Chapter 4133 — Preparing to Break Through to the Golden Core
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Is there any way around it? Some pill or other, say, that could help you over this hurdle quickly, Brother Tian?" Wei Zhao asked.
"If that old bastard Zhang Lifeng were still around, I could ask him to refine a Golden Core Gestation Pill for me—with my foundations, I could guarantee success in a single step. But as things stand..." Di Xingdao scratched his head helplessly.
"Golden Core Gestation Pill? What grade is that?" Wei Zhao pressed. Ever since his recent success in refining the Golden Core Pill—a fifth-grade pill of notorious difficulty—his confidence in his own alchemy had soared. Even if he had never heard of this one, he was sure he could give it a try.
"Sixth grade! And not an ordinary sixth grade, but one of the most fiendishly difficult to refine! From what I know, across the entire Pill Hall, only Zhang Lifeng could be relied upon to refine a sixth-grade Golden Core Gestation Pill with any confidence. Others like young Hou and young Cai are fine alchemists both, but they simply don't have the fire for it," Di Xingdao said with a sigh.
"Sixth grade..." Wei Zhao hesitated at once. With his current abilities, a fifth-grade pill was the absolute limit; he could go no higher. Still, he said, "Why don't I give it a try?"
"Brother Wei Zhao, alchemy is not something to be forced. If it goes wrong, the consequences are unthinkable! It gladdens my heart that you'd offer, but please, don't push yourself!" Di Xingdao hurried to dissuade him.
To force the refinement of a high-grade pill without the requisite level was folly. Producing a dud pill would be the least of one's worries—one slip, and the whole furnace could blow, and then the joke would be on you.
"It's fine. I've been wanting to find out whether I really have what it takes to refine a sixth-grade pill." Wei Zhao smiled. Before Di Xingdao could say another word, he set off to find Cai Zhongxuan and ask for a sixth-grade pill formula, along with the corresponding ingredients.
Not the Golden Core Gestation Pill, but the simplest of the entry-level sixth-grade pills: the sixth-grade Nascent Soul Stabilizing Pill, formulated specifically to steady the Nascent Soul realm. Its nature was gentle and mild, and among all sixth-grade pills it ranked as the easiest to refine.
With everything prepared, Wei Zhao set straight to work. The Shennong Cauldron analyzed the refinement curve as reliably as ever—but when it came time to channel his true qi, no matter how Wei Zhao threw his all into it, the cauldron remained utterly unresponsive. The tablet screen displayed one unchanging line of text.
"Brother Wei Zhao, your power level is insufficient, resulting in inadequate true qi. Jingjing cannot refine pills for you..."
"Just as I thought..." Wei Zhao shook his head and sighed. He had expected this outcome.
Insufficient power level meant insufficient true qi intensity—at present, an insoluble problem. Without clearing this most basic threshold, it made no difference how divine a pill-refining artifact the Shennong Cauldron was. The only way forward was to wait until his power advanced to the Golden Core stage, when another attempt might become possible.
"Looks like the only choice is to find a way to raise my power as quickly as possible. I believe that if I can break through to the Golden Core stage, I should be able to attempt the refinement," Wei Zhao explained to Di Xingdao.
Difficult as the Golden Core Gestation Pill was to refine, Wei Zhao had faith in the Shennong Cauldron—provided, of course, that his power could meet the minimum threshold for refining sixth-grade pills.
"Oh? Brother Wei Zhao, your power is still at the peak of late Foundation Establishment, is it not? You're still a fair way from the Golden Core stage. But you're a cultivator of the Creation Battle Art—ordinary standards don't apply to you. If the preparations are done properly, it's not entirely hopeless," Di Xingdao said thoughtfully.