Learning to Make Pills

Learning to Make Pills

Shi Yue counted the Spirit Herbs in the entire courtyard. There were at least a hundred different kinds, with several thousand plants in total.

Most of the herbs were seventy or eighty years old. There were only a little over a hundred Spirit Herbs that were over a hundred years old. By Shi Yue's estimate, if all the herbs in this Ten-Acre Spirit Field were sold, they would be worth at least tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

"If only all these Spirit Herbs were mine!" Shi Yue murmured as he gazed at the vast field before him, his face full of envy.

He shook his head and walked toward the basement.

Back in the basement, Shi Yue went over to the Wood Shelf. It held many books and records, including Jade Slips, paper books, and bamboo slips.

A Guide to Cultivating Purple Orchid Grass, The Spirit Plant Handbook, What Spirit Planters Need to Know, An Outline for Increasing Spirit Plant Yields...

Row upon row of books on cultivation filled the shelves.

What You Need to Know About Growing Red Cloud Flowers: Red Cloud Flowers resemble clouds in appearance and are dark red. They mature once every twenty years. Red Cloud Flowers that are at least ten years old are the finest material for making Talisman Paper. They need to be grown where Fire Spiritual Energy is abundant, with at least a foot between each plant. Water them once a month, then once every half month as they near maturity. Do not give them too much water, or they may wither.

How to Grow Condensing Smoke Grass: Condensing Smoke Grass is white all over and matures once every five years. It has few requirements for its growing environment and is an auxiliary ingredient in many kinds of pills. Leave at least an inch between each plant. Water it once every three months, using a moderate amount.

An Outline for Increasing Spirit Plant Growth: When planting, make sure to bury the Spirit Herb seeds in the soil. Do not bury them too deep or too shallow. The spacing between plants must strictly follow the requirements of the particular Spirit Herb. Water them on schedule, using neither too much nor too little. Fertilize regularly and remove pests. Remember to pollinate Spirit Fruit Trees when they flower and bear fruit. Be careful when harvesting Spirit Herbs and Spirit Fruits so you do not damage them, and so on.

Shi Yue leafed through the books on the shelves one by one. They described all kinds of Spirit Plants in extraordinary detail, listing not only their growing conditions and effects, but also offering advice on how to cultivate them.

Ever since he had attended Uncle-Master Yange's lecture, Shi Yue had formed a rough plan for his future: With the help of the Mysterious Space's heaven-defying ability, I'll grow Spirit Herbs and sell them for Spirit Stones.

After reading the books on the Wood Shelf, Shi Yue began to think more broadly.

The value of a Spirit Herb was generally fixed, but after processing it into something else, its price could double or even multiply several times over.

For example, ten-year-old Red Cloud Flowers sold for twenty Spirit Stones per jin. A batch of blank Talisman Paper made from Red Cloud Flowers sold for one Spirit Stone. Twenty-year-old Green Silk Fruits sold for thirty Spirit Stones per jin, but Green Silk Wine made from them could fetch fifty Spirit Stones per jin. Thirty-year-old Yellow Luo Wood sold for ten Spirit Stones per jin on the market, while Spirit Charcoal made from it sold for thirty Spirit Stones per jin.

Time in the Mysterious Space passed ten times faster than in the outside world. By that reckoning, Spirit Rice that took a year to mature would be ready in a little over a month inside the space.

Selling large quantities of Spirit Rice and Spirit Herbs all at once would not only arouse suspicion; it could also easily expose the secret of the Blue Pearl.

After thinking it over, Shi Yue decided to learn pill-making. If he became an alchemist, he could refine the Spirit Herbs and Spirit Grains he grew into pills and sell them. The profits would be substantial, and doing so would help conceal the secret of the Blue Pearl.

But the Spirit Rice and Spirit Herbs in the Mysterious Space had not matured yet, so there was no need to rush into learning pill-making. He could start by studying cultivation techniques and prepare for growing Spirit Herbs in the future.

During the day, Shi Yue studied books on cultivation in the basement. At night, he meditated and practiced.

He watered the Water Moon Flowers once every two days, for over a quarter of an hour each time. On top of that, he went into the Mysterious Space every day to check on the Spirit Rice and Spirit Herbs, afraid they might get sick.

Under Shi Yue's careful tending, the Spirit Rice and Spirit Herbs in the Mysterious Space grew quickly, changing with every passing day.

Shi Yue patiently waited for them to mature.

During that time, he made another trip to Deacon Hall, bought some Spirit Rice Seeds, and planted them in his own courtyard, watering them on schedule.

The path of cultivation knew no years. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Compared to a month earlier, Shi Yue's magical power had grown much stronger. But what made him happiest was that the Spirit Rice he had planted in the Mysterious Space had ripened.

Perhaps because the Mysterious Space offered a better environment than the outside world, the Spirit Rice planted there had plump grains and vivid colors.

Shi Yue took out a pair of scissors, snipped off the grains of rice one by one, and put them into his Storage Bag.

A little over an hour later, when he snipped off the last grain, a smile appeared on his face.

He checked the growth of the Blazing Sun Grass and Condensing Smoke Grass. After watering them, he left the space.

Once out of the courtyard, Shi Yue flew toward the Scripture Repository on his flying artifact.

A quarter of an hour later, he landed in front of a massive tower thirty zhang tall.

Cultivators were constantly coming and going, making the place seem lively.

Inside the stone tower was a spacious hall about one mu in size. A short stone counter stood by the entrance, with a gaunt old man in gray robes seated behind it. He was in charge of copying books and Jade Slips.

Behind the old man was a stone staircase leading to the second floor. Only Foundation Establishment Cultivators could enter it.

Seven tall shelves stood in the middle of the hall, each marked with a sign: Talismans, Magical Artifacts, Pills, Formations, Cultivation, Miscellaneous, and Cultivation Techniques. The books on each shelf corresponded to its sign.

As soon as Shi Yue entered, he headed straight for the shelf marked Pills.

The shelf held many books, most of them pill formulas, along with some alchemists' notes on pill-making.

A little under half a quarter of an hour later, Shi Yue's eyes lit up. He had found the formula he had come for: the Bigu Pill.

Qi Refining Stage cultivators could not abstain from food yet. After taking a Bigu Pill, they could go three days without eating. Taixu Sect had over a thousand Qi Refining Stage disciples, so it needed a large supply of Bigu Pills.

The Bigu Pill was a low-grade pill. It was the first pill many alchemists learned to make, and it was also Shi Yue's first choice.

According to the Jade Slip, the Bigu Pill was made from three ingredients: Spirit Rice, Blood Qi Fruit, and Purple Luo Apricot. All three matured once a year.

Shi Yue had over a hundred jin of Spirit Rice, but lacked Blood Qi Fruit and Purple Luo Apricot.

"Uncle-Master Qian, I'd like to copy this Jade Slip." Shi Yue placed the Jade Slip containing the Bigu Pill formula on the counter and spoke to the gray-robed old man behind it.

"Same as usual. Copying a book costs ten Spirit Stones," the old man said indifferently.

Shi Yue nodded, took ten low-grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, and set them on the counter.

The old man collected the Spirit Stones and handed Shi Yue the copy of the Jade Slip.

Shi Yue took the Jade Slip, walked out, and flew toward Deacon Hall on his flying artifact.

As soon as he reached the third floor, Shi Yue hurried over to a counter and asked, "How much are one-year-old Blood Qi Fruit and Purple Luo Apricots?"

"Blood Qi Fruit costs three Spirit Stones per jin, and Purple Luo Apricots cost five. How much do you need, Junior Brother?" the disciple behind the counter asked with a smile.

"I'll take five jin of Blood Qi Fruit and three jin of Purple Luo Apricots," Shi Yue said after thinking it over.

The disciple nodded and weighed out five jin of Blood Qi Fruit and three jin of Purple Luo Apricots for Shi Yue.

After paying, Shi Yue hurried out of Deacon Hall and flew off on his artifact.

After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he arrived near a bare, crimson mountain peak.

The mountain stood five or six hundred zhang tall. It was an active volcano, spewing thick smoke, molten lava, and flames from its crater. A pungent smell of sulfur filled the air, and Fire Attribute Spiritual Energy was extremely abundant.

This mountain was called Danxia Mountain. It was the only volcano in Taixu Sect, and the place where its disciples practiced alchemy and artifact refining.

Shi Yue had yet to reach Foundation Establishment, so he could only use the volcano's underground fire to make pills.