Alchemy and Sword Training

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump...

The sharp kitchen knife sliced through the pork hock, wielded by Li Shuidao, his face etched with deep resentment.

Li Shuilang squatted in a corner, diligently washing vegetables.

Steamed buns simmered on the stove.

Both brothers wore dejected expressions.

"That Wang Tiankun is a real bastard, running off like that! Now we two brothers are forced to do his dirty work. Damn him!" Li Shuilang cursed as he washed the vegetables.

Li Shuidao nodded with a wry smile. "Yeah, why did he run off? This is truly..."

A self-inflicted predicament!

If only I had shown mercy and spared Wang Tiankun's life.

Now look at this, he's at the bottom of the pond, and all the work falls to us.

But Wang Tiankun was one of the main culprits in the plot to murder me. Such a person deserves to die.

There was no possibility of reconciliation.

Now that no one else was available for kitchen duty, the Li brothers had no choice but to take over.

Fortunately, working together, it wouldn't take too much time.

After serving the dishes, they still had to wash the bowls.

Once the brothers finished all the kitchen chores together, they finally had time to return to their small courtyard.

Dozens of first-tier Spirit Grasses were drying in the courtyard: Three Immortals Grass, Rootless Ice Grass, and Blazing Thistle.

In the kitchen's deep well, the medicinal gourds for the Evergreen Pill were also stored.

Several days later...

Li Shuidao was busy alone in the kitchen. He poured seven or eight Evergreen Pills from a black leather gourd, then crushed them with a copper hammer.

These Evergreen Pills were waste pills. Although the Fire Poison within had been cleared, their medicinal properties had largely dissipated, rendering them useless.

Li Shuidao only needed the Evergreen Pills to harmonize water and fire.

As he slowly ground them, the Evergreen Pills made crisp sounds under the hammer, gradually breaking down into finer pieces...

The pristine white Rootless Ice Grass was placed in a porcelain bowl.

The fiery red Blazing Thistle was gently torn into fine shreds.

The two types of herbs were mixed with the Evergreen Pill powder.

Li Shuidao held the mortar, rubbing his palm between his hands. The ground powder gradually became finer.

The three medicinal ingredients combined into a fine powder, slowly releasing a soul-stirring fragrance.

Li Shuidao took out the fresh Three Immortals Grass he had prepared earlier. He chopped the fresh Three Immortals Grass into fine pieces and mixed them with the powder of the Evergreen Pill, Rootless Ice Grass, and Blazing Thistle.

Over a roaring flame in a copper pot, he carefully stirred with a spatula...

As the wooden spatula moved in the copper pot, the mixture gradually took on a purple hue.

A smile appeared on Li Shuidao's lips. The Rootless Ice Grass and Blazing Thistle could indeed substitute for Toad Gall and Bitter Snake Sweet, which meant his System Thinking was correct.

The flame on the stove gradually died down, leaving a thick layer of purple powder at the bottom of the pot.

Li Shuidao retrieved the paper wrappers he had prepared earlier and carefully packed the Purple Poison Powder into thirteen small packets.

The Purple Poison Powder was finally refined. The next step was clinical trials.

No matter how correct the theory, it needed practical evidence.

Evening.

The setting sun cast its rays upon the small courtyard in front of the Li brothers' house.

Li Shuidao smiled and handed Li Shuilang a small paper packet.

"What is this?" Li Shuilang asked, looking confused.

"Purple Poison Powder."

"What?"

"This is something I specifically brought for you," Li Shuidao said with a smile.

Li Shuilang took the small packet and opened it. It was indeed Purple Poison Powder. "I'll pay you back next month when I get my wages."

Li Shuidao waved his hand. "We are of the same clan, brothers. Why bother with such trivial matters? This is a gift from me."

Li Shuilang was taken aback, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at Li Shuidao. "My good brother! You're too kind, what can I say?"

"Brothers shouldn't be so formal."

"Brother Dao, if you ever need anything, just ask."

"If brothers are going to be so formal, then you can handle all the kitchen chores from now on."

"Deal! Brother, you're giving me cultivation resources, what's wrong with me doing some chores?"

Li Shuilang's thoughts stirred, and he summoned his Scorpion Companion.

A yellowish-brown scorpion crawled out from Li Shuilang's sleeve and began to feast on the Purple Poison Powder.

Unexpectedly, halfway through eating, the venomous scorpion fainted and lay there motionless.

This is bad!

The drug test failed.

"You... you didn't buy this from the Hundred Herbs Hall, did you?" Li Shuidao asked.

"Yeah, the Hundred Herbs Hall's stuff is too expensive. I bought this from a street vendor," Li Shuidao explained guiltily.

"How much did you pay for it?"

"Uh... fifteen Jade Coins a bag," Li Shuidao said casually.

"Next time, I'll give you my monthly allowance, and you can buy two bags for me."

"You might not even find a stall if you buy from rogue cultivators," Li Shuidao explained with a troubled expression.

"Is your Companion alright?" Li Shuidao asked worriedly.

"It's fine, just a bit dizzy. It reacts like this even when eating the Purple Poison Pills from the Hundred Herbs Hall, just not as strongly," Li Shuilang explained.

After observing for a few days, Li Shuilang's Companion showed no ill effects. While Li Shuilang was busy in the kitchen, Li Shuidao began feeding his own Companion.

Li Shuidao's thoughts stirred, and he waved his wide sleeves. A palm-sized Jade Toad immediately leaped out. Its body was incredibly translucent green and emitted a faint, fresh scent. Li Shuidao took out a bag of Purple Poison Powder and was about to open it when the Jade Toad in front of him rapidly grew larger, thicker, stronger, and harder...

The Jade Toad's body rapidly expanded, instantly becoming enormous. Its height reached Li Shuidao's knees, and its entire body was as large as a millstone.

Its skin became as hard as rock, a deep earthy yellow, covered in a layer of lustrous scales, as indestructible as granite.

Li Shuidao stared at the giant creature before him in surprise. This was the first time he had discovered his Toad Companion could undergo such a transformation.

The transformed Toad swallowed the Purple Poison Powder in Li Shuidao's hand in one gulp, packaging and all. Its eating manners were incredibly crude.

The giant Toad's two small eyes continued to stare at Li Shuidao, its gaze subtly urging him on.

Li Shuidao felt this mental push and quickly took out a second bag of Purple Poison Powder, feeding it to the Toad again.

Not enough!

Li Shuidao eagerly took out a third bag of Purple Poison Powder.

Finally, after being fed the third bag of Purple Poison Powder, the giant Toad contentedly stopped swallowing. Its entire body gradually returned to its original state. It shrank back into a palm-sized Jade Toad, emitting a faint, fresh scent.

Night fell, and Li Shuilang, who had been busy in the kitchen all day, fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

Li Shuidao held an Azure Steel Treasure Sword and practiced in the small courtyard.

There were no sword stances, only an incomprehensible incantation.

Sword forms naturally, nature forms sword. Calm your heart, unify your intent.

It was less like a sword art incantation and more like a lullaby.

A faint buzzing of mosquitoes and flies filled the air.

Li Shuidao's innate Spiritual Power allowed him to easily track the flight paths of these insects, even under the moonlight.

With a light Bamboo Sword, he could easily kill these dancing little bugs.

However, using the heavy Azure Steel Treasure Sword was not easy.

This sword, forged from fine iron, was too heavy compared to the Bamboo Sword.

He gripped the sword's hilt tightly, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Every swing of his sword was filled with power, and every movement was executed with utmost precision.

Yet, not a single one of the flying mosquitoes was felled.

Seeing them doesn't mean you can hit them.

In the battle at Dragon Spring Pool, Li Shuidao was able to block Wang Xuanfeng's Flying Knife solely because the Wind Catching Eye predicted the knife's trajectory, causing the Flying Knife to collide with him. It was not because his sword was fast.

His eyes were quick, but his sword was not. To become fast, he had to train!