"Three Revolutions Divine Dew Pill..."
Immersed in contemplation, Ji Yuan murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with intense light.
The six pill recipes he had comprehended previously, while all classified as spirit pills, were mainly for detoxification and replenishment, lacking any extraordinary effects. Their complexity lay solely in their intricate medicinal theories.
However, the recipe he was now comprehending was different. It was a top-tier healing spirit pill, known as the Three Revolutions Divine Dew Pill!
This pill was exceptionally complex and difficult to comprehend in its medicinal theories and refining techniques, but its effects were beyond imagination, far surpassing any other pill recipes Ji Yuan had learned from the Grand Dao Script or acquired.
Having only comprehended a portion of it, he was already certain that this pill was at least an eighth-grade, or even a seventh-grade pill!
Once pills were classified, they were divided into nine grades. Each grade, in terms of refining difficulty and medicinal efficacy, represented a significant leap.
This was especially true after the third grade, where each advancement was a vast difference, like that between heaven and earth!
All the pill recipes Ji Yuan currently mastered were ninth-grade pills. Although they could also be called spirit pills, their medicinal effects were at the lowest tier.
The recipe he was now comprehending could at least produce an eighth-grade pill, and even a seventh-grade was not impossible!
Most importantly, this pill seemed to possess miraculous effects in healing. Based on the parts he had comprehended, consuming just one pill would, as long as the person was still alive, allow them to recover from all injuries in the shortest possible time.
At the very least, injuries sustained by cultivators in the Spirit Awakening realm could be completely healed in an extremely short period, regardless of severity, with the efficacy of this pill.
Even for cultivators in the Dao Enlightenment realm, it possessed potent effects, capable of providing excellent healing for any injury not involving the Dao itself.
The only drawback was that the spiritual herbs required for this pill were exceedingly precious, and its refining techniques were two to three times more difficult than other spirit pills of the same grade.
Despite the difficulty, if successfully refined, it would undoubtedly be well worth the effort.
"This technique... it bears some resemblance to the Water Refining Art..."
Ji Yuan's brow furrowed slightly as he discovered that the refining method for the Three Revolutions Divine Dew Pill shared a similar concept with the rumored Water Refining Art.
Although the two were vastly different, incomparable like heaven and earth, he still surmised that the refining method for this pill must have originated from the Water Refining Art.
This discovery piqued his interest, and he delved deeper into its comprehension, occasionally referencing the Grand Dao Script in his hands.
More than an hour passed in the blink of an eye. As he was about to complete the entire pill recipe, a flash of inspiration struck Ji Yuan, and the contents of the previous six pill recipes surfaced in his mind.
Excluding the required spiritual herbs and their medicinal theories, the refining techniques of the seven pill recipes had a subtle similarity.
Although each method differed, they gave a sense of a common origin, as if they were meant to be the same.
A speculation quietly emerged in his heart, and he immediately completed the comprehension of the seventh pill recipe.
As light coalesced at the top of the cylindrical object, the white jade beneath Ji Yuan's feet began to display formation patterns. Then, before he could even react, his vision blurred, and a sensation of weightlessness washed over him.
After an indeterminate period, perhaps a few breaths, perhaps longer, as the strange sensations subsided, his vision gradually returned to normal.
Ji Yuan quickly surveyed his surroundings and hurriedly got to his feet, his internal magical energy already poised for action.
However, with just a glance, he was momentarily stunned. His mind immediately recalled the academy he had often looked at with envy from atop the courtyard wall.
At this moment, he found himself in a courtyard, surrounded by flowerbeds. In this elegant and beautiful setting, ten desks were arranged, each equipped with writing materials and an incense burner.
Wisps of blue smoke rose from the incense burners, filling the air with a gentle, elegant fragrance. Just inhaling it was invigorating, seeming to dispel all fatigue from mind and body.
Currently, three individuals were already seated at desks in the courtyard. Despite the calming and fatigue-relieving aroma from the incense burners, they were still sweating profusely, their faces appearing somewhat pale.
Ji Yuan's brow furrowed slightly. After looking around, he focused his gaze on the desks. After a moment of deliberation, he moved to a desk in the corner.
He slowly sat down on the cushion, and then a halo of light appeared before him. A voice, neither distinctly male nor female, quietly sounded in his ear.
After a while, Ji Yuan's expression became somewhat peculiar. His gaze fell upon a white paper on the desk, and then runes began to appear.
The voice that had spoken previously instructed him to not only decipher the questions formed by the runes but also to provide corresponding answers. The more correct answers he provided, the higher his score would be.
There was no fixed standard for passing here. Only when one reached their own limit would it be determined whether they were qualified to pass.
"Who is judging?"
Ji Yuan murmured silently to himself, a strange glint flashing deep within his eyes.
Suddenly, he recalled the cave dwelling he had explored not long ago, where he had obtained the Myriad Source Manifestation Divine Technique. A trace of divine consciousness, preserved for thousands of years, was sealed there.
It was possible that this water mansion might have a similar situation. After all, even though the alchemical grandmaster only possessed a cultivation of the third realm, with his wealth and means, achieving such a feat would not be too difficult.
However, the exact circumstances were not something Ji Yuan needed to ponder at the moment. His top priority was to do his utmost to pass the trial before him.
He then opened the Grand Dao Script in his hand, and using the principles of the Dao that appeared within, he began to decipher the runes on the white paper, followed by answering them with his own alchemical knowledge.
Soon, he understood why the other three individuals looked so pale. The runes on the white paper far exceeded the scope of rigorous study for cultivators in the Spirit Awakening realm.
Even a cultivator in the Dao Enlightenment realm might find it somewhat troublesome here, he suspected.
However, with the Grand Dao Script in hand, while these were still extremely profound and unfathomable to him, they were not entirely incomprehensible. In fact, as he continuously cross-referenced, he gradually became engrossed in the feeling of comparing and deciphering.
He had already experienced this peculiar sensation earlier when he was comprehending and piecing together the complete and correct pill recipe. He couldn't help but lose himself in it, forgetting the passage of time and everything else.
This was one of the reasons why, despite the tediousness of cultivation, countless cultivators persisted. Apart from longevity, the feeling of immersing oneself in the comprehension of the Great Dao was something that deeply captivated them.
Before long, Ji Yuan held the Grand Dao Script in one hand and picked up the brush on the desk with the other, beginning to answer the questions formed by the runes.
However, as he put down the brush, he couldn't help but pause. The answer he had just written quietly dissipated, leaving no trace on the paper.
He soon understood and, accordingly, used runes to write. This time, after he put down the brush, the ink remained on the paper and did not dissipate.
Thus, he continued to decipher the runes and provide answers using runes. With the Grand Dao Script in hand, he not only did not feel excessively tired but instead became increasingly invigorated, with many profound insights into the Dao surfacing in his mind.
These insights were not limited to alchemy but extended to various other directions, including cultivation, rune techniques, sword dao, and more. Many aspects that he previously knew the "what" but not the "why" were now becoming clear.
Unbeknownst to Ji Yuan, this was also a form of cultivation. He was answering alchemical questions and comprehending alchemical principles, but the runes themselves did not belong to any specific principle.
The Great Dao of heaven and earth was myriad, yet runes were singular. They represented the principles of the Dao but did not belong to any single one.
As he continuously deciphered the runes, his realm also deepened, and his understanding and comprehension of the Great Dao became increasingly proficient.
This not only brought numerous benefits to alchemy but was also a unique form of cultivation. As time passed, his own realm would become more profound, greatly benefiting his future comprehension of techniques and so on.
Unconsciously, all the questions on the white paper were answered by him, a process that took only half an hour.
Upon finishing the last rune, the white paper before him suddenly emitted a soft halo of light. Then, the ink on it converged, transforming into a small black fish that swam freely above the desk.
Shortly after, runes reappeared on the white paper, presenting new questions.
Seeing this, a slight curve formed on Ji Yuan's lips. He seemed to be somewhat addicted to the process of continuously deciphering runes, then answering them with his acquired knowledge, and constantly cross-validating them.
(PS: After two days of consideration, and with the doctor's advice, I have made this decision. From today until the end of the month, the daily output will be temporarily six thousand characters, and it will return to ten thousand characters per day on December 1st. My heart indeed has serious problems, and the situation has worsened significantly these past few days, requiring a few days of careful rest. I apologize to all the esteemed readers who are following the story. I will strive to recover as quickly as possible in August!)