Fortunately, the pill furnace President Liang Guan had gifted her, while a Tier-3 artifact, was of exceptional quality for its rank. Upgrading its tier by re-refining it on its current foundation wouldn't be difficult, and she had more than enough spiritual materials stored inside the Fate-Tapping Bell.
Otherwise, if she had to refine a Tier-4 pill furnace completely from scratch, it would take at least a month or more.
Even so, re-refining it was still practically impossible with her current cultivation at the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm.
Looking at the two freshly refined Lesser Extreme Devouring Pills, Shi Yu helplessly poured one out.
Amidst the bleak and gloomy atmosphere, only a few people noticed Shi Yu's actions.
Master Ji was greatly surprised and asked in confusion, “Why did Little Yu'er swallow the pill she just refined?”
President Song looked over and acutely felt something shifting in her after she swallowed the pill. “Wait, the girl's aura!”
As the Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill went down her throat, an almost unbearable bitter medicinal surge burst forth. Shi Yu knit her brows slightly, then felt a wave of heat rush from her throat straight down to her dantian, spreading throughout her entire body in an instant.
She felt her essence blood ignite, surging wildly into her meridians like a raging fire. Along with it came scorching heat and an excruciating, bone-eroding pain.
Not daring to delay, Shi Yu immediately circulated her technique, guiding the wildly surging heat throughout her body as she felt her Qi sea expand and her spiritual power swell.
Under the intense pain, her face turned pale as paper, beads of sweat poured down her forehead, and her clothes were completely soaked.
Simultaneously, her cultivation rapidly skyrocketed—shattering through from the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm to the ninth layer, and then straight to the Qi Refining Realm Great Perfection...
Spiritual energy gathered in her dantian as the original cluster merged into a massive vortex, compressing, condensing, and pounding relentlessly.
The gate of Foundation Establishment swung open with a bang. She temporarily broke through the shackles of the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm.
From the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm to stepping into Foundation Establishment, the entire process took less time than it took to drink a cup of tea.
Shi Yu's expression grew pale, and a profound sense of weakness welled up from deep within her body.
Having witnessed the entire process, Yin Shixiu narrowed his eyes and remarked, “The pill she refined actually possesses the effect of temporarily boosting one's cultivation. Truly rare.”
Beside him, Qin Yu frowned slightly, failing to understand her intentions. “Though her aura is unstable, she has indeed reached the Foundation Establishment Realm for now. But burning essence blood as the price—is she not afraid of over-depleting her vital blood, damaging her foundation, and being unable to recover?”
Yin Shixiu, still in a foul mood due to the Tier-4 pill Pei Yanji had refined, studied Shi Yu. “Still, what is she trying to do?”
...
Knowing this state would not last long, Shi Yu wasted no time and retrieved numerous spiritual materials.
The shop she opened in the main city of Lingtai Prefecture had made acquiring resources much easier. Mo Tong, having been derived from Qingzhou, possessed his sharp eye. Aside from helping manage the shop, he frequently scored good treasures for Shi Yu.
Consequently, while only a few of the worldly secret treasures stored inside her Fate-Tapping Bell were exceptionally extraordinary—led by the remains of two spirit beasts with cultivation close to the Golden Core Realm—there were plenty of decent ones.
Moving swiftly, she produced a quantity of snake scales from the Scarlet Flame Void-Cleaving Python, detached the extraordinarily hard beak of the Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon, and supplemented them with materials like Blazing Gold Profound Iron and Quicksand Silver, completing her preparations.
By now, more and more people noticed the commotion on Shi Yu's side, exchanging bewildered glances.
“Why does Miss Shi's aura seem to have gotten stronger?”
“She swallowed the pill she refined earlier and her aura instantly changed. It must be because of that pill.”
“Is she going to refine another batch of pills? But the materials she brought out don't look like alchemy ingredients. Instead, they look... uh, like materials for artifact refining?”
Seeing this, President Song gasped, vaguely guessing Shi Yu's intention, and gasped in disbelief, “Could this girl be... could she be trying to...?”
Shi Yu's subsequent actions confirmed President Song's suspicion.
Under everyone's confused gazes, Shi Yu picked up a snake scale, summoned her flame, and began refining the scale in full view of the public.
The crowd was stunned. “!”
What is she doing? What is she doing? Why can't anyone understand this?!
Under the roasting fire, dark gray impurities were purged from the red snake scale, causing it to gradually become soft, malleable, and increasingly vibrant and translucent.
“The Foundation Establishment Realm really makes a difference,” Shi Yu marvelled internally, watching the scale gradually change shape in her hand.
The snake scale came from a Scarlet Flame Void-Cleaving Python whose cultivation was close to the Golden Core Realm. Its quality was extremely high, meaning it should have been exceedingly difficult to refine, yet right now it felt unprecedentedly effortless.
Before long, Shi Yu finished refining the piece of snake scale.
City Lord Qin Yu murmured, “Her actions... seem to be weapon refinement techniques?”
Although both involved controlling fire, the Daos of weapon refinement and alchemy were vastly different, using completely distinct techniques.
“...” Yin Shixiu almost lost his composure. “What on earth is she doing? Am I seeing things, or is she refining an artifact?!”
This scene was so unexpected that even as it unfolded right before their eyes, it felt utterly absurd and surreal.
Truth be told, Yin Shixiu and Qin Yu had considered many possibilities for why Shi Yu had swallowed that pill, but they had never envisioned this one.
Aren't you an alchemist?! What in the world are you doing right now?!
Paying no heed to what others thought, Shi Yu methodically and rapidly refined material after material.
As time passed, the crowd's expressions grew numb; they just wanted to see what she would end up producing.
Disparaging remarks rose here and there.
“Just seeking attention.”
“Just treat it like watching a farce.”
“Pure absurdity. This is the Alchemy Exchange Conference. What does she mean by showing off artifact refining while standing on the high platform?”
On stage, the alchemists wore varied expressions, muttering internally.
Yin Wenzhou watched Shi Yu with cold eyes, thinking, Indeed, just seeking attention.
Qin Qingmu knit her brows slightly. Why do her weapon refinement techniques... look even smoother than those of the seniors in the academy who specialize in the Dao of Artifacts...?
Even Pei Yanji, who was regulating his breathing, couldn't help opening his eyes and raising an eyebrow.
Only the members of the Hengze Prefecture Refinement Association understood how ridiculously skilled her fluid refining movements were, each looking like they had seen a ghost.
Unconsciously, they shifted their gazes to the Alchemist Association robe Shi Yu was wearing.
Yeah, that's right... she's an alchemist!
...
Shi Yu's re-refinement lasted for two whole days.
Once all the refined materials were merged back into the pill furnace, she wiped away the furnace's original restrictions and redrew layer upon layer of immensely intricate, nested restrictions.
With every stroke of restriction inscribed, it shone brightly in the sunlight, reflecting brilliant radiance.
Finally, as the last restriction stroke landed, the original Tier-3 pill furnace burst into spiritual light, unleashing a formidable aura without warning.
A burst of treasure Qi seeped into Shi Yu's body, slightly soothing her currently depleted spiritual power.
At this moment, the furnace looked completely different from before. Standing roughly two and a half feet tall, the furnace that was once a dull dark gold with faint, scattered glimmers had transformed into a striking fusion of dazzling crimson and bright white-gold. Reflecting sunlight, it was breathtakingly radiant.
Intertwined across its surface were several extremely complex restrictions forming patterns both beautiful and imposing, dizzying to look at.
City Lord Qin Yu stared at the furnace, his voice dry. “A Tier-4 pill furnace.”
Yin Shixiu opened his mouth to say something, but felt a dry itch in his throat and couldn't produce a word, leaving only silence.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, this pill furnace, originally ranked Tier-3, had now undeniably become a Tier-4 pill furnace!
Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu stared in disbelief. “...?”
Pei Yanji, whose lips had been curled in a contemptuous smirk, could no longer laugh. His expression twitched.
As for the spectators, all dissatisfaction and mockery had vanished without a trace, replaced by extreme shock and astonishment.
This young girl from Lingtai Prefecture already possessed alchemy talent rarely seen in the world, but who could have guessed she was dually cultivating both the Dao of Artifacts and the Dao of Alchemy! What's more, her attainments in the Dao of Artifacts were not the least bit inferior to those in the Dao of Alchemy—it was simply sensational!
Even so, the crowd still didn't understand what Shi Yu intended to do by refining a Tier-4 pill furnace.
She couldn't possibly be planning to refine a Tier-4 pill... right?
“My whole body hurts...” Shi Yu mumbled softly, chugging several gulps of Life Spring water.
As rich vitality washed over her, the painful sense of blood and Qi depletion eased slightly.
“Time to get down to business.”
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