I Cultivate Immortality With Scientific Thinking

Chapter 53: Five Elements Refining Method - Spirit Pill Production

"Yawn!"

Wearing a short robe and with short hair, the disciple on duty yawned and took a sip of iced tea in his hand. Then, he lazily leaned back on the wooden chair.

"Ah, it's getting hotter in this place. The sect doesn't seem to understand our struggles. They should build a cooling formation." The disciple with short hair muttered.

Danxia Peak was not naturally formed; it was constructed by the sect's Grand Ancestor using powerful methods. Not only did it sit atop a Rank Two spiritual vein, but it was also connected to the earth's fire. Rumor has it that deep within the lava lies the birthplace of the sect's fundamental spirit plant, the "Unextinguished Wood."

All these factors combined resulted in the extreme heat of this place. The disciples stationed here could be said to be suffering greatly. If it weren't for the high rewards, not many people would be willing to come here.

There's no way around it. After all, one can endure a harsh environment, but poverty is unbearable.

"But speaking of which, why have so few senior brothers come to refine pills recently?" The disciple with short hair was puzzled.

"Give me a pill refining room."

"Who?!"

The sudden voice startled the disciple with short hair, causing him to jump up from his chair.

"It's me." He looked towards the source of the voice and saw a young man standing in front of him, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

He wore a simple white robe, with only a simple wooden hairpin holding his hair. The wide sleeves of his robe were clean and dust-free, and his entire demeanor exuded an indescribable calmness and tranquility.

The disciple with short hair was stunned for a moment, then finally reacted and asked incoherently, "How... how come I didn't hear you walking?"

Lin Chen was taken aback by this question, then smiled self-consciously, "I'm used to it."

Except in the laboratory or at home, Lin Chen was accustomed to walking silently in the outside world. Especially when he was close to someone, not only did he walk silently, but he would unconsciously hide in the blind spot of the other person's line of sight.

Of course, he did this only to better protect himself. Whether the person being ambushed believed it or not, he didn't care. That's just how he thought.

"I want to open a pill refining room," Lin Chen continued.

"Okay, okay!" The disciple with short hair nodded quickly.

"Wait, are you the Lin senior brother who performed the Spirit Bullet technique during the outer sect competition?" It was only when recording the information that the disciple with short hair belatedly realized and exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh? You know me?"

"Of course, senior brother's Spirit Bullet technique during the outer sect competition was so cool. Compared to those brutes who only know how to fight with their hands and those guys who mindlessly use Spirit Weapons to attack, senior brother is much cooler!" The disciple with short hair had an admiring expression on his face.

"I didn't expect to have fans..." Lin Chen smiled slightly and nodded.

"Senior brother, how about this Fire Room? Not only is there abundant fire energy, but its location is not directly facing the fire vein's eruption point. The spiritual fire is relatively stable and easier to control, making it suitable for pill refining." The disciple with short hair respectfully asked.

"Hmm?" Lin Chen glanced at it and looked somewhat surprised.

This kind of pill refining room is usually booked in advance, but unexpectedly, the other party actually arranged it for him.

"Do I have such great personal charm?" Lin Chen had this thought flash through his mind.

Then he smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

"Senior brother, you're too polite. Junior brother wishes senior brother success in pill refining."

After saying that, Lin Chen turned and walked towards the pill refining room under the gaze of the disciple with short hair.

What he didn't know was how many fellow cultivators of the same generation he had attracted with his seamless combat art during the outer sect competition.

But even if he knew, Lin Chen wouldn't care. The evaluations from the outside world were like a gentle breeze brushing against his face, something he wouldn't pay attention to.

Creak!

As the door opened, Lin Chen entered the pill refining room.

The room was very spacious, with only a huge pill furnace placed in the center. On the ground were shimmering restrictions, and below the pill furnace was a small pit, faintly emitting a fiery light.

"Let's begin." Lin Chen observed his surroundings and then directly activated the formation.

Under Lin Chen's control, the earth fire instantly surged up, and the entire pill furnace quickly turned red. Layers of heat waves rolled in the air!

Lin Chen took out the Morning Glow Cloud Mushroom and threw it into the pill furnace, followed by various auxiliary medicines such as spirit liquid and jade marrow, which he threw directly into the fire.

This scene would definitely make most alchemists laugh, thinking it was a joke. Refining pills requires careful consideration of the dosage and timing of the medicinal ingredients, as well as the control of the heat. Such rough pill refining would only waste the best spiritual materials.

But in Lin Chen's eyes, those who spend a lot of materials to experiment and summarize the appropriate changes in heat are nothing more than craftsmen. They haven't even touched the threshold of alchemy!

Alchemy is the extraction of the medicinal properties from Spirit Medicine and condensing them into pills.

The practice of blindly pursuing the quantity and degree of medicinal ingredients and the level of heat, without considering the content of medicinal properties, is completely contrary and contradictory!

For example, how can the medicinal properties of a nine-year-old Ling Shen and a ten-year-old Ling Shen be the same? How should the dosage of the Poly Yuan Flower grown in a place filled with spiritual energy compare to the one grown in a place with poor spiritual energy? When it comes to Spirit Medicine, how should the rainwater and dry weather affect the allocation of heat and the removal of excess moisture?

Craftsmen who don't use their brains see alchemists putting in medicinal ingredients and adjusting the heat, and they think they have mastered the tricks. They imitate without understanding, paying attention to every detail according to the standards of the alchemists, without realizing that these choices are made based on changes in medicinal properties!

"The way of alchemy is vast and profound, and I don't understand it. But one thing I do understand is that the essence of alchemy is to extract the medicinal properties that are easy for the human body to refine, and to eliminate those that are difficult to refine!"

Medicinal properties refer to the manifestation of various attributes of spiritual energy in Spirit Medicine.

Although the human body has various spiritual roots, the body is made up of water and relies on wood for sustenance. Therefore, cultivators often swallow Spirit Medicine that corresponds to the attributes they want to refine, rather than directly ingesting magma or metal.

However, even in Spirit Medicine that corresponds to the attributes, such as the Fire Element Mushroom, there may be other properties such as Yin and Earth due to environmental factors. These properties that do not meet the needs of cultivators are collectively referred to as impurities.

An alchemist is responsible for extracting the medicinal properties that cultivators need and eliminating those that they don't need. If they are not extracted completely, they will remain in the body and form what is known as "dan du", which affects the progress of cultivation.

Based on this theory, even though Lin Chen doesn't understand the four principles of "yin-yang," "rising-falling," "clear-turbid," and "movement-stillness" in alchemy, he understands one key point: alchemy is about extracting the substances that cultivators need.

When it comes to extracting substances, Lin Chen's first reaction is to use the chemistry he learned in high school in his previous life!

"The change in medicinal properties lies in yin and yang, not just the medicinal properties of yin and yang, but the combination and exchange of one thing with another; or even the synthesis of one thing with another under the participation of a third thing, or the exchange of two things while the third thing remains unchanged..." Lin Chen silently recited the ancient alchemical theories he found in the Sutra Pavilion, and his eyes gradually brightened.

It sounds complicated, but ultimately, isn't it similar to the decomposition reaction, combination reaction, and displacement reaction in chemistry in his previous life?

It's just that the particles have been replaced with spiritual energy, and the methods and means of extraction have changed, but the fundamental theory is similar!

With the spiritual perception of the Foundation Building Stage, Lin Chen can discern the medicinal properties in it, which also provides a possibility for the successful experimentation of his non-toxic Qi Pill!

"In my opinion, the first step in alchemy is to use the method of fire refining to decompose the complex medicinal properties!"

The flame in the furnace continuously licked the spiritual materials and cloud mushrooms, gradually melting them into a medicinal liquid mixed with various spiritual energies.

Lin Chen manipulated the spiritual flame in the furnace, refining the medicinal liquid bit by bit. Under the dual tempering of True Qi and the flame, the various medicinal properties mixed in the liquid began to decompose. The inert spiritual energy sank to the bottom of the cauldron, while the active spiritual energy that could be refined by cultivators rose to the upper chamber.

This phenomenon is also known as the rising of clear energy and the descending of turbid energy in alchemical formulas!

"The second step is to use the method of water refining to extract the medicinal properties that cultivators need!"

Lin Chen's spiritual roots are water, fire, and earth. He needs the corresponding properties of medicinal properties, and other properties will not only not enhance his cultivation, but will also cause dan du and hinder his progress.

To extract what he needs from this complex medicinal liquid, Lin Chen's first reaction is to use the method of water refining!

The Dan Qi, under Lin Chen's control, slowly rose. Upon contact with the Qingbing Stone, it solidified when exposed to cold and transformed into Dan liquid, dripping down along the meridians.

Lin Chen collected it and used several methods such as melting, refining, and transforming to extract the medicinal properties. He extracted the water, fire, and earth properties from the medicinal liquid separately!

"The third step is to mix the medicinal properties using the earth refining method!"

Lin Chen was not a single spiritual root cultivator. If he solely absorbed one type of spiritual energy for cultivation, it would cause an imbalance in his True Qi. Therefore, he had to mix the properties of the three attributes!

In his thoughts, Lin Chen took out a cultivation base. However, the soil inside was not brown but rather a bright red, like blood. This was a cultivation base made from his own flesh and blood.

With a wave of his hand, Lin Chen released the three types of medicinal liquids, which mixed together. Wrapped in a spiritual light, they flew directly into the blood soil.

"The fourth step is to refine it into a pill using the wood refining method!"

Lin Chen took out a withered and lifeless spiritual plant branch. He infused it with True Qi and then inserted it directly into the blood soil.

Not long after, the withered branch seemed to rejuvenate. A tender shoot sprouted from the branch, followed by rapidly absorbing the blood in the soil and growing.

In just a short moment, a lush green plant formed. In the blink of an eye, it bloomed and bore Spirit Pills the size of longan fruits.

What was peculiar was that these Spirit Pills seemed solid, but upon closer inspection, they appeared somewhat illusory. Clearly, they were not actual pills but rather condensed and pure Dan Qi without impurities.

Non-toxic Qi Pills!

Moreover, these Qi Pills absorbed Lin Chen's blood during their growth and were imbued with his aura. Therefore, he didn't even need to refine them; he could directly consume them to increase his cultivation!

"The fifth step is to store the pills using the gold refining method!"

Lin Chen took out a spiritual jade stone and lightly tapped it on the green plant. The pills on it fell one after another, transforming into strands of gas that flew into the jade stone, forming a Spirit Pill emitting a faint blue light.

Storing pills using the method of gold and jade spiritual stones not only allowed for long-term preservation but also enabled continuous assimilation of the same type of spiritual energy. After being stored for hundreds of years, they could be taken out and consumed, allowing a newly cultivated cultivator to complete the Qi Refining Stage!

"The path of alchemy is to extract and preserve the required medicinal properties. As long as one can achieve this, why be confined to the fire refining method for pill refinement!"

"Using the method of the five elements to refine and store pills, removing impurities and preserving their essence, this is my own path in cultivating Immortal Pills!"

Seeing the illusory Qi Pills in his hand, Lin Chen's face revealed a hint of joy.

After researching for so many years, he finally completed the experiment on the [Non-toxic Qi Pill] with the help of his spiritual perception!

From now on, one obstacle would be removed on his long and arduous cultivation path, allowing him to move towards a more distant future!

(End of this chapter)