Demoness, Stop! - Chapter 26 - Chapter 26 – Top-Grade Pill

Li Yu put away the ten hemostatic pills he had just refined and thought to himself that low-level pills were just low-level pills — even if he got distracted, he could still make them. But as he walked out of the alchemy room, he vaguely felt that something was off, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Only when he returned to the small courtyard and sat on a stone bench, carefully reviewing the steps he had taken, did he finally realize what was wrong.

It made sense that while he was distracted, his energy circulation had remained steady and the pill had formed.

But the process of separating the liquid and solidifying it into solid, round pills wasn’t something that could happen by accident.

Without actively controlling it with spiritual energy, the pills wouldn’t form by themselves.

Could it be that after practicing so many times over the past month, he had already developed muscle memory and unknowingly completed the entire process?

“Bang…”

As Li Yu was pondering this, a muffled thud suddenly sounded nearby, and the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly. He turned toward another courtyard and went outside.

Before long, Wu Tong limped out from inside.

His hair was disheveled, his face covered in dust, and cradling a pill furnace broken into three pieces in his arms. His clothes were torn and ragged. Li Yu stared at him in surprise and asked, “You blew up the furnace?”

Wu Tong wore a miserable expression and said, “I made the hemostatic pill on the first try. I originally wanted to try refining a qi-restoring pill next, but… sigh, if I hadn’t carried a Vajra Talisman with me, I probably wouldn’t have made it out of there today…”

…

Not long after, inside one of the grand halls of Danding Peak.

An elder surnamed Han, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, angrily pointed at Wu Tong’s nose: “Are you an idiot? The hemostatic pill is low-level, and the qi-restoring pill is first-tier. You’re just a lowly alchemy apprentice who hasn’t even learned to walk yet, and you’re trying to fly. How did you not get killed when the furnace exploded?”

Elder Han was furious and couldn’t understand how the fool had gotten materials for a qi-restoring pill. These brats really didn’t know their place. If something had happened to them, as the elder in charge of their apprenticeship, he would have had to take some responsibility.

Senior Brother Zhao, also an apprentice steward, shook his head at the remark. The hemostatic pill was just an unremarkable pill, but the qi-restoring pill was a genuine first-tier pill. Successfully refining it could qualify one to take the first-tier alchemist exam. He himself had been at Danding Peak for over ten years but was still only an apprentice. Elder Han was over a hundred years old and had yet to pass the second-tier alchemist exam after remaining stuck at first tier. These new disciples were aiming way too high…

Elder Han pointed at Wu Tong and said, “Go to the confinement room and stay there for seven days. If there’s a next time, you’ll be expelled from Danding Peak!”

Wu Tong hung his head dejectedly as he was taken away. Elder Han sat back down, took a sip of tea, and calmed himself a bit. When he looked at Li Yu, his attitude improved considerably. “What do you need?”

Li Yu said, “I’ve successfully refined the hemostatic pill. Could Elder Han please take a look?”

Elder Han nodded in approval. “Not bad. Even though it’s just an unranked pill, managing to refine it on your first day shows you’ve been paying close attention this past month. Where’s the pill? Let me take a look. I’ll give you a few pointers.”

Li Yu took a jade bottle from his robes, opened the lid, and poured out a single pill.

To be safe, he had only brought one with him.

Elder Han gave it a casual sniff and was already somewhat surprised. “Hmm? The medicinal aroma is quite strong—its quality shouldn’t be bad. For a first attempt, this is already impressive.”

Li Yu handed him the hemostatic pill.

Elder Han took another sip of tea and accepted it offhandedly. But the moment his gaze landed on the pill—a dark red sphere with five faint pill veins—his eyes bulged.

Pfft—!

He spat out his tea in shock and leapt to his feet.

Li Yu was momentarily stunned. He cautiously asked, “Elder Han, is something wrong with my pill?”

Han Tiancheng stared at the hemostatic pill in his hand, which bore five pill markings, and looked at Li Yu in disbelief. “You made this pill?”

Li Yu nodded. “Yes, it just came out of the furnace—it’s still warm.”

The pill in his hand indeed still had some residual warmth, and Li Yu saw no reason to lie. Elder Han looked at Li Yu again with a very strange expression, as if he were looking at some kind of monster.

A first attempt at alchemy, and yet he had made a top-tier pill. This was definitely more than just luck.

What kind of prodigy was this kid? What kind of alchemy talent did he have?

The same type of pill can be divided into different grades.

Pills without any markings are usually called “waste pills.” Waste pills contain too many impurities, have no medicinal effect, and can even be harmful to the human body.

Pills with one marking are called low-grade pills. They have about 30% medicinal efficacy and can be harmful to the body. They can be taken only if no better option is available.

Two markings indicate a medium-grade pill, with about 50% efficacy. They still carry some toxins but within a tolerable range.

Three markings indicate a high-grade pill, with about 70% efficacy, very little toxins, and can be safely consumed.

Four markings indicate a superior pill, with about 90% efficacy and negligible pill toxin. These are the dream pills all alchemists aspire to make but are rare and difficult to produce. High-level alchemists who can produce superior pills enjoy extremely high status in their sect.

Five markings represent a top-quality pill — pure, with no impurities at all. Its efficacy even exceeds the theoretical limit of the pill formula. This is the supreme achievement in alchemy. Every top-quality pill is not only medicine but also a work of art.

The hemostatic pill has been within Han Tiancheng’s ability for a hundred years. With his current level, he could at worst make a high-grade hemostatic pill, and with luck, occasionally produce a superior one — roughly one out of every ten batches.

But a top-quality pill with five markings? To be honest, he could never make one.

Creating a top-quality pill requires not only talent but also a bit of luck. Even high-level alchemists can’t guarantee making one when refining low-level pills.

It’s not that alchemy apprentices can’t make top-quality pills at all, but those who can are always the sect’s chosen prodigies, destined to become future grandmasters, and are nurtured from childhood with huge resources.

For a beginner alchemy apprentice to produce such a pill was truly humiliating for him.

Seeing Elder Han remain silent for a long time, Li Yu was unsure what to say and softly called out, “Elder Han?”

Han Tiancheng came back to his senses, cleared his throat, and said, “Very good, excellent. To produce such a pill on your first try shows your alchemy talent is even higher than I imagined…”

He recalled the disciple selection for Baiyun Temple, where he had been present. He now remembered Li Yu had cultivated three spirit veins—fire, wood, and water. This combination gave him a natural advantage in alchemy.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Li Yu’s soul was also far stronger than that of an ordinary Qi Refinement disciple. All these factors combined might explain the possibility of producing a top-quality pill.

To refine a low-level pill to such a degree…

This kid really is, damn it, a real talent…

Still, a top-quality hemostatic pill remained a low-tier pill.

Han Tiancheng looked at Li Yu’s handsome face and sighed quietly to himself, feeling a bit of pity for the young man.

A genius like this is naturally destined to be a grandmaster in alchemy, but unfortunately, his cultivation base was too weak. For alchemists, while refining ability is important, cultivation strength is also indispensable.

With a Qi Refinement level cultivation, one can never refine second-tier pills.

And with his talent, the best he could ever reach in this lifetime was Golden Core stage. Though a third-tier alchemist at Golden Core stage is highly sought after outside, Kunlun Sect never lacks alchemy prodigies. There are countless third-tier alchemists within the sect, so one more or less makes no difference.

His advantage lay in his three spirit veins. If he cultivated all three at once, he definitely wouldn’t reach Golden Core. If he cultivated only one, then he wouldn’t be any different from other alchemists—just ordinary.

Because of his three spirit veins, the path of breaking through cultivation via pills was almost completely blocked for him.

After all, he wasn’t one of those heavenly talents. The sect would never waste large amounts of resources on him.

Han Tiancheng still admired Li Yu very much. He put away the pill in his hand and said, “Keep this pill as a memento for me. Consider your alchemy task for this month completed.”

Hemostatic pills were nothing special to him, but a top-quality one was extremely rare—like a perfect work of art. For him, merely a first-tier alchemist, it was quite valuable to collect.

He didn’t take Li Yu’s gift for free. Walking back with his hands behind his back to a stone chamber, he came out with a medium-sized booklet and handed it to Li Yu, saying, “These are some alchemy insights I’ve accumulated over the years. Read it carefully and remember to return it to me.”

Although Han Tiancheng was only a first-tier alchemist, he was already touching the threshold of second-tier. His notes would be very useful for Li Yu, who had just begun this path, helping him avoid many detours.

Li Yu accepted it with both hands and sincerely thanked him, “Thank you very much, Elder Han…”