Blending the Half-complete Pill

Mu Yu didn't provoke Ku Mu again. Xiaoshuai, to the contrary, would burst into the laughter in random spurts, causing Mu Yu to laugh along. So accordingly, Ku Mu would whack Mu Yu using his walking stick. Although Mu Yu was disgruntled about it, luckily, it didn't hurt.

Two days later, Mu Yu began to earnestly deliberate how to complete the pill. There was one complication he had to address: he needed to have Body Synthesis Realm cultivation to mix the components. He could control the liaozhi's liquid perfectly fine; however, he couldn't siphon it into the pill. After hearing Mu Yu's reason for bringing back the pill cauldron, Ku Mu booted him for his inane bet.

"You dullard, who does that? You think mixing the last herbs together is all it takes to complete the pill?" scolded Ku Mu.

"No?"

"The pill mixes together one thousand and eight types of herbs together. Even if each herb only occupied a tiny surface area, it wouldn't be that size. If it was so simple, everyone would be an alchemist.

"Every herb is different. The volume required differs. The time it takes to blend differs. The higher the pill rank, the more control of his spiritual energy the alchemist must have. That's why only those who've reached Body Synthesis Realm cultivation can manage over a thousand herbs simultaneously. Any minute mistake will lead to failure. The mixing process also requires you to extract the impurities. To do that, you need fire. That's where pill fire stones come into the equation. Every single time you add a new element, you need to purify it all over again."

The higher the pill rank, the more herbs required and the more clashes one would need to handle. To undo the clashes, alchemists would suffer wood residue build up in their bodies. Rank four pills and those below, on the other hand, only needed roughly ten types of herbs. Beginning from level four, alchemist at the level or above had their own pill cauldron to help with the production process.

Man, haven't I practically picked up a rock and smashed my own foot with it? It sounds darn harder than I imagined.

"I don't think half-complete herbs are difficult to deal with," stated Mu Yu.

"This type of cauldron is called a preservation cauldron. It's exclusive to Pill Cauldron Sect and often used in teaching contexts. Besides preserving an incomplete pill's state, it also compensates for alchemists' lacking cultivation to help them control what they otherwise wouldn't be able to control. P-p-put another w-w-."

Xiaoshuai: "Bed wetter!"

"Shut up!"

Ku Mu swung his walking stick at Xiaoshuai, but the latter deftly shifted out of range, leading to the stick swinging through to Mu Yu's head. Mu Yu was angry, but Ku Mu was equally angry.

"That's why all disciples can try it! The pill will return to the state it was intended to be preserved as no matter how disciples play with it. The only way to change its state is to complete it."

Mu Yu was able to distinctly sense each of the herbs in the mix, could identify them and when it was prime time to add them thanks to his unique ability. That equipped him with the ability to control the herbs at will. Unfortunately for him, the degree of reversal pill's completion empowered it with potency on par to Body Synthesis Realm cultivation. He had yet to reach that far in his cultivation journey, hindering him from siphoning the last herbs into the incomplete pill. As such, the support of a cauldron was necessary.

Mu Yu eagerly controlled the cauldron under Ku Mu's guidance. He easily removed the liaozhi's impurities, skipping over the purification step and saving himself the trouble of using fire.

"Behave yourself now," Mu Yu demanded of the liaozhi. "Now, be a good boy and turn into a pill."

The liaozhi siphoned into the incomplete pill without any bumps.

Boom!Once Mu Yu completed the last step, a pillar of light extended to the sky. The energy blast alerted everyone at Pill Cauldron Sect. The dragon vine had to assume its true form to shield Ku Mu from the blast.

Pill Cauldron Sect's members recognised the blast because the phenomenon occurred every time a rank six or seven pill was completed. Every pill produced different phenomena as the pills were different in nature. Their immediate assumption was an elder had completed a pill and were curious who it was. Looking up, however, they saw the light came from Ku Mu's mountain. Not even Daoist Yun Dan had ever produced a pill that generated a phenomenon that potent.

Daoist Yun Dan couldn't believe he was seeing the rosy beam of light. Thrilled, he raced toward the light.

"That runt can perform alchemy again?" Pill Manual Hall's guardian elder rushed to the light.

"Yes! Yes! Haha, I'm a genius!" exclaimed Mu Yu, breathing in the refreshing fragrant from the pill.

"H-he did it?" stuttered Ku Mu, initially estimating it'd take Mu Yu hundreds of attempts to succeed given his abysmal skills.

"Gramps, you proud? I've done you proud, haven't I?" Mu Yu asked while smiling radiantly.

Suddenly, the light beam vanished, and the spiritual qi calmed down. The pill was floating in the cauldron. There was a puddle of liaozhi liquid around the pill. Mu Yu's smile froze stiff on his face. "I failed?"