Seeing that he was the focus of attention, Bai Chen remained composed and fired up the cauldron and added the spiritual qi-infused water to it.
After that, he took the first ingredient, the Phantom Lotus Flower, and gently plucked one of its petals before meticulously securing the rest.
He added the petal into the cauldron and delicately stirred it, making sure to avoid damaging the spiritual essence of the flower.
Soon, the petal started to merge with the water, and faint distortions of light started to become visible, signifying that the process was going in the right direction.
Once this was done, he waited till the water was at a high temperature before adding the second ingredient, Moonshadow Grass, which was used to suppress aura and avoid detection.
He gently plucked the leaves of the Moonshadow Grass and covered them in his Spiritual Qi before lowering them into the cauldron.
Seeing Bai Chen's meticulous technique, the three alchemists watching the process nodded but remained silent to avoid disturbing Bai Chen.
At this moment, the Moonshadow Grass had already started mixing with the spiritual water, suppressing the effect of the Phantom Lotus Flower and making the distortions more subtle.
When the Moonshadow Grass completely dissolved, a serious look appeared on Bai Chen's face as he increased the flame and started mixing the solution.
The three alchemists nearby also had serious expressions, as this step was one of the most important steps in refining the Appearance Altering Pill.
At this step, the alchemist needed precise control over the fire, otherwise, if the temperature was off even by a little bit, it could destroy the purity of the pill.
Bai Chen kept constantly stirring the cauldron, delicately controlling the temperature of the flames. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead, and his Spiritual Qi reserves started to drop rapidly.
Of course, all this was a deliberate act in order to make sure the three alchemists watching his every move wouldn't suspect his true cultivation.
He even went ahead and made some minor mistakes that wouldn't affect the final product too much, just to make his act look even more real,
After twenty minutes of constant stirring and precise flame control, the spiritual water in the cauldron was mostly absorbed, and all that remained was a thick, crimson-hued goo.
A sign that the base of the Appearance Altering Pill was nearly complete.
Realizing that it was time, Bai Chen took out the third ingredient for the pill, Chameleon Beast Blood. This was going to allow the pill user to alter their skin color and texture.
Bai Chen delicately added a few drops of the Chameleon Beast Blood one at a time to the crimson-hued goo with constant careful stirrings.
As the drops of blood mixed with the goo, the previously crimson-hued mixture gradually began to shift colors, slow at first, then in a continuous rhythmic cycle.
When Bai Chen saw this, a small smile appeared on his face as this rhythm signified that the refining process was going smoothly and there were no major issues.
After reaching this step, Bai Chen finally took the last ingredient, the Mist Orchid Pollen. He carefully measured the amount required and sprinkled it in the cauldron.
As the fine pollen fell into the cauldron, it was quickly absorbed by the swirling, color-changing goo, which then started releasing a pleasant aroma that spread throughout the entire room.
With this step complete, Bai Chen finally took out the Ethernal Soulwood Sap, a stabilizer used to preserve the effect of the pill for a long time as well as to decrease the chances of failure in pill concoction.
He carefully cut the required piece and ground it into a fine powder before sprinkling it onto the medical paste being refined in the cauldron.
Finally, Bai Chen stopped stirring the goo and used his Spiritual Qi to lift it into the air.
At this moment, the muscles on his face tensed, his eyes narrowed, and his expression became serious. This was the most important step, and a single mistake would mean true failure.
The three alchemists watching this also started to revolve their Spiritual Qi, ready to take action in case of a failure.
After all, if a Tier 1 or Tier 2 pill failed, it would just turn into medical waste of no use. But a Tier 3 pill?
The medical properties of the ingredients are too strong, and there's always a chance for an explosion, which could seriously injure even a Core Formation Realm martial artist, much less a Peak Foundation Establishment martial artist.
Bai Chen finally started to use his Spiritual Qi to compress the paste into a round pill shape.
This process might sound easy, but a single misstep could cause the medical properties to destabilise, rendering it useless—or worse, causing it to shatter apart.
Bai Chen kept using his Spiritual Qi to apply equal pressure from all sides, trying his best not to make a mistake.
Soon, a round purple pill started to take shape in front of Bai Chen, who became even more attentive and careful after realizing he was at the final moment of pill concoction.
The three alchemists also got nervous, gesturing for the other candidates, who had already finished refining their pills, and the assistant to move back, just in case something went wrong.
After constantly applying pressure for more than two minutes, a pill finally formed in front of Bai Chen, and he caught it in one swift motion of his hand.
Seeing that Bai Chen had finished refining the pill, the three alchemist quickly came forward, eager to see the pill.
Bai Chen opened his hand and, looking at the purple pill silently sitting in his hand, he breathed a sigh of relief before presenting it to the alchemist for assessment.
After getting the pill from Bai Chen, the three alchemists quickly gathered around the pill, trying to see its purity and judge its quality.
They looked at the pill for a while, astonishment visible in their eyes.
At this moment, Alchemist Yue, the beautiful lady, unconsciously murmured,
"Amazing..."