Restoring a pill formula was akin to solving high-level Sudoku. Even if much of the recipe was incomplete, one could always find a breakthrough point or two.
Spiritual plants interacted with and restrained one another; a pill was simply the product of refining and reacting various spiritual plants with differing affinities until they ultimately achieved equilibrium.
Shi Yu already possessed deep experience and foundation in alchemy. Her recent retreat in the Alchemist Association's Legacy of Subtle Wonders had granted her many fresh insights. Now, standing within the featureless light-point space of the 《Illusory Resemblance Art》, pill furnaces and spiritual plants materialized one after another around her, manifested through her divine sense and spiritual Qi.
“Soul-Nurturing Wood, Sky Origin Fruit, Sun-Restoring True Water, Prophecy-Extinguishing Flower...”
These were the known spiritual plants and heavenly treasures required in the incomplete formula for the Extreme Devouring Pill.
Recalling the aura of each spiritual plant, Shi Yu executed the Illusory Resemblance Art to duplicate and simulate them. The clearer her memory and sensation, the more lifelike the manifested plants became.
Once all the known spiritual plants were simulated, she needed to analyze their medicinal properties to infer the missing components.
“Soul-Nurturing Wood interacts with the Prophecy-Extinguishing Flower and Sun-Restoring True Water in opposition. The Metal attribute is overly dominant while the Wood attribute is too weak, throwing the destructive cycle out of balance so that the subdued element repels the subduer...”
“When Metal is overly prosperous, it overpowers Wood. If I want to adjust this, things like Amethyst Grass or Wood Tendril Vine seem suitable... But Sky Origin Fruit and Sun-Restoring True Water complement and rescue each other. When Metal is restrained, it revitalizes Earth, which makes Amethyst Grass seem inappropriate again...”
After pondering for a long time, she knew she had to test her ideas in practice to be certain. Shi Yu stilled her mind, simulated several spiritual plants she had guessed, and began testing them one by one.
...
Starting from the basics, she attempted to identify the simplest missing spiritual plant. Shi Yu tried several times, but each attempt yielded only vague sensations without any clear feedback.
Having prepared herself for such difficulties, she wasn't discouraged and pressed on with her experiments.
Whenever her divine sense was depleted, she would exit the light-point space to meditate and regulate her breathing. Once fully recovered, she would resume her trials. Repeating this cycle three times, she finally found an ingredient whose compatibility and stability aligned remarkably well.
“Snow Cloud Ganoderma—this should be the one.” Shi Yu let out a joyful smile. This was her first time successfully restoring a missing spiritual plant from the formula. Though it was merely a beginning, it marked a crucial breakthrough.
Over the following days, she tirelessly continued these experiments with enthusiasm.
It wasn't until the day before the Alchemy Exchange Conference competition that President Song and Master Ji paid a special visit, advising her to rest for a full day to conserve her energy, that she finally paused to properly adjust her condition.
President Song's exact words had been: “The competition will last for several days without any break in between, placing immense strain on one's mind and spiritual Qi. Rest well for a day and bring your condition to its peak.”
Shi Yu naturally obeyed obediently. Halting all tasks that drained her divine sense and spiritual power, she spent the day relaxing, eating, drinking, and clearing her mind, feeling increasingly calm and tranquil.
Although her efforts over the past few days were far from fully restoring the original Extreme Devouring Pill, her gains were by no means small.
In the process of restoring the formula, she had accidentally concocted a downgraded version of the Extreme Devouring Pill recipe.
This recipe was classified as a Tier-3 pill. Shi Yu simply and bluntly named it the Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill, which could temporarily boost a late-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator's cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Though it couldn't match the potency of the original Extreme Devouring Pill, its side effects were vastly reduced.
Consuming the true Extreme Devouring Pill would burn one's lifespan, leaving the user completely drained and near death shortly after. But this Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill burned essence blood instead; while it would leave the user weakened for a long while, one could slowly recover from it over time.
Calculated this way, it left plenty of leeway. Taking one or two in critical moments wouldn't severely impact one's future Dao journey.
As for the original Extreme Devouring Pill... Shi Yu felt stuck at a critical bottleneck and couldn't advance any further. She had a subtle hunch: I'm afraid one or two of the missing spiritual plants are unique to the Origin Realm and things I have never seen before.
The prerequisite for the Illusory Resemblance Art's simulation was that she must have seen or encountered the object before, retaining a mental impression of it.
However, while the background setting of the two worlds was largely similar, their individual developments differed. Just as several local specialty plants and materials here in Hengze Prefecture were things she had never encountered in the Xian Yuan game.
The Origin Realm was vast, and there remained countless things she did not yet know.
“Thus, if I want to continue restoring the Extreme Devouring Pill formula, I'll likely need some serendipitous chance.”
Since it couldn't be done immediately, she didn't dwell on it.
Speaking of which, the process of restoring the formula showed just how formidable the 《Illusory Resemblance Art》 Uncle Mo gave her truly was.
For others, such a technique might have limited practical applications, but for Shi Yu, who engaged in all four craft disciplines—artifact refining, alchemy, array formations, and talismans—its value was beyond measure.
After being evolved and perfected by the Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Bell to form the light-point space, the utility of this technique rose exponentially.
Just imagine: without this space to simulate various precious spiritual plants and deduce the correct formula and refining steps, how many tens of thousands of resources would be consumed to restore an incomplete formula like this?
It was practically bottomless.
Likely only powerful, wealthy factions could sustain such expenditure; with the financial capacity of an individual rogue cultivator, it was utterly impossible to achieve.
Yet right now, it offered Shi Yu a genuine possibility while saving her countless resources.
Setting the matter aside, tomorrow was the day of the Alchemy Exchange Conference competition. Shi Yu went to bed early, just as President Song and the others had advised.
However, just as she lay down and was about to close her eyes, her divine sense flickered. Sensing a slight movement within the Fate-Tapping Bell, she sank her mind into the bell's interior space and saw that the Seven-Color Luan, after several days of rest beside the Life Spring water, had now fully recovered and was happily soaring through the modest space inside the bell.
With a gentle smile, Shi Yu released it from the bell. The Seven-Color Luan let out a crisp cry, flew around her twice, and perched affectionately beside her elbow.
Shi Yu reached out a finger and scratched the soft down feathers on its head and chest.
The Luan seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, closing its eyes as it rubbed against her finger. Moments later, as if intoxicated, its little avian claws flipped up, and it collapsed head over heels, rolling into a dazed, fluffy ball.
Shi Yu let out a soft chuckle and extended a finger to stop it. The warm little hairball bumped into her palm, legs sticking up in the air, struggling twice before flipping back upright and proudly flapping its wings to mask its embarrassment.
Cupping the little bird in both hands, Shi Yu held it up and looked it over. “It seems your injuries are completely healed.”
It also appeared to have grown a size larger, with its feathers growing fluffier all over. In particular, the tail feathers on its back radiated multi-colored sheens, incomparably beautiful and dazzling.
The Luan nudged her hand with its fluffy head, displaying deep affection. After a moment, its tiny pea-like eyes locked onto Shi Yu, and it suddenly pecked her finger with its sharp beak.
“Hmm?” Shi Yu was startled as she saw a bead of bright red blood seep from her fingertip.
Knowing the Luan harbored no intent to harm her, this sudden action left her somewhat puzzled. It wasn't until the Luan kept nudging her finger with its head, hopping back and forth anxiously, that Shi Yu gradually understood its intent.
Was it... choosing its master?
Looking at her bleeding finger with its tiny eyes, the Seven-Color Luan displayed a mix of anticipation and dread. Fluttering its wings, it wanted to approach yet hesitated, as though Shi Yu's blood contained an aura that deeply terrified it.
Shi Yu realized this was likely due to her sealed bloodline.
Even in its sealed state, her bloodline exerted immense pressure on spirit beasts. Thus, without Shi Yu's explicit consent, the Luan dared not initiate the master-binding contract on its own.
The Seven-Color Luan possessed immense growth potential and would undoubtedly become a capable companion and helper in the future. Without hesitation, Shi Yu extended her blood-stained fingertip and pressed it gently against its small forehead.
In an instant, a faint light radiated outward.
Shi Yu immediately felt a subtle connection emerge from the Luan.
As the blood drop merged into the Luan's body and their connection deepened, Shi Yu sensed a unique surge of power flowing between them, forming a mysterious resonance.
The power of the contract gradually materialized. From this moment on, the Seven-Color Luan became Shi Yu's spirit beast companion.
“Chirp!” Once the master-binding contract was sealed, the Luan burst into an even more dazzling brilliance. It chirped joyfully, excitedly perching on Shi Yu's shoulder one moment and nesting in her palm the next.
Shi Yu's eyes curved into smiles. “Since you've chosen me, how about I give you a name?”
She had always been terrible at giving names and wasn't skilled in it at all. After turning it over in her mind again and again, she tentatively offered, “Little Seven?”
The Luan chirped twice, unfurling its tail feathers with a lively shake, seemingly loving the name.
“Then Little Seven it is.” Shi Yu let out a sigh of relief.
Little Seven tilted its head to look at her, then as if showing off, opened its beak and spat out a ball of fire.
Having largely recovered from its injuries, its dissipated vitality source was completely restored thanks to the Life Spring water, gaining a few additional benefits in the process. Right now, it was even stronger than before its injury. The Seven-Color Glazed Fire spat from its mouth burned undiminished, unleashing an impressive aura.
Shi Yu played with it for a while and teased it for quite some time before sending it back into the Fate-Tapping Bell.
She then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Sleeping soundly through the night, as day dawned, the highly anticipated and much-awaited Alchemy Exchange Conference competition was finally set to unveil its grand opening.
Rate on N.U.
