The First Alchemy

"Whoosh!"

Taking the fire starter he had prepared earlier from his robes, Shen Mo ignited the firewood beneath the Red Cloud Cauldron.

Following the instructions in the pill formula, he tossed the medicinal ingredients for the Vitality Strengthening Powder into the cauldron one by one.

He tempered them with the fire of the cauldron.

Once the main ingredient, the Blood Tiger Grass, had been completely rendered into a pool of spiritual liquid, he carefully purged the impurities from the medicine.

Next, he added the auxiliary ingredients for the Vitality Strengthening Powder into the cauldron in sequence.

After all the spiritual herbs had been refined and tempered into a medicinal decoction, Shen Mo took a deep breath, raised his palms slightly, and formed a hand seal to nurture the pill.

"Refine!"

With a low shout, he formed the seal, and a faint glow shimmered from his palms.

Finally, he struck a talisman seal onto the Red Cloud Cauldron.

All the medicinal liquids within the cauldron began to blend and converge.

The next phase was the nurturing of the pill.

When refining pills, one must use different hand seals according to the situation to control the cauldron's fire, temperature, and the rhythm of the nurturing process.

This stage required patience; one could not afford to be hasty.

Shen Mo waited for about the time it takes to burn two incense sticks. Only after sensing that the Vitality Strengthening Powder inside the cauldron was gradually taking shape did he begin the final step.

Solidifying and shaping the pill!

"Hum!"

He struck another hand seal, and the burning Red Cloud Cauldron shuddered slightly, emitting a humming sound.

The next instant, the cauldron lid soared into the air, and a strange fragrance wafted out from within.

"Did it succeed?" Smelling the fragrance, a look of joy appeared on Shen Mo's face.

But before he could celebrate for long, the fragrance dissipated abruptly, replaced by an unpleasant, burnt odor.

[You attempted to refine Vitality Strengthening Powder and failed.]
[Your comprehension of the Dao of Alchemy has improved. Alchemy experience +1.]
[You have gained greater proficiency in refining Vitality Strengthening Powder. Vitality Strengthening Powder proficiency +2.]

A notification quickly appeared before his eyes in the system panel.

"As expected. It's basically impossible to succeed on the first attempt."

"There shouldn't have been any issues during the nurturing phase. Was it because I opened the cauldron too early during the solidification and shaping stage?"

After summarizing his failure, Shen Mo quickly relit the fire, preparing for another round of refining.

The night passed, and the morning sun rose.

Shen Mo glanced at the sky and stretched his neck, which had grown stiff and sore from the long hours of alchemy. "Time flies; before I knew it, the night was gone."

Over the course of the night, he had attempted to refine the Vitality Strengthening Powder thirty times.

Three portions were successful, while the remaining twenty-seven were failures.

"This is already quite good."

Shen Mo was not disappointed by this result; on the contrary, he was rather satisfied.

After all, this was already a much better success rate than his first attempt at talisman making.

The reason for this result was likely the alchemy insights left behind by Alchemist Red Cloud, which had granted Shen Mo a significant amount of experience out of thin air.

The life's work of a second-grade alchemist had saved him from taking many detours.

It was time to report to the mountain gate, so he glanced at the bright sky outside the window.

He tidied up the room and washed up, intending to head out.

But before leaving—

"Let's have a taste."

He picked up one of the finished Vitality Strengthening Powders and swallowed it.

"Whew, this medicinal power... the effect is quite good."

As the spiritual medicine entered his belly, a burning sensation spread through his body, accompanied by the constant absorption and refinement of the Heaven Origin Technique.

Soon, the medicinal power was refined into streams of pure spiritual energy, gathered within his dantian.

"Now that I've learned this formula, I won't have to worry about lacking pills in the future."

The greatest benefit of the Vitality Strengthening Powder was its ability to boost the blood and energy of cultivators in the Body Tempering Realm, strengthening their physique and accumulating power for their cultivation.

In terms of efficacy and value, it could not compare to the exceptionally precious Qi Gathering Pill, which could allow a cultivator to break through a realm.

However, this medicine was inexpensive and had low drug resistance, making it suitable for long-term consumption. With consistent use over time, it could significantly shorten the duration of arduous training.

Relying on the medicinal power of this Vitality Strengthening Powder, Shen Mo solidified the somewhat unstable aura he had just broken through with a few days prior, consolidating his newly ascended realm.

River-Facing Sect, mountain gate.

When Shen Mo arrived, Cao Ren had already reached the spot.

After exchanging a greeting, he began to slack off as usual, letting this fellow stand guard for him.

As for him, he utilized this time to focus on practicing the Heaven Origin Technique.

By midday, when it was time to eat.

Cao Ren suddenly shared a piece of news that left Shen Mo somewhat stunned.

"I have already submitted my resignation to the deacon; starting tomorrow, I will no longer continue guarding the mountain gate."

"You're quitting?"

Shen Mo frowned, feeling a bit surprised.

"That's right." Cao Ren nodded and said, "My cultivation has reached a critical stage, and I am not far from breaking through the realm."

"For these next two months, I plan to make a push, relying on that Qi Gathering Pill you shared with me to go into seclusion for a while."

"If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to break through."

He was already approaching the perfection of the Body Tempering Realm; a breakthrough meant ascending to the Qi Gathering Realm.

Once successful, he could become an inner sect disciple and fulfill his long-cherished wish.

"In the future, I won't be able to keep you company guarding the gate."

"Work hard on your own, and slack off less, lest you get caught by the deacon and scolded."

This fellow was leaving.

It seemed it wouldn't be so easy to slack off and practice cultivation while on duty in the future.

Thinking this, a faint sense of melancholy rose in Shen Mo's heart.

His previously cheerful mood grew a bit heavier.

In the following few days, Shen Mo was left to guard the mountain gate alone.

Guarding during the day and returning to practice cultivation and alchemy at night, he felt that time was not enough.

By the fourth day, a new disciple surnamed Zhao arrived to guard the mountain gate with him.

However, this disciple surnamed Zhao had a cold personality and a frozen face; he was not as easy to talk to as Cao Ren.

After interacting with him for two days, Shen Mo felt there was no opportunity to groom him into a tool to help him slack off.

In the end, after much thought, he went to the deacon and submitted his resignation.

He would no longer hold onto this iron rice bowl of guarding the mountain gate.

"From now on, I'll focus on alchemy and talisman-making to subsidize my cultivation."

Walking on the road back, Shen Mo muttered to himself.

The monthly stipend for the job of guarding the mountain gate was truly not much.

Previously, Shen Mo had no way to make a living and could only scrape by with such a job, and receiving a few cultivation supplies each month was not bad.

Now that his talisman-making craft was proficient, the income it could bring Shen Mo was far higher than this.

This bit of monthly stipend had become dispensable.

The reason he hadn't resigned earlier was primarily because the job was leisurely.

With Cao Ren's help, it didn't hinder his own time at all; he could slack off at will, do his own private work during working hours, and get the monthly stipend for free.

But now that Cao Ren was gone, there was no one to help him stand guard while he slacked off.

Wasting time here every day was a waste of his cultivation time, which was not worth it; it was better to quit this job and focus wholeheartedly on cultivation.

"Now that I've quit the job, I cannot be lazy."

Back in his room, Shen Mo took out paper and pen and listed a detailed plan: "I must establish a schedule for how to arrange my time from here on out."

Cultivating immortality also required perseverance and self-discipline.

"I cannot just focus on alchemy; my cultivation, martial arts, and even immortal techniques cannot be neglected."

"I must develop in all aspects."

Last month, Shen Mo had put all his time and energy into talisman-making, which had instead caused his cultivation to stagnate.

Shen Mo thought earnestly: "I will set the time for alchemy from early morning to midday; the afternoon will be used for meditation and cultivation, and as for the night, that will be the time to practice martial arts."