Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1393: Chapter 553: Ning Zhuo Takes Action

The ownership of the Nanming Fire Furnace is tied to many significant interests. But in Shen Hongyao’s heart, what matters more is the desire for progress.

Today, Shen Hongyao is still in a red skirt, resembling a blazing flame.

Her steps are swift, the hem of her skirt fluttering behind like a butterfly.

She walked to the pink light beam, stopped, reached into her sleeve, and took out a pill furnace.

The pill furnace wasn’t large, about half a person’s height, with three legs and two ears. It was dark red in color, with patterns of red medicine flowers engraved on its body. Copper bells hung from the ears, and vine-like patterns coiled around the legs.

There were scorch marks on several parts of it, cracks on the ears, and repair marks on the legs.

In fact, this pill furnace, having weathered many storms, had been with Shen Hongyao for decades, survived countless explosions, and was repeatedly repaired by her.

Under the gaze of everyone, Shen Hongyao set up the pill furnace and took a top-grade fire-attribute spirit stone from her sleeve, tossing it into the bottom of the furnace.

The spirit stone was activated, transforming into a crimson flame, licking the base of the furnace.

Then, she started taking out the ingredients.

Centennial Ganoderma, thousand-year-old He Shouwu, Dragon Blood Grass, Phoenix Tail Flower, Ice Soul Lotus Seed, Fire Jujube, Jade Dew, Snow Ginseng...

Her movements were quick and efficient, like a field surgeon dressing wounds on the battlefield, without hesitation or delay.

She sequentially placed these ingredients into the pill furnace, beginning the refinement. Her actions were so decisively executed as to be almost rugged.

She’s going to refine the Life-extending Pill," a voice crossed Jiang Ping’s mind.

Qing Baizi slightly narrowed his eyes, thinking, "The Life-extending Pill is indeed Steward Shen’s best recipe."

Qin Ke also observed carefully, pondering, "Shen Hongyao’s refinement of the Life-extending Pill is unparalleled; no one in the Alchemy Hall can match her. Clearly, it’s the same recipe, but her yield is 30% higher, and the potency is three times stronger."

"Of course, the probability of explosion is also over three times higher."

With the ingredients aptly prepared, Shen Hongyao began alchemy.

She grabbed a handful of fire-attribute spirit stones and tossed them straight into the furnace to enhance the spiritual fire.

Then her fingers moved swiftly in gestures, casting alchemy spells successively over a dozen times, her fingers fluttering like butterflies.

The flames under the furnace grew more vigorous, turning the furnace walls red-hot. The copper bells on the ears clanged under the impact of heat waves, and the vine patterns on the legs twisted at high temperatures as if melting.

Shen Hongyao had refined the Life-extending Pill so many times that the entire process was ingrained into her very bones, almost allowing her to refine pills with her eyes closed.

"Ordinary alchemy methods are unremarkable, but this time, I’m using my self-created ’Red Medicine Pressed Pill’ technique."

This was an alchemy technique named after herself.

The focus wasn’t on "refining" but on "pressing." It compressed the medicinal power in the pill furnace to its limits, significantly improving the success rate of refining pills and the appearance of Elixir Pills.

The harder you press, the better the efficacy, but the more likely the pill furnace would explode.

Boom.

This time, as expected, the pill furnace exploded.

A large piece broke open, the copper bells on the ears fell off and rolled on the ground, emitting a crisp "ding ding" sound. Several charred cracks appeared on the furnace body, spreading around the hole to all sides.

The shards of the pill furnace scattered, but in an instant, they were captured and suppressed by an array.

A thick smoke rose from the crack of the pill furnace, quickly pervading the air with the scent of both charred and medicinal aromas.

Shen Hongyao’s red skirt was burned through with several holes, her hair scorched, and her arms, face, and neck were marred with burn marks. Blood trickled from her lips, yet despite her sorry state, her lips curled into a distinct smile.

She was severely injured.

It didn’t matter.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone, Shen Hongyao retrieved the freshly refined Life-extending Pills from the pill furnace.

The surface of the Elixir Pills was still hot to the touch.

Shen Hongyao took one and swallowed it on the spot.

As the Elixir Pill reached her stomach, a warm medicinal power surged forth, spreading through her meridians.

Wherever the medicinal power flowed, the burns on Shen Hongyao’s skin began to heal, her scorched hair fell away and regrew, broken meridians reconnected, and her drained mana rapidly rejuvenated.

Shen Hongyao’s complexion turned from pale to rosy, and her breathing went from labored to calm.

Her wounds were healed.

She stood up straight, brushed the dust off her skirt, tidied her disheveled hair, and then stared intently at the pink light beam.

In her mind, she calculated: "This batch of Life-extending Pills yielded thirty-nine pills in total. I consumed just one; selling the remaining thirty-eight, accounting for the costs of repairing the pill furnace, yields enough profit to buy three such pill furnaces."

"Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit, did you see?" She communicated through divine sense transmission.

"Did you see my pill furnace? I have never abandoned it."

"Exploding furnaces is no big deal."

"Don’t be afraid."

As if in response to her, ripples rose again on the pink light beam.

"Could it be that her actions can sway the Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit?" Mu Yuehua squinted.

Chun Yangzi: "Could she surpass me?"

Chun Yangzi’s worries did not come true.

In the end, when Shen Hongyao stepped back, the cultivator hosting the event announced that the best results still belonged to Chun Yangzi and Mu Yuehua.

Shen Hongyao took a deep breath, sulkily returning to the crowd of participants.

The sight incensed Wang Yu, making him want to punch her.

"I really want to crack open your head and see what you’re thinking!"

"The Vermilion Bird Artifact Spirit was terrified precisely because of alchemy explosions, and you just reenacted it in front of it?"