Chapter 38: The Grandmaster (Part 2)

  The flat ground, paved with white jade stone slabs, had long been prepared with various special defensive formations. When the heavy and massive cauldron slowly descended, it didn't make a single sound. Lin Xiao shouted out a spiritual incantation, and a red light burst out from under the cauldron's belly. A crimson crystal pillar was wrapped in a thin layer of pale white heavenly fire, which pierced through the ground like lightning, stabbing straight into an underground spirit vein node three miles away. The placement of the cauldron had also been carefully surveyed by a senior fellow disciple who excelled at finding dragon veins and spirit channels within the Yuán Zōng sect. To provide sufficient spiritual energy to support the massive consumption of the cauldron, Yīyǐ had even invited out three senior fellow disciples from the Yuán Zōng sect who were in closed-door meditation to relocate over a dozen small spirit veins nearby, connecting them all to this spirit node within these 108 days.

  The ground trembled slightly, and a fierce flame suddenly rose from the red crystal pillar, several feet high. The countless medicinal herb patterns carved on the alchemy furnace flickered with dim light at the same time. A faint heat slowly emerged from inside the alchemy furnace. Gradually, the spiritual energy that surged out of the crystal pillar underground became dense like a thick porridge. A layer of red light enveloped the alchemy furnace, and the heat gradually spread out, causing thousands of Yuanzong disciples who followed to watch the excitement to exclaim in surprise, slowly dispersing in all directions.

  Lin Xiao went through the motions, inputting one incantation after another into the dan furnace, slowly driving the fire-attribute spiritual energy absorbed by the dan furnace to transform into true fire that warmed the furnace body. He gradually preheated the forty-nine dan cauldrons inside the dan furnace. Only when all preparations were complete did purple smoke and red flames erupt from the dan furnace, causing the air within a hundred feet in every direction to distort and churn due to the heat waves, making objects a hundred feet away appear somewhat blurry. It was only then that Lin Xiao let out a breath of relief, asking with a hint of a smile: "One Lineage Master, I wonder what kind of dan medicine is most lacking in the Primordial Sect right now? As for me, my cultivation is insufficient; among the eight grades of dan medicines in the Grand Dao Dan Path - Heaven and Earth, Mysterious Yellow, Universe, and Desolate Wilderness - I can only guarantee the production of dan medicines at the Hong character grade."

  An old Taoist's eyes lit up as he glanced at a second Taoist.

  "Aggregating Qi Pills, Condensing Qi Pills, Clearing Spirit Pills... and a large quantity of Anti-Hunger Pills, Detoxification Pills, and Trauma Healing Pills. The first three are the most urgently needed by my fellow disciples in the Yuan Sect, while the latter ones are currently in highest demand at our sect's pharmacy." Yīyǐ didn't finish his sentence, but he was thinking that they still had enough stock of Anti-Hunger Pills and Trauma Healing Pills to ensure normal sales at the Yuan Sect Pharmacy. However, as for the various grades of Detoxification Pills, except for a few basic ones that Yuan Zong himself could refine, all the better-quality ones were already out of stock.

  Near the Qiyuan Star where Yuanzong is located, there are dozens of desolate ancient relic stars. Every year, countless monks go to these stars to explore and seek benefits. Yuanzong is their most convenient supply station. Beigudan, antidote pills, and external injury medicine are the medicines that these monks consume the most when they go on adventures.

  Lin Xiang bowed his head slightly and pondered for a moment, then took out a set of pen, ink, paper, and inkstone from his wristband. Qing Yun walked up to him very obediently, unfolded the paper, ground the ink, and moistened the brush for Lin Xiang. Lin Xiang wrote down seven prescriptions in one breath and handed them over to Yi Yi, who was standing beside him. "Elder Yi Yi, please prepare the medicine according to these prescriptions. I plan to refine the Gathering Qi Pill, Condensing Qi Pill, Clearing Spirit Pill, Avoiding Hunger Pill, Jade True Transforming Toxin Pill, Receiving Heavenly Fate Pill, and Regenerating Muscle and Removing Corrosion Powder at the same time!"

  Simultaneously refine seven different elixirs! One furnace simultaneously refines seven different elixirs!

  A cold sweat had seeped out of Yidao's forehead, but he wasn't afraid - he was excited, and a little hopeful.

  If Lin Xiao really succeeded and the output of this Dan furnace is as large as he described, it would be invaluable to Yuan Zong.

  A white-robed Taoist snatched the Dan Fang from behind Yi's body, and quickly scanned it with a few glances. The Taoist suddenly raised his head, looked at Lin Xiao in surprise, and asked: "This Dan Fang, this Dan Fang..."

  Lin Xiao gazed at that person and said in a deep voice: "My Da Luo Dan Tao had already improved the pill formulas of these few low-grade spiritual pills over a thousand years ago."

  The White-Faced Taoist rushed to Lin Xiao's front, grabbing his arm and shouting loudly: "How is it possible that the medicinal properties of Sanxingcao and Panfuteng in the Jiqi Dan do not conflict with each other?"

  A Taoist priest let out a low, muffled cough and suddenly appeared in front of the pale-faced Taoist priest. With one hand, he snatched the Dan Fang from his hand and handed it to Yi. Only then did he slowly speak: "Brother Dan... this is the secret technique of the Great Luo Dan Dao, how could you..."

  Lin Xiao looked at a Taoist in surprise, the Taoist's name had a "Dan" character, was this Taoist a crazy alchemist?

  But then a Taoist priest suddenly shouted: "Tell me why the medicinal properties of Sanxingcao and Panfushe will not conflict to produce severe toxicity, and I'll pass on Yuansu's 'Heart Refining Secret Record' to you!"

  "'Lian Xin Mi Lu'? The legendary supreme Lian Xin treasure that can perfectly defend against the invasion of the external Tian Mo in the Dao cultivation world? Lin Xiao looked at a Dan Dao person in surprise, but a Yi Dao person coughed forcefully and pointed his finger at the back of a Dan Dao person's heart, causing a Dan Dao person to choke on their breath and unable to speak for a long time. Two Yuan Zong elders quickly flashed over and dragged a Dan Dao person away by the arm."

  A Taoist priest was struggling frantically, his eyes fixed on Lin Xiao, his mouth wide open, and finally spat out a breath: "Lin Xiao, my friend! Lin Xiao, my fellow Taoist! ~~ Lin Xiao, my master! You tell me that method, I'll not only give you the Heart Refining Secret Record, but also pass on to you the 'Yuanyuan Shangqing Baoshu' of my Yuanzong sect! This is the highest cultivation method in the Taoist world! You'd better think carefully ~~"

  A Yuan Zong elder covered the mouth of a Taoist, surrounded by Yuan Zong disciples who were watching the commotion with green eyes. "Yuanshang Qingbao Jing", this is the highest treasure that only less than a thousand people in the entire Yuan Zong have the qualification to practice! Among hundreds of millions of door people and disciples, only a thousand can cultivate it, and it's imaginable how precious and mysterious the method is.

  Lin Xiao rolled his eyes and stared at the sky in silence. A true Dan Dao cultivator like him shouldn't be in Yuan Zong, he should have joined Da Luo Dan Dao instead!

  Yi Hang Dao Ren was dryly smiling, "heh heh heh" not knowing what to say. Yi Dan Dao Ren was actually the legitimate junior brother of the same master as Yi Hang Dao Ren, and his own junior brother being so unbearable made Yi Hang Dao Ren feel like losing face. The conditions that Yi Dan Dao Ren had proposed were simply shocking! Yuan Zong's two supreme treasures that had taken root in the cultivation world, he had casually promised to give away, what kind of thing was this? Wasn't it making Yuan Zong's secret skills seem too cheap?

  A true Taoist adept broke the awkward atmosphere. He chuckled and patted Lin Xiao's shoulder, pointing at the dan furnace and laughing: "Lin Xiao, my friend, what do you call this dan furnace? Is it a stir-fry dan furnace, a flowing dan furnace, or a dan sea furnace? The name is really too unpleasant. It's a rare, top-quality treasure, you should give it a majestic name to match its worth!"

  Lin Xiao stood up, bowed deeply to the true Taoist, and said calmly: "The Dan furnace was created by all of you seniors, please let all of you seniors name it for him!"

  Lin Xiao's words had barely left his lips when a dense, emerald green light burst forth from the eyes of Yi Zhen Dao Ren. Meanwhile, Yi Xing, Yi Xin, and the other senior members of the Yuánzōng sect hastily retreated dozens of feet to one side. Lin Xiao was still in shock when Yi Zhen Dao Ren suddenly grabbed his shoulders, his eyes bulging and spittle flying from his lips as he bellowed: "Now, I won't be polite! Do you think this furnace should be called the 'Hún Dùn Lú' (Chaos Furnace), or perhaps the 'Zào Huà Lú' (Creation Furnace)? Or maybe the 'Cāng Tiān Lú' (Heavenly Furnace) would be more suitable? The 'Hòu Tǔ Lú' (Earthly Furnace) could also work! Hmm, how about the 'Tiān Dì Hóng Méng Yī Qì Lú' (Furnace of Primordial Chaos)? Or perhaps the 'Dà Dào Zào Huà Lú' (Furnace of Great Creation)? If not, what should it be called? The 'Wēi Líng Tiān Xià Dì Yī Lú' (Furnace Supreme Over Heaven and Earth)? Hmm, that sounds a bit overbearing... then let's just call it the 'Tiān Xià Dì Yī Lú' (First Furnace Under Heaven)! Look at its size - calling it the first under heaven isn't far-fetched!"

  The starry saliva splashed onto Lin Xiao's face, and Lin Xiao looked at the old Taoist's rapidly opening and closing lips, only to feel a wave of dizziness in front of his eyes. He was just instinctively polite for a moment, but he didn't know that it would bring him so much trouble.

  The young cultivator's eyes shone with starlight as she gazed at the True Daoist, who was speaking eloquently and without pause. The young cultivator thought to herself that it was truly remarkable for the True Daoist to come up with such majestic names, which sounded extraordinary just by listening to them. Indeed, a master is a master, even their naming conventions are different from ordinary people's. The young cultivator felt that she could at most only think of names like "Alchemical Furnace", "Fire Burning Furnace", or "Medicine Refining Furnace", but they were far from being as resounding as the names spoken by the True Daoist.

  It was just a meal's worth of time, and Lin Xiao had already been spewed out by the True Dao person's mouth with thousands of majestic and powerful names, leaving him dizzy. Dazedly opening his eyes to look at the True Dao person, Lin Xiao only felt his heart trembling violently. He wanted to pull his arm back from the True Dao person's "devilish claws", but the towering and majestic True Dao person had an incredible amount of strength, and Lin Xiao, whose body had been tempered by heavenly fire, surprisingly couldn't match it, and with both arms tightly grasped, Lin Xiao was unable to move.

  Fortunately, a group of Taoist priests in blue robes led by Yi Dao Ren arrived and helped Lin Xiao out of the predicament.

  A True Daoist who had not yet decided on a name for the Dan furnace was slightly annoyed and loosened his grip, watching as Lin Xiao escaped with Yi Yue and the other Taoists in blue robes to the edge of the Dan furnace. He began to instruct Yi Yue and the others on how to continuously lay out the medicine when refining the Dan furnace. Meanwhile, a Dan Daoist who was being held down by two fellow disciples suddenly summoned a burst of divine energy from somewhere, using it to fling his two fellow disciples tens of feet away. His eyes shining brightly, he rushed forward, following closely behind Lin Xiao as he explained the subtleties of the Dan furnace.

  "Alas, there are so few who understand... People only know to pursue the Flying Sword and Treasure, but they don't know that the Flying Sword and Treasure also need a good name to live up to them!" The True Daoist let out a slightly melancholic sigh, and his shining eyes suddenly locked onto Qingchu, who was gazing at him with utmost admiration.

  "Hey, you're called Qingyue, right?" A smiling True Daoist crouched in front of Qingyue, grabbing the slightly frightened and constantly retreating Qingyue. He chuckled and said: "Hehe, little girl, come up with a nice name that lives up to the reputation of this Dan furnace, huh? If you do, I'll give you a top-quality flying sword to play with."

  The smile on the face of the True Way person was extremely strange, and Qing Yun was really afraid of that kind of smile. However, as soon as he heard that there was a top-grade flying sword! Qing Yun's heart moved again.

  It was this moment of hesitation that plunged Qingchu into the boundless sea of suffering that Lin Xiao had just escaped. The true Taoist sat cross-legged in front of Qingchu, his eyes shining brightly as he let out a fierce spray of saliva. Large patches of spit fell onto Qingchu's head and face like rain, her small face scrunched up into a ball as she tearfully looked at the true Taoist, filled with endless regret for her slight greed earlier.

  "Wo, I was just about to follow Lin Gege to refine the elixir." Qing Yun carefully lifted her sleeve and wiped away a mouthful of saliva that was enough for her to wash her face with, her head almost nodding off onto the ground.

  A true Taoist is still in constant chirping, the various names he comes up with are more and more illusory, more and more grandiose, more and more ancient and desolate.

  Lin Xiao's explanation to Yi Yi, Yi Dan and later on, Yi Hang and Yi Xin, the Yuan Zong elders, had come to an end.

  The Dan furnace, in fact, is the Luo Yu ancestor of Lin Xiao's, following the principle of assembly line work, using some incomplete arrays that he has learned from ancient times, built forty-nine small dan tripods in the dan furnace. Each small dan tripod can actually be counted as an independent dan furnace. On each dan tripod, the array method solidified the steps required for refining medicine, condensing medicinal power, extracting effective ingredients, merging medicinal power, refining medicinal power, brewing dan medicine, and forming spiritual dan. Moreover, the spiritual array on the dan tripod can also change according to the intention of the alchemist.

  For example, the forty-nine-mouthed Dan Ding can be transformed into a medicine cauldron that refines medicinal materials at the same time, and it can also change into a medicine cauldron that ferments Dan medicine. In short, it changes with the alchemist's mind, and its subtlety is endless. As long as the alchemist sets the refining program for each of the forty-nine-mouthed Dan Ding in the dan furnace, the dan furnace can automatically complete the entire process of refining the dan at a stable rate.

  The only trouble was that after the medicine in the first crucible of the alchemy formation was transferred to the next crucible for the next step, someone had to refill the new medicine into the crucible. However, with the help of 200 Qingyi Taoists assigned by Yi Dao Ren, Lin Xiao only needed to monitor the elixir being refined in the furnace and didn't have to worry about these trivial matters at all.

  The preheating of the alchemy furnace had long been completed. Lin Xiao finished introducing the main principle of refining elixirs in the alchemy furnace, and with a somewhat sighing gaze at the alchemy furnace before him, he silently prayed to Luo Yu's ancestral master who had long since ascended, then used his spiritual finger technique to lift the lid of the furnace. With a dull 'hum' sound, a purple-red flame burst out over a hundred feet high, and several green-robed Taoist priests standing near the alchemy furnace were caught off guard, their clothes suddenly bursting into fierce flames.

  Yi Xin shouted in a low voice, and suddenly a fine mist of water sprayed out from thin air, sprinkling on the Taoists' bodies and extinguishing the flames. The burned skin of the Taoists also gradually healed under the nourishment of the rain, but at a slightly slower speed.

  Lin Xiao nodded slightly and shook his head, pointing with his fingers. Several grains of "Qingmu Dan" that he had refined in the Huichun Valley flew out of his hands, transforming into clusters of green gas that merged into the bodies of several Taoists. Their wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly scabbing over and shedding blood clots, revealing the white skin underneath. The several Taoists looked at each other, then bowed their heads in gratitude towards Lin Xiao.

  The Yuánzōng elders looked at each other, smiling and nodding in unison. The Great Luo Tan Dao's spiritual elixir was indeed more than twice as effective as the elixirs refined by other sects. Yuánzōng himself also refined some primary spiritual elixirs for treating burns, but their efficacy couldn't compare to this speed and strength!

  Even a glance at Lin Xiao might teach Yidan Dao something.

  But a Taoist quickly dispelled this idea with shame. A person who cultivates the Tao most abhors greed, he silently recited several Taoist incantations, calming the sudden surge of greed in his heart.

  Lin Xiao again whispered a few words to the Qingyi disciples in charge of distributing medicine, letting them remember the order of medicine distribution. Only then did he sit cross-legged at the edge of the alchemy furnace, slowly inserting his divine consciousness into the alchemy furnace, and setting up procedures for each small dan tripod. At the same time, he refined seven kinds of spiritual elixirs. Each kind of spiritual elixir required thirty-seven medicinal materials at most, and at least six raw materials. The degree of extraction and order of each material were different. The temperature that the medicinal materials could withstand and the size of the fire when merging the medicinal properties were also different. Even the conversion rate of the Wenyi fire during the final elixir condensation was different.

  There must be someone who is proficient in various elixir formulas and the refining process of various spiritual elixirs, and only after making meticulous settings for each elixir cauldron can they use the elixir furnace to refine the elixir.

  The Dan furnace seems convenient and fast, a kind of auxiliary treasure that can greatly increase the speed of alchemy. However, for this convenience and speed, how many spiritual pills must an alchemist refine with ordinary furnaces before they are so familiar with every single pill formula and every type of spiritual pill's refining procedure?

  Lin Xiao was lucky enough to get the inheritance of Dà Luó Dān Jīng from Yao'er, and he didn't go through too much hardship before he had the qualification to use the alchemy furnace.

  It was even more the flesh and blood of Daluo's Taoist family that allowed Lin Xiang to take refuge under Yuan Zong, only then did he gather all the materials and refine this cauldron!

  So, when Lin Xiao slowly gave the order for those Taoist priests in green robes to begin setting up the medicine, his emotions had reached a complex point. His heart felt heavy as if it was sinking into the ground, waves of sourness and pain swept over his head like thunder, paining him so much that his vision went black, paining him so much that all his internal organs shrunk into a ball.

  The various medicines required for the seven spiritual elixirs were put into the crucible in order.

  Lin Xiao put the lid on the alchemical furnace, and with a flick of his finger, a stream of spiritual light shot out. The flames in the furnace grew stronger, and the spiritual energy from underground was continuously extracted by the crystal pillars, merging into the furnace to form a scorching hot flow of flames.

  It was just a moment's work, and Lin Xiao had once again lit up the dan furnace, shouting in a low voice: "Deploy the medicine again!"

  The crowd of cultivators and the elders of the Yuan Zong sect were shocked at the same time! Not yet seeing the Dan emerge, he was already setting up another formation?

  But as soon as they thought of the extraordinary things Lin Xiao had just said about this Dan furnace, they barely suppressed their curiosity and stood silently behind Lin Xiao, a hundred feet away.

  In a very short period of time, Lin Xiao had people continuously lay out seven layers of medicinal herbs. Lin Xiao's seal also changed into thousands of hands, adjusting the furnace fire to be obedient and docile like a well-behaved little cat. The one-dan Daoist standing beside Lin Xiao with green eyes looked at Lin Xiao's unpredictable and mysterious fire control technique with a bit of infatuation, and sighed softly: "This is a Grandmaster-level fire control technique! Forget about other skills, this alchemy ability... how many people in the world can match it?"

  Lin Xiao suddenly shouted: "The spiritual energy is too strong, the furnace's spiritual power is too great, the elixir is forming too quickly! Hurry up and prepare various jade containers to receive the first batch of elixirs!"

  Before the words had fallen, a hole the size of seven human heads opened on the lid of the crucible, and seven purple smokes rose up, gathering into a cloud shaped like a lingzhi mushroom above the crucible. A wonderful fragrance wafted far away.

  A group of Taoists had just hastily taken out three to five jade vials and jade jars from the treasure storage, and from the seven holes, countless sparkling lights burst out like a swarm of locusts. Lin Xiao shouted loudly, frantically pinching his fingers to collect over 2,000 spiritual pills, while the remaining countless light points shot up into the sky before rapidly falling back down.

  Yi Hang and others only collected more than 20,000 elixir pills and exhausted all the jade containers on their bodies. They could only watch as the remaining 70,000+ sparkling elixir pills fell to the ground with a "crackling" sound, filling the entire area with colorful elixir pills rolling around everywhere.

  "Goodness! It's really a furnace of 100,000 grains!" The mouth of the old Taoist who was chattering away opened wide and couldn't be closed again.

  The green furnace, which was desperately wiping the sweat with its sleeve, turned around and stared blankly at the tens of thousands of scattered elixirs on the ground. Its small mouth opened wide, and its eyes bulged out high. "Brother Lin, you're so amazing!" The green furnace gazed foolishly at Lin Fan, who was busy controlling the fire, with two shining eyes.

  A Taoist priest with a smile on his face and twinkling eyes looked at the scattered elixirs all over the floor, 'Hehe' laughed loudly: "This floor is also made of jade, no problem, no problem. A bit of dust...no problem, when the time comes to sell it to those cultivators...haha, as long as it's not for their own sect members to take, a bit of dirt won't matter?"

  A sigh of relief, a long smile, and the consumption of so many materials to refine such a huge Dan furnace, can finally be accounted for to those hidden and secluded Taishang elders.

  She smiled lightly too. She looked at him, and as soon as he smiled, she happily smiled too.

  Those Taoist priests in green robes also forgot to continue applying medicine, and Lin Xiao no longer gave orders to apply medicine. They had made thorough preparations, but they just didn't have enough containers to hold the elixir. This furnace of elixir was only for verifying that Luo Yu's theory was correct, refining a furnace to give Yuan Zong's people a little confidence would be fine.

  In the alchemical furnace, there were six more explosions of elixir gushing out, tens of millions of elixir pills rolled all over the ground, and the air was filled with the fragrance of various spiritual elixirs.

  Lin Xiao gently stroked the dan furnace, muttering to himself: "Top-grade treasure? Probably equivalent to the power of a Zuozi-level dan furnace, only it's much more convenient and effortless to refine pills. If that's the case, then the Tianzi-level dan furnaces in our sect are... treasures that surpass even sacred artifacts?" Lin Xiao's heart was racing, his hairs standing on end - those dan furnaces had all fallen into the hands of the Blood God Old Ancestor!

  A Taoist priest sat stupidly on the ground, staring blankly at a pile of spiritual pills in front of him.

  In terms of color and fragrance, it was several times stronger than the Dan medicine he refined. Moreover, Lin Xiao had refined tens of millions of grains of this basic spiritual elixir at once, while a Dan Dao person could refine at most a few thousand grains of the most basic Dan medicine in one furnace!

  "This is the gap! Indeed, it's a master-level move!" The eyes of Yi Dan Dao Ren lit up as he whispered: "I wonder when Lin Xiao will be able to refine even higher-grade spiritual pills? It should be something that can broaden my horizons."

  The elders of the Yuan Sect were overjoyed and stunned, while the disciples of the Yuan Sect who came to watch the commotion looked at Lin Xiao with eyes filled with reverence and admiration.

  The Great Master of Alchemy! Absolutely is!

  They never thought that refining elixirs could also be like a landslide or tsunami, with tens of millions of spiritual elixirs suddenly gushing out of the furnace! Even for the most basic Empty Valley Elixir, they didn't dare imagine such a scene.

  Lin Xiao is absolutely a genuine alchemy master!

  The disciples of Yuan Zong's eyes lit up, their own sect had a great master of alchemy, this was really good!