Using a brazier for alchemy was Jiang Chen's own invention.
The truth was often this strange: the more inconceivable the elixir, the simpler the method required to refine it.
'No one would ever imagine this,' he thought.
Jiang Chen snapped all the alchemy materials, tossed them into the brazier, and immediately began to stew them.
Although it looked simple, Jiang Chen was using his own unique technique.
This kind of Unparalleled Pill couldn't be refined carelessly. The method mattered, as did the order in which the alchemy materials were added.
Even for the same ingredient, Thorny Grass, he added it to the brazier in five separate batches.
The first time, he added five stalks; the second, four; the third, three; the fourth, two; and the fifth, one.
It was a strange, sequential decrease.
The Thorny Grass stalks were all fresh. Jiang Chen crushed them in his hands, tossed them into the brazier, and stirred.
The other alchemy materials each had their own specific rules as well.
Yiyi watched, completely bewildered, but she didn't dare to disturb Jiang Chen.
When Jiang Chen performed alchemy, he was extremely focused.
'The Young Master is so strange,' Yiyi thought.
In her mind, the Jiang Chen from before wasn't the kind of person who could quiet his heart and focus on a task.
It seemed his temperament had changed after being harmed this time.
She stole a glance at Jiang Chen, her cheeks flushing slightly.
'The Young Master is actually quite handsome,' she mused.
Yiyi found herself a little captivated by the Jiang Chen of this moment.
A focused man is a handsome man; it must be true.
Jiang Chen was completely lost in his work, oblivious to the world around him.
He had entered his own state of alchemy.
As a former Pill Emperor, it was a given that he had a talent for alchemy.
But the most important reason he had been able to become a Pill Emperor was, fundamentally, his focus and dedication.
Only with dedication could one refine elixirs of higher quality.
Alchemy was just like cultivation for a martial cultivator: without dedication, one could never reach a higher level.
Soon, all the alchemy materials had melted in the brazier.
They began to turn into a paste-like liquid.
'For the pill to form, the liquid must be completely refined and all moisture removed,' Jiang Chen thought.
Jiang Chen stirred the medicinal liquid in the brazier slowly and rhythmically.
Five minutes passed, then ten.
As time went by, the Unparalleled Pill gradually lost its moisture.
'Good. Everything is going smoothly,' he thought.
Jiang Chen felt only a slight ripple in his heart. This wasn't the first or second time he had refined an Unparalleled Pill.
He had refined plenty of them in his previous life.
It was only because his Martial Vein had been stolen and his cultivation was gone that he felt this emotional stir. In his past life, he wouldn't have given such an accomplishment a second thought.
Sure enough, after about an hour, the Unparalleled Pill in the brazier had been refined and condensed into a thumb-sized mass.
Although it was a Tenth-Grade Elixir, it lacked the fragrant aroma that an elixir should have.
Instead, it looked utterly ordinary. No one would ever mistake it for an elixir.
The Unparalleled Pill was orange-yellow.
It was currently rolling around in the brazier, undergoing the final roasting.
"It's done."
At that moment, Jiang Chen reached out and snatched the Unparalleled Pill directly from the brazier.
A trace of residual heat still lingered on the elixir.
After setting it aside for a moment, it cooled completely.
Picking up the Unparalleled Pill again, Jiang Chen lifted his handsome face and gave Yiyi an order.
"Yiyi, go outside and stand guard at the door. For the next two days, no one is allowed to enter, not even my parents."
"You are not to come in either."
"And have my father send two experts to guard the entrance."
Now that the Unparalleled Pill was refined, all that was left was for him to swallow it.
And create a Top-Grade Martial Vein.
This matter was of the utmost importance, so he absolutely could not be disturbed.
Yiyi was quite startled.
"Young Master, your body hasn't recovered yet! I still need to make you food."
She was only concerned for her young master.
Jiang Chen waved his hand. "I won't need to eat for the next two days."
"Just do as I say."
Yiyi could only nod.
"Yes, Young Master. I understand. I will make sure no one disturbs you."
With that, she left.
She closed the door securely behind her.
Jiang Chen then struggled over himself and sealed the door shut completely.
Only then did he return to his bed.
Holding the Unparalleled Pill, he fell silent.
Creating a Top-Grade Martial Vein was no simple matter.
Even though the Unparalleled Pill was already refined.
In truth, the process of creating a Top-Grade Martial Vein was an excruciatingly painful one.
This was especially true for him, as he currently had no Martial Vein at all.
It was an incredibly arduous task.
'It may be painful, but I can endure pain,' he thought resolutely.
He gritted his teeth. Everything had to start over.
To become a martial cultivator, one must have a Martial Vein.
Martial Veins were typically something one was born with.
Some were strong, and some were weak.
The average martial cultivator's Martial Vein was only as thin as a strand of hair.
Such a Martial Vein naturally had little potential, and the room for advancement in one's cultivation was limited.
At most, they could cultivate to the Martial Master Realm before hitting their limit.
But the previous owner of this body had a Martial Vein as thick as a chopstick.
Its potential was limitless.
But now it was gone, and he was just an ordinary person.
Ordinary people had no Martial Vein at all.
What Jiang Chen was doing now was creating a new Martial Vein—a Tenth-Grade Martial Vein as thick as a person's thumb.
Needless to say, its potential would be immense. Cultivating to the Martial Emperor Level would be no problem at all.
Holding the Unparalleled Pill, Jiang Chen remained silent for a long time.
HUFF.
After taking a deep breath, his heart became as still as an ancient well.
'Let's begin,' he resolved.
Jiang Chen tossed the Tenth-Grade Elixir, the Unparalleled Pill, into his mouth.
The next moment, the Unparalleled Pill dissolved instantly and slid down his throat.
BZZZZ...
Jiang Chen's body shuddered.
The medicinal power of the Unparalleled Pill began to course rapidly through his body.
Because the medicinal power was so potent, Jiang Chen felt as if he were being torn apart from the inside.
'So painful!' he cried out in his mind.
His body was already weak, and the terrifying medicinal power of the Unparalleled Pill was anything but ordinary.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Chen's body was trembling, and beads of cold sweat the size of soybeans erupted from his skin.
Excruciating pain assaulted his entire body.
It almost made Jiang Chen pass out.
'Nine Heavens Spirit-Seizing Technique,' he chanted internally.
'First Level, Qi Stealing.'
Enduring the agony, Jiang Chen immediately activated his cultivation technique.
The Nine Heavens Spirit-Seizing Technique was his cultivation technique from his previous life, and it was immensely powerful.
Even when Jiang Chen was killed by that bizarre pill furnace, he hadn't finished cultivating it.
The Nine Heavens Spirit-Seizing Technique: the first level, Qi Stealing; the second, Spirit-Stealing; the third, Soul-Stealing...
The higher the level, the more terrifying it became.
As the Nine Heavens Spirit-Seizing Technique began to circulate, activating the first level, Qi Stealing, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi between the heavens and earth rushed frantically toward Jiang Chen's body as if it had been summoned.
It poured in through his every pore.
Jiang Chen clenched his jaw, forcing his mind to stay clear.
He completely forgot the pain.
'Form into a Top-Grade Martial Vein!'
He roared internally, gathering all the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi toward his dantian.
The Martial Vein was generally located in the dantian.
It was very close to the heart.
However, there wasn't much space near the heart to begin with. Now, he had to create a new Martial Vein—a space at least the size of a thumb—to store the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi used for a martial cultivator's cultivation.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Jiang Chen's pain gradually intensified.
This was to be expected. It would be strange if creating a Top-Grade Martial Vein were that simple.
Fortunately, everything was proceeding smoothly.
An independent, small space, known as a Martial Vein, gradually took shape after a day.
Jiang Chen could immediately begin storing Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi within his Top-Grade Martial Vein.
'I absolutely cannot stop. I must continue. The thicker the Martial Vein, the better,' he thought.
The Martial Vein he had created so far was just the beginning, only as thin as a strand of hair.
Therefore, he didn't slacken in the slightest.