The refinement method of this pill recipe was not particularly complex, and alchemists with considerable experience could attempt it, ensuring a certain success rate.
However, the pharmacology within it was truly intricate and profound. The properties of each individual medicinal herb, as well as the effects they could produce in combination, were exceptionally complicated.
It was likely that even ordinary alchemy masters would find it difficult to fully grasp in a short period, and even comprehending it to a reasonable extent would be challenging.
This was because the fundamental core of this pill recipe lay in the art of "water refining into pills." Without this crucial step, even the deepest understanding would only scratch the surface, failing to delve into its true essence.
Fortunately, Ji Yuan was naturally attuned to the water element, and his talent in water manipulation surpassed even his swordsmanship. Although he did not know the art of water refining, a brief perusal of the recipe still left him feeling greatly enriched.
At the very least, he managed to grasp a few key points.
After all, his primary objective was not to master the refinement of this pill, but to discover the key element that repelled poisonous insects.
Even though he could not fully comprehend the entire pill recipe, or even its pharmacological aspects, in a short time, it did not prevent him from directly applying it.
It was akin to the difference between understanding how a tool is made and simply using it; there was no conflict between the two.
At this moment, Ji Yuan took out nearly forty different medicinal herbs from his jade thumb ring, each with a history of several decades.
He was fortunate to have the peak endowed with the inheritance of the Miaoyuan Yanshen Zhenfa, which provided him with an abundant supply of medicinal materials, ensuring he wouldn't have to worry about them for a long time under normal circumstances.
One by one, the medicinal herbs were taken out and suspended around him, supported by his spiritual power, almost completely obscuring him.
Using these herbs to block the view, he immediately took out the brass pill furnace, activated its restrictions with his spiritual power, and conjured a flame beneath its base.
Witnessing this, everyone slowly stopped, their eyes fixed on the unfolding scene.
As time passed, the medicinal herbs around Ji Yuan gradually diminished, all of them being fed into the pill furnace and their essences extracted by the scorching heat.
Since he was not genuinely refining pills, but merely extracting the essences of the herbs to be mixed and kneaded together in proportion, it only took about a quarter of an hour before a faint fragrance began to emanate.
Strangely, though this scent was subtle and almost imperceptible, it was capable of spreading twenty to thirty feet.
Within this radius, the poisonous insects, which had previously advanced fearlessly into the spiritual power barrier, immediately retreated. They then flitted about restlessly outside this range.
By this point, all the medicinal herbs around Ji Yuan had been used and placed into the brass pill furnace.
After another half-quarter of an hour, with a flash of brilliance in his eyes, the flame beneath the furnace intensified briefly before suddenly extinguishing and dissipating.
As the lid of the pill furnace was opened, over a dozen multi-colored pills flew out and landed in a wooden box.
Due to the limited time and his unfamiliarity with the process, the execution was hasty. Moreover, Ji Yuan had only skimmed the pill recipe a few times, so this was the extent of what he could achieve for now. He was still unable to perfectly fuse the medicinal properties together.
Yet, even with these limitations, the pills were still immensely useful. Merely crushing one of them was enough to clear all small poisonous insects within tens of feet of their group.
At this demonstration, Huang Tianci and the others were filled with awe, their expressions lingering with wonder for a long time.
After merely glancing at the pill recipe once or twice, he could replicate its pharmacology and successfully refine it on the spot.
Such proficiency in alchemy was likely superior to many alchemy masters, requiring both exceptional talent and accumulated experience to achieve.
"Your talent in alchemy, Daoist priest, is truly awe-inspiring!"
Huang Tianci suddenly exclaimed, a brilliant smile still gracing his face, but with a new, unexplainable light in his eyes.
Unconsciously, after witnessing Ji Yuan's alchemical prowess, he had dropped the word "young" from his mind, harboring no further presumptuous thoughts.
The same applied to several others. Although their cultivation levels were similar, perhaps due to their age and Ji Yuan's evident severe injuries, they had not truly considered him to be on the same level.
But now, that perception had shifted. Each of their gazes now carried a subconscious seriousness.
"Such a complex pill recipe, even an alchemy master would need to study it for a considerable time before daring to attempt it."
Chen Dade also sighed, "To think that Daoist priest could replicate it after reading it only a few times is truly astonishing!"
The others chimed in, stating that they themselves would absolutely not be able to do so. When they first received the recipe, they had studied it, but with their current understanding, it would take them at least three to four months to fully grasp its profound and complex pharmacology.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan remained outwardly composed, but a subtle, almost imperceptible flicker of emotion passed through the depths of his eyes.
Earlier, the pills taken out by these individuals were clearly recently refined. Although they did not use the water refining technique and the quality of the medicinal herbs was ordinary, it was precisely because of these factors that Ji Yuan detected a faint residual heat within the pills, indicative of them being refined only a few days prior.
However, according to their claims, none of them were proficient in alchemy, and to refine this pill, it would require significant study and a gradual understanding of its pharmacology.
Then... where did these pills, refined not even three to four days ago, come from?
In an instant, various possibilities flashed through Ji Yuan's mind, and his gaze towards them subtly changed.
Either none of them had spoken the truth, or someone among them was capable of refining this pill but had not appeared here for some reason. Whether they had encountered danger midway, or if the danger actually originated from within their group, was unknown.
Regardless of the scenario, it was enough for Ji Yuan to heighten his vigilance and regard the individuals around him with increased caution.
With the pills refined by Ji Yuan, the group only needed to use their spiritual power to form barriers against the erosion of the surrounding miasma.
This naturally greatly increased their travel speed. In fact, with the burden lifted, the group began to converse again.
However, this time, the topic shifted to Ji Yuan, with them inquiring about his thoughts on the matter.
Initially, he politely declined, or skirted the issue, feigning disinterest. Even when he did speak, he did not provide a direct answer.
After two or three attempts, the group seemed to lose patience and insisted that he offer his assessment. Even their tone had inadvertently become more serious and earnest.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan could only offer a wry smile inwardly, while secretly speculating if they harbored any hidden intentions, carefully considering their every word.
Under these circumstances, the group covered most of the distance. The miasma surrounding them grew increasingly dense, with mere breaths sufficient to consume nearly half of their spiritual power.
At this rate of depletion, their spiritual power would soon become insufficient to reach the cave dwelling.
Unconsciously, the group fell into silence again. They took out recovery pills, swallowed them, and even held spirit stones in their hands, drawing spiritual energy to restore their power.
Ji Yuan did the same. Although the Xuantian Shiling Tower stored a vast amount of pure spiritual energy, and his own spiritual power consumption was not particularly severe, under such conditions, it was best to maintain his state as much as possible, especially considering the unknown dangers and the fact that the people around him were not entirely safe.
However, when he saw Huang Tianci and the others casually take out several spirit stones, drawing spiritual energy without any hesitation or apparent concern for their cost, his expression subtly shifted.
In his memory, he had never seen or heard of any reclusive cultivators using spirit stones worth fifty taels of silver, over two hundred taels of white silver, one after another, without any heartache.
Furthermore, during their usage, they were not as cautious as Li Buwei, carefully drawing spiritual energy for fear of wasting any by drawing too quickly.
(PS: August has had some heart-related issues, and I've been feeling a bit unwell these past two days. I can only post six thousand characters today. I should be able to return to my daily ten thousand characters starting tomorrow. Please forgive me, esteemed readers!)