After a painstaking refining process, Yan Cangtian slowly opened the furnace lid. Inside lay nine round, golden pills, each releasing a rich medicinal fragrance that was intoxicating.
"With ten sets of materials, we successfully refined nine Meridian-Breaking Golden Pills. Achieving a ninety percent success rate in refining a fifth-tier top-grade ancient medicinal pill is unheard of. If those old monsters at the Alchemist Guild saw this, there would be no need for any assessments!"
Yan Cangtian gazed with satisfaction at the nine pills in the furnace.
Although one set of materials was wasted, a ninety percent success rate was practically miraculous.
If he had been refining alone, he wouldn't have dared to hope for even a sixty percent success rate.
"It's a pity that one was still wasted," Ling Feng said, feeling the loss of the precious materials, especially the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evils.
The other materials were relatively easy to obtain, but every bit of the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evils used meant one less piece, and it was incredibly hard to come by.
"This is already very impressive," Yan Cangtian said as he carefully stored the pills in a jade box and handed them to Ling Feng. He couldn't help but marvel. "In just a few months, your mastery of the Daoist Art of Heavenly Fire has reached this level. It won't be long before your alchemy skills surpass mine."
"You're too kind, Elder Yan," Ling Feng replied, taking the box and inhaling the rich fragrance of the pills, almost salivating.
The Meridian-Breaking Golden Pill, as the name suggests, was designed to open the meridian gates.
One pill could open at least one meridian gate, and if luck was on his side, possibly three to five.
Ling Feng's progress had stalled at thirty-five meridian gates for some time. After using the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit to break through the first heavenly barrier and reaching thirty-five meridian gates, his progress had slowed significantly.
Even with daily consumption of Purple Spirit Liquid and the absorption power of the Human Dao Eye, his progress was as slow as a crawling turtle.
Of course, this was relative to his previous speed. Compared to ordinary people, opening even one meridian gate in several months would be a blessing.
Ling Feng, however, was opening several and sometimes even a dozen meridian gates a month, which was astonishing.
"Your ambition must be to open a hundred meridian gates!"
Yan Cangtian remarked, sizing up Ling Feng. When this kid had joined Tianwei Academy, he only had two or three meridian gates. In just over three months, he has reached thirty-five. Even without any connections, he will likely be promoted to a sky-tier student in the bi-annual assessment.
"With the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evils, it's worth a try," Ling Feng said with a faint smile. In the imperial capital, he faced many prodigies, especially Yan Jinghong, who, despite being younger, had started earlier and had already reached the Spiritual Element Realm.
Yan Jinghong's ability to effortlessly insta-kill a demon lord spoke volumes about his terrifying strength.
Ling Feng had started later and needed to ensure every step he took was solid to surpass him.
Breaking through the hundredth meridian gate was the first step!
"If anyone else said this, I wouldn't believe them. But you, kid, might just have a chance," Yan Cangtian said, patting Ling Feng's shoulder and laughing heartily. "Alright, adjust your breathing and get ready to take the first Meridian-Breaking Golden Pill."
"Okay." Ling Feng nodded and walked outside to find a spacious spot in the courtyard. He sat down cross-legged.
Activating the True Art of Xuanyuan, he ran it through forty-nine cycles. Ling Feng felt his energy, spirit, and essence reach their peak. Finally, he took out the first Meridian-Breaking Golden Pill and swallowed it.
In an instant, it felt as though millions of tons of explosives detonated in his abdomen.
Despite the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evils being tempered with various precious materials, its potent medicinal power remained overwhelming.
Especially given that Ling Feng's realm was merely at the Pulse Formation Realm, this was a tough endeavor.
Ling Feng couldn't help but groan. Veins started bulging on his forehead and sweat poured down his back, drenching his clothes in an instant.
The violent power rampaged through his body, causing his already resilient tendons to ache as though they were about to snap.
Ling Feng understood that this was the Meridian-Breaking Golden Pill's power refining his tendons. Once the energy stabilized, new meridian gates would open where the energy gathered.
The process was excruciating.
When he used the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evils to heal Lin Xian'er, he only dared to let her hold a tiny piece in her mouth, fearing it would cause her to explode. This time, he had used actual pieces of the fruit. Though small, their contained energy was immense.
Gritting his teeth, Ling Feng began to tremble slightly. His face turned crimson and steam occasionally rose from his head.
After another half hour, his pores started to exude blackened blood. This was the impurities and toxins in his body being expelled by the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evils' power.
"This kid's endurance is incredible!"
Yan Cangtian was stunned. Ling Feng could have refined just part of the medicinal strength to open two or three meridian gates and avoid such intense pain. But Ling Feng refused to waste any medicinal strength, repeatedly circulating it within his body to wear down its force.
He knew the first Meridian-Breaking Golden Pill could push him to his maximum potential. Later, his body would develop a resistance to these pills, making it difficult to open multiple meridian gates at once.
So, he fought as if his life depended on it, enduring immense pain to fully utilize the pill's power.
What Yan Cangtian didn't know was that the pain Ling Feng endured when the Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation planted the first Qi-Refining Primordial Lock in him was nearly unbearable.
In comparison, this tendon-tearing pain was minor.
Ling Feng had nearly become a blood-soaked figure, but his eyes grew increasingly bright.
Finally, a loud roar erupted from Ling Feng's mouth as his aura began to rise rapidly!
Three meridian gates!
A total of ten meridian gates burst open almost simultaneously. With the sound of tearing fabric, Ling Feng's bloodstained robe was shredded by the violent energy and fluttered away like butterflies in the wind.
The bloodstains on his body were also swept away by the energy, revealing skin that seemed reborn and glowed with a jade-like luster.
With this first intake of the Meridian-Breaking Golden Pill, Ling Feng had almost completely refined its power. He unprecedentedly opened ten meridian gates in one go, advancing to the level of forty-five meridian gates.