A small courtyard in Guobei County.
Liang Xiaoshan strode over almost at breakneck speed and pushed open the door to enter.
In the courtyard stood an old locust tree, which sheltered the entire courtyard like an umbrella.
A burly man lay half-reclined under the old locust tree; even his colorful brocade robe could not conceal his muscular and imposing body.
His short beard on his chin resembled a steel needle, and the wrinkles on his forehead faintly outlined the character "王" (king).
"Master Han, the talisman is indeed reacting."
Liang Xiaoshan pushed open the door, panting, and entered. "Bai Cang of the Sanyin Temple, it really is the person you were looking for."
Upon hearing this, the burly man suddenly sat up, his posture like a dragon coiled and a tiger crouching, exuding a terrifying aura.
"Good heavens! He's already reached the Qi Refining stage in less than a month?"
The burly man's eyes gleamed. "What a promising talent! I never imagined that a dragon could actually be raised in the shallow ponds of Guobei County."
Liang Xiaoshan respectfully took out a talisman and a porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed them over. "Master Han, I've done everything you asked me to do. Please take a look..."
The burly man casually took it, saying, "This matter is not urgent. Just tell me about the scene of your meeting, one by one, and don't miss any details."
After saying that, the burly man opened the porcelain bottle and took a look. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Good heavens, the Lesser Heavenly Qi Absorption Pill Method. I didn't expect this little guy to be a genius alchemist."
"You're quite lucky, kid. You actually got the alchemist to personally refine a mortal pill for you."
…………
at the same time.
Within the Sanyin Temple, in the medicine hall and alchemy room.
Bai Cang was unaware that he was being targeted, and that even his greatest secret about advancing to the "Qi Refining Immortal Master" had been discovered.
At this moment, he was sitting upright in front of the small alchemy cauldron, pondering his "improved" alchemy formula.
It's called an improvement, but it's actually a complete and thorough "re-engineering".
It's not that it's very different from the genuine "Da Pei Yuan Dan," but rather that it's completely unrelated.
Around him were piles of all kinds of medicinal herbs.
Although they're not worth much money, their main selling point is that they're plentiful and filling.
There are ten catties of cinnabar, ten catties of magnetite, ten catties of dragon bone, ten catties of amber, etc., all of which are medicines for calming the mind.
Other heart-nourishing and calming herbs, such as jujube seed, cypress seed, polygala root, albizia bark, and polygonum multiflorum stem, were packed in burlap sacks.
"Theoretically speaking, the principle of 'like cures like' and 'you are what you eat' should be correct."
Bai Cang thought to himself, "With the blessing of Yin Youyi, I am not lacking in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; what I lack are the two medicines of essence and spirit."
"Therefore, administering strong doses of calming and nourishing herbs is, in theory, the right treatment."
"Forget about the formula, the ratio, the principal, assistant, and adjuvant herbs, they're all irrelevant. Just take as much as you can, and that's it."
As for why they didn't eat the medicinal herbs raw, but instead went through the trouble of refining them into elixirs.
Of course, his stomach capacity is limited, and even gnawing until his teeth ache wouldn't satisfy his needs.
"Damn it! Let's go all out and get out of here. What am I afraid of if I have a cheat code?"
After much deliberation, Bai Cang finally decided to... just go for it.
"Splash!"
He shoveled down the pile of animal bones, including snake bones, tiger bones, deer bones, and cow bones, as well as medicinal whips such as tiger penis, cow penis, deer penis, and dog penis, which were said to be highly tonifying tonics. The ground was covered with these materials.
"Incantation to draw in the medicine, begin!"
With a soft shout, Bai Cang made a hand seal and chanted an incantation, and invisible ripples swept across the scene.
With a loud "bang," the medicinal herbs on the ground turned into powder, and the medicinal properties, like smoke, gathered towards the small cauldron.
"Again!"
"Using purple ginseng as a base, its medicinal properties are refined to aid my cultivation!"
Bai Cang added the purple ginseng, and with a "fire control incantation," a blazing flame immediately rose from beneath the cauldron.
While using the "fire control spell" to regulate the temperature inside the cauldron and promote the fusion of medicinal properties, he also used the "qi observation method" to sense the situation inside the cauldron, adjusting the temperature as needed and monitoring the progress of the fusion of medicinal properties.
In less than half an hour, his magical power was completely exhausted.
"Alchemy is hard work!" Bai Cang thought to himself, feeling deeply moved.
The fire control spell consumed far more magical power than Bai Cang had anticipated.
The method of observing qi is even more mentally and physically demanding, and it is extremely draining on the spirit.
Moreover, alchemy requires not only the activation of incantations, but also the constant adjustment of subtle medicinal proportions and attention to the timing and order of medicinal fusion, resulting in an appalling level of mental exertion.
"No wonder many alchemists train fire-tending boys to do everything themselves; it's simply inhuman work."
This was Bai Cang's "self-composed elixir formula," which didn't have many rules. It could be said to imitate the Northeastern cuisine, mainly featuring "mixed stews." And his "Minor Heavens Qi-Gathering Elixir Method" had already reached a state of "perfection."
If it were any other newly appointed alchemist wanting to refine a true elixir...
The difficulty level was practically hellish, and the success rate was incredibly low.
It's estimated that without burning through resources that an ordinary "Qi Refining Immortal Master" could hardly imagine in several lifetimes, it would be impossible to refine even a single genuine elixir.
After all, any genuine elixir can only be made by using medicinal herbs as the main ingredient.
Even the lowest grade of spiritual medicine would probably cost a thousand taels of gold to buy, and there might not even be any available at that price.
After calculating it this way, Bai Cang suddenly felt that the offerings for promotion to a higher rank didn't seem so expensive after all.
You could even call it a great deal!
It's just ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand taels of pure gold, a hundred bushels of pearls, ten pieces of spirit jade, and a single spirit fire.
How worthwhile is it to exchange a mere external possession for a brand new "golden finger"?
Just as he was thinking this, the medicinal properties within the cauldron had already fully fused together.
"Condensing Elixir Incantation, activate!"
Bai Cang made hand seals and chanted incantations, trying to muster up a burst of magical power, but there was no reaction in the cauldron.
"Ah, as expected of the most noble alchemy technique among the four methods of alchemy, the condensing pill incantation. I guess only a true elixir can make it 'show mercy'."
Bai Cang sighed, not finding it surprising.
Among the four methods of Daoist alchemy, the most "laborious" is the fire control incantation.
Many low-level cultivators specialize in practicing this method, then apply to be "fire-tending boys" to learn the art, hoping to embark on the irreversible path of becoming an alchemist.
At the very least, mastering fire control spells can lead to becoming a spirit chef, which is a decent "career path."
Some spiritual chefs even earn just as much as alchemists, and the difficulty of "changing jobs" is lower, while the "employment" prospects are broader.
Secondly, there is the "Medicine Absorption Incantation," which refers to aspiring alchemists like Sun Hongbo who use the Medicine Absorption Incantation to absorb the medicinal properties and refine ordinary elixirs.
Among them are even "Qi-cultivating immortal masters," mostly prevalent among pharmacists who are unwilling to be mediocre but are short of money.
The Qi Observation Method is most practiced by those "martial arts" combat cultivators who "cultivate but take from the sword," and their "employment" options include, but are not limited to, "gambling battles" and "tribulation cultivation," which are professions with no promising future.
The most difficult and noble method to master is the "Condensing Elixir Method," which cannot be mastered by non-formal alchemists.
Thinking this, Bai Cang lifted the lid of the cauldron and saw a lump of indigo-blue paste inside.
"Damn it! Won't I get poisoned if I eat this?"
Bai Cang's eyes twitched and his lips twitched. "What? I have a cheat code? Then it's alright!"
Lost in thought, Bai Cang quickly scooped it up, soaked it in honey, poured it into a mold, and vigorously kneaded it while it was still hot.
Before long, the thirty-nine indigo-blue "elixirs" had finally taken shape.
"He first studied literature, but failed the imperial examinations for three years. Then he tried martial arts, but his arrows wouldn't hit the target. So he studied medicine, wrote a remedy for himself, took it, and died. The King of Hell said: 'Go back to Gotham. Batman promised he'd never hit you again...'"
Bai Cang chuckled self-deprecatingly, picked up a pill, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.
The next second, his eyes lit up!
[Requesting a free gift, thanks to the "time-killing" expert]
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