The first pill from the requests that Ning Cheng refined was the Extreme Profound Heavenly Ice Pill. Relatively speaking, the Extreme Profound Heavenly Ice Pill was a Dao Essence Dao Pill; however, it was one of the easiest to refine. Plus, he had fifteen furnaces worth of ingredients for practice.
Refining the Six Yin Spirit Pills gave Ning Cheng a more thorough understanding of the Dao of Alchemy. It had even helped him integrate his Dao of Alchemy into his Returning-to-one Grand Dao.
Therefore, the first half of refining the Extreme Profound Heavenly Ice Pills progressed smoothly for Ning Cheng. He also didn’t waste too much time extracting the medicinal essences of the divine grasses and the dao fruits before purifying their respective dao rhythms and impurities.
Next, Ning Cheng began to condense and coalesce the dao rhythm laws in just half an hour.
It was also the critical step in the refining process of Dao Essence Dao Pills, integrating and harmonising the various dao rhythms. But it also depended on the alchemist’s cultivation. The higher the alchemist’s cultivation, the easier it was to refine a dao pill. After all, higher cultivation meant they would better understand the laws of heaven and earth, making integrating them easier.
Suppose the alchemist’s cultivation was low, like Ning Cheng, a Pill Sage with a Dao Sculpting cultivation. If he wanted to condense a Dao Essence Dao Fruit’s dao rhythm laws, he would have to rely purely on understanding the Dao of Alchemy and controlling the dao fruit’s dao rhythm.
Back then, when Ning Cheng refined the Six Yin Spirit Pill, he had caught onto the dao rhythm law of the Six Yin Fruit. However, he couldn’t control it, which caused him to face trouble in the pill-forming step.
Fortunately, he had a Bestowing Lawless Fruit, which he used to control the Six Yin Fruit’s dao rhythm laws forcibly. It allowed him to successfully refine the Six Yin Soul Pill and elevated his Dao of Alchemy to the next level.
But now Ning Cheng fell into the same dilemma again. The primary ingredients for the Extreme Profound Heavenly Ice Pill were the Extreme Profound Dao Fruit and the Heavenly Ice Flower. Ning Cheng had caught on to the dao rhythm laws of the Extreme Profound Dao Fruit and the Heavenly Ice Flower; however, he faced the same difficulty in integrating the two ingredients' dao rhythm laws.
After examining the situation carefully, he understood that he could not integrate these two ingredients' dao rhythm laws. Plus, he no longer had a Bestowing Lawless Fruit. However, even if Ning Cheng had a Bestowing Lawless Fruit, he wouldn’t use it to refine the Extreme Profound Heavenly Ice Pills.
Ning Cheng seldom used pill art in alchemy, but because of this particular situation, he had no choice but to use it. As the dao rhythms of various pill arts poured into the pill furnace, the dao rhythm laws of the Extreme Profound Dao Fruits started to forcibly integrate……
“Kacha…..” However, when the dao fruit’s laws merged into the dao pill, a ‘katcha’ sound reverberated from the pill furnace, and the pills started disintegrating. Ning Cheng found himself powerless to recondense the dissipating laws, no matter how capable he was.
The first furnace of Extreme Profound Heavenly Ice Pills. Failure.
Ning Cheng took a deep breath, closed his eyes and meditated for over an hour. He then cleaned the pill furnace and took out a second set of ingredients for another Extreme Profound Heavenly Ice Pills batch.
Two hours later, Ning Cheng tried merging the dao fruit laws but failed again. The second batch of Extreme Profound Heavenly Ice Pills. Another failure.
Ning Cheng stood up and didn’t continue refining the third furnace. He felt sure the final result would still be another failure even if he tried refining the third furnace.
His insight into the Dao of Alchemy wasn’t the issue, and his understanding of the dao rhythm laws of the various ingredients of the Dao Essence Dao Pill was also sufficient. He could even capture the dao fruit’s laws and manipulate them. It’s just that the only shortcoming was that his cultivation was too low and his understanding of the Heavenly Dao too weak.
He could easily refine Dao Transformation Dao Pills with all these factors, but the level of heaven and earth laws required for refining Dao Essence Dao Pills was far higher than for Dao Transformation Dao Pills. I must become a Dao Raising Holy Emperor to refine Dao Essence Dao Pills.
There were still roughly five months before they departed for the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition. So, Ning Cheng decided to return to the Grand Essence Sea’s Dragon Washing Pool to advance to the Dao Raising Realm. He had mistakenly looked at Dao Essence Dao Pills as simple pills. With his current cultivation level, it would be difficult to refine a Dao Essence Dao Pill even with a better understanding of the Dao of Alchemy.
……
After greeting Ba Meng and the others, Ning Cheng went directly to where Cen Ruxuan and Gong Ximao resided. Without beating around the bush, he confessed that he had been too hasty by asking them to collect their pills in a month. He hoped to push back the delivery time by a few months, preferably just before departing for the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition.
Cen Ruxuan and Gong Ximao had almost begged Ning Cheng to refine those pills, so they naturally couldn’t get angry with Ning Cheng for asking for a few more months. Therefore, both expressed their agreement on the new timeline.
After settling these down, Ning Cheng then immediately headed out to the residence of Pill Union’s PIll Master Sichen Qiutian.
“Pill Sage Ning, how is Master Houtian doing?” When Sichen Qiutian saw Ning Cheng coming, he first asked about Sheng Houtian’s situation.
Ning Cheng quickly returned an alchemist’s salute before replying, “Brother Houtian is no longer seriously injured and is currently recovering.“
Facing Sichen Qiutian, Ning Cheng decided not to tell any lies.
Sichen Qiutian sighed and said, “Please give my regards to Houtian.” With that, he no longer asked Sheng Houtian.
“Union Master Sichen, I came here to inform you about something.” Ning Cheng also didn’t say anything more about Sheng Houtian’s matter.
Sichen Qiutian nodded his head. Restoring his subdued aura of calmness, he spoke up, “I naturally know that Pill Sage Ning has a lot of things going on. Even I wouldn’t come to look for me to discuss alchemy under such circumstances. However, it would be a lie if I said that I didn’t want to discuss alchemy with Pill Sage Ning.”
“In the future, once I’m free, I will definitely come to explore the mysteries of the Dao of Alchemy with Union Master. However, I must leave Heaven Essence Sacred City for a few months to gain more experience.” Ning Cheng replied.
“You want to gain more experience?” Sichen Qiutian couldn’t help but look at Ning Cheng with some confusion. If Sheng Houtian’s poisoning had nothing to do with Ning Cheng, he would not believe it. Ning Cheng should also know about this, so why did he still want to go out for more experience? Wasn’t this a deliberate attempt to send himself to his death?
Without waiting for Ning Cheng to answer, Sichen Qiutian spoke up, “Pill Sage Ning, the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition will begin in a few months. If you go out for experience now, I’m afraid it might delay your preparation for the Alchemy Competition.”
Ning Cheng answered honestly, “It was just pure luck that I could refine the Six Yin Soul Pill that time. In fact, my success rate in refining Dao Essence Dao Pills is still too low to even think of replicating that feat. I suspect that is because of my low cultivation level. Therefore, I want to use these few months to advance to the Dao Raising Realm. If I can advance to the Dao Raising Realm, I’m confident that my success rate with Dao Essence Dao Pills will also improve significantly. Otherwise, even if I go to the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition, I would lose more than I would win.”
This was Ning Cheng gilding his face with gold. What’s with his success rate being a bit too low? It was essentially zero. However, Ning Cheng didn’t lie in the latter sentence. After all, if he couldn’t even refine a single Dao Essence Dao Pill in the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition, it would be impossible to get a ranking.
Sichen Qiutian fell silent. He could see that Ning Cheng still hadn’t reached the grand completion of the Dao Sculpting Realm. Just reaching the grand completion Dao Sculpting Realm from his peak Dao Sculpting level in a few months would be an almost impossible matter, let alone advancing to the Dao Raising Realm in such a short time. In fact, it would be even more difficult than refining Dao Essence Dao Pills. As for Ning Cheng’s comment about low success in refining Dao Essence Dao Pills and it’s the implication of not being able to secure a ranking in the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition, Sichen Qiutian knew in his heart that it was the truth.
But it was also because of this that he asked Ning Cheng to come to the Five Grand Realm’s Alchemy Competition. After all, only Ning Cheng had refined a Dao Essence Dao Pill among the six people participating in the Alchemy Competition. If Ning Cheng didn’t have confidence in himself, the rest would be going there for nothing.
After hesitating for a long time, Sichen Qiutian finally spoke up, “Ning Cheng, you should already know that with your current cultivation level, the chances of you advancing to the Dao Raising Realm before going to the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition are quite low.”
Sichen Qiutian tried to put it in a favourable light. In reality, advancing from the grand completion of the Dao Sculpting Realm and stepping into the Dao Raising Realm would require thousands of years. Some might fail to do so even after spending their whole life; even heaven-sent geniuses would need a few decades, if not centuries, to achieve this. Yet, Ning Cheng wanted to go through it in a few months. It would be strange if it was even remotely possible.
“I know, but I don’t want to give up without trying.” Ning Cheng bowed once again and said.
Ning Cheng had to find an opportunity to reach Dao Raising Realm before leaving. After all, apart from refining pills for Cen Ruxuan and Gong Ximao, the reward for being ranked first in the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition was also crucial. Moreover, he also understood that if he couldn’t reach the Dao Raising Realm and couldn’t refine a Dao Essence Dao Pills, it would be an utter waste to even think about going. It would be much better to stay back.
Sichen Qiutian stared at Ning Cheng for a while, then stood up and walked around his room for a full incense stick worth of time without speaking.
Ning Cheng still held a lot of respect for Sichen Qiutian. After all, when he was about to fail to refine the Six Yin Soul Pills while condensing the Dao Fruits’ laws, Sichen Qiutian gave him some pointers and brought him back from the edge of breaking his dao heart. Therefore, seeing Sichen Qiutian wandering around the room, Ning Cheng didn’t say anything and patiently waited.
After another half an hour, Sichen Qiutian seemed to have come to a decision and said, “Ning Cheng, I will take you to a place. We’ll leave immediately.”
Although Sichen Qiutian didn’t say what place he was talking about, Ning Cheng didn’t ask half a word about it.
……
Half a month later, Sichen Qiutian brought Ning Cheng to a barren patch in the Grand Essence Sea.
If Sichen Qiutian had taken him elsewhere, Ning Cheng might have raised an objection as it might delay his plans. However, Ning Cheng had planned to come to the Dragon Washing Pool in the Grand Essence Sea. Therefore, when Sichen Qiutian brought him here, Ning Cheng didn’t say much.
“Ning Cheng, do you know which force is the most mysterious among the ten major forces?” Standing on the sea’s surface, Sichen Qiutian suddenly asked an irrelevant question.
Ning Cheng replied, “It should be the Mysterious Ferry Ancient Clan, right? I heard that the Mysterious Ferry Ancient Clan never comes out and that their clan is located in the Grand Essence Sea…..”
Speaking of this, Ning Cheng suddenly thought of something and confusedly looked at Sichen Qiutian.
Sichen Qiutian nodded, “Ning Cheng, you guessed it right. The place I’m taking you to is the Mysterious Ferry Ancient Clan. In the past, the Mysterious Ferry Ancient Clan owed my teacher a favour and vowed to help him three times. My master already used up two chances, leaving the last to me, which I haven’t used till now.”
“Union Master, you mean?” Ning Cheng suddenly understood why Sichen Qiutian had changed from calling him Pill Sage Ning to Ning Cheng. It was like he was treating him as one of his own.
Sichen Qiutian smiled slightly, “That’s right, I intend to use that last chance on you. The Mysterious Ferry Ancient Clan can help you achieve what you're seeking. And in the entire Grand Essence Realm, perhaps only the Mysterious Ferry Ancient Clan can help you achieve it.”
Ning Cheng quickly rejected it, “Union Master Sichen, I can’t afford this. Advancing to the Dao Raising Realm in the short term isn’t that important. At most, I wouldn’t participate in the Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition.”
Sichen Qiutian shook his head, “It’s true that it wouldn’t have a big impact on you, but it does have a massive impact on everyone else. In this Five Grand Realms’ Alchemy Competition, you are the only Pill Sage with a chance of reaching the rankings. If you don’t go, me going there with the others would only bring the same result as before. Truthfully, I’m helping myself more than helping you.”
Ning Cheng wasn’t a fool. How could he not understand the implications of such a matter after hearing Sichen Qiutian’s words? Therefore, after hearing Sichen Qiutian’s words, he no longer refused this gesture and bowed, “Okay. If there is anything Union Master needs from me, Ning Cheng, I will do my best to achieve it.”
Sichen Qiutian nodded satisfactorily and said, “Let’s go in now.”
What he wanted was these exact words from Ning Cheng. After all, he was much more optimistic about Ning Cheng than the others. Moreover, Ning Cheng’s promise might be a little heavier than the one favour from the Mysterious Ferry Ancient Clan.
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