Yu Qingyan found a secluded spot inside the first area of the Secret Realm, a small clearing of white, ethereal grass.
She sat down cross-legged. The [Flow-Weaver Gloves] were equipped on her hands, and the spirit jade block from the Sculptor’s Garden was placed before her. Their effects and pure energy were a calming presence for her.
She took out a small, ornate box from her spatial ring. Inside, nestled on a bed of silk, was a single, golden pill that pulsed with a potent, condensed energy. A [Golden Core Foundation Pill], which she had acquired from the store. Its efficacy was equivalent to the required Core Formation Pills needed to culminate her core above her dantian.
Her heart pounded at the prospect of her breakthrough, but her mind, fortified by the [To of ntal Clarity], beca a lake of perfect calm.
She closed her eyes and began to circulate her spiritual energy, following the profound principles of the [Core Compression Art]. It had different nas depending on the nature of one’s cultivation path, but in the end, its utilization was for the circulation of one’s spirit ocean within the lower dantian at high speed, resulting in a whirlpool that would eventually beco a core embryo. Then, by supplenting the technique with the Core Formation Pills, the spinning embryo had to be stabilized at the middle dantian, condensing and forming it into the Golden Core or its lower quality variants.
The pure, ancient spiritual energy of the Secret Realm flowed into her, guided and refined by her Perfect Foundation. Her spiritual sea, once a vast, liquid expanse, began to churn. The [Flow-Weaver Gloves] she wore activated softly, making the process of circulation inconveniently smooth.
The usual friction and resistance one would feel when manipulating such a vast quantity of energy were almost non-existent, allowing her to accelerate the whirlpool’s formation with a precision that would have been impossible otherwise.
Following that, the tranquil lake of her spiritual sea beca a tempest. A swirling vortex of pure, liquid spiritual energy.
At its center, a single, brilliant point of light began to coalesce. This was the core embryo, the seed of her future power.
The process was delicate, requiring absolute focus. A single misstep, a mont of distraction, and the entire structure could collapse, causing a backlash that could cripple her cultivation for life.
But she steeled her mind, making it stalwart like a fortress. The [To of ntal Clarity] sharpened her comprehension and gave her a profound sense of inner stillness.
The raging storm in her dantian was rely an external phenonon. At her core, she was like an unshakable eye of the hurricane.
As the embryo stabilized, her body gradually heated up as steam rose from her. Understanding her current state, she knew it was ti for the next, most critical step.
She grabbed the box and consud the [Golden Core Foundation Pill].
The mont the pill dissolved, it was like a sun erupting within her. A wave of unimaginably potent golden energy surged through her ridians, rushing towards the spinning core embryo. This was the fuel, the binding agent that would forge the liquid spiritual energy into a solid, stable core.
The pain was imnse, a searing, refining fire that threatened to consu her. Her body trembled, and a low grunt escaped her lips. This was the crucible, the final test of a Foundation Establishnt cultivator.
Standing guard a short distance away, Chu Yueying’s playful deanor was gone. Her hand rested on the hilt of her crimson saber, her own newly ford Silver Core pulsing as she scanned their surroundings with a sharp, protective gaze. She knew this was a mont that could not be interrupted.
The golden energy from the pill began to rge with the spinning embryo.
It was a violent, chaotic fusion. The embryo pulsed erratically, threatening to fly apart under the strain. This was the critical mont where most geniuses failed, their foundations cracking under the pressure, resulting in a flawed Silver or Bronze Core, or worse, a catastrophic failure.
Yu Qingyan’s mind, however, remained a fortress of calm. She rembered the tests of the Secret Realm. The Archive of Whispers taught her to find order in chaos. The Weaver’s Loom taught her to nd and harmonize a system on the verge of collapse. The Sculptor’s Garden taught her to impose a unified vision upon raw, untad power.
Those were lessons she could learn from.
And now, she’s going to apply it. She did not fight the chaos within her dantian. She began to guide it, to sort it, to weave the violent energies together with the sa ticulous precision she had used on the spiritual loom. She envisioned the final form – a perfect, flawless, golden sphere – and imposed that will upon the churning vortex, just as she had carved the celestial crane from the unyielding spirit jade.
The chaotic pulsing began to steady. The violent fusion started to harmonize. The spinning vortex, now infused with the golden light of the pill, began to condense, to solidify. It was a slow, arduous process, like a star being born from a collapsing nebula.
At this point, the ancient spiritual energy within the first area of the Secret Realm wasn’t enough to sustain her anymore. The spirit jade placed in front of her also started to dissolve, supplenting her with spiritual energy to form a perfect core.
—
Back at the Divine Convenience Store, Danzhu’s lessons continued. After imparting his wisdom on how to perfectly refine ingredients when making pills or elixirs, which most Pill Masters and Alchemists in attendance found profoundly enlightening, he transitioned to the second, more anticipated part of his lecture: harnessing foreign energies through alchemy.
"Xingxing’s thod is about polishing what you have," Danzhu began, his voice taking on a more serious, scholarly tone. "My thod is about transmutation. About taking what is foreign and dangerous, and through the art of alchemy, making it your own. Making it, as our little Shopkeeper says, convenient."
He waved a hand, and a new projection appeared. It showed three distinct energy signatures.
The chaotic, corrupting Highland Energy.
The cold, orderly Aether.
And the wild, still unknown energy emitted by those huge insectoids and the Crystalweb Tyrant.
"As you have learned, these energies share similarities with our realm’s spiritual energy. Thus, they are not poisons to be purged," Danzhu declared, pointing at the Highland Energy. "They can also be ingredients. Raw, potent, and misunderstood. The Highland Energy, for example, is rich in a primal, elental life force. Yes, it is corrupting to an unprepared spiritual system, but when refined through a catalytic agent..."
He produced a common, low-grade spiritual herb, one sold in the store for a few low-grade spirit stones, and can also be grown in a spiritual garden.
"[Sun-Kissed Clover]. A simple herb. But its core properties are stabilizing and harmonizing. When properly processed and combined with a precise amount of Highland Energy in a controlled alchemical reaction..."
The projection shifted, showing a complex alchemical formula. The Pill Masters in the audience leaned forward, their eyes wide, frantically trying to morize the inscriptions and refining instructions.
"...it produces this." Danzhu materialized a single, vibrant green pill. "[Highland Vitality Pill]. A temporary but potent boost to physical regeneration and stamina, with none of the corrupting side effects. You have taken a foreign energy and turned it into a powerful tonic."
A murmur of disbelief and excitent rippled through the arena. He had just given them a formula, a recipe to turn a foreign energy into a resource and not just sothing that can boost their cultivation bases.
Following that, he produced a cauldron and refined the pill again, adding other ingredients.
While the cultivators and Pill Masters in the arena furrowed their brows at what he was doing, Lin Mo noticed that the ingredients Danzhu added were flavor enhancers.
He’s turning it into a candy!
What he added was clearly sugar and a few drops of [Spirit-Infused Fruit Essence].
Soon, the single green pill multiplied, reford, and was coated in a shimring, crystalline shell. A mont later, a small pile of what looked like hard, green candies sat in the cauldron.
"Alchemy is not just about creating bitter pills for desperate situations," Danzhu announced, a rare, almost proud smile on his face. "True mastery is about integration. It is about making power palatable, accessible and... convenient."
Lin Mo’s lips couldn’t help but twitch as he kept hearing these divine beings continuously use the word ’convenient’. Are they teasing him?
Danzhu scooped up one of the candies and tossed it to a random, burly-looking rogue cultivator in the back row. "You. Try it."
The cultivator caught it, looking at the small green candy with suspicion. He glanced at the divine being on stage, then shrugged and popped it into his mouth.
His eyes imdiately went wide. "It’s... sweet? And sour? Like a green apple? But... Whoa!"
A visible wave of vibrant, green energy pulsed from his body. The minor cuts and bruises he had sustained from a recent sparring match began to visibly heal, his skin knitting back together. His tired aura surged with newfound vitality.
"The effect is the sa as the pill," Danzhu explained as a small smile ford from his lips, "But the delivery is more convenient, no? Why choke down a bitter pill when you can enjoy a tasty candy? This is the future of supportive alchemy. Small, potent, and easy to consu in the heat of battle."
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