Another hour had passed since the elders had sealed up the cauldron and by now popping sounds could be heard from inside the cauldron.
It was as if one was making popcorn in a pressure cooker as the sounds continued nonstop. Lin Mu could also see that the cauldron was lightly trembling because of the pressure that had built up inside it.
"It… it won't explode, right?" Lin Mu questioned.
"That will depend on their skill. If they miss the correct moment of opening the cauldron, they will mess up. If they open it too early, the pill will not congeal successfully and a part of its efficacy will be lost.
While if they open it too late, the cauldron will not be able to bear the pressure and then explode. Seeing as this cauldron is a mid grade spirit too, it is already a miracle that it has been able to bear it till now." Xukong answered.
Lin Mu could do nothing but nod his head and continue observing. He actually wasn't worried about getting injured as he was inside the ground, but rather about the other people of the compound getting alerted due to the explosion.
If the explosion happened, it was likely that the people will gather to check up on the elders and even the peak master Yi Deng may appear.
And then to check the situation, what will they do?
They'll use their spirit sense, of course, which would still be fine if it was the core disciples, but if it was the peak master Yi Deng there was a chance that Lin Mu would be discovered.
This was all just a paranoid guesswork from Lin Mu, but it was this very caution which had been saving him till now and preventing him from falling into a desperate situation. It was this very caution which allowed him to kill the Great Slumber bear and escape from Gu Yao.
There was no chance that he would ignore this.
"This is enough, time to congeal the pill. Begin the thousand taps stirring technique!" The elder who was in charge orders.
"YES!" All of the elders replied as their palms dimmed. The Qi flames became less intense and actually stopped emitting from their palms. Instead of that, they wrapped around the palms like translucent gloves.
~ding~ding~ding~
One by one, palms starting hitting the surface of the cauldron as the elder moved around the cauldron. These palms strikes were rhythmic and had a particular pattern to them. Still, this scene looked quite comical to Lin Mu.
"What… are they doing?" Lin Mu questioned.
"Hmm… seems like a pill congealing method," Xukong spoke.
Each of the palm strikes was precise and created vibrations in the cauldron. These vibrations collided with the vibrations of other palm strikes and created a unique flow in the herbal liquid inside the cauldron.
Not only this but with the palm strikes, a specific amount of heat was being transmitted, which was neither too high neither too low. Making a comparison, if before the cauldron was being 'stewed' now it was being 'grilled'.
About ten minutes passed, during which these elders kept on slapping the cauldron.
~creek~
Then finally, a creaking sound was heard due to the clamps being forced to open. The pressure inside the cauldron had reached a massive amount, and if it extended beyond this, there was a great chance of explosion.
"NOW!!!" The elder who was in charge yelled, his eyes bloodshot.
~clink~clink~clink~
~whoosh~
The three metal clamps came undone as the lid of the cauldron shot up in the air.
~shua~
The elder who was in charge leaped into the air and caught the lid, preventing it from disturbing the others. Or worse, falling onto the cauldron and spoiling their progress. A cloud of steam hit the faces of the elders, but they did not dare to look away from the cauldron.
The steam was hot and thus burned their beards. Had it not been for them being in the late stage or the peak stage of the Core condensation realm, they would have been badly scalded.
The elders, now with wry and singed beards, looked at the inside of the cauldron. The bottom of the cauldron was still not visible due to the steam that was still coming from it, but the elders waited patiently. They didn't even dare to wave the steam away, afraid of damaging the pill.
The elders didn't have to wait long either, and within thirty seconds the steam cleared away. Wide eyes and toothy smiles appeared on their faces which, combined with their messy burned beards, only made them look even more comical.
"AHAHAHA! IT IS DONE! WE DID IT!" The elders yelled in excitement.
The elder who was in charge carefully leaned inside the cauldron and picked up the glossy white pill that was resting at the bottom.
"Truly marvelous!" the elder spoke as tears threatened to drop from his eyes.
"I finally did it… I finally refined a high grade basic Qi pill. Even if it took the combined effort of all the elders of the pill peak, it is still a new record for the sect!" The elder in charge proclaimed.
"I'm sure the peak master and the sect master will be pleased. We can now refine high grade pills too!" The other elders added.
~huu~
"Indeed. But first! We are to deliver this pill to Alchemist Bilao. We never know when his heavenly tribulation would appear and thus it is best for him to always have it by his side." The elder in charge said.
Lin Mu raised his brows upon listening to this bit of information.
"Even they were making this for Alchemist Bilao?" Lin Mu couldn't help but say.
"It is an admirable effort. The use of a high grade basic Qi pill can help increase the success rate of surviving a heavenly tribulation. When used at the right time, it will provide the cultivator with a bust of spirit Qi that will help them bear through the force of tribulation lightning." Xukong explained.
