The inner core of a Great River Snake was the most energy-concentrated part of the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast, and it could be said to carry almost the full cultivation of a Perfect Harmonization realm expert. Even the guild leader would find it difficult to suppress the violent energy contained within this thing, and yet the young man actually wanted the Transcendent Mortal 6-dan Apothecary Luo to deal with it? Was success really possible?
Dong dong dong!
Amidst everyone’s doubtful gazes, a sound reminiscent of the rumbling of lightning and the knocking of a drum sounded from the interiors of the cauldron. The cauldron’s lid danced about its opening, and it seemed as though the violent energy would burst out at any moment. From the looks of it, if the energy wasn’t suppressed soon, an explosion would be inevitable.
“Shit, looks like an explosion is going to occur…”
Everyone clenched their fists tightly in trepidation.
As apothecaries, it wasn’t too hard for them to deduce the current situation of the forging. Under normal circumstances, in order to prevent an explosion, one would use one’s zhenqi to suppress the rampaging energy contained within the cauldron. But… Apothecary Luo clearly didn’t possess sufficient strength to deal with such powerful energy!
“Guild Leader…”
A 5-star apothecary couldn’t help but turn to look at the guild leader anxiously.
“Since the apothecary up there didn’t ask for our help, it’s best that we don’t interfere…”
Knowing that this was a test for Apothecary Luo, the guild leader waved his hands.
While he did possess sufficient strength to suppress the explosion, it would be highly disrespectful for him to dash in and interfere with the forging process.
‘Don’t worry. While the situation may seem dangerous, an explosion could be easily stopped by removing the flames…’ the guild leader thought, consoling himself.
The situation before him might look dangerous, but as long as the intensity of the flames was lowered instantly, it shouldn’t pose any threat.
Controlling flames was one of the basic lessons an apothecary had to undergo. It shouldn’t be a problem for Apothecary Luo to do so.
Just as he was thinking so, the young man before him said, “Pump in more zhenqi, intensify the flames!”
“Intensify the flames?”
The guild leader was taken aback. His face paled, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “But an explosion would occur…”
Hong long long!
Before he could finish his words, the cauldron suddenly shook violently, and a destructive aura gushed into the surroundings. Cracks appeared on the shaking ground, and heat waves came crashing down like waves. Under the powerful heat gale, Apothecary Luo’s hair danced in the air, and her robe fluttered.
“Run, it’s about to explode!”
“That’s a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Great River Snake inner core! If it explodes, the whole hall will be utterly destroyed!”
“Lunatic, he really is a lunatic! How can one forge a pill like that…”
…
The legs of all apothecaries in the room trembled in fright, and there were even a few who immediately turned around to escape.
The might of the explosion of a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan pinnacle inner core was equivalent to an attack of full might from a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan pinnacle expert. While the hall might be sturdily built, it couldn’t possibly survive such immense might. It would be reduced to dust in an instant.
The powerful 5-star apothecaries might still be able to stand their ground before such destructive force, but the 1-star to 4-star apothecaries would surely be crushed. They would have to be mad to not escape now.
Geji! Geji!
Amidst pandemonium, the cauldron reached its limit and would explode at any moment now.
Cold sweat also dripped down Apothecary Luo’s forehead.
While she knew that the young man possessed incredible mastery of pill forging and he was likely to be in control of the situation, she still couldn’t help but feel a shiver going down her spine.
“Don’t panic!”
Just as anxiety was tackling her mind, a calm voice behind her brought her back.
Turning around, she saw a young man looking at her with a completely composed face, as though he cared not if the cauldron would explode or not.
The other party’s calm demeanor and soothing voice washed away her worries, and her trembling body found its stability.
“Use the Descending Flower Technique to put the Harmony Grass in!”
Apothecary Luo heard the other party say so.
Without any hesitation, she immediately added the Harmony Grass into the cauldron.
Hong long long!
It was as if fuel had been added to the fire, and the shaking of the cauldron further intensified.
“Add in the Cottoneye Flower and Greenthorn Leaf…”
The voice continued instructing he calmly.
Knowing that there was no backing out now, Apothecary Luo continued throwing in medicinal herb after medicinal herb.
As more medicinal herbs were thrown in, the cauldron shook even more intensely. But what left her perplexed was that, no matter how violent the shakings became, an explosion didn’t happen.
Even though the cauldron was clearly at the limits of its durability, it seemed to be treading along the lines of the breaking point, refusing to surpass that boundary.
Noticing the bizarreness of the situation, everyone stared at one another in confusion.
At this moment, a thought flashed across the mind of the guild leader. His face flushed red, and his body trembled in agitation.
“Could this be… B-but how can that be possible?”
“What is it, Guild Leader? Have you thought of something?” a 5-star apothecary asked, and many other apothecaries turned their gazes over as well, curious to hear his view on the matter.
“If my eyes are not playing tricks on me… this is the long-lost… Limit Revolving Pill Forging Technique!”
Perhaps due to his agitation, the guild leader’s voice sounded slightly hoarse.
“Limit Revolving Pill Forging Technique?”
Everyone was perplexed by those words.
They had never heard of this name before, needless to say, they knew nothing about it.
“It was said that this pill forging technique was created by a fanatic apothecary. However, due to the excessive danger one would be exposed to when utilizing this technique and the long list of death toll in its history, no one dared to try it anymore, and thus, it eventually disappeared in the annals of history… I only happened to chance upon it while reading through ancient texts. I thought that it was just a legend, yet… to think that it is actually real!”
The guild leader’s teeth were clattering with excitement.
“This…”
Noticing the excitement in the guild leader’s tone, the crowd felt even more curious about this legendary technique.
The guild leader also didn’t beat around the bush. “You all should have seen it for yourself. The cauldron has been on the verge of explosion for a while now, but yet… it hasn’t exploded yet!”
“Un!” Everyone nodded.
If it were them up there, the cauldron would have exploded long ago. But for some reason, despite the cauldron continuing to leap around furiously, it simply refused to explode.
This was something inexplicable to them.
“All things, including cauldrons, have a breaking point. I believe everyone should be aware of this,” the guild leader said.
The crowd replied, “Indeed!”
A cauldron would only explode if the stress it was put under exceeded its limits.
Taking water as an analogy, only below zero degrees Celsius will it turn into ice, and similarly, only at a hundred degrees Celsius will it turn into steam. Anything within the limits, not even one degrees Celsius nor ninety-nine degrees Celsius, could induce such change to water.
The same went for cauldrons as well. Anything within its limit would not cause an explosion.
An apothecary suddenly thought of something, and his eyes narrowed in disbelief.
“What you mean is that… that young apothecary knows what the breaking point of the cauldron is, and he’s intentionally controlling it at this point such that it is impossible for an explosion to occur?”
The others also found their jaws falling to the ground.
“The limit of every cauldron is different, and it can vary from situation to situation based on the medicinal herbs one is dealing with. How can he be so sure what the breaking point is?”
Sure, it did work theoretically… but the problem lay in whether one could accurately determine the breaking point or not.
The cauldron, the environment, the flames, the purity of the apothecary’s zhenqi, and his forging technique… A difference in any of these would spell a difference in the cauldron’s breaking point. How could this fellow be so sure that his perception of the breaking point was accurate?
It was similar to walking along a cliff blindfolded. The slightest mistake in one’s perception could potentially lead to a disastrous outcome… But based on the other party’s speech and demeanor, it seemed like he was extremely confident. Where in the world did his confidence come from?
“I’ve no idea how he can accurately determine the breaking point either, but in any case, it’s clear that he has succeeded. Whenever the cauldron is about to exceed the breaking point, he adds a medicinal herb containing spiritual energy to dampen the rampaging violent energy within… In other words, he’s continuously delaying the explosion by using the ingredients of the pill to dampen the energy level… the push and pull in this scenario is similar to revolving in a circle, thus the name of the forging technique!” the guild leader said slowly.
“Limit Revolving Pill Forging Technique… I see. But what is the advantage of this forging technique?” An apothecary asked.
Since such a technique was invented, surely it should have some kind of overwhelming advantage to it. Otherwise, who would risk their lives for it?
“Advantage? Its advantage is immense!”
The guild leader swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said, “Everyone should know that the most difficult part regarding processing the inner pill is to melt it. Without several hours of intense flame, it’s impossible to achieve. What makes it worse is that one must keep watch over it during this period of time or else there is a high chance an explosion may occur!”
“Un!” Everyone nodded in agreement.
The inner core was one of the most valuable parts of a spirit beast, as well as the most dangerous and destructive part of it.
It is just like steel, and melting it was no easy task. As such, most apothecaries were unwilling to process it.
“On the other hand, if one were to subject the cauldron to extreme conditions reminiscent of those prior to an explosion, it means that the inner core is also on the verge of explosion, and its emission of energy is also at the maximum tolerable limit!” the guild leader continued.
This wasn’t too difficult to understand. If not for the immense energy leaking from the inner core, it would be impossible to push this incredibly large and sturdy cauldron to its breaking point.
The guild leader said, “With a maximum emission of energy from the inner core, it would mean that the fusing process would be significantly faster, thus reducing the required several hours of effort into just ten minutes!”
“This…”
Everyone was stunned.
Using such a dangerous pill forging technique just to minimize the time required to fuse the inner core?
Wasn’t he treating his life a little too casually?
Cultivators had long lives, and often, they would spend a month or two at a time in seclusion. To them, time wasn’t of much worry. To use such a dangerous pill forging technique just for the sake of saving several hours… What in the world was he thinking?
“That’s not the only advantage!”
Seeing everyone’s expression, the guild leader shook his head. “Under such intense conditions, the inner core can fuse better with other medicinal herbs, and the medicinal properties after the fusing would be maximized as well… As such, the quality of the pill would be brought up a notch as well!”
Only then did everyone come to a realization.
“Look, the medicinal herbs are all in! The forging is about to be complete…”
Amidst discussions, the guild leader’s face turned grim, and everyone quickly turned their gazes over.
Apothecary Luo flicked her wrist, and the final medicinal herb was thrown into the cauldron. The cauldron shook violently for a moment before the lid burst open. Following which, a light golden medicinal solution shot out as though a fountain.
In an instant, a deep aroma wafted in the air, and spiritual energy gushed in from the heavens.
“Deep Aroma Drawing Spiritual Energy… This is… a grade-6 medicine?”
The guild leader narrowed his eyes.
