Impure (Crude)
Purity (%): 10% – 30%
Visual Indicator: Black ash, uneven shape, foul smell.
Effect on Cultivator: 20% gain. High "Pill Poison" buildup (clogs meridians).
Common
Purity (%): 40% – 60%
Visual Indicator: Smooth surface, dull brown/grey colour.
Effect on Cultivator: 50% gain. Requires days of meditation to clear toxins.
Flawless
Purity (%): 70% – 85%
Visual Indicator: Faint glow, medicinal fragrance.
Effect on Cultivator: 80% gain. Very little toxin; can take multiple in a row.
Superior
Purity (%): 90% – 98%
Visual Indicator: Vibrant colour, vibrates when held.
Effect on Cultivator: 100% gain. Temporarily enhances the user's Qi quality.
Transcendent
Purity (%): 100%
Visual Indicator: Medicinal Rings (Glow), no scent.
Purity (%): 120% gain. Zero toxins. Can trigger instant breakthroughs.
The Pill Tier List (Rank 1 – Rank 5)
Rank 1: Marrow Cleansing Pills (Mortal Phase)
Purpose: To prepare a servant for cultivation by cleaning the blood.
Ingredients: Spirit grass and basic spring water.
Rank 2: Qi Gathering Pills (Early Condensation)
Purpose: To accelerate the filling of the Dantian with raw Qi.
Key Effect: Increases Qi absorption speed by 2x for a few hours.
Risk: If the quality is below "Flawless," the Qi becomes muddy.
Rank 3: Qi Condensation Pills (Mid-Late Condensation)
Purpose: To compress gas-like Qi into a more liquid, "condensed" state.
Effect: Solidifies the foundation. Essential for reaching the peak of the Condensation Phase.
Rank 4: Gang-Transition Pills (The Bridge)
Purpose: To begin the "Hardening" process of the Qi.
Key Requirement: Elemental Essence to be infused during the moulding stage.
Visual: Usually has a metallic sheen.
Effect: Toughens the skin and prepares the meridians for the violent pressure of Gang Qi.
Rank 5: Gang Essence Pills (Needed to be called an Alchemist)
Purpose: To cleanse meridians and break through to the next stage.
Lian's Mastery: Lian must manage to create a Flawless Rank 5 to pass the trial.
Effect: Completely transforms the user's internal energy into Gang Essence. One Flawless pill can save a cultivator years of bitter training.
The Divine Tier: The Trial Prize
The Body Reconstruction Pill
Rank: Flawless supreme grade pill.
Description: A pill that doesn't just add Qi—it rewrites the Martial Roots/Talent of the user.
Legend: Ge Hong claimed it allows a breakthrough of two major realms without flaws; this makes it a miracle drug.
Visual: It is said to have pill veins.
A Note on "Pill Poison"
If someone keeps eating "Impure" pills, his/her meridians will eventually "calcify" or turn to stone, stopping their growth.