Nine Astra Skies

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu were both rather reserved at first, but when they saw how Little Wingsy was ravenously gobbling down the food, they gave in to their appetites. After having some fish, they gulped down an entire bowl of soup. Their bellies were warm and cozy Celestial Chi spread throughout their limbs and vessels.

Just one bowl of the Purple-gold Divine Fish fish head soup was enough to rejuvenate a person!

Ye Chen also finished a bowl of fish head soup, sensing the warmth and strength in his body. His Celestial Chi was wildly circulating and the Nine Astra Chi Circles in his dantian were revolving rapidly, absorbing all of the medicinal powers contained in the Purple-gold Divine Fish soup. The volume of Celestial Chi rose quickly and a change came over the Nine Astra Chi Circles. In the Chi Vortex of the Wood-type Celestial Chi, a grain-sized bead was slowly condensed. Soon, the other Chi Vortexes followed suit.

Metal, Wood, Water, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Lightning – these seven types of Celestial Chi formed into beads. As for the Fire-type and Ice-type beads, they grew one size larger.

Ye Chen's Celestial Chi had risen from mid-Tenth Level to top Tenth Level. Now, there was only a fine line that separated him from Earthly Venerable Rank fighters. Even if he had encountered a beginner Earthly Venerable One, Ye Chen would dare to fight them!

Not too long ago, Ye Chen had reached mid-Tenth Level. Now, he had reached the top Tenth Level. Indeed, this Purple-gold Divine Fish soup was impressive.

There was only a fine line separating top Tenth Level and Earthly Venerable Rank fighters. Still, it would take some time to break through this barrier.

The medicinal properties of the Purple-gold Divine Fish would accumulate in Ye Chen's body. In the next few years, these properties would constantly take effect, helping Ye Chen to break through the Tenth Level and stand among the Earthly Venerable Ones. However, the effect was not powerful enough to help him break through to the Earthly Venerable Rank in one night.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu ate some of the Purple-gold Divine Fish, tasted the other fishes, then placed down their chopsticks one after another.

Ye Chen looked at Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu, puzzled. "Master, Senior Brother Li, why have you stopped eating?"

"We've had a lot already. If we eat more, we won't be able to digest the medicinal properties, and it'd be a waste." Master Apothecary Xuanyi gave a dry smile. He knew that if he ate more, he would not be able to absorb everything. How could he bear to pick up his chopsticks again? Getting to dine at Ye Chen's all-fish feast had already entailed that he and Li Xu now owed Ye Chen a good turn.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu still could not loosen up. However, since they had absorbed enough medicinal properties, Ye Chen would not press the matter. After Ye Chen continued eating with Little Tanuki for a moment, he stopped as well. They were full now. Only Little Wingsy was still eating, smacking his lips with a satisfied look on his face.

"Big Brother Ye Chen, Big Sister Little Tanuki, why have you stopped eating?" Little Wingsy's mouth was stuffed with a huge piece of fish and his cheeks bulged as he spoke.

"We're full. Little Wingsy, you may finish the rest." Ye Chen smiled. He had eaten a lot of fish and two large bowls of fish soup. By now, he felt his stomach was bloating. Moreover, the medicinal properties of the fishes and the soup were enough to last his digestion for two months. Plus, there were still some fishes left in the armguard's space.

"I'll polish this off then!" Little Wingsy ate incessantly. He picked up the massive pot of Purple-gold Divine Fish soup from the table's center and tipped it into his mouth. Gulp, gulp, gulp. The pot which was as large as a washbowl still contained more than half a pot of fish soup. It was all poured down Little Wingsy's gullet and not a drop was spilled.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu were somewhat speechless. Was Little Wingsy a water buffalo?

Soon, the fishes on the table had been polished off by Little Wingsy and the soup was finished too. Even the food residue left on the plates were licked clean by Little Wingsy.

"It's too tasty. There's just not enough," Little Wingsy said, evidently not fully satiated.

Everyone was stupefied. Little Wingsy could eat so much, yet Ye Chen was not broke from feeding him! When Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu thought about how Ye Chen could miraculously bring out all those precious herbs, they were rather relieved.

In the past, Master Apothecary Xuanyi had thought that he was very wealthy. The medicinal pills he had refined and produced in three years' time were enough to earn him tens of millions of Chi-amassing Pills. Purchasing a part of the Xiwu Empire would not be a problem. However, he paled in comparison to a person like Ye Chen who used the Purple-gold Divine Fish to make fish stew. Although Master Apothecary Xuanyi did not know how much Ye Chen had on him, he could roughly guess that all of his assets put together was not even a tenth of Ye Chen's.

After the all-fish feast, Master Apothecary Xuanyi was hard at work again. As for Ye Chen, he began refining and producing pills for the first time, under the guidance of Li Xu.

Ye Chen was using ordinary alchemy methods to refine and produce Chi-amassing Pills!

"The process of alchemy is very complex, requiring an alchemy assistant to stoke the fire at one side. I'll help you get an alchemy assistant," Li Xu said.

"Let Little Tanuki and Little Wingsy try it," Ye Chen said with a chuckle.

"Can they handle it?" Alchemy assistants had been trained with at least two to three years of experience. Only then would they know what sort of fire was required for a particular stage. Nonetheless, since this was Ye Chen's first time refining and producing pills, Chi-amassing Pills at that, failing would not matter much. After a few failures, Ye Chen would understand the importance of an alchemy assistant. Thus, Li Xu nodded after some thought. "Then, we'll let Little Wingsy and Little Tanuki try it."

Little Wingsy and Little Tanuki looked quite excited. They were in charge of lighting the fire and adding firewood. To them, this was a rather interesting task. They stuffed a huge pile of firewood below the refining furnace and lit the fire. The flames started to rage.

Li Xu was teaching Ye Chen to handle the herb mixture properly. This was Ye Chen's first time, so he did not use much herb mixture, only about a hundred portions. When Li Xu turned back and saw that Little Wingsy and Little Tanuki were playing with the fire, he cried out hurriedly, "Little Wingsy, Little Tanuki, starting the fire too early is a bad thing!"

Li Xu smiled wryly. Little Wingsy and Little Tanuki were not treating alchemy seriously!

"It's alright, Senior Brother Li. Let them have their fun." Conversely, Ye Chen smiled and shook his head.

"In general, refining Chi-amassing Pills would need about a hundred and twenty breaths of preheating. That would be best. Preheating too early would heat up the furnace too much, causing the herb mixture to burn when you put it in. In the process of refining and producing medicinal pills, each detail has strict requirements. It's fine to fail a few times on your first attempt. By knowing why you fail, you'll gain experience for future endeavors in alchemy," Li Xu admonished. Alchemy was not a simple matter!

Ye Chen was stunned and asked, "Must it be a hundred and twenty breaths?" The book had not mentioned this.

"It isn't always a hundred and twenty breaths. It's also based on the rate the alchemy assistant adds firewood. With high heat, the preheating time has to be shorter. With low heat, it needs to be longer. This is all based on experience. Also, one must consider the alchemist's mastery of Celestial Chi, their grasp of Fire-type Celestial Chi, and so on. You'll have to get a feel of all this yourself," Li Xu said. "During your first attempt at alchemy, failure is common but you must learn a lesson from that failure."

Li Xu had refined and produced Chi-amassing Pills a few thousand times. Experience was the greatest teacher, so a hundred and twenty breaths might not be completely baseless.

What one had learned on paper was superficial. To truly learn something, practical experience was necessary!

The process of alchemy was much more complicated than what was written in the books.

"Yes, Senior Brother Li." Ye Chen nodded seriously.

Li Xu listed down each step and every necessary procedure at each point of time for refining and producing Chi-amassing Pills, explaining everything to Ye Chen. Ye Chen attentively listened to all of it. The knowledge of alchemy was not as simple as it seemed indeed!

After placing the herb mixture into the refining furnace, Ye Chen sat on the east side of the furnace. He was very close to the fire and could feel the scorching heat on his face.

"Circulate your Fire-type Celestial Chi and use it to control the flames and the inner temperature of the furnace. At this point, you may also cultivate and improve your own Fire-type Celestial Chi. Make sure not to burn the herb mixture!" Li Xu stood by one side, advising Ye Chen.

Ye Chen allowed his Fire-type Celestial Chi to exude outward and merge with the roaring flames. Gradually, he had entered meditative absorption. At this moment, Ye Chen felt that he had become a mass of ferocious flames, burning between heaven and earth.

As Ye Chen monitored the temperature in the furnace, he wondered how the herb mixture was doing in the furnace.

Whether it was Master Apothecary Xuanyi or Li Xu, they would use their Fire-type Celestial Chi to control the furnace's temperature during the alchemy process. By allowing Fire-type Celestial Chi to enter the refining furnace and induce changes in the herb mixture, they had completed the refining of the pill. While they were releasing their Fire-type Celestial Chi, they had no inkling as to what was going on in the furnace. At this point, what one had learned from experience, thus, became a crucial factor.

With Ye Chen's thought, his Astral Body reached into the refining furnace. It was like opening the third eye. He saw every transformation that the herb mixture in the furnace was undergoing.

"Oh no, the heat is too high!" Ye Chen saw that the herb mixture showed signs of charring and immediately used Fire-type Celestial Chi to subdue the temperature of the furnace.

Wisps of Fire-type Celestial Chi soothed the herb mixture.

When he was refining and producing pills in the armguard's space, Ye Chen had used his Astral Body to do so. Now, he was using his Fire-type Celestial Chi. He could sense the subtle differences between these two methods of alchemy.

After some pondering, Ye Chen formed his reflections about ordinary alchemy methods.

The majority of Beginner and Intermediate Apothecaries followed a consistent set of rules while refining and producing pills but lacked personal understanding. Inadvertently, Ye Chen was now on another level compared to them.

After more than an hour, Li Xu, who had been helping Master Apothecary Xuanyi with his herb mixture cast a glance at Ye Chen. A flabbergasted look came across his face. The herb mixture which Ye Chen had placed in the refining furnace was not burnt. It was puzzling indeed. After all, Little Wingsy and Little Tanuki who were stoking the fire were both novices! Li Xu considered Ye Chen's astonishing control over his Celestial Chi. Could it be that Ye Chen had already grasped the key to alchemy during his first attempt?

"He'll go far in life!" On one side, Master Apothecary Xuanyi sighed ruefully. Back during his first attempt at alchemy, he had failed in merely ten minutes. It was only after a few hundred failures that he somewhat got the knack for refining and producing pills.

"Ye Chen's powerful control over his Celestial Chi is rarely seen in this world and he has such astounding perception. Master, perhaps you may return to your sect someday!" Li Xu looked at Master Apothecary Xuanyi delightfully.

Master Apothecary Xuanyi gave a languid sigh. This sigh alone contained so much desolation and helplessness. "I no longer expect things but leave it up to fate."

Ye Chen was now immersed in alchemy. If he wanted to successfully refine and produce a batch of Chi-amassing Pills, he would need three full days. Master Apothecary Xuanyi and Li Xu had resumed their work as well, refining and producing medicinal pills. They were working on Human Tier soul pills above Tier Nine, which were extremely valuable. The alchemy process was also much more complex.

Ordinary medicinal pills were divided into nine tiers. Anything above Tier Nine was considered a soul pill, which could be further divided into three tiers - Human Tier, Earthly Tier, and Heavenly Tier. Each soul pill, even the lowest Human Tier, was a rare treasure.