Leo was highly skilled in controlling the heat. Just as the previous Spirit Herb completely liquefied, he added the next one into the alchemy furnace.
After more than half an hour, all the Spirit Herbs were in the furnace, and it was time to remove the impurities.
Leo controlled the temperature of the flames within the furnace with his spiritual power, while his divine sense closely monitored any changes inside.
It took over an hour for Leo to thoroughly remove the impurities from the Spirit Herbs, turning them into pure liquid.
Next came Pill Fusion.
Pill Fusion was the most crucial step in refining the Ascension Pill. Any slight mistake during this process would result in a wasted pill.
Leo’s gaze was calm and determined, his mind fully focused on the furnace.
At this moment, the liquid Spirit Herbs inside the furnace had been divided into thirty portions, forming a circle.
Leo began to control the fusion of the Spirit Herb liquids again.
The fusion process had to be handled with extreme caution. Any error in sequence or temperature control would directly affect the outcome of the pill.
The Pill Fusion process was destined to be long and required utmost precision.
After another hour, Leo finally completed the Pill Fusion.
He exhaled lightly, showing signs of fatigue on his face.
The Pill Fusion process consumed a great deal of mental energy.
As they say, strike while the iron is hot. It was not yet time to rest; there was still one final step-nurturing the pill!
Leo formed a hand seal with his fingers and began gradually withdrawing the spiritual fire from the furnace, continuously lowering its temperature.
As the temperature inside the furnace dropped, the fused liquid began to solidify, transforming into solid Alchemical Pills.
After more than half an hour, thirty Alchemical Pills appeared in the furnace.
This sight allowed Leo to breathe a small sigh of relief. As long as he continued nurturing them for a while longer, they would become finished pills.
Leo used his divine sense to observe any subtle changes, carefully controlling the heat and nurturing each Alchemical Pill.
After about ten minutes, one by one, purple Alchemical Pills with lightning patterns on their surfaces formed inside the furnace.
At that moment, a slight buzzing sound emanated from the furnace, causing it to tremble slightly.
This was a release of Pill Energy, a good sign indicating that the pills’ grade and quality were high.
To be honest, Leo wasn’t entirely confident about successfully refining thirty Ascension Pills in one go.
But so far, everything had gone smoothly. Luck was on his side.
Once the Pill Energy release was complete, it would be time to open the furnace and retrieve the pills.
However, something unexpected happened. Through the translucent ceiling above him, Leo noticed thunderclouds gathering in the sky, with lightning snakes dancing within them.
This situation took Leo by surprise. After a moment of shock, he realized something and his eyes showed a look of astonishment.
The dark thunderclouds grew thicker and soon covered the entire Alchemy Hall.
A terrifying pressure of lightning poured out from the clouds.
Outside the Alchemy Hall, when Arthur looked up and saw the scene in the sky, he was startled.
At this moment, in the main hall of Watts Mansion, although it was nighttime, it was brightly lit.
The head of the Watts family, Wade Watts; Grand Elder Ramon Watts; Elder Catalina; Senior Alchemist Keith; and several high-ranking elders of the Watts family were all present in the hall.
They seemed to be discussing something. Apart from Wade Watts’s stern face and Ramon Watts’s composed demeanor, the other elders looked surprised.
Wade Watts remained silent for a while before looking at Elder Catalina and Keith. He asked, “Elder Catalina, Mr. Conway, are you certain that the young man Arthur befriended has higher alchemical skills than both of you?”
Elder Catalina replied without hesitation, “Mr. Watts, you could say that. Mr. Conway followed his method to refine a Grand Restoration Pill that you have seen yourself. Its quality is indeed very high.”
Wade Watts nodded. As the head of the Watts family, he naturally understood what this meant.
With the new Grand Restoration Pill on the market, Golden family’s Revival Pill would no longer pose any threat to the Watts family. The Watts family would regain its market dominance.
“Additionally, Mr. Watts, I have agreed to give him thirty percent of the profits from the new Grand Restoration Pill,” Elder Catalina said solemnly.
“Thirty percent?” Wade Watts’s eyes flashed with surprise.
A short elder frowned and stood up. “Elder Catalina, thirty percent seems excessive. The Spirit Herbs are provided by our Watts family, and our alchemists put in hard work to refine them. He only provided an improved formula and gets thirty percent of the profits.”
Hearing this, Elder Catalina explained seriously, “Elder Corbin, you don’t understand how significant this improvement is. Because of this improvement, our Grand Restoration Pill will completely suppress Golden family’s Revival Pill and reverse our previous decline.”
“Once the new Grand Restoration Pill hits the market, I believe its sales will increase several times over in no time. So giving that young man thirty percent of the profits is not unreasonable. Moreover, I have already promised this in front of our family members.”
Elder Catalina’s words left Elder Corbin speechless and looking somewhat embarrassed.
Keith chimed in supportively, “I also agreed with Elder Catalina when we made this decision. In my opinion, anyone who can achieve such alchemical skills at a young age must have an extraordinary teacher.”
Keith’s words left Elder Corbin temporarily silent.
Wade Watts nodded. “Thirty percent it is then. I hope this person’s arrival can change our family’s situation. Elders, if you encounter him in Watts Mansion, treat him with respect.”
“Mr. Watts,” Elder Catalina suddenly suggested seriously, “if possible, we should try to keep him at Watts Mansion.”
Wade Watts nodded in agreement.
Someone with alchemical skills comparable to Elder Catalina and Keith was definitely worth keeping in the family.
At that moment, a muffled thunderclap suddenly sounded outside.
Everyone was startled and rushed out of the hall.
Outside, looking up towards Alchemy Hall’s direction, they saw a dark thundercloud directly above it.
“Let’s go take a look,” Wade Watts said before disappearing from sight.
The others quickly followed towards Alchemy Hall.
Another muffled thunderclap echoed.
After it subsided, the thundercloud continued to grow larger.
Everyone in Watts Mansion noticed its presence within minutes.
In less than a minute, Wade Watts; Grand Elder Ramon Watts; Elder Catalina; Keith; and other elders arrived at Alchemy Hall’s entrance.
The thundercloud had already enveloped Alchemy Hall entirely. Standing beneath it felt overwhelmingly oppressive.