Seeing this action, Zhan Feihong’s brow subtly furrowed; he felt a surge of annoyance.

Did this young fellow not trust his methods of preparing the herbs? Suddenly, Nie Kong pinched a tiny amount of the pulverized “Ink Feather Grass” in his palm.

“Hmm?” Zhan Feihong could no longer restrain himself.

He strode forward, appearing instantly beside Nie Kong, and reached out to grab.

The Ink Feather Grass in Nie Kong’s hand was inexplicably drawn across the space and snatched into his own.

Squinting, Zhan Feihong weighed it carefully for a moment, then his right hand froze in mid-air.

Then, his eyes slowly opened, and a blush instantly flooded Zhan Feihong’s face.

The Ink Feather Grass he had weighed out previously was precisely three qian.

The amount Nie Kong had just pinched out looked to be nearly half a qian.

This meant he had added half a qian too much earlier.

A near miss, a thousand-mile deviation! For refining the Dark Pill (Ming Dan), the dosage of medicinal herbs could not be off by even a fraction, or the chance of failure would increase dramatically.

Zhan Feihong had never expected to make such a childish mistake; his face flushed with embarrassing heat.

After returning the Ink Feather Grass to Nie Kong’s palm, he retreated to his original position.

“Young Brother Nie Kong’s herb measurement is truly impressive.” Zhan Tianlun was somewhat surprised, but inwardly he was stifling a laugh.

Though he acted domineeringly in public, because he had been disciplined since childhood, he could never muster any real spirit in front of this Third Uncle.

Normally, meeting him felt like a mouse encountering a cat.

He never expected to witness his Third Uncle being embarrassed in the very skill he prided himself on mastering.

For a moment, Zhan Tianlun felt ecstatic, a sense of vindication washing over him.

Although it wasn't he, but Nie Kong, who had stumped his Third Uncle, Nie Kong was his brother; seeing his brother succeed where his Third Uncle failed felt almost the same as if he had done it himself.

The elation fading, a flicker of doubt crossed Zhan Tianlun’s mind.

Nie Kong’s accuracy in measuring herbs...

could it be that he had worked as an assistant in an apothecary shop before losing his memory? “Hmph!” Seeming to sense Zhan Tianlun’s thoughts, Zhan Feihong snorted heavily.

Though annoyed, he surprisingly did not erupt.

Zhan Feihong, who always held himself to the highest standards, felt a deep sense of shame mixed with his anger for miscalculating the herbs.

When weighing the herbs, he had been enraged by Nie Kong, which might have affected his tactile sensitivity.

But a mistake was a mistake.

Zhan Feihong wouldn't bother making excuses; realizing his error in dosage, he retreated without another word.

The fact that the irritable old man Zhan Feihong did not fly into a rage surprisingly earned Nie Kong a touch of admiration.

After weighing the final herb by hand, Nie Kong’s mood had settled, utterly placid.

Closing his eyes, he stood still, meticulously pondering the medicinal properties of these eight herbs for a long while before finally exhaling.

With a resonant keng, he lifted the lid of the medicine cauldron.

The medicine cauldrons of the Nether Earth (Ming Tu) were vastly different from those on the Heavenly Spirit Continent (Tian Ling Da Lu).

On the Heavenly Spirit Continent, medicine cauldrons were either round or square; round ones typically had three legs, while square ones had four.

Their lids would feature a small vent hole for steam release.

The interior was extremely smooth, and the walls rather thin.

However, the cauldrons of the Nether Earth, regardless of size, looked like hollowed-out cylinders.

Their exterior walls were rough and uneven, with thicknesses nearly three to four times that of their Heavenly Spirit counterparts.

Furthermore, the lids were incredibly heavy and lacked any vent holes; once sealed, they locked tight.

Such a cauldron was essentially a completely sealed unit, meaning the timing for adding ingredients had to be especially precise, or the cauldron would explode the moment the lid was opened.

Visually, the cauldrons of the Heavenly Spirit Continent were superior, but which was truly better could only be determined through experimentation.

Nie Kong was not about to dismiss the Nether Earth cauldron due to its ugly appearance; if it had existed for two thousand years, it must have a reason for being.

“Perhaps this shape is better suited for refining the Dark Pill!” With that thought, Nie Kong placed two qian of Yan Xi Wang into the cauldron, followed immediately by a resounding keng as the lid was securely fastened.

Seeing this, Zhan Tianlun couldn't help but feel a stir of excitement.

Zhan Feihong, however, knitted his brows into a deep ‘Chuan’ character, murmuring internally, “This fellow is putting in the Yan Xi Wang first?” According to the standard Nether Earth practice, if an ingredient in a Dark Pill formula contained poison, it was usually added only after the preceding detoxifying herbs had fully exerted their effects.

This was done to neutralize the toxicity.

While exceptions existed, those were usually for refining poisonous pills.

Now, Nie Kong was brewing a Dark Pill intended to boost a Black Spirit Master’s cultivation, yet he chose to do the exact opposite.

This left Zhan Feihong utterly confused.

However, this time Zhan Feihong refrained from hastily drawing conclusions about Nie Kong’s actions.

The process of condensing the fire seed in the Pill King Tower had surprised him too much.

Although he still doubted Nie Kong could successfully refine the Dark Pill, seeing his current movements made him wonder if Nie Kong’s unconventional approach held some hidden intent.

Pa! A slight, crisp sound followed as Nie Kong struck the side of the cauldron with his right palm, channeling a breath of death energy, imbued with scorching heat, into the vessel.

At that moment, Nie Kong discovered that refining medicine with Nether Fire was indeed a marvelous sensation.

The death energy struck out from his palm, entering the fire seed within his palm, and upon exiting, it was already tinged with intense heat.

The greater the volume of death energy channeled through the fire seed, the hotter the resulting aura carried away.

The firepower generated this way was immensely potent! Nie Kong estimated that if he exerted his full power with the death energy, the intensity of the flame would certainly surpass that of a Fire Attribute Spirit Transformation Master (Hua Ling Shi) from the Heavenly Spirit Continent.

Boom! The instant the death energy entered the cauldron, a faint roar echoed from within, followed by dense sounds of impact, barely audible.

Nie Kong did not lift his hand, keeping his palm flush against the cauldron wall.

Immediately afterward, the little fellow—the spirit companion—extended a wisp of its vital medicinal energy (Ben Ming Yao Li) through Nie Kong’s palm and into the cauldron body.

This way, Nie Kong could clearly sense every subtle movement inside the cauldron without using spiritual thought (Ling Nian).

Though Nie Kong was confident, he was not arrogant enough to believe his current skill in refining Dark Pills surpassed Zhan Feihong’s.

Zhan Feihong, with decades of accumulated experience, could discern the internal state of the cauldron just by listening.

As a novice in refining Dark Pills, Nie Kong could never achieve that level.

However, with the aid of the little fellow’s vital medicinal energy, the task became much simpler.

In an instant, the scene within the cauldron materialized in Nie Kong’s mind.

Stimulated by the powerful firepower, the pulverized Yan Xi Wang fragments were colliding wildly within the internal space.

Every time a particle struck the cauldron wall, the rough surface would generate a rebound force, springing the particle back toward the center of the cauldron.

Thus, the particles would loudly collide with each other again.

“What a bizarre cauldron; I wonder what material it’s forged from?” Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of wonder rising.

Zhan Feihong’s notebook was not very clear about the cauldron’s nature, mentioning it only in passing.

The notes stated that the moment the medicinal powders collided was the optimal time to add firepower.

Nie Kong hadn't fully grasped this before, but observing the current state within the cauldron, he instantly understood: the so-called “medicinal collision” referred to the herbs bouncing off the walls and impacting each other.

Therefore, when the Yan Xi Wang collided for the second time, Nie Kong hesitated not, sending forth an even more colossal surge of death energy from the fire seed in his palm.

In an instant, it spread to all parts of the cauldron and surged inward from every direction.

Boom! The heat was fierce and violent, instantly enveloping the Yan Xi Wang powder that had just come into contact but hadn't yet dispersed.

After several seconds, this wave of heat passed, and the two qian of Yan Xi Wang had fused into a small lump the size of a chopstick’s tip.

“This is the cauldron’s second marvel.” A faint smile touched Nie Kong’s lips.

Radiating death energy throughout the entire cauldron and injecting it simultaneously was somewhat analogous to the Heavenly Spirit Continent method of scorching the entire vessel with flame.

Being able to achieve this level of control, even with external fire support, proved that the alchemy level of the Nether Earth, despite its relative backwardness, had reached a remarkably advanced standard in certain aspects.

Particularly the unique construction of this cauldron made Nie Kong even more curious about its material.

If other aspects met his requirements, forging the Nine Spirit Pattern Gold Needles (Jiu Zhuan Jin Zhen Shu) from this material would surely yield better results when executing the technique.

If the material was sufficiently hard, it would also make superior weapons compared to ordinary iron implements.

With a shift in thought, Nie Kong sent out another pulse of death energy.

The inky black glow almost completely submerged the cauldron.

This time, the searing heat contained within the death energy was several times stronger than the previous burst, causing the ambient temperature to seemingly jump by more than ten degrees.

“Such intense firepower; what is this fellow planning?” Zhan Feihong’s doubts grew heavier.

Up to this point, Nie Kong had sent in three pulses of firepower, each fiercer than the last, especially the current one.

Given the characteristics of Yan Xi Wang, maintaining the second level of heat intensity should have been enough to fuse it; why such extreme force? Wasn't this young man afraid that the Yan Xi Wang would not only fail to fuse but be incinerated by the overly strong heat? Zhan Feihong’s lips parted slightly, wanting to remind Nie Kong, but after a few twitches of his mouth, he held back, deciding to observe the situation further.

In truth, Nie Kong had considered the very things Zhan Feihong worried about when he added this particular herb to the Dark Pill formula.

While the Yan Xi Wang was indeed toxic, the little fellow, while employing “Scent Perception Medicine Recognition” (Wen Xiang Shi Yao), had discovered it also contained a very subtle medicinal property.

This property was so hidden that even Nie Kong hadn't detected it when tasting it.

Under a certain extreme intensity of firepower, the toxicity of the Yan Xi Wang would completely decompose, transforming into an entirely new medicinal property.

This transformation was the very essence of Nie Kong’s Dark Pill formula.

Since even a high-level Dark Pill Master like Zhan Feihong hadn't noticed it, it was clear that this particular property of the Yan Xi Wang remained undiscovered by the people of the Nether Earth.

Buzz! A moment later, the fourth, even more powerful surge of death energy passed through the surrounding cauldron walls, searing the small lump of Yan Xi Wang essence that had condensed to the size of a mung bean.

Intense heat billowed within the cauldron, causing the entire vessel to hum and vibrate.

This wave of heat was sustained for nearly ten seconds before gradually diminishing, leaving the medicinal essence tiny as a grain of rice.

At this point, fine wisps of black vapor finally ascended from the essence, only to be completely melted away by the intense heat within.

The pitch-black medicinal essence then began to turn white.

After about a minute, the Yan Xi Wang essence was as white as snow, crystalline and lustrous.

“Finally done.” Nie Kong’s tension completely eased.

The whitening of the Yan Xi Wang essence signified that the hidden medicinal property had been successfully transformed.

The subsequent steps would be simple; as long as the heat and timing of adding the next ingredients were controlled, this Dark Pill should not fail.

With that thought, Nie Kong’s left palm descended onto the cauldron lid, monitoring and adjusting the internal heat while quietly awaiting the optimal moment to open the vessel.

Zhan Feihong’s ears, which had stood up like sails, finally drooped.

He muttered with suspicion, “Strange, it wasn't burned away?” “What wasn’t burned away?” Zhan Tianlun asked, surprised.

“…” Explaining this to someone who knew nothing of alchemy would just be a waste of breath! So, Zhan Feihong merely glanced at him and remained silent.

Unlike Zhan Tianlun, Zhan Feihong could interpret the sounds from inside the cauldron just by concentrating, allowing him to grasp the situation with about eight or nine tenths accuracy when combined with the firepower.

But now, he truly couldn't figure it out.

Pa! Suddenly, Nie Kong’s right palm vibrated, and a faint stream of death energy shot into the cauldron, enveloping the small lump of essence.

Immediately following, a crisp keng sounded as Nie Kong’s left palm lifted the lid.

Simultaneously, his right palm flashed, and with lightning speed, he tossed three qian of Xu Ling and three qian of Ink Feather Grass into the cauldron interior.

The lid slammed shut instantly.

The entire process, from opening to closing the lid, took less than half a second—a speed akin to a sudden flash of lightning, too fast for the eye to follow.

Moreover, upon closing the lid, not a single wisp of heat escaped the cauldron.

As the two herbs entered, the heat that had just settled at the bottom surged upward, causing the medicinal powder to splatter wildly inside.

At the moment countless minute dong, dong, dong sounds erupted, the powder was again repelled by the cauldron walls, rolling back toward the center.

Boom, Nie Kong’s firepower surged in precisely on time, though its intensity was several times weaker than before.

“That boy’s speed is incredible.” Zhan Feihong’s expression shifted.

Before opening the cauldron to add ingredients, one must use death energy and the palm fire seed to adjust the heat distribution inside.

Generally, the most opportune moment to open the cauldron was when all the internal heat had settled at the bottom.

However, for an average Dark Pill Master, even if this moment arrived, seizing it immediately depended entirely on personal dexterity and coordination.

Opening the lid, adding medicine, closing the lid, adding air...

These four actions had to be completed in one fluid motion! Especially after the lid was opened, any slight delay or hesitation would allow the heat to escape control, resulting in a violent upward surge.

The inevitable fate then awaiting the Dark Pill Master would be a shattered cauldron and pulverized medicinal essence.

Therefore, the cauldron must be resealed before the heat could rise again.

PS: We’re at 48,000 now.

The final chapter will be a big one, 8,000 characters, so I’ll post it all at once.

Should be done before 11:30.