Chen Ping had long prepared himself for the sheer difficulty of this task.

Among all Tier 2 pills, the Foundation Establishment Pill was universally recognized as one of the hardest to refine. Its complexity dwarfed the True Essence Pills he had used for practice.

His confidence lay entirely in the True Fire Alchemy Scripture, the manual he had secured at such great cost.

This Low-grade Xuan-tier scripture provided a methodology far more mature and systematic than the crude, self-taught techniques of rogue cultivators. Chen Ping had studied the text obsessively, breaking down the refinement of the Foundation Establishment Pill—and indeed, the fundamental logic of all alchemy—into four decisive steps.

First: Purification.

This was both the foundation and the critical variable.

For Tier 1 pills, the ingredients possessed simple, mild properties; a single round of refinement was often sufficient to extract the necessary medicinal essence.

Tier 2 pills were a different beast entirely, especially one as potent as the Foundation Establishment Pill. The main ingredients contained vast reservoirs of structurally complex energy. According to the True Fire Alchemy Scripture, the main herb for a True Essence Pill required two rounds of extraction to isolate the core power.

However, the trinity of main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill—Sunfire Grass, Amethyst Flower, and True Essence Fruit—demanded at least three rounds of refinement.

The goal was singular: to isolate the purest medicinal Qi and ruthlessly eliminate every trace of useless or harmful impurities.

If this step was flawed, no amount of skill during the fusion stage could save the batch. Impurities would inevitably lead to a Furnace Explosion or, worse, the creation of a poison pill.

Second: Spirit Fusion.

This was the crucible, the most perilous stage that tested an Alchemist’s true capability.

With lower-tier pills, fusion was often natural. Sometimes, one didn’t even need special hand seals; the alchemist could simply rely on the affinity between herbs and the guidance of the flame.

The Foundation Establishment Pill offered no such leniency.

The Alchemist had to maintain a flawlessly stable temperature while using their Divine Sense to force medicinal Qi of opposing attributes to merge. This required a level of micromanagement that bordered on the impossible.

Once the rudimentary pill embryo formed, it required a continuous “feeding” of Qi.

Inject too much, and the violent energy would shatter the fragile embryonic structure.

Inject too little, and the medicinal Qi would fail to undergo its metamorphosis, resulting in a dud or a toxin-riddled failure.

To make matters worse, at critical synchronization points, the Alchemist had to execute three specific auxiliary hand seals recorded in the True Fire Alchemy Scripture. These seals were essential to reconcile conflicting energies and bind them together.

Divine Sense fire control, Qi injection, and physical hand seals—these three tasks had to be performed simultaneously in a delicate, high-stakes balancing act. A deviation in any one of them meant instant failure.

Third: Condensation and Shaping.

Once the medicinal Qi fused into a stable spiritual liquid—the pill embryo—this phase began.

Though simpler than Spirit Fusion, it was the finishing stroke. The core concept was to use one’s own pure Qi to compress the embryo, transitioning it from liquid to solid.

During this compression, the Alchemist had to shape the pill according to the formula while using the flame to purge the final, microscopic impurities. This step determined the pill’s final quality—Low-grade, Mid-grade, High-grade, or Supreme-grade—and its physical appearance.

Fourth: Unsealing the Furnace.

When the pill solidified, the fire had to be reduced gradually to allow the internal pressure to normalize. Only when the temperature dropped to a safe range could the lid be raised.

Legends spoke of high-tier pills that were so potent their birth triggered a “Pill Tribulation,” requiring the Alchemist to defend their creation against lightning strikes. Fortunately, the Foundation Establishment Pill, while precious, did not defy the laws of heaven to that extent.

To Chen Ping, the True Fire Alchemy Scripture represented the optimal solution. Its principles were explicit and its logic sound, vastly superior to the patchwork intuition he had relied on in his past life.

He did not have access to higher-grade techniques given his current status and resources. This was his best weapon, and he would make it suffice.

Preparations complete, Chen Ping began his first attempt.

He was acutely aware of the cost of failure. He did not immediately risk the hundred-year-old mature ingredients. Instead, he cautiously selected slightly weaker stock—sixty-year-old Sunfire Grass and Amethyst Flower—for a trial run. The True Essence Fruit, being rare, offered no such luxury; he had to use the standard stock.

Phase One: Purification.

Chen Ping’s focus was absolute.

He adhered strictly to the scripture, subjecting each main ingredient to three cycles of refinement.

His Divine Sense wrapped around the herbs inside the furnace. Under the scorching temper of the alchemy fire, wisps of black impurities were stripped away and incinerated, vanishing into nothingness.

What remained were several small clumps of viscous medicinal liquid, glowing with a rich, spiritual luster.

Despite a few minor fluctuations, the process concluded without incident. The purity was acceptable.

Purification is merely the entry fee, Chen Ping thought grimly. The true barrier is Fusion.

Phase Two: Spirit Fusion.

The medicinal liquid churned violently within the Alchemy Furnace.

The pressure descended instantly.

Chen Ping’s consciousness had to fracture into three distinct streams. One monitored the thermal equilibrium of the furnace. The second gingerly guided the violent, scorching power of the Sunfire Grass and the frigid, yin-aligned power of the Amethyst Flower to permeate one another. The third stream monitored the True Essence Fruit, the critical “harmonizing agent” meant to bridge the gap between fire and ice.

It was like wrestling three wild stallions, forcing them to gallop in perfect synchronization.

Within moments, fine beads of sweat slicked Chen Ping’s forehead.

The conflict of energies spiked. It was time for the first auxiliary hand seal.

In the split second he diverted his attention to form the seal, his control over the flame wavered—an imperceptible flicker to the layman, but fatal to the process.

The fragile equilibrium inside the furnace collapsed.

Pfft!

A muffled thud echoed from the vessel. Chaotic light flashed behind the vents. The distinct clumps of painstakingly refined liquid collapsed into a muddled mass of gray gas.

The glow faded rapidly, replaced by the acrid stench of burnt herbs.

First furnace: Failure.

A classic Furnace Explosion.

Chen Ping did not let frustration take hold. He calmly cleaned the Alchemy Furnace, meditated to restore his mental state, and immediately began the second attempt.

This time, he managed the trilateral balance with even greater caution.

His fire control was steadier, his Divine Sense guidance gentler. When the moment came for the first hand seal, his fingers moved with sharper speed and precision.

The medicinal liquids began to merge, slowly swirling into a turbid, egg-sized sphere of light.

The rudimentary pill embryo had formed!

A surge of adrenaline hit Chen Ping, but he suppressed it instantly. He began injecting his spiritual Qi into the embryo.

The rhythm and volume had to be precise.

At first, it went smoothly. The embryo contracted, its surface hardening, the glow solidifying.

Then came the second auxiliary hand seal.

The moment his fingers moved to cast the spell, the rhythm of his Qi injection faltered. It was a microscopic delay, but the consequences were catastrophic.

The pill embryo trembled violently. Fine, spiderweb cracks raced across its surface as the internal energy turned chaotic.

Chen Ping frantically ramped up his Divine Sense pressure, trying to crush the energy back into submission, but it was too late.

Pop.

With a soft sound, the embryo disintegrated. The gathered medicinal power scattered into the furnace walls, once again reduced to worthless waste residue.