While the members of the Ye Clan from Jinzhou and the experts from the Golden City Stronghold were searching for Lei Jun and his disciple near Chaoyang Peak, Lei Jun was currently pondering over his own Pill Furnace.

Having left the Southern Wilderness early, the master and disciple duo did not go directly back to their sect, to avoid exposing their whereabouts.

Amidst the green mountains and clear waters, Lei Jun calmly cultivated. Although the current environment was not as rich in Spiritual Energy as the Dragon Tiger Mountain Ancestral Court, Lei Jun remained focused.

Concerning the various events about to unfold in the Southern Wilderness, Lei Jun awaited news but did not fret. He continued to do what he needed to do at his own pace.

Besides his own cultivation, he sought further instruction from his master, Yuan Mobai, on the art of alchemy.

"The Thunderheart Furnace differs from the common Water-Fire Yin-Yang Furnace, but the techniques used are largely interchangeable," Yuan Mobai said with a smile as he guided his disciple.

Indeed, what he most appreciated and valued about Lei Jun was not his Acquired Clear Insight Enlightenment or the Yin Yang Sacred Body.

Yuan Mobai more admired Lei Jun's consistently stable, calm, and steadfast temperament.

"Of course, compared to flying and steaming, when you use the Thunderheart Furnace for alchemy, your technique should primarily focus on suppressing and tapping, with flying and steaming as secondary measures," Yuan Mobai instructed.

Lei Jun listened to his master's guidance, concentrating on the Thunderheart Furnace before him.

Flying, steaming, tapping, and suppressing are all common alchemical techniques used by Taoist cultivators in this world.

Flying, as light as a bird taking to the sky, is like sublimation—where a solid directly turns into a gas—or dry distillation, using the terms Lei Jun was familiar with from Blue Star before he crossed over.

Of course, depending on the alchemical raw materials used, the internal details could vary greatly.

Lei Jun had his initial exposure to similar techniques when he had been a Tao Boy at the Tao Boy Court and was sent to the Talisman Ink Pavilion to help prepare Talisman Ink.

Beyond the most basic dry flying, there was also the method of wet flying.

Steaming is akin to distillation from Lei Jun's previous life on Blue Star, with the main distinction from flying lying in the difference between dry distillation and wet distillation.

As the refinement of the Dan Medicine required becomes more delicate and of higher quality, the corresponding techniques are continually refined and improved.

A recipe for Dan Medicine, for the most part, does not just list the raw materials but also includes complete alchemical details and corresponding techniques. This complexity is why restoring an incomplete recipe is particularly difficult; even if finished Dan Medicine remains, it is often hard to reverse-engineer the recipe.

Lei Jun's Thunderheart Furnace, unlike the general Water-Fire Yin-Yang Furnace, could apply the techniques of steaming and flying, but they were not the primary methods.

When performing alchemy with the Thunderheart Furnace, he more often employed the techniques of suppressing and tapping.

Suppressing, in broad terms, means exerting influence from the outside in, starting with the whole to transform the raw materials inside the furnace.

The common alchemical phrase "suppressing the fire" originates from this.

Tapping, on the other hand, starts from within, initiating change with a small, precise point that then causes the raw materials to transform.

The Thunderheart Furnace, activating the pivot of Yin and Yang, moves both internally and externally. Although different from the Water-Fire Cauldron Furnace, it possesses its own profound mysteries.

As for the terms 'dissolving' and 'sealing,' they are more universally used. The former is self-explanatory. The latter, according to Lei Jun's understanding, means to seal or close off.

Beyond the most basic flying, steaming, suppressing, and tapping, the next step is rotation.

Dan Medicines with names like Nine Turns or Seven Turns, and so on, originate from this.

Using Lei Jun's pre-crossing parlance from Blue Star, it is akin to a more advanced refinement.

One complete cycle of the process can be considered one turn.

Performing it a second time is called the second turn, and so forth.

For most Dan Medicines, the higher the number of turns, the greater the risk of failure.

In the past two years, Lei Jun had been learning continuously with Yuan Mobai and had attained a preliminary understanding of alchemy.

He had already privately tried to concoct both the Purifying Pill and the Heavenly Primordial Qingjing Pill, with both successes and failures, but the quality of the resulting Dan Medicine still needed further improvement.

To Elder Lei's relief, Lei Jun had not caused a furnace explosion during his attempts at alchemy to date.

Currently outside the mountains and without many resources on hand, Lei Jun simply continued to familiarize himself with and practice the related techniques.

The next formal alchemy session would have to wait until his return to the mountains.

Then, he could choose either the Great Elixir Room for alchemy or practice in his private abode.

"'Oh? There's news,' Yuan Mobai said, taking out a Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman.

Lei Jun had been waiting for several days with no sign of movement and thought perhaps their adversaries had not set foot in the vicinity of Chaoyang Peak, the main eastern peak of the Great Southern Mountain range. Or perhaps, as time went on, the threat at Chaoyang Peak had dissipated.

After a moment, Yuan Mobai relayed the talisman's contents, "The day before yesterday, a major battle took place near Chaoyang Peak, the eastern main peak of the Great Southern Mountain. Including Chaoyang Peak itself, a large section of the mountain range collapsed and was destroyed." A rare look of surprise then appeared on his face as he continued, "The combatants... Sect Leader Wei Ancheng of the Blood River Sect, Ye Han from the Jinzhou Ye Clan, and Gao Pu from Nanhuanjincheng Fortress?"

Lei Jun asked, "Sect Leader of the Blood River Sect, Wei Ancheng?"

Yuan Mobai's expression of surprise vanished, and he nodded slowly. "It should be correct. It was rumored that during the battle, Blood Qi shrouded the sky, slaughtering in all directions with widespread repercussions. Other than Wei Ancheng, no other member of the Blood River Sect could achieve that."

He added, "Based on the residual Bloody Evil Qi at the scene, it's highly possible that Wei Ancheng's cultivation and strength have advanced further... A powerful Nine Heavens Realm expert from the Blood River Sect has reappeared in the mortal world."

Lei Jun mused, "After accumulating experience through many Blood Battles, personally slaying numerous masters including Abbot Liaoyuan of the Bodhi Temple, and then consolidating for the past three years, has his foundation finally become sufficient?"

Yuan Mobai replied, "That must be so. Otherwise, Ye Han and Gao Pu wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state."

Ye Han, a Great Scholar of the current age from the Jinzhou Ye Clan and an expert of the Eightfold Heaven Realm, was one of its mainstays, second only to his elder brother Ye Wei.

Gao Pu was even more formidable. He was the second strongest expert of Nanhuanjincheng Fortress—a Sacred Land of the Ghost Tao Lineage of the Witchcraft Sect—ranking only below the current Holy Master of Golden City Stronghold, and a Great Witch of the Eightfold Heaven Realm.

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