Chapter 78 The Medicine Blazes Outside the Furnace, the Elixir Is Formed Within

As the young man bowed his head, upon the Crimson Pine Mountain, within Lin You’s sea of consciousness, a verdant little jade tree sprouted yet another clear and radiant leaf of spiritual jade. Just as Xuan Shuang had manifested in the world at his command, passing on the path of virtue, sure enough, the little tree responded with part of its feedback power. Now, sixty-six leaves of spiritual jade shimmered together upon its branches, illuminating his mind with dazzling brilliance. This was only temporary; once those ten thousand people accumulated merit and virtue, forging bonds with all beings in the four directions, a portion of that virtuous power would likewise return to him. When the path of virtue blossomed everywhere, that would be the moment when he, the Master of Merit, would reap the spiritual essence!

Though no further feedback had been received for now, the scope of the Crimson Pine Daoist Field had suddenly expanded to a radius of twenty li, nearly encompassing all the surrounding peaks. With the widening of the Daoist Field, his strength grew significantly, and he could now draw upon even greater power from the earth’s veins. While the consumption of spiritual energy required to maintain the field was increasing, the field itself could produce seventy-two jade leaves each month. Subtracting what was needed to sustain the field, as well as shares for the Pine Ancestor and Spirit Spring, he still had a surplus of thirty-two leaves monthly. This was an unavoidable investment, and a testament to the foundation of the entire Daoist Field.

Lin You gazed at the sixty-six jade leaves upon the little tree’s branches—his entire fortune, enough to cultivate all the way to the Fifth Realm of True Vitality. With a single thought, thirty-six jade leaves transformed into a surge of pure energy, flooding into his dantian, replenishing the thirty-six streams of true force within him. Feeling the abundance of true energy within, Lin You pondered for a moment, then turned to Bai Yi and said, “Fellow Daoist Bai, please go to the medicinal field and fetch a century-old Moon Lotus, as well as ten spirit herbs aged over fifty years. Also, ask Fellow Daoist Xuan Shuang to bring a gourd of Spirit Spring Water. I am about to open the furnace and refine pills.”

“Your disciple obeys!” Bai Yi’s eyes lit up at the news of Lin You’s intention to refine pills. Ever since she tasted a spirit pill last time, she had lost interest in ordinary spirit herbs, always hoping the master would open his furnace again, and if she could snag some leftovers, that would be wonderful. Without delay, she darted down the mountain to harvest the spirit herbs.

Lin You watched her hurried departure with a faint smile. This time, however, the pills he intended to refine were extraordinary—the orthodox Nourishing Yuan Spirit Pills. A single pill would directly increase one stream of true force, far superior to the simple versions he had previously made. Those earlier pills had only a tenth of the original’s efficacy.

Bai Yi did not keep Lin You waiting long, soon returning to the mountain top with a heap of spirit herbs. Xuan Shuang also brought the pill furnace from the medicine chamber to the cliff’s edge. The two squatted quietly nearby, watching Lin You’s pill refinement.

Lin You first picked up several spirit herbs before him, examining them closely.

He found that, although these herbs were only fifty years old, their spiritual essence was immensely abundant due to irrigation with Spirit Spring Water. In terms of medicinal potency, they surpassed even so-called century-old herbs from outside the mountain.

Confident in the properties of the herbs, Lin You began to open the furnace and warm the flames. On the high cliff, the furnace fire burned gently. There was no need for a servant to fan the flames; the Wind Spirit controlled the heat at every moment.

As each cluster of spirit herbs was thrown into the furnace, their medicinal essence was extracted under Lin You’s true force, transformed into clouds of medicinal essence, fusing and concentrating together. These steps were not much different from previous pill refinements and cost him little effort, his movements flowing gracefully like clouds and water, mesmerizing his two onlookers.

When the medicinal essence was fully extracted and about to merge into pills, the most crucial step of the Nourishing Yuan Spirit Pill was at hand—the “spirit point.” This step, like the finishing touch to a dragon, distinguished true spirit pills from ordinary ones and was the most dangerous moment in the process.

Lin You’s sea of consciousness shed another twenty jade leaves, which he all cast into the pill furnace before him. These twenty streams of spiritual energy danced like dragons within the furnace, unruly and wild. Even with Lin You’s true force guiding them, the power of the furnace made them hard to tame. The entire pill furnace began to hum under this strain.

“Xuan Shuang, Bai Yi, you two should retreat for now,” Lin You said, frowning slightly as he addressed his companions.

Though Bai Yi did not understand, she and Xuan Shuang withdrew a hundred paces away. No sooner had they left than a loud explosion rang out—the overburdened pill furnace finally gave way and shattered with a thunderous crash.

“Master! Are you alright?” The two hurried forward, anxiously calling out.

Amidst the dispersing smoke and dust, a green figure appeared, spotless and serene. In his hands, Lin You held twenty jade-green pills, glistening and lustrous, spinning in his palm, brimming with spiritual energy. Dense pill aura immediately filled the air.

Bai Yi and Xuan Shuang, upon inhaling the pill fragrance, felt a pleasant intoxication. Lin You then produced a jade bottle, sealing the pills inside with his true force to prevent their medicinal power from dissipating and the pills’ quality from degrading.

Glancing at the shattered pill furnace scattered about, he felt a stroke of luck. Fortunately, he had sensed the danger and protected the spirit pills in the final moment with his true force, or he would have suffered a great loss.

Through this incident, he suddenly realized that the current pill furnace could no longer keep up with his progress. Because immortal pills are unlike ordinary ones—any carelessness could result in destruction of the pills or even the death of the refiner. Exploding furnaces are common for pill masters; at best, one loses everything, at worst, one dies on the spot.

Now, it was clear to him why Ling Hulu and the others had been so excited to learn he was a pill master—not only were spirit herbs scarce, but pill refinement was extremely dangerous. Without a reliable furnace, he could no longer easily refine pills in the future.

With this in mind, he resolved to attend the upcoming grand gathering of fellow Daoists in a few days, to seek out a new pill furnace, and also to meet other pill masters in the world.

...

Outside Crimson Pine Mountain.

As news of the Medical Dao Conference spread, it stirred a great sensation across all prefectures and states. The famous physicians and national experts from nearby regions quickly disseminated the earlier rumors. They spun tales of the plague demon, the spreading pestilence, the Jade Morning Master dispatching the Deer Spirit deity to ward off calamity and drive out disease, and the establishment of the path of virtue—all woven into storybooks.

With embellishments and exaggerations, a dozen different versions circulated, painting the Jade Morning Master of Crimson Pine Mountain as a true immortal descending to the mortal world to save the suffering and dispel misfortune.

At this moment, a young girl with double buns played with a bitter apricot kernel in her hand, asking the proud-faced youth beside her, “Senior Brother Li, how much truth do you think there is to these stories?”

The youth surnamed Li sneered at her words, laughing, “It’s nothing but common folk spreading rumors! This apricot, Master has already examined it—there’s barely any spiritual energy, and it’s not even a real spirit fruit. That Jade Morning Daoist is likely nothing but a fame-seeker!”

The girl agreed. Her own master was a renowned immortal pill master, revered and admired by countless people, and his judgment could not be wrong. Moreover, the so-called path of virtue seemed like nothing but a fool’s dream. How precious are spirit herbs and pills? Even their master cherished them dearly; how could ordinary folk earn them just by performing a few deeds of virtue?

She scoffed, casually tossing the apricot kernel over the courtyard wall.

The kernel turned into a streak of light, landing precisely atop the head of a disciple sweeping the courtyard outside.