The requirements for the flame in refining the Martial Vein Body Shaping Pill are quite different from those for the Superior True Essence Pill.
The former demands a high flame for refining, but during the process, one must suddenly choose to extinguish it.
If described with a wavy line, the flame pattern for the Martial Vein Body Shaping Pill would be one of sharp rises and falls, forming a jagged shape with no curvature at all.
In contrast, the Superior True Essence Pill requires a generally smooth curve, with both the rise and fall of the flame being relatively steady.
Mastering two entirely different methods of flame control is indeed not an easy task.
But this only applies to others, for Ling Xiao, it truly is not a problem.
In his soul-entranced state, the flame is like an extension of his arm, completely under his control. Whether it is the size or temperature, he can achieve perfection.
With no issues in flame control, the rest of the process becomes straightforward.
What is needed next is waiting.
About a quarter of an hour later, Ling Xiao opened the lid of the alchemy furnace.
For others, this would take at least an hour.
This was his advantage.
However, since it was his first time refining the Martial Vein Body Shaping Pill, he still felt a trace of nervousness, evident from the beads of sweat on his forehead.
The moment the furnace was opened, ten beams of golden light shot out, and ten Martial Vein Body Shaping Pills, radiating a golden glow, appeared before him.
Every type of pill, upon formation, displays unique patterns on its surface.
These patterns are the best way to identify the type of pill.
They cannot be faked, and even the most skilled alchemists do not understand why these patterns form, attributing it to some mysterious opportunity of the heavens and earth.
For his first attempt at refining the Martial Vein Body Shaping Pill, the success rate was still a perfect ten out of ten, though the perfection level was slightly lower compared to the Superior True Essence Pill.
Of the ten pills, five had a perfection level of ten, four had a perfection level of nine, and one had a perfection level of eight.
For anyone else, such results would likely have them jumping for joy.
But Ling Xiao was dissatisfied.
He sat there, carefully recalling every step of his refining process, hoping to identify the issue so he could correct it for the next attempt.
He realised the key problem was his nervousness. When opening the furnace, his hand trembled slightly, causing a slight delay in opening the lid.
This minor issue had caused a flaw in what should have been a perfectly ten-out-of-ten pill.
If he could not achieve perfection with a low-grade pill, how could he dare to dream of mastering higher-grade pills?
Ling Xiao constantly reflected on and critiqued himself, holding himself to an almost terrifyingly strict standard.
He knew he was different from others. As the possessor of the Mountain and River Martial Soul, he should excel in everything compared to others.
If he fell short in any aspect, it would be a waste of the powerful Mountain and River Martial Soul.
Thirty Superior True Essence Pills with a perfection level of ten could each be sold for one thousand low-grade spirit stones. Ordinary Superior True Essence Pills, on the other hand, could only fetch one hundred low-grade spirit stones. That is the difference.
Good technique means higher earnings, a truth well understood by alchemists.
The five Martial Vein Body Shaping Pills with a perfection level of ten could also be sold for one thousand low-grade spirit stones each, while the remaining five would fetch nine hundred and eight hundred low-grade spirit stones respectively.
By this calculation, he had truly struck it rich this time.
His total cost was three hundred low-grade spirit stones, plus some silver converted to less than one hundred low-grade spirit stones.
Yet the pills he produced were worth nearly forty thousand low-grade spirit stones.
This was exhilarating, it was enough to buy four Yellow-Grade Low-Tier Mortal Body Shaping Pills at the trading market.
This was the life of an alchemist. As long as your skills were good, you would never lack spirit stones.
When he finished refining both types of pills, he recalled his two clones.
The contents of the book had fully integrated into his soul, and he had understood the simpler parts.
However, the book was somewhat too profound, with many obscure and difficult sections. Relying solely on himself, it would be impossible to grasp them in a short time.
But such matters could not be rushed. He could take his time to understand and comprehend them.
Alchemy was a lifelong pursuit, not something that could be achieved overnight.
Additionally, he had memorised all the basic books on formations and arrays given by Yuan Zun. These were foundational and relatively easy to understand, requiring neither a second read nor consultation with others.
While studying these books on formations and arrays, Ling Xiao gained some insights.
He realised his comprehension of the Sword Control Technique had advanced further.
This time, without deliberate cultivation, he had comprehended the ninth layer to perfection.
The reason was simple.
The last three layers were largely related to arrays. He could not comprehend them before because he knew nothing about formations and arrays.
Now, having read the books from Yuan Zun, everything became clear in his mind.
Once the Sword Control Technique reached perfection, it would automatically unlock a sword array called the Heavenly Astral Sword Array.
However, it required at least thirty-six flying swords.
His Clear Breeze Sword had long been inadequate. Now he had a new goal: to acquire at least thirty-six rare treasure-grade flying swords.
Crafting them himself was an option.
But his current skill level was insufficient. The blacksmiths in the Mountain and River World could only craft fine treasure-grade weapons at best, anything higher was beyond their ability.
So his plan was to first craft thirty-six fine treasure-grade flying swords and later, when he obtained other rare treasure-grade items, use fusion stones to refine them.
Fusion stones were available at the trading market, priced at one thousand low-grade spirit stones each. Expensive, but for an alchemist like him, it was not a big deal.
With this idea in mind, he began having his martial soul clone assist in forging the flying swords, a process that would likely take some time.
Seeing that it was still early, Ling Xiao calmed his mind and took out the Canon of Conferred Gods to study.
He had always felt the Canon of Conferred Gods was extraordinary, encompassing everything, alchemy, artifact refining, formations, arrays, martial arts, divine techniques, and more.
Though his low cultivation currently limited him to comprehending only the lower-level mysteries, even so, each daily study session yielded significant gains.
Some things might be useless now but could prove valuable in the future.
The Canon of Conferred Gods contained an abundance of mysteries regarding movement techniques. Ancient warriors could soar through the skies and traverse the earth, nearly omnipotent.
Ling Xiao could not comprehend those abilities, but by studying these movement technique mysteries, his Cloud Dragon Divine Movement finally broke through to the Transcendent Realm after a period of stagnation.
Both his speed and the duration he could remain airborne had improved significantly compared to before.
Additionally, the Canon of Conferred Gods contained a vast array of mysteries regarding sword control techniques.
