"Taking you so long to prepare the medicine, what exactly are you doing?" As soon as Mo Wuji returned to the No. 19 Pill Room, he was berated again.

Mo Wuji was also helpless and could only hold his nose and say, "The first batch of medicinal herbs wasn't very fresh, and I was afraid it would have an impact. So, I specially went back to exchange them for fresher ones. Isn't there a saying, 'Sharpening the knife doesn't delay the woodcutter'? Although I'm just a miscellaneous disciple, I still want to do my best to do my job well."

This Alchemist Shi grabbed the medicinal herbs Mo Wuji brought him, without even bothering to check if they were fresh or not. He just said casually, "Not bad, you have some initiative. But if I fail in refining the pills, you'll still be kicked out."

This bastard, he really likes to push the responsibility onto others. To push the responsibility for a failed pill refining onto a errand-running medicine-preparing miscellaneous disciple, that's quite a strange thing.

"Master Shi, when you're refining pills, can I watch from the side?" Knowing he was powerless to resist, Mo Wuji simply stopped caring about what this Alchemist Shi said. Since he would be kicked out if it failed anyway, he might as well be thick-skinned and ask to watch. Even if it didn't work, it wouldn't matter.

This was entirely because Mo Wuji didn't understand the rules of the pill refining world. Unless a Pill Alchemist offered an invitation, actively asking to watch a Pill Alchemist refine pills was a major taboo.

Alchemist Shi, who was originally rushing to go inside to refine pills, suddenly stopped. He sized up Mo Wuji for a good while before asking, not very sure, "You, a miscellaneous disciple, are asking to watch me refine pills?"

Even though he himself was so unkempt, and only a second-grade Human Pill Alchemist, he still dared to call him a miscellaneous disciple. Mo Wuji was very unhappy inside. He also didn't know how high the status of a second-grade Human Pill Alchemist was in the sect.

Mo Wuji chuckled inwardly, saying, "Alchemist Shi, I have a nickname in my hometown, 'Lucky Star'. Usually, when others are doing things, if I watch from the side, the success rate will increase by more than double. Even the apothecary next door in my hometown always calls me over when he's refining medicine, and as a result, his success rate is always higher than others."

Alchemist Shi chuckled and suddenly said, "I've never seen a miscellaneous disciple as bold as you. Alright, I'll let you come in and take a look today. If I fail, jump off Hanging Sword Cliff yourself."

Mo Wuji felt a chill. He knew about Hanging Sword Cliff. It was the No. 1 cliff of the Wuhen Sword Sect. A broken sword hung on the edge of this cliff. He heard that disciples who committed heinous crimes within the sect would be thrown off Hanging Sword Cliff.

"Um, maybe I shouldn't go in then." Even though he used Water Rong Vine, who knew if this second-grade Human Pill Alchemist could refine Condensing Meridian Pills? This Alchemist Shi seemed like an incompetent guy at first glance.

Alchemist Shi didn't even wait for Mo Wuji to speak again. He grabbed Mo Wuji's shoulder. A powerful force swept over, like a suction cup, wanting to suck Mo Wuji over.

Mo Wuji was also a Meridian Opening stage cultivator after all. As Alchemist Shi made his move, he circulated his Origin Energy throughout his body, directly breaking free from Alchemist Shi's suction cup-like force. With a flash of his figure, he had already landed several feet away from Alchemist Shi.

"Eh, you're actually at the Meridian Opening stage third layer... no, the Meridian Opening stage second layer?" Alchemist Shi looked at Mo Wuji in shock.

It wasn't that there weren't Meridian Opening stage second layer cultivators among the miscellaneous disciples. There were even Meridian Opening stage fourth layer cultivators. But there weren't many Meridian Opening stage second layer cultivators as young as Mo Wuji. And that wasn't even the most important thing. The most important thing was that the reaction speed and strength Mo Wuji showed at the Meridian Opening stage second layer were completely comparable to the Meridian Opening stage third layer.

He was a second-grade Human Pill Alchemist and also a Spirit Building stage second layer cultivator. Although he only used less than one-tenth of his strength just now, it was still not simple for Mo Wuji to be able to dodge in such a hurry.

Mo Wuji smiled awkwardly, "My spiritual root aptitude is too poor. It took me four or five years to reach the Meridian Opening stage second layer."

Hearing that it took Mo Wuji four or five years to reach the Meridian Opening stage second layer, Alchemist Shi finally accepted it.

He nodded, "Not bad, since you were able to dodge my casual grab just now, then you're spared from jumping off Hanging Sword Cliff. Come in."

After speaking, Alchemist Shi entered the pill refining room first.

Seeing that the other party no longer mentioned making him jump off the cliff if the pill refining failed, Mo Wuji finally breathed a sigh of relief, and followed Alchemist Shi into the pill refining room.

It was Mo Wuji's first time in a pill refining room. The first thing he saw upon entering was a pill furnace. The pill furnace was more than a meter high and about two feet in diameter.

Next to the pill furnace was a shelf. Mo Wuji saw Alchemist Shi place the medicinal herbs on the shelf.

Besides these, there was only a stone stool in the pill refining room. At the top of the pill furnace, there was a skylight.

After entering the pill refining room, Alchemist Shi didn't say another word. Instead, he inserted the jade token in his hand into a groove next to the pill furnace, and then forcefully turned a handle next to the pill furnace.

Mo Wuji heard a "bang" sound, and a blue flame shot out from the ground.

Mo Wuji wasn't completely ignorant about the Pill Flame used in pill refining. The Pill Flames used by Pill Alchemists were varied, all sorts of things, Earth Fire being one of them.

Clearly, Alchemist Shi was using Earth Fire.

Mo Wuji didn't ask any questions. He also knew that he wasn't qualified to ask anything. It was already incredibly lucky that Alchemist Shi allowed him to stand here.

Alchemist Shi allowed the flames to burn the bottom of the furnace for several minutes. Suddenly, he clapped his hands continuously on the edge of the furnace. The furnace lid flew open, and the dirt and dust inside flew out directly under these slaps, landing outside the pill furnace.

Alchemist Shi took out a gourd from his pocket, pointed the gourd opening downwards, and poured some kind of liquid inside.

Mo Wuji really wanted to ask what this liquid was, because in the books on pills he read, he had never seen anyone pour liquid into the pill furnace before refining pills. But he still restrained himself from asking. He was worried that as soon as he opened his mouth, Alchemist Shi would immediately kick him out.

After pouring the liquid into the pill furnace, Alchemist Shi let the pill furnace burn for a full several minutes before sending the medicinal herbs Mo Wuji brought over into the pill furnace one by one.

Mo Wuji stood on the side, unable to see the situation inside the pill furnace at all. He only knew that Alchemist Shi was constantly adjusting the size of the flames, and then constantly using an iron shovel to stir the spiritual herbs in the pill furnace.

Watching Alchemist Shi refine pills didn't give Mo Wuji any pleasing feeling. He just felt like he was watching a guy cooking stir-fry.

As Alchemist Shi stirred constantly, Mo Wuji began to smell the overflowing spiritual herb aroma. Mo Wuji had studied plants for many years. As soon as this aroma came out, he smelled the aroma of Water Rong Vine. The aroma of Water Rong Vine and the aroma of Cyan Flame Fruit were fused together, clearly taking effect.

Alchemist Shi stared intently at the inside of the pill furnace, stirring the spiritual herbs while controlling the strength of the flames. Seeing how focused he was, Mo Wuji knew that he didn't smell the aroma of Water Rong Vine.

Time passed bit by bit. Mo Wuji saw sweat flowing down Alchemist Shi's forehead and dripping onto the ground. But Alchemist Shi seemed to be unaware of it, still focusing all his attention on the medicinal herbs in the pill furnace.

Mo Wuji was also somewhat impressed. Alchemist Shi was able to become a second-grade Human Pill Alchemist, probably not because of his intelligence, nor because he was born to refine pills. But because of his focus and his ability to be single-minded when refining pills.

Although Mo Wuji had never seen other Pill Alchemists refine pills, he still couldn't compliment Alchemist Shi's movements and posture when refining pills. This pill refining posture was really too bad. It was like swimming. He didn't know any kind of fancy swimming. The only thing he knew was the dog paddle.

A full hour and a half passed. Suddenly, Alchemist Shi clapped his hands forcefully on the edge of the pill furnace, and pieces of black stuff flew out of the pill furnace.

This should be the pill dregs. Mo Wuji didn't even need to check. He could tell by sniffing that these pill dregs contained a lot of spiritual medicine components. In other words, the pill dregs Alchemist Shi slapped out weren't purified cleanly at all.

(Today's update is here, good night friends! Please support with recommendation votes.)