Chapter 244: Comparing Primordial Fire

Tian Feng's alchemy workshop was bustling with activity.

From yesterday until now, Tian Feng had already refined over ten batches of Soul Control Pills.

After all, he was a Pill King; he quickly got the hang of refining quasi-fourth-tier pills. After wasting four sets of materials, Tian Feng finally succeeded in refining the Soul Control Pill.

Of course, this was not without Ye Yuan's 'guidance'.

Refining soul-force pills was quite different from conventional pills. Without Ye Yuan's guidance, even if Tian Feng wasted ten sets of materials, he might not have produced a finished Soul Control Pill.

After four batches of pills, Tian Feng made one or two more mistakes. After ten batches, he basically made no more errors.

'As expected of the Supreme Elder, a Pill King, he mastered the Soul Control Pill with just over a dozen sets of materials. In the Supreme Elder's current state, the success rate for refining the Seven-Profound Soul Control Pill should be over sixty percent.'

Ye Yuan quietly offered a flattering remark, but Tian Feng's old face flushed red: 'I am merely a Pill King in name. If your master had not imparted the refining techniques and experience to you, I fear I would not have gotten the hang of it so quickly.'

Ye Yuan's guidance from the sidelines was, of course, under the guise of his 'master'.

Ye Yuan smiled without further explanation, instead saying, 'Strike while the iron is hot. Supreme Elder, first take the pill to recover your strength. Let's seize the moment while our feel is still fresh and forge ahead to refine the Seven-Profound Soul Control Pill successfully!'

Originally, Tian Feng was full of confidence, but upon hearing about refining the Seven-Profound Soul Control Pill, he couldn't help but waver with anxiety.

'Refine it now? But we only have one set of materials. Shouldn't we get more familiar with the Soul Control Pill first?'

At this moment, Tian Feng had none of the dignity of a Supreme Elder; he was like a child worried about whether he could get candy.

On the matter of whether refining was possible, naturally Ye Yuan had the final say.

'The Supreme Elder has already become very proficient with the Soul Control Pill and has passed the period of fastest improvement. Refining more won't have much effect. However, you've just finished refining over a dozen batches of Soul Control Pills and are in a hot state. Once you rest, it will be hard to find that feeling again. So I think it's better to refine it now,' Ye Yuan advised.

Tian Feng hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then gritted his teeth and said, 'Stretch out the neck for the knife, or shrink it for the knife—either way, it's the same! Let's do it!'

With that, Tian Feng swallowed a few pills and began to sit in meditation to regulate his breathing.

In the past, Tian Feng would never have heeded a junior's words so obediently, but over the past two days, Ye Yuan had conquered him with his profound knowledge.

Even though most of Ye Yuan's words were spoken under the guise of his 'master', the brilliance revealed between the lines was deeply felt by Tian Feng!

The master was formidable, and the disciple was equally formidable!

…

Two hours later, Tian Feng had adjusted his state to the optimum.

As the only Pill King of the Nethercloud Sect, Tian Feng's mental fortitude was naturally beyond question.

Having made up his mind to refine the Seven-Profound Soul Control Pill, Tian Feng no longer hesitated.

Wang Jie had already prepared the materials. Ye Yuan voluntarily acted as an assistant, leaving Wang Jie with nothing to do.

Preparation work was equally important for alchemy. Ye Yuan wasn't looking down on Wang Jie, but if he did the preparation, the success rate would obviously be higher.

Preparations had no realm restrictions, so Ye Yuan handled them with ease.

Ye Yuan's "hand-grasping extraction method" once again dazzled the two of them. When they saw the nearly perfect medicine embryo, Tian Feng's eyes went wide.

"Truly a great teacher produces a great student!" Tian Feng thought to himself.

Injecting the medicine embryo into the cauldron, Tian Feng's palm ignited a flame, ready to light the cauldron.

"Qianwu True Fire!" Ye Yuan named the flame at a glance.

"Haha, I didn't expect you to know Qianwu True Fire. Indeed, under my cultivation, it's about to advance to a fourth-rank primal flame!" Tian Feng said with some pride.

"Hmm... Supreme Elder, it might be better to use my primal flame for refining; it would be more certain." Ye Yuan said somewhat oddly.

"Oh? You also have a primal flame? It seems your fortune is deep indeed! But for alchemy, it's better to use one's own cultivated primal flame. You should know that, right?"

Tian Feng was trying to save face for Ye Yuan. He found it strange—how could Ye Yuan not know such basic common sense? Why would he make such a request?

Could it be that Ye Yuan's primal flame was better than his own? How was that possible? He was only at the Spirit Liquid Realm; having a second-rank primal flame would already be deep fortune.

Ye Yuan did not keep him in suspense long. Nodding, he said, "Of course I know, but using my primal flame for refining should be more certain."

Ye Yuan repeated himself, and a flame appeared in his palm as well.

When Tian Feng saw the pale yellow flame, he gasped. Wang Jie beside him also recognized Ye Yuan's primal flame, his eyes full of envy!

"Sigh... Jintan Sacred Flame! This... this... how is it possible?" Tian Feng's speech faltered.

"Heh, during the Boundless Trial at the Alchemy Academy, I happened upon some fortune." Ye Yuan said lightly.

It wasn't that Ye Yuan wanted to show off, but if Tian Feng used a fourth-rank primal flame, the success rate would obviously be higher.

Ye Yuan knew Tian Feng had a primal flame. He thought if it were fourth-rank, he wouldn't bring this up, but Tian Feng's primal flame indeed wasn't fourth-rank.

If Tian Feng had a fourth-rank primal flame, using Ye Yuan's would indeed be inferior to his own cultivated one. But third-rank... the grade was really lacking, let alone compared to the Jintan Sacred Flame, which was suitable for alchemy.

Tian Feng stared at the Jintan Sacred Flame in Ye Yuan's palm for a long time, then sighed deeply: "Truly, comparisons are odious! Back then, I risked my life to obtain Qianwu True Fire at the Sea of Energy Realm. You're only at the Spirit Liquid Realm, yet you already have the Jintan Sacred Flame—this is a primal flame that alchemists dream of!"

With that, Tian Feng quietly withdrew the Qianwu True Fire from his palm, clearly not intending to show it off.

Ye Yuan kept his eyes on Tian Feng's eyes. If he showed greed, Ye Yuan's fate with the Nethercloud Sect would end here.

Fortunately, Tian Feng did not disappoint him.

The fact that Ye Yuan possessed the Jintan Sacred Flame had already been known to Yao Qian, and it was only a matter of time before it reached Tian Feng's ears, so Ye Yuan did not hesitate to reveal it.

The Nethercloud Sect's rules stipulated that any heavenly treasures disciples obtained outside belonged to the disciples themselves, and others could not forcibly take them. If they couldn't use them, they could hand them over to the sect in exchange for contribution points.

If a sect plundered its disciples' fortunes wantonly, it would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, and such a sect would not be far from destruction.

"Heh, obtaining the primal flame was a narrow escape for me, a stroke of luck. Supreme Elder, shall we begin?" Ye Yuan glossed over it.

Tian Feng nodded and composed himself.

Ye Yuan summoned the Jintan Fire Lotus itself, which then ignited the cauldron, and Tian Feng began refining the Seven Profound Soul-Controlling Pill.