Refining these pills for Yun Shu had been an easy job, not taking him too long. After a click sound, twenty pills were ready. This time, there were nine Fine pills, which had broken his past record.
"This… Is that what happens when Life Flame is awakened?" Yun Shu exclaimed.
At the same time, Senior Ye also looked shocked when he saw this. As an alchemist master and the most powerful man in the Fire Mystic Sect in three thousand years, he once enjoyed the ultimate fame and glory.
But for so many years, there had been no one qualified to take on his mantle.
This, of course, was not because no one wanted to take him as their teacher, but because he had really high standards, and even after so much time passed, no one could qualify as his student.
But what he had never anticipated was his encounter with Yun Shu here in the Valley of Crime of all places, where he was imprisoned.
In terms of talent, Yun Shu fully met his criteria. In fact, it had exceeded his expectations by a wide margin!
However, his years of imprisonment in the Valley of Crime made him extremely vigilant. Although Yun Shu had just helped him, that was still not enough to win his trust.
After all, it was their first time meeting each other. While Ye recognized the young man's talent, he still did not know him well enough to accept him as a personal disciple.
Who knew what kind of person this youngster was? Would he be like that ungrateful man who betrayed him?
Thinking in this way, he temporarily dismissed the idea of imparting Yun Shu his own refining technique.
After a moment's hesitation, Ye said to Yun Shu, "Now, boy, I'll teach you how to make Huitian pills and the required ingredients. Listen to me carefully."
The technique that Ye decided to tell Yun Shu was indeed correct, but far more primitive than his own refining method.
Yun Shu wasn't aware of Ye's thoughts. He just paid his full attention to Senior Ye's lecture, costing him half an hour.
With his excellent memory, Yun Shu remembered the whole procedure. However, there were still many key steps he didn't really understand.
But now that he had the formula, it was just a matter of time for him to figure it out.
After making sure that he remembered every single step, Yun Shu respectfully stated, "Senior, I have one more question."
"Go ahead," said Senior Ye.
"Do you know of any pills that can regenerate a broken arm?" asked Yun Shu.
That question was for his father, Yun Wanli.
"Regenerate a broken arm? Why?" Senior Ye questioned, frowning.
Yun Shu replied honestly, "My father lost an arm many years ago. I wonder if any pill can make him whole."
"Your father's also in the Fire Mystic Sect?" Senior Ye asked casually.
"That's right. My father's name is Yun Wanli, but he's only a servant in the sect—" Yun Shu explained.
Before Yun Shu could finish his sentence, Senior Ye reacted violently, as if he had been given the shock of a lifetime. His breath became rapid and heavy, as though he had just run a few hundred miles.
Responding to his emotional outburst, the Nine-dragon Pillar instantly lit up, and the nine dragons bound Senior Ye even tighter.
"Senior? What happened?!" Yun Shu suddenly got nervous and fidgety.
After a long time, Senior Ye's started to calm down, so did the Nine-dragon Pillar.
"Boy, what did you say your father's name was again?" Senior Ye asked aloud.
"Yun… Yun Wanli!" Yun Shu said with some hesitation.
"Is there a red mole on the left side of your father's face, below the temple?" Ye asked.
Astounded, Yun Shu said, "Senior, how do you know that? You're familiar with my father?"
Senior Ye smiled sadly and said, "Do I know your father? Of course! What a surprise! You are his son!"
Yun Shu was totally in a daze now! He couldn't follow the turn of events at all.
Senior Ye was obviously a man of great repute in the sect, while his father was merely a servant!
How could the two know each other?
Senior Ye just sighed. "Your father didn't tell you this, and I suppose he has his own reasons. If you want to know, it's better to ask him."
Yun Shu knew that Senior Ye didn't want to tell him the story. But this was about his father's past. He had made up his mind that sooner or later, he would figure everything out!
At this time, Senior Ye looked up at the sky. It took him a long time to settle his resolve, and then, the look on his face became determined. He asked Yun Shu, "Boy, many years ago, I created the Nine Yin-Yang Refining Scripture on my own, and it's probably the best alchemy technique in this world. Back then, none of those old dogs in the Pill Alliance could hold a candle to me! Many of them tried to offer me great treasures in exchange for the technique, but I refused them all. Now, I am going to teach it to you. Are you willing to learn?"
Yun Shu's heart burst with excitement!
Such a master in alchemy was offering to teach him the best pill refining technique in the world. Refusing it would surely make him the biggest fool under the heavens!
"I… Of course, I want to learn!" hurriedly answered Yun Shu, who had already started saluting.
Looking down at Yun Shu, a cheerful smile appeared on Senior Ye's face.
"But before that, you must promise me a few things," said Senior Ye.
"Please go ahead!" Yun Shu nodded gravely.
"First and foremost, never tell anyone that you know me, even including your father!" said Senior Ye.
Feeling reluctant for a while, Yun Shu ultimately nodded. "I'll bear that in mind!"
"Second, do not easily teach anyone the Nine Yin-Yang Refining Scripture, especially those in the Pill Alliance. No matter what they offer you!"
Yun Shu nodded again. "Of course!"
"Third, if one day you can leave this place, find a woman named Liu Feiyan in Hao Jing and tell her this: the night has grown late."
Yun Shu wrote down the three things one by one and then bowed to Senior Ye, "Please be assured, Senior Ye. I'll always abide by the three instructions!"
Next, Senior Ye began to teach Yun Shu the technique. "There are various pill refining techniques in the world, but all of them are always about Yin and Yang! From the way you made those pills, it seems that you've started to realize the importance of keeping the balance between Yin and Yang, which shows that you're quite smart!"
Yun Shu listened attentively and nodded.
Indeed, when he first tried to refine the supreme-grade ginseng, he noticed that the slightest imbalance between Yin and Yang would absolutely lead to failure, so he added ice grass as a counterbalance.
Therefore, Ye's theory of Yin and Yang was easy for him to understand.
"But the Yin and Yang that you can see now is only the first level. After that, there are eight more levels. Once you comprehend the rest of them, you can finally grasp the true essence of the Nine Yin-Yang Refining Scripture! When you master the technique, based on your talents and perception, you'll be able to make incredible achievements in alchemy!" Ye said.
Ye's words gave Yun Shu a big thrill.
"Senior, you said there are another eight levels of Yin and Yang. How can I see them?" Yun Shu hurriedly asked.
"You still have more ingredients with you?" Ye asked.
"Yes!" Yun Shu quickly took all the precious herbs out.
"Take out the two ingredients you just used and try to make more pills. I'll tell you what you should do during the process!"
Yun Shu started the usual process of refinement, starting from putting the ingredients into the furnace.
Senior Ye kept explaining the key points to Yun Shu and correcting him when he did something wrong.
It wasn't until today that Yun Shu finally realized he had ignored so many things during the refining process. Learning while making the pills, this time, the process took him much longer than usual. Producing this batch of pills cost him an entire two hours.
Buzz!
The moment Yun Shu opened the lid, his eyes instantly widened.
Out of the twenty pills, eighteen of them were Fine-grade!
The method had just doubled the success rate!