The Saintess Flower was so exceedingly rare that the ancestral records held no specific prescription for its medicinal preparation; they only hinted at its potential, a regret for the Zhang family ancestors. Now, Zhang Yang was setting that regret right.

The Saintess Flower had never been used in compounding medicine before, so it naturally lacked a name; the Saintess Pill was the name Zhang Yang bestowed upon it.

Taking out about a quarter of the Saintess Flower, Zhang Yang began to center his focus.

Compounding medicine was somewhat easier than refining it, and the probability of success was higher, but failure was certainly not impossible. The Thousand-Year Ginseng Pill had failed during its preparation, let alone this Saintess Flower.

To exercise caution, Zhang Yang did not use the entire supply of the Saintess Flower for this batch.

Placing the other herbs aside, and relying on his usual compounding experience, Zhang Yang finally introduced the Saintess Flower into the mixture.

Compared to his predecessors, Zhang Yang’s compounding experience was far from lacking; he had successfully created several potent elixirs, and his expertise was already on par with the ancestors—many of whom had never even attempted to compound a true spirit medicine.

Beyond spirit elixirs, the routine preparation of ordinary medicines also contributed significant experience; across his two lifetimes, Zhang Yang had compounded no small number of remedies.

Coupled with the inherently higher success rate of compounding, and armed with his experience, even if he had never attempted this particular formula, there was a considerable hope for success.

Once the Saintess Flower was added, Zhang Yang kept his gaze fixed on the medicine furnace, meticulously regulating the heat.

A little over an hour later, a pure, fragrant aroma wafted out of the furnace, and a slight smile touched Zhang Yang’s face.

This single batch yielded six Saintess Pills, one more than his projected five—a rather satisfactory result.

The moment the spirit medicine emerged, Zhang Yang carefully retrieved it.

Two small figures immediately appeared before him, sitting expectantly, their paws outstretched, faces full of longing.

These two little ones had been waiting for this; they had bolted over the moment Zhang Yang’s compounding was complete.

“These are not for you; giving them to you would be a waste. I’ll prepare something better for you later!”

Zhang Yang gently shook his head. The Saintess Pill didn't enhance internal energy and served no other immediate purpose; it was primarily for breaking through bottlenecks in internal energy. Giving it to these two little creatures would truly be wasteful.

Unlike the Essence Blood Pill he was about to refine, that elixir was a genuine tonic, immensely beneficial to any spirit beast.

The two little ones exchanged a glance, seemingly understanding Zhang Yang’s meaning, and promptly retreated to the side.

Zhang Yang picked up the medicine furnace again, added another quarter of the Saintess Flower, and proceeded to compound another six Saintess Pills.

Twelve Saintess Pills were more than enough for his current needs. Zhang Yang stored the remaining half of the Saintess Flower.

Aside from aiding breakthroughs, the Saintess Flower could also serve as an excellent auxiliary ingredient when compounding other crucial spirit elixirs, enhancing the success rate of the primary medicine.

Simply put, the Saintess Flower was a high-tier natural treasure of the auxiliary variety.

With both furnaces of spirit medicine completed, Zhang Yang stretched contentedly.

After a half-hour rest, he finally retrieved the jade vial containing the essence blood of the Golden-Crowned Python.

Essence blood held the concentrated essence of a spirit beast’s entire life, containing an unimaginably vast amount of energy.

For a Python over three centuries old, its essence blood was even more potent. A single drop, if ingested accidentally by an ordinary person, would cause immediate cellular rupture and death; the notion that consuming a treasure instantly turns one into a martial arts master was mere fiction peddled on television.

Even Zhang Yang himself might not withstand such a concentration of essence blood if he consumed it directly; the energy contained within was simply too overwhelming.

This was precisely why Zhang Yang hesitated when the Lightning was about to consume the Golden-Crowned Python’s poisonous gall—the sheer energy involved.

The Golden-Crowned Python was significantly higher in rank than the Lightning, and Zhang Yang feared it could not cope, which is why he had repeatedly consulted before finally allowing it to ingest the gall.

Even that was merely the poisonous gall; Zhang Yang would never permit the consumption of the raw essence blood under any circumstances.

When compounded into a spirit elixir, the essence blood’s effect would be diluted, making it manageable for them to ingest and allowing their bodies to withstand the immense energy.

Furthermore, after being processed into a spirit elixir, the effectiveness of the essence blood was also enhanced, meaning one portion of essence blood could be utilized as two.

The medicine furnace had cooled down. Zhang Yang glanced back at the other ingredients beside him and nodded slowly.

The Zhang family had experience compounding Essence Blood Pills before; historically, there were instances where people acquired spirit beast essence blood and sought the Zhang ancestors' expertise for preparation.

The essence blood of any spirit beast could be used in compounding; the Zhang ancestors had compounded the Essence Blood Pill six times, all successfully. This would be Zhang Yang’s seventh attempt.

It was a pity that this body was no longer truly of the original Zhang lineage, but he vowed to continue the medical sage lineage, preserving it forever.

The Essence Blood Pill formula came with detailed instructions and necessary precautions.

Compounding the Essence Blood Pill required numerous precious, aged herbs. Zhang Yang possessed these; his recent haul from the Hua Tuo Residence provided enough high-value materials to stave off shortages for the time being.

As for the future, he could acquire more high-value medicinal ingredients. Only after blending over a dozen rare herbs, averaging a hundred years in age, did Zhang Yang reignite the fire, pouring the resulting decoctions into the furnace to prepare the medicine.

The Essence Blood Pill needed to be compounded in one go; Zhang Yang had no intention of splitting it into multiple batches. The ancestral records provided exceedingly clear instructions, and coupled with his own extensive experience refining spirit elixirs, he felt highly confident in this batch.

Resuming the compounding process, Lightning and Shadow stood obediently to the side.

They both understood clearly that delicious sustenance beneficial to them would appear soon, and they absolutely would not disturb Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang controlled the heat, constantly observing the furnace. About twenty minutes later, he poured the entire vial of spirit beast essence blood inside. The instant the essence blood entered the furnace, the contents began to boil furiously, forcing Zhang Yang to immediately use his internal energy to stabilize the vessel.

Essence blood is the quintessence of a spirit beast, and it carries the beast’s residual will.

The stronger the spirit beast, the stronger this will. Since Zhang Yang himself had slain the Golden-Crowned Python, the will contained within the essence blood was saturated with resentment, significantly increasing the difficulty of Zhang Yang's compounding.

A full half hour passed before the violent shaking of the medicine furnace subsided.

If Zhang Yang could kill the Golden-Crowned Python, extinguishing its residual will was merely a matter of course. At this point, Zhang Yang had completely erased that will, ensuring no further complications in the remaining steps.

Over two hours later, Zhang Yang’s eyes grew brighter, and he increased the output of his internal energy.

“Stop!”

Zhang Yang suddenly exclaimed. (The original text breaks here with an extraneous website name, which I will omit for narrative flow).

The medicinal aroma seemed to carry a faint hint of blood, yet it was even more alluring.

“One pill, two pills!”

Zhang Yang began pouring out the newly refined Essence Blood Pills. This batch of Essence Blood Pills was a success, marking the first time Zhang Yang had compounded a spirit elixir using spirit beast essence blood.

“Sixteen pills!”

A brilliant smile returned to Zhang Yang’s face. The hidden materials from the Hua Tuo Residence proved excellent; Zhang Yang had originally targeted sixteen finished pills, and this batch did not disappoint him.

Each Essence Blood Pill was blood-red, faintly shimmering with a touch of yellow light, appearing exceptionally beautiful and captivating upon removal.

After securing all the Essence Blood Pills, Zhang Yang finally stood up with evident satisfaction.

These sixteen Essence Blood Pills would drastically enhance his strength. The greater his strength, the lower the dangers he would face in the future. Since encountering Long Feng and then the Golden-Crowned Python, Zhang Yang’s demand for personal strength had notably increased.

In his previous life, he had never encountered so many powerful experts.

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Lightning and Shadow, the two little ones, quickly stood before Zhang Yang, both sitting there, extending their small paws.

Lightning seemed anxious, like a greedy child pestering a parent for a treat.

“Don’t rush, you both will get some, but understand, only one pill each!”

Zhang Yang smiled faintly. They had both contributed to killing the Golden-Crowned Python, so he would never be stingy with rewards, but he couldn't distribute the Essence Blood Pills limitlessly.

The supply of Essence Blood Pills was small; while sixteen seemed like a large number, there were other beneficiaries. Besides these two little ones, there was Long Feng.

Long Feng also deserved credit for killing the Golden-Crowned Python, and he had saved Zhang Yang’s life; Zhang Yang would not forget any of that.

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

The two little ones chirped again, acknowledging Zhang Yang’s terms.

They weren't thinking that far ahead; for them, the most important thing now was consuming the good stuff. The Essence Blood Pill contained spirit beast essence blood, which was maximally beneficial to spirit beasts.

Neither Lightning nor Shadow had produced their own essence blood yet, so the Essence Blood Pill would offer them even greater advantages.

Zhang Yang dispensed two Essence Blood Pills, handing one to each little creature.

The two little ones quickly swallowed the pills and soon both collapsed into deep sleep, commencing the digestion of the elixir's efficacy.

After placing them comfortably in the bed to sleep, Zhang Yang shook his head and walked out.

Long Feng had already returned and was in his own room, having known Zhang Yang was busy and not wanting to disturb him.

Zhang Yang called Long Feng, who arrived shortly thereafter.

Long Feng did not have a mobile phone, fortunately, the rented house had a landline; otherwise, contacting him would have been difficult. Zhang Yang mused about getting Long Feng a mobile phone sometime soon, as not having one was truly inconvenient.

“This is yours; use it first. If you need anything else, come ask me later!”

Zhang Yang motioned for Long Feng to sit in the living room. As soon as he sat down, Zhang Yang handed him a jade vial.

This was the same jade vial Long Feng had given him earlier, containing the Golden-Crowned Python's essence blood; the essence blood was depleted, and the vial was now empty.

Long Feng looked up at Zhang Yang and immediately opened the vial.

Inside the vial, two distinct spirit elixirs, one white and one red, were strikingly visible: the Saintess Pill and the Essence Blood Pill.

The unique fragrance of these two elixirs made Long Feng’s nose tingle and stirred a sense of excitement in his heart.

Long Feng was fully aware of the immense value of these two elixirs. Even the family did not possess the Saintess Pill; if they did, no one would ever use other elixirs for breakthroughs.

As for the Essence Blood Pill, while there were records of it, it was not an elixir available to ordinary disciples. The quantity was too scarce; even within the Inner Sect, they could not accommodate every single disciple.