The two of them took deep breaths at the same time, a strange moment of synchronicity.

  Qinghe flipped through Baiyun's notes again and steeled herself before nodding.

  "Let's begin."

  With those words, she flicked her hands and shot strands of qi into the air. Like strands of spider silk, they stuck to nodes on the pavilion roofs and connected them together. Faint rumbles came from the cauldron as the formations on the roof flashed with light, the inner lid lid of the cauldron opening.

  From the Heavenly Library storage above, two items descended from above as if they were blessings; the Gold-veined Mudroot and the Blackhorn Root.

  Qinghe waved her hands again and the Grinder Cauldron popped open, its lid swaying to the side from a latch. The little cauldron swung from the chains of its Greedy Hook like a monkey on a vine, catching the falling herbs before they could hit the bottom of the chamber. Its lid snapped shut with a loud bang and it shook violently as blades swirled within!

  A few seconds passed before the little cauldron's lid popped open and revealed a perfectly processed paste. Its mouth rotated downwards from the chain, dumping the substance out unceremoniously and letting it hit the ground with a splatter.

  More nodes atop the pavilion roof lit up as Qinghe activated them, causing the offerings atop the 9 Environmental Pillars to shake. The small qi stones released a mist-like aura and blanketed the cauldron's World with earth qi; the Black Diamond Idol lit up as well and forced the idle qi into a spiral.

  A stream of qi formed a circle in the midst of the encirclement of the 9 pillars, followed by a spark of flame that ignited it into a ring of flames!

  Baiyun watched with bated breath and took mental notes as Qinghe shut her eyes and waved her hands like a conductor. World Cauldrons were designed with heat efficiency in mind and did not use external flames. There was no need for the brazier built into the makeshift workshop.

  The temperature jade's reading quickly shot up to over 5000 Du in seconds as the inferno raged. But Baiyun could tell with divine thread that the outside of the cauldron remained cool to the touch.

  Above in the Heavenly Library, storage units opened and released countless spell particles from above like rain. Coloured symbols of all shapes fell to the bottom and flooded the cauldron's World with a mesmerising rainbow of qi.

  The thick paste of Gold-veined Mudroot and Blackhorn Root slowly thinned as it mixed with the particles, bubbling into a colourful and watery soup.

  Watching above from an Environmental Pillar, the faceless figure of the Black Diamond Idol shook and forced the spiral of earth qi to descend. It was as if it was alive and had a will!

  A storm descending into waters beneath, stirring the colourful oceans into a turbid chaos. Baiyun nodded to himself at the sight. A sky, earth and now an ocean of elixir; even if this wasn't a true World Cauldron, it lived up to the name.

  Under the power of the earth qi tornado, the mixture thickened until it was as dense as mercury. It separated into 3 distinct globs with distinct colours: black, green and yellow. Black spots floated up into the air and were absorbed into the Heavenly library, a mixture of impurities and unnecessary essences.

  Baiyun clenched his fists with fervour in his eyes. The essences had been separated so cleanly in such a short time, and by a mere Qi Gathering cultivator! Even with the incredible engineering of the cauldron, it was no easy feat.

  Qinghe face was strained as beads of sweat trickled down her face, but she gritted her teeth and held strong, waving her hand to activate a node. Chains rattled as the Greedy Hook holding the Grinder Cauldron extended, flying out of the World and up into the Pavilion Skies.

  The air above was still cold, the heat from beneath insulated away by formations. The Grinder Cauldron was still hot from its exposure to the flames, but it was at a precise temperature, perfect for the next step. Any hotter and useful essences would be damaged, any colder and they would react differently.

  The Heavenly Library opened again and various ingredients descended into the grinder: hair-root, focus pills, white ash soil and another wave of spell particles. The cauldron's lid snapped shut and it shook as it pulverised the ingredients.

  Qinghe paused and took a moment to heave before flicking another node. The Grinder Cauldron popped open and revealed what appeared to be white sand. At the same time, another wave of spell particles descended and twisted it into black sand.

  But the World Chamber beneath the pavilion had not been idle. The shimmering coloured globs had been undergoing refinement the whole time; the yellow glob solidifying into a gold orb, while the black and green ones trembled as if on the verge of bursting. She clenched her fists, and the 2 unstable globs fused into a single emerald orb.

  The gold and emerald orbs rolled together in sync at the bottom of the cauldron, a melodic chime sounding out as they circled each other like a spiralling yin yang symbol.

  Baiyun could only nod in approval. Qinghe had adapted his recipe into her own with her experience with the World Cauldron. He was wrong to say her feats were only because of the incredible alchemy artefact; to accomplish this despite her age made her a true genius!

  His eyes showed concern however.

  Qinghe's robes were drenched in sweat and her breathing was ragged as she hunched forward. Her hands were trembling, her knees almost buckling, and her eyes dull and unfocused. It was clear she was reaching her limit.

  He was not surprised. Multitasking was one of the most difficult parts of alchemy and she appeared to have no soul cultivation.

  Soul cultivation did not grant much conventional strength, but its most important attribute was its ability to augment the mind. With the great demand on "Self" the alchemy of his old world demanded, soul cultivation was one of their core pillars, making it possible to simultaneously cast dozens of spells with ease.

  Baiyun reached for the shelf where Qinghe had placed her high-quality focus pills. He took out 5 pills and rushed over to stuff them into her mouth.

  "Hrkkk!" her eyes widened slightly.

  But just as quickly, she crunched down one them. Her gaze regained focus and her hands steadied; she issued a new command to the pavilion with renewed vigour.

  Atop the Cauldron World, chains rattled as the Cauldron of Many Mouths descended. Its many mouths seemed to curl into wide smiles and a few of them even appeared to be laughing silently. The chains stopped just shy of it hitting the bottom and its mouths swallowed both orbs.

  Within the small cauldron, the orbs were separated into different chambers, the walls pulsing as they absorbed impurities and brightened the lustre of the orbs.

  Qinghe flicked her hand; the Grinder Cauldron tipped over and released a rain of black sand. The Heavenly Library opened and released the Crystal Bracket Fungus, which instantly exploded into crystalline dust from the sheer heat.

  As the black sand and crystal dust landed on the cauldron's bottom, the dead qi slug fell from above as well, a small knife stabbed into its side. Qinghe was so focused it didn't even occur to her to complain.

  She waved her hand and willed the knife to float into the air and swiftly dissect the slug; its slimy flesh blistered and burnt as the flame ring continued to blaze mercilessly. Any undesirable parts tossed aside were gobbled by the Cauldron of Many Mouths waiting at the side.

  The Heavenly Library opened again and spell particles rained down. Under the influence of a new rainbow flood, a shimmering orb collected for several minutes before rising out of the burning slug, the accumulation of all its qi.

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  But this orb was still dangerous.

  When qi was refined into the dantian, one must infuse their will into it to claim it as their own, granting them the power to control it like one of their limbs. Will was notoriously difficult to get rid of as it remained "loyal and defiant" long after the death of a cultivator. If the mole ate a pill infused with the slug's will, its qi would run rampant and it would likely die of qi deviation!

  Even the spider core consumed in the mushroom caverns beneath the servant mountains was problematic, its qi still tainted by the spider's will. But Baiyun's colossal soul subdued it, forcing it to lay dormant in his dantian as if terrified. Still, it was still something he needed to expel in the future.

  Qinghe glanced at him suddenly to his surprise. It was first time she had taken her eyes off the cauldron ever since refinement began. Baiyun wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he nodded, having a feeling it was the response she wanted.

  "Hah..." she shut her eyes and took a long deep breath.

  Then, 30 holes opened in the Heavenly Library. A dazzling display of thousands of spell particles spilled out and converged into a radiant sphere, descending from above and enveloping the slug's qi orb. At the same time, the Cauldron of Many Mouths spat the gold and jade orbs towards it.

  A flicker aroused within the slug orb as the will roused. But Qinghe's eyelids opened and revealed a dull and unfocused gaze as her hands followed the instructions robotically; it was as if she would tilt her head and drool at any moment.

  Such an abrupt change... Tsk, he should have known those focus pills were only a temporary solution!

  "Qinghe, be on your guard!" Baiyun shouted.

  The will wasn't supposed to awaken yet!

  Her eyes regained light for a moment as she snapped out of her trance, jolting upright. But it was too late.

  A gleam of light shone from the slug orb as it unleashed a blade of qi; the gleaming arc struck the other 2 orbs and splattered them with little resistance, but it continued to shoot through the air until it bounced off the cauldron's side with a clang. Qinghe's qi sense that filled the cauldron was ripped into shreds.

  "Qinghe! Quick-"

  Baiyun suddenly paused his shout as he noticed Qinghe's state.

  Her eyes were blank and a trickle of blood oozed out of her left nostril. She swayed on her feet for a moment before falling face-first towards towards the cauldron, slamming her forehead into it and tumbling to the ground like a sack of bricks.

  His eyes shrank to a pinpoint. Not good! If she failed, how would he get more ingredients for the pill?

  Even in his wildest dreams he wouldn't have thought such a flimsy attack could cause such an effect! What kind of dogwater alchemy technique was she using?

  She must have been using some kind technique that synced her perception with her qi sense to increase her control. It would explain why her eyes glazed over as she grew tired- No, that wasn't important right now!

  There was no time to overanalyse the cause. But even as he thought that, Baiyun couldn't help but curse the cauldron. He had let go of the cauldron mid-refinement to avoid looking weird, but because of that, he couldn't examine her alchemy technique with Divine Touch!

  He rushed to the cauldron and placed his hands on it, grateful that it was well insulated enough for this to be possible. Divine Touch spread across the cauldron and he unleashed the might of his soul, terrifying the slug's will into halting its rampage.

  Tsk. With Qinghe as the refiner, why did he take the risk of trying to make use of its will? All his effort was about to be wasted.

  Baiyun began to panic a little, but as his divine thread spun across the room habitually, he paused.

  No, there was still hope!

  There was something crucial he had neglected: since Qinghe had passed out so suddenly, her finger meridians were still wide open and overflowing with qi.

  There was no time to waste. Baiyun hurried pulled out a stool from his bag and slammed it down before the cauldron. Then he awkwardly picked her up like a ragdoll and climbed on.

  From how she was nearly twice his size and age, it was quite the strange sight. It was a feat only possible because of the Rock Ginseng pill's permanent effects, won from Martial Elder Guan Qiang's 3rd place prize in the competition against the little masked wolves.

  He grabbed her hands and slammed them onto the nodes of the cauldron's pavilion roof awkwardly. With how they still overflowed from qi, he could forcefully control the cauldron with them!

  Baiyun had memorised the structure of the cauldron and paid close attention to which nodes she pressed, otherwise he would have been completely lost.

  "Hnnnnggh!"

  Qinghe began to flop over, the natural result of him only grabbing her hands to press the nodes. The stool wobbled unsteadily, but Baiyun gritted his teeth and tilted himself off the stool the other direction, somehow managing to keep them balanced in an absurd "V" shape.

  What was he even doing... a part of him questioned his life decisions before he shut it up.

  As he slammed her hands across the nodes with little accuracy, countless storage units of the Heavenly Library opened at random, releasing absolutely nothing! But one of them finally released the batch of Pale Devil's Ashes. It was a good thing it was the final ingredient, or Baiyun would have unleashed a hail of garbage that would instantly invalidate the pill.

  Beneath, a critical juncture was happening in the Cauldron World. If he didn't get the ingredients into the Compression Cauldron in the next 30 seconds, the essences would rampage and cause an explosion, turning all the ingredients into ashes!

  The section of the roof that controlled the Greedy Hooks was on the opposite of the cauldron, so Baiyun gritted his teeth again. He swayed with Qinghe until the stool began to wobble back and forth, and he carefully controlled it to "walk" across the workshop and around it!

  He pressed just one of her fingers towards the right node this time, knowing he could not be as careless as before. It was a tense moment as he put his full focus into it.

  ...

  Qinghe's finger suddenly twitched and touched the wrong node.

  "Fuck!"

  Instantly, the Cauldron of Many Mouths activated and sucked all the ingredients towards it.

  Without Baiyun exerting pressure on the slug's will with Divine Touch, it began to stir as the cauldron disturbed it.

  PAK!

  A blade of qi shot out and exploded the pot into smithereens, sending all the ingredients flying.

  This... this garbage cauldron! The people of these worlds could make marvels like the World Cauldron, so why was this one so flimsy? Baiyun's heart grew cold at the thought of Qinghe demanding he pay for it!

  He hurried moved her hand again and pressed the right node this time; the Compression Cauldron awoke and began to suck everything towards it.

  Baiyun's eyes hardened. He had no choice but to let go of Qinghe and watch her tumble onto the ground again. Cultivators were too durable to get concussions from such minor impacts anyway. Though she'd probably kill him anyway if she found out.

  He placed both his hands onto the cauldron and activated Divine Touch. As everything within the World Chamber flew towards the Compression Cauldron, Baiyun condensed the Divine Touch within the cauldron into 20 short threads.

  A strange air of focus surrounded him and time seemed to slow. His divine threads spun as he deflected the pot shards that flew towards the Compression Cauldron. If even a single shard got in, the impurities would ruin the pill!

  Hundreds of fragments were deflected, clattering as they bounced around the cauldron. Finally, the lid of the little cauldron shut with a bang and sealed itself tightly.

  The slug orb still fought as it continued to launch qi blades indiscriminately but it was futile this time; the Compression Cauldron was designed to withstand its own crushing force and had immense durability. Loud clangs echoed from it as it shook and rumbled, tumbling across the World Bottom in a sea of pot shards.

  Vicious attacks from an enraged will within, while immense pressure from the cauldron clamped from outside. It was simultaneous internal and external refinement!

  Baiyun let out a sigh of relief as he got off the stool went back to check on Qinghe, making sure she was fine back on the ground. It was a good thing she managed to hold on until the pill was nearly complete, or he wouldn't have been able to salvage it.

  A few long minutes passed before the slug's will finally full exhausted itself and dissipated into earth qi. The Compression Cauldron finally managed to crush the ingredients into a solid sphere, its surface red-hot as a burst of black smoke escaped its vents. This cauldron was probably done for as well...

  But Baiyun's eyes lit up as he examined it with Divine Touch. The Earth Foundation pill was a success!

  He laughed loudly and let himself fall backwards to the ground with a thud. Perhaps part of it was an apology of sorts to Qinghe, but he was too euphoric to even feel the pain.

  It was done.

  It was done!

  The most difficult part that he had been so worried about, done! Baiyun swore if the mole remained unappreciative he would give it a good whack on the head.

  He reached into his bag and pulled out a glass bottle of Vital Heart brew, getting up and pouring a few droplets of it into her mouth. Her face remained still for a moment, but her eyebrows suddenly creased.

  "Ack!"

  Qinghe shot up abruptly and began to violently cough and splutter. She looked around frantically in an exaggerated manner as if looking for an invisible monster. The Vital Heart brew's taste was so infamous, some rumours claimed it had woken coma victims that had unconscious for months.

  Her eyes finally landed on the bottle of green muck in Baiyun's hand.

  "WHAT. What the hell did you just feed me?"

  She yelled as she rushed over to strangle him, making him the one to cough and splutter instead.

  "Cough, urgh- the... the pill... the pill!" Baiyun struggled to speak as he pointed to the cauldron.

  Qinghe finally snapped out of her nightmare and fully woke up, releasing him from the chokehold. He paused to take a few swigs from the bottle and she stared at him in horror, not understanding why anyone would willingly drink that.

  Her hand reached to her face as she felt something trickle down. Only now did she realise her nose was bleeding.

  "Urgh..."

  Qinghe clutched her head as a sudden headache struck her, reaching into her bag for a healing elixir and taking a few swigs from it.

  "I really shouldn't have agreed to this..." she mumbled. "I knew it was going to be a disaster..."

  Baiyun touched his throat with a frown but he supposed he deserved it. Then an uncontrollable grin overtook his face. He wanted her to see the completed pill!

  But right now, Qinghe was in a frail state. He wished he didn't have to forcefully rouse her in her current state, but she was in dire need of a restorative elixir and he had no means to open her storage bag. The last thing she needed was another shock.

  At the side, she reached into her bag for her makeshift bed and passed out on it yet again.

  Baiyun could only shake his head and sigh.

  For her to create her most powerful pill yet but be unable to bask in that joy, she certainly was pitiful.