Chapter 222: Grade 4 promotion-2

"You successfully managed to carry out the first phase. I guess it's time for you to move on to the next phase of the concoction."

"I need to blend the various sections properly first. I found incredible things during my research. Alchemist generally assumes that individual refining of herbs is the best way to remove the impurities from any herbal essence. I found it to be a false assumption."

"According to my findings, even herbal essence themselves could bring about the hidden impurities within other types of herbal essence. This is the reason behind the complementary behavior. I tried out refining the herbs individually, with blends and then pill refining in both situations."

"The second assumption turned out to be correct." The Keeper finished Lu Ming's sentence. He had an indescribable feeling within his heart every time he looked at Lu Ming. Every time he looked at the new lord, he couldn't help but contempt the fate he had to pass through to reach this place.

Their young lord was a character who was not only an extremely upright person but had a unique blend of personalities. His ruthlessness, cunningness, and presence of mind had always astonished him. As he expected, his young lord experimented with every knowledge he possessed, and finally what stood before them was another miracle in the domain of pill refining.

"What would the next step be?" The Keeper enquired.

"I would require sometime before the impurities present vanishes completely. The essence produced at that time would be the best possible outcome for us."

Lu Ming continued the refining process and time slowly passed.

...............…

Incense sticks later-

All the alchemists except for Lu Ming had already begun with the pill concoction. Pill concoction had three phases as well. The first phase was to blend all the different components one by one with each other. Once the blend is complete, what is obtained can be called a raw pill liquid.

Although the pill liquid is the base of the pill to be formed, the effect it held was not comparable to the final product. The reason behind it is the fact that the liquid doesn't have the proper mixture of herbs yet. The second step within the concoction is where the proper mixing takes place.

This process involves the compression of the pill liquid into circular balls which are the perfect blends. These small pill balls can only be formed with the help of adequate fire and soul energy. The alchemist uses his fire energy to encapsulate the balls, and soul energy to compress them. 

Once the compression is complete, the last part involves the creation of an outer covering that would coat the whole pill balls and result in the pills we desire. A humongous amount of soul energy was consumed throughout the process. 

The concoction of a pill consumed a lot of time and hence people were surprised to see that Lu Ming was just about to begin the concoction. The mood once again began to shift against him.

"I guess my earlier expectations were not accurate enough. No matter how flashy you are, if you don't even manage to complete the pill you want to concoct, you are bound to lose."

"In contrast, Teng Huan is much better. He has already reached the second phase of Pill Concoction. From the herbs he had utilized, it must be an ancient recipe possessed by the Teng Family. He is sure to win this round."

................

"Just what is this boy doing? Individual refining is already complete. He should move on to the next step. The recipe in preparation seems to be a tough one. Why did he choose it?" The hall master was impatient. Although the earlier comment by the first elder managed to calm her down, the pace at which Lu Ming was proceeding seems to irritate her.

Even the first elder ceased from commenting on this topic. He was starting to have some doubts about Lu Ming's approach to the concoction. Although Lu Ming was going for an enhanced version of the recipe, the refining of herbs is taking too much time. He did speculate that Lu Ming must be trying to achieve something, but the time wouldn't permit it.

"Just complete the pill formation. Even if you are not the first rank holder, it is good enough if you rank within the top 3."

"He would lose the chance to enter the land of fire." The hall-master spoke up.

"I will take care of that. I have not appeared within the valley for a long time, but the resources which should be allocated to the grand elder must have piled up. I can use it as a front to allow this brat to enter the land of fire." The hall-master was shocked to hear her master's words.

The first elder was one of the grand elders of the Pill valley. The resource allocation was humongous and hence, given the time he was absent from his position, the pile should be quite vast. Yet he was willing to exchange it for her junior brother. It seemed too unfair. She knew her master's mentality. He would go to any lengths to provide for his disciples.

"You need to win this competition, Ming."

........................

Lu Ming finally entered the pill concoction phase. The secret behind refining the herbal essence for so long was revealed once the blend was formed. The rate at which the pill blend formed was astonishing. It readily combines to form a lustrous and sweet-smelling liquid.

Lu Ming could be said to have skipped the first step and directly entered the compressions stage. 

"The blend should be enough to form around 15 pills. From the looks of it, you can form perfect grade 3 pills. Your win will be secured in this round."

"Who said I was going to take a perfect grade-3 pill?"

"What are you trying to achieve this time?" The Keeper asked with an inquiring tone.

"Just watch the whole process carefully."

Lu Ming instantly released his soul energy which soon encapsulated the whole room. The subtle change was noticed by the elders present and they looked at Lu Ming.

"What is this boy trying to do?"

"He is using such a large amount of soul power just to form a grade-3 pill. I guess his pill concoction technique is not good enough.". Many of the inner elders shared this point of view. Unknown to them, Lu Ming was trying to do something way insane.

The audience-

"This bastard. Is he insane?" The first elder couldn't help but clench his teeth."

"What happened, master?" The hall-master was surprised at the first elder's reaction.

"Your younger brother is trying to suppress all the pills that blend into one pill. What do you think he is trying to achieve?" Even the hall master was surprised upon hearing this. A sudden conjecture hit her mind and she continued with a shocked expression:

"He is trying for a level promotion.".

..........................

The extreme usage of soul power allowed Lu Ming to compress the whole blend into one pill. The power radiating from it was quite out of control. He madly started to use his Qi and soul energy, and finally managed to create an outer covering for the pill.

The cauldron blasted with a single spherical pebble flying out of it, which Lu Ming caught in his hands. The luster given out by it was extraordinary and something he had never felt before.

"Grade-4" The Keeper spoke in an excited voice.