He carefully scanned the alchemy formula in his hand, and a feeling of eagerness welled up within He Yiming.

Especially upon seeing the familiar names of the herbs listed in the formula, He Yiming's desire to refine the pill immediately intensified. Moreover, he felt quite confident; as long as he took action, the probability of success was extremely high.

Although He Yiming had never seen this formula before today, nor had he ever refined such an extraordinary pill, from the moment he first looked at it, he had a powerful sense that he could absolutely succeed.

This feeling wasn't one that arose frequently; it was a strong premonition, a concrete manifestation of his towering self-assurance.

If Yi Zhongtian knew the feeling that swept over He Yiming upon seeing the formula, he would never have handed it over so readily, even if it cost him everything.

The formula did not call for an excessive number of herbs, and most importantly, He Yiming possessed all the required herbs on his person, and more than just one portion of each.

This was the great benefit of having spatial storage—a portable, mobile warehouse that was convenient beyond measure for anyone.

He took off his necklace and slowly channeled his Zhenqi into it. In just a moment, a marvelous spatial aperture was revealed.

Since discovering that the Five Elements World could function as his spatial item, He Yiming had moved everything except his herbs into it. Now, the necklace space was filled only with a massive quantity of medicinal ingredients. From rare, celestial treasures to common, frequently used herbs—it was an absolute cornucopia.

Fortunately, these herbs did not spoil or degrade within the space, making it the best storage solution possible.

After carefully picking and choosing for quite some time, He Yiming held seven different herbs, varying in color and shape. Among these, two were exceptionally precious, while the other five were the most common, yet widely applicable herbs.

For exceptional alchemists, while they dealt with rare herbs often, the majority of the herbs they encountered throughout their lives were these ordinary materials.

Holding them in his hands, sensing the vital energy emanating from them, He Yiming sighed inwardly.

Spatial items truly are magnificent possessions. He had stored these herbs for such a long time, yet not a single trace of their life force had been lost. If someone were to take away all his spatial possessions right now, He Yiming genuinely didn't know what he would do.

Shaking his head, he cast that fleeting sentiment aside. He took a deep breath, drawing all his focus inward.

An alchemist must be utterly absorbed, concentrating every shred of attention before officially commencing the refinement process—that is the mark of a truly formidable alchemist.

Although the atmosphere in Peng City was tense today, He Yiming possessed immense confidence. In at most one or two shichen, he would certainly have the Snow Fox Spirit Pill refined.

For such an unforeseen catastrophe to occur in the city during that short timeframe that Yi Zhongtian and the others could not suppress seemed too coincidental. Thus, after only a moment's hesitation, He Yiming decided to proceed with his own task.

He fetched a bowl of water and steeped two of the required ingredients in it.

Having only glanced at the formula once, He Yiming had already memorized every detail and mentally rehearsed every step. Therefore, when he actually began the refinement, his movements were a dazzling blur of speed.

He retrieved the corpse of the Snow Fox, cut an incision on its neck, and, activating his Zhenqi, squeezed out all the blood within its body.

He sighed internally. This Snow Fox had lived peacefully upon the ice fields, causing no trouble to him or his companions, yet it had met a tragic end solely for the purpose of refining the Snow Fox Spirit Pill.

The ice fields were a true realm of the fittest, a place where the struggle for survival was even more intense than in the Northwest or the Eastern and Western regions.

However, thinking of the two spirit beasts that had invaded human settlements and gone on a massacre, He Yiming’s heart calmed. When humans hunted spirit beasts, weren't these creatures doing the same to them?

Ultimately, it all came down to the strength of one's fist. If he didn't possess the supreme power of the Apex of the Human Dao now, how could Di Shitian and Ji Mo Fanzhu treat him as an equal...

Setting down the Snow Fox carcass, he gently stroked its ear. The skin near its ear immediately split open, and the inner core from its head dropped into He Yiming’s hand.

Although many parts of the Snow Fox held considerable value, the only components He Yiming truly coveted were its inner core and its blood.

He deposited the Snow Fox carcass into the Five Elements Ring space, and He Yiming's expression turned solemn.

With a slight wave of his hand, one-fifth of the Snow Fox blood lifted from the bowl and, under He Yiming's control, entered the world within the Five Elements Ring.

Fortunately, after absorbing the Divine Power of Metal, He Yiming had regained control over his Five Elements Zhenqi. If he had remained shrouded by the Fusion of Light and Darkness as before, he wouldn't even have been able to utilize the Nine Dragon Furnace inside the Five Elements Ring.

The Five Elements World remained vibrant with life. Although He Yiming's Five Elements Divine Power still lacked the crucial Divine Power of Water, this did not impede the overall operation of the world.

After all, the Five Elements Ring was not yet a true Divine Artifact; the transformation of the Five Elements Flowers was sufficient to support an entire realm.

The Nine Dragon Furnace emitted a thunderous roar that echoed continuously throughout the Five Elements World.

He Yiming paused, vaguely feeling that this was the Divine Artifact, the Nine Dragon Furnace, greeting him.

As He Yiming continuously absorbed divine power and successfully condensed the Fusion of Light and Darkness, allowing him to unleash the might of Heaven and Earth, he sensed a peculiar shift: the nine colossal fire dragons within the Nine Dragon Furnace held a genuinely changed attitude toward him.

At the very least, in their eyes, he was no longer an insignificant ant. While he hadn't yet reached the level of being their equal in power, he was at least worthy of their serious consideration.

A long cry reverberated through the Five Elements World; He Yiming used the vibration of the sound waves to express his gratitude.

Slowly, the lid of the Nine Dragon Furnace opened, releasing a wave of scorching heat.

He Yiming unhesitatingly sent the blood into the Nine Dragon Furnace.

The moment the blood entered, it was instantly enveloped by the nine small fire dragons. They moved around the blood like the most playful children, darting about, constantly spewing red flames, seemingly trying to thoroughly roast the liquid dry.

He Yiming stilled his heart and spread his consciousness outward. If anyone were to observe He Yiming’s state now, they would be utterly awestruck, even veterans at the Apex of the Human Dao like Ji Mo Fanzhu.

For at this moment, He Yiming had split his intent into nine parts, attaching each portion to one of the nine fire dragons.

This feat was utterly unique; even if others wished to replicate it, it would be impossible.

He Yiming could accomplish this because his body contained an abundance of divine power. These miraculous powers each possessed unique qualities and spiritual awareness. When controlling them, He Yiming had always divided his intent into several portions, dedicating his utmost effort to each one without the slightest relaxation.

It was precisely because of these powerful and costly divine powers of various elements that He Yiming had unconsciously honed the supreme skill of dividing his consciousness into multiple streams.

If Di Shitian and the others knew the reason behind this, they would likely only be left with envy and lamentation.

Under He Yiming's control, the nine small fire dragons slowly exhaled, perfectly searing the mass of blood suspended within the Nine Dragon Furnace until it glistened enticingly.

After a full half shichen, He Yiming sensed that the life force within the blood had been completely activated.

With a wave of his hand, the steeped herbs and the remaining ingredients successively entered the Nine Dragon Furnace.

Although He Yiming could not yet fully command this Divine Artifact, he encountered no problems whatsoever in its application.

Compared to ordinary pill furnaces, the conditions inside the Nine Dragon Furnace were incomparably superior; even the imitation Nine Dragon Furnace in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall could not compare.

When Hao Tong refined pills using the Nine Dragon Furnace in the past, he could only call upon the aid of the nine dragons in the final critical moments. He Yiming, however, was utilizing the power of the nine dragons from the very beginning of the refinement process.

Although these were not the original, grand fire dragons, in this era, besides this single Divine Artifact, it would be hard to find another pill furnace capable of utilizing the nine dragons to assist in refining from start to finish.

Under He Yiming’s manipulation, these herbs were either ground into a fine powder or their essence was extracted, slowly integrating into the blood.

Under the continuous baking of the nine small fire dragons, the medicinal compounds that would require several days, or even tens of days, to integrate fully in other furnaces finally began to take shape.

This was the greatest distinction between the refining methods of a Venerable and those of a typical Innate Grandmaster. Moreover, He Yiming was currently employing the Nine Dragon Furnace and controlling the nine small fire dragons, which bordered on a pseudo-Divine Dao method of alchemy.

Therefore, his ability to complete the entire refinement process in just one shichen was entirely expected.

With a light wave, the nine small fire dragons slowly retreated deep into the Nine Dragon Furnace.

Inside the furnace, exactly twelve pills, each bearing a faint crimson tint, spun and floated continuously.

A look of sheer delight spread across He Yiming’s face. This refinement process had been exceptionally smooth, without a single error. One-fifth of the Snow Fox blood had actually yielded him twelve spirit pills—a result that surpassed his initial expectations.

Slowly extending his hand, the twelve spirit pills drifted out from the Five Elements World and obediently flew into He Yiming’s palm.

He inhaled deeply; the unique fragrance of the spirit pills drifted into his nostrils, instantly invigorating He Yiming’s spirit.