Observing various alchemical materials, judging their states, and constantly adjusting the spiritual fire to slowly stimulate the spiritual energy contained within the materials, while as much as possible removing the impurities.
This process, though simple to describe, is extremely difficult in practice.
Of course, this is for ordinary people.
…
For Wu Tao now, refining pills at the Qi Refining stage posed no great difficulty.
With the Time Source as his cheat, Wu Tao naturally had no major issues.
Therefore, his subsequent pill refining proceeded smoothly.
Although there were occasional stumbles in the process, his progress was still remarkably rapid.
"Truly unbelievable."
Wu Kongzi sighed deeply, once again astonished by Wu Tao's performance.
Compared to before, Wu Tao had transformed from the world's biggest idiot into an absolute genius.
…
With the persona of an absolute genius, for the following period, no matter how outstanding Wu Tao's performance was,
Wu Kongzi did not find it particularly strange, only a little感慨.
"At this pace, in about a month's time, you'll truly reach mastery and be able to complete refinement at the Foundation Establishment stage."
Wu Kongzi estimated the progress and finally gave this result.
Undoubtedly, this speed was absolutely astounding.
The path of alchemy, though seemingly simple, was actually far more difficult than ordinary people imagined.
That Wu Tao could go from an alchemy apprentice to a true alchemist, even a master alchemist, in such a short time.
If word of this got out, it would surely shock countless people.
Regarding this, Wu Tao remained very calm, showing no surprise.
Of course, there was no surprise.
He was cheating, after all. If he didn't have this level, it would be strange.
If others could also cheat, their learning speed might even be faster than his.
Therefore, he remained calm and composed about the current results.
"This is real, definitely not pretending…"
"Definitely… definitely not…"
Amidst the calm, time slowly passed, and soon, Wu Tao's ten-year sentence was drawing to a close.
In the alchemy room, Wu Tao, as per his usual routine, entered the alchemy room to refine pills.
Skillfully igniting the spiritual fire, he tossed various ores into it. Wu Tao’s expression was serene as he quietly began refining pills.
Having refined them countless times before, he had long memorized the process, and his movements were now extremely practiced.
His large hands appeared particularly steady, making almost no mistakes throughout the entire process.
He refined them step by step, controlling the spiritual fire beneath the alchemy furnace. With the help of the power of time, he slowly melted the ores in the furnace, allowing them to gradually take shape.
Soon, without realizing it, over half an hour had passed.
Under the watchful eyes of Wu Kongzi and You Meng, the lid of the alchemy furnace was opened, and a faint spiritual mist began to rise.
Within the furnace, several red pills had already formed. At a glance, they were all pure red, like blood jade, possessing a unique aura.
Wu Kongzi picked up the few refined pills and examined them carefully. Finally, he nodded with satisfaction, "Not bad."
"Congratulations, disciple."
…
"It is all due to your excellent teaching, Master."
Wu Tao bowed respectfully, his expression calm, his demeanor proper.
Years passed, and in the blink of an eye, several more years went by.
Nothing significant happened during these years; the small world within the prison remained peaceful.
Wu Tao continued to refine his pills, advancing his alchemical skills.
Wu Tao had now made significant strides in alchemy, possessing the level of a master alchemist.
Besides alchemy, Wu Tao's primary focus was cultivation.
During these years, his cultivation base also saw some progress.
The Qi Refining stage involved refining spiritual energy in the body's meridians.
The Foundation Establishment stage involved solidifying all parts of the body, including meridians, bones, flesh, blood, skin, internal organs, and the brain.
The Core Formation stage involved refining the Golden Core, and upon its completion, one could break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Wu Tao was currently at this very juncture.
Counting the time on his fingers, Wu Tao slowly took a deep breath. A transmission talisman had just arrived.
The content of the talisman stated that his ten-year sentence in the prison's small world had ended.
After bowing to Wu Kongzi, Wu Tao said, "Master, I am leaving now. Goodbye."
Wu Kongzi snorted and replied, "Scram!"
A moment later, a path appeared above this spatial prison.
Before leaving, Wu Tao waved goodbye to Wu Kongzi, bidding farewell to his master and the prison's small world, the place he had stayed for ten years.
Upon exiting the prison's small world, the sky was exceptionally clear and deep blue.
Lu Yuehua had come to pick him up this time.
"You're out."
Lu Yuehua said with a smile.
"Yes, I'm out."
Wu Tao nodded.
Noticing something, Lu Yuehua looked at Wu Tao with confusion and said, "Huh, that's strange. I heard that the prison's small world was incredibly difficult to endure?"
"I heard that staying there for a year is extremely painful. How is it that after ten years, you've reached the late Core Formation stage?"
"It seems you fared even better in the prison's small world than outside."
Hearing this, Wu Tao smiled. He noticed that Lu Yuehua's cultivation had also progressed, reaching the late Core Formation stage.
Afterwards, Wu Tao recounted his experiences with Wu Kongzi, not concealing anything, including the matter of the Time Source.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuehua's initial joy and astonishment turned into a look of displeasure.
She said, "I had originally booked a banquet for you today and bought some good wine to celebrate your return, for us to have a good drink together."
"But now, I don't think it's necessary. You lived so well in the prison's small world, why would you need a welcome feast?"
Although she said this, upon returning to Tongguan City, a lavish banquet indeed awaited Wu Tao.
Seeing Lu Yuehua speak like this, Wu Tao quickly tried to placate her.
And so, on the way back to Tongguan City, Wu Tao and Lu Yuehua, this young couple, exchanged sweet words for a considerable time.
Upon hearing the news of Wu Tao's return, all those in Tongguan City who were on good terms with Wu Tao arrived, not a single one absent.
They all had a hearty drink together, a way to welcome Wu Tao, who had just emerged from the prison's small world.
"Cheers."
"To Brother Wu."
"Brother Wu, you've been in the prison's small world for a long time. You might not know that the outside world is currently in turmoil and unpredictable."
Wu Tao was currently competing in a drinking contest with Ling Yuan, while others cheered them on. Lu Yuehua smiled faintly from the side.
Even she, who was usually very reserved, felt a surge of excitement at this moment.
With this atmosphere and the continuous flow of good wine, it was destined to be a sleepless night.
In fact, they hadn't partied like this in years.
Tongguan City was vast, and they were all high-ranking officials of Tongguan City. Each had their own tasks, their own forces to manage, and had no time for such revelry.
However, recently, due to the Blood Race's intention to invade the Human Race, the City Lord's Mansion of Tongguan City had issued a summons for all high-level cultivators in Tongguan City to return.
Coupled with Wu Tao's ten-year absence in the prison's small world, this had led to such a lively occasion.
Amidst this festivity, the lights in the Lu Mansion remained lit throughout the night.
In the days that followed, Wu Tao returned to his previous routine. Besides cultivation, the only other thing he could do was accompany Lu Yuehua for conversations.
One day, the sky was a clear azure blue.
Wu Tao yawned. Currently, he focused on three main areas of cultivation: spiritual energy, the way of the sword, and the way of alchemy.
And undoubtedly, the most important was spiritual energy.
Next was naturally the way of the sword, and relatively speaking, he was more interested in offensive sword techniques.
Lastly, there was the way of alchemy, and alchemy required accumulation.
Never mind, no need to rush.
After all, as all rivers lead to the sea, and grains of sand form hills, no matter what, Wu Tao had to proceed step by step, with his feet firmly planted, to ultimately succeed.
…
Wu Tao took a deep breath. He had been cultivating for a full five or six hours but was still stuck at that bottleneck, making no progress whatsoever.
At this moment, Wu Tao's ears twitched, and a golden light flashed in his eyes, clearly sensing something.
"Since Yuehua is here, why not come out and meet me?"
Lu Yuehua heard him and walked out with a smile. Her red lips parted slightly as she said, "Your hearing is indeed sharp."
Wu Tao shook his head, looking noncommittal.
In reality, he hadn't heard any footsteps but had detected a faint, delicate scent of mint.
He was very familiar with this scent; it was Lu Yuehua's fragrance.
"Yuehua, at this hour, what brings you to find me?"
Wu Tao asked.
"I've come to find you because news just arrived from the front lines: the Human Race's strongest army of Human Emperor cultivators has been attacked by the Blood Race's army of tens of millions."
"The two sides are currently clashing, and we've just received word that an army of approximately five hundred thousand Blood Race soldiers is on its way to attack Tongguan City."
"What!"
Wu Tao exclaimed in shock.
An army of five hundred thousand Blood Race soldiers attacking Tongguan City!
Could such a preposterous thing happen? The Blood Race army actually daring to attack the Human Race!
However, were these Blood Race individuals seeking death?
The human powers in the underground immortal cultivation world were quite formidable. Even if they weren't as dominant as the major immortal cultivation sects in the Nine Provinces, controlling the four seas and eight directions, they were still not weak!
Moreover, it was rumored that although the Blood Race was slightly stronger than the Human Race, the difference was not that significant.
Thinking of this, Wu Tao's heart sank. He remembered the supreme-stage Blood King Chunyu who had emerged from the Blood King's Tomb ten years ago.
Could his appearance have caused the Blood Race's overall strength to rapidly expand, leading to the Blood Race's attack on the Human Race?
Lu Yuehua sighed, responding with a hint of confusion.