Chapter 056: Alchemy of the Celestial Scar

The inner chamber was not very large, square in shape, measuring some twenty feet on each side. The furnishings were exceedingly simple: a wooden bed, a table, two stools, and a few implements for daily living—everything exuded an air of austerity.

This was Mu Tianhen’s room, the place reserved for the head of the household.

At this moment, Mu Tianhen had already taken out the Tiger Cauldron and set it on the floor. All around, he had arranged a great variety of spiritual herbs, all fully mature and radiating a dense spiritual energy.

Had Mu Tianhen not set up a barrier formation, the spiritual energy would have been so intense that people within half a mile would have felt it clearly.

“Woo woo woo—”

Little White squatted on the table, chattering as he conjured several beast cores out of thin air and placed them on the tabletop.

Mu Tianhen could understand Little White perfectly and smiled, saying, “Don’t be so impatient. I promised I’d purify them for you, and I will. But you have to give me some time to get familiar with this cauldron, don’t you?”

With that, Mu Tianhen began to read the instructions for the cauldron with utmost seriousness, committing every word to memory.

Not only did he study the Tiger Cauldron, but also the Ox Cauldron and the Dragon Cauldron.

Essentially, these cauldrons were treasured tools for refining pills. They could not only improve the success rate but also maximize the potency of the ingredients, condensing the greatest possible quantity of pills.

At the same time, they greatly enhanced the fusion of the pills, resulting in high-quality products.

Naturally, such exceptional items came with high requirements.

Take the Ox Cauldron, for instance—even if one was an alchemist, one’s cultivation had to be formidable. Without having reached at least the third level of the Blood Ignition Stage, one could not use it.

Anyone who tried to force its use would not only fail to refine pills, but would also suffer a backlash from the cauldron, dying a miserable death on the spot.

The Tiger Cauldron was even more demanding; only those who had reached the third level of the True Martial Stage could use it. Otherwise, the consequences were the same as forcibly using the Ox Cauldron.

Finally, the Dragon Cauldron was the highest grade of all. To activate it, one needed to be at least at the Martial Lord Stage.

“That was close!” Mu Tianhen exclaimed inwardly, quickly putting away the Tiger Cauldron he had first taken out and replacing it with the Ox Cauldron, relieved that he hadn’t acted recklessly.

Now, with his cultivation at the ninth level of the Heaven-Peering Stage, using the Ox Cauldron posed no problem; he had no need to fear a backlash.

Not only that, he could fully utilize the power of the Ox Cauldron to refine even better pills.

Once everything was ready, Mu Tianhen turned to Little White with a smile. “Let’s begin, Little White. Hand me one of the beast cores first, so we can see what effect it has.”

Although Little White was a bit reluctant, he picked up a core and tossed it to Mu Tianhen, reminding him to be careful, stay focused, and not make mistakes due to carelessness.

After all, beast cores were rare treasures, and it would be a shame to waste one.

Mu Tianhen understood Little White’s meaning and nodded. “Don’t worry, little fellow, I’ll do my best. From now on, stay where you are and don’t move. Don’t distract me during the refinement.”

With these words, Mu Tianhen said no more. He immediately channeled his pulse force, infusing it into the palm of his right hand, then sent it forth to envelop the Ox Cauldron.

Buzz—

The moment his pulse force made contact, the Ox Cauldron emitted a resonant hum and quivered slightly, like a child reluctant to work, throwing a tantrum.

Unfortunately for the cauldron, its grade was simply too low to resist Mu Tianhen’s ever-increasing pulse force, and it soon settled down obediently.

Once the Ox Cauldron was still, Mu Tianhen began to channel his pulse force evenly around it.

Gradually, the cauldron glowed red, emitting a dazzling crimson light and waves of scorching heat that sent Little White scurrying to a far corner, abandoning his nap on the table.

At the same time, Little White watched Mu Tianhen with eyes full of admiration. To heat the cauldron directly with pulse force—what a display of power!

Little White did not know that Mu Tianhen had no other choice.

The instructions for the cauldron stated explicitly: open flame must not be used for refining, or the cauldron would lose its efficacy and might even explode.

Therefore, only pulse force could be used to heat it, and only when the entire vessel glowed red-hot could refinement begin.

This was why the cauldrons could only be used by those with sufficient pulse force.

As Mu Tianhen poured his power into the cauldron, he marveled at the demanding requirements. Even the Ox Cauldron alone consumed a great deal of pulse force.

Without having opened the Sea of Qi, the pulse force stored in the dantian would have quickly been exhausted.

Fortunately, not only had Mu Tianhen opened his Sea of Qi, but its breadth had already reached ten thousand miles—ten times wider than his sister’s—vast as an ocean.

Within, he stored a seemingly inexhaustible supply of pulse force.

Thus, he had no worries about running dry; he could focus entirely on maintaining the cauldron’s internal and external temperatures.

He had to ensure that the heat reached the perfect value described in the instructions.

It was his first time using the Ox Cauldron, yet he was determined to succeed at the first attempt, lest he waste Little White’s beast core and cause the little creature heartache.

No matter if the quality was only moderate or the fusion imperfect—failure was unacceptable.

With this resolve, Mu Tianhen concentrated all his attention on the changes in the cauldron.

As time passed, the cauldron’s glow deepened until it was nearly transparent, and the temperature reached its ideal.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Mu Tianhen waved his hand, summoning the beast core through the air and dropping it into the Ox Cauldron.

Sizzle!

As the core entered, a soft sound arose, and a faint white smoke drifted up.

Mu Tianhen moved swiftly, waving his hand to send pulses of energy into the cauldron, surrounding the beast core and observing its transformation clearly.

Under the intense heat, the beast core gradually melted into a small pool of pale green liquid, reminiscent of molten iron in a blacksmith’s forge.

At this point, Mu Tianhen slowly began to withdraw his pulse force, reducing the cauldron’s temperature and entering the condensation stage.

He also used a stream of pulse force to draw out the impurities floating on the surface, leaving the liquid inside increasingly pure and clear.

In the end, the liquid became completely transparent, like a mountain spring, and greatly reduced in quantity.

As the temperature dropped further, the liquid slowly contracted under the influence of pulse force, gradually solidifying.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the process was complete.

With a final wave, Mu Tianhen withdrew all heating power without hesitation.

As soon as the force was withdrawn, the Ox Cauldron cooled rapidly, returning to normal temperature within a few breaths—truly a remarkable tool!

At this moment, Mu Tianhen saw a transparent bead, no larger than his thumb, lying quietly at the bottom of the cauldron, much smaller than when it had entered.

He reached in and retrieved the purified beast core. Instantly, a rich fragrance and surge of spiritual energy filled the room, making Little White’s eyes gleam with excitement.

Mu Tianhen chuckled. “Success! I really did it! And the fusion rate reached ninety percent. Little White, am I a genius or not?”

Little White nodded energetically, even more excited than Mu Tianhen. After all, this was a beast core refined just for him, and such a high degree of fusion was beyond his wildest hopes.

With a flurry of movement, Little White swept up all the remaining beast cores on the table and sent them flying to Mu Tianhen.

He had no choice but to catch them all and toss the freshly purified one to Little White.

At the same time, a bold idea began to take shape in his mind—a plan both daring and ambitious.