Chapter 144: Frostheart Stabilization Pill

Elder Zixuan flicked his finger, igniting the massive cauldron.

A deep crimson flame surged from its base, spreading around the vessel before rising into the air.

Even the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to respond to its presence, flowing toward the cauldron as though being drawn by an invisible force.

Long Feng’s gaze immediately focused on the crimson flame.

’Another strange flame?’

He couldn’t identify its origin, but he could tell that it was far from ordinary.

Even his Hell Python Flame seemed to stir faintly within his body in response to its presence.

Long Feng silently memorized its appearance, but no intention of asking about it at this moment, especially when Elder Zixuan was about to demonstrate his alchemy.

The elder waved his sleeve, and the medicinal ingredients arranged on the table floated into the air.

Long Feng examined them carefully, surprised upon recognized most of the ingredients.

They were all extremely valuable medicinal herbs, and several were among the highest-grade ingredients he know.

There was a Frost Jade Orchid, a thousand-year-old Iceheart Grass, and a Bluewater Spirit Root.

He also recognized several other rare ingredients whose medicinal properties leaned toward coldness and spiritual stabilization.

Even without knowing the exact pill formula, Long Feng could roughly guess its purpose.

’These ingredients are mostly cold-natured. They’re probably being used to refine a pill that stabilizes energy or suppresses violent spiritual power.’

His guess wasn’t far from the truth.

However, what happened next immediately drew his attention back to Elder Zixuan.

The elder didn’t begin by throwing all the ingredients into the cauldron. Instead, he separated them according to their medicinal properties, arranging them in the air before the vessel.

Then he raised his hand. The crimson flame divided into several thin streams, each enveloping a different ingredient.

Rather than allowing the flames to burn the medicinal herbs directly, Elder Zixuan controlled the temperature around each ingredient with astonishing precision.

The flame surrounding the Frost Jade Orchid was gentle, while the one enveloping the Iceheart Grass was slightly more intense.

Each ingredient was being refined separately, and the flame adjusted itself according to the characteristics of the herb it surrounded.

There was no wasted movement, nor was there any fluctuation in the elder’s control.

Long Feng watched closely, unwilling to miss even the smallest detail.

’So this is the level of control possessed by an eighth-rank alchemist.’

He had already demonstrated his own alchemy skills before Elder Zixuan, but watching the elder work was an entirely different experience.

The difference wasn’t merely in the amount of soul power or the strength of the flame.

It was the elder’s understanding of medicinal properties and his ability to control every aspect of the refining process.

Each ingredient was treated differently, yet everything proceeded in perfect harmony.

As the crimson flames continued burning, impurities gradually separated from the herbs. Tiny droplets of medicinal essence emerged from their centers, suspended within the flames like liquid crystals.

Elder Zixuan then changed his hand seals.

The scattered streams of flame began moving toward one another, carrying the refined medicinal essences with them.

At that moment, Long Feng noticed something familiar in the elder’s movements.

The arrangement of the flames, their gradual contraction, and the manner in which they enveloped the medicinal essences reminded him of the Starfall Flame Refinement Art.

’So elder is using that art to refine.’

He had only recently begun learning this technique, yet he could already see its extraordinary potential.

And Elder Zixuan was demonstrating that principle before his eyes.

The crimson flames spread outward, forming a brilliant layer around each medicinal essence. For a moment, the entire cauldron seemed to be covered by a vast crimson cloud.

Then the elder’s fingers moved, the flames suddenly contracted.

The scattered medicinal essences were drawn together, and the entire refining process accelerated dramatically.

Long Feng’s eyes widened. The medicinal essences that had been separated only moments earlier were now being purified and compressed almost simultaneously.

Their impurities vanished within the contracting flames, leaving behind only the purest medicinal energy.

The process was so swift that Long Feng almost failed to follow the changes.

’What kind of control is this?’

He had seen the Starfall Flame Refinement Art described as an extraordinary technique, but witnessing its application at this level gave him an entirely different understanding.

The elder had first used the flames to envelop the ingredients and slowly extract their medicinal essences.

Then, with a seemingly simple change in his hand seals, he had transformed the entire process, allowing the essence to be refined in a fraction of the time.

It was as though countless ordinary steps had been compressed into a single movement.

Long Feng couldn’t help but feel excited.

If he could eventually master this level of flame control, his own alchemy efficiency would improve tremendously.

However, he quickly suppressed his thoughts and continued watching.

He had come here to learn, and the opportunity to observe an eighth-rank alchemist refining a pill was far too valuable to waste.

Inside the cauldron, the different medicinal essences finally merged into a single mass.

The colors of ice-blue, pale white, and translucent green blended together, forming a liquid that shimmered like a miniature pool of spiritual water.

Elder Zixuan didn’t immediately proceed to the next stage.

Instead, he maintained the crimson flame around the medicinal essence, allowing the different properties to harmonize gradually.

The crimson flame suddenly contracted around the liquid essence. A tremendous amount of spiritual energy gathered toward the cauldron.

The entire room trembled faintly.

Long Feng immediately straightened his back.

He could feel the medicinal essence being compressed at an astonishing rate. The liquid gradually condensed, its color becoming clearer and its energy increasingly concentrated.

A faint medicinal fragrance spread through the room.

It was neither sweet nor bitter.

Instead, it carried a refreshing sensation that seemed to penetrate directly into the soul, calming the spiritual energy within Long Feng’s body.

His expression grew serious. He could already tell that the pill being refined would be extraordinary.

Then Elder Zixuan made his final hand seal.

Boom!

A muffled sound erupted from the cauldron.

The lid trembled violently before a brilliant ray of light shot upward, passing through the formation above the alchemy room and rushing into the sky.

At almost the same moment, the spiritual energy surrounding the entire mountain began to tremble.

Long Feng’s expression changed completely.

The surrounding spiritual energy gathered rapidly, forming a vast vortex high above the mountain.

Streams of multicolored light converged toward the ray of energy, creating a magnificent phenomenon that could be seen from a considerable distance.

Even the protective formations around Elder Zixuan’s residence began to fluctuate.

Long Feng stared at the spectacle in shock.

’An eighth-rank pill?!’

His first thought was that Elder Zixuan had actually refined an eighth-rank medicinal pill.

After all, pills of that level were extraordinary treasures.

Their refinement required profound alchemy knowledge, immense soul power, and an almost perfect understanding of medicinal properties.

More importantly, the appearance of an eighth-rank pill could trigger a tremendous phenomenon in the surrounding heavens and earth.

The scene before him seemed to match everything he knew about such pills.

However, Elder Zixuan’s expression remained unchanged.

He raised one hand, and the swirling spiritual energy above the mountain gradually descended. The multicolored light converged toward the cauldron before the phenomenon slowly began to fade.

Only then did Long Feng realize that the elder had already completed the refinement.

Three brilliant pills emerged from the cauldron and floated before Elder Zixuan.

He waved his sleeve, and one of them flew directly into his palm.

The pill was about the size of a longan fruit. Its surface was smooth, and faint patterns flowed across it like tiny rivers of light. A rich medicinal fragrance spread from it, accompanied by an astonishing concentration of spiritual energy.

Long Feng stared at it for several breaths.

He recognized the ingredients that had gone into its refinement, and from their grades and the pill’s final appearance, he could make a reasonable judgment.

It was undoubtedly a peak seventh-rank pill.

Yet its medicinal purity and potency were extraordinary, allowing it to rival a low-grade eighth-rank pill in certain aspects.

What shocked him most was the ease with which Elder Zixuan had refined it.

"An eighth-rank pill?"

Long Feng couldn’t help muttering in surprise.

Elder Zixuan glanced at him. "Don’t get ahead of yourself. This is only a peak seventh-rank pill."

"Only a peak seventh-rank pill?" Long Feng was momentarily stunned.

"Correct."

Elder Zixuan held the pill between his fingers, his expression calm.

"The phenomenon created by a true eighth-rank pill would be far greater than what you just witnessed."

Long Feng looked toward the sky, where the remaining spiritual energy was gradually dispersing.

Only then did he understand the difference.

The phenomenon had been impressive, but it was still far from the overwhelming spectacle that a genuine eighth-rank pill could create.

He took a deep breath and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for correcting me, Elder. I still have much to learn."

Elder Zixuan gave a faint nod before placing the pill into a jade bottle.

"Do you know what this pill is used for?"

Long Feng considered it for a moment before shaking his head.

"I recognized several of the ingredients. Most of them possess ice or water attributes, but I cannot determine the exact purpose of the pill from that alone."

"That is to be expected."

Elder Zixuan placed the jade bottle on the table.

"This pill is known as the Frostheart Stabilization Pill. Its primary purpose is to protect the internal organs and stabilize the body’s vital energy when a cultivator attempts to refine a powerful flame of an opposing or incompatible nature."

Long Feng’s eyes flickered.

A flame of an opposing nature?

He immediately thought of the Hell Python Flame residing within his body. But that was reward from System, and he didn’t need to refine it.

"Then, Elder, why did you refine this pill today?"

Elder Zixuan did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked directly at Long Feng.

"For you."

Long Feng was momentarily stunned.

"For me?"