Chapter 77: Every Word a Blade

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Every Word a Blade

Chen Zhige carefully placed the Elixir back onto the Jade Plate. He nodded, his tone tinged with self-satisfaction:

"The refining process certainly had its twists and turns, but the final result is acceptable. The pill’s quality, in my opinion, is superior."

Chen Xuanli, who stood to the side with his hands clasped behind his back, wore a calm, unreadable expression. He simply said, "Since it’s refined, take it as soon as possible. If the effects aren’t what we hoped for, we can make other plans."

Without the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill, his cultivation could not grow at all.

Hearing this, Chen Zhige took a deep breath, picked up the Human Pill again, and without hesitation, slowly put it in his mouth.

The Elixir was not hard upon entering his mouth; instead, it had a peculiar, pliable texture. It immediately transformed into a gentle, warm current that slid down his throat.

That warm current spread through his limbs and bones, bringing a familiar, comfortable feeling, as if his Life Origin was being nourished and replenished. His spirit was also invigorated.

Chen Zhige closed his eyes to savor the sensation, preparing to welcome the ethereal, sublimating feeling that could cleanse the Heart Spirit and stimulate his alchemical intuition. That was the greatest benefit a high-quality Human Pill could offer an Alchemy Master, helping him increase his success rate when refining High-tier Elixirs.

However, a moment later, the look of enjoyment on Chen Zhige’s face gradually froze, and his brow furrowed involuntarily.

The warm current continued to spread, and his body was indeed being nourished, but that ethereal, sublimating feeling which could touch upon his fundamental Spirituality as an Alchemy Master stubbornly refused to appear.

It was as if this Elixir had only replenished his form, but not his spirit.

After about ten more breaths, Chen Zhige’s tightly closed eyes snapped open. The previous satisfaction and enjoyment were completely gone, replaced by a sense of irritation.

His brow was knitted tightly, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Chen Jing and Chen Xuanli, who had been closely observing his expression, both felt their hearts sink at the sight.

Chen Zhige had taken a Human Pill more than once, but when had he ever shown such an expression? In the past, even if the effects were slightly inferior, it was mostly regret, not such obvious displeasure and irritation.

"Zhige, this Human Pill... is something wrong with it?" Chen Jing took a step forward, his voice filled with concern and gravity.

Although Chen Xuanli didn’t speak, he too looked at Chen Zhige, awaiting his answer.

Chen Zhige didn’t speak immediately. He closed his eyes again, trying to capture that trace of Spirituality he might have missed. After a good while, he slowly opened them, his voice laced with clear frustration:

"The pill was formed, and its Medicinal Power is ample enough. But it lacks that crucial, ethereal touch!"

He pointed to his heart, then to his forehead. "The Medicinal Power replenished my Qi Blood and warmed my organs, but it failed to truly touch that spark of spiritual Origin!

"This Human Pill has effects, but it’s dead! It can’t help me consistently refine the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill!"

Chen Jing’s brow furrowed even tighter. "You mean the quality of this Human Pill is insufficient? But you just said..."

"I misjudged! Or rather, there was a problem with the material itself!"

Chen Zhige waved his hand irritably, cutting Chen Jing off. "That kid from the Wang Family had the title of a genius Alchemy Master for nothing. His degree of Spirituality is far inferior to the person we used before.

"A Human Pill refined from such material is naturally a defective product! A complete waste of so much effort and rare supplementary herbs!"

Chen Xuanli’s face darkened as well. ’After all that trouble, risking a complete falling out with the Wang Family, all we got in the end was a defective Human Pill?’

"Then, for now..." Chen Jing mused for a moment before saying, "Should we find suitable materials as soon as possible and refine another batch?"

"Refine another batch?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhige’s voice suddenly shot up, sharp and shrill. "Chen Jing! What do you think a Human Pill is? Something you can just take whenever you want, or refine whenever you please?

"Taking Human Pills consecutively in a short period... the conflict from the overlapping Medicinal Power is a secondary concern! The backlash from the residual, impure Spirituality would be enough to drive my Heart Spirit into chaos and kill me! Are you trying to watch me die here in this Alchemy Room!"

Chen Jing’s expression changed, and he quickly said, "I have no such intention..."

Chen Zhige shot Chen Jing a look and stated unequivocally, "I need this solved in one go! I need an Alchemy Master of sufficiently high quality, with sufficiently pure Spirituality! Only then can the resulting Human Pill possibly meet the requirements!"

"Zhige is right. Since we must refine another, we need to find the best possible material. Chen Jing, are there any suitable targets within Youlin County? We need to decide quickly," Chen Xuanli said, looking at Chen Jing.

Chen Jing fell silent, names flashing rapidly through his mind.

Risk, value, feasibility... Countless thoughts intertwined.

After a moment, Chen Jing slowly raised his head and looked at Chen Xuanli and Chen Zhige. His tone was grave. "There is a target, but given the current situation in the county, this matter is of great importance. Allow me to consider it more carefully to ensure there are no mistakes. I will discuss the details with you later."

With that, Chen Jing gave the two a slight nod, and without lingering, turned and strode out of the Alchemy Room.

Inside the Alchemy Room, only Chen Zhige and Chen Xuanli remained, along with the flickering oil lamp.

The oppressive silence lasted for only a brief moment.

Chen Zhige turned and fixed his gaze on Chen Xuanli’s impassive face.

"Xuanli, are you just going to let Chen Jing continue to be so timid and indecisive, wasting our time?

"Don’t you know? Without the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill to nurture your Divine Soul and the Snow Ginseng Jade Marrow Ointment to stabilize your foundation, the Marrow Refining Realm cultivation you forced yourself to reach won’t just stagnate—over time, it might even regress because of your old injuries!

"At that point, forget about peering into Refining the Internal Organs—even maintaining your current state will be a vain hope! Are you willing to accept that?"

Chen Xuanli’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. His gaze met Chen Zhige’s nearly confrontational stare. "What are you trying to say?"

"What am I trying to say?"

Chen Zhige seemed to be ignited by the question. He took a step forward, closing in on Chen Xuanli. His voice was low, but every word was like a knife:

"We both know the truth! Abducting an Alchemy Master from another clan is incredibly risky. The Wang Family incident can’t be repeated! Besides, whether an outsider’s Talent is high or low is all just hearsay, impossible to confirm! That kid from the Wang Family is a perfect example!

"But what about our own family? We have a perfect, ready-made ingredient right here, within arm’s reach, easy to obtain! Why insist on seeking something far away when the near is available, taking pointless risks and gambling on unknown quality?"

Hearing this, Chen Xuanli didn’t answer, his brow just furrowed deeper.

"That Chen Yue! He’s been in the mansion for barely more than a month and can already refine Solid Essence Pills! Using such a fine talent as an ingredient might even help me achieve another breakthrough in my Alchemy Dao and refine an Elixir of even better quality! You... what are you hesitating for!" Chen Zhige’s voice trembled slightly with agitation.

Chen Xuanli’s gaze wavered slightly at Chen Zhige’s words, but his face remained calm. He said slowly:

"Chen Jing’s concerns are for the sake of the Chen Family’s foundation for the next several decades.

"Chen Yue is, after all, a Pill Master of our Chen Mansion. We can even arrange a marriage with him later. It’s not easy to cultivate a Pill Master with such Talent. This is a strategy for long-term peace and stability."

"Long-term peace and stability? HAHAHA..."

Chen Zhige laughed as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. His laughter echoed through the sealed Alchemy Room, sounding particularly harsh and crazed.