Chapter 274 Trying to Make an Elixir

Qingyang also has some insights into alchemy. Although he has not officially refined any pills, he is no less knowledgeable and skilled than some low-level alchemy apprentices.

Some common pill recipes are available in the Gongfa Pavilion. The last time Qingyang bought some basic books in the Gongfa Pavilion, many of them are recorded. Occasionally, he can also learn some advanced pill recipes by attending classes in the alchemy room of the Gongfa Academy, so Qingyang is not short of pill recipes.

Among the hundreds of spiritual herbs that were upgraded and ripened by the Zuixian Gourd, more than 200 of them are spiritual herbs for refining Qi Gathering Pills, and the remaining half are materials for refining Qi Nourishing Pills taken by Kaimai Realm cultivators. Learning to refine pills must be from easy to difficult. Qingyang plans to try to refine Qi Nourishing Pills first.

There are small alchemy rooms in the yard where Qingyang lives, which are enough for a beginner like Qingyang, but there are not many spiritual materials left, so it won't take long. Spiritual materials are not ordinary materials that are rationed in the sect. Disciples need to buy them with spirit stones. There are supplies in the outer courtyard hall, and one spirit stone can buy a lot.

After everything was ready, Qingyang began his life of seclusion and alchemy. After adjusting his state, he first read the recipe of the Yangqi Pill, and then closed his eyes and went through all the steps of refining the Yangqi Pill in his mind, and then opened the alchemy furnace in front of him.

The spiritual materials were lit and piled up below to bake the alchemy furnace. When the temperature of the alchemy furnace reached a certain level, Qingyang reached out and took out one of the spiritual medicines. He first observed its medicinal properties and estimated its age and medicinal strength, then skillfully removed the roots and branches on it, cut off a section and put it into the alchemy furnace.

Before he could observe the reaction of the medicinal materials in the alchemy furnace, Qingyang had already taken out the second material, which was a yellow thing like a piece of soil, called Minghuang powder, which was one of the auxiliary materials for refining Yangqi Pill. Although the amount used was not large, it was indispensable.

Qingyang's fingers gently twisted it, and some yellow powder fell into his palm. Qingyang could tell without weighing tools that this amount of powder was just right.

While doing this, Qingyang kept paying attention to the furnace in front of him. After a while, he felt that the temperature was almost right. He raised his hand, and the yellow powder fell into the furnace. Then he heard a sizzling sound, and he didn't know what reaction happened in the furnace.

At this time, Qingyang had already started the next step. He picked up a small porcelain bottle from the side and opened the lid. A faint fragrance came to his face. This was a liquid containing a small amount of spiritual energy, called Yangyuan Liquid, which was used to neutralize the various medicinal materials in the Yangyuan Pill. The amount used was not large, but it was crucial for the Yangyuan Pill.

After waiting for about ten breaths, Qingyang judged that the reaction in the furnace should be almost right. He aimed the porcelain bottle at the furnace and flicked it three times with his little finger behind it. Three drops of light blue liquid flew out of the porcelain bottle and fell into the furnace.

The liquid was put into the furnace, and the medicine in the furnace, which had been reacting violently, calmed down instantly, just like a raging fire was suddenly extinguished. Although he could not see the movement inside, Qingyang could guess that some unknown changes must be going on inside.

The first few steps went smoothly, but Qingyang did not dare to be careless at all, because there were many such steps, and any small mistake could make all his previous efforts go to waste.

Then Qingyang took out another medicinal material and cleaned the roots and branches on it. He felt that the medicinal power of this medicinal material was slightly greater than the requirements of the pill recipe, which might affect the final pill, so Qingyang pinched a small part of it from the root, and when the fire in the pill furnace was reached, he put the pinched part of the medicinal material into the pill furnace.

Maybe the previous step was not done well, which affected the reaction in the pill furnace. As soon as the medicinal material was put into the pill furnace, a muffled sound was heard from the pill furnace, and then everything fell silent.

Qingyang had a bad feeling in his heart. He quickly looked over and looked inside the furnace. He found that the reaction inside had stopped long ago. All the herbs that were put in had turned into a furnace of black ash.

Alchemy is indeed not that simple. Although Qingyang has made preparations, he still felt disappointed when he failed. It took him a long time to adjust his mentality, clean the furnace, and prepare for the second time.

However, he did not start immediately. Instead, he went through all the steps in his mind, analyzed the possible problems of the last failure, summarized the lessons learned from the last time, and considered how to deal with the last problem again, and then he officially started.

He took out another herb, processed it with a special method, cut off a section and put it into the furnace. Perhaps the last failure affected Qingyang, and he was more cautious this time. He thought twice before doing each action, and only took the next step when he felt there was no problem.

However, this time he did not succeed just because he was more cautious than before. When all his procedures were halfway through, there was another muffled sound from the furnace, and all the medicinal materials put into the furnace turned into black ash. The second attempt at alchemy failed again.

Qingyang did not get discouraged, but adjusted his mentality and started the third attempt.

I don’t know if it was so difficult to make an elixir for the first time, or if Qingyang did not have the talent in this area. After seven or eight days, he tried twenty or thirty times in a row, wasted hundreds of various spiritual medicinal materials, but he did not succeed even once, which made people anxious.

Continuous failures not only waste medicinal materials, but also test Qingyang's patience and perseverance, and are even more of a torture for his spirit and mind. Qingyang was extremely tired. The consumed true energy can be replenished with pills, but mental fatigue cannot be recovered in a short time.

Before he started, Qingyang had already mastered all the steps of alchemy, and was familiar with various techniques and processes. He felt that the art of alchemy was just like this, and everything was under his control. But when he really started, he realized that everything was not as simple as he imagined, nor was it so easy. Only by doing it yourself can you have the most real experience.

In these countless failures, Qingyang certainly did not gain nothing. At least two or three of them were close to success. All the steps of alchemy were almost done, but some things appeared in the final gathering of spirits, engraving arrays, and drawing patterns, which ultimately led to failure.

Moreover, in these countless failures, Qingyang also benefited a lot. He had many different experiences in refining pills, and summed up countless lessons. Qingyang's alchemy skills also made rapid progress without knowing it.