Within the cave, Ai had situated himself on a soft cushion. His focus was on the table filled with many different kinds of low ranked herbs. Each one would more or less be classified as a Rank 1 Spiritual Herb with little use to the majority of the Cultivation world.
Whoever it was these low spiritual herbs that would be required to practice refining as well as to build a base for Pill Making. You could not start off with the higher pill or herb ranks if you wished to go down this path.
His mind cleared, and his spirit up. Ai began to adjust his Spiritual Sea to release a steady strand of Spiritual Essence to flow out to slowly surround the Herbs before him.
Guiding this essence, he adjusted himself to mimicking the needed hand seals that would help guide the herbs into purifying as well as molding them to their core properties.
This process was daunting to those who had never done it before. Ai's focus was completely on the needed Hand Seals while also making sure to slowly draw out the impurities he could feel with his Spiritual essence. He repeated this process until he couldn't feel any more impurities.
The next step would be putting these herbs into the cauldron and making a low ranking medical solution. This solution wasn't was not a pill but would help one learn the proper method of using the cauldron.
Keeping his focus as he went step by step. Ai repeated these processes, until all the herbs he had set aside were gone.
The solutions he had created were at the side, each separated into small bottles that Wang had given him. There were 20 bottles, and of those a little over half had been properly made while the rest were waste material that failed the process.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead. Ai knitted his brows before he let out a sigh. His body felt drained and sticky, but he pushed the uncomfortable thoughts to the back of his mind before he began to pull out the second batch of herbs he had stored away before repeating the process over once more. This continued until Ai was able to perfectly make each medical solution without a single failure.
When he'd managed to do that, Ai then moved to using the usable solutions to start forming the basic medical bath that he would need to bathe in to help open the needed Spiritual Beads that rested in each Chakra point.
These beads, along with his Spiritual Pearl would be his means of cultivation. As they grew and gathered the Spiritual Essence given by the process of Pill making, would his body adjust and grow with his cultivation.
The only other aspect of his growth would rest in his Mental Strength, his ability to grow his perception. The more he could 'perceive' in pill making, the stronger his mental power would grow.
One should never look down on mental power, it held a great deal of benefits outside of pill making. Not only would his mind be safe from 'mental' attacks, he could also use his mental strength to form a thin membrane around his physical body, that could help protect him.
Though as it was now, this membrane was rather weak and wouldn't last long. Though over time, the possibilities were endless!
Pleased with his findings, Ai continued his cultivation before he finally had enough of the medical solution to fill a basin. His mood had fluctuate a lot during this process, but after he finished he was eager to soak in this medical bath and clean off all the 'grime' that had began to cover his body.
It was the impurities his body had forced out as it took in the Medical essence during his refinement.
Striping off his robes, Ai swiftly moved to enter the basin. After settling himself in, Ai felt his body began to slowly warm up. The pleasant feeling began to shift to more numbing sting before pain washed over him.
Letting out a soft gasp, Ai quickly bit onto his lower lip before any other sounds escaped, his eyes closing while he trembled, hands gripping the edge of the basin. Though he hadn't realized it would be so painful, he had somewhat expected it.
The dark green liquid seeped around him, slowly the color began to fade as the medical properties began to do their job, entering his body and filling his cultivation beads.
After the solution had completely been absorbed, leaving behind a milky white substance that slowly began to darken with the impurities his body had cast out, Ai finally got out. His body still trembled as he adjusted his mindset to push back the lingering pain while he quickly filled the second basin with pure Spiritual water from his space before going in and letting the water sooth his spiritual beads along with his muscles, bones and Meridians.
It was after Ai had finished cleaning himself off that he had redressed and headed out of the cave. His whole bearing was exhausted, having to repeat the process of making the solution and then soaking in it followed by the Spiritual water before finally his body and Spiritual Beads and Pearl were now ready for Pill making.
Wang, who had been sitting just outside the cave the whole time finally opened his eyes, turning to look at Ai with a soft smile. "Completed?" he asked, as if he already knew the answer.
Ai nodded before he shifted slightly, Wang quickly pushing himself to go and hold the other before his legs finally gave out. "I think it's time for rest?" he asked, moving to lift the other into his arms.
Ai wanted to complain but held back, his body was too sore for him to struggle. So he just allowed Wang to carry him back into the cave, heading down a separate tunnel instead of the one to his 'refining room'.
Setting Ai down onto the makeshift bed, Wang removed his outer robe before moving into the bed, his arms pulling the smaller male to his chest as he snuggled close. Letting out a pleased sigh, he closed his eyes as he relaxed his body.
Ai himself hadn't put too much thought to what Wang was doing, his mind was blank as he quickly fell asleep upon being placed into the bed. It only showed how tired he truly was without fast he had passed out.