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Hunyuan True Spirit?
Song Yin looked again at the two little creatures playing on his shoulder, which seemed to be inseparable, no matter what.
"Related to Hunyuan Tianzun?" he asked.
"It's more than just related..."
Zhang Fei Xuan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, "Legend has it that the Hunyuan True Spirit is a spirit nurtured by Hunyuan Tianzun. Whoever possesses this spirit can ward off all evils and ailments. Especially for us of the Alchemical Faction, refining pills with it means achieving twice the result with half the effort, each batch will be of Superior Grade Pills!"
In all his years of cultivation, he had only heard about it, never seen it.
But this, this was quite similar to the Hunyuan True Spirit of the legends!
Yet when Song Yin heard this, he just furrowed his brows slightly.
"That's it?"
"Ah?" Zhang Fei Xuan was a bit stunned, and hurriedly added in a pressing tone, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Song Yin shook his head, "I myself possess the Flawless True Body, capable of warding off all evils and ailments. As for alchemy, with my Great Immortal's Talent, I figure I can definitely refine Superior Grade Pills. This thing..."
Song Yin reached out to take the little creatures from his shoulder, letting them play in the palm of his hand, "It seems to be of no use."
Zhang Fei Xuan's mouth hung open, suddenly feeling a sense of absurdity.
All disciples of the Alchemical Faction would want something like this. Old man Jin Guang would be so happy he could ascend directly if he had it. Zhao Yuanhua has been praying day and night, hoping to encounter such an opportunity one day, hasn't he?
Song Yin had only been here a short time, had only asked once about the offering, and Hunyuan Tianzun had directly bestowed his blessing.
This monumental opportunity was actually being scorned by Song Yin!
"Senior brother, may I have a look?" Zhang Fei Xuan struggled against the urge to curse and forced a smile at Song Yin.
"Take it."
Song Yin simply extended his hand, handing it over without a care.
The latter's hands trembled as he reached out to take it. However, as if sensing something, the two little creatures suddenly vanished when Song Yin extended his hand, as if they had become invisible.
"Hee hee..."
Then, amidst light, playful laughter, the two little creatures reappeared, frolicking on Song Yin's shoulder.
"It seems they don't quite want to..."
"Ah... Never mind, it's not meant to be, not meant to be." Zhang Fei Xuan's budding hopes were immediately snuffed out.
The Hunyuan True Spirit uttered another merry laugh, then disappeared from Song Yin's shoulder, only to reappear on the spread out stems and wild vegetables. The two little creatures clung together, using all four limbs, and began picking at the roots and leaves. They were only the size of a palm, but when it came to grabbing things, they were quite capable. Hugging these items, they jumped towards the Pill Furnace and threw everything inside.
After that, the two little creatures turned to look at Song Yin. Their limbs began to move as if they were playing, but also as if they were trying to communicate something.
"Oh? This combination..."
Song Yin walked over to the Pill Furnace and nodded slightly, "Not bad, the alchemy combination you chose coincides with mine. We can refine a batch of Good Elixirs; you do have some uses, saving me the trouble of selecting the ingredients."
The two little creatures seemed to understand him. They hopped and jumped along the edge of the Pill Furnace, and with a leap, they plunged into the Pill Furnace. Instantly, a green essence rose within, thick like water, and the Hunyuan True Spirit, amid the green vapor, seemed to enter an amusement park, frolicking and having the time of its life among the roots and wild vegetable ingredients.
"It looks like we won't be needing any water then."
Song Yin revealed a hint of a smile. He picked up the lid of the Pill Furnace to close it, then turned to say, "Junior brother, ignite the Pill Fire."
Zhang Fei Xuan was bewildered but, upon hearing Song Yin's words, he subconsciously formed a seal. With a 'whump,' a somewhat viscous flame rose from the base of the Pill Furnace.
Song Yin sat cross-legged inside the Pill Furnace, his hands forming seals as if he had established a certain connection with the Pill Furnace. With the Pill Fire flickering, he kept changing the seals on his hands, and then closed his eyes without moving any longer.
It was only a while later that Zhang Fei Xuan jerked as if shocked and finally came to his senses.
He looked at Song Yin, who was intently refining pills with closed eyes, a hint of malice flashing in his own.
If he made a move now, could he avoid a life-and-death crisis...
But as soon as this thought began to form, he quickly squashed it.
Who knew what other aces Song Yin had up his sleeve? Even without them, there was the Flawless True Body. He had personally witnessed how that 'Enchantress' from the Green Lotus Sect had her sword shattered by Song Yin's body. In terms of killing power, he might not even be as strong as that Enchantress.
Zhang Fei Xuan shook his head with a wry smile and sat down cross-legged as well, watching Song Yin perform alchemy.
About an hour later, the dark sky outside had lightened a bit. The flames in the Pill Furnace flickered, and from time to time, playful sounds came from inside, indicating the Hunyuan True Spirit was having an even wilder time playing with the flames. Gradually, a green vapor began to seep out of the Pill Furnace, enveloping the surroundings.
Zhang Fei Xuan sniffed and a sense of relief crossed his face.
This green vapor exuded substantial medicinal power...
Zhang Fei Xuan naturally knew alchemy, having been with Old man Jin Guang for so long; he just wasn't versed in the Human Elixir Technique. But in terms of alchemy, even his master couldn't guarantee that every batch would be of good quality, especially when using stems and wild vegetables, plus a few random ingredients...
Before Zhang Fei Xuan could reflect further, the flames within the Pill Furnace gradually dimmed and quickly extinguished.
Song Yin suddenly opened his eyes, pointed upwards with two fingers, and commanded, "Rise!"
Boom!
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The lid of the Pill Furnace flew off, and the thick medicinal fragrance accompanied by the dispersing green mist spilled out in all directions, the smell was so intoxicating it could even make one feel a bit dizzy.
The aroma alone was already extraordinary...
The Hunyuan True Spirit poked its head out from the edge of the Pill Furnace, with One-Eye riding on Three-Mouths, climbing out and holding a round elixir in its hands.
The elixir was as round as a little ball, emitting a soft glow like a pearl, only it was green...
The moment Zhang Fei Xuan saw the elixir, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "A Superior Grade Pill!"
Such color, such fragrance...
Indeed, a Superior Grade Pill!
A Good Elixir refined from wild vegetables...
He had thought that even if Song Yin was extraordinarily talented, to take wild vegetables and roots, perhaps with the addition of some medicinal herbs, to refine an elixir was already impressive, given such conditions one shouldn't care about its appearance.
Even if the Hunyuan True Spirit was here, it might produce a pill with some semblance of quality.
But a Superior Grade Pill...
In his entire life, he had never seen a Superior Grade Pill refined from wild vegetables!
The Hunyuan True Spirit hopped down from the Pill Furnace, holding up the elixir like offering a treasure, handing it over to Song Yin.
Song Yin took the elixir, looked at it for a while, then stood up to inspect the inside of the Pill Furnace, "Hmm... twenty pills, that should be enough for now. This elixir can cover the daily needs of my disciples."
With that, he tossed the elixir in his hand to Zhang Fei Xuan.
Zhang Fei Xuan caught it in a fluster, his Adam's apple involuntarily bobbed.
With its overflowing medicinal fragrance and strong aura, this elixir would probably fulfill one's bodily needs and induce satiety if consumed.
But that was of secondary importance, the main thing was that even just smelling it, Zhang Fei Xuan could feel his mana surging within. Relying on this elixir, the Circulation of Qi in his Cultivation would likely be greatly enhanced.
This kind of pill, to be distributed to those disciples whom he normally wouldn't even glance at?!
"Senior Brother?" Zhang Fei Xuan looked at Song Yin, "Isn't this elixir too precious..."
"What's precious about it? Aren't elixirs made to be consumed?"
Song Yin took out more pills from the Pill Furnace, nodding in satisfaction, "Hmm... full appearance, it is a Superior Grade Pill. It can meet the body's needs and also assist in the Circulation of Qi. Let's call it... Yecai Elixir."
Zhang Fei Xuan: "..."
"Senior Brother, just looking at this elixir makes one feel brimming with life, full of vitality... How about we call it the Shengji Elixir?" he suggested.
Song Yin nodded, "That works too, alright, let's start another batch."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Hunyuan True Spirit sprang into action, continuing to select the remaining materials.
Song Yin looked at it and said, "This time, it's for the mortals to consume, so it's not suitable to add ingredients primarily for the Circulation of Qi. Do you understand?"
The Hunyuan True Spirit hopped about and indeed skipped over several of the harvested medicinal herbs, picking only the wild vegetables and some roots and tubers, which pleased Song Yin greatly.
This creature was good, saving him a lot of trouble.
Zhang Fei Xuan appeared astonished, "Senior Brother, this... is it for the mortals too?"
"Of course," Song Yin responded matter-of-factly. "Wasn't the lack of food the very reason I came up with the method of Alchemy? The disciples can eat what aids in the Circulation of Qi, but those who have not practiced Qi Refinement can't handle that, so we must also be careful in selecting materials."
Wasn't that the reason he went down the mountain to collect ingredients?
"It's just that..."
To refine such fine elixirs for mortals, and to purposely reduce the medicinal materials, just for the sake of satisfying the hunger of mortals?
"Senior Brother, isn't this too wasteful..." Zhang Fei Xuan couldn't help but say.
But before he could finish, Song Yin frowned and gave him a look, "Junior Brother, we of Jinxian Sect are an Orthodox Sect. Having promised to protect mortals, we must do so thoroughly. Immortals were once mortals. If we can't even protect mortals, what is the point of Cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao! Now, ignite the Pill Fire."
He called out, but upon finding no response, he looked over strangely only to see Zhang Fei Xuan standing there, dazed and confused.
"Junior Brother?" Song Yin called out again.
"Ah!"
Zhang Fei Xuan then came to his senses, responded, and cast the Dharma Seal to ignite the Pill Fire once more.
As he watched Song Yin continue with his seated Alchemy, the expression on Zhang Fei Xuan's face became increasingly peculiar.
"Immortals were once mortals..."
He mulled over these words as he stepped outside to the side hall, looking toward the edge of the sky that was gradually becoming clear, where a bright red hue was rising.
He stood there for quite some time, then shook his head and let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Nonsense."