The Mountain Guarding Disciple's eyes lit up at the sight, and he patted Wang Mu's shoulder, saying heartily, "Junior Brother, you're too polite. Go on, go on! The Fire Palace is along the main road. Pass the first side road, and it's the first grand hall on your left."

"Come hang out at Dan Sword Peak more often when you're free!"

These medicinal grasses from the Divine Wood Forest weren't particularly precious to the disciples of Dan Sword Peak. However, when making new acquaintances, it wasn't good to give something too valuable right away if you didn't know each other well. To befriend fellow Cultivators, casual chats and small gifts were perfectly suitable.

Wang Mu wondered, if he kept befriending others like this, would the entire sect be filled with good fellow Cultivators bonded by sworn brotherhood in a few years?

He made his way to the Li Huo Palace. This palace was even more grandiose than the Bailian Pavilion. Though it appeared to have only one story from the outside, the interior was immensely spacious, with levels descending downwards. This was probably due to the Earth fire.

The spiral-shaped interior housed numerous pill furnaces of various unique designs and sizes, presumably for refining different grades of elixirs.

Currently, in a dilapidated corner of the hall, a man was diligently cleaning the ruined floor and walls, along with pieces of debris. It was Luo Qifang. He was cleaning very meticulously, sparing no effort.

When a pill furnace exploded, the most troublesome part was cleaning the unformed Elixir Liquid. These liquids, concoctions of various medicinal materials, were like different chemical elements, each possessing complex energies and characteristics. Once an explosion occurred, cleaning them up was often very troublesome.

At this moment, Luo Qifang conjured a fierce fire in his hand, directing it to burn a tar-like black mass on the floor, attempting to slowly melt it.

He was so focused that he didn't turn around even when Wang Mu approached.

Wang Mu thought that for someone with Luo Qifang's level of focus and talent, it was truly remarkable he'd managed to create such a disaster.

After a while, the black mass gradually melted. Luo Qifang quickly waved his hand, surprisingly manipulating a nearby cloth to swiftly wipe the black mass clean.

Seeing this, Wang Mu was slightly taken aback. Object Manipulation from a distance requires the auxiliary cultivation method, the Mingxin Sword Refining Skill, and the cultivation of Divine Sense. The Sword Control Technique can typically be practiced starting from the Third Layer. Cultivating it to the First or Second Layer allows one to channel Spiritual Power and remotely control simple objects.

It had only been three months since they joined the Sect. Many disciples had barely reached the first or second layer of their primary Cultivation Technique, let alone started on any auxiliary cultivation methods. Yet, Luo Qifang seemed to have already gained an initial mastery of an auxiliary cultivation method. His talent was indeed exceptional.

"Eh, Brother Wang!" Finally noticing Wang Mu, Luo Qifang immediately stood up, pleasantly surprised. "What brings you here? Ah, please excuse this mess..."

Wang Mu did smile, then said, "This stuff is difficult to clean up, isn't it?"

"Yes," Luo Qifang sighed. "I thought I had decent talent for alchemy, but who knew the furnace would explode so often. I followed the same steps as the other disciples, but for some reason... Now Master has punished me by making me clean this up."

"These Elixir Liquid residues are extremely adhesive; they can only be cleaned by melting them with intense fire. Fortunately, I've reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation, so my Spiritual Power is still quite abundant."

"Is alchemy very difficult?" Wang Mu asked.

"I find it very difficult," Luo Qifang said helplessly. "First, familiarizing myself with pharmacology was relatively simple for me; it just required memorization. Understanding the elixir recipe was also simple. The actual alchemy involves a specialized stove and Earth fire; we only need to control the heat and add the medicinal materials sequentially."

"The hardest part is controlling the heat. Because of my special constitution, mastering that was also quite easy for me."

"All in all, our alchemy is somewhat simpler than Artifact Refining."

"Yet, despite getting every step right, I don't know why the furnace keeps exploding... Master said my Qi Fortune might not align with the Alchemy Dao. For beginners in alchemy, even if every step is perfect, there's still a chance the furnace will explode, and mine has exploded several times."

"So, I find it very difficult..." Luo Qifang looked disheartened.

Hearing this, it seemed that alchemy was indeed a bit easier compared to Artifact Refining.

"Junior Brother, did you come here because you also want to learn alchemy?" Luo Qifang sighed, then immediately brightened up and said with a smile, "Do you want me to teach you? Master said that starting alchemy is relatively easy. Only when it comes to Immortal Level Spirit Pills does the difficulty become comparable to Artifact Refining, requiring specific flames, pill furnaces, and various control techniques that are extremely profound."

"Ah?" Wang Mu thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'm interested in alchemy, but I haven't started cultivating yet. I don't have much Spiritual Power in my body. Can I still practice alchemy?"

"Haven't started cultivating yet?" Luo Qifang was stunned for a long moment.

It's been three months since he joined the Sect, and he still hasn't started cultivating. Brother Wang doesn't have a Spirit Root; the path of cultivation is indeed fraught with unparalleled difficulties! Thinking this, Luo Qifang's expression turned somber.

"You can," Luo Qifang said after a moment's thought. "Starting alchemy is very easy, mainly because the Li Huo Palace has ready-made pill furnaces and Earth fire. We just need to control the Earth fire's heat and add the medicinal materials in sequence. Once you're skilled at this step, you can use your own pill furnace and use your own Spells to create fire for refining elixirs."

With that, Luo Qifang led Wang Mu to a small pill furnace. This pill furnace was very small, about the size of a pressure cooker.

"This is a small-sized Purple Qi Furnace, specially used for refining Middle and Lower Grade elixirs, mostly Low-grade Elixirs."

"Hmm, Brother Wang, since you haven't started cultivating, let's make a batch of Qi Condensing Pills. This type of pill contains pure Spiritual Energy, and consuming it can accelerate the absorption of Spiritual Energy from heaven and earth."

"Next is the elixir recipe. A Qi Condensing Pill requires only five types of medicinal materials. Memorize them, then go to the nearby medicine cabinet and exchange Spirit Stones for them."

"Then there's the order of addition and the control of the fire. You start by adding Seven-Heart Root, which is the medicine; use high heat to melt it to a certain degree. We can sense this with our Divine Sense. Then, add two Lingxiang Leaves, using medium heat to mix them with the medicine. Next is Water Orchid, which blends with the mixture to form the Elixir Liquid..."

Luo Qifang explained each step in great detail. "The Five Elements attributes of these medicinal materials have a significant impact on the elixir. So, the order must not be mixed up; otherwise, you might refine a Waste pill, or in severe cases, the furnace will explode directly."

"The Spirit Stones required for one batch of Qi Condensing Pill ingredients cost about one Spirit Stone."

"If the pills are successfully formed, and if the control during the process is flawless, all aspects are perfectly managed, and materials and heat are utilized to their utmost, Master said you could get at most five Qi Condensing Pills. If there are few mistakes, you might get two or three. With many mistakes, you might get at most one, or it will directly turn into a Waste pill."

"Moreover, because the medicinal materials undergo transformations when they fuse, even if there isn't a single mistake, there's still a very small probability of the furnace exploding."

"Generally, the fewer mistakes, the smaller the chance of a furnace explosion."

"But even for an Alchemist like Master, there are still one or two furnace explosions a year..."

Wang Mu nodded; it indeed didn't sound too difficult.

"A single Qi Condensing Pill is normally valued at one Spirit Stone. If it's a Top-grade Qi Condensing Pill, it's worth two Spirit Stones. If it's Substandard, it might not even be worth one Spirit Stone. But creating a Top-grade Qi Condensing Pill is extremely difficult."

"You need everything to be absolutely perfect. Out of ten furnaces, if you're lucky, you might get one or two."

The profit margin in alchemy is really outrageous! Wang Mu thought to himself.

The medicinal materials for one batch of Qi Condensing Pills cost about one Spirit Stone. From one furnace, achieving a slightly below-average yield of, say, two pills, would still sell for two Spirit Stones, allowing one to break even. If one is highly skilled and produces four or five pills from one furnace, that's a profit of two to three hundred percent. Even after deducting the Spirit Stones for renting the Pill Furnace and Earth fire, it's definitely a lucrative gain. If my luck is even better and I produce a Top-grade Qi Condensing Pill, then it's even more profitable!

Of course, this only applies to those with some talent in alchemy. If one lacks talent and can't improve their skill, with every furnace only producing Waste pills, they'd certainly suffer a devastating loss. If one were as unlucky as Brother Luo, consistently blowing up furnaces, that wouldn't just be a loss; it would be a disaster.

Of course, the price of elixirs fluctuated. If every alchemist started making Qi Condensing Pills daily, and there were too many of them, Dan Sword Peak would regulate the price.

So, Qi Condensing Pills were generally only crafted by novice Alchemists to improve their skills in the Alchemy Dao while also earning Spirit Stones for their daily Cultivation.

Furthermore, a batch of Qi Condensing Pills takes a beginner two to three hours to make. For Cultivators, spending this much time on alchemy daily can easily hinder their Cultivation progress. The trade-offs had to be weighed carefully by each individual.

"So, Brother Wang, would you like to give it a try?" Luo Qifang looked at Wang Mu enthusiastically. "The basics of the Alchemy Dao are something every Cultivator must learn. In our Master's words, you don't have to be an expert, but you can't be completely ignorant."

"Then, shall I give it a try?" Wang Mu said.

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