Chapter 6: Transformation

As soon as the elixir entered his mouth, it dissolved upon contact with water, releasing a subtle, fragrant, and slightly astringent flavor that spread throughout his mouth, filling his lips and teeth with a fresh, mildly sweet aroma. He swallowed gently, and the elixir descended into his abdomen.

Half an hour later, the effects of the Rebirth Pill gradually spread within his abdomen, a warm current akin to spring water quietly flowing towards his limbs and bones. The potency of the Rebirth Pill was neither fierce nor scorching; it gently permeated his meridians and sinews like a spring breeze bringing gentle rain.

Certainly, this is merely the simplest method. There are many more advanced techniques for discerning high-grade elixirs, such as probing with the primordial spirit, testing with pure yang water, and detecting with void sand, among other mysterious means, which are beyond his current understanding

The middle-aged man, whose head was wrapped in a cloth as a headdress, was clearly the head of the household. He set down the water pipe in his hand and helped a young man lying on the bed to sit up. The woman scooped a small spoonful of fish soup, cooled it down, and brought it to the young man's tightly pressed lips, feeding him little by little.

Although the transformation pill that Du Feiyun took cannot be considered of superior quality, it is certainly not an ordinary product; its efficacy is at least thirty percent stronger than that of common elixirs

Leaning down to look, one could see a dark black Nine-Dragon Cauldron, within which lay a green elixir the size of a peanut, quietly resting. Waves of rich vitality and primordial energy wafted upwards.

This is because Du Feiyun explored the intricacies of the matter on his own, without the guidance of a master or any experience to assist him, thus he could only arrive at such a vague conclusion. Nevertheless, he was still extremely excited; successfully refining a pill on his first attempt was already enough to be uplifting, especially since it was a fairly good quality third-grade pill

Du Feiyun, with a joyful expression, carefully took the elixir out of the cauldron and held it in his palms, observing the pill he had just crafted with his initial efforts in alchemy.

To investigate the condition of one's meridians, one must systematically examine all twelve major meridians from the Dantian. Only then can clarity be achieved. Du Feiyun focused his mind, guiding a faint stream of primordial energy from the seed of energy within his Dantian, allowing it to flow slowly along the Shaoyang meridian towards the other eleven major meridians.

Another quarter of an hour had passed when a waft of fresh and delicate fragrance emerged from a small circular hole in the lid of the cauldron. A black dragon on the body of the cauldron suddenly shook its head gently, and only then did Du Feiyun awaken from his cultivation, letting out a quiet sigh of relief

After a pause, the middle-aged man continued, "This Baishi River stretches for a hundred miles upstream, and there is only Baishi Town. It is likely that this young man is the son of a family from Baishi Town."

The slender middle-aged man took two puffs of the water pipe, his murky eyes slightly squinting as he softly said: "This young man is quite remarkable. Not only does he have an impressive appearance, but the purple brocade on him looks very valuable, clearly indicating he is from a wealthy family. Moreover, having survived for so long in the icy river water, he must certainly be no ordinary person"

The main function of the Transformation Elixir is to regulate the meridians, expand their capacity, and reshape the strength and resilience of the meridians and bones, often requiring ten days to half a month for complete digestion and absorption

Holding the slightly heavy elixir in his hands, inhaling its delicate fragrance and the aura of primordial energy, Du Feiyun's lips curled into a satisfied smile, his face reflecting great contentment

A simple middle-aged woman dressed in a cloth gown and skirt is holding a rough black sea bowl, pouring the fish soup simmering on the stove into it. She brings the half bowl of fragrant, milky fish soup to the bedside, gently stirring it with a spoon while blowing on it to cool the soup down quickly

... ...

Casting aside the myriad distractions in his mind, as his spirit gradually immersed itself, Du Feiyun began to hold his breath and concentrate, preparing to consume the elixir for cultivation. He took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and then picked up the Transcendental Transformation Pill to place it in his mouth

Although Du Feiyun possesses mediocre talent and unremarkable roots, he excels in having a solid foundation, with a remarkably high degree of energy condensation. This is largely attributed to his rigorous training under the supervision of his mother, the Du family, since the age of eight. Over the past six years, despite slow progress, he has benefited from a strong foundational base.

While the medicinal power within his body automatically flowed between the dantian and the meridians, Du Feiyun took the opportunity to examine the condition of his own meridians. Although cultivators in the Body Refinement stage are unable to perform internal vision and cannot perceive the state of their internal meridians with their mind, he could still vaguely sense the condition within his body thanks to the gentle medicinal energy.

At this moment, he felt a warm flow of elemental energy filling his body, his limbs and bones felt as if they were soaking in a hot spring, and the seed of elemental energy in his dantian was quietly growing stronger.

According to the records in the Lie Shan Pharmacopoeia, the appearance of such phenomena signifies that the elixir is about to be successfully refined

After a moment of contemplation, Du Feiyun revealed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. He steadily withdrew his right hand, which had been supporting the bottom of the Nine-Dragon Cauldron, exhaling a breath of turbid air before reaching out to open the cauldron's lid

In the realm of alchemy, most alchemists produce only first to third-grade elixirs, and achieving fourth-grade quality is already considered exceptional. If one is fortunate enough to concoct fifth or sixth-grade elixirs, they would be renowned as a master alchemist in the region

Holding the Transformation Pill in his hands, Du Feiyun suddenly recalled that according to the records in the Lushan Pharmacopoeia, the quality of elixirs is also categorized into different levels, much like the classification of cultivators' realms, which is divided into nine grades from one to nine

A river named Baishi flows through Lancang Town, its waters clear and its surface broad, with a depth of at least 2 zhang. The source of this river is the peaks in Langshi Mountain, passing through Baihe and Tushishi Town, meandering over a hundred miles of mountains, traversing Lancang Town, and flowing downstream

It should be noted that the vast majority of seasoned alchemists typically produce only first or second-grade elixirs.

As for the perfect quality pills ranked from seventh to ninth grade, they likely exist only in legends, and ordinary cultivators may never have the fortune to encounter them in their lifetime

Lancang Town is a remote small town located within the territory of Qianjiang City, nestled among the surrounding mountains. The town has only over 400 households, primarily consisting of fishermen and hunters, with most families living in considerable poverty

Beside the Baishi River, there are low-lying houses, all constructed from wooden planks and tree trunks, simple yet rustic. In one of the low wooden houses, a bright light is shining, and the aroma of fish is wafting through the gentle night breeze.

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the woman's eyes. She walked up to the man and, lowering her voice, said: "So we have saved this young master's life. When he wakes up, he will surely offer us a generous gift to thank us, right? Given his status as a wealthy young master, it should be quite simple for him to give us several dozen taels of silver as a token of gratitude"

Subsequently, he closed his eyes tightly, assumed the posture of five hearts向天, maintained a clear mind, and began to dissolve and absorb the medicinal power within the elixir.

For example, in the Body Refinement stage, a practitioner at the first level possesses the weakest strength, while one at the ninth level possesses the strongest strength

However, the speed at which the medicinal power of the elixir is absorbed is directly related to the quality of the elixir. The higher the quality of the elixir and the accompanying materials, the faster the medicinal power is dissolved and absorbed, resulting in a more refined and concentrated effect, with less medicinal power wasted during the absorption process

"Old man, why hasn't this young fellow woken up yet? When we pulled him out of the river, most of his bones were broken, and now he is neither dead nor awake. This is too strange." After finally finishing the fish soup, the woman set down the bowl and, wiping her hands on the cloth of her waist, spoke to the middle-aged man with a look of confusion.

This Transformation Pill is not only a guarantee for his rapid enhancement of strength but also a bargaining chip for him to confront future crises

According to the records in the Lie Mountain Pharmacopoeia, Du Feiyun meticulously examined the cloud patterns, color, and carefully assessed its fragrance and weight. He ultimately concluded that the elixir he had refined was at least a third-grade elixir, and it could possibly be a fourth-grade elixir.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man raised his eyebrows, glanced at the woman, and not only did he not show a smile, but his expression grew even more serious.

Similarly, elixirs are categorized in this manner, with first-grade elixirs being of the most ordinary quality and ninth-grade elixirs being of the most perfect quality

It is only right to help others, without considering the return. Let us set aside the matter of gratitude for now; I only hope that one does not bring trouble upon oneself.

These are all observations made by Du Feiyun in the Lièshān Pharmacopoeia. Moreover, he specifically examined the methods for verifying the quality of medicinal pills. A relatively simple method involves observing their color, smelling their fragrance, examining their patterns, and estimating their weight