The five Deity Transformation cultivators all found themselves in agreement. Even immortals would find the Gale Belt a nuisance, let alone them. Although they could theoretically force a passage using high-grade, top-tier magical treasures, where would they find such items? Given the current strength of the Mangyun Mountain cultivation world, they simply lacked the capability to forge high-grade, top-tier treasures.
Master Linghua was pleased to see their reactions and continued, "I have spent much time performing divinations. My enemy has at most five hundred years of longevity remaining. If he does not undergo his tribulation and ascend within two hundred years, he will surely pass away. Therefore, you need only wait two hundred years at most. When that time comes, I will naturally repair the teleportation array."
The five were overjoyed upon hearing this. They had been discussing the matter for days, filled with trepidation regarding the unknown outer star domains. To high-level cultivators, two hundred years was but the blink of an eye. Even if they were to search for an external teleportation array themselves, they might not find one in two hundred years. They were more than willing to comply. Furthermore, they dared not harbor the slightest dissatisfaction toward Master Linghua; he was essentially the progenitor of the Mangyun Mountain cultivation world. They felt only reverence, not rebellion.
Master Linghua’s image vanished with a satisfied air, and Divine Lord Feng Ye rose to take his leave.
"Senior!" Divine Lord Yuan Xi of the Cloud Strength Sect finally couldn't help but speak up. "Is the junior who obtained the star map still alive?"
The corner of Divine Lord Feng Ye’s mouth twitched. He glanced at Divine Lord Yuan Xi and said, "That junior was skilled in secret arts and somehow managed to send the star map out. Alas, his physical body is gone. As for his Nascent Soul, it vanished within the Tianyuan Secret Realm. His fate now depends on his own luck."
The momentous decisions of the high-level cultivators were known only to those at the very peak. Currently, Li Xue and her son knew nothing of them. Li Xue was extremely dedicated to her cultivation and had devised a series of plans, teaching her son about the ways of the world while they practiced. Thus, her life as a cultivator was quite fulfilling.
In ten years, Li Xue broke through to the eighth level of Qi Condensation. With her method of converting Yang spiritual power, her cultivation speed was comparable to those with dual spirit roots. Meanwhile, Li Lin had already reached the peak of the tenth level of Qi Condensation, ready to establish his foundation at any moment. However, considering he was only sixteen, while his cultivation level was sufficient, his mental state could not yet match those who had practiced for decades. Daoist Yu Hong had long since decided to let Li Lin establish his foundation around the age of twenty, after a few more years of tempering. Simultaneously, he had Li Lin begin learning alchemy. For a Fire Spirit Root possessor with Yang spiritual power, not learning alchemy would be a tragic waste of natural gifts.
In the cultivation world, the art of alchemy encompassed many subjects, primarily divided into the *Spirit Herb Manual*, the *Pill Refining Manual*, and the *Pill Arts Manual*. The *Spirit Herb Manual* covered the identification of various spirit herbs, their medicinal properties, and cultivation methods. The *Pill Refining Manual* was the core of alchemy, while the *Pill Arts Manual* consisted of spells used during combat.
Refining pills in the cultivation world mainly involved five steps: Opening the Furnace, Placing the Herbs, Gestating the Pill, Quenching the Pill, and Collecting the Pill. Each stage had its corresponding hand seals and incantations. The duration of the gestation process varied depending on the grade of the pill; the higher the grade, the longer the gestation. Whether a spirit pill was of high or low quality depended primarily on the quenching process. Every sect, clan, and alchemist had their own secret techniques for quenching, which was the most refined part of alchemy and never shared with outsiders.
In truth, any cultivator could refine pills as long as they possessed a cauldron, a recipe, and spirit herbs. However, the success rate and quality of the pills depended not only on the quality of the cauldron but, most importantly, on the quenching. For instance, Li Lin’s Yang spiritual power served to enhance the grade of the pills during the quenching process, infusing them with Solar Essence and making them far more effective.
If one quenched a pill without using Yang spiritual power, the quality would noticeably drop. Large sects and clans possessed their own secret methods regarding this. Even Solar Essence could be derived from Sun Crow Fire, which some top sects kept in their collections; the Cloud Strength Sect was one such example, though Sun Crow Fire would diminish with use. There was also a type of spirit bird called the Blazing Fire Bird, whose breath contained fire spiritual power infused with Sun Crow Fire. Thus, among the top sects, certain organizations and families were capable of refining high-quality pills containing Solar Essence.
Spirit pills were divided into three tiers: High, Middle, and Low. Each tier was further subdivided into three qualities: Top, Mid, and Low. Top-quality spirit pills were the rarest; if an alchemist could produce two or three per ten furnaces, their skill was considered to be at the advanced level or higher. Perfected Jing Yuan’s alchemy had reached the advanced level of the Middle Tier; he could produce two or three top-quality pills for every ten furnaces he refined.
The pills Li Xue and Li Lin currently used—such as Fire Spirit Pills and Gold Spirit Pills for the Qi Condensation stage—were all of middle to top quality. This showed just how much Yu Hong and Jing Yuan doted on the mother and son.
There was another crucial element in alchemy: the cauldron. The quality of the cauldron also determined the grade of the pills. Therefore, to an alchemist, a good cauldron was as vital as a fine flying sword.
Furthermore, for an alchemist, a cauldron was not just for refining pills; a high-quality cauldron was also a magical treasure. The *Pill Arts Manual* also explained how to use alchemy techniques in combat. For example, the Smoke Incineration Art used large-scale burning smoke to confuse or poison an opponent. There were also pill attacks; in fact, the higher the grade of a pill, the greater the spiritual power it contained. Much like a magical treasure, they possessed significant power. If a pill were detonated, Li Xue speculated that the resulting explosion of spiritual power would be comparable to a bomb. Li Xue found these alchemy techniques fascinating. Li Lin had begun learning alchemy at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, and by now, his efforts were yielding significant results.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 熏风带 | Gale Belt | A dangerous region in space mentioned as a barrier to travel. |
| 极品法宝 | Top-tier magical treasure | The highest quality of magical items. |
| 元溪神君 | Divine Lord Yuan Xi | A Deity Transformation cultivator from the Cloud Strength Sect. |
| 灵药篇 | Spirit Herb Manual | The branch of alchemy dealing with plants and ingredients. |
| 炼丹篇 | Pill Refining Manual | The branch of alchemy dealing with the actual creation of pills. |
| 丹术篇 | Pill Arts Manual | The branch of alchemy dealing with combat spells and techniques. |
| 开炉 | Opening the Furnace | The first step of pill refining. |
| 布药 | Placing the Herbs | The second step of pill refining. |
| 孕丹 | Gestating the Pill | The third step of pill refining (the cooking/growth phase). |
| 淬丹 | Quenching the Pill | The fourth step of pill refining (tempering/refining quality). |
| 收丹 | Collecting the Pill | The final step of pill refining. |
| 太阳精华 | Solar Essence | A high-level energy used to improve pill quality. |
| 太阳乌火 | Sun Crow Fire | A legendary or high-level fire source containing solar properties. |
| 烈火鸟 | Blazing Fire Bird | A spirit bird capable of breathing fire with solar properties. |
| 焚烟术 | Smoke Incineration Art | A combat technique involving alchemical smoke. |
