Chapter 5: Deer Antler Powder

"Deer blood, deer antler, deer penis, mica, red stone..."

Gao Xian placed the various processed herbs into the alchemical furnace one by one and started the fire to bake them.

The mouthless, tripod-shaped alchemical furnace could be divided into eight different areas through an internal wheel and manual partitions.

Some areas were used for baking, some for boiling, and some for extracting and refining the medicinal properties.

Below the alchemical furnace was a brick pedestal connected to an external chimney through a flue.

Alchemical refinement required a large amount of charcoal, and by using this simple pedestal in conjunction with the rotating furnace, the temperature could be controlled.

The alchemical furnace was engraved with a Yin-Yang Water-Fire Array, which could also be activated using spirit stones if necessary.

However, using the array was very costly and required a high level of skill from the alchemist.

The original owner was only at the first level of Qi Cultivation and found it very difficult to control the furnace array, so he mostly used charcoal for alchemical refinement.

Since he was only refining low-level elixirs, charcoal was sufficient.

Gao Xian had elevated the Deer Antler Powder to the Grandmaster level, mastering all the basic alchemical techniques.

He also gained all the alchemical memories of the original owner, which, when combined, transformed him from a novice to an expert alchemist.

Taking out the Wind and Moon Mirror, he found that the gray alchemy skill had returned to normal, and its proficiency had significantly increased, almost reaching the proficient level.

To test his skills, Gao Xian decided to try refining Deer Antler Powder.

This elixir was simple, using common herbs that he could find in his own herb storage.

After selecting the herbs, he started the furnace and lit the fire.

At this point, Gao Xian understood what slow fire and fast fire meant, and how to control the temperature and extract the medicinal properties.

These details and techniques could never be learned from books; only through hands-on practice could one grasp the nuances.

Alchemical refinement was a technical skill with hundreds of steps, and any mistake could reduce the efficacy of the elixir or even cause the refinement to fail.

Gao Xian was at the Grandmaster level for Deer Antler Powder, and few people in the world could surpass him in this specific elixir.

After half a day, the Deer Antler Powder was complete, filling the room with a medicinal aroma.

The Deer Antler Powder, as the name suggested, was a pile of powder, weighing over two pounds.

Seeing this pile of powder-like substance, Gao Xian was greatly excited and felt a sense of achievement.

It was like a master chef completing a signature dish. In fact, alchemical refinement was similar to cooking, involving the combination of various ingredients and their processing through boiling, steaming, and baking.

However, alchemical refinement was more precise and complex.

In more sophisticated terms, it involved recombining the materials to make the energy more orderly, a process of entropy reduction.

This successful alchemical refinement boosted Gao Xian's confidence and solved his biggest problem!

After being excited for a while, Gao Xian remembered that the task wasn't finished.

He took jade honey and pine wax to make the elixir coating and hand-rolled the powder into pills the size of peanuts.

The coating on the outside could preserve the medicinal properties and aroma, making it easier to store and improving the taste when consumed.

Rolling the pills was a simple task, and his electric dragon hand's speed was fully utilized.

In a short time, Gao Xian rolled over two hundred pills.

The Deer Antler Powder refined by a Grandmaster would certainly have remarkable effects.

However, Gao Xian had no accurate estimate of its efficacy, as he had never refined or consumed Deer Antler Powder before.

To test the effects, Gao Xian took one pill himself.

A warm energy rose from his dantian, quickly spreading throughout his body and finally reaching the top of his head.

This warm energy was strong but not fierce, yang but not dry.

It made him feel energized and clear-headed, without the agitation that usually comes with powerful medicines.

"Grandmaster-level elixirs are indeed powerful!" Gao Xian was quite satisfied.

Generally, magical artifacts, talismans, and spells are divided into nine ranks and thirty-six grades, while elixirs are divided into nine ranks but not grades, ranging from one to nine transformations.

For the same elixir, one transformation can barely activate its effects, while nine transformations can maximize its efficacy.

Deer Antler Powder is a non-graded yang-enhancing elixir and cannot be re-refined.

However, a Grandmaster-level Deer Antler Powder can maximize its efficacy and remove all the toxins.

To test the effects, Gao Xian reluctantly went to find Sister Lan.

Exiting the Wind and Moon Mirror, he found that his cultivation in the Great Puppet God Technique had increased by three points.

"With this divine elixir, I can easily surpass those blue little pills. If I could go back in time, I could immediately become a savior for middle-aged and elderly men!"

Gao Xian sighed, thinking that learning dragon-slaying skills without a dragon was a bit disappointing.

Fortunately, the Deer Antler Powder was effective, and he could use it to accelerate his cultivation of the Great Puppet God Technique.

Actually, there were plenty of middle-aged and elderly people in this world, even cultivators whose physical abilities were limited by natural laws.

Like Old Wang next door, who was weak and lacked vitality. He was the perfect customer!

Making money wasn't urgent; the priority was to refine a batch of elixirs.

Gao Xian took out the Wind and Moon Mirror and found that his alchemy skill had advanced to the proficient level.

Alchemy was the most difficult skill to upgrade, and the significant advancement surprised him.

The three elixirs the original owner knew how to refine also reached the proficient level.

The Grandmaster level was specific to Deer Antler Powder, but many alchemical techniques were universal.

Through this practical operation, Gao Xian integrated the original owner's alchemical techniques, significantly improving his alchemy skill. He was not far from the expert level.

Alchemy Skill Level 1 Proficient (27/4000)

Recovery Pill Proficient (155/200)

Essence-Strengthening Pill Proficient (161/200)

White Dew Pill Proficient (177/200)

Looking at the data in the Wind and Moon Mirror, Gao Xian was quite satisfied.

In just a few days, he had made significant progress. At this rate...

Gao Xian did a quick calculation, but it was too exaggerated to be taken seriously.

Taking advantage of his good state, Gao Xian cooked and ate a hearty meal.

The little black cat, attracted by the smell, appeared from somewhere and also ate until it was full.

After eating, the little black cat was clearly sleepy and lay down to nap.

Gao Xian petted it a few times, and the cat wagged its tail and then had no more reaction.

This made Gao Xian a bit envious. Eat, sleep, play, and repeat... the little cat's life was too comfortable.

Maybe he should feed it less often to let it know the hardships of life and the twists of fate.

Taking advantage of the abundant spiritual energy in his body, Gao Xian circulated the Five Elements Technique for thirty-six cycles, which took about half an hour.

Without an accurate timer, Gao Xian felt that the circulation of the Five Elements Technique was smoother.

This was mainly due to Sister Lan's assistance.

Taking out the Wind and Moon Mirror, he saw that the Five Elements Technique had steadily increased by one point, making him feel very pleased.

After adjusting his state, Gao Xian went to the neighboring pharmacy.

The small courtyard where he lived had three main rooms: one bedroom, half a living room, and half a kitchen. The remaining room was a storage for herbs.

The alchemy room was a small side room next to the main room, containing only an alchemical furnace.

The alchemical furnace was a first-level magical artifact and quite valuable. It was very heavy and fixed to the brick pedestal, making it difficult to move.

Moreover, there were few alchemists in Feima Market who could use the furnace. Even if someone stole it, it would be hard to sell.

On the other hand, the herbs were light and easy to take, so Gao Xian had to store them in the main room.

Checking the herbs, Gao Xian sighed. The original owner had used up all the herbs for the White Dew Pill.

Despite his significant improvement in alchemy, he couldn't make up for such a large deficit!

He could only refine a batch of elixirs to buy some time and find a way to replenish the herbs...

Selecting, steaming, drying, grinding, and mixing the herbs, he put them back into the furnace for refinement.

It took Gao Xian three days to refine a batch of Recovery Pills.

After manually rolling the pills, he obtained over two hundred.

After three days of hard work, Gao Xian decided to go out to adjust his state. He took two Deer Antler Powder pills and visited Old Wang next door.

Old Wang's home was even more shabby, with only two main rooms in the small courtyard. The walls were cracked, and the tiles were broken; it would definitely leak in a heavy rain.

The courtyard had a path made of a few blue stone slabs. There was a toilet in one corner without a door, looking very open.

Although Gao Xian didn't have a phobia, he didn't dare to look closely.

Old Wang was lying on the bed, dozing off. He yawned and said irritably, "What do you want, kid?"

Gao Xian encouraged himself: "It's not shameful to make a living. I'm not selling fake medicine..."

After adjusting his mindset, Gao Xian gave Old Wang a restrained smile: "Fellow Daoist, have you heard of Deer Antler Powder?"

Thank you to all the brothers and sisters for your support! (Bow)

(End of Chapter)