Rather than being broken down and analysed like the other herbs I’d ingested, the ten year vital spikeroot began to dissolve into motes of brownish-green energy that swirled in my stomach.

  It had been a few hours since dinner, but the remnants of Xiao Cui’s herbal, spiced noodle soup were still present in my stomach. As the spikeroot was broken down into energy I noticed a similar process occurring with a few of the herbs.

  Not all of them reacted, but those that did were broken down into energy in a similar manner to the vital spikeroot. The different streams of energy began to swirl and mix together.

  At first the different energies didn’t blend, simply swirling around each other in a mesmerising dance. After a few breaths of time, there was a sudden change and two of the strands of energy merged with each other to form a single strand.

  The process repeated and accelerated until there was only a single double helix of energy that was a deep, earthy colour like fertilised soil. The swirling slowed down until the strand of energy hovered inert in my stomach.

  It was exactly what had happened at the summit of Jagged Sword Mountain when I’d inhaled Huo Ze Qiang’s firestorm technique and created the five strands of orange qi. This felt different to then, the resulting energy giving a feeling of incompleteness.

  However, my body did not direct me or make any moves of its own. I was left confused, with an unfamiliar strand of energy with my stomach. I thought back through everything that had led up to this point.

  Xiao Cui said she discovered the flavours she was using while experimenting with products to sell. That meant that they weren’t herbs typically used for cooking, but rather herbalism?

  The meal had certainly been delicious, but when I’d introduced the potent ten year vital spikeroot it had stirred up the remnant herbs. My refined lungs were able to turn qi and spiritual energy that I inhaled into healing energy, while my stomach seemed to break down ingredients I swallowed, producing raw medicinal qi or sometimes processing the resulting energy to create new forms of qi.

  Sitting in silence for a few minutes, my brow furrowed as I once again ran through the steps in my mind. What was the difference between that time on the mountain summit and now. Was there even a difference?

  I jerked upright, slamming my fist into my palm as the pieces fit together. The answer had been staring me right in the face this entire time, but I had simply been too close to the problem to realise.

  The purpose of the refined stomach in the Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique was to perform alchemy! It was quite literally an organic cauldron within my own body.

  All I needed to do was provide the ingredients and direction and I could produce a myriad of outcomes. Thus far I hadn’t even performed any traditional alchemy, mixing qi and spiritual energy rather than raw ingredients.

  The reason the strand of earthy energy felt incomplete was because it was formed from raw herbs. Rather than a completed product like the orange healing qi, this was an intermediate product that needed further refining to create a finished product.

  Wasn’t this an incredible cheat? Alchemists usually needed to purchase a quality cauldron, either upgrading it or acquiring a more powerful version as they increased their cultivation and alchemy skills.

  However, I had a powerful cauldron within my own body, which could process ingredients with incredible efficiency. Furthermore, the flow of qi was simple to control and smooth given that it was within my body and almost directly next to my dantian—the source of my qi.

  With this realisation I realised what I needed to do next. I was working on instinct mostly, lacking any formal training in alchemy or herbalism. However, my physique was inherently focused on healing and medicines, while I also had plenty of medical knowledge from my old world.

  I wasn’t sure how relevant it would be in this new world, where even the natural laws seemed different, but it was better than entering blind. I took control of the strand of earthy energy, infusing my intent as I began to mould it.

  Rather than swirling, I was condensing and twisting the shape of the energy. The herbs Xiao Cui had used to cook the noodle soup appeared in my mind, a few of their effects making themselves known.

  Unsurprisingly given the product she had ended up selling, they mostly focused on boosting stamina and energy. I frowned briefly. I really needed to have a talk with her, but she seemed happy with her work.

  I didn’t want to disrupt the peace she’d found after the tragedy by telling her to pursue something else… I’d think about it later.

  Those effects complimented the vitalising effect of the spikeroot, though I couldn’t be sure what the final results would be. At the very least I had a fairly complete idea of how to guide the process.

  The energy condensed until it was no longer a stream but a writhing and shifting ball of energy. The colour brightened from the deep brown as I continued to push down on it with my qi and intent.

  A golden shimmer burst from within the sphere, but it was incomplete. At the last moment when I felt as though the process was coming to an end, I felt a sharp spike of pain in my temple and lost focus.

  The golden shimmer dissipated in a brief burst, only a few streaks of gold remaining in the mostly brown sphere. However, despite my minor failure I had still succeeded in completing the process.

  I had refined my first pill!

  Information appeared in my mind, telling me about the pill I’d created. It was incomplete and a little mysterious, but I gained a rough idea of what it would do.

  Even then I couldn’t stop the grin creeping onto my face. I wiped the sweat from my brow as I exhaled, a brown mist being released from my mouth. Pill toxins.

  As for the pill I’d refined? The effects were in line with the effects of its ingredients. It wasn’t quite a healing pill, but more of a stamina boosting pill. If I had to compare it to a product I knew, it was basically a potent pre-workout pill.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Average quality Mortal grade Vital Spike Pill. That was the name that had appeared in my mind at the moment I’d refined the pill.

  If I hadn’t lost concentration at the final moment, I believed it would have crossed the threshold and produced a Polished quality pill. I needed a short break first, but I wanted to attempt the process again.

  This would be great practice for when I eventually wanted to produce a healing pill of my own. Despite the minor failure, I was still extremely satisfied with the results.

  Actually, it would have many uses in this world. Cultivators could use it prior to a battle in order to gain a minor boost in their combat strength and allow them to fight at their maximum strength for longer.

  Body Tempering practitioners could use it to practise for longer and harder, allowing them to make more gains during each session of cultivation. If not for the relative rarity of the ingredients, I could mass produce it.

  There was still around eighty-five percent of the ten year vital spikeroot left in my storage bag, which meant I could make five or six more of the pills. If I refined the process I might even be able to produce more.

  Experiencing the alchemical process myself, being more in control this time compared to the time on the mountain summit, had given me some insights into improving the efficiency and speed of the process.

  Instead of rushing into another round of pill refining, I stood up and stretched my muscles. They were extremely sore, similar to the fatigue I felt after the extended battle at the summit of Jagged Sword Mountain.

  My head still throbbed, the same feeling I had when I overexerted myself with my healing technique. Other than my qi, there seemed to be an invisible pool of mental exhaustion that determined how many times I could perform certain techniques.

  I continued to be amazed at my Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique. I had only completed two steps of the first of five layers, refining my lungs and stomach, but the effects were already incredible.

  I looked forward to the benefits I would receive when I completely refined my heart and the rest of my organs. Would there be an additional benefit when I finished the first layer?

  My hands shook in anticipation. Much of my experience in the Celestial Jade Empire had shaken me, being rather brutal and violent, but this was the opposite. I felt elated and excited for the future.

  When I’d been a young man in my first life, before seven years of study and the horrors of war had ground away my passion and fervour, I’d felt this way about the pursuit of medicine. That burning passion for the art of healing had ignited within me once more and I couldn’t wait to see what came next.

  With my energy restored and my mind devoted to my task, I took a meditative posture once more and snapped off another portion of the vital spikeroot. There were about half of the herbs remaining from dinner, so I could try the process one more time before having to go and ask little Cui if she had any more of the herbs I could use.

  Taking a deep breath I tossed the spikeroot into my gullet and swallowed, turning my focus inwards as the alchemical process began.

  ****

  Another week passed as I sunk into my project. After the second time I’d needed to ask Xiao Cui for more herbs. Luckily she had plenty in stock and I was able to continue uninterrupted after that.

  My efficiency gradually improved as well as my control the more times I repeated the process. I’d used almost all of the vital spikeroot by now and this was going to be the final time I could make this particular pill.

  This was going to be the seventh time I attempted the process. I had just ten percent of the root left, less than I’d used before. Over the course of six attempts I had whittled down the amount I needed to use to produce the same pill.

  Not only that but the quality of the pills improved little by little. Not enough to push the quality up yet, but more and more golden streaks appeared each time.

  For an unknown reason that sharp spike of pain struck each and every time I drew near to completing the refining process. It seemed unavoidable despite my best efforts to stay focused.

  This had delayed my project of producing a healing pill by a little, but I wasn’t dismayed one bit. This practice would lead to me producing a far higher quality end product when I moved onto a healing pill.

  If I’d attempted to dive right in without this practice I may have ended up making a pill that was only a little better than the ones I’d tested, if not of similarly shoddy quality. My goal was to not only create a more potent healing pill, but at a lower cost.

  Pushing aside those thoughts, I dedicated my entire mind and body to the task at hand. First, I ingested the last of the herbs from Xiao Cui. I followed them as they sunk into my stomach and tried to ensure that I extracted as much of the beneficial spiritual energy from them as they were broken down.

  The earthy golden energy sat in my stomach, forming into a floating cloud of golden mist. Once that was completed I took the final piece of the ten year vital spikeroot and swallowed it, so used to the scratching sensation that it barely bothered me.

  I did the same with the spikeroot as I’d done with the herbs, guiding the process as it broke down into the rich brown energy. Once I had a strand of energy from the root I guided it into the golden cloud and started to compress.

  The process was different to the first time as I’d discovered that condensing the energy of the herbs into the energy of the root resulted in a much smoother mix than the inefficient manner I’d used the first time. The brown energy drank in the golden mist as I compressed it all into a spherical shape.

  Another change from my earlier attempts was that I infused a single strand of my own vibrant medicinal qi from my dantian, seamlessly blending it into the mix. I’d not tried this particular step yet but it felt right.

  Instead of rejecting my qi as I’d feared might happen, the moment it was infused the sphere was compressed even further than ever before. A few droplets of pill toxins and impurities were forced out, devoured by the void in my dantian.

  My qi had a positive effect on the pill and I continued to focus as I approached the final step. This was where I’d failed each time before as my concentration was broken. This time I intended to see the process through to the end.

  I felt a spike of pain in my temple, but ignored it and focused even harder on the pill that was forming. I compressed it further, the golden streaks spreading across the brown surface.

  The pain intensified, but I refused to slip. Streaks of green emerged from within the brown, melding with the gold as I felt a wave of heat burst from my stomach.

  My head was on fire, throbbing worse than any migraine I’d experienced, but even covered in sweat and grime I was elated. My nonstop effort had paid off and with the last of my ingredients I’d produced a pill greater than any I’d refined before.

  A single phrase appeared in my mind, making me raise my eyebrows in surprise. I’d gone above and beyond even my own expectations.

  Masterful quality Mortal grade Vital Spike Pill. I’d somehow skipped an entire quality, going straight from Average quality straight to Masterful, missing out on Polished quality.

  I suspected the last minute decision to infuse a strand of my own qi had caused such a drastic improvement in the quality of the finished pill. I extracted the pill from my stomach, letting it fall into my hand.

  I hurriedly slipped it into the pill box I kept from my time imprisoned by the city lord, snapping the lid shut before the pill aroma could escape. There were a total of seven pills of varying quality in the box.

  I planned to save them to either use myself or find a buyer. I suspected they would fetch a high price as a premium product. Before seeking to make money from my creations however, I needed a bath.

  Then, it would be time to tackle my original project. It was time to produce a low cost healing pill with greater efficacy than any others available.