60: [Alchemy Room]

[Spirit Field: Level 3]

[Level 4 Effect: Ten random spirit plants gain +2 years of growth age daily; low probability (<5%) of beneficial mutation; growth speed +200%]

[Upgrade Requirements: Mid-Grade Spirit Stone * 8, successfully Cultivate 5 Grade 2 High Grade spirit plants]

Lu Xian looked at the Level 4 effects.

There were no new traits, but he wasn't disappointed.

After all, the upgrade requirements weren't harsh.

Aside from Spirit Stones, he only needed to Cultivate five Grade 2 spirit plants; compared to the unheard-of rare Materials he had expected, it could be said to be very simple.

Somewhat surprisingly, the mutation rate of the spirit plants had "significantly" increased from 2% to 5%.

"Not bad."

Lu Xian commented.

After a moment of contemplation, he took a small tree out of his Storage Pouch.

It was exactly that black bone tree.

The tree was only ten feet tall, its root system completely destroyed and its leaves withered; it showed no signs of life, let alone fruit.

Lu Xian directed Tian Er to dig a shallow pit in a corner of the [Spirit Field] and plant the black bone tree inside.

Then, he cast the Minor Cloud and Rain Art three times in a row, thoroughly soaking the soil.

"Whether you'll experience a spring of dead wood or complete annihilation depends on your luck."

The description of the [Resurrection] trait only mentioned a probability of returning to life, without specifying a numerical value.

But Lu Xian felt that with his luck, it wouldn't be a big problem.

The rest was just a matter of time.

After dealing with the Spirit Field, Lu Xian released the Thunder Cloud Tiger Cub and locked it up separately.

To upgrade the [livestock pen] to Level 2, he still needed 10 catties of wood essence soil.

wood essence soil itself wasn't rare; it was just that the production process was time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring a Spirit Plant Master to use special techniques to continuously infuse pure wood-attribute mana into spirit soil for half a year.

A few months ago, Lu Xian had already asked Du Huaigu to find a Spirit Plant Master and directly ordered thirty catties.

He estimated it would be delivered in another month.

At that time, the [livestock pen] could be upgraded.

With the trifles handled, it was time to focus on business.

Lu Xian hadn't forgotten another important purpose of upgrading the Spirit Field.

Alchemy!

The Medicinal Pills he had accumulated previously were exhausted; to maintain or even increase his cultivation speed, refining pills himself was the only way.

He turned and went to the fourth floor of the pavilion.

[Ding! Do you wish to designate the building: Pill Refining Room?]

"Yes!"

In the next moment, a new entry appeared on the panel.

[Pill Refining Room: Level 0]

[Level 1 Effect: Success rate of refining Grade 1 Medicinal Pills +30%; each pill has a 20% probability of increasing by one sub-grade upon completion.]

[Upgrade Requirements: Low-Grade Spirit Stone * 40, 1 copy of "elementary introduction to the way of alchemy"]

After browsing, Lu Xian didn't hesitate and immediately took out the transcribed copy of "elementary introduction to the way of alchemy".

The disappearance of the Materials signified that the upgrade was complete.

[Pill Refining Room: Level 1]

[Level 2 Effect: Success rate of refining Grade 1 Medicinal Pills +40%, Grade 2 Medicinal Pills +20%; each pill has a 30% probability of increasing by one sub-grade upon completion.]

[Spirit Void Earth Fire: The Pill Refining Room space automatically generates pure Earth Fire power to assist in refining, significantly reducing the consumption of Pill Fire.]

[Upgrade Requirements: Low-Grade Spirit Stone * 500, Red Flame Crystal * 3]

"The Earth Fire trait is quite practical. Red Flame Crystals are relatively rare, so I'll have to keep an eye out... but for now, I'm still missing a Pill Furnace."

Lu Xian felt that the stats of the Pill Refining Room were excellent and could bring his Alchemy talent to its full potential.

Next, he went out again.

He spent 1,000 Spirit Stones at the Ruyi Pavilion to purchase a High Grade Pill Furnace of decent quality for practice.

He also purchased raw Materials for several types of basic Medicinal Pills.

During this emergence from seclusion, including purchasing various Materials and completing upgrades, he had consumed a total of 6,560 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

"There are over five thousand left. Money really does flow like water, but it's earned quickly too."

Lu Xian didn't feel any heartache at all.

Ever since the output of the Three Wealth-Generating Treasures was sold off, Spirit Stones were no longer the biggest problem for him.

He didn't need to be as stingy as before.

But he didn't waste money recklessly either; in the future, when Grade 2 Materials were involved, the costs would only be even greater.

Inside the [Pill Refining Room].

Lu Xian sat cross-legged, holding his breath and concentrating.

Taking a small sip of soul settling tea, he began to contemplate the contents of the "elementary introduction to the way of alchemy".

"The Dao of Alchemy steals Yin and Yang, seizes creation, reverses life and death, and turns Reincarnation. A pill is not a pill of metal and stone, but the fruit of the mutual cultivation of spiritual Materials. The Dao is not a Dao of words, but the resonance of heaven and earth. Beginners should clarify their hearts and see their nature, maintaining stillness and emptiness, before they can glimpse this path."

"First: Material Preparation and Essence Tempering. Collect Immortal Plants and spiritual ores, removing the dross and retaining the essence. If the Materials are poor, the pill will not form; if the essence is impure, the effect will not be manifest. Therefore, one must cleanse them with True Essence to extract their essence; this is the pill's foundation."

"Second: True Fire Furnace Ignition. Select a spiritual cauldron, ignite the True Fire..."

"..."

Compared to the abstract and mysterious explanations in the "Elementary Introduction to the Way of Formations", the Alchemy scriptures seemed much more straightforward, filled with practical knowledge.

Alchemy is divided into five major steps: Material Preparation and Essence Tempering, True Fire Furnace Ignition, Medicinal Fusion and Liquefaction, Pill Condensation and Shaping, and Pill Collection and Tempering.

It also recorded a basic Pill Fire control mantra and several introductory Pill Formulas:

Fasting Pill, Qi Recovery Pill, Heart Clearing Pill.

Lu Xian read it through several times and found nothing difficult to understand.

Alchemy is ultimately a craft that emphasizes practice; true knowledge comes from actual operation.

"Let's do it!"

He chose the Qi Recovery Pill for his first attempt.

This pill can speed up the recovery of depleted mana, providing some help during battle.

As for the Fasting Pill and Heart Clearing Pill, they weren't very useful at the moment.

The Qi Recovery Pill formula was very simple: one ten-year-old Dew Condensing Grass, half a mace of Moon-Patterned Shell powder, and one tael of Rootless Water.

The key lay in the precise control of the heat, and Lu Xian, who possessed Divine Sense comparable to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, naturally had no worries about this.

He circulated his mana according to the Pill Fire mantra, and within moments, a cluster of pure blue Pill Fire leaped in his palm; with a slight thought, the intensity of the fire could change at will.

"Go!"

Lu Xian flicked his finger, and the Pill Fire flew accurately to the bottom of the furnace, beginning to preheat it evenly.

His expression was focused as he processed the medicinal Materials in sequence according to the Pill Formula.

A wisp of mana lingered around his fingertips as he brushed over the Dew Condensing Grass, forcing out the Impurities and excess moisture... When the Pill Furnace emitted a slight hum and the furnace walls became scorching hot, Lu Xian knew the time had come.

His expression turned solemn as he threw the processed Dew Condensing Grass into the furnace.

Almost instantly, the Dew Condensing Grass melted under the high temperature, turning into a pool of emerald green medicinal liquid that emitted a refreshing herbal fragrance.

Immediately after, the Moon-Patterned Shell powder was sprinkled in like bits of stardust, merging into the medicinal liquid amidst flashes of silver light.

Finally, one tael of Rootless Water was poured in, serving as a perfect solvent to thoroughly activate and harmonize the medicinal properties of the two... about an hour later.

The medicinal fragrance inside the furnace became increasingly rich; Lu Xian's Divine Sense perceived that the medicinal liquid had perfectly fused, so he immediately began the most critical step—Pill Condensation!

He suddenly withdrew the fire, and the temperature of the Pill Fire dropped sharply.

The mass of medicinal liquid contracted, and then, under the guidance of his Divine Sense, it was precisely divided into five equal-sized droplets, which slowly rotated and solidified into shape under the residual heat.

Before long, after several crisp "clink" sounds, five rounded Medicinal Pills fell to the bottom of the furnace.

And at the very moment the pills were formed, one of them seemed to be blessed by some mysterious force; its entire body vibrated slightly, and a flash of light appeared on its originally light-green surface—its medicinal power had actually increased by a notch out of thin air!

Lu Xian extinguished the Pill Fire and beckoned with his hand.

All five Medicinal Pills flew into his palm.

Four were light green, which were Low Grade Qi Recovery Pills.

The fifth one, however, was a shade deeper in color, and its medicinal fragrance was also more mellow; it was impressively a Medium Grade Qi Recovery Pill!

"It actually directly increased the grade..."

A flash of surprise and joy crossed Lu Xian's eyes as he once again felt satisfied with the effects of the [Pill Refining Room].

Doesn't this mean that if he uses High Grade medicinal Materials to refine in the future, there's a chance he could directly obtain Top Grade Medicinal Pills?