Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 181

Chapter 181: PILL REFINING
She had to take a few deep breaths to quiet her heart—both from the lingering effects of dinner and the anticipation of working with such a precious artifact. The cauldron responded to her settling emotions, its surface warming slightly under her hovering fingers, just as it had done during their first encounter.

“Let’s start with something simple,” Little Firefly suggested, perching on the ancient text Li Hua had spread before them. His golden feathers brushed against the yellowed pages as he indicated a particular entry. “The spirit-gathering pill would be perfect for a first attempt. See here? The recipe calls for three basic ingredients, and the refinement process is straightforward.”

Li Hua studied the detailed illustrations in the manuscript, her fingers tracing the intricate diagrams of energy circulation patterns. According to the text, she would need spring spirit grass for its foundation, morning dew essence as a stabilizer, and a single truth-seeking flower to bind the spiritual properties together.

Her eyes moved to the cauldron, its surface gleaming with anticipation. “The text mentions the importance of ingredient quality,” she noted, as she channeled her first selection of herbs directly from their garden. The ingredients materialized above the cauldron—spring spirit grass, morning dew essence, and a single truth-seeking flower. Each herb glowed with its own spiritual light, their essences already responding to the cauldron’s purifying influence.

“Careful now,” Little Firefly cautioned as Li Hua began directing spiritual energy into the cauldron’s base. “The temperature needs to rise gradually. Think of it like…” he paused, searching for a comparison that would resonate with her past experiences, “…like when you used to regulate your breathing during those long stakeouts. The same steady control.”

Li Hua’s lips curved slightly at the comparison. She let her training guide her hands, maintaining that perfect stillness that had once helped her remain undetected for days. The herbs remained intact above the cauldron’s surface, but Li Hua’s wood essence created gossamer threads of purifying energy that enveloped each ingredient. These delicate filaments of spiritual power began to draw out impurities from the plants, causing them to glow with increasing brilliance as their medicinal properties were refined.

“The spring spirit grass should go in first,” Little Firefly instructed, his golden feathers reflecting the swirling energies. “It needs the longest to break down, and it’ll create a stable base for the other ingredients.”

Li Hua guided the first herb into the cauldron with precise movements. The spiritual fire beneath responded immediately, its temperature rising in perfect harmony with her intent. Just as the text had described, the grass began to dissolve into pure essence, releasing a subtle fragrance that permeated the room.

“Now the morning dew—” Little Firefly started, but suddenly tensed. “Master, the temperature—”

Li Hua felt it too. The spiritual fire had spiked unexpectedly, responding to a momentary lapse in her concentration. The morning dew essence, still hovering above the cauldron, began to vibrate unstably. She quickly adjusted her energy flow, drawing on the same precise control she’d once used to regulate her killing intent.

“That’s it,” Little Firefly encouraged, watching the flames settle back into a steady burn. “The cauldron’s helping to stabilize the reaction, but the initial mixing is the most delicate part.”

The morning dew essence merged with the dissolved grass, creating a shimmering green liquid that coated the cauldron’s interior. Li Hua held her breath as she added the truth-seeking flower last, watching as its golden petals spiraled down into the mixture. The three ingredients began to pulse with a synchronized rhythm, exactly as the text had described.

“Now comes the tricky part,” Little Firefly murmured, moving to a better observation position. “We need to compress the essence into pill form while maintaining the spiritual properties of all three ingredients. The cauldron will help, but…”

Li Hua understood the unspoken warning. Even with the Spirit Condensing Cauldron’s assistance, this was the stage where most novice refiners failed. The essence needed to be compressed with exactly the right amount of pressure—too much would destroy the spiritual properties, too little would result in an unstable pill that would dissolve before it could be used.

She began the careful process of cycling her wood essence through the mixture, watching as the liquid slowly began to coalesce into a sphere. The cauldron hummed with approval, its surface growing warm with supportive energy.

The forming pill suddenly flickered, its glow dimming dangerously. Little Firefly’s feathers bristled with alarm. “Master, the spiritual properties are destabilizing—”

Li Hua immediately adjusted her energy flow, but the correction came a fraction too late. The sphere collapsed in on itself, the carefully gathered essences dispersing into a fine mist that smelled of wasted potential. Her first attempt had failed.

She sat back, analyzing what had gone wrong. The cauldron’s guidance had made the initial steps almost too easy, lulling her into a false sense of security. That final moment required more precise control than she’d anticipated.

“Should we try again?” Little Firefly asked gently. “I can help—”

“No,” Li Hua interrupted, her eyes showing that familiar determination. “Guide me through the theory one more time and then I’ll attempt it alone.”

Little Firefly nodded, understanding her intent. “The key is maintaining constant pressure while allowing the spiritual properties to harmonize naturally. Think of it like…”

“Like controlling chemical catalysts in delicate pharmaceutical synthesis,” Li Hua finished, drawing on memories of laboratory experiments with Su Ning.

A new set of herbs materialized above the cauldron again. This time, she channeled her own spirit fire directly, its crimson flames dancing beneath the cauldron with the controlled intensity

The spring spirit grass dissolved more quickly this time, her increased spirit fire making the process more efficient but also more dangerous. The morning dew essence followed, and she carefully monitored the mixture’s stability herself, making micro-adjustments without waiting for Little Firefly’s warnings. When the truth-seeking flower joined the combination, she was already preparing for the critical compression phase.

This time, as the liquid began to coalesce, she maintained perfect control. Her spirit fire pulsed in perfect rhythm with the forming pill, neither too strong nor too weak. The sphere stabilized, its glow steady and pure, and she felt the moment when the spiritual properties locked into place.

Perfect spirit-gathering pills floated in the cauldron, its surface gleaming with success.

Little Firefly’s delighted chirp broke her intense concentration. “Master! On your second try, no less!”

Li Hua allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction. “The cauldron’s guidance for the first attempt helped me understand the process. Sometimes failure is the better teacher.” She reached for more ingredients, her eyes showing renewed purpose. “Now, let’s try something more challenging.”

She spent the entire night refining pills, each successful creation driving her to attempt something more challenging. Dawn found her surrounded by six small ceramic bottles, each one a testament to days of precise control and focused determination.