Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 87: A Sound Shakes the Heavens, Unparalleled Skill in Alchemy and Sword
Six days later, the alchemical fire blazed brightly inside the cave on Cold Moon Peak.

Zhao Wuji sat cross-legged in the alchemy room with disheveled hair, but his eyes shone like morning stars.

With a flick of his sleeve, he unleashed the "Pill-Playing Technique".

The Dragon Blood Vine transformed into a crimson dragon phantom within the Xuan Tie Dan Ding, while the Tiger Stripe Grass burst forth with golden light and condensed into a roaring tiger's head. The two medicinal forces tore and entangled within the cauldron.

He held his hands in a circular motion, and a surge of powerful true energy flowed from his palms. He manipulated the elixir fire, causing the flames to glow with a bluish-purple hue, shining brightly.

The alchemy furnace trembled, and images of dragons and tigers intertwined gradually appeared on its walls: a green dragon coiled around a pillar, and a white tiger treading on clouds.

Waves of spiritual energy surged like the tide, causing the entire cave to faintly echo with the deep roars of dragons and tigers.

Outside the cave, Yan Boyuan of the Purple Cloud Palace was so excited upon hearing this that he could hardly contain himself, his eyes filled with admiration and respect.

"Legend has it that when Wei Boyang of the Eastern Han Dynasty refined the Dragon-Tiger Pill, it was accompanied by the roar of dragons and the howl of tigers. This is an omen of a superior elixir. I never expected that Junior Brother Zhao could refine such a high-quality elixir."

Li Shiyu, who was waiting nearby, was also excited. She gently touched her hair and complimented him with a look of admiration in her eyes, "It's all thanks to Senior Brother Yan for borrowing your magic weapon alchemy furnace. Otherwise, Junior Brother Zhao probably wouldn't have been able to refine such a fine elixir."

"Hey!—" Yan Boyuan quickly stopped him, "This is all thanks to Junior Brother Zhao's superb skills and exquisite alchemy abilities. He was almost successful before I borrowed this alchemy furnace. This mere magic tool alchemy furnace is just icing on the cake."

Behind them, people like Mao Zizhen were also filled with excitement but also deep regret.

They don't have a pill-making furnace to borrow. If they actually succeed in making pills later, they probably won't even have the right to ask to buy them.

At this moment, inside the cave, Zhao Wuji made a hand seal and used the Pill-Making Technique to suddenly separate the medicinal liquid, shaping it into a pill, and quickly condensing it.

The lid of the ritual furnace opposite suddenly popped open with a "clang"!

Nine crimson gold pills floated out, spinning rapidly under the control of the pill-manipulating technique, their surface clearly showing dragon scales and tiger stripes.

The rising elixir energy even condensed into three-foot-long phantom images of dragons and tigers, which circled the alchemy chamber once before dissipating.

The room filled with the aroma of herbs made Xiaoyue's blood boil; her face flushed, and she suddenly clutched her lower abdomen, exclaiming, "Ouch!"

The barrier of her mortal body, which she had not been able to break through for more than ten years, had not allowed her to sense any qi no matter how much she cultivated these days. But now, the fragrance of the elixir had opened up a small gap in her body.

"My lord, it's done, it's done!" Xiao Yue exclaimed joyfully.

Outside the cave, the crowd, drawn by the rich aroma of medicinal herbs, clapped and cheered. Though they were itching to try it themselves, they remained respectful and polite.

"Whoosh-"

Zhao Wuji took the nine Dragon Tiger Pills, picked one up to examine it closely, and smiled slightly.

These pills are all the size of longan, with a pure gold color and natural dragon scales and tiger stripes on their surface, perfectly matching the description of "shining scales and claws" of a superior quality pill in the formula.

It is said that taking this Dragon Tiger Pill can strengthen one's qi and blood, cleanse the meridians, and help cultivators in the early and middle stages of the Qi Induction Realm easily break through minor bottlenecks.

Moreover, within three days, the dragon and tiger energy will protect the body, doubling the speed of cultivation. It is a rare elixir for cultivators in the early to mid-stages of Qi Induction in the cultivation world.

The successful refinement of this elixir means that Zhao Wuji, with a flying sword in one hand and a spiritual elixir in the other, will be able to establish a firm foothold in the cave.

He ordered his apprentice, Xiaoyue, to fetch nine medicine bottles and to put the nine pills into the nine bottles.

He then kept seven pills for himself, took two medicine bottles, and walked out of the cave. Outside the cave, all they saw was him smiling as he held the bottles.
"Thanks to Senior Brother Yan's Purple Cloud Cauldron, four high-grade pills were produced."

Yan Boyuan's face trembled with excitement. "Ordinary alchemists can only produce two or three pills, and it's very difficult for them to be of high quality. Junior brother, you are truly a genius in alchemy!"

Zhao Wuji had anticipated that the other party would say this. If he were to reveal that he had produced nine pills, it would shock the entire audience and spread the word. His sharp edge would be too great, which would backfire.

He smiled and handed a medicine bottle to Yan Boyuan.

“I will keep two for myself, and give this one to Senior Brother Yan as a token of my gratitude for borrowing the alchemy furnace.”

Although Yan Boyuan was eager to borrow it, he quickly declined, saying that it was just a pill furnace and not worth the price of a top-grade Dragon Tiger Pill.

Zhao Wuji, however, persisted.

After Yan Boyuan politely declined, he immediately offered to give him the magic weapon and alchemy furnace, otherwise he would be too embarrassed to accept the pills.

This was exactly what Zhao Wuji wanted.

His alchemy furnace, forged by an ordinary blacksmith, is utterly inadequate for refining elixirs; it's prone to exploding and wasting spiritual materials.

One Dragon Tiger Pill was enough to exchange for Yan Boyuan's alchemy furnace.

Most importantly, after the other party spread the word back at Ziyun Palace, the benefits are yet to come.

Zhao Wuji then gave Li Shiyu another bottle of pills, the aura of dragons and tigers faintly flowing within: "The dragon blood vine and tiger stripe grass used in this pill refining were all bestowed by Emperor Zhaoming. I will also give one to my junior sister."

Li Shiyu's phoenix eyes suddenly widened. "Senior Brother Zhao, this is far too precious."

She had already understood the deeper meaning in her heart and remembered Zhao Wuji's words. Everyone around her was filled with envy when they saw this.

After Zhao Wuji realized that he had achieved his goal, he thanked everyone for coming to watch and then saw them off, citing fatigue from alchemy.

He gave Li Shiyu a Dragon Tiger Pill, hoping that the Imperial Concubine would put in a good word for him and get more medicinal resources from Emperor Zhaoming.

This also subtly implies to others that he is very generous and lavish in helping them obtain elixirs, and that they will surely reap the benefits in the future.

Some of the main ingredients for the Dragon Tiger Pill are stored within the cave, but require a considerable amount of merit to exchange for.

Zhao Wuji alone didn't have that much merit, but when all the others were added together, the merit became much greater.

The effects of the Dragon-Tiger Pill weren't particularly strong for him; they only had a supplementary effect. This was simply because his cultivation had virtually no bottlenecks; once he reached a certain level of proficiency, he naturally broke through.

However, the other fellow disciples faced almost every hurdle in each realm, and even someone as talented as Hua Qingshuang encountered obstacles when breaking through.

Therefore, the Dragon Tiger Pill is very tempting to fellow disciples in the early and middle stages of Qi Induction.

"I imagine that once the news of my successful refinement of the Dragon-Tiger Pill spreads today, Cold Moon Peak will become very lively. People will be flocking to my cave dwelling."

Zhao Wuji was pondering when Xiao Yue approached with a teacup in her hand, her hairpin radiating joy: "My lord, just now Senior Sister Mao secretly slipped me a packet of spirit honey. I... I tried to refuse, but she insisted."

Zhao Wuji smiled faintly, "Then accept it; it's a token of my appreciation."

His status as the medicine boy within the grotto-heaven was clearly about to rise accordingly.

However, he could be said to have brought his mortal methods of healing and dispelling cold to the immortal cave.

Once in the mortal world, he healed the sick and dispelled the cold without seeking gold or silver, only medical books, ancient texts, and fine wine.

Now, among the immortals in the cave, he can also refine pills and attract guests, seeking only spiritual pills to exchange for rare materials.

In this way, once a reputation is established, it is possible to collect the sunflowers needed to re-refine the Golden Jade Pill.

Just as Zhao Wuji wished.

Before the crimson clouds on Cold Moon Peak had even dissipated, news of his refining of the Dragon-Tiger Pill of Wei Boyang from the Eastern Han Dynasty had already spread like wildfire throughout the entire cave.

This sparked much discussion among the disciples, and many admired it.

They felt that Zhao Wuji of Hanyue Peak was truly a genius. Not only was his swordsmanship among the swordsmen of the end of the Dharma era, but his alchemy was also so outstanding. It was truly infuriating to compare oneself to others.

Inside the Purple Cloud Palace, Yan Boyuan's display of the superior-grade Dragon Tiger Pill caused a sensation among some of the true disciples. Some arrogant disciples even held the pill bottle and circled the palace three times.

Some people who were originally quite hostile to Junior Brother Zhao, who has recently become very famous, are now subtly changing their attitudes.

A person wielding a sword is likely to arouse suspicion and fear.

Those who possess elixirs are easily approached and admired.

A person who holds a sword in one hand and a pill in the other will inspire awe and inspire fear, making them someone people dare not offend easily.

into the night.

At midnight, Zhao Wuji's fingertips glowed with spiritual light. Taking advantage of the fact that the medicine boy Xiaoyue had fallen asleep while cultivating, he cast a guiding spell, guiding the spiritual energy into Xiaoyue's dantian like spring rain nourishing the earth, weaving the scattered spiritual energy into a net.

This was like secretly giving him extra help, allowing him to successfully sense the Qi and begin condensing his spiritual power.

This kind of subtle regulation that penetrates deep into the body is like guiding Xiaoyue step by step to take off on the spot. It is ten times more wonderful than directly taking the potent Dragon Tiger Pill, which is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Xiaoyue was sleeping soundly with a slight snore, and felt a warm current flowing in her lower abdomen.

It seemed as if a nimble rabbit was chasing its tail in circles.

It looks like a small fish blowing bubbles in the Qihai acupoint.

It spontaneously formed a cyclical pattern.

"Hello!"

She woke herself up with a sneeze.

"Huh? I...I've already mastered it?"

Her eyes were a little unclear.

It's said that Bai Hongling's spiritual talent requires a hundred days of cultivation just to develop his Qi perception.

She's only slept for seven days; she still has ninety-three days left to sleep.

She glanced back at Zhao Wuji's back as he sat upright on the prayer mat opposite her, and seeing that the adult was also asleep, she immediately abandoned the idea of ​​going to deliver the good news and quickly continued to pretend to be asleep.

But she couldn't resist secretly using her newly acquired spiritual power to pinch the corner of the blanket into the shape of a little rabbit.

On the other side, Zhao Wuji had already cast the Dream Marriage Technique, sneaking into the dream with the wind. A wisp of his divine consciousness, like a wisp of green smoke, followed the scent of the Dragon Tiger Pill given to him during the day, heading to Li Shiyu's dream rendezvous.

In the past, Consort Zhang used this level of dream-marriage technique to enter his dream with her breath.

Now, he can do it too.

Before long, his mind captured the aura of Consort Li, and he entered the dream through magic, passing through three layers of dream barriers.

Suddenly, a series of panting breaths broke through the air.

The scene in the dream suddenly distorted.

Inside the golden gauze curtain, figures overlapped.

A series of seductive sounds, accompanied by blood-pumping scenes, immediately flooded his consciousness.

"Oh no, something filthy has tainted my pure consciousness."

Zhao Wuji was startled, then stared in utter astonishment at the other version of himself in his dream, who was...
You've got it wrong, he's not Cao Cao.
There will be an even later update later tonight.

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(End of this chapter)