Chapter 114: Second Tier Pill Master
The Essence Nurturing Grass and other Spiritual Herbs needed for refining Nourishing Essence Pills had been cultivated by him several years ago.
However, due to limited space and their long growth period, he had only umted a little over five hundred materials until now.
Each Nourishing Essence Pill material was valued at around five hundred Spirit Stones, making these materials worth nearly three hundred thousand in total.
In the Cultivation World, an Alchemist capable of refining first-tier elixirs was known as a first-tier Alchemist.
As the supply of first-tier Spiritual Herbs was rtively abundant and not too expensive, one could cultivate a first-tier Alchemist by investing around fifty thousand Spirit Stones, provided they were willing to spend the money.
So, while first-tier Alchemists were not numerous, almost every decent family or faction would have one or two.
Although the initial investment was significant, once sessfully cultivated, it was like having a golden-eggying hen, yielding continuous profits in theter stages. As long as the financial resources were sufficient, it was a worthwhile endeavor.
However, second-tier Alchemists were extremely rare. Firstly, the resources required to cultivate a second-tier Alchemist were enormous. Some small families couldn''t even gather enough resources by selling everything they had.
Even for medium-sized forces, it wasn''t a task aplished in a day or two; it often took decades.
Furthermore, after putting in tremendous effort to cultivate a second-tier Alchemist, there was a serious problem to fk of second-tier Spiritual Herbs.
Second-tier Spiritual Herbs grew slowly, ranging from a couple of hundred years to six or seven hundred years. During this lengthy period, sometimes people would pass away several times, and there was no guarantee of sessfully cultivating the Spiritual Herb.
Obtaining second-tier Spiritual Herbs was also very challenging, making second-tier Alchemists often unable to refine elixirs. If luck wasn''t on their side, they might not even recover the cost of cultivating the Alchemist.
Refining second-tier elixirs required the use of second-tier spirit charcoal. The fire produced by first-tier spirit charcoal was insufficient to effectively melt the Spiritual Herb, purify impurities, and extract essence.
Second-tier spirit charcoal required second-tier spirit wood refinement, and it wasn''t cheap. One piece of spirit charcoal cost thirty Spirit Stones.
There was no space for nting spirit wood specifically for refining spirit charcoal, so he cut down dense branches from those second-tier spirit fruit trees.
Cutting these branches into two or three feet lengths, he ced them in the Alchemy furnace, covered them, and burned them with first-tier spirit charcoal below.
In some spirit charcoal workshops, there were specialized carbon kilns for construction.
Wang Hong didn''t need too much himself, and his Alchemy furnace was incrediblyrge, just enough to temporarily refine some spirit charcoal.
The spirit charcoal refined from spirit fruit branches was of better quality than the ones sold in the market. The only difference was that the shapes he made weren''t as regr, and the spirit charcoal turned out to be in the shape of branches.
Anyway, he only used them for himself and had no intention of selling them. Who cared about their appearance?
Wang Hong took out a Nourishing Essence Pill material and ced it next to the alchemy furnace.
First, he brewed a cup of Spirit Tea using Spirit Spring Water and Spirit Tea from the space. This Spirit Tea had the effects of relieving fatigue, keeping the mind clear, and sharpening the intellect.
After drinking a cup of Spirit Tea beforehand, he thought it might increase the sess rate a bit.
Once everything was prepared, he began the Alchemy process.
Taking several branches-like spirit charcoal, he ced them under the alchemy furnace and ignited them. Then, he used the Fire Control Technique to adjust the me size to the right position.
Wang Hong sensed the temperature inside the furnace, threw an Essence Nurturing Grass into it, but the firepower seemed insufficient, showing no sign of melting the Essence Nurturing Grass.
He cast two more spiritual techniques towards the me. The mes surged, emitting a burnt smell. The fire was too intense, and the Essence Nurturing Grass was charred, ruining the first step.
Wang Hong wasn''t frustrated. It was his first attempt at refining a second-tier elixir. He wasn''t familiar with me temperatures or the characteristics of these Spiritual Herbs. It was expected to waste several furnaces before mastering it.
After adjusting the me again, he sessfully melted the Spiritual Herb into a green liquid with the previous experience.
Then, he gradually added various other Spiritual Herbs, turning the furnace''s contents into arge liquid mass.
The next step was Purification of Impurities. If impurities weren''t refined, the resulting elixir would be useless. Conversely, refining too much could eliminate the essence of the Spiritual Herbs, leading to failure. Therefore, precise control of the me was crucial.
Wang Hong cautiously increased the firepower. Gradually, a faint mist evaporated from the liquid, indicating the impurities being refined.
After a stick of incense, he used the Fire Control Technique again, slowly reducing the firepower. Now, he needed to blend the various ingredients in the liquid to achieve a bnced and coordinated medicinal effect.
His hands moved like phantoms, executing hundreds of techniques. These techniques were specific to refining second-tier elixirs, and he had practiced them extensively before attempting Alchemy.
However, at this moment, the Spiritual Energy in the furnace suddenly became extremely violent. Various Spiritual Energies collided, resulting in a loud bang and ck smoke. The furnace exploded.
Wang Hong cleaned the furnace, contemted silently for a while, and then started the refinement of the next elixir.
The third furnace, another failure.
The fourth furnace, failure.
...
Finally, on the tenth attempt, he seeded in obtaining a second-tier Nourishing Essence Pill.
Then, the eleventh furnace failed again. After fifty furnaces, he finally stabilized. On average, every ten furnaces produced three or four elixirs.
The overall Pill Sess Rate was still below ten percent. To break even, the Pill Sess Rate for Nourishing Essence Pills needed to be at least twenty percent. At his current level, he was essentially losing money with each attempt.
This was only possible because of his strong foundation in Alchemy. He had mastered the refinement of first-tier elixirs to perfection. Additionally, his extensive study of various medicinal properties and theories made Alchemy easier for him than for others.
If it were someone else, even after refining a hundred furnaces, they might not reach his current level. Refining second-tier elixirs was at least ten times moreplicated than refining first-tier elixirs.
Afterpleting a hundred furnaces, Wang Hong took a day off, treated himself to a delicious meal, drank some wine, and rxed.
A dayter, he resumed Alchemy. This time, he refined another hundred furnaces consecutively, showing some improvement. Now, approximately eight furnaces out of ten produced visible elixirs, and the overall Pill Sess Rate finally reached ten percent.
After another day of rest, he added some Spirit Bee Royal Jelly during Alchemy. This substance could increase the Pill Sess Rate.
He hadn''t used it before while refining first-tier elixirs because his Pill Sess Rate was already high when he acquired the Spirit Bee. Most first-tier elixirs were not as expensive as Spirit Bee Royal Jelly, so adding it would result in a loss. Now, with the refinement of second-tier elixirs, each extra elixir per furnace could cover the cost of Spirit Bee Royal Jelly.
As for the previous hundreds of furnaces where most didn''t yield a single elixir, adding Spirit Bee Royal Jelly would be futile.
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