As the cauldron was heating up, he started adding the ingredients one by one.
There were about 5 ingredients needed to make this pill, with the main ingredient being the rejuvenation flower.
The rejuvenation flower could heal both fatigue and injury. It was used in tandem with another herb known as the numbing herb. From the name, one could guess the use of this herb. It was able to numb the pain of whoever consumed it.
These two herbs, in addition to a few others, were what was used to make the healing pill.
After the cauldron was heated up, he started putting the herbs into the cauldron one by one.
Going by the recipe from the inheritance, he started by putting the rejuvenation flower. The flower slowly liquified under the heat in the cauldron. Then he channeled his spirit energy through the cauldron, using it to create a small vortex.
After the medicinal essence had been extracted and the impurities burned away, he added the numbing herb after and repeated the previous process.
However, it seemed he had underestimated the difficulty of the ancient alchemy method because by the time he needed to add the third herb, his spirit energy had already been depleted by three-quarters.
By the time he had extracted the medicinal essence of the herb, his spirit energy had already been depleted. This caused instability with the pill concoction, causing the cauldron to explode.
Seeing the smoke rising from the cauldron, he knew that this attempt was a failure.
However, he wasn't disappointed.
He wasn't expecting to be successful on his very first attempt. However, he wasn't expecting such a rapid failure as well. He had the experience from the inheritance, so he was just trying to follow what was in his memory, but apparently, it wasn't that simple.
It was as if he had forgotten how to do something he was originally proficient in.
He wouldn't act like a novice, but he wasn't an expert either. Just the exhaustion of his spirit energy made him realize that this wouldn't be so easy.
He consumed a Spirit Recovery pill to replenish his spirit energy. Spirit energy was mysterious and much more unfathomable than Qi.
All Adrian knew was that it was the energy derived from one's soul, the very essence of a being. It was much harder to replenish than Qi, and it would probably take the whole day if he tried to do it by himself.
As he leaned back and rested against the wall, waiting for his spirit energy to recover. he started to ponder over his mistake.
The first mistake was the speed of the vortex in the cauldron. The vortex made wasn't just a simple addition to the alchemical process. It was just as important, if not more than, the control of fire during the refining process.
The ultimate difficulty of it, as well as the strain it put on the alchemist, was one of the reasons why this method of alchemy was no longer in use. People simply couldn't do it, so the method gradually faded away, becoming one of the annals of a forgotten generation.
If it were too fast, one could lose control and would ruin the herbs. If it were too slow, it would consume more of one's spiritual energy, and the alchemist wouldn't be able to complete the refinement.
His second mistake was in the use of his spirit flames.
Because he had to split his concentration between the vortex and the flames, he couldn't extract the medicinal essence fast enough. After sorting out his thoughts, he decided to try again.
It took him a few hours to replenish his spirit energy, all thanks to the Spirit Recovery pills. He lit up the flames and picked up another set of herbs.
Now, with his previous experience, he slowed down the vortex to an appropriate speed. This reduced his burden and enabled him to be able to pay attention to the temperature of the flames.
This time, he was trying to conserve his spirit energy as much as possible.
He was able to reach the fifth herb before he finally depleted his energy reserve.
The cauldron exploded again, causing another plume of black smoke to be emitted when he removed the lid.
Adrian lay on the ground and tried to access his performance once again.
This time, everything seemed to go well, but he was again limited by his lack of spirit energy.
However, this was not a problem that could be solved easily.
In order for an individual to increase their spirit energy, they could either consume pills or practice soul techniques.
An individual's soul resided in their sea of consciousness. The bigger the sea of consciousness, the more spirit energy they have. Spirit energy is only a residue emitted by soil into the sea of consciousness.
Only after reaching the soul formation realm would an individual be able to use the true power of the soul, known as 'soul energy'.
As one's cultivation increases, the sea of consciousness also expands along with it.
However, there are some special practitioners whose cultivation techniques mainly have to do with the soul. They prioritize the increase in their spirit energy, and their attacks mainly have to do with the soul. They are often feared due to their terrifying prowess.
Their physical bodies and Qi are usually sub-par, but their spirit energy was incredible.
An injury to the soul isn't a simple injury. Without special pills, such an injury could take years to heal, depending on the severity of the attack.
This also makes them much more proficient in alchemy. They have the necessary much more spiritual energy, and their control over it was exquisite, which was what was needed for alchemy.
However, what Adrian hadn't realized was that his soul was already much stronger than any cultivator at his realm. When he obtained the inheritance of the Sage of Slaughter, a stream of unknown energy flowed into his sea of consciousness, which provided a massive boost in his power.