Chapter 57 first part, the advancement pill

Chapter 57: 57 first part, the advancement pill

57

THE ADVANCEMENT PILL

The door to the fifth floor slowly opened, and Yun Che silently observed everything.

The child who had been accompanying them had now changed. His body no longer possessed the childlike appearance he had shown on the previous floors.

He looked like a teenager of approximately fifteen years old, and the teenager walked toward the inscription.

His spiritual appearance remained young, but his presence had become different.

"This test will be somewhat different from the previous floor, but the essence remains the same."

He touched the inscription.

"The pill you must create should assist a cultivator who has encountered a bottleneck on their cultivation path."

Guo Han immediately became attentive. This was the specialty of the Profound Flower Sect, making this test particularly important.

A bottleneck was not simply a lack of energy. It could be caused by insufficient comprehension, an incompatible technique, an unstable core, or blocked meridians.

Or even by the difference between the body and the energy that had accumulated within it.

Guo Han spoke:

"Then a fixed formula will not be enough."

"Not in this specific case."

"We will need to identify the nature of the bottleneck before deciding how the pill should function."

The teenager smiled.

"Now you are beginning to understand the issue, unlike before, when you chose a logical and simple answer."

Chen Ruyue had already begun separating the ingredients.

"Some of these herbs are not merely used to increase energy. They can alter the way spiritual essence circulates."

Su Meilin approached.

"Then we can use them to bypass the blockage."

Chen Ruyue shook her head.

"Not exactly. If we simply bypass the bottleneck, it will continue to exist."

Guo Han added:

"And the cultivator may have to rely on the pill again during their next advancement."

Lian Yue observed the spiritual projection.

"The problem lies deeper."

She closed her eyes for a few seconds.

"The energy is reaching the core, but it isn’t being completely absorbed."

Zhao Ming looked at her.

"Then is there insufficient absorption capacity?"

"That isn’t the case."

Lian Yue replied.

"What is lacking is compatibility."

Guo Han immediately understood.

"If the energy within the pill possesses a different nature from the energy cultivated by the user, the body may reject part of it."

"Exactly."

Chen Ruyue raised an ingredient.

"Then this herb would be unsuitable."

Su Meilin observed it.

"But there is an alternative."

She pointed toward another container.

"If we combine this with a neutralizing herb, we can alter the nature of the energy before absorption."

Guo Han analyzed the proposal.

"Theoretically, it would work."

Su Meilin replied:

"Not just theoretically."

She indicated the projection.

"Observe the circulation. The bottleneck is exactly where this incompatibility occurs."

Guo Han smiled faintly.

"Good observation."

While the others worked toward a consensus before beginning the refinement, Yun Che decided to try with the System’s assistance.

His Lust Points were rapidly drained as he divided his mind to think about his new target for his next Dual Cultivation. Perhaps a high-level Medusa would be the solution.

Focused on the present, he selected the ingredients and began purification. The first stage was quickly completed, followed shortly afterward by the second.

Yun Che looked at the furnace again and called the System. The interface appeared in his mind.

[Analyzing the initiated process.]

[Problem identified.]

[The main essence is being subjected to spiritual pressure greater than the assimilation capacity of the stabilizing ingredient.]

[Secondary cause: improper fusion order.]

[Recommended correction.]

[Alter fusion sequence.]

[Reduce spiritual pressure during the first integration.]

[Gradually increase temperature after initial stabilization.]

Yun Che remained motionless. The System had once again given him the answer he needed, along with the cause, giving him a deeper understanding.

"So that’s it..."

The teenager observed him from a distance as Yun Che began the refinement.

First, he reduced the spiritual pressure, then modified the order. The main essence began to fuse slowly, and he did not attempt to dominate it.

He followed its movement and adjusted the temperature accordingly while controlling the energy.

Then he gradually increased the intensity. When the reaction finally stabilized, the pill began to take shape.

At some point, the others had also begun their own refinements after finishing their heated discussion.

Guo Han, who was refining nearby, noticed what Yun Che was doing at that stage.

"Your sequence is brilliant."

Su Meilin replied:

"Not merely brilliant. It is ingenious, to say the least."

"You noticed it too?"

"Yes."

She watched Yun Che’s hands closely.

"Earlier, during his tests before actually refining, he was trying to correct the reaction after the problem appeared."

Pause.

"Now he is controlling the process before the problem appears, and he doesn’t need to conduct a preliminary test first."

Guo Han became thoughtful.

"That means he discovered the cause and went directly into the final execution."

Su Meilin narrowed her eyes.

"Probably."

Guo Han looked at her.

"Do you think he is a genius who appears only once every thousand years?"

"His achievements in the field of pills have shocked the entire continent. If he continues developing properly and doesn’t encounter any accidents..."

She turned her attention back to Yun Che.

"But there is something strange."

"What?"

"Sometimes he fails like someone with very little practical experience."

Pause.

"But then he suddenly changes his approach and acts like someone who possesses years of experience."

Guo Han remained silent as Yun Che’s pill finally stabilized.

The light above his platform shone intensely, drawing a smile across the face of the teenage ghost.

"Very good. Another perfect display."

The pill was complete. No one considered him merely a skilled participant anymore.

Guo Han was the first to reach a conclusion.

"He must have received an extremely advanced alchemy education."

Su Meilin replied:

"Perhaps."

Zhao Ming looked at Yun Che.

"Whatever the origin of that education, he is becoming more dangerous with every floor."

Chen Ruyue observed the pill.

"His ingredient selection has also improved."

Lian Yue said nothing.

She simply looked at the masked man. Yun Che heard those words but did not take his eyes off the pill.

The seventh floor appeared to be an enormous circle of runes. There was not merely one furnace; dozens of them were arranged perfectly.

Each one was connected to the others by lines of spiritual energy. Guo Han stopped the moment he entered, his eyes sweeping across the structure.

"This isn’t an ordinary formation."

Zhao Ming looked at him.

"Can you understand it?"

Guo Han replied without taking his eyes off the runes:

"Not completely."