Chapter 78: Return of the Mysterious Pill

## Chapter 78: The Return Profound Pill Succeeds

The alchemical pill entered his mouth and instantly dissolved.

Soon, its potent medicinal power surged through his body like a cool, clear spring, washing away all vestiges of fatigue. Moreover, this pill's effects unexpectedly soothed the stabbing pain in his mind sea. The decline in soul force brought on by pill refinement was gradually mending under the nourishment of the medicine.

Two hours later, he exhaled a turbid breath, then flipped himself upright. With a thought, he summoned forth his True Flame and cast it into the pill furnace.

"Calm the heart, still the mind," Ye Chen admonished himself inwardly.

Soon, the first batch of spirit herbs was cast in.

The sting of previous failures made him extraordinarily meticulous this time. Each step was executed with extreme caution.

This time, the refinement of the Return Profound Pill proceeded to the final stages, only to fail once more at the crucial last step.

Undeterred, he pressed on.

Ye Chen summoned his remaining strength. Each step was performed with painstaking slowness, causing him to gradually lose track of time. Although he continued to fail, his technique had clearly become far more refined than before.

Not far off, Xu Fu’s eyes fluttered open again. He glanced at the pile of spirit herb ashes beneath the pill furnace.

"In the past, I consumed ninety-three portions of spirit herbs just to refine one Return Profound Pill. Ye Chen, you…?" Muttering to himself, Xu Fu returned to his state of feigned slumber.

*Buzz!*

The pill furnace trembled again. Ye Chen had failed for the twentieth time.

"This old man doesn't believe it!" Gritting his teeth, he offered no rest, and once again summoned his True Flame.

***

This was a spiritual peak within the inner sect, shrouded in swirling spiritual energy. The disciples of Heng Yue Sect called it Jade Maiden Peak.

At the peak’s summit, Chu Xuan’er sat cross-legged, quietly cultivating.

Behind her, a graceful figure approached, trailing that uniquely feminine and alluring fragrance.

"Ling’er, why have you run off again?" Feeling Chu Ling’er’s arrival, Chu Xuan’er rose, not forgetting to lightly tap Chu Ling’er’s forehead. "Slacking off again!"

"Where have I been?" Chu Ling’er chuckled mischievously, then looked around, seemingly searching for something.

"Searching for what?"

"Sister, I heard you took on a disciple in the outer sect. Where is he? Bring him out, let me see. I want to know what kind of talent can catch your eye."

"He's still in the outer sect," Chu Xuan’er smiled lightly. "That one is indeed a rather interesting little fellow. My test for him is to enter the inner sect. If he can't even pass this, then there's nothing more to say."

Saying this, Chu Xuan’er didn’t forget to give Chu Ling’er a nudge, urging, "Hurry back and enter closed-door cultivation! Don't run out again."

"I know, I know," Chu Ling’er grumbled inwardly but obediently left.

***

"Pill out!" Late at night, a hoarse voice echoed within the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

"Refined it so quickly?" A sleeping Xu Fu was startled awake. He flipped out of his slumber and appeared by Ye Chen’s side in a single step.

Looking at Ye Chen again, he had already seized the alchemical pill that had flown from the furnace.

Perhaps from sheer exhaustion, upon grasping the spirit pill, he staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground. His complexion was ashen, his eye sockets sunken and filled with bloodshot, his jaw lined with stubble, and his face bore a look of weariness.

Xu Fu made his move, sending a ray of spiritual light into Ye Chen’s body, which finally steadied his feet.

"Refined it, refined it!" Disregarding his body’s fatigue, Ye Chen’s heart was filled with joy as he gazed at the Return Profound Pill in his hand.

This pill was not as smooth and lustrous as the one Xu Fu had refined. It was even somewhat pitted, and the purple mist swirling around it was sporadic, and the single stripe upon it was hazy and indistinct.

Nevertheless, even so, he felt immense satisfaction. After all, this was his first attempt at pill refinement, and it was understandable that it wouldn't be as good as Xu Fu's.

Xu Fu had already taken the Return Profound Pill and didn't forget to cast a glance at the remaining spirit herbs.

"Only used forty portions of spirit herbs to refine the Return Profound Pill." A flicker of surprise, almost imperceptible, flashed through his eyes. Xu Fu was genuinely shocked. "Even that old man Dan Chen, when he first refined a pill, used nearly seventy portions! This boy…"

Although Ye Chen's result far exceeded his expectations, he still maintained a stern face and uttered, "You barely pass, but the quality of your Return Profound Pill is too crude. You still need time to hone your skills."

"Understood, understood," Ye Chen chuckled.

"Since it's the first pill you've refined, eat it!" Xu Fu returned the Return Profound Pill to Ye Chen.

"Mm!"

Ye Chen nodded heavily, holding the first pill he had personally refined. He then opened his mouth and swallowed it.

Soon, the medicinal power of the Return Profound Pill melted within his body. His depleted True Qi was rapidly replenished. This dense essence was indeed far superior to the Jade Spirit Liquid. This was the vast difference between Jade Spirit Liquid and a spirit pill.

"Go and rest! Continue tomorrow," Xu Fu left with these words, disappearing from the spot. An ethereal voice then drifted back, "Clean up the pill furnace thoroughly, especially the residue."

"Understood," Ye Chen was in high spirits. He immediately removed the lid of the pill furnace and then flipped himself inside.

The night sky was profound, broken stars like dust.

The Spirit Pill Pavilion was quiet. Only the sound of light footsteps broke the silence of the night.

It was a woman, emerging from a side hall within the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

Her robes fluttered, and she walked with grace. Three thousand strands of black hair swayed without wind. She possessed a breathtakingly beautiful face, yet it was filled with a coldness that kept people a thousand miles away. Her entire demeanor was like that of an ice lotus.

This female disciple was the chief disciple of the Spirit Pill Pavilion, Qi Yue.

"Still haven't broken through to the True Yang Realm after this closed-door cultivation," she murmured softly, a hint of unwillingness flashing in her beautiful eyes.

"Mm?"

As she passed by the pill furnace, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. She heard a rustling sound from within.

"Who's there? Come out," Qi Yue's voice was cold.

Soon, a dirty, black hand emerged from inside, followed by the head of Ye Chen, who was covered in soot.

Seeing his state, Qi Yue's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. "Who are you? Why are you in the Spirit Pill Pavilion? What are you doing inside the pill furnace?"

Hearing her words, Ye Chen flipped out of the furnace and chuckled, "I'm the odd-job helper Elder Xu found."

Looking at the completely blackened Ye Chen, and especially sensing his eighth-layer Condensing Qi cultivation, Qi Yue's delicate brows furrowed further. "Do your odd jobs, but don't randomly touch things in the Spirit Pill Pavilion."

"Ur!"

Seeing the frosty expression on Qi Yue's face, coupled with the vague disdain and contempt in her words, Ye Chen merely replied with a nonchalant "Ur."

After a final glance at Ye Chen, Qi Yue walked towards the exit.

"What an expression. This old man doesn't owe you any money," Ye Chen didn't care and crawled back into the pill furnace.

*Buzz!*

Soon, the True Fire in his Dan Sea trembled. It was as if it had once again sensed the earth fire beneath the pill furnace and had become extremely restless. If not for Ye Chen’s restraint, it might have truly rushed down to devour the earth fire.

"Behave yourself, you scary little thing!" Ye Chen scolded.

Indeed, ever since he had first jumped into this pill furnace, that earth fire had been remarkably well-behaved, not daring to show its head. Although it lacked sentience, it possessed spirituality and greatly feared the True Fire, which was far stronger than itself.

*Bi?*

While wiping away the ashes inside the pill furnace, Ye Chen vaguely discovered that many words were actually engraved within.

Perhaps it was too dark inside the furnace, causing him to subconsciously summon his True Fire and hold it in his palm. The True Fire instantly illuminated the pill furnace, casting a dazzling golden glow.

Only then could he see clearly. The words were tiny, each no bigger than an infant's fingernail, densely engraved throughout the entire interior of the pill furnace. Many of the word patterns were perhaps too ancient, even he didn't recognize them.

*Roar!*

*Roar!*

Suddenly, he seemed to hear a low dragon's roar, faint and indistinct, making him doubt whether it was merely an illusion.

Slightly wrinkling his brows, he stretched out his hand and gently touched the densely packed words.

With this touch, the densely packed words unexpectedly began to move, flowing along the inner wall of the pill furnace. Each word shone brightly, dazzlingly brilliant, shocking him and making him involuntarily cover his eyes.

Soon, those densely packed words actually leaped out from the inner wall one by one, rapidly rotating around Ye Chen.

Finally, they all surged into Ye Chen's brow.

"Ah…!"

With a low roar, Ye Chen clutched his head and fainted on the spot.

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