The Oldest Disciple: Farming Intimacy to Become Immortal

Chapter 255: Who Is Refining Pills?

The two of them took their seats on the meditation mats.

Liu Ruyu flicked her sleeve with slender, jade-like hands. One spiritual plant after another flew out from her Storage Bag, hovering in the air above the massive Furnace.

She turned her beautiful eyes to Li Meng.

“Junior Brother, why does your formula for the Solid Spirit Pill include two additional common herbs?”

Li Meng glanced at the ingredients. The formulas from his System were indeed optimized differently from standard cultivation methods.

He smiled, stroking his beard. “Senior Sister, alchemy is like cooking. If a spice is too strong, you need another to balance it. The formulas passed down through generations have been streamlined for efficiency, but sometimes efficiency sacrifices quality. Those ‘extra’ herbs are the bridge between potency and stability.”

“As for whether a formula is good or bad,” he added, looking her in the eye, “one can only know by comparison.”

Liu Ruyu nodded thoughtfully. “I tried refining according to your instructions, but I failed every time. I know where the problem lies, but I cannot resolve the conflict of energies.”

Li Meng flicked his sleeve, taking control of the floating herbs. They dove into the Furnace in a synchronized stream.

He formed seals with both hands, and five-colored spiritual light erupted from his body.

Whoosh!

The Furnace roared to life with blazing fire.

“Senior Sister, in the Dao of Alchemy, excessive streamlining is a compromise. It improves the success rate but wastes the intrinsic spirit of the plants. People say ‘artistic conception affects pill quality,’ but few understand why.”

Liu Ruyu’s eyes lit up. She watched him intently.

At this moment, Li Meng had entered the state of Heaven-Man Unity. His entire body exuded a Dao Rhyme that harmonized perfectly with the world around him.

“Artistic conception is control,” Li Meng explained, his voice echoing with authority. “When you are one with Heaven and Earth, the space around you becomes your domain. You become the master of the microcosm inside the furnace. You control every fluctuation, every loss. In this state, waste is non-existent.”

He tapped his temple.

“As for how to enter this state… that depends on your own perception. But those with powerful souls find it easier.”

Liu Ruyu stared at him, a storm of astonishment raging in her heart.

Normally, when cultivators entered such a state, they lost all awareness of the outside world. But Li Meng was clearly deep in the Dao, yet fully conscious and teaching her simultaneously.

How… how is this possible?

“Senior Sister, calm your mind and perceive!”

His command struck her like a bell. Liu Ruyu exhaled a turbid breath, closed her eyes, and extended her Divine Sense, trying to grasp the subtle rhythm he was weaving.

Adjacent Room, Viewing Platform

Liu Ruyan sat by the window, a faint smile playing on her lips. She stretched lazily, her waist outlining a breathtaking curve against the backdrop of the clouds.

“Junior Sister,” she murmured to the empty air, “this bet of yours was well placed.”

She glanced at an imaginary chessboard. Those qualified to enter the game were rare as phoenix feathers. For both her and the little fellow next door, it was still too early.

But to enter the game, one must first become a valuable pawn. He understood that.

Half an Hour Later

A rich, overwhelming medicinal fragrance exploded from Li Meng’s room. It didn’t just fill the hallway; it seeped through the cracks and walls, permeating the entire Heaven-Reaching Spirit Boat.

“What a rich fragrance!”

“Just smelling it makes my spiritual power circulate faster! Is this… flawless quality?”

“It must be the Ancestor!”

Disciples rushed out of their cabins, gathering on the deck and looking up at the pavilion with awe.

In a room on the upper level, Qi Wei leaned against the windowsill, looking bored. She twitched her nose as the scent drifted in.

“Huh? Where did Senior Brother go to refine pills?”

She recognized the scent immediately. It wasn’t just flawless; it carried that specific trace of Dao Rhyme that only Senior Brother could produce.

“Senior Brother is really annoying,” she grumbled, pouting. “Refining pills without calling me.”

Inside the Alchemy Room

Liu Ruyu stared blankly at Li Meng.

He flicked his sleeve, tossing a jade bottle toward her.

“Senior Sister, did you gain some insight?”

Liu Ruyu caught the bottle, her lips parting but no sound coming out. She looked down at the contents.

Fourteen pills.

All of them Flawless Quality.

In half an hour.

This defied all common sense. Flawless pills absorbed massive amounts of medicinal efficacy; usually, a furnace could only support one or two. To produce an entire batch of flawless pills… it was monstrous.

Liu Ruyu took a deep, shuddering breath. Her expression turned grave.

She looked at Li Meng with complex eyes.

“Junior Brother Li,” she whispered urgently. “You must never refine pills in front of others again. Never let anyone know how terrifying your talent is. What I saw today… I will take to my grave.”

She finally understood why her Master valued him so highly.

A monster like this was a treasure that appeared once in ten thousand years. And a treasure like this… the Joyous Union Sect was too small to protect.