Chapter 3480 — Refining the Qi-Gathering Pill
Of course, this was also thanks to his prior experience making first- and second-grade automatic medicine cauldrons. What was more, Han Jingyi had fitted this Divine Farmer automatic cauldron with an energy-replenishment function and an external energy-stone slot, so that it could draw power from the stones and prevent a failed refinement should Wei Zhao's physical strength and true qi run short.
"Brother Wei Zhao, Jingjing's finished it! Take a look!" Han Jingyi handed the modified Divine Farmer automatic cauldron to Wei Zhao.
The remade Divine Farmer automatic cauldron now came in two parts: the main body was the Divine Farmer's Cauldron itself, and beside it sat an electronic device, topped by a touchscreen much like a tablet's and, beneath that, a compartment for holding energy stones.
"This thing... it really does look like a fusion of modern and ancient technology!" Wei Zhao exclaimed.
"It is. For now the Divine Farmer's Cauldron can't be replaced. If we found a substitute material, it could be rebuilt entirely, and it would look far more beautiful and natural, but as things stand it's neither fish nor fowl," said Han Jingyi.
"That doesn't matter. Pretty or not, as long as it can refine pills, it's fine!" Wei Zhao waved a hand. "This thing is meant to be used, not admired!"
"Hehe, Brother Wei Zhao is comforting Jingjing!" Han Jingyi laughed. "Don't worry, Brother Wei Zhao. Later on Jingjing will make you an even better one. With my current skill, this is all I can manage. You can start refining now, Brother Wei Zhao!"
"Jingjing, tell me. I have fifteen portions of Qi-Gathering Pill ingredients in all. How many batches should I divide them into for the best method—the one that yields the most Qi-Gathering Pills?" Wei Zhao knew that Han Jingyi's cauldrons generally carried a refining bonus; cases where two pills turned into three were known to happen!
"Hehe, wouldn't Brother Wei Zhao find out by trying?" Han Jingyi said with a laugh.
"Try it?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback.
But since Han Jingyi had said so, Wei Zhao trusted her. He collected his thoughts, pressed down all distractions, and sat cross-legged in meditation for a while. Once he had brought his body to its optimal state, he formally prepared to begin refining.
Wei Zhao pressed the power button on the Divine Farmer automatic cauldron, and a welcome screen at once appeared on the LCD. It was Han Jingyi's smiling face, with a line of text beneath it: "The intelligent alchemy system Jingjing built for Brother Wei Zhao, v1.0."
Seeing this welcome screen, Wei Zhao could not help but smile wryly. Han Jingyi really was a character, coming up with something like this.
Then several options appeared on the screen!
1. Refine a known pill
2. Automatic analysis of an unknown pill's formula
3. Online update via satellite network
Looking at these three options, Wei Zhao could not help but be surprised. This cauldron, it seemed, could refine not only known pills but unknown ones as well?
Still, Wei Zhao had no unknown pills on hand for the moment, so he tapped the first item—the option for refining a known pill.
"Please wait. Jingjing is generating the Qi-Gathering Pill refinement script for Brother Wei Zhao. After Jingjing's calculations, putting in five portions of ingredients at a time will yield the greatest benefit..."
Staring at this line of text, Wei Zhao was struck dumb! Han Jingyi had indeed been right—she had told him to try it and he would find out, and find out he had!
So Wei Zhao followed the prompt, placed five portions of Qi-Gathering Pill ingredients into the cauldron, and pressed the confirm button!
"Beep, beep..." The tablet gave two clear, drawn-out tones. Wei Zhao looked up and saw the screen display: "Refinement script generated. Based on automatic analysis of the weight inside the cauldron, five portions of ingredients have been added for this refinement. Estimated refining time: three hours and twenty-four minutes. Please build up physical strength and true qi in advance! Estimated pill output: seven pills!"
A refining time of just over three hours—not long. But when he saw the projected output, Wei Zhao was slightly stunned. It could actually refine seven Qi-Gathering Pills!
Still, that was only because this was Han Jingyi's work. Anyone else could only refine one pill at a time: success was success, failure was failure!
Wei Zhao, by contrast, was engaged in mass production—even the scraps and waste could be recombined into a new pill, and so the efficiency of pill formation was naturally superb!
"When you hear the beep, inject pure energy and true qi into the cauldron. The cauldron will automatically adjust the flame, the temperature, and the single-flame attribute!"
So all he had to do was input true qi? Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback. Did that not mean this cauldron could be used without an alchemist at all? At the thought, he turned questioningly toward Han Jingyi at his side.
Han Jingyi seemed to read his confusion and said, "Brother Wei Zhao, Jingjing actually mastered this technique long ago! Since we could already convert the energy in energy stones into pill fire, turning a cultivator's physical strength and true qi into pill fire is no difficult matter either! It's just that, first, if this technique got out, alchemists would lose their value—with no restrictions, anyone could refine pills. It might make medicine cauldrons sell well for a time, but in the future I'm afraid these things would depreciate! Second, every cultivator's physical strength and true qi are different, and Jingjing has no way to analyze them one by one—but Jingjing knows Brother Wei Zhao's. So don't worry, Brother Wei Zhao: apart from you, only Jingjing herself can use this cauldron. No one else can!"
"So that's how it is!" Wei Zhao nodded. This way things were much simpler, and Wei Zhao set down the worry in his heart completely!
If he had no confidence in pill fire, had he no confidence in his physical strength and true qi? He had helped others level up several times already; Wei Zhao was quite sure of his own strength and true qi! And more than that, Wei Zhao had the great trump card of the jade pendant's space—he could directly use the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art to draw the pure energy from the jade pendant's space and channel it into the cauldron. That way his body was like a conductor, purely serving to transmit, and he did not even need to expend his own physical strength and true qi!
Of course, Han Jingyi did not actually know this. She still assumed Wei Zhao had moments when his strength ran dry, which was why she had provided a place to put energy stones!
At that thought, Wei Zhao banished his stray ideas. No more talk—he set to work. Sitting cross-legged, he circulated the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art and, following the prompt, swiftly poured the physical strength and true qi within his body into the Divine Farmer's Cauldron... (To be continued.)