"This... this... this is..."
Witnessing this scene, Wukongzi’s entire body shot up from his seat.
"This... how is this possible?"
"How did he manage it?"
In the alchemy chamber, a faint firelight illuminated the surroundings.
Beneath the bronze cauldron, a vigorous spiritual fire burned, slowly heating the cauldron. The ore within, as the temperature rose, began to melt together.
Standing before Wu Tao, Wukongzi could feel the heat emanating from the flames, and a peculiar sensation.
"This control..."
Wukongzi stared blankly, at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, within his sea of consciousness, You Meng was utterly stunned.
She gazed at Wu Tao, motionless for a long time, before finally murmuring,
"Did it truly succeed?"
Undoubtedly, achieving what Wu Tao had accomplished required an incredibly terrifying level of control.
For some unknown reason, the Wu Tao before them seemed like a completely different person.
To Wukongzi, it felt as though a pig had transformed into a genius, displaying astonishing talent in this area.
"Strange, what is going on?"
"I've never heard of the Dao of Formations having any connection to the Dao of Alchemy."
Looking at his disciple, who was skillfully handling the alchemy cauldron, and recalling his performance in the past few days, Wukongzi couldn't help but pinch his thigh.
Feeling a sharp pain, Wukongzi realized he wasn't dreaming.
...
With the help of the Source of Time, Wu Tao truly learned anything he touched, grasping everything instantly.
Wukongzi’s expression shifted from surprise and disbelief to shock, then finally to contentment and joy.
Overall, Wu Tao’s current learning speed surpassed Wukongzi's imagination, transforming him from despair to elation.
A faint, crisp sound echoed from the alchemy chamber. Then, under Wu Tao’s control, the cauldron before them slowly opened.
Watching this unfold, Wukongzi, with a thumping heart, stepped forward and retrieved the pills from the cauldron.
They were several perfectly round pills, appearing as if crafted from jade, exquisitely unique, and radiating a powerful spiritual energy.
"It really succeeded..."
Gazing at the spiritual pills, despite having a premonition, the reality unfolding before him still felt surreal to Wukongzi.
"In just a few days, he has reached this level..."
Standing rooted to the spot, holding the few pills, Wukongzi’s gaze was somewhat dazed.
How long does it take for an alchemist to truly refine pills from the moment they begin their apprenticeship?
The answer varied for everyone.
Some needed years, others decades, and some never achieved it in their lifetime.
Yet, Wu Tao, starting from complete ignorance, had made such rapid progress in mere days.
Of course, the actual time was longer, as he had failed tens of thousands of times before.
But even including those failures, besides the immense resources consumed, which most people couldn't afford, this was still a record-breaking feat.
To become an alchemist from an ordinary person in less than a year?
If this were to be told, no one would believe it.
Even a novel with a protagonist like Long Aotian wouldn't dare to write such a story.
If someone had told him this before today, Wukong would have undoubtedly beaten them to a pulp.
But at this moment, he was witnessing this legend firsthand.
What seemed impossible in the past had been achieved by someone today.
With this thought, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, then turned around silently.
"These few Jade Qi Pills have been successfully refined. Although there are still some minor flaws, they are not due to your operation but rather your lack of experience."
Looking at Wu Tao, he began to critique, saying, "Once you refine more, this issue will naturally be resolved."
"Yes, Master."
Before Wukongzi, Wu Tao listened respectfully.
There was no other way; when apprenticing, one must maintain a sincere attitude.
...
"In the days to come, I will teach you various pill recipes and the methods for refining them."
"You must remember these well. As an alchemist traversing the cultivation world, they will undoubtedly be useful."
"With this alchemy skill, you will have the capability to navigate between major powers with ease in the future."
"Starting tomorrow, you will spend half the day memorizing pill recipes and the other half refining pills with me."
"Also, you are now considered an alchemist. I recall you do not yet have a proper alchemy cauldron of your own."
"When I was young and roamed the cultivation world, this accompanied me. Now, I shall pass it on to you..."
As Wukongzi finished speaking, a flash of ice-blue light appeared in his left hand.
The blue light in Wukongzi's hand gradually dissipated, revealing an alchemy cauldron. However, compared to the few treasure-grade cauldrons, this one was superior, with its intricate patterns more pronounced.
"This... this is..."
For some reason, though it did not appear overly ornate from a distance, this alchemy cauldron possessed a magical allure for Wu Tao.
Gently caressing the cauldron with one hand, Wukongzi's eyes welled up with memories. It took the time of an incense stick before he emerged from his reverie.
Then, as if making a firm decision, he lightly tapped with his other hand. The next moment, Wu Tao saw the originally pale blue cauldron begin to change color.
The cauldron quickly turned snow-white, emitting a rich medicinal fragrance. As the aroma appeared, an extremely powerful spiritual energy surged forth.
Wukongzi looked at the cauldron in his hands, his eyes filled with a reluctance akin to bidding farewell to an old comrade with whom he had fought countless battles.
He sighed softly, caressed the cauldron one last time, and then flicked his finger. The cauldron transformed into a stream of light and flew directly into Wu Tao's glabella.
The cauldron entered his glabella, dissolving into a wisp of light that flowed through his meridians. In moments, it reached Wu Tao's dantian.
Within seconds, the cauldron settled in the very center of his dantian, and a miraculous event unfolded.
When the cauldron collided with Wu Tao's Natal Spiritual Treasure, the Chuxi Sword, it held its ground without being at a disadvantage.
The Chuxi Sword circled the cauldron several times. Seeing that it could not overcome it, it settled down, sharing the central position within the dantian.
"To stand against the Chuxi Sword without being defeated, this cauldron is no ordinary item..."
You Meng was now guarding the Source of Time. Ever since acquiring it, she had rarely left Wu Tao's body.
This was because within Wu Tao's body, You Meng's cultivation was growing at an exponential rate.
"Hum!"
After Wu Tao fused and refined the cauldron, approximately another hour and a half passed.
Wu Tao's palm suddenly opened. The cauldron, which had been in his dantian, seemingly responding to its master's summon, appeared in his hand as a stream of light.
The cauldron once again turned ice-blue, a thin layer of frost covering it, making the entire cauldron appear as if carved from frost.
"Hoo..."
A gust of cold wind blew. As the wind swept across, centered around the cauldron in Wu Tao's hand, ice flames ignited within a radius of half a meter.
These ice flames seemed to appear out of nowhere, appearing incredibly mystical!
"The name of this cauldron is the Frosty Wind Cauldron!"
"From this day forward, this cauldron is yours. Master believes you will not disgrace my cauldron!"
Seeing this, Wukongzi’s face was filled with emotion, his eyes still carrying a hint of reluctance.
However, he knew that in terms of alchemy, he had nearly reached the pinnacle, and this cauldron had accompanied him for thousands of years.
Thousands of years had passed in the blink of an eye; it was time for a new owner.
"Frosty Wind Cauldron... Excellent, excellent, a truly fine name..."
"Your disciple here thanks Master profoundly!"
Wu Tao cupped his fists and spoke.
"Disciple, this cauldron was fortuitously acquired by your Master in a secret realm. Among many alchemy cauldrons, it is a top-tier treasure-grade cauldron, second only to spiritual treasure grade cauldrons..."
As he said this, Wukongzi's face was filled with pride.
In the cultivation world, an ordinary artifact-grade alchemy cauldron cost over a hundred spirit stones. For a top-tier artifact-grade cauldron, you couldn't even dream of acquiring one without ten thousand spirit stones.
As for treasure-grade cauldrons, the lowest quality would cost hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.
And cauldrons like the Frosty Wind Cauldron could no longer be bought with spirit stones alone.
Pills were essential for cultivators during their training, an effective means to aid in spiritual power progression.
However, given the preciousness of pills, few could afford to consume them long-term.
When Wu Tao was a disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, he received spirit stones monthly. Although the amount was small, it was still better than most ordinary sects.
However, for precious items like pills, no sect or power would unconditionally provide them to their disciples or members.
Even though pills of the Qi Refining stage were considered basic and not difficult to refine, it did not mean they were easy to make.
In fact, any form of alchemy was never easy.
To refine pills, the most fundamental requirement was the ability to observe various alchemical materials.
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