Inside the Dust Valley Sect, at the northern part of the core area, a secluded courtyard stood, bordering a wild forest.
It was far from the usual bustling of the sect’s activities. Around the courtyard were overgrown bushes and tall trees.
Squirrels and snakes could be seen playing on the trees.
The courtyard was desolate, as if there hadn’t been any human activities in the area for the past few months.
The lone footpath to the courtyard was covered with thick grass.
However, compared to the rundown area around the courtyard, the courtyard was entirely different inside.
Inside the courtyard, everywhere was spotlessly clean; the flowers were regularly attended to.
In one of the rooms, a middle-aged woman and a middle-aged man were staring at a young man.
"So, what do you think?" Elder Li Huang asked with a light smile.
While everyone was wondering where she was, she had turned this courtyard into her research site.
It was free from the noise and chatter of the sect.
Importantly, she would not be bothered with trivial matters.
Staring at the genesis of her rapid change, she couldn’t wait to listen to his evaluation.
Although she was a core elder and an Alchemist Master, before this young man, she knew she paled in comparison.
Mo Jian did not respond immediately, his gaze was locked on the cauldron in the middle of the room.
To say he was not deeply surprised would be a lie. He never expected the quiet elder to be so crazy and dedicated to research.
Without knowledge of runes and artifact refinement, she created a blueprint of such a marvelous cauldron.
A cauldron that could control heat automatically based on the herbs thrown inside. Also, it could control its temperature using Cool Runes.
This was the first time he had heard something like that. Although he could create it, he never expected it from her.
Taking a deep breath, Mo Jian came out of his thoughts and raised his gaze to meet Elder Li Huang and Elder Luo Zhen.
To create the cauldron, Elder Li Huang needed Elder Luo Zhen’s help.
"Before I say anything, first let me see you use the cauldron," he said.
"No problem," Elder Li Huang responded and quickly went to the cauldron.
From her spatial pouch, she took out some herbs and set them on the table.
Quickly, she created Qi fire beneath the cauldron and began to make the pill.
She was swift. Since she did not have to worry about the temperature, the pill process was fast.
Twenty minutes later, she opened the cauldron and took out ten blue pills.
The fragrance coming from the pills was nourishing, and they could feel their minds clear a bit.
Elder Li placed the pills inside a pill bottle and turned to look at Mo Jian.
"What is the name of the pill, and what are the grades?" Mo Jian asked.
"It is Spirit Nourishing Pills. A Tier-2 Pill. For the grades, there are seven middle-grade and three high-grade pills," she responded.
Mo Jian was slightly surprised when he found she had just made a Tier-2 Pill.
Previously, she could only refine a Peak Tier-1 Pill. When did she become a Tier-2 Alchemist Master?
Calmly, Mo Jian walked to the cauldron and checked inside it. He saw the burnt impurities and some remnants.
"Out of everyone, you surprised me the most. I never thought you could research something this creative," Mo Jian said.
He did not hold back his praise. "This is going to change the pill world. How did you even think of using the Cool Rune to control the Heat Rune?"
"What am I even saying? When did you start learning about runes?"
Watching the genuine shock on Mo Jian’s face, Elder Li Huang and Elder Luo Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Both of them had worked very hard on the creation of the cauldron, and if it did not meet Mo Jian’s standard, that would be disappointing.
"Haha. Young Master, thanks to your teaching. The understanding of how energy works made me realize how crude we’ve been making pills."
"This is why many were stuck at the same rank for many years. Also, this made it impossible for us to make many life-changing pills."
"Indeed, you’re right," Mo Jian nodded.
"Young Master, that’s not all. There is still one more thing," Elder Li Huang said and quickly left the room.
After a few seconds, Elder Li Huang was back, carrying a rectangular artifact.
It was less than 30 centimeters in length.
Its surface was covered in glass.
Looking at the artifact, Mo Jian creased his brow in curiosity. The cauldron had already given him a deep shock.
Thus, his expectation was high for this artifact.
"What is this?" he couldn’t help but ask.
"Hahaha. Young Master, I’ve never seen you this curious about any artifact," Elder Luo Zhen said with a wide grin.
"You’re right. With what you’ve shown me, I believe this won’t be any less," Mo Jian did not deny his curiosity.
"Young Master, please look," Elder Li Huang said and took out one of the Spirit Nourishing Pills and placed it on the artifact.
Instantly, the artifact came to life and it glowed faintly, and on the glass, five markings appeared.
Looking at the markings and color, Mo Jian instantly understood what this artifact just did.
His jaw dropped, and he stared at Elder Li Huang and Elder Luo Zhen in shock.
Watching his expression, the two elders were grinning, their faces filled with pride.
Their hard work and sleepless nights were not in vain.
"D-Do you know what this means?" Mo Jian asked with a shaky voice.
"Of course, we do," Elder Li Huang responded. "With this artifact, it will become easy to determine the composition of pills and herbs."
The artifact could analyze and determine the composition of pills or herbs using the five elements—
Fire, Wood, Metal, Water, and Earth.
Mo Jian shook his head. "You don’t know. This is going to change alchemy forever."
His voice was full of excitement.
"What do you call this artifact?" he asked.
"We call it the Mystic Composition Tray," Elder Luo Zhen responded.