Chapter 78: Taking the Pill

Having just taken over control, a suction force emanated from the cauldron.

With the assistance of the formation, the operator does not need to have very strong spiritual power, but they do need more precise control.

The toll on one's mental energy is also immense.

Elder Xuancao watched from the side for a while, nodded, and turned to leave.

Glancing at the old man's retreating figure, Junior Brother Bai Ming relaxed his mind and nearly lost control of the heat, but fortunately, he managed to stabilize it.

I've only just started operating this for the first time, and he's already leaving.

He's so trusting.

Calming his mind, he focused all his attention on the manipulation, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

After all, this was the pill to restore his spiritual root; how could he slack off?

The cave blocked out the light, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.

While fully focused, beads of sweat accumulated on Junior Brother Bai Ming's forehead, dense and numerous, dripping onto the soil below from time to time.

Unhurried footsteps sounded from outside the cave, growing louder bit by bit, echoing throughout the entire cave.

"Well done." Elder Xuancao walked up to Junior Brother Bai Ming with his hands behind his back.

Having lost control of the cauldron, Junior Brother Bai Ming finally let out a sigh of relief. He bowed, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stepped aside.

The light from the formation brightened, and Elder Xuancao increased the spiritual power in his hands. The spiritual liquid inside the cauldron seemed to shake violently, striking the cauldron walls and making a clanging sound.

Half an hour passed. Junior Brother Bai Ming's mental energy had recovered somewhat, and his complexion had improved. Elder Xuancao, who was in front of him, also stopped his movements.

The heavy cauldron lid was lifted by spiritual power, and a burst of vibrant white mist spilled out, accompanied by a rich medicinal fragrance.

It had the dry scent of herbs, yet also carried a pleasant, fresh fragrance.

A spiritual pill, entirely blue and with a faint metallic luster, flew out from the bottom of the cauldron.

The pill floated slowly in front of him, and Junior Brother Bai Ming caught it, feeling the residual warmth of the pill on his palm.

"Consume it." Elder Xuancao stroked his white beard, his eyes sharp.

After hesitating for a few moments, Junior Brother Bai Ming held the pill with both hands and swallowed it in one go.

A warm sensation came from his throat, and the scent of the pill wafted from the tip of his nose.

A powerful surge of spiritual energy exploded from his lower abdomen, flowing through all the meridians of his body.

A stinging sensation arose all over his body, as if thousands of tiny needles were pricking his meridians.

Junior Brother Bai Ming's face contorted in pain, and his body curled up for a moment.

Elder Xuancao said calmly, "Do not be afraid; this is a normal phenomenon. Your spiritual meridians were severely damaged, so it is inevitable that there will be some pain once they are restored."

Taking a few deep breaths, Junior Brother Bai Ming went to the side, sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and adjusted the flow of spiritual energy within his body.

As he inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy, the stinging sensation gradually faded. A warmth emerged from his meridians, and the heat permeated his entire body.

This warm current finally passed through his spiritual meridians and flowed into his spiritual root.

His broken spiritual root emitted a faint light, slowly and continuously recovering, and vitality returned to the roots.

The sun and moon alternated, and several more days and nights passed.

His body temperature gradually returned to normal. Junior Brother Bai Ming suddenly opened his eyes, an uncontrollable joy hanging on the corners of his mouth.

He spread his hands and looked inward at his spiritual root. "It's healed, it's really healed! My spiritual root has completely recovered!"

Facing Junior Brother Bai Ming's joy, Elder Xuancao merely stroked his white beard, not paying much attention.

A peculiar aura drifted over. His eyes narrowed, and he grabbed Junior Brother Bai Ming's arm.

Junior Brother Bai Ming was startled. "Master, what is it?"

Elder Xuancao's old eyes widened, flashing with excitement. "What kind of spiritual root do you have!"

Junior Brother Bai Ming hesitated for a moment. "I don't know."

"Good, good, good. Heaven is helping me." Elder Xuancao gripped Junior Brother Bai Ming's hand a little tighter.

"From now on, stay here and focus on learning alchemy with me." Elder Xuancao calmed his expression.

"This…" Junior Brother Bai Ming opened his mouth, feeling somewhat hesitant.

If it were before, he would surely have bowed and thanked him without hesitation.

But after this experience, for some reason, he felt a faint sense of unease in his heart.

Simply put, he had been frightened by the excitement that Elder Xuancao had inadvertently revealed.

"Thank you, Master." Junior Brother Bai Ming saluted.

Let's take it one step at a time.

…

"Senior Brother, Senior Sister." Junior Brother Bai Ming waved.

Senior Brother Wei Yu looked a bit puzzled. "Junior Brother, have your injuries healed?"

"Yes, Master specially refined a healing pill for me." Junior Brother Bai Ming nodded.

Senior Brother Wei Yu patted Junior Brother Bai Ming's shoulder. "Congratulations, Junior Brother. You'll be able to cultivate normally from now on."

Junior Brother Bai Ming stepped back imperceptibly. "Master also said he wants to teach me alchemy."

Senior Brother Wei Yu spoke hesitantly. "Is that so."

Senior Sister Tao Yu smiled gently. "Then Junior Brother will have to work hard in the future; alchemy is very difficult."

"If you need any herbs or encounter any difficulties, feel free to come and tell your Senior Brother." Senior Brother Wei Yu said meaningfully.

"Thank you, Senior Brother and Senior Sister. It's getting late, and I need to go inside to practice alchemy." Junior Brother Bai Ming waved goodbye and entered the cave.

It must be that I'm overthinking things.

Walking in the dim cave, Junior Brother Bai Ming recalled some details he had noticed and shook his head.

After taking that spiritual pill, his spiritual meridians and spiritual root were fully restored, and his cultivation had directly returned to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

It was still slowly increasing, as if it would grow to the peak of Qi Refining in one go.

However, it should be impossible to return to Foundation Establishment.

His spiritual platform was shattered and needed to be recast.

This would require him to set aside a few days specifically for Foundation Establishment, and the recovery of the Qingming Storm Soul would also require energy.

He also had to ask Senior Sister for some spiritual lake water.

He didn't know when that Giant Lizard would come at him again; he would have to specifically make time to go there secretly.

"There really are a lot of things to do." Junior Brother Bai Ming let out a long sigh.

A scent of medicinal pills wafted from the cave. Junior Brother Bai Ming sniffed it lightly. "It seems Master has started the furnace again. I wonder what he is refining."

He walked inside. "Alchemy really is quite interesting."

In the center of the cave, Elder Xuancao was staring at the cauldron with those old eyes that contained a sharp gleam.

Pfft—

The cauldron lid opened, and a large amount of white mist emerged from it.

Elder Xuancao handed over a pill. "Eat it."

Taking the pill, Junior Brother Bai Ming swallowed involuntarily, then swallowed it in one gulp.

He was somewhat curious. "Master, what kind of pill is this?"

"It is for nourishing the origin and consolidating the foundation, to enhance your foundation. In a moment, you will be able to feel a coolness in your body." Elder Xuancao said calmly.

Just a few breaths later, a cool sensation flowed through his whole body, and the refreshing feeling rushed straight to his brain. Junior Brother Bai Ming's expression relaxed.

It felt as if his whole person was soaking in an ice bucket in the hot summer, cool and refreshing, and even his brain felt a bit sharper.

"Master, it isn't good for me to keep eating these precious pills, is it?" Junior Brother Bai Ming came back to his senses.

Elder Xuancao used spiritual power to clean the dregs from the cauldron. "There is nothing wrong with it. You don't need to worry about the preciousness of the materials. What we lack least here are spiritual plants and spiritual beasts; they are just a bit hard to find."

His eyes contained a sharp gleam. "Moreover, if you do not consume pills, how can you experience their efficacy and medicinal properties? And how can you improve your own alchemy techniques to refine even higher-level pills?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming bowed with both hands. "This disciple understands."