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After speaking, Shi Yong took out a small jade bottle from his bosom, poured out three mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and placed them in his palm.

He then channeled his spiritual power, and the pill floated in the furnace.

"The first step is to break through the elixir core!"

As Shi Yong spoke, he flicked his finger, and a line of fire fell into the furnace. In an instant, flames rose up, but under Shi Yong's precise control, they did not touch the three Qi Gathering Pills floating in it.

The flames immediately contracted, then spun rapidly against the furnace wall, and the furnace lid closed gently.

This scene filled Li Shen with emotion:

"To be able to control fire so precisely with only a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation level, Brother Shi is truly a genius in alchemy."

Immediately afterwards, a blue light flashed in Li Shen's eyes as he probed his divine sense into the furnace to observe the changes within.

The rotating furnace fire transformed into countless tiny fire snakes, each pill individually enveloping the others and forming a spherical fire cage.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Yong changed his hand seals in succession, and in each fire cage, fire snakes once again snaked out and struck the surface of the pill at extremely high speed.

Spiderweb-like cracks instantly appeared on the surface of the three Qi Gathering Pills, but they did not shatter or scatter, and remained intact.

"Note here: you must not use too much force; be gentle."

As Shi Yong spoke, his hands moved without stopping, and several flame threads climbed onto the cracked surface of the pill.

Li Shen's gaze sharpened as he saw the flame threads slowly peeling away the extremely thin layer of elixir coating from the surface of the pill, as if removing a garment.

The elixir gradually separated, revealing its internal structure layer by layer.

After being concentrated, various colored liquids are piled up inside.

Immediately afterwards, wisps of smoke-like gas rose from the surface of the medicinal liquid and dissipated into the furnace.

"Azure Ginseng, Feathered Leaf Grass, Rootless Flower, Green Vine Leaf... Is that black stuff impurities from incomplete fusion?"

Li Shen focused his divine sense on a successfully separated Qi Gathering Pill, each layer of which matched the main and auxiliary materials required for refining.

"Since we can see the impurities, can we remove them before blending? Wouldn't that increase the medicinal potency to another level?!"

Li Shen was overjoyed, but just as he was thinking about it, the flames inside the furnace suddenly began to tremble violently.

Having had several experiences before, Li Shen immediately recognized that this was the prelude to an explosion.

Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly retreated, and two golden shield talismans flew out of his storage bag. He slapped one onto his body, forming a layer of spiritual energy shield.

A talisman flew between Shi Yong and the alchemy furnace, spontaneously combusted, and erected a pale golden spiritual shield.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the three Qi Gathering Pills exploded simultaneously.

The potent medicinal power exploded inside the furnace, scattering the flames and causing the furnace lid to fly off, sending a plume of blue smoke soaring upwards.

Flames continuously struck the golden spirit shield.

Shi Yong retreated several steps, coughed twice, cleared the smoke from his eyes, and said with a wry smile:

"I'm sorry for showing off. Separating three pills at once is quite difficult, and I didn't control it well."

Li Shen got up, walked to the alchemy furnace, and peered inside.

The furnace walls were covered with charred medicinal residue, and the air was filled with a complex smell of burnt herbs mixed with the aroma of medicine. I fell into deep thought.

"Young Li?"

Shi Yong's voice interrupted his thoughts:

"What are you thinking about?"

Li Shen snapped out of his daze and smiled:

"I'm wondering if this method can remove impurities from the pills before fusing them into a complete pill."

Shi Yong was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He stroked his chin, looked at the lump of paste inside the furnace, and thought for a moment before saying:

"I haven't paid attention to removing impurities, but it's probably impossible to fuse it back together now, at least not now."

Before he could finish speaking, he patted Li Shen on the shoulder and said seriously:

"However, your foundation is solid, and your spiritual sense is not weak. If you are willing to put in the hard work, you might be able to do it. I believe in you!"

Li Shen chuckled lightly, keeping the matter to himself for the time being, then cupped his hands and said:

"Thank you for the demonstration today, Brother Shi."

Shi Yong waved his hand:

"Don't mention it. Let's not talk about these things. I should still be staying in Yunhe Mountain Market for the time being. Things haven't been peaceful outside lately."

After saying that, he looked up at the sky and added:

"It's getting late, I'm heading back now. If you have any questions, Li, just find me at our usual spot."

Li Shen nodded slightly, just about to get up to see him off.

The Zhao family disciples on duty at the training room rushed to the scene in a great hurry.

They were clearly attracted by the noise from the exploding oven.

"Master Li, are you alright?"

The disciple quickly walked up to Li Shen, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked with concern.

Then, his gaze toward Shi Yong became more hostile.

Seeing this, Li Shen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth and shake his head:

"It's alright, perfect timing. You can see my friend off."

Although the Zhao family disciple still had doubts, since Li Shen had already spoken, he had no choice but to bow and agree.

"Yes."

Shi Yong didn't seem to care. He grinned and put away the alchemy furnace along with the residue.

Chong Li Shen waved his hand and then turned and left with the disciple.

After the two figures disappeared, Li Shen withdrew his gaze and began to ponder how to remove the impurities.

The scenes that Shi Yong had just shown him kept replaying in his mind.

After pondering for a long time without finding a solution, he took a deep breath and whispered to himself:

"For now, let's learn deconstruction first, and then do research. Let's take it one step at a time."

With that, he turned and walked into the training room.

After a brief adjustment, he resumed his cultivation.

When he came out, the moon was already high in the sky.

The intelligence gathered at midnight today contained no important information. He looked up at the pale, round moon and murmured softly:

"I should go back and see how the Yin Ninghua is growing. But before that, I need to go see Du Shanyan. There are some favors I need to repay."

After thinking it over, Li Shen walked towards the inner courtyard.

The next day, early in the morning.

He used a concealment talisman to quietly leave the mansion and head towards the market.

Along the way, he used his divine sense to look outwards but found no suspicious traces.

"It seems those two have really given up."

Li Shen muttered to himself, and soon he arrived at the entrance of Duobao Pavilion.

He looked up at the plaque above his head, then turned and stepped inside.

Before he could speak to the shop assistant, a series of hurried footsteps came from above.

Du Shanyan's face, adorned with a gentle smile, came into view.

"Oh dear, Fellow Daoist Li!"

Du Shanyan hurried downstairs, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked with a smile:

"Was your trip to Linlang City fruitful?"

Before Li Shen could answer, he continued to invite Li Shen upstairs in a familiar manner:

"Come, come, Fellow Daoist Li, please come upstairs."

Li Shen remained calm and followed him to the private room on the second floor.

Du Shanyan led him to sit at the table, personally poured him a cup of tea, and smilingly pushed it towards Li Shen:

"Fellow Daoist Li, please try this. This is a freshly picked Spirit Mist Tea from a few days ago. It has excellent effects in clearing the mind and improving eyesight."

Li Shen took the teacup but did not drink from it; he simply placed it on the table.

Du Shanyan's face stiffened, a strange light flashing in his eyes. After a moment, he tentatively asked with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Li, has the item been delivered?"

Li Shen nodded slightly and chuckled softly:

"Of course, how could I not deliver something that Manager Du entrusted with such care? It's just that Manager Du didn't seem to have mentioned to me that it was a token of love."