this point, the process was no longer Ye Yuan's concern. He observed Feng Ruoqing continuously changing seals to temper the medicinal essence. While watching, he couldn't help but nod approvingly.
This woman possessed some level of skill. It seemed she invested considerable effort into mastering the Yin-Yang Separation Flow Technique.
However, it was evident that she hadn't fully mastered the technique, and executing it seemed somewhat forced. It appeared that this batch of medicinal pills was destined for failure.
The Yin-Yang Separation Flow Technique was no walk in the park. It demanded simultaneous action with both hands, one performing Yang-attribute seals and the other executing Yin-attribute seals, all without room for error.
Any misstep could result in the entire batch of medicinal pills being ruined. The technique posed a formidable test of an alchemist's mental strength, soul strength, and familiarity with seals.
Initially, Feng Ruoqing managed well, but around the mid-stage of the refinement, signs of fatigue surfaced. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she seemed strained.
Puff!
A black cloud emerged, signaling the pills were ruined.
Feng Ruoqing stomped her feet angrily and shouted at Ye Yuan, "Again!"
Observing Ye Yuan, Feng Ruoqing finally witnessed how he prepared the herbs this time, leaving her utterly speechless.
Ye Yuan deftly plucked one herb after another, tossing them into a jade container with an air of nonchalance. Feng Ruoqing, although tempted to scold him for his seemingly irresponsible approach, found herself silenced by the undeniable truth that Ye Yuan's refinement of medicinal essence surpassed her own in both quality and precision.
Perplexed, she pondered how Ye Yuan achieved such precision. Were his hands somehow transformed into measuring instruments? How did he discern the exact quantity required for each herb?
Observing Ye Yuan's casual herb preparation, Feng Ruoqing couldn't help but wear a disapproving expression. Yet, Ye Yuan, sensing her scrutiny, awkwardly coughed and offered an explanation. "This... comes from family teachings. You know my father is an Alchemy Grandmaster. I've been compelled since childhood. Haha... Haha."
Feng Ruoqing shot him a fierce glare, unconvinced by his explanation. However, realizing that Ye Yuan wouldn't reveal the truth, she dismissed the inquiry.
In a mere 15 minutes, Ye Yuan completed the refinement of medicinal essence once again. Witnessing this efficiency, Feng Ruoqing, after ingesting a Tier 2 Qi Returning Pill and meditating briefly, restored her essence energy to a considerable extent.
Ye Yuan, secretly astonished, wondered about Feng Ruoqing's background. A Tier 2 Qi Returning Pill was a relatively precious commodity in the State of Qin, yet she consumed it casually without batting an eye. Furthermore, the Red Lotus Cauldron she possessed was undoubtedly a high-grade alchemical tool in the State of Qin, beyond the reach of ordinary individuals. It seemed Teacher Feng harbored powerful connections.
Unfortunately, the subsequent attempts at the Yin-Yang Separation Flow Technique met with repeated failures. The medicinal essence would invariably transform into a black cloud of smoke during the later stages, rendering the refinement futile.
Increasingly disheartened, Feng Ruoqing acknowledged that her ability to persist until the late stages was indebted to the quality of the medicinal essence Ye Yuan refined, coupled with his adept control over the fire. Without these factors, she might not have endured until the later stages.
Frustrated, she grumbled, "Again!" Though Tier 2 Qi Returning Pills aided in recovering essence energy, the taxing day of refining had taken its toll on Feng Ruoqing's endurance.
Observing her, Ye Yuan felt a twinge of conflict within.
"What are you staring at?! Go prepare the herbs!" Feng Ruoqing snapped impatiently.
Ye Yuan, instead of preparing the herbs, sighed. He approached the table, retrieved a piece of paper, and two brushes.
Curiosity piqued, Feng Ruoqing approached to see what Ye Yuan intended with the brushes and paper. To her surprise, he held a brush in each hand and simultaneously drew two shapes on the paper – a circle with his left hand and a square with his right.
"Cease the training. This method won't work. We'll revisit it after you master this," Ye Yuan declared, passing the two brushes to Feng Ruoqing.