Chapter Forty-Two: Elder Lin’s Excitement

Using Elder Lin’s spiritual herbs to refine pills was something Liu Pan felt obliged to mention, for Elder Lin truly bore him no ill will, and Liu Pan did not wish to be seen as ungrateful. Actions, however, often spoke louder than words, and yet, the best outcome was achieved when the other party was allowed to arrive at the conclusion themselves. Thus, Liu Pan decided to quietly refine several batches of common-grade pills and leave them in the rear hall for Elder Lin to discover. Once Elder Lin realized his ability to skillfully produce such pills, he would naturally begin to consider the matter of Liu Pan refining higher-grade ones.

All things considered, Liu Pan’s actions were also a way to practice in advance. After all, he had only just begun to study the art of alchemy. If he were to attempt to refine a human-grade Yuan Pill right away, not only would others be skeptical, but even he himself had no confidence in succeeding.

After dining atop Great Leaf Peak, Liu Pan wasted no time and returned straight to the Medicine Hall. Nothing extraordinary occurred on his return, but he did notice something peculiar: his second senior brother, Zhu Jiangyang, had been following him covertly ever since he left the hall, as if intent on monitoring his every move. Liu Pan could not fathom the reason for this.

Were it not for the presence of his spiritual sense, Liu Pan would never have detected Zhu Jiangyang’s shadowing. He had to admit, Zhu Jiangyang possessed some skill. Nevertheless, Zhu Jiangyang did nothing untoward, nor had Liu Pan himself committed any questionable acts. After a moment’s consideration, Liu Pan decided to let matters be; after all, Zhu Jiangyang was his senior brother, and even if he confronted him, there was little he could do. It was better to leave Zhu Jiangyang be and see what prompted his surveillance.

Back in the Medicine Hall, Liu Pan did not see Elder Lin in the front chamber, but thought nothing of it and proceeded directly to the rear hall.

There, Elder Lin seemed lost in thought, clutching several white jade porcelain bottles in his hand—these contained the common-grade pills Liu Pan had previously refined.

“Master,” Liu Pan greeted respectfully, calling Elder Lin back from his reverie.

At the sound of his voice, Elder Lin gave a slight start, then turned to Liu Pan. “You’re here,” he said, glancing at Liu Pan before raising the porcelain bottles, his voice trembling. “These… were all refined by you earlier?”

Though he knew the question was redundant, Elder Lin could not help but ask, the truth seeming almost unbelievable. He had lived over sixty years, yet had never encountered a cultivator possessing spiritual sense—or at least, if he had, he had never realized it. The notion of such a cultivator refining pills was something he had only seen described in ancient alchemical texts.

The fact that Liu Pan, after less than three hours’ acquaintance with alchemy and without any guidance, had managed to independently refine common-grade pills—and not just a few, but twelve perfect pills in a single batch—was beyond belief. When Elder Lin himself first learned the art, it took him over two months and the waste of countless herbs before he managed to produce his first batch, and even then, only six pills of barely passable quality. And that did not include the time spent learning herbal lore beforehand.

Was the gap between those with and without spiritual sense truly so vast? This was the greatest question gnawing at Elder Lin’s mind.

In truth, there were reasons for Liu Pan’s rapid success. Though he had never refined pills before, he had written about it in books and read descriptions from others. Thus, unlike the other cultivators of this world, alchemy was not unfamiliar to him; to say he was well-versed would not be an exaggeration. His only shortcoming was a lack of hands-on practice. If it had been any other spiritual-sense cultivator, such achievement would have been impossible.

Noticing Elder Lin’s disbelief, Liu Pan said nothing, for it was not something he could explain. He simply bowed and replied with respect, “Yes, Master. After finishing the books on the shelf, my hands itched to try, and I attempted a few batches. Unexpectedly, I succeeded. Please forgive me for using the herbs without your permission.”

“No need for forgiveness, none at all,” Elder Lin waved his hand, a flush creeping over his wrinkled face as he spoke with some urgency, “Would you… could you refine a batch of pills now? I wish to observe.”

Elder Lin halted, uncertain how to go on. For an alchemist, the greatest taboo during pill refinement was being watched—except in cases of direct instruction between master and disciple. Though Liu Pan was his personal disciple, Elder Lin had taught him nothing; all Liu Pan’s knowledge came from books. There was only the title of master and disciple between them, not the relationship itself. Besides, this was not a lesson but the master’s curiosity about how someone with spiritual sense refined pills.

Though his words trailed off, Liu Pan understood Elder Lin’s intent. He felt gratitude toward Elder Lin and cared little about any secretiveness in his alchemical method. Smiling slightly, he replied, “Since Master wishes to see, I shall do my best.”

Without further delay, Liu Pan approached the herb rack and, after a moment’s thought, selected the ingredients for the Blood Vitality Pill. He chose this because it was reputedly the most difficult common-grade pill recorded in the texts kept in the hall, and since his ultimate goal was the Explosive Yuan Pill, he would not miss this chance to demonstrate his skill before Elder Lin.

Seeing his disciple select the Blood Vitality Pill’s ingredients, Elder Lin was momentarily taken aback but said nothing, simply waiting in silence for Liu Pan to begin.

With a brief preparation of the herbs, Liu Pan wasted no time. He placed the ingredients into the cauldron in a precise order, then lit the pale violet wood beneath it.

The flames roared, quickly raising the temperature within. Liu Pan sat cross-legged beside the cauldron, closed his eyes, and extended his spiritual sense, immersing his consciousness entirely within the vessel.

Watching Liu Pan light the fire and then sit in meditation, Elder Lin’s eyes flickered. With a thought, he extended his own spiritual perception into the cauldron.

Decomposition, purification, fusion, pill formation—all steps completed in one seamless flow. Though he knew no mishap would occur, Liu Pan still breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the final stage was reached.

He extinguished the fire and allowed the cauldron to cool. When he finally opened the lid and retrieved twelve perfectly formed pills, Elder Lin was so moved that his whole body trembled. This was the first time he had ever witnessed a cultivator with spiritual sense refining pills, and now, at last, he understood the immense gulf between those with and without such power. Though somewhat disheartened, Elder Lin was not discouraged. On the contrary, he felt invigorated by all he had learned from this experience.

To witness a cultivator with spiritual sense at work was wholly unlike reading about it in alchemical texts. Having watched Liu Pan’s process, Elder Lin was convinced that his own attainments in the Dao of Alchemy would soon advance by leaps and bounds.

“Master,” Liu Pan said, hesitating as he watched Elder Lin’s excitement, but deciding at last to speak.

“Ah? What is it?” Elder Lin snapped out of his excitement at the sound of Liu Pan’s voice, though the tremor in his speech could not be concealed.

“Master, I wish to try refining a Human Yuan Pill with the spiritual herbs in the jade boxes.” Liu Pan bowed, his tone resolute.

Refine a Human Yuan Pill? Elder Lin was clearly taken aback, but after a moment, a flush of excitement returned to his face and he nodded without hesitation. Yet a moment later, as if recalling something, he spoke in a more tentative tone, “Would it be possible for me to observe as well?”

Despite decades of alchemical experience, Elder Lin’s own skill was only that of a beginner; even refining lower-grade Human Yuan Pills was a struggle, and middle-grade ones were left to chance. Upper-grade? He had never dared dream of it. Now, Liu Pan proposed to attempt a Human Yuan Pill, and Elder Lin could not contain his excitement. He cared nothing for whether Liu Pan’s skill surpassed his own—he only knew that if he could observe the process, his own understanding would surely deepen further. Afterwards, he might even request the sect leader, Yang Jiangshui, to procure texts on upper-grade Human Yuan Pills.

Liu Pan saw no reason to refuse Elder Lin’s request to observe. As long as Elder Lin did not speak or interrupt while he worked, his presence would not affect the refinement at all. Besides, he was using Elder Lin’s medicinal resources; not to reciprocate would leave Liu Pan ill at ease.

With Elder Lin’s permission, Liu Pan wasted no time. He went to the deepest shelves, selected several jade boxes, and assembled the ingredients for a Bone Tempering Pill before returning to the cauldron.

Though his ultimate aim was the Explosive Yuan Pill, Liu Pan did not intend to attempt it at once. Having never refined a Human Yuan Pill before, and knowing nothing of the differences between spiritual herbs and ordinary ones, it would be reckless to try a middle-grade pill at the outset. It was wiser to begin with a lower-grade pill and gain experience.

He cleaned the cauldron, prepared the herbs, and added them with meticulous care. Watching Liu Pan’s every move, Elder Lin even began to suspect that Liu Pan had possessed prior knowledge of alchemy before ever entering the Baiyang Sect. Yet in another moment, Elder Lin dismissed such thoughts entirely. Whether Liu Pan had known these things beforehand was immaterial; what mattered was that Liu Pan had already lit the fire and begun the process.