The side room of the small courtyard had usually been used to store miscellaneous items. Now Zhou Kai had cleaned it out and turned it into a place for refining pills.
With a thought, an ancient, simple alchemy furnace about 0.33 meters tall appeared in the room.
There were several obvious dents along its edges, and one area was slightly caved in. It was clear that it had endured many trials.
This was a trophy he had seized years ago when he was a rogue cultivator, taken from some unfortunate soul.
Its grade was not high, but it was more than sufficient for refining 1st Grade pills.
The medicinal herbs given by Chen Heming were neatly arranged to the side. Their age was not great, and the spiritual energy within them was only average. Fortunately, there was plenty of it, making them perfect for practice.
Zhou Kai sat cross-legged, not rushing to begin.
He went over the upper half of the Azure Spirit Minor Alchemy in his mind once more. The foundational medicinal theories, fire control, alchemical hand seals… when compared with the understanding granted by the system’s [Hundred Arts of Cultivation: Alchemy (1st Grade 25/100)], the words on the jade slip seemed to come alive.
Many previously obscure and ambiguous passages instantly became clear.
“The jade slip only provides the basics. The core purification and pill-condensing techniques are severely lacking. No wonder the Chen family cannot cultivate any decent alchemists.”
A wisp of spiritual energy emerged from his fingertip and flowed into the base of the furnace.
The furnace trembled lightly as its walls gradually warmed.
With focused eyes, Zhou Kai placed the first batch of herbs into the furnace according to the sequence and timing he had deduced.
Under the high heat, the scents of various herbs rose and mixed, filling the small side room.
The jade slip’s description of fire control merely stated “alternate between gentle and fierce flames,” offering little detail.
But in Zhou Kai’s mind, he clearly knew when to increase spiritual energy to intensify the flames and when to reduce it to maintain a nurturing warmth. Even the subtle temperature differences within different regions of the furnace were keenly sensed and adjusted under the system’s guidance.
One hour later.
Sweat seeped from Zhou Kai’s temples and slid down his cheeks.
Refining pills tested not only technique but also spiritual energy and mental focus.
With his cultivation at the 4th stage Qi Refining Realm and his damaged dantian causing poor energy circulation, sustaining the process was strenuous.
Yet his eyes shone brightly, his spirit excited.
“Condense!”
Zhou Kai gave a low shout as his hand seals suddenly changed and his spiritual energy output surged.
Inside the furnace, the liquid spun rapidly and contracted, eventually separating into round pill embryos.
Moments later, the furnace fire gradually died down.
Zhou Kai eagerly struck the furnace.
Clang!
The lid flew open, and a rich medicinal fragrance rushed toward him.
At the bottom lay a thumb-sized, pale green pill. Its surface was smooth, and it emitted faint waves of spiritual energy.
“The third batch succeeded again. But why is there only one?”
The moment the lid opened, Zhou Kai’s eyes lit up.
There was only one pill at the bottom, but unlike the previous Low-Grade ones, this pill was a deeper green. A faint shimmer seemed to flow across its surface, and the spiritual fluctuations it emitted were noticeably stronger.
On his first attempt, one set of materials produced two pills.
On the second attempt, three pills.
On the third attempt, only one pill—but it was a Mid-Grade Qi Gathering Pill.
He opened the panel.
[Hundred Arts of Cultivation: Alchemy (1st Grade 25/100)]
“According to the Azure Spirit Minor Alchemy, one batch of materials should theoretically yield ten pills. That means my success rate is just over twenty percent. The system truly calculates strictly by proportion.”
“Though Qi Gathering Pills can speed up spiritual energy accumulation, they are of little help to my ‘poor energy circulation’ condition. It is more cost-effective to exchange these pills for spirit stones.”
“This Mid-Grade Qi Gathering Pill, if sold at the Hidden Beast Mountain marketplace, should fetch around ten spirit stones. That is equivalent to a month of hard work for cultivators in the early Qi Refining Realm.”
As the name suggested, the Qi Gathering Pill helped Qi Refining cultivators gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, accelerating their cultivation speed.
A single Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pill was enough for an early Qi Refining cultivator to refine over three days, increasing spiritual energy slightly.
It did not seem like much, but for cultivators with average spiritual roots, it was many times faster than relying solely on breathing exercises.
In the cultivation world, resources were scarce, and spirit stones were hard to earn.
Even in the Celestial Spring Sect, an ordinary early Qi Refining cultivator might earn just over one hundred spirit stones after a year of hard work.
Yet a single Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pill cost five spirit stones.
One hundred spirit stones could buy twenty pills, enough for only sixty days of cultivation.
Most rogue cultivators or disciples of small families could only rely on thin ambient spiritual energy, accumulating power painfully slowly, with breakthroughs far out of reach.
Zhou Kai sighed at the difficulty of cultivation. And this was only the early Qi Refining Realm. The further one advanced, the greater the need for pills, magical artifacts, and techniques, and the consumption of spirit stones would become astronomical.
“The Hidden Beast Mountain marketplace is controlled by the Wang family, guarded by three Foundation Establishment Realm ancestors. Safety should not be an issue. I will sell the pills there and buy some talismans for combat. Tomorrow, I will head up the mountain to hunt demonic beasts.”
A gentle voice came from outside the door. “Lord, are you alright? It has been quiet inside. I was a little worried.”
Zhou Kai put away the pill and opened the door.
Chen Ziyi stood there gracefully. She had changed into a new light pink dress, making her skin appear even fairer. Her hair had been carefully styled and adorned with a simple pearl hairpin. Clearly, during the one hour Zhou Kai had been refining pills, she had gone out and even dressed up specially.
“Silly girl, what could possibly happen?” Zhou Kai said with a smile, rubbing her hair as he stepped aside to let her in. “Look, your man is now a genuine 1st Grade Alchemist!”
He held the Mid-Grade Qi Gathering Pill before her.
“Wow! It is such a beautiful pill!” Chen Ziyi did not understand pill grades, but she could sense its extraordinary nature. Her eyes sparkled. “Lord, you are amazing! You succeeded on your very first day!”
“Of course.” Zhou Kai put the pill away and glanced at her new dress, his thoughts stirring.
Seeing Chen Ziyi’s admiring gaze filled him with pride. Then a thought crossed his mind. My Alchemy has just begun, but the proficiency at 1st Grade 25/100 is still too low. If I want to improve quickly, I must rely on the system. I need exchange points.
A mischievous smile curved his lips as he took Chen Ziyi’s hand and led her to the center of the room.
“Ziyi, you see, I have just become an alchemist. Many techniques are still unfamiliar to me, and I need more practice,” Zhou Kai said solemnly.
Chen Ziyi nodded obediently. “Yes, Lord should practice more. In the future, you will refine even more powerful pills.”
“Exactly. But,” Zhou Kai changed his tone, leaning close to her ear and lowering his voice, “have you noticed that those great alchemy Lords always have beautiful apprentices by their side, handing them herbs, fanning the fire, helping control the heat?”
Chen Ziyi blinked, somewhat confused, but replied, “It seems so. I have heard of such things.”
“So,” Zhou Kai wrapped an arm around her slender waist, feeling her body tremble slightly, and whispered near her ear, “in order for me to improve faster and become a more powerful alchemist, for the sake of our better future… shall we play a game?”
“A game?” Chen Ziyi’s pretty face turned red as she felt his wandering hands, her voice trembling slightly.
“Mhm.” Zhou Kai kissed her smooth cheek. “Let us play the game of the alchemist and his little apprentice. You will be my little apprentice, and I will teach you the profound mysteries of alchemy. How about that?”
“Ah?!” Chen Ziyi exclaimed softly, her cheeks instantly flushed crimson as she lowered her head shyly. “It is still daytime…”
“What is wrong with daytime? Only through diligent study and practice can one attain the Great Dao sooner. Little apprentice, your Lord will now guide you to comprehend the supreme alchemical path of Yin and Yang harmonizing, water and milk blending as one.”
“Ah…”
The door was gently closed. Faint gasps and soft protests could be heard, soon replaced by more intimate sounds.
…
One hour later.
The clouds dispersed and the rain ceased.
[Available Exchange Interaction Points: 14]
That round of “instruction” had yielded fourteen exchange points.
“This system is truly simple and direct. It suits me perfectly,” Zhou Kai chuckled.
Without hesitation, he added all fourteen exchange points to his Alchemy skill.
[Hundred Arts of Cultivation: Alchemy (1st Grade 39/100)]