Chapter 109: Don’t Be Surprised, It’s a Basic Operation

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Don’t Be Surprised, It’s a Basic Operation

Ignite the fire, warm the Pill Furnace.

Chen Yue’s expression was calm, his gaze focused.

His movements as he processed the medicinal herbs were swift but orderly. He ground what needed to be ground, sliced what needed to be sliced, and carefully set aside the herbs that were to be kept whole.

The order and timing of adding the herbs, the intensity of the flame, the duration—he controlled everything to perfection. Every detail exuded an indescribable rhythm and confidence.

Half an hour slipped by silently as the Medicinal Powers fused within the Pill Furnace.

PSSSH!

A soft hiss escaped from the edge of the furnace lid. Unhurried, Chen Yue used a Soft Force to jolt the lid open, then reached out and guided the contents.

Four Solid Essence Pills—uniform in their light brown color, smooth, and round, emitting a mellow medicinal fragrance—tumbled into the Jade Plate he had prepared.

Pill Formation complete: four pills. Each one was full and of excellent quality!

"Four?"

"This newcomer... his technique is incredible!"

Although Chen Yue hadn’t made much noise, the medicinal fragrance and the soft hiss from the Pill Furnace as the pills were formed still drew the attention of many disciples in the Hundred Herbs Pavilion who were processing herbs.

When they saw the four perfect-looking Solid Essence Pills in Chen Yue’s Jade Plate, many couldn’t hide the astonishment on their faces. They exchanged glances and began whispering amongst themselves.

It was true that the Solid Essence Pill was a basic Elixir, but "basic" only meant that the threshold for successfully refining it was relatively low.

To consistently produce multiple high-quality pills in a single batch, an alchemist needed a thorough, almost perfect understanding of the Pill Formula, flame control, and the fusion of medicinal properties.

Many Outer Sect disciples of Dan Peak who refined Solid Essence Pills were considered exceptional if they could consistently produce three. Producing four often required being in peak condition, with a bit of luck thrown in.

For this new Outer Sect disciple to so easily refine four pills on his first attempt at Dan Peak spoke volumes about his solid fundamentals and profound understanding of the Solid Essence Pill.

Even Yao Jin, who wasn’t far away, stopped what he was doing, his face full of surprise as he stared at the four Solid Essence Pills in Chen Yue’s Jade Plate.

He had just watched Chen Yue’s smooth and fluid technique for processing herbs and controlling the fire, which had a subtle rhythm to it. He’d guessed that this Junior Brother was quite skilled with the Solid Essence Pill and that the quality and quantity would be decent—he’d estimated three pills.

He never expected it to be a full four!

’And judging by their color, they’re clearly Upper Grade! That level of control is a notch above even an old Outer Sect disciple like me!’

Zhao Weiyuan, seated behind the main desk, had been focused on a complex Pill Formula in his hands. Suddenly, his nostrils twitched as he caught a whiff of a rich, pure medicinal fragrance.

He looked up, his gaze passing over the busy disciples to land on the Pill Furnace and Jade Plate where Chen Yue had just finished his work.

When he saw the four Solid Essence Pills, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He simply picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and returned his attention to the Pill Formula in his hands.

Yao Jin set down his tools and walked over to Chen Yue. Looking at the four Solid Essence Pills in the Jade Plate, he couldn’t help but praise him:

"Junior Brother Chen, what incredible technique! To be honest, I’ve been refining Solid Essence Pills for years, and I can usually only manage to consistently produce three per batch. Getting four requires me to be in peak condition."

Hearing this, Chen Yue offered a humble smile and said:

"Senior Brother Yao is too kind. I come from a small place where resources are scarce. There aren’t many cultivation Elixirs that Martial Artists can afford, and the Solid Essence Pill happens to be one of the best-sellers. So I’ve made it the most, and over time, my technique has become more practiced."

Yao Jin shook his head and chuckled. "Junior Brother, don’t be so modest. In the path of Alchemy, practice makes perfect, but insight and a deep understanding of medicinal properties are even more crucial. What you’ve done can’t be explained by mere practice."

Chen Yue just smiled and didn’t continue the conversation.

He stored the four Solid Essence Pills away and, without pausing, immediately began refining a second batch.

The same Pill Furnace, the same herbs, the same focused expression, the same smooth and fluid movements.

Another half an hour passed.

The furnace lid opened again, and the medicinal fragrance filled the air.

In the Jade Plate, there lay another four Solid Essence Pills, round, glossy, and of excellent quality, resting quietly.

"Four again?"

"How does he do it? How can he maintain such a peak state?"

This time, the disciples observing him from the sidelines widened their eyes, the astonishment on their faces even more pronounced.

If producing four in the first batch could be explained by being in exceptionally good condition, then to follow it up by consistently producing four Upper Grade pills in the second batch was something that couldn’t be dismissed as just being in a "good state."

This clearly meant that the new disciple before them had reached a state of perfection in refining the Solid Essence Pill.

The finesse of his technique and the precision of his fire control had likely surpassed many Outer Sect disciples who had been on Dan Peak for years!

As if unaware of the curious gazes around him, Chen Yue cleaned the Pill Furnace, regulated his breathing for a moment, and then, without hesitation, began refining the third batch of Solid Essence Pills.

Time flowed on for another half an hour, under the watch of countless gazes, both seen and unseen.

PSSSH!

The third batch, pills formed.

The moment the furnace lid opened, the familiar, rich medicinal fragrance spread once more. Chen Yue reached out, catching them with the Jade Plate.

Four pills!

Still four Upper Grade Solid Essence Pills, slightly warm, presented before everyone’s eyes.

"Three batches! Three in a row! Four Upper Grade pills every time!"

"My gods... that consistency..."

This time, many disciples in the Hundred Herbs Pavilion could no longer contain their expressions. Even those who had previously suspected it was luck were now completely convinced.

Three batches in a row, four Upper Grade pills each time—this could no longer be explained away by a good state or an occasional exceptional performance.

Many of the surrounding disciples who were also skilled at refining Solid Essence Pills were secretly shocked.

They might be able to produce four pills in a single batch occasionally, but it was absolutely impossible for them to be as consistent as this new disciple, batch after batch, without any fluctuation! His control and stability were simply terrifying!

The way Yao Jin looked at Chen Yue now was completely different.

The disdain he had initially felt when Chen Yue wanted to refine the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill had now completely vanished.

’Could this Junior Brother really refine the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill within a few years and get promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple?’

Zhao Weiyuan, who had been sitting at the main seat, looked up again when Chen Yue’s third batch of pills was ready.

Looking at the four Solid Essence Pills in Chen Yue’s Jade Plate, still as consistent as ever, a faint smile finally appeared on his face.

He lifted his teacup, his gaze lingering on Chen Yue’s calm, focused profile for a moment, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Having a disciple who could consistently refine Solid Essence Pills—and one who had come of his own initiative—was naturally a good thing for both the Panshi Sect and Dan Peak.

However, that was the extent of his satisfaction. He quickly returned to his usual impassive demeanor.

’After all, the Solid Essence Pill is ultimately too basic.’

Its value lay mainly in its high, stable yield. For Outer Sect disciples with some wealth, or those whose Cultivation had reached the Late Stage of Bone Forging, they would begin to seek more potent elixirs like the Spirit Condensing Pill.

As for Inner Sect Disciples, they rarely ever exchanged for such a basic Elixir.

The skill Chen Yue had demonstrated with the Solid Essence Pill was enough for him to establish a foothold among the Outer Sect of Dan Peak and earn the respect of his peers, but it was far from enough to attract any special attention or a greater allocation of resources.

Chen Yue stored the four Solid Essence Pills from the third batch. With that, all three sets of herbs had been refined.

According to the exchange rate Yao Jin had mentioned earlier—three Solid Essence Pills for one Contribution Point—these twelve Solid Essence Pills could be exchanged for exactly four Contribution Points.

It wasn’t much, but for a new disciple’s first day, it was a rather good start. More importantly, he had successfully established an initial image of himself in front of his peers on Dan Peak.

Carrying the twelve still-warm Solid Essence Pills, Chen Yue returned to the elixir exchange counter in the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

When the attendant disciple on duty counted the pills, he was visibly taken aback and looked up to get a better look at Chen Yue.

"Three sets of Solid Essence Pill ingredients yielded twelve pills?" the attendant disciple asked, his tone laced with surprise.

Such a stable and efficient yield rate was rare among the Outer Sect disciples of Dan Peak. It had been several years since he’d encountered a newcomer who could refine Solid Essence Pills to such a state of perfection.

"Yes." Chen Yue nodded calmly and handed over his Identity Token.

The attendant disciple suppressed his surprise. He took Chen Yue’s Token and picked up a square piece of jade whose surface shimmered with a faint, flowing light.

He swiped Chen Yue’s Token lightly across the jade’s surface. A faint light flashed within the jade, and the Token resonated for a moment in response.

"This is the Sect’s specially made Contribution Spirit Jade. It’s connected to the Restrictions on every disciple’s Identity Token."

The attendant disciple handed the Token back to Chen Yue, and seeing the curiosity in his eyes, he explained with a smile:

"Anywhere in the Sect where you complete contributions, exchange for resources, or receive rewards, the corresponding increase or decrease in Contribution Points will be accurately recorded by this Spirit Jade. You don’t have to worry about mistakes or omissions. The information is shared everywhere and can be checked at any time."

Chen Yue took back his Token, his gaze lingering on the Contribution Spirit Jade for an extra moment.

’I was just wondering about that,’ he thought. ’The Panshi Sect is so large, with so many disciples, and the Contribution Point system is involved in every aspect. Relying solely on ledgers would not only be cumbersome and prone to error, but also make real-time synchronization and cross-location access difficult.’

It turned out the Sect was indeed using an artifact similar to a Spirit Soldier to manage this core system.

"Chen Yue, submitted twelve Solid Essence Pills, quality approved. Exchanged for four Contribution Points. The record has been updated."

The attendant disciple confirmed, then asked, "Do you need to exchange for any other herbs?"

Chen Yue shook his head. "Not for now. Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother."

He cupped his fist in a salute and turned to leave.

Returning to the Pill Furnace Area, Chen Yue greeted Yao Jin, who was still practicing Alchemy, and told him that he felt a bit tired from the continuous refining and wanted to go back to rest.

Yao Jin’s attitude toward Chen Yue was completely different now. He nodded with a smile and even told him to rest well and not to overwork himself.

Chen Yue left the Hundred Herbs Pavilion and followed the familiar mountain path back to his own quiet little courtyard.

He closed the courtyard gate, shutting out the noise of the outside world.

Chen Yue sat down cross-legged, first consuming a Dan Yang Pill and using the Vast Rock Skill to refine its Medicinal Power. Feeling the increasingly vigorous presence in his Dantian, his thoughts turned, and he began to seriously consider his next steps.

He now had enough Contribution Points to exchange for a set of ingredients for the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill, but the question was, should he reveal that skill now?