In just half an hour, only two grams of the "Overturning Fire Earth Heart Lotus" and the final seven-grade herb, the "Red Sprout Auspicious Seed," remained among the twenty-one medicinal ingredients.

Gazing at the fierce flames licking at Nie Kong’s right palm, Mu Wanqing had finally settled her nerves.

Yet, recalling her initial fears and anxieties, she couldn't help but let out a wry, internal chuckle. With Nie Kong’s terrifyingly potent firepower, his almost supernatural alchemy skills, and the gourd’s unique absorption ability, what spiritual medicine on the Tianling Continent could possibly be beyond his refining capabilities?

As long as Nie Kong’s primordial energy strength was sufficient, not just a nine-grade spirit medicine, but even a ten-grade one could successfully emerge from the crucible.

Her beautiful eyes shifted from the medicine cauldron to the gourd’s smooth, spherical body. Mu Wanqing felt a surge of emotion mixed with a distinct curiosity.

The Spirit Mansion held numerous nine-grade elixirs, and even some ten-grade ones, dating back ten thousand years. However, even the ten-grade "Drunken God Fragrance" had failed to achieve sentience, while the nine-grade "Emperor Snow Gourd Elixir" had reached a state of complete spiritual attainment.

She wondered if some profound secret lay hidden within this discrepancy.

Others who merely touched the cauldron would have their aura disrupt the refining process, leading to failure. But the gourd could press its little mouth against the aperture on the lid, absorbing the entirety of the explosive force unleashed when the medicinal powers merged, yet this caused not the slightest interference in the refinement process.

Could it truly be that Heaven favored him, thus creating a little monster like the gourd?

"Clang!"

With a crisp sound, the medicine cauldron sharply sprang open a small gap. The two grams of "Overturning Fire Earth Heart Lotus" and the three grams of "Red Sprout Auspicious Seed" instantly tumbled inside.

The flames grew even more ferocious and wild; fine beads of sweat had already surfaced on Nie Kong’s brow.

"Bang!"

A few minutes later, a muffled explosion sounded within the cauldron. The gourd moved again, its small mouth sealing over the hole in the lid. In that instant, its body swelled several dozen times its size.

Suddenly, the gourd’s tender shriek cut through the air: "Ah! I can’t hold it, Nie Kong, it’s all up to you now…" Before it could finish speaking, the gourd pulled its mouth away from the lid. Its rounded body floated weightlessly in the air, like a buoyant piece of debris, its distended belly nearly obscuring its head.

"Hss!"

Nie Kong reacted with uncanny swiftness. The moment the gourd’s mouth left the aperture, his left palm slapped onto the lid, and his Natural Primordial Force surged inward with the intense heat, tirelessly neutralizing the residual force trapped inside the cauldron.

"Crack!"

Only a few seconds passed before a faint sound echoed again from within the vessel—the medicinal power was fracturing!

Mu Wanqing’s heart skipped a beat. She had already presumed the success of this nine-grade spirit medicine was a certainty, but unexpectedly, first the gourd couldn't fully absorb the force instantly dispersed during the climax, and now the nearly-formed medicinal essence within the cauldron was exploding. The outcome of this refining session looked uncertain.

At this moment, Tai Yan’s face was taut, her beautiful eyes fixed unblinking on the cauldron, her hands already slightly raised, faint traces of blood-red energy flickering in her palms.

However, precisely as the "crack" sounded, Nie Kong retracted his left palm, brought his index and middle fingers together, and struck the body of the cauldron lightning-fast.

"Dong!"

The Natural Primordial Force shot inward.

With barely any pause, Nie Kong’s fingers lifted and tapped again, lifted and tapped again... The dong-dong sounds rose and fell without cease, like rain beating on banana leaves, like pearls striking a jade plate.

Gradually, sweat was now pouring down Nie Kong’s forehead.

The gourd flopped onto the ground with a thud, bouncing several times like a rubber ball before steadying itself. It then opened its mouth and spat out the energy stored inside, muttering with lingering fear, "That scared me to death; it nearly blew me apart! The force generated when a nine-grade spirit medicine forms is just too strong!"

Unfortunately, at that moment, both Mu Wanqing’s and Tai Yan’s gazes were entirely focused on Nie Kong. No one paid attention to the gourd, which caused it to pout its small mouth in genuine hurt.

"Dong! Ugh…"

More than ten seconds later, the speed of Nie Kong’s finger taps began to slow, but the energy flowing in grew increasingly dense and heavy. The fire in his right palm intensified, the roaring flames completely engulfing the entire medicine cauldron. After nearly half a minute, the dong-dong sounds abruptly ceased, and the flames gradually subsided.

"Clang!" The instant the white flames completely retracted into his palm, the medicine cauldron, which had been hovering above his head, fell heavily to the ground. Nie Kong let out a breath as if relieved of a great burden, his body slumping backward as if utterly drained.

"Brother…"

Before Nie Kong could hit the floor, Tai Yan caught him. Seeing his face as pale as paper and drenched in sweat, she felt such heartache that tears were close to spilling.

Nie Kong rested his head against Tai Yan’s full, soft chest, too exhausted even to lift a finger.

He had known refining a nine-grade spirit medicine would be extremely difficult, but the challenge far surpassed his estimations. By the time he added the "Overturning Fire Earth Heart Lotus" and the "Red Sprout Auspicious Seed," Nie Kong was already at his limit; the subsequent complications had drained every last bit of his primordial energy and physical strength.

Mu Wanqing let out a long sigh and gazed at Nie Kong. "It’s finally successful. Nie Kong, you must not act recklessly until your cultivation reaches the peak of the Heavenly Spirit Ninth Grade."

"Auntie Wan, don't worry," Nie Kong managed, forcing a weak smile. "This time was just an accident. There are still many flaws in the prescription I concocted, but through this refining process, I’ve found the root of the problem. I’ll modify the formula slightly, and it won’t be this arduous next time."

"Oh?"

Mu Wanqing paused, about to say more, when Tai Yan, her eyes red-rimmed, cut in, "Auntie Wan, could you and the gourd step outside for a moment?"

Mu Wanqing looked surprised. "What is it?"

"I need to fight Brother. That way, he’ll recover quickly," Tai Yan stated seriously.

"Ah?"

Nie Kong was momentarily dumbfounded. After a brief pause, Mu Wanqing burst into a soft laugh. "Alright. Nie Kong, Tai Yan, you two have your fight. Auntie Wan will wait outside."

Having spent so much time with Tai Yan, Mu Wanqing long understood the true meaning behind the word "fight" that she so often uttered. With that, she picked up the little gourd by its short neck and headed out. The little gourd, curious about the supposed fight, protested, "Auntie Wan, let go! I want to stay and watch!"

"What’s so interesting about a fight?"

A sharp tap landed squarely on its forehead. The little gourd yelped in pain as Mu Wanqing carried it out. Soon, the sounds of Mu Wanqing and the gourd vanished outside. They had clearly left the herb garden via the illusion array passage. "Tai Yan, you can't possibly be serious?" Nie Kong asked, caught between a laugh and a cry.

"Of course, I’m serious," Tai Yan replied while gently laying Nie Kong flat on the ground.

"Tai Yan, stop fooling around," Nie Kong said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I have absolutely no strength left right now. How can I possibly fight you? Okay, okay, help me sit up, and I’ll just meditate for a bit and recover."

"Hmph, lying again," Tai Yan pouted. "Back when you were unconscious in the Spirit Prison, we could still 'fight.' Besides, at your current state, it would take you ages to recover by cultivating. Fighting is much easier; if our two cores circulate our primordial energy together, we’ll be fine right away."

"Brother, you have to listen to me this time!"

Tai Yan waved her small fists and settled onto Nie Kong’s chest, busily beginning her work… …