Chapter 363: Sacred Heart Glazed Pill
After leaving the black tower, Xiao Ze covered himself with soul power to conceal his presence as he walked towards the Elder Tower.
"Now that I've been named Vice President of the Pill Tower and am responsible for hosting this year's Pill Meeting, I can't afford any mistakes..."
"I remember that the biggest crisis in this year's Pill Meeting is the Elder Mu Gu from the Hall of Souls."
"He not only successfully infiltrated the pill world, killing many participating alchemists, but he also nearly won the championship, almost bringing shame to the Pill Tower."
In the original story, only a few alchemists were able to refine eight-rank pills in this meeting: Dan Chen, Cao Ying, Xiao Yan, Old Monster Qinghua, and Elder Mu Gu. As long as Elder Mu Gu is dealt with, it doesn't matter who wins the championship; there would be no loss to the Pill Tower.
The Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls had always been at odds, and their conflicts had intensified in recent years. Though the last clash ended inconclusively, it made the major forces in Zhongzhou more aware of the friction between these two top powers. If the champion, the highest honor of the Pill Tower, were to be a Hall of Souls Elder, it would be a disgrace to the Pill Tower. If such an event occurred, Xiao Ze, as the host, would also lose face.
Xiao Ze thought for a moment and realized there was a solution. In the original story, the three presidents didn't notice Elder Mu Gu's infiltration due to the Hall of Souls' exceptional stealth capabilities. But with Xiao Ze's foresight, it would be relatively easy to identify and eliminate Elder Mu Gu before he could cause trouble. Especially during the stage of the Pill Meeting where participants enter the pill realm to find specific herbs, Xiao Ze could quietly deal with Elder Mu Gu.
"If I can eliminate another eight-rank alchemist from the Hall of Souls, it would be quite satisfying."
Apart from this, there were no other significant crises to worry about.
Returning to the Elder Tower, Xiao Ze was about to refine a Thunder Tribulation Pill to enhance his cultivation when he suddenly saw a notification on the system panel.
[Xiao Yan, under Yao Lao's guidance, has been diligently practicing day and night, greatly improving his alchemy skills. Congratulations to the host for receiving a hundredfold alchemy feedback!]
Seeing this message, Xiao Ze raised an eyebrow and smiled in surprise. It seemed that with the Pill Meeting approaching, Xiao Yan was also working hard on his alchemy. Unlike in the original story where Yao Lao was captured, this time Yao Lao was still with Xiao Yan, significantly boosting his alchemy improvement.
"Another hundredfold alchemy feedback! This ability bond is indeed the most worthwhile!"
For the moment, Xiao Ze put aside the idea of refining the Thunder Tribulation Pill and decided to accept the hundredfold alchemy feedback, hoping to gain new pill recipes. His current collection of pill recipes was vast, accumulated from his time as an elder in the Pill Tower and further expanded after founding the Heavenly Alliance. The immense power of the Heavenly Alliance had greatly enhanced Xiao Ze's ability to collect pill recipes.
No wonder it's said that alchemists should align themselves with a powerful force. Alchemists provide pills, while the force supports the alchemists, benefiting both. Since founding the Heavenly Alliance, Xiao Ze's collection of pill recipes had grown significantly. He suspected that even the most established alchemy masters couldn't compare to his accumulation of recipes.
His collection spanned from one-rank to eight-rank pill recipes, but nine-rank recipes were extremely rare, as valuable as Heaven-rank Dou Techniques. Even as the dominant force in the Northwest Continent, the Heavenly Alliance struggled to gather nine-rank recipes.
"Claim hundredfold alchemy feedback!"
Xiao Ze closed his eyes, murmuring to himself. A torrent of information flooded into his mind. With his heavenly-level soul power, he quickly digested the information. Opening his eyes, a fleeting look of joy crossed his face.
"There really is a new pill recipe! The Sacred Heart Glazed Pill!"
Xiao Ze examined the recipe for the Sacred Heart Glazed Pill and was increasingly amazed. Even with his current alchemy skills, he was awestruck by the profound complexity of the recipe. The pill's effect was simple: it enhanced a person's potential. Condensing the sacred heart and forging a glazed body, it bestowed extraordinary talent—thus named the Sacred Heart Glazed Pill.
What astonished Xiao Ze the most was that the Sacred Heart Glazed Pill created an alchemical framework that allowed the pill to be refined as long as the main ingredients didn't exceed the framework's limits. The resulting Sacred Heart Glazed Pill had three grades based on the quality of the main ingredients: Nine-Rank Treasure Pill, Nine-Rank Profound Pill, and Nine-Rank Golden Pill.
That's right; the Sacred Heart Glazed Pill was essentially a Nine-Rank Golden Pill recipe! Throughout the original story, there had never been a true Nine-Rank Golden Pill. The Dou Qi Continent hadn't seen one for thousands of years! The difficulty of refining a Nine-Rank Golden Pill was one thing; the rarity of its recipe was another. Now, Xiao Ze had a Nine-Rank Golden Pill recipe.
"No wonder I found this recipe so profound. If I master this alchemical framework, I could replicate any recipe below nine-rank, even without a recipe, just by observing it once."
Excited, Xiao Ze spoke to himself, but he knew that achievement was still far off. He reviewed the Nine-Rank Golden Pill recipe again, realizing it was beyond his current comprehension. So, he shifted his focus to the Nine-Rank Treasure Pill recipe.
"As luck would have it, I previously obtained the Source Blood Heart and Glazed Pearl, both key ingredients for the Nine-Rank Treasure Pill!"
"However, those two main ingredients aren't enough. A nine-rank pill requires thousands of auxiliary ingredients, most of which I have, but some are extremely rare and will need to be sought out."
After organizing the Nine-Rank Treasure Pill recipe, Xiao Ze was satisfied, knowing he could refine it once his strength was sufficient. If he were willing to owe a favor, he could even invite a Dou Sheng to protect him from the Black Demon Lightning, enabling him to refine the Nine-Rank Treasure Pill now. But he decided it wasn't worth the risk unless he had absolute trust in the Dou Sheng. The temptation of a nine-rank pill was too great.
Xiao Ze noted down the rare ingredients he lacked for the Nine-Rank Treasure Pill and set the Sacred Heart Glazed Pill aside. He then prepared to refine the Thunder Tribulation Pill, an eight-rank pill with Nine-Colored Dan Lightning. The Thunder Tribulation Pill and Sacred Heart Glazed Pill had similarities. The grade of the Thunder Tribulation Pill depended on the intensity of the Dan Lightning in the main ingredient. Xiao Ze had saved some Nine-Colored Dan Lightning from a previous pill refinement for this purpose.
With various medicinal ingredients ready, refining the Thunder Tribulation Pill should be no problem. Xiao Ze initially took out the Yun Ling Cauldron but decided to put it away. The energy of the Thunder Tribulation Pill was too violent and might damage the cauldron.
At the top of the Elder Tower, golden flames soared into the sky, condensing into a massive golden cauldron. The pill refinement began!
(End of chapter)