Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

According to the alchemy basics, the purity of extracted medicinal essence was graded. For alchemist apprentices, achieving at least sixty percent purity was the minimum to pass, as only then could the refined pill barely meet the efficacy standards of its tier.

The recipe for Blood Coagulation Powder detailed the purity grades for its three herbs, ranging from sixty to ninety percent.

Xiao Bai noticed that the description for ninety percent purity of Purple Sun Fruit didn't quite match the pale purple powder in his hand.

Ninety Percent Purity for Purple Sun Fruit: The powder is light purple overall, with no more than ten percent consisting of darker purple particles.

His powder, however, was uniformly pale purple, lacking the darker particles mentioned. It was crystalline and translucent, with a faint, almost imperceptible cyan hue shimmering within.

I don't know if this mutated version will affect the final Blood Coagulation Powder. It shouldn't cause any problems, right? Xiao Bai decided that once he refined the pill, he'd test it on a few "lab rats" first. Even though he'd made it himself, he wasn't about to pop it in his mouth without knowing its effects. What if it has some bizarre side effect? Getting screwed over by my own pill would be a lifelong stain.

Pushing the thought aside, Xiao Bai glanced at the cave entrance and realized it was already the next morning. Time had flown—over ten hours had passed in a blur.

He had no intention of leaving. His storage ring was stocked with enough food and water for the task. Three months. I won't leave this cave until I succeed.

After a brief rest and a quick meal, Xiao Bai dove back in, preparing to extract the essence from Blood Coagulation Grass and Jade Flower.

But he soon discovered that the method for Purple Sun Fruit didn't work for the other two. Each herb's properties demanded unique extraction techniques.

Purple Sun Fruit was hot-natured, Jade Flower was cold, and Blood Coagulation Grass was neutral. Each required careful experimentation.

Through the process, Xiao Bai gained insights into herb properties and adapted to his unconventional lightning-based alchemy. With no direct guidance—others' methods were mere references—he had to forge his own path.

Eventually, he extracted the essences of Blood Coagulation Grass and Jade Flower. Staring at the powders, which deviated significantly from the recipe's descriptions, he sighed. Am I turning into Bai Xiaochun?

Shaking his head, he moved to the next step: fusing the essences. The recipe instructed to first combine the Purple Sun Fruit and Jade Flower essences, then seize the precise moment of fusion to add the Blood Coagulation Grass essence, balancing the hot and cold properties to form the pill.

Following the steps, Xiao Bai placed the two powders in the cauldron. But soon, he felt growing resistance as the essences struggled to merge.

His expression shifted.

Boom!

A muffled sound echoed, followed by black smoke drifting from the cauldron.

Xiao Bai lifted the lid expressionlessly, waving away the residue with a flick of his hand. Good thing there was no magical beast core this time, or the explosion would've been worse. I don't even know if this cauldron could withstand a core's blast. If it broke, I'd be waiting days for a new one.

He wasn't discouraged. Failure was expected. If I succeeded on the first try, what would that say about the continent's alchemists?

Reflecting on the failure, he noted that the fusion stalled due to an imbalance between the herbs' properties and the flame. He pulled out the recipe, studying the herbs' details.

Purple Sun Fruit: Hot-natured, with heightened activity after extraction. Jade Flower: Cold-natured, with reduced activity after extraction, making fusion difficult. Blood Coagulation Grass: Has a harmonizing effect.

The issue wasn't the proportions. Purple Sun Fruit's high activity required a lower temperature, while Jade Flower's low activity needed a higher one. The timing for adding Blood Coagulation Grass was also critical.

Jotting down his findings, Xiao Bai recognized alchemy's complexity, especially with his unique method—a first in the Dou Qi Continent. He had to experiment and document meticulously.

Patience was never an issue for him in cultivation matters.

After summarizing, he began extracting more essences, preparing a large batch. Ten days later, only a few dozen portions of herbs remained, the rest converted into essences.

With his initial success as a guide, the process was much faster. He extracted a hundred portions of each herb, determined to succeed at least once. I refuse to believe a hundred attempts won't yield even a one percent success rate.

Standing to stretch, Xiao Bai felt nauseated just looking at the herbs. Ten days of relentless refining had numbed him. I could extract these three herbs blindfolded now.

After relaxing, he sat cross-legged before the cauldron, taking a deep breath. This is it.

He tossed the two essences into the cauldron, reaching the critical fusion stage. Applying his notes, he carefully adjusted the Bing Fire flame's temperature for each herb. His strong soul made the control manageable.

First attempt: Failure.

Second attempt: Failure.

On the thirty-sixth try, drawing on prior experience, the Purple Sun Fruit and Jade Flower essences showed signs of merging. Seizing the moment, Xiao Bai added the Blood Coagulation Grass essence, catalyzing the fusion.

As time passed, the three essences blended without the resistance he'd felt before.

He knew he was close, but the final steps demanded utmost care.

A small mass of purplish-red viscous liquid formed in the cauldron. It was time to form the pill. Following the recipe, Xiao Bai's hands wove seals, shaping the liquid into a sphere. It spun rapidly, solidifying from liquid to solid.

Finally, a round, purplish-red pill floated in the Bing Fire flame.

Xiao Bai waved open the cauldron's lid, and the pill flew into his hand. He gazed at his first creation—Blood Coagulation Powder.

Who named this a "powder" when it's clearly a pill? Whatever. Pride swelled in him. He was officially a first-tier alchemist.

After admiring it, he stored the pill in a prepared jade vial. Though only a first-tier pill, it held sentimental value.