noffsinger Chapter 78: The Dilemma of Half-Grade Elixir Arises; Righteous Man Swallows Elixir in Peril.
Chapter 78: The Dilemma of Half-Grade Elixir Arises; Righteous Man Swallows Elixir in Peril.
Despite his efforts to maintain the intensity of the flames, the situation inside the alchemy furnace was far from optimistic. The rate of change in the liquid began to slow, and its color failed to fully turn golden. Han Yi gritted his teeth and increased the temperature of the flames again, attempting to salvage the situation. The liquid inside the alchemy furnace churned violently under the high temperature, yet it still couldn't reach a perfect state.
As Han Yi withdrew his spiritual energy, a dull-colored, slightly rough pill flew out of the alchemy furnace. A look of disappointment appeared on Han Yi's face. He stared blankly at the half-finished pill in his hand, his eyes filled with frustration. Then he slowly lowered his arm, his shoulders drooping listlessly, as if all the strength had been drained from his body.
Han Yi bit his lower lip tightly, his brows furrowed, and his disappointment was clearly visible on his face. He sighed softly, a sigh filled with helplessness and resentment.
"Not even up to the standard of a substandard product?" He gently stroked the half-finished product with his fingers, feeling its imperfect texture. He then sat down on the spot, staring blankly at the cave ceiling, pondering how to compensate for the lack of heat from the flames.
Seeing this, the crowd nearby assumed the alchemy had failed, and Wang Weiwei's group began to whisper amongst themselves. Wang Weiwei frowned, her sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd, signaling all members of the Wang family to shut up. Then, she slowly approached Han Yi and gracefully sat down beside him.
"It's okay to fail once. I believe you can succeed next time!" Wang Weiwei's voice was gentle and her eyes were encouraging.
Han Yi was slightly taken aback, then smiled wryly: "Who told you you failed?"
Wang Weiwei's eyes lit up, and she eagerly spoke with an expectant look in her eyes.
"Could it be that the young master has successfully refined the Foundation Establishment Pill?"
"Well, but..." Han Yi hesitated, a troubled look on his face.
"Does the young master have something difficult to say?" Wang Weiwei leaned forward slightly, her expression concerned.
"However, due to the limited temperature of the spiritual fire, the quality of the pill was greatly reduced, and only a semi-finished product was produced." Han Yi sighed and shook his head helplessly. Neither of them spoke.
After a long while, he slowly came to his senses, shook his head slightly, and carefully put the semi-finished product into a jade bottle. Then he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and a determined light rekindled in his eyes. Although it didn't even reach the level of an inferior product, it was still a Foundation Establishment Pill. He couldn't think of a better solution right now, so he could only refine more of these semi-finished products to see if he could improve the quality of the pill through practice and more precise control.
Time ticked by, and the Netherwolves outside the cave howled intermittently, their roars sending chills down one's spine. Han Yi, however, continued refining pills without pause. He had already refined twelve semi-finished Foundation Establishment Pills. Han Yi pondered to himself that he would refine one more and then stop, since no one knew the true effectiveness of these semi-finished pills.
As the last pill was completed, Han Yi put away the furnace and herbs, and walked to the crowd with the newly refined pill in his hand.
His expression was solemn, and he slowly spoke with a slight frown: "The pills have been refined, but they are all semi-finished products. We don't know their efficacy or side effects yet. Who among you dares to test them?"
Upon hearing this, the Qi Refining cultivators of the Wang family fell silent. They looked at each other, their actions demonstrating their unwillingness to be the first guinea pigs to test the drug.
Meanwhile, at Black Wind Stronghold, everyone was vying to be the first to test the medicine.
Black Tiger's eyes widened, and he said boldly, "Brother Yi, I believe in you! Let me go first!" The others nodded in unison, their faces full of determination. Since they had chosen to follow Han Yi, they would continue to believe in him, even if it meant losing their lives.
Looking at the thirteen people from Black Wind Stronghold, Han Yi was deeply moved. He hadn't expected these guys to trust him so completely. He emphasized again, "This is a semi-finished product. Its efficacy is not guaranteed, and the side effects are unknown. You might die if you take it."
The thirteen men of Black Wind Stronghold simultaneously straightened their chests and said in unison, "We are willing to die!"
Han Yi took a deep breath and slowly looked at the thirteen people. His gaze swept over each of their faces, and a wave of emotion welled up in his heart. Apart from Black Tiger, he didn't know the names of the others, but at this moment he desperately wanted to remember them. They all believed in him so firmly that choosing anyone to be the first person to test the drug seemed unfair to them.
"Here are exactly thirteen pills. You may choose whichever you like," Han Yi said softly, his tone tinged with seriousness. He handed the pills to Black Tiger, who solemnly accepted them and then distributed them to the others, keeping one for himself.
Black Tiger grinned and said boldly, "At worst, I'll just die. I've lived a very fulfilling life! Brother Yi, take this. If any of us thirteen die, please forgive us for breaking our promise."
With that, Black Tiger handed two Blood Dragon Ginsengs from his storage bag to Han Yi, his eyes full of nonchalance. The others nodded in agreement, their eyes showing no fear. They had already prepared for the worst, and then, without hesitation, all thirteen of them simultaneously swallowed the pills.
After taking the pills, the resolute expressions on everyone's faces vanished instantly, replaced by expressions of extreme pain. They clenched their teeth so tightly they seemed about to break them, and the veins on their foreheads bulged like writhing earthworms, clearly visible. Their bodies trembled violently uncontrollably, as if a raging torrent of spiritual energy had burst forth from their veins.
Although it was only a semi-finished pill, its medicinal effects were extremely powerful. It was as if a ferocious beast had been released from their bodies and was now rampaging wildly. The immense energy instantly transformed into spiritual power, surging like a tidal wave with unstoppable momentum straight towards their dantian. That powerful force made them feel as if their dantian was about to explode at any moment, and each person's abdomen swelled slightly, like a balloon about to burst.
Black Tiger was the only one who could withstand this force. His face was grim, and he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the exertion.
His body trembled slightly as he struggled to suppress the surging spiritual energy within him. The spiritual energy was running rampant throughout his body, like a herd of wild horses, but Black Tiger, with his tenacious willpower, kept taming it.
If even the three peak Qi Refining experts could barely withstand such a massive energy impact, the situation would be even worse for the others. Their faces were ashen, devoid of any color. Their bodies swayed violently, and they seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Most people had reached their limit and it looked like these twelve people were about to explode and die.