Of course, when cultivators reached a higher realm, they could generate and control the power of fire themselves and would no longer need to rely on external objects for ignition.
Fire Rock Stones were not considered precious. They could be mined and sold in large quantities from any small, low-grade mineral vein. One stone was worth ten primordial stones. Chu Hao placed three of them into the pill cauldron.
A moment later, when the temperature inside the cauldron was sufficient, Chu Hao began to put the ingredients in one by one.
The pill he was refining this time was called a "Qi Explosion Pill." This type of pill was sold on the market and, after consumption, could cause a Qi Refining Realm cultivator's True Qi to surge and increase by one or two minor stages for a short period of time.
But how could the Qi Explosion Pill sold on the market compare in quality to a pill personally refined by Chu Hao?
Those Qi Explosion Pills on the market, although they could increase a person's strength, would cause the body to fall into a state of weakness afterward, requiring at least a few days to recover.
The Qi Explosion Pill refined by Chu Hao would not only have no such after-effects, but it could also increase one's cultivation by three minor stages. The remaining energy from the pill could then be absorbed by the body, serving to replenish it!
Next to him, Zheng Yuan watched intently. He didn't understand pill refining, but he could tell that Chu Hao's pill refining technique was as smooth as flowing water. He was clearly not a novice trying to deceive him.
Chu Ling Er also stood guard beside Chu Hao, her expression alert, afraid that Zheng Yuan would suddenly turn on them and assassinate Chu Hao.
As time passed, the pill refining room gradually became scorching hot, making people feel stuffy and irritable. However, at this very moment, Chu Hao continued to put each ingredient into the cauldron in an orderly fashion, completely unaffected by the environment.
Pill refining had two considerable difficulties.
The first was fire control. Knowing when to make the fire big, when to make it small, and when to keep it medium. This was something every Alchemist paid attention to and trained in, but not everyone could do it well.
The second was the timing of adding ingredients and mixing the medicinal properties. The slightest mistake would lead to the failure of the pill refining, a waste of precious ingredients.
No Alchemist could beat their chest and guarantee that their pill refining would be successful. Even the self-proclaimed grandmaster alchemist Wan Qing faced a huge risk of failure when refining some high-level pills.
Most importantly, the high-level ingredients needed to refine high-level pills were very expensive. Therefore, the first requirement for an Alchemist was to have a wealthy background. If you couldn't even afford the ingredients, what pills could you refine?
Of course, many alchemists were sponsored by clans. The clans provided the capital and resources, so the alchemists naturally had to serve them in return.
In short, this was why alchemists, no matter where they were, had a noble status and were not easily offended.
The grandmaster alchemist Wan Qing alone was comparable to a second-rate family. Even first-rate aristocratic families had to treat him with respect.
In addition, an Alchemist's pill cauldron was also relatively important. Some precious pill cauldrons could increase a pill's quality and success rate and shorten the pill refining time.
Some pills took more than ten days or even longer to refine. Having a good pill cauldron could significantly reduce the time.
However, the value of a pill cauldron was extremely high in the world of Treasure Tools. For the same tier, a pill cauldron would cost several or even dozens of times more.
A High-grade Treasure Tool sword could cost twenty to thirty thousand primordial stones, while a pill cauldron could cost more than one or two hundred thousand.
Of course, with Chu Hao's ability, even with a Low-grade Treasure Tool pill cauldron, the quality of the pills he refined was still better than what others could make with a High-grade Treasure Tool cauldron.
In his eyes, the grandmaster alchemist Wan Qing was just a child learning to refine pills.
A long time later, all more than a dozen ingredients had been transformed into a single blood-red pill. The pill was perfectly round, the size of a finger, and a rich fragrance wafted out, causing the True Qi in the body to stir.
"Is this a Qi Explosion Pill?!"
Zheng Yuan's eyes showed deep astonishment. He had seen many Qi Explosion Pills before, but the best ones on the market only appeared pink and their surfaces were not smooth.
But the pill Chu Hao refined was as red as blood. Its surface was as shiny and smooth as jade, and it was translucent. It was truly like a red precious jade.
Compared to Chu Hao's Qi Explosion Pill, Zheng Yuan felt that all the pills he had seen before were just garbage. The difference was like heaven and earth.
"Not necessarily. Maybe this Qi Explosion Pill just looks good on the outside. The best Qi Explosion Pill on the market can increase a cultivator by two stages in the Qi Refining Realm. This one can probably increase them by about two and a half stages, right?"
Zheng Yuan guessed in his heart. The next moment, after Chu Hao took the Qi Explosion Pill, his aura rose.
"How is this possible?!"
When Chu Hao's aura stabilized, Zheng Yuan was terrified. At this moment, Chu Hao's aura had reached the tenth-stage Qi Refining Realm, an increase of three minor stages!
Furthermore, Chu Hao's aura was incredibly stable, with no difference from a genuine tenth-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator.
One must know that the True Qi increased by a Qi Explosion Pill would be volatile and unstable, not as condensed as Chu Hao's.
"How long can this Qi Explosion Pill last?" Zheng Yuan couldn't help but ask.
The best Qi Explosion Pill in Jade City had a duration of one incense stick's time!
"About five incense sticks' time," Chu Hao said.
Zheng Yuan's heart trembled. At the same time, a deep ecstatic joy flashed in his eyes. If he had harbored any doubts about Chu Hao's ability to save his wife before, now he believed without a doubt.
Such pill refining skill was something that even Wan Qing couldn't compare to!
"Zheng Yuan, you stay here. If anything happens to my sister, I will hold you accountable." Chu Hao held Chu Ling Er's hand.
"Sister, wait for me here. I'm going to kill someone."
His words were not finished, but his figure had already gone far away.