Chapter 34: Alchemy, Being Expelled
Yin Devouring Wheel belonging to the Ghost Race, which was not easily activated. Its power was formidable, but the immense backlash after using it made Lu Xiaitian shudder even when thinking about it...Hiss! Lu Xia Tian felt a sharp pain in his brain and hurriedly withdrew his divine sense from the storage bag.
Lu Xia Tian looked at the black storage bag with suspicion. Logically speaking, the old man in black robes should have been wiped out by him, and opening this storage bag shouldn't be a problem. However, when he tried to open it with his divine sense, he was still attacked by that cold and venomous spiritual presence clinging to the storage bag, like a poisonous snake.
Perhaps the old man in black still held some unsolved mysteries. However, now that he was gone, his soul scattered, those secrets would likely remain buried forever.
It's a pity about that golden flying sword. Lu Xiaoteng smacked his lips, but he was satisfied with today's battle nonetheless.
At this time, the old man in black had already taken off his robes, and he could reasonably utilize the mysterious space within his body. Besides keeping an empty storage bag on him for show, all the other spiritual objects were sent into the barrier.
After doing all of that, Lu Xiaotian rested his chin in his hand. Before this, he was only at the second level of Qi cultivation. Even with a plentiful supply of pills, it would take several years to reach the fifth level.
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However, he is now at the fifth level of Qi Refining. The Mixed Yuan Scripture in his hands can only be cultivated to the middle stage of Qi Refining, so obtaining a technique for the later stage of Qi Refining is imminent.
A late-stage cultivation technique usually costs around forty low-grade spirit stones. Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators rely on their daily earnings and can barely afford a late-stage Qi Refining technique. Someone like Luó Yuǎn even owed some debt. Currently, he only has eight low-grade spirit stones. The things he could sell amount to over ten Yuanqi pills. Although it's a fortune, it would easily attract the attention of late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, or even those at the peak of Qi Refining. This would be extremely detrimental to his future ventures into the Wàngyuè Mountain Range, as well as collecting spirit items needed for joining a sect. Furthermore, he also needs to gather formulas for mid-stage and late-stage Qi Refining pills, which requires a large sum of spirit stones.
Going out to work, earning Spirit Stones for a month after deducting all expenses and those used for cultivation would take a considerable amount of time to gather. This would undoubtedly affect the cultivation progress.
However, Lu XiaTian thought that in the Moon Viewing City, there would be workshops and shops offering good prices for those who could forge weapons, raise spirit beasts, refine pills, cultivate low-grade spiritual herbs, or make talismans.
There are still a dozen or so purple spirit grasses inside the barrier, and they can regenerate. They can be used to refine Gathering Qi Pills. Lu Xia Tian thought about it and decided to start with alchemy.
Cultivators' expenditure on pills is a significant expense. Even if the current Qi Gathering Pill's effectiveness is slightly lower, it's better than having none at all. Furthermore, as a cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement and an apprentice alchemist, selling Qi Gathering Pills wouldn't attract excessive attention.
Once he understood this, Lu Xia Tian went out again and bought all the other medicinal herbs needed to refine Qi Gathering Pills. He also purchased a batch of charcoal. Aside from Zi Ling Grass, these auxiliary materials were not expensive. Together, they only cost two lower-grade spirit stones.
Charcoal is made by burning low-grade spirit wood. Pharmacists can also directly condense primordial yang fire from their own spiritual energy to refine pills. However, this method is too taxing on one's spiritual energy; if the dantian runs out of energy, the heat will be interrupted and the pill may become a failure.
After gathering the necessary materials, Lu Xia Tian hesitated and glanced around the room. The room was a bit too small and not suitable for alchemy. But besides this room, he had nowhere else to go.
He couldn't worry about that now. He'd refine it first and then figure things out. Thinking this, Lu Xia Tian steeled himself.
Taking out the pill furnace he had bought from Lu Qing before, it had stripes of purple and yellow interwoven. This was a unique pattern formed by using Zi Xuan bronze. When his hands touched it, there was a cold feeling. The small cauldron was supported by three curved feet on the ground.
He had the formula for the Gathering Qi Pill memorized. Following the steps, he started a fire with spiritual wood charcoal, which burned at a high temperature, quickly heating the small cauldron until it glowed red. Lu Xiaottian followed the steps and successively added several auxiliary ingredients, reducing the amount of charcoal used. When a faint fragrance wafted from the small hole on top of the cauldron's lid, Lu Xiaottian took out a sprig of Purple Spirit Grass and added it to the cauldron.
Moments later, a strange fragrance rose within the cauldron. Lu Xia Tian's spirit surged, identical to the aroma of the Qi Gathering Pill. However, according to the alchemy formula, at this moment, only the purple spiritual grass in the furnace had turned into juice. The time for opening the furnace had to be precise. If it was opened too early, the pill would not take shape and its medicinal properties would dissipate. The power of the refined spirit pill would be greatly reduced. If it was opened too late, the refining time would pass, and there was an 80% chance that it would become a failed pill.
Ha!
Suddenly, the fragrance of medicine inside the small cauldron ceased abruptly, and a pungent, musty smell emerged.
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Oh, no! I was so focused on the furnace timing for alchemy that I forgot to control the heat. The fire was too strong, the temperature inside the cauldron got too high, and it completely burned the unformed elixir before it could solidify.
Bang bang....
The door was slammed open with force. "Open up, open up! What are you doing in there"
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"This smell is like that of failed alchemy."
"Ignorant fool, to practice alchemy in such a cramped space! It's impossible not to produce waste."
Several cultivators at the early stage of Qi refinement in the inn openly scoffed and sneered at each other.
"Ahem..."
Lu Xiaotian opened the door. A stench of dampness and the high temperature from burning spiritwood charcoal made the innkeeper cough violently, his face flushed red with embarrassment. It took him a long time to catch his breath. Before he could even make out Lu Xiaotian's appearance, he shouted accusingly, "This inn is for people to stay in, not for messing around! What did you do inside If you burn down the whole inn, can you afford to pay for it"
“Go, we don't welcome you at our inn, never come back here again!”
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The commotion in the inn quickly alarmed the innkeeper. Given the negative impact Lu Xia Tian brought, almost burning down the inn, the innkeeper angrily and fearfully drove Lu Xia Tian out. It was only because Lu Xia Tian was already a cultivator in the middle stage of Qi refinement that he didn't say "get out." But the meaning of his words was pretty much the same.
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Lu Xia Tian put away his alchemy furnace and walked out of the inn, looking disgruntled. He glared at the inn with anger, thinking to himself, "What's so great about it anyway I didn't even burn the place down."
“Just an ordinary wandering cultivator, wanting to become an alchemist, how ambitious.” Other cultivators on the road also saw the smoke coming from the inn and, after learning the reason, shook their heads and left.
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"Eh, isn't this Brother Lu"
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A familiar voice came from the crowd. Lu Xia Tian turned to see that it was the Luo siblings walking towards him.
“Brother Lu, what’s going on This shopkeeper is being unreasonable. I’ll go argue with him.” Luo Yuan said righteously, but soon Luo Yuan reacted and exclaimed in surprise, “Brother Lu, what about your cultivation level”
"I was wrong to do that first." Lu Xiaoxiao awkwardly grabbed Luo Yuan's arm. Seeing his shocked expression, he explained, "I used some underhanded tactics before, and now this is my true cultivation level."
Then Lu Xia Tian briefly recounted the inn's affairs.
"I see. So Elder Brother Lu has nowhere to go now. Why not move in with us We can take care of you together." Luo Qing said enthusiastically after hearing this.
"Are you coming with us" Lu Xia Tian was taken aback.
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"That's how it is." Luo Qing continued.
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It turned out that renting a place to live in Wang Yue City was quite troublesome, and staying in an inn alone was very disadvantageous. So I rented a small courtyard with several good friends of mine. We shared four rooms, costing only ten spirit stones a month. The space was larger than an inn, with a small courtyard. One of my friends had unfortunately perished while entering the Wang Yue Mountains last time, leaving one room vacant. Although the price was slightly higher than staying in an inn, it was more comfortable and less crowded than those bustling inns.
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Lu Xiaitian was tempted, but after thinking about it, he felt it wasn't right. He had some secrets he didn't want outsiders to know. Even raising the Ying Ants was like that, so he could surprise his enemies at a critical moment. He pondered for a moment and realized he still had plenty of talismans on hand. Selling some would solve his current spirit stone crisis. So, he refused and said, "No, I have some spirit stones left and want to rent a small courtyard alone."
"To rent a whole courtyard by oneself, Brother Lu is truly generous. I happen to know of a courtyard not far from us. If Brother Lu is interested, he could go take a look." Luo Qing said with a playful smack of her tongue, then continued.
In Wangyue City, usually only those with high incomes, such as alchemists, weapon smiths, or cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining who have reached the Great Perfection realm, would rent a courtyard individually. Even many late-stage Qi Refiners would share a courtyard with others.
"Then thank you." Lu Xia Tian no longer declined, finding it on his own would take a lot of effort.
After several hours, Lu Xia Tian moved into his new courtyard. It had three less rooms than Luo Yuan's siblings', but it only cost seven spirit stones a month. That was enough for him.
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For a while, Lu Xia Tian hadn't raised any shadow ants. He took out the jade pool and sprinkled in dozens of beast spirit pills. He released the shadow ants from the jade gourd. They had been in a dormant state within the jade gourd, but they hadn't eaten for a long time.
The awakened shadow ants were frantically eating, and a few even started biting each other because they were eating the same beast spirit pill at the same time. It seemed that they were starving. Lu Xia Tian hurriedly separated the biting shadow ants.
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After feeding the shadow ants, Lu Xia Tian released the leopard from his spirit beast bag.
“Awoo...” The leopard, having been cooped up in the spirit beast bag for too long, let out a complaint as soon as it was released. Then it obediently rubbed its head against Lu Xiaoteng’s trouser leg.
“Alright, go play over there and don't leave the yard.” Lu Xia Tian patted the leopard’s head, allowing it to move about freely. The leopard was no longer of much use to him now, but before he was weak, if not for the leopard, he would have likely been nothing more than a pile of bones by now. Therefore, even though it was just being kept around, he wouldn't sell it like some other cultivators did with their useless spirit beasts.
Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!d I'm not quite sure of its origins. For now, I can only use it to dodge your attacks, but I can’t attack you.” Lu Xiaoxiao said.“If you could use this supernatural power at will, we wouldn't be the o...