Alchemy, Cast Out

Hiss! Lu Xiaotian felt a sharp stab of pain in his head and hastily withdrew the divine sense he had directed at the storage bag.

Lu Xiaotian stared at the black storage bag in uncertainty. By all reason, the black-robed elder's Primordial Spirit had already been destroyed, so opening this storage bag should have posed no problem. Yet when he tried to unlock it with his divine sense, he was still met by that icy spiritual attack clinging to the bag like a venomous snake.

Perhaps the black-robed elder still carried some unsolved secret. But now that he had been utterly annihilated, body and soul gone, that secret would likely remain buried forever.

What a pity about that golden flying sword. Lu Xiaotian smacked his lips, but he was already satisfied with today's battle.

Now that the black-robed elder had been dealt with, he could make proper use of the mysterious space within his body. Apart from keeping an empty storage bag on him for appearances, he sent all the remaining spiritual items into the barrier.

After finishing this, Lu Xiaotian propped his chin on his hand. Back when he had only been at the Second Layer of Qi Refining, even with an ample supply of pills, it would have taken him several years to cultivate to the Fifth Layer.

But now he was already at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. The Primordial Unity Scripture in his hands could only be cultivated to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, so obtaining a cultivation technique for the Qi Refining Late Stage had become an urgent matter.

Yet a late-stage cultivation technique generally cost around forty Low-grade Spirit Stones at trading houses. Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators could barely afford one late-stage cultivation technique with their usual earnings, while Luo Yuan had even gone into debt for one. Lu Xiaotian now had only eight Low-grade Spirit Stones in hand, and the only things on him that he could sell were a dozen or so Origin Qi Pills. Though they were an unexpected windfall, they could easily draw the attention of Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators, or even those at Qi Refining Great Perfection. This would be extremely unfavorable when he later ventured into the Moonwatch Mountains to gather the spiritual items needed to join a sect. What was more, he would still need to collect pill formulas for the Qi Refining Middle Stage and Late Stage, which would require a great many Spirit Stones.

If he went out to find work, then after deducting all sorts of expenses and what he needed for cultivation from his monthly earnings, it would likely take quite some time to gather enough Spirit Stones. That would undoubtedly affect his cultivation.

However, Lu Xiaotian recalled that in Moonwatch City, workshops and trading houses offered good prices to those skilled in artifact refining, raising spirit beasts, alchemy, cultivating low-grade spirit herbs, or making talismans.

As it happened, there were still more than a dozen stalks of Purple Spirit Grass in the barrier, and they could regrow. They could be used to refine Qi-Gathering Pills. After turning it over and over in his mind, Lu Xiaotian decided to begin with alchemy.

Cultivators' consumption of pills was a major expense, and refining them himself could also meet his own needs. Even if Qi-Gathering Pills were a little less effective for him now, they were still better than having none at all. Besides, if he sold Qi-Gathering Pills as a Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator and a beginner alchemist, he would not draw too much attention.

Having thought it through, Lu Xiaotian went out again and bought all the other herbs needed as supplementary ingredients for refining Qi-Gathering Pills, along with a batch of charcoal. Other than the Purple Spirit Grass, those supplementary ingredients were not expensive. Everything together cost only two Low-grade Spirit Stones.

The charcoal was made by burning low-grade spiritwood. Pills could also be refined by directly condensing Primordial Yang Fire from the cultivator's own qi, but that consumed far too much qi. Once the qi in one's dantian ran dry and the fire could not be sustained, the pill would very likely turn into a ruined pill.

Once the materials were ready, Lu Xiaotian hesitated as he looked over the room. It was too small and unsuitable for alchemy. Yet aside from this room, he had nowhere else to use.

He could not worry about that now. He would refine first and deal with it later. With that thought, Lu Xiaotian gritted his teeth.

He took out the pill furnace he had previously bought from Luo Qing. Purple and yellow patterns interlaced across its surface, distinctive markings of Violet Profound Copper. It felt icy beneath his hands, and three curved little legs supported the small cauldron on the ground.

He had already memorized the Qi-Gathering Pill formula by heart. Following its steps, he lit the fire. The spiritwood charcoal burned at a fierce temperature, quickly heating the small cauldron until it glowed red. Lu Xiaotian successively added several supplementary ingredients, then reduced the amount of charcoal. When a faint fragrance drifted from the small hole in the cauldron's lid, he took out a stalk of Purple Spirit Grass and tossed it in.

A moment later, an unusual fragrance rose from within the cauldron. Lu Xiaotian's spirits lifted. It was exactly the scent of a Qi-Gathering Pill. But according to the pill formula, the Purple Spirit Grass inside had merely turned into liquid at this point. The timing of opening the furnace had to be grasped precisely. If he opened it too early, the pill would not yet have formed and its medicinal properties would disperse, greatly weakening the resulting spiritual pill. If he opened it too late, then after refining for too long, eight or nine times out of ten it would become a ruined pill.

Sizzle—

All of a sudden, the medicinal fragrance from the small cauldron stopped abruptly, replaced by a choking burnt stench.

Damn it. He had focused only on the timing for opening the furnace and drawing out the pill, forgetting to control the heat. The fire had been too fierce, the temperature inside the cauldron too high, and the unformed pill liquid had been directly burned to ruin.

Bang! Bang!

The door was pounded hard. "Open up, open up! What is the person inside doing?"

"That smell seems like someone botched an alchemy attempt."

"What ignorance. Refining pills in such a cramped space—if it didn't fail, that would be the real miracle."

Several Qi Refining Early Stage cultivators staying at the same inn discussed it one after another with cold mockery.

"Cough, cough."

Lu Xiaotian opened the door. The burnt stench and the intense heat from the burning spiritwood charcoal left the inn attendant in a miserable state, coughing violently. It took him a good while to catch his breath. Before he could even get a clear look at Lu Xiaotian, he loudly berated him, "An inn is for people to stay in, not for you to make a mess! What were you doing in there? If you burned down the entire inn, could you afford to compensate us?"

"Leave! Our inn does not welcome you. You are never allowed to stay here again!"

The commotion soon alerted the innkeeper as well. Given the trouble Lu Xiaotian had caused and the fact that he had nearly set the inn ablaze, the innkeeper was both alarmed and furious as he drove him out. Only because Lu Xiaotian was already a Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator did he refrain from directly telling him to get lost. But that was more or less what he meant.

Lu Xiaotian put away the pill furnace and emerged from the inn in a sorry state. He shot the inn an annoyed glance. What was so great about it? It was not as if he had actually burned the place down. He fumed inwardly.

"A mere Rogue Cultivator dreaming of becoming an alchemist—he is really aiming higher than the sky." Other cultivators had stopped by the roadside after seeing smoke rise from the inn. Once they learned what had happened, they shook their heads and left.

"Eh, isn't that Brother Lu?"

A familiar voice came from the crowd. Lu Xiaotian looked over and saw the Luo siblings walking toward him.

"Brother Lu, what happened? That shopkeeper is being so unreasonable. I will go argue with him." Luo Yuan spoke righteously, but he quickly came to his senses and said in astonishment, "Brother Lu, your cultivation...?"

"This matter was my fault to begin with." Lu Xiaotian awkwardly pulled Luo Yuan back. Seeing the shock on his face, he explained, "I used a small trick before. This is my true cultivation."

Lu Xiaotian then briefly explained what had happened at the inn.

"So that is what happened. Then Brother Lu has nowhere to go now. Why not move into our place and stay with us?" Luo Qing said warmly after hearing this.

"Stay with you?" Lu Xiaotian was taken aback.

"It is like this," Luo Qing continued.

In Moonwatch City, it was extremely troublesome for Rogue Cultivators to rent lodging, and renting an inn room alone was quite a loss. So several close friends and I jointly rented a small courtyard. There are four rooms altogether, and it costs only ten Spirit Stones a month. It has more space than an inn and even a small yard. One of our friends entered the Moonwatch Mountains last time and unfortunately perished, so one room has become vacant. Though it costs a little more than staying at an inn, it is much more comfortable. And unlike an inn, there are not so many people coming and going.

Lu Xiaotian was somewhat tempted, but on second thought, he still felt it was inappropriate. He had certain secrets he did not want outsiders to know. The same went for raising Shadow Ants, so that he could catch his enemies off guard at a crucial moment. After quietly pondering it, he realized he still had quite a few spirit talismans on hand. Selling some of them would solve his immediate Spirit Stone shortage. Thus, he declined, "No. I still have some Spirit Stones, and I would like to rent a small courtyard by myself."

"Renting a whole small courtyard alone? Brother Lu is certainly lavish. I do know of a courtyard not far from ours. If Brother Lu is interested, you can go take a look." Luo Qing clicked her tongue charmingly, then continued.

In Moonwatch City, only alchemists, artifact refiners, or people at the Qi Refining Late Stage or Qi Refining Great Perfection with relatively high incomes usually rented a courtyard alone. Even many Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators shared rentals with others.

"Then I will have to thank you." Lu Xiaotian did not decline again. If he searched by himself, he would have to spend quite some effort.

Several hours later, Lu Xiaotian moved into his new courtyard. It had three fewer rooms than the Luo siblings' place, but it cost only seven Spirit Stones a month. Its size was already more than sufficient for him.

He had not fed the Shadow Ants for some time. Lu Xiaotian took out the jade pool and scattered several dozen Spirit Beast Pills into it. He released the Shadow Ants from the jade gourd. They had been in a dormant state inside the gourd, but they had gone without food for a long time.

The awakened Shadow Ants ate anxiously. Several even bit each other after reaching for the same Spirit Beast Pill, clearly driven frantic by hunger. Lu Xiaotian hurriedly separated the fighting Shadow Ants.

After feeding the Shadow Ants, Lu Xiaotian released the Leopard from the Spirit Beast Bag.

"Awoo." The Leopard had also been cooped up in the Spirit Beast Bag for too long. After coming out, it gave a complaining cry, then obediently rubbed its head against Lu Xiaotian's trouser leg.

"All right, go play on your own. Do not leave the courtyard." Lu Xiaotian patted the Leopard's head and let it move about freely. The Leopard was no longer of much use to him, but when he had been weak, if not for it, he would likely have become a pile of dry bones by now. Therefore, even if he merely kept it idly, he would not sell off an unneeded spirit beast like some other cultivators did.