When Chen Pingan carried that huge pill furnace back, he felt many gazes on him. If it wasn’t for his thick skin, he wouldn’t have been able to handle the shame.
“The single room in the school is too narrow and I won’t be able to refine the pills there.”
He was mainly worried that the pill furnace would accidentally explode in the dormitory. If he caused the dormitory’s public property to be damaged, he would really be finished.
Although Yue Qing had repeatedly assured him that the pill furnace was still of excellent quality despite being used by her many times when she was younger.
However, Chen Pingan didn’t dare to take the risk. He still felt that the pill furnace wasn’t reliable and was something she gave him because she no longer needed it.
If the pill furnace did end up exploding, it would only be a small matter if he got injured. Damaging the school’s public property, however, would be a big matter, as it would have a negative impact on the school. When that happened, Uncle Xun would definitely fire him in a fit of anger!
He could not take this risk. After thinking about it, Chen Pingan figured that there was only one place that was the best choice.
“The roof of the building in the neighborhood is probably the best place for me to refine pills. The place is quite wide. Also, ever since the plaza was built, people rarely go up there anymore.”
After Chen Pingan made up his mind, he carried the ingredients and pill furnace to the neighborhood without stopping.
It was two o’clock in the afternoon when he arrived at the neighborhood. It was the hottest time of the day and there were not many residents loitering outside.
Chen Pingan quickly ran into the building he used to live in. He carried the pill furnace and climbed up to the roof in one breath. He placed the pill furnace properly and took out the medicinal ingredients that were stored in the pill furnace. He placed them on the ground according to the formula.
After doing all of this, he looked at the medicinal herbs on the ground and lightly sighed.
Chen Pingan was prepared and was ready to start refining pills.
Success or failure would be determined in a moment.
“These ingredients should be enough for two refinements.”
Chen Pingan calmed down slightly and placed his hand gently on the pill furnace. A chill traveled through his skin and into his body.
He took out a small piece of fire fuel that he had prepared beforehand. It was about the size of a fist. This kind of fire fuel was very special. The outer layer was black while the inner layer was dark red. In order to ignite it, one had to rely on the Spirit Qi in the body.
Even if one’s Spirit Qi was not of the fire attribute, one could still ignite the fire fuel.
Slap.
Chen Pingan had just forced out the Spirit Qi that was floating in his body. The moment it came into contact with the fire fuel, blue flames burst out.
He used his Spirit Sense to move the blue flame into the furnace.
Chen Pingan continuously extracted a strand of Spirit Qi from his body as he maintained the size of the blue flame. The cold furnace gradually warmed up.
Seeing the pill furnace turn red, he panicked for a moment and hastily threw in the first medicinal ingredient.
Puchi!
As soon as the first medicinal ingredient entered the pill furnace, it immediately burned to ashes. A burning smell came from the pill furnace.
“Ah! I ruined it!”
Chen Pingan watched helplessly as the precious ingredient turned into ashes in front of his eyes. His heart ached.
His first attempt ended in failure. From the beginning until now, less than a minute had passed.
Chen Pingan looked at the black ash in the furnace and sighed silently. He had been too anxious just now.
He repeated the pill refinement process in his mind. The formula said that when the first ingredient was placed into the pill furnace, the heat couldn’t be too high. He had panicked and forgotten about it.
“Sigh!”
He tidied up his complicated feelings and cleaned up the black ashes in the cauldron, preparing to start his second try.
“I only have one more chance. If I fail after this… I will have to borrow money from Brother Xiong again.”
Chen Pingan cheered himself on as he silently thought of a backup plan. Luckily, he still had Brother Xiong to rely on!
Now having experienced it once, he was even more proficient in controlling the flame this time as he slowly raised the temperature of the pill furnace.
Chen Pingan did not wait for the surface of the pill furnace to turn red before throwing in the first medicinal ingredient. When it fell into the pill furnace, a muffled sound was heard.
He was startled, but he didn’t stop. He slowly raised the flame and stared at the medicinal ingredient inside the pill furnace. Fortunately, it wasn’t burnt.
“Thank goodness, thank goodness. It worked!”
Under the burning of the flames, the medicinal ingredient was transforming and started to compress. In the end, the Vermillion Bird Grass had shrunk into a puddle of water, which meant that it was time.
Chen Pingan swiftly added the second ingredient into the mix, and when the water shaped Vermillion Bird Grass encountered the Peony Petal, it instantly turned into a frozen water residue as it fused with Peony Petal.
He observed the movements inside the pill furnace while controlling the temperature.
Under the stimulation of the flame, the two medicinal ingredients in the pill furnace gradually fused together, forming the embryonic form of a round pill.
Chen Pingan recalled the requirements mentioned in the Spirit Gathering Pill formula. It stated that when the pill was in its embryonic form, one needed to slowly adjust the flame and take this opportunity to put in the third ingredient.
Time slowly passed as he refined the pill. Towards the end, his control over the flame became more and more proficient. He even did not need to deliberately recall the steps of the formula and could control the size of the flame by observing the color and smell of the medicinal ingredients.
“Now, I just have to add the last ingredient.”
Beads of sweat appeared on Chen Pingan’s forehead as he stared at the five smooth pills inside the pill furnace. They were jade green in color, small and exquisite. They floated inside the pill furnace, full of spirituality.
Taking advantage of the fading heat, he threw the last ingredient into the pill furnace. The five quiet pills began to stir restlessly.
At this moment, lightning suddenly flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky with the scorching sun. Several bolts of lightning flashed in the sky above Yang City. They were like numerous sharp swords, flashing with glaring lights!
“Didn’t the weather forecast say that it wouldn’t rain today?”
Chen Pingan cast a doubtful glance at the changes in the sky. Then, he looked at the pills that were fusing in the furnace and mumbled unconsciously.
“As long as the lightning doesn’t hit my pill furnace, I don’t care if it’s raining.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a bolt of lightning flashed past!
Chen Pingan raised his head in confusion. He felt that the bolt of lightning was so close to him it could have almost hit him.
Chen Pingan felt as if something bad was about to happen.
He quickly retreated before suddenly turning around, realizing that he had forgotten to carry something.
“Pill furnace! My pill furnace!”
Before Chen Pingan could take another step, a bolt of lightning struck the pill furnace that was in the midst of completing the final step of the fusion!
Boom!
The pill furnace that Yue Qing claimed to be of excellent quality and had a long history exploded the moment the lightning struck it. All of a sudden, fragments started flying everywhere.
The rooftop was damaged as dust was raised everywhere. The smoke was hazy and there was a pungent burnt smell.
After the lightning struck down, the lightning and thunder in the sky strangely disappeared without a trace.
On a torn down rooftop, there was a person standing alone with a silly expression.
After the lightning disappeared for a long time, Chen Pingan’s body finally moved. He lowered his head and looked at the few black coal balls that were rolling around his feet. He could vaguely tell that they were the pills he had just refined.
He opened his mouth but no words came out.
After a long time.
“My pills! Damn it, who triggered the lightning and thunder!”
Chen Pingan started to wail. The remaining medicinal ingredients were not spared and were completely turned into black ash by the lightning.
Now, both the pills and the medicinal ingredients were gone. The legendary pill furnace of superb quality was also broken. There was nothing left.. This was truly a double loss!