Chapter Fifty-Four: Refining the Elixir

"Condensation Essence Water?" Chen Xiang was taken aback, looking at the Cold Heaven Spring in confusion.

"Impossible! Has the Cold Heaven Water actually transformed into Condensation Essence Water?" He examined it closely and found that the chilling aura of the spring had vanished, replaced by a low-grade condensation essence.

Now, he had nearly gathered all the ingredients needed to refine the Ice Crystal Renewal Pill; the final missing component was Condensation Essence Water. In the marketplace, it was cheap—only two hundred reputation points for a pound—so he hadn’t bothered searching for it, figuring it was so affordable he’d just buy it.

Unexpectedly, the Cold Heaven Water without its chill was exactly Condensation Essence Water. Clearly, there was more to this than met the eye!

Chen Xiang squatted by the spring once more. He reached into the water; most of the coldness had already been absorbed. Though the water was still icy, a touch of his fire elemental power restored it instantly.

"Why not take advantage? Saves me those two hundred reputation points," he muttered.

"System, collect Condensation Essence Water!" Chen Xiang commanded in his mind.

"Ding, collection successful. One hundred reputation points consumed."

At once, a mysterious force, like a siphon, drew out the Condensation Essence Water, causing the pool’s water level to drop sharply.

He sighed. There was nothing he could do about the system’s fees. Glancing at the spring, he noticed only about half the Condensation Essence Water had been taken, which puzzled him. "System, why did you only collect this much? I paid, so why not take it all? Don’t try to make me pay twice!"

"Ding, natural Condensation Essence Water is formed naturally in the Frozen Cavern. If collected completely, Cold Heaven Water will cease to be produced."

Chen Xiang nodded with understanding. "Oh, so that's why. Well, I'm not heartless; I'll leave some for others."

With that, he filled several jade bottles from the pool. Why use his own reserves when ready-made ingredients were available?

Chen Xiang settled in a spot. Li Qin’er had already begun refining the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Marrow, a process that would take time, giving him the perfect opportunity to begin pill refinement.

He laid out all the materials, including a pill furnace he’d purchased at the marketplace. The first step—he needed to ask the system how to proceed.

"System, what do I do next? Hurry up!" Chen Xiang asked directly.

"Ding, system has detected the host’s current status. To refine the Ice Crystal Renewal Pill, only the exchange for a Grade Six Alchemist identity is possible."

The system’s icy voice rang out.

"Exchange? Can't I upgrade directly to Grade Six?" Chen Xiang pressed.

"Upgrading to Grade Six Alchemist requires sixteen thousand six hundred reputation points. Host’s current reputation is insufficient," the system replied.

Chen Xiang’s vision went dark.

Damn it, a Grade Six Alchemist requires so many points! He should have just exchanged for an Ice Crystal Renewal Pill directly!

"Any discounts?" he asked shakily.

"Small business, no discounts!" the system answered.

Chen Xiang’s mouth twitched. Small business? How many reputation points had he been gouged for already? What a profiteer.

"Fine, just give me a Grade Six Alchemist identity!" he said, waving his hand.

"Ding, congratulations, host has exchanged for a 'Grade Six Alchemist Identity Card,' valid for three days, costing one thousand reputation points."

"Ding, would you like to use the 'Grade Six Alchemist Identity Card'?"

"Yes," Chen Xiang replied, bleeding inside. Another thousand points gone, leaving him with a pitiful thirteen hundred or so. The revolution has yet to succeed—the comrades must strive on!

"Ding, 'Grade Six Alchemist Identity Card' used successfully."

As the system prompt faded, a surge of warmth coursed through Chen Xiang’s body.

Looking at the herbs before him, he felt his hands itching, as if the restless energy within him could no longer be contained.

Unable to hold back, he grabbed the ingredients and fed them into the furnace.

He had intended to use his fire elemental root to generate fire power for the pill refinement, but upon touching the furnace, his crystalline flame surged forth, igniting the furnace instantly.

Chen Xiang: "..."

"Well, I suppose that’s how it’s going to be," he sighed.

He fed each herb into the furnace; the recipe was etched deeply in his mind, guiding him to control the temperature, refine the herbs, remove impurities, and extract their essence...

Ice Crystal Grass, Ice Serpent Fruit, Snowroot...

Each ingredient was refined in turn, and Chen Xiang was able to partition the furnace, storing the extracted essences separately.

Extract the essence, discard the dross!

About half an hour later, all the herbs were refined into crystalline liquids of various colors, occupying different compartments in the furnace.

With a wave of his hand, the flames intensified, slowly converging toward the center...

Li Qin’er, in the midst of refining the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Marrow, sensed energy gathering in the cave and couldn't help but open her eyes to take a look.

She saw Chen Xiang deftly feeding herbs into the furnace, seemingly stewing them all together, and was startled.

Is this how pill refinement is done? She had learned to first dissolve the herbs, then cool and store them, before combining everything in the furnace to condense the pill.

The process was complex and required careful calculation at every step. How could it all be thrown in at once? What kind of pill was Young Master Chen making?

But seeing Chen Xiang’s serious and focused expression, she dared not interrupt. If he really was refining a pill, distraction could cause the furnace to explode or worse, backfire on his spiritual consciousness.

Unable to concentrate on her own refinement, she worried that if Chen Xiang was just making things up, she could at least step in to rescue him!

Chen Xiang was fully absorbed; it was the crucial moment of pill condensation. All the herbal essences merged into a single, multicolored droplet the size of a baby’s fist, spinning slowly in the pale white flames.

"Ha! Condense!"

He commanded softly, unleashing his spiritual power, pouring it ceaselessly into the furnace. The crystalline flames, under his control, compressed the multicolored droplet.

Soon, it shrank to an irregular pellet the size of a thumb.

As soon as the nascent pill formed, the spiritual energy in the cave surged violently, rushing toward the pellet.

At the cave entrance, the Seven-Colored Pipi Eel was still puzzling over the maze array. It dared not barge in, for its body was strong but nothing more; it couldn’t penetrate the mist formation.

"Damn! Who is this kid? Able to set up an Earth Spirit level array—so impressive, does his mother know?" The eel gave up searching for an opening, sprawling on the ground.

Suddenly, the sky grew oppressive, the world darkened, and thunder rumbled ominously.

"Holy—!" The eel shot upright, staring at the sky, where dark clouds gathered, lightning flickering.

"Someone’s refining a Grade Six Pill? Who’s this crazy, refining pills in this frozen wasteland—not afraid of freezing to death?" The eel commented insightfully.

"Boom!"

A bolt of lightning struck down without warning, hitting the eel directly.

"Yikes!" The eel screamed, its body charred.

It opened its mouth; a puff of black smoke drifted out.

"Damn! I’m not the one refining pills—why strike me? I’ve been dutifully sleeping for five thousand years, never done anything heinous—who did I offend?"

The eel bristled with indignation.

"Boom!"

Another lightning bolt fell, but the eel was ready this time and dodged away.

The bolt passed through the mist array and vanished.

The eel stared in disbelief. "What the—! Is this kid even human? He can refine pills? And Grade Six!"

"To be continued..."