Chapter 133. Pill refinement.
Lin Xuan soon returned through the underground tunnel.
The moment he emerged from the hidden entrance, he found Lin Zhaoyue exactly where he had left her, quietly waiting without wandering even a single step.
The instant she saw him, her expression changed.
His white robes were stained with fresh blood, and several tears could be seen where they had been shredded by the aftermath of the self-destruction.
"Papa!"
She hurried over with obvious concern. "You’re injured!"
Lin Xuan gently patted her head. "It’s nothing."
To him, those injuries were no more than superficial wounds.
What truly mattered was that the hidden threat lurking within the Lin Family had been eliminated.
Without another word, he spread his divine sense throughout the entire estate once more.
His voice echoed directly within the minds of every Shadow Guard.
"Cease the search. Return to your assigned positions immediately and keep a close watch for any suspicious activity within and around the Lin Family. Always stay vigilant."
The Shadow Guards silently acknowledged the order before withdrawing into the darkness once more.
Only after issuing the command did Lin Xuan lead Lin Zhaoyue back toward the main estate.
Early the next morning.
Lin Xuan awoke to the sound outside his courtyard.
He frowned slightly before getting out of bed.
The moment he stepped outside, he found Lin Zhaoyue busily polishing pill furnaces.
There were twenty furnaces arranged outside the courtyard and she was carefully wiping away every speck of dust without showing the slightest trace of reluctance.
Lin Xuan looked at the strange scene before asking, "What are you doing so early in the morning?"
Lin Zhaoyue finished cleaning the furnace before her before looking up with a bright smile.
"Papa, all the pills have already been sold."
She pointed proudly at the twenty furnaces lined across the courtyard.
"So we urgently need another batch."
Lin Xuan quietly stared at the little girl.
After her utterly ridiculous suggestion of refining twenty furnaces simultaneously, the unbelievable had somehow become reality.
By dividing his attention between all twenty furnaces, even the system’s assistance could not completely overcome the self-inflicted difficulty.
As a result, instead of every pill being refined at the Pure Grade, most batches ended up as Low Grade, with the occasional Middle Grade pill appearing among them.
Fortunately, the system’s absolute success guarantee still remained in effect and every attempt still produced pills successfully.
Pills were generally divided into five qualities.
Low, middle, high, peak and finally, Pure Grade.
The system normally guaranteed every pill would reach the Pure Grade.
However, sabotaging himself by refining twenty furnaces at once clearly fell outside the guarantee’s intended scope.
Even so, the results had far exceeded ordinary alchemists.
Lin Xuan looked at the rows of furnaces and inwardly sighed.
The more he refined pills, the more it felt like playing a game than practicing alchemy.
There was no painstaking control over flames or delicate balancing of medicinal properties.
It was a boon that he had such a cheat ability, yet it was also true that he felt no sense of achievement.
As for all the pills he had refined, they all ended up in the hands of the little gremlin standing before him.
Naturally, she had talked him into it.
Lin Zhaoyue had personally taken charge of selling every batch of pills, even using the previously refined Pure Grade pills as irresistible bait to draw merchants from every corner of the kingdom.
The strategy proved even more successful than Lin Xuan had expected.
As merchants poured into Azure Willow City, trade flourished, the local economy prospered, and more workers settled in the city, greatly accelerating the construction of the harbor.
Lin Xuan had no idea how she managed to sell all the pills he refined for her.
The only thing he knew was that she had faithfully divided every profit in half, with one portion going to herself and the other directly into the Lin Family’s treasury.
Yes, the split wasn’t with him but to the clan.
What does this little gremlin even need so much money for? Lin Xuan wondered.
After all, medicinal pills were the greatest expense for any cultivator, yet she had him, an alchemist capable of refining nothing but Pure Grade pills whenever he put his mind to it.
Just then, Lin Zhaoyue’s eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement.
"Father! This time, shall we try refining a few different varieties of pills? I’ve recently found several products that are in extremely high demand!"
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously.
"A different variety? Such as?"
"Blood Coagulation Pills, Qi Replenishment Pills, Marrow Cleansing Pills, and Everwinter Soul Calming Pills."
She smiled brightly.
"The last one is especially popular these days. Demand has been incredibly high."
Lin Xuan nodded thoughtfully before replying,
"I don’t know how to refine any of those."
He pointed toward her.
"Get me one sample pill of each variety so I can analyze them. Prepare the corresponding medicinal ingredients as well."
"Leave it to me!"
Lin Zhaoyue immediately removed the spatial ring from her finger and within seconds, a small mountain of medicinal ingredients formed in the middle of the courtyard.
Lin Xuan looked at the pile in silence.
"..."
A second later, four jade bottles landed neatly in his hands one after another.
Lin Zhaoyue clapped her hands together with a satisfied smile.
"One bottle of each."
She pointed proudly at the mountain of herbs.
"And all the ingredients are already prepared."
Lin Xuan glanced from the four bottles in his hands to the mountain of herbs before him.
Lin Xuan looked up from the four jade bottles in his hands to the mountain of medicinal herbs piled before him.
He fell silent for a moment.
Have I been too much of a pushover with this child?
Otherwise, how had she already anticipated that he would agree before he had even given an answer?
Everything had been prepared in advance.
The herbs were ready and the sample pills were ready.
It was obvious she had never once considered the possibility that he might refuse.
Lin Xuan inwardly shook his head before uncorking the first jade bottle.
The instant the medicinal fragrance entered his senses, a flood of information surged into his mind.
The pill’s composition, the medicinal properties of every ingredient, the required flame control, the refining sequence, the optimal temperatures, and every crucial detail appeared with perfect clarity.
There wasn’t even the slightest need for deduction.
It was as though he had personally refined the pill thousands of times before.
Without the slightest pause, Lin Xuan opened the remaining three bottles one after another.
Each time, another complete inheritance of alchemical knowledge poured into his mind.
In only a few breaths, he had completely mastered all four pill recipes.