To set foot on the Dao of Alchemy, one must first grasp the most basic alchemical theories, as well as the various medicinal ingredients used in refining pills.
All of these things could be obtained with the Sect’s contribution points.
But Sect contributions were hard to come by. They could be used to exchange for Pills, cultivation methods, and Daoist texts; wasting them on this was truly a pity.
Fang Ping’s plan was to head to Luoyun Market, which the Luoyang Sect had opened halfway up a nearby mountain, and purchase them there.
Just as he was about to head down the mountain, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Who said that only the Dao of Alchemy within the Immortal Dao counted as alchemy?
The medical arts circulating in the mortal martial world of the State of Liang also contained theories related to alchemy. Although they could not compare to the Immortal Dao, they were more than enough to verify the uses of the Purple-Gold Treasure Cauldron.
Since he only needed some mortal medicinal ingredients, there was no need to run all the way to Luoyun Market.
At the foot of Tiandu Peak was Xunxian Town, where quite a few people specialized in selling various mundane goods, and even mortal servants and maids.
Even impoverished outer sect disciples could experience the wealth and luxury of mortal princes and nobles here, indulging in pleasure as they pleased.
Because of this, quite a few old-fashioned cultivators within the Sect frowned upon it, and there were frequent calls demanding that such services be banned.
But after several discussions, those demands ultimately failed to pass.
Rumor had it that the Sect’s upper echelons didn’t mind using such methods to test their disciples’ Dao Hearts.
Some disciples privately believed that it might be tied to the forces backing Xunxian Town.
After all, ordinary people had no right to secure a plot of land in Xunxian Town to run such a business.
Of course, the truth of this matter had nothing to do with Fang Ping, a mere second-layer Qi Condensation cultivator.
He circulated a lightness technique and sped down the mountain. Upon entering Xunxian Town, he found a shop offering one-way exchanges from Spirit Stones to mortal gold and silver. He traded one Spirit Stone for a massive amount of gold and then began purchasing in bulk.
The secret text of Medicine King Valley, a great martial arts sect in the State of Liang’s mortal world—the Heavenly Heart Pharmacopoeia?
Buy!
The Minor Restoration Pill formula from Vajra Temple, the sacred ground of the martial world?
Buy!
Ordinary century-old ginseng containing almost no Spiritual Qi, along with Tianshan Snow Lotus and Vermilion Fruit that could increase martial True Qi by decades?
Buy, buy, buy!
In the Immortal Dao, a single Spirit Stone might not count for much, but when converted into gold and silver, it became a shocking fortune.
It truly allowed Fang Ping to experience what it meant to spend money like dirt.
His guiding principle was simple: buy whatever caught his eye, and absolutely no haggling!
He finally understood why some outer sect disciples, despite sorely lacking cultivation resources, still saved the Spirit Stones distributed by the Sect just to seek pleasure in Xunxian Town.
This feeling of wealth was indeed quite addictive.
After spending more than half of his exchanged gold and silver in one breath and stuffing his Storage Bag completely full, Fang Ping was satisfied. He turned and returned to his courtyard on Tiandu Peak.
After a brief rest, Fang Ping took out the Heavenly Heart Pharmacopoeia and quickly flipped through it.
His most pressing matter was confirming the exact uses of the Purple-Gold Treasure Cauldron, not actually becoming a mortal miracle doctor.
Therefore, when studying this pharmacopoeia, he skipped everything regarding pharmacology and medicinal properties, focusing solely on sections related to specific alchemical techniques.
Even so, after a week had passed, the reading had left him dizzy, his head throbbing with a dull ache.
If someone who had gone through nine years of compulsory education and attended university felt this way, those low-level cultivators in this world who had rarely received any systematic education would likely suffer even worse headaches…
Most likely, before they even reached the step of firing up a cauldron to refine pills, they would be scared off by alchemical theories that read like heavenly scriptures.
Fortunately, after a period of intense cramming, he basically understood the pill-refining process.
Next came his first attempt.
Entering the side room he had cleared out in advance, Fang Ping took out the prepared medicinal ingredients from his Storage Bag and brought out the Purple-Gold Treasure Cauldron.
Upon infusing it with Spiritual Power, the Purple-Gold Treasure Cauldron rapidly expanded, transforming into a true alchemy cauldron.
Beyond that, there were no further anomalies.
Under his current perception, this treasure cauldron felt like nothing more than an ordinary Low Grade Magical Artifact.
If he hadn’t known its origins beforehand, realizing it was a treasure concealing its own radiance, he never could have imagined from its appearance alone that it was a supreme treasure capable of inciting several Nascent Soul cultivators to slaughter one another for it.
Steadying his mind, Fang Ping followed the refinement methods recorded in the Minor Restoration Pill formula, processing his large bulk of mortal medicinal ingredients in batches.
This process took him roughly one shichen.
“One liang of white poria, three qian of ginseng, eight slices of spiritual peony…”
He tossed the processed medicinal ingredients into the treasure cauldron in sequence. Next was adding water.
According to the requirements of the pill formula, the highest grade of Minor Restoration Pills used melted snow water from the Tianshan Mountains. The cold energy could neutralize the fiery properties and baleful aura infused during the pill refining process.
While enhancing the medicinal effects, it also allowed the Minor Restoration Pill to treat Qi Deviation in martial artists cultivating their internal qi.
Fang Ping didn’t have Tianshan snow water, but he had something better.
He had drawn some mountain spring water rich in Spiritual Qi from a deep pool in the rear mountains of Tiandu Peak, adding just enough to cover the medicinal ingredients by about a finger’s depth.
He circulated his Spiritual Power to help the ingredients inside mix more evenly.
“Light the fire, start the cauldron!”
Fang Ping circulated his Spiritual Power, using the most common minor five elements spell to continuously raise a spiritual flame beneath the Purple-Gold Treasure Cauldron. Thus began his porridge-boiling style of alchemy.
Generally speaking, unless one was a powerful high-level cultivator, flames manipulated by Spiritual Power were far inferior to the power of earth fire found in places of Scarlet Yang.
The five great immortal sects of the State of Liang all possessed similar earth vein flames.
The Luoyang Sect naturally had them too, but they could only be rented by the inner sect. An outer sect disciple like Fang Ping had no right to them!
Fortunately, the Minor Restoration Pill was a mortal Pill. Never mind spiritual fire generated by Spiritual Power—even using charcoal for fuel might just suffice!
Next was a test of patience.
As the heat continued, the medicinal liquid and ingredients within the treasure cauldron gradually began to roll and boil.
If Fang Ping had already reached Foundation Establishment, he could project his Divine Sense outward to directly inspect the situation inside the treasure cauldron, thereby grasping the pill refining process with greater precision.
But unfortunately, he was only an early-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.
He could only judge the specific conditions based on the movements inside the treasure cauldron, relying on intuition and a few methods mentioned in the Heavenly Heart Pharmacopoeia.
Soon, Fang Ping noticed the treasure cauldron’s first extraordinary trait.
Despite the medicinal liquid and ingredients boiling so vigorously, and despite the treasure cauldron having no lid, not the slightest trace of aura or medicinal power leaked out.
This treasure cauldron seemed to possess an invisible restriction that sealed the medicinal liquid and the medicinal power—which normally dissipated during refinement—firmly inside.
“It truly has its profundities!”
Fang Ping’s spirits lifted; he felt he might have found the right path.
After simmering for roughly one quarter of an hour.
He slightly reduced the flame and observed the situation inside the cauldron.
In a hurried glance, Fang Ping noticed that the medicinal ingredients inside the treasure cauldron hadn’t mostly dissolved into the liquid as the Minor Restoration Pill formula described. Instead, a large amount of medicinal residue remained.
This sight made Fang Ping’s heart sink slightly.
Although the process was only halfway complete, Fang Ping knew that the result of his first attempt was already a failure.
After a moment of thought, harboring the idea of accumulating experience, he chose to continue the refining process anyway.
As the spiritual fire burned, the treasure cauldron emitted a faint trembling sound. It lasted for a full dozen seconds before gradually subsiding.