Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1390: 884: Demon Essence Pill Refinement, Part 2

Silently, he calculated that even with this successful refinement, the maximum profit would be around sixty to seventy thousand Spirit Stones.

While sixty to seventy thousand Spirit Stones might sound substantial, one must remember Yang Zhenshan's numerous prior failures. Even with this current attempt, success was not guaranteed.

What appeared to be a profit was, in reality, a substantial loss, with over a million Spirit Stones already spent on refining the Demon Essence Pill.

This is the harsh reality for alchemists; the initial investment in developing new elixirs is exceptionally high.

Fortunately, the tide was finally turning. Yang Zhenshan tallied the expenses but didn't dwell on them.

"You should go rest now!"

He briefly instructed the Golden Crow before swiftly returning to the Spiritual Spring Mountain Plateau.

Upon his arrival at the Spiritual Spring Mountain Plateau, Yu Qingyi remained engrossed in her cultivation. Having recently achieved a breakthrough to the mid-stage Golden Body Realm the previous month, she was now focused on stabilizing her cultivation.

Remarkably, Yu Qingyi's aptitude for Martial Arts proved quite impressive. Though not apparent before, her Divine Soul experienced a significant enhancement upon reaching the Golden Body Realm, far exceeding that of An Yuxing and Liang Shengze.

This might be attributed to her prior consumption of numerous lotus seeds from the Dao Intent Sacred Lotus, or perhaps her Divine Soul possessed exceptional innate talent. Regardless, she had gained a distinct advantage over An Yuxing and Liang Shengze.

Recent changes within the Spirit Source Land had been quite significant, beginning with the successive breakthroughs of Yang Mingzhi and Yang Chengmao.

Yang Chengmao's advancement marked him as the first among the third generation of the Yang family to achieve this, indicating that this generation was reaching its prime for breakthroughs.

Yang Chengye had already entered secluded cultivation, Yang Chengxian was close behind, and others such as Yang Chengyou, Yang Chengzhang, and more were slated to commence their own secluded training in the coming years.

However, a somber event marred these years: Luo Jingsong met his demise during a failed breakthrough attempt.

Luo Jingsong's failure was unexpected by Yang Zhenshan. Logically, Luo Jingsong's cultivation base was robust, and he had undertaken thorough preparations for his breakthrough, yet he still faltered.

The precise reason for this failure remained elusive to Yang Zhenshan.

A sense of regret washed over Yang Zhenshan, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

Breakthroughs, by their very nature, are fraught with considerable peril. Even with the wealth of experience accumulated regarding breakthroughs within the Spirit Source Land, the possibility of failure could not be entirely eliminated.

Returning to the Spiritual Spring Mountain Plateau, Yang Zhenshan proceeded directly to the Quiet Chamber.

This particular Demon Essence Pill, possessing the Wood Attribute, was ideally suited for his consumption.

Furthermore, as it was his first successful refinement, it was imperative that he personally experienced the pill's effects.

Within the confines of the Quiet Chamber, Yang Zhenshan centered his mind and body, initiated the Qingmu Longevity Scripture, and promptly entered a state of deep meditation.

Following one Grand Circulation of the Qingmu Longevity Scripture, he retrieved the Demon Essence Pill and swallowed it whole.

The pill contained potent medicinal power, primarily derived from the Demon Core, supplemented by the essence of the herbs used in its concoction.

Upon ingesting the elixir, Yang Zhenshan instantly felt a surge of immense medicinal power coursing through his entire being.

A rich, verdant aura, reminiscent of grass and trees, permeated his organs, meridians, and Dantian like an overwhelming tide. He immediately activated the Green Wood Longevity Skill, channeling all his might to refine this potent energy.

A verdant luminescence emanated from him, resembling undulating waves, each more powerful than the last.

Gradually, the intense essence of grass and wood expanded beyond the Quiet Chamber. The surrounding Spiritual Energy nourished the area, causing the flora to flourish and tender buds to emerge.

This outward diffusion of the Demon Essence Pill's power indicated Yang Zhenshan's current struggle to exert complete control over it.

This was, however, a normal occurrence; a second-order mid-grade Demon Essence Pill held a potency equivalent to the mana of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, potentially surpassing Yang Zhenshan's own mana reserves.

Consequently, achieving absolute control presented a significant challenge.

It took Yang Zhenshan four consecutive Grand Circulations of mana to fully absorb the pill's power.

He slowly opened his eyes, and a foot-long green glow emanated from his gaze.

This radiant effect was not indicative of any ocular abnormality; rather, it was a manifestation of the substantial augmentation of his internal mana, expressing itself externally.

In essence, even his breath was now infused with dense mana, subtly exhaled from his ears and nose.

This phenomenon was not detrimental; it commonly appeared during periods of cultivation advancement or breakthroughs.

"My cultivation has significantly improved; indeed, Demon Essence Pills are unparalleled for enhancing one's cultivation!"

“However, the Demon Essence Pill only bolsters mana, not the Divine Soul, marking this enhancement as somewhat superficial, needing time for integration!”

Yang Zhenshan meticulously surveyed his own shifts while assessing the advantages and disadvantages of the Demon Essence Pill.

“If one were to form a Golden Core, the abundant pure mana from the Demon Essence Pill could potentially elevate the success rate, but a higher-grade Demon Essence Pill is a prerequisite!”

“Concerning elixir pharmacology, indeed, employing Clear Heart Grass proved somewhat excessive; it not only failed to amplify the pill’s potency but also its clashing properties led to considerable waste!”

“Moreover, Spiritual Spring Water surprisingly exhibits harmonizing qualities; I ought to increase its proportion next time!”

“Furthermore, integrating supplemental herbs, such as Dao Intent Sacred Lotus petals renowned for their harmonizing attributes, might warrant consideration in subsequent attempts!”

While dissecting the Demon Essence Pill’s effects, he compiled his acquired knowledge.

Although the mana surge was pleasing, his most significant acquisition from this endeavor was an enhanced comprehension of the Demon Essence Pill.

In the ensuing period, Yang Zhenshan diligently advanced his cultivation while formulating a novel recipe utilizing another Demon Core.

Each Demon Core differs, thus mandating unique elixir formulations for their refinement.

Merely the conceptualization of an initial recipe consumed three months for Yang Zhenshan, followed by persistent adjustments.

While direct testing with Demon Cores was unfeasible, employing substitute herbs was an option.

Previously, he had undertaken numerous trials with diverse herbs, ultimately devising a recipe suitable for the Demon Core.

In the span of half a year, Yang Zhenshan embarked on refining a Demon Essence Pill, this instance employing an Earth Attribute second-order lesser-grade Demon Core.

His efforts culminated in success once more, although the resultant Demon Essence Pill attained only second-order lesser-grade quality.

Nevertheless, this achievement was a cause for commendation.

This validated that his preceding success was no mere accident, confirming his capacity to indeed refine Demon Essence Pills.

Where there is one success, there can be two, then three, and subsequently four.

Yang Zhenshan found himself profoundly immersed in the process of refining Demon Essence Pills.

Across a duration of three years, he successfully completed six refinement cycles of Demon Essence Pills, yielding a total of four pills.

Significantly, these four Demon Essence Pills possessed distinct attributes, with the success rate of refinement showing a consistent upward trend, leading to a greater allocation of time towards recipe development.

What initially demanded one to two years for recipe finalization, subsequently reduced to approximately half a year, now requires merely two to three months for recipe confirmation and successful refinement.

Within a few short years, his mastery of pharmacology attained remarkably profound depths.

Were it not for his underdeveloped cultivation base, he would have ventured to refine higher-grade Demon Cores.

High-grade Demon Cores are capable of producing top-grade Demon Essence Pills essential for Core Formation, though ideally, acquiring third-rank Demon Cores would be more advantageous, despite the inherent difficulty.

A third-rank Demon Core is equivalent to a Demon Venerable capable of contending with Golden Core cultivators; White Cloud Immortal City likely lacks such an item, making its presence even less probable within the Sea of Spirit.

Regarding the possibility of Cangyu Mountain possessing one, Yang Zhenshan’s estimation leans towards an equally negative outcome for Cangyu Mountain.

…

Subsequent to refining his final Demon Core into a Demon Essence Pill, Yang Zhenshan directed his path towards the Xuanqing Sect.

“Master Yang, what brings you to our humble abode today?” Yun Xiao, upon witnessing Yang Zhenshan’s unexpected arrival, conveyed his surprise.

Yang Zhenshan responded with a chuckle, stating, “I am here to honor our prior accord.”

He presented a delicate porcelain bottle.

Yun Xiao accepted the porcelain bottle, casting a questioning gaze, “Could this be…?”

“You may ascertain its contents for yourself!”

Yun Xiao complied without hesitation, unsealing the porcelain bottle and carefully tipping its contents.

A pill with a soil-yellow hue descended into his palm, which he cautiously enveloped with his mana.

“It is indeed a Demon Essence Pill, a second-order lesser-grade Demon Essence Pill, ha ha~~~” Yun Xiao rejoiced audibly.

Yang Zhenshan’s demonstrated proficiency in refining a Demon Essence Pill represented a significant advantage for Yun Xiao, enabling him to engage in exchanges of Demon Essence Pills with Yang Zhenshan.

Even though acquiring Demon Essence Pills from Yang Zhenshan involved substantial cost, it still brought Yun Xiao immense satisfaction.

A Demon Essence Pill is far from a common elixir; each unit is exceptionally precious, requiring a specific elixir recipe for its creation.

Throughout the cultivation landscape of the Yunxiao Mountain Range, alchemists capable of producing Demon Essence Pills are exceedingly scarce, with each such practitioner regarded as a highly esteemed guest in White Cloud Immortal City.

It suffices to say that even if Yun Xiao were to present a Demon Core in White Cloud Immortal City, procuring a Demon Essence Pill would prove to be an insurmountable task.

Yang Zhenshan’s capacity to refine Demon Essence Pills effectively granted Yun Xiao access to a steady supply, a benefit extending far beyond the mere acquisition of a few pills.