Chapter 71

(Listen, this chapter was difficult to write and took some time, there are still two more updates, please collect and recommend.)

"Hmph, it's only because I entered the Earth Fire Division that I have such good treatment. But I'll move in soon," Gu Han said with a sneer, seeing his sighs.

Chu He now lived in a one-bedroom apartment in a not-so-small hexagonal courtyard, where the other five rooms were also occupied by Earth Fire Division disciples.

The sub-sect had many such hexagonal courtyards, all provided for instructors, Earth Fire Division disciples, and some qualified individuals.

This area, known as the inner garden of the sub-sect, was built in a place with the densest spiritual energy within a few miles. Each hexagonal courtyard was equipped with a spirit-gathering array, the quality of which depended on the owner's status and contributions in the sub-sect.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside.

Chu He and the other person had sneaked back, and the soundproofing array in the room had not been activated, so the voices from outside could be heard.

"I heard that a remarkable person has come to the sub-sect. For this person, Instructor Bai even competed with the Wenzhi of the Treasure Symbol Pavilion."

"Oh, every year, there are remarkable young talents who come, but in the end, they all become mere laborers. Look, you were also remarkable back then, one of the top ten new disciples, and now you're still refining Upper-grade Qi-Enhancing Pills every day."

"Don't bring up what I can't handle. The difficulty of alchemy is known to both of us; it can't be achieved overnight. According to Instructor Bai, this person defeated Zhang Long'ao on the Vengeful Platform."

"Huh? Zhang Long'ao, one of the most talented among the younger generation, with an Upper-grade Spirit Body?"

"I have the mirage of that battle. Do you want to see it? The guy's use of talismans is incredibly skillful and powerful."

"Let's go!"

"Quickly! I really want to see what kind of miserable end Zhang will have. Last time he came to the Earth Fire Division, he was so arrogant. I've been annoyed with him for a long time."

...

"Is alchemy really that hard and bitter?" Chu He pinched his nose and asked. With his previous life's experience as an alchemist in a game, he felt...

"Rubbish, if it were easy, I wouldn't have to endure it in the Dharma Cauldron Division. You know, I practice a True Realm-level technique." Gu Han's face fell again when he said this.

...

After sending Gu Han away, Chu He activated the array in the room and entered a state of cultivation.

Since the Water-Fire Spirit Body was refined, his cultivation efficiency had increased significantly, but the speed had actually slowed down. The reason was simple: before, he only cultivated Water Spirit Essence, but now he added Fire Spirit Essence, and to make both progress equally, he had to spend a lot more effort.

Chu He was very calm about this. Regardless of the progress, he could already fight two minor ranks above his own, so it didn't matter if it was a bit slower.

When he stopped cultivating and looked at the spirit clock on the wall, it was already Shen hour, about time for a meal, but Chu He wasn't very interested and didn't bother to go out.

He needed to familiarize himself with alchemy as soon as possible to avoid making a mess and embarrassing himself when he went to the Earth Fire Division tomorrow.

In the hall, Chu He took out the mystic iron cauldron and the prepared materials from his storage ring.

This mystic iron cauldron was somewhat peculiar. Although it only had two talisman arrays imprinted in it, which did not meet the requirement of three to four arrays for a mid-grade magical tool, it was still considered mid-grade because those two arrays were mid-grade.

This setup had a reason: controlling three to four arrays required strict cultivation and spiritual awareness, but with two mid-grade arrays, even if they couldn't fully utilize the arrays' power, they were still usable, and the burden on spiritual awareness was much lighter.

This cauldron was carefully crafted by elders for disciples whose cultivation had not reached the eighth level of the Qi Condensation Realm. It was likely prepared by Gu Han's instructor when he was at the seventh level of the Qi Condensation Realm.

His instructor never expected that this cauldron would end up in Chu He's hands.

"Kid." Thinking about this, Chu He couldn't help but feel moved. During the days he spent refining the Fu Yang Soup to temper his body, it was really hard for him. He wondered if his instructor had punished him for changing the cauldron. Considering that he practiced the exquisite technique of the One Yang True Technique but had not yet entered the Earth Fire Division, it seemed that he had been delayed during the time Chu He was in his care.

Previously, he was too busy to notice these details, but now that he had some free time, they were clear. For this kindness, Chu He could only silently say "Thank you" in his heart.

This time, Chu He used the refinement of Qi-Enhancing Pills to practice.

Qi-Enhancing Pills are ninth-grade pills, useful only for cultivators below the Innate Realm, and almost ineffective for those who have entered the Innate Realm.

Due to the low grade of the pill, the required herbs are also low-grade and can be collected and purchased by low-level cultivators: Green Spirit Grass, Fire Vine, and Yang-Enhancing Tree Leaves.

The formula is simple but profound. The methods for refining mid-grade and low-grade Qi-Enhancing Pills are the same, but the quality depends on the alchemist's skill.

The profit from refining mid-grade and low-grade Qi-Enhancing Pills is no longer appealing to Chu He, who has a full purse. The same effort could yield more from growing Green Spirit Grass.

Only the Upper-grade Qi-Enhancing Pills could be profitable.

To refine Upper-grade Qi-Enhancing Pills, there are some subtleties. Many cultivators, despite having everything ready, find it difficult to refine Upper-grade Qi-Enhancing Pills. Some details are crucial and are usually kept secret by the sect, not easily revealed.

The general steps for refining pills, aside from some special requirements, are roughly as follows:

1. Dissolution: Use the furnace fire to turn the herbs into a liquid.

2. Purification: Remove impurities.

3. Ascension: Extract the essence from the purified liquid.

4. Combination: Condense the essence, making it tightly and evenly integrated into a pill.

These four steps, for different grades of pills, have countless and vastly different details.

In the refinement of high-grade pills, the purification and ascension steps can be repeated if the furnace is advanced enough and the cultivator's level allows it. Each cycle is called a "turn." Pills named after the number of turns, such as "Three-Turn Pills," are usually treasure pills or spirit pills. The higher the grade of the pill, the more difficult it is to repeat the purification and ascension steps.

Qi-Enhancing Pills are low-grade pills. As long as these four steps are carefully completed, the quality is left to fate. Even if you repeat the steps several times, the quality of the pill won't improve significantly, purely wasting effort.

Chu He activated the fire inside the mystic iron cauldron and gradually added the materials.

The Green Spirit Grass, due to its versatile properties, was added first.

These materials were relatively low-grade, and with a bit of effort from Chu He, they quickly turned into a liquid.

This process felt very smooth to Chu He, and he didn't feel anything was wrong. Experience is indeed the most important.

The purification and ascension stages are very challenging for alchemists.

After all, using the furnace fire like peeling a cocoon and extracting silk, and completing hundreds of cycles without damaging the liquid, requires high levels of spirit essence and spiritual awareness. This is why the requirement for alchemy apprentices is a Fire Spirit Body, although other types of spirit essence can also be converted to drive the alchemy furnace.

Especially during the purification stage, a single mistake can destroy all the pills in the furnace.