Chapter 2166 - 2163: Teaching

Chapter 2166: Chapter 2163: Teaching

"Uh, little brother, our setup here is quite basic; we only have a regular bronze tripod, not a pharmacy tripod." Old Man Zhuge said, somewhat embarrassed.

Lin Tian flipped the bronze tripod over, looking it up and down. It truly was ordinary, with three legs, a tripod body, and a lid. At first glance, it seemed similar to a pharmacy tripod, but it was actually far from it.

There was no fire chamber, no air paths, no vents. These are key to controlling the heat. In a sophisticated pharmacy tripod, the distribution of air paths and vents is extremely mystical, perhaps resembling the Big Dipper or a nine-star chain.

The tripod in front of him was, at best, just a cauldron used in ancient times for cooking.

Seeing Lin Tian shake his head, the two old men’s faces turned red with embarrassment. Old Man Ling nervously asked, "Little brother, is this tripod unusable?"

Lin Tian tapped it, and the bronze tripod emitted a deep sound. The material was quite good. He lifted it with one hand and said, "It should be okay, just for refining."

Simple refining is barely manageable, as the old man used it for cooking, not medicine making.

Actually, there were some things Lin Tian didn’t say. If another pharmacist attempted to use it for making medicine, it might not be possible, as without air paths and vents, one cannot control the fire.

But Lin Tian was different. He had the innate advantage of possessing purple flames. Even without a pharmacy tripod, he could control the fire well.

"As long as it works, as long as it works..." The old man rubbed his hands, relieved.

Lin Tian directly moved the tripod to the courtyard, placed it on a stone ground, and set it down flatly. Old Man Ling and Old Man Zhuge, like two good students, each carried a basket and followed him.

In the baskets, one contained red mushrooms, crimson as blood, and the other contained nameless roots, as clear as jade, all fresh herbs.

"I will first demonstrate the refining of red mushrooms. Both of you have reached the Innate Perfection Realm before, so you’re most sensitive to energy. While I’m refining, focus on sensing the heat, then practice the technique. Once you’ve mastered the heat control, you’re more than halfway to success." Lin Tian roughly explained, without a long lecture.

Since both elderly were experts, even though Zhuge Cai Zhe wasn’t an Ancient Martial Artist, he had comprehended the Innate Perfection Realm. He followed the Qiankun Dao, similar to some high monks. Although he lacked combat power, his spiritual realm was very high.

"Alright, what do you need us to do?" Old Man Ling humbly nodded, fully resembling an exemplary student.

"Uh, I need some clear water." Lin Tian said reluctantly, feeling quite awkward asking the elders for help.

"I’ll do it." Old Man Zhuge volunteered.

But Old Man Ling had already moved. A gust of wind passed, and soon, a bucket of water appeared in front of them. Old Man Ling disdainfully remarked to Old Man Zhuge, "At your speed, the sky would be bright by the time you fetched the water."

Old Man Zhuge righteously replied, "I am giving face to the young brother, not being calculative with you."

Lin Tian found it amusing, thinking that teaching both at the same time might have been a bad idea. The two of them bickered quite enthusiastically.

Nevertheless, Lin Tian endured it because they were elders. He focused slightly and began teaching. First, he cleaned the bronze tripod, then snapped his fingers, summoning a cluster of purple flames in his hand.

Lin Tian brought the purple flame close to the bronze tripod, roasting the tripod body. This process had to be done carefully because the purple flame was not an ordinary fire. If not controlled well, the bronze tripod could be destroyed.

Fortunately, since his fire power had advanced, Lin Tian’s fire control ability was stronger. Before advancing, if he had roasted it like that, he might have lost control, resulting in the bronze tripod melting.

Under the roasting of the purple flame, the moisture inside the bronze tripod quickly evaporated, and it soon became hot and dry.

Lin Tian kept his hand controlling the fire steady, while the other hand reached out: "A red mushroom."

Ling Xuesong quickly handed over a red mushroom. Lin Tian accepted it and immediately tossed it into the tripod. With a hiss, steam arose, mixed with a faint mushroom fragrance.

This mushroom aroma was different from the fragrances of other mushrooms, very fresh. This single scent was far superior to those incense sticks or whatnot.

"First, roast over a low flame to evaporate some of the moisture. But be sure to adjust the heat carefully, or you risk burning it, which would require starting over." Lin Tian explained while controlling the fire.

The two old men carefully sensed, attentively observing, sensing the changes in flame energy and observing the condition of the red mushroom. Although they were mischievous old men, they were very serious when learning things.

"When it’s seventy percent dry, add cold water. There are two key points here: first, seventy percent dry. Over-drying by ten percent results in burning, and under-drying by ten percent is insufficient. How to judge seventy percent dry? That depends on your experience and spiritual sense. The second point, cold water, it must be cold water." Lin Tian pointed out the details and key points.

"Why add cold water? Isn’t hot water fine?" Old Man Ling, not understanding, asked, not considering himself as an Innate master at all.

Lin Tian smiled and said, "That’s a good question. I’ll demonstrate below why cold water is added."

After speaking, Lin Tian scooped a half-ladle of well water and quickly poured it into the tripod. The sudden confrontation of hot and cold caused the tripod to sizzle, and a large amount of steam rose.

Because the cold water suddenly encountered the hot tripod, the water boiled and agitated, causing the red mushroom to tumble incessantly. Lin Tian extended his hand, lightly tapped the tripod body, and with a hum, it trembled. The trembling and the water’s turbulence were almost synchronous, like resonance.

A magical scene appeared; the red mushroom was instantly pulverized in the water, and the clear well water turned crimson.

Though these two steps were simple, the two old men watched with bright eyes. They were both experts and understood the implications of these simple steps.

Control of the heat, grasp of timing, application of force—each step had to be precisely controlled and harmonized with the others.

Even a single person required coordination—eye and hand coordination, mind and hand coordination, force and mind coordination.

Lin Tian’s operations flowed smoothly like clouds and water, the result of countless mental simulations and accumulated experience in alchemy.

Extinguishing the purple flame, the residual heat of the tripod continued evaporating the moisture. When the bronze tripod’s temperature lowered, the liquid inside had already become thick, like Jadescent Nectar.

"The entire refining process is complete," Lin Tian announced.

"Truly profound and boundless! Even the refining is so difficult; completing an elixir must be even harder! No wonder there are fewer and fewer pharmacists." Ling Xuesong exclaimed deeply.

To ordinary people, it might seem like merely cooking mushrooms into paste, but to Ling Xuesong and Zhuge Cai Zhe, it contained many wonders that even at their realm, they couldn’t fully grasp in a short time.

"There’s too much information; I need to think it over and contemplate. Let’s stop here for tonight. Watching more won’t help me digest it." Ling Xuesong said seriously, pondering while walking back to his room.

Zhuge Cai Zhe stroked his beard, smiling slightly: "Little brother, you’ve given Old Man Ling a tough problem. I haven’t seen him being this serious in a long time. In the past, only when contemplating major martial arts problems would he be so earnest."