According to the fundamentals of alchemy, the purity of the extracted medicinal essence in the refining process is classified into different grades. For an apprentice Alchemist, achieving a purity level of at least 60% was considered a passing mark.
Only when the medicinal essence purity reached 60% or higher could the refined pill barely meet the standards of a proper graded pill.
The formula for Blood Coagulation Powder detailed the required purity levels for its three medicinal ingredients, ranging from a minimum of 60% to a maximum of 90%.
Xiao Bai noticed that the description of Purple Sun Fruit at 90% purity did not quite match the light purple powder in his hands.
Purple Sun Fruit, 90% purity: The overall powder should be a pale purple, with the portion containing deeper purple hues not exceeding 10%.
Yet, the powder in Xiao Bai's hands was entirely uniform in color, without any deeper shades as described.
Moreover, it was crystalline and translucent, with a faint, nearly imperceptible trace of blue mixed within.
"I wonder if this mutated version of the ingredient will affect the final Blood Coagulation Powder? It shouldn't cause any major issues… right?"
Xiao Bai silently decided that once he refined the pill, he would have to conduct clinical trials on a few test subjects.
Otherwise, even though he had personally refined it, he wouldn't dare to consume it himself—who knew what strange effects it might have?
If he ended up harming himself with his own creation, that would be an embarrassing stain on his record—one he could never live down.
Setting those thoughts aside, Xiao Bai glanced toward the cave entrance. It was already early morning on the second day. He hadn't realized that time had passed so quickly—over ten hours had gone by in a flash.
He had no intention of leaving. Before coming here, he had stored plenty of food and water in his Storage Ring.
"I won't leave this cave unless I succeed, even if it takes three months!"
After taking a short break and eating something, Xiao Bai immediately resumed his preparations to extract the medicinal essence of Coagulation Grass and Jade Green Flower.
However, as he proceeded, he quickly realized that the purification method used for Purple Sun Fruit couldn't be directly applied to Coagulation Grass or Jade Green Flower.
Each medicinal herb had different properties and required tailored extraction methods.
Purple Sun Fruit was fiery in nature, Jade Green Flower was cold, and Coagulation Grass had a neutral medicinal property. Each required repeated experimentation.
Through this process, Xiao Bai gained deeper insights into medicinal properties and pharmacology—especially in adapting to his unique alchemical method.
Since no one could directly guide him, he could only use others' techniques as a reference at best.
At long last, Xiao Bai successfully extracted the medicinal essence of Coagulation Grass and Jade Green Flower. However, as he examined the two powders, he realized they also looked quite different from the descriptions in the pill formula.
"Am I turning into Bai Xiaochun?" he thought, shaking his head in exasperation.
The next step was the fusion of the medicinal essences.
According to the formula, the essence of Purple Sun Fruit and Jade Green Flower needed to be fused first.
Then, at the precise moment of fusion, the essence of Coagulation Grass had to be added to neutralize the opposing hot and cold properties and successfully condense into a pill.
Following the process, Xiao Bai placed the two powders into the cauldron and began the fusion.
However, before long, he felt the resistance in the fusion growing stronger.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
"Boom!"
A muffled pop sounded, followed by a wisp of black smoke rising from the cauldron.
With a blank expression, Xiao Bai lifted the cauldron lid, waved his hand, and cleared out the residue.
Thankfully, there had been no Magic Core involved; otherwise, the explosion would have been much more dramatic. He wasn't even sure if the cauldron could withstand a Magic Core detonation. If it couldn't, he'd have to wait several days to get a new one.
Xiao Bai wasn't discouraged by the failure—it had been within his expectations.
If he had successfully refined the pill on his first try, how would the other Alchemists of the continent even survive?
With that thought, he began reviewing the entire process of his failure.
Everything had gone smoothly at first, but during the fusion stage, he felt increasing resistance. The issue likely stemmed from an imbalance between the medicinal properties and the flame.
Taking out the pill formula, Xiao Bai carefully examined the ingredients listed.
"Purple Sun Fruit is fiery in nature, and its activity increases after refinement. Jade Green Flower is cold in nature, and its activity decreases after refinement, making them difficult to fuse. However, Coagulation Grass has a harmonizing effect."
The issue was likely not the ingredient ratio.
Since Purple Sun Fruit had high activity, the temperature should be lowered, whereas Jade Green Flower, with its low activity, required a higher flame temperature. The timing of adding Coagulation Grass was also crucial.
After identifying these key factors, Xiao Bai took notes with his brush.
Pill refinement was a complex process, and this new method of alchemy was unprecedented on the Dou Qi Continent. Xiao Bai had no choice but to explore and summarize his findings step by step.
When it came to cultivation, Xiao Bai had never lacked patience.
Once he finished summarizing his insights, he restarted the ingredient extraction process. This time, he planned to refine a large quantity of medicinal essence in advance.
Day after day passed.
After ten days, Xiao Bai was left with only a few dozen raw ingredients—the rest had all been refined into medicinal essence.
With the experience gained from his first success, he worked much faster this time.
He refined one hundred portions of each ingredient. There's no way the success rate could be less than 1% out of a hundred attempts!
Once everything was ready, Xiao Bai stood up to stretch. He now felt nauseated just looking at these three ingredients—ten days of nonstop refinement had left him completely numb.
He had practically turned into an emotionless medicinal essence extraction machine. At this point, he could confidently say that he could refine these three ingredients with his eyes closed.
After a short rest, Xiao Bai sat cross-legged before the Ebony Cauldron, took a deep breath, and focused. This is it—success or failure hinges on this moment.
He placed the two medicinal essences into the cauldron, quickly reaching the critical fusion stage. Carefully applying the insights he had gathered, he controlled the Yang Thunder of Bing Fire flame with precision. Each ingredient required a different temperature, but thanks to his powerful soul, maintaining control wasn't difficult.
First attempt—failure.
Second attempt—failure.
By the thirty-sixth attempt, drawing from his previous failures, Xiao Bai finally saw signs of fusion between the Purple Sun Fruit and Jade Green Flower essences. Seizing the moment, he quickly added the Coagulation Grass essence liquid into the cauldron to catalyze the fusion.
As time passed, the three essences gradually merged without the resistance increasing like before.
Xiao Bai knew he was close to success. But the closer he got to the final step, the more cautious he had to be.
Finally, a small, viscous glob of purple-red medicinal liquid formed inside the cauldron. Xiao Bai recognized the moment had come to condense the pill.
Following the method outlined in the formula, he rapidly formed a series of hand seals. Inside the cauldron, the medicinal liquid became perfectly spherical, spinning rapidly as it transitioned from liquid to solid.
At last, a round, purple-red pill floated within the cauldron, suspended in the flames of Yang Thunder of Bing Fire.
Xiao Bai waved his hand, opening the cauldron lid. The pill shot out, landing in his palm.
He gazed at the very first pill he had successfully refined—Coagulation Powder.
"Who even named this? It's clearly a pill, but they call it a powder?"
But whatever. Right now, he was filled with an immense sense of accomplishment.
He had finally become an Alchemist. A first-tier Alchemist.
After admiring the pill for a moment, Xiao Bai placed it into a jade bottle he had prepared beforehand.
Even though it was just a first-tier pill, it held great sentimental value.