Whoosh!
Shen Mo took the fire starter he had prepared from his robes and lit the firewood beneath the Red Cloud Cauldron.
Then, following the instructions in the formula, he put the ingredients for Vitality Strengthening Powder into the cauldron one by one.
He refined them over the cauldron's fire.
Once the main ingredient, Blood Tiger Grass, had been completely boiled down into a pool of spirit liquid, he carefully removed all the impurities from the medicinal herb.
Next, he added the several auxiliary ingredients for Vitality Strengthening Powder to the cauldron in turn.
When all the spirit herbs had been refined and boiled down into medicinal liquid,
Shen Mo took a deep breath, raised his hand slightly, and formed a hand seal to nurture the pill.
"Refine!"
He let out a low shout and formed seals with both hands. A faint glow rose from his palms.
Finally, a seal struck the cauldron.
All the medicinal liquids inside the cauldron blended and gathered together.
The next stage was nurturing the pill.
When refining pills, one had to form different alchemy hand seals according to the situation, controlling the cauldron's flames, temperature, and the rhythm of the pill-nurturing process.
There was no room for impatience at this stage; one had to wait patiently.
Shen Mo waited for roughly the time it took two incense sticks to burn. Only when he sensed the Vitality Strengthening Powder inside the cauldron gradually taking shape did he begin the final stage.
Condensed the core and shaped the form!
Buzz!
He struck out another hand seal. The burning Red Cloud Cauldron trembled slightly, letting out a low buzz.
In the next instant, the lid soared into the air, and a strange fragrance wafted out of the cauldron.
"Did it work?" Shen Mo asked, his face bright with delight as he caught the scent.
His happiness lasted only a moment. The fragrance vanished abruptly, replaced by an unpleasant burnt smell.
[You attempted to refine Vitality Strengthening Powder and failed.]
[Your understanding of the Alchemy Dao has improved. Alchemy experience +1]
[Your proficiency in refining Vitality Strengthening Powder has increased. Vitality Strengthening Powder proficiency +2]
A notification quickly appeared in the panel's information bar.
"Just as I thought. There's basically no chance of succeeding on the first try."
"I don't think anything went wrong while nurturing the pill. Did I raise the cauldron too soon during the final stage of forming the pill?"
After reviewing his failure, Shen Mo quickly lit the fire again and prepared for another attempt.
Night passed, and the Rising Sun climbed into the sky.
Shen Mo glanced at the brightening sky and twisted his neck, sore from spending so long refining pills. "Time really flies. Before I knew it, the whole night had passed."
He had attempted to refine Vitality Strengthening Powder thirty times that night.
He had produced three successful batches. The remaining twenty-seven had all been failures.
"Not bad."
Shen Mo wasn't disappointed with the results. On the contrary, he was quite satisfied.
After all, his success rate was already much better than it had been when he first tried Talisman Making.
He had likely achieved these results because Alchemist Red Cloud's insights into the Alchemy Dao had given him a wealth of experience out of nowhere.
The lifelong insights of a second-tier alchemist had saved him from taking many unnecessary detours.
It was time to report to the sect gate. He glanced out the window at the bright sky.
After tidying up his room and washing, he prepared to head out.
But before leaving—
"Let's give it a try."
He picked up one batch of Vitality Strengthening Powder and swallowed it.
"Phew, this medicinal power is quite effective."
As the spirit medicine entered his stomach, a burning sensation spread through his body. At the same time, the Heaven Origin Technique continuously drew in and refined its power.
Before long, the medicinal power had been refined into wisps of pure spiritual energy, which gathered in his qi sea.
"Now that I've learned this formula, I won't have to worry about running out of medicine to take."
The greatest effect of Vitality Strengthening Powder was to improve the vitality and strengthen the bodies of Body Tempering Realm cultivators, building up the strength they needed for cultivation.
In terms of medicinal efficacy and value, it couldn't compare to the exceptionally precious Qi Gathering Pill, a single one of which could help a cultivator break through a realm.
But this medicine's greatest advantage was its low cost. It also didn't build up much resistance, so it could be taken over a long period. With steady use, it could shorten the time spent in arduous cultivation.
The medicinal power of that batch of Vitality Strengthening Powder helped Shen Mo solidify the somewhat unstable aura left over from his breakthrough a few days earlier, consolidating his newly reached realm.
River-Facing Sect, mountain gate.
When Shen Mo arrived, Cao Ren was already there.
After greeting him, Shen Mo started slacking off as usual, leaving Cao Ren to keep watch for him.
Meanwhile, he used the time to focus on cultivating the Heaven Origin Technique.
At noon, when it was time to eat,
Cao Ren suddenly shared some news that left Shen Mo stunned.
"I've already handed in my resignation to the steward. Starting tomorrow, I won't be guarding the mountain gate anymore."
"You're quitting?"
Shen Mo's brows knitted together in surprise.
"Yeah." Cao Ren nodded. "My cultivation has reached a critical stage, and I'm not far from breaking through."
"For the next two months, I'm going to make a push. I'll use the Qi Gathering Pill you gave me and go into seclusion for a while."
"If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to break through."
He was already nearing the pinnacle of the Body Tempering Realm. Breaking through meant entering the Qi Gathering Realm.
Once he succeeded, he could become an Inner Sect disciple and fulfill his long-held wish.
"From now on, I won't be able to guard the mountain with you."
"Do a good job on your own, and slack off less. Otherwise, the steward might catch you and give you an earful."
That guy was leaving.
From now on, slacking off and cultivating during their shifts probably wouldn't be so easy.
Thinking about it, Shen Mo couldn't help feeling a faint melancholy.
His previously carefree mood grew a little heavier.
Over the next few days, Shen Mo guarded the mountain gate alone.
He kept watch during the day, then returned at night to cultivate and refine pills. He felt as if there simply weren't enough hours in the day.
On the fourth day, a new disciple surnamed Zhao arrived to guard the mountain gate with him.
However, this disciple Zhao was cold and aloof, the sort with an ice-cold face. He wasn't as easygoing as Cao Ren.
After spending two days with him, Shen Mo felt there was little chance of turning him into a tool to help him slack off.
After weighing it over, he finally went to the steward and handed in his resignation.
He was giving up the cushy job of guarding the mountain gate.
"From now on, I'll focus on Alchemy and Talisman Making to support my cultivation," Shen Mo murmured as he walked home.
The monthly pay for guarding the mountain gate was far too low.
Before, Shen Mo hadn't had any way to make a living, so he could only take a job like this. Getting a few cultivation resources each month was better than nothing.
Now that his Talisman Making skills were well-honed, they could bring him far more income than this job.
The small monthly salary was practically negligible.
The main reason he hadn't resigned earlier was that the job was easy. With Cao Ren's help, it barely took up any of his time. He could slack off whenever he wanted, do his own work on the clock, and collect his salary for free.
But now Cao Ren was gone, and there was no one left to keep watch while Shen Mo slacked off.
Wasting his time there every day would only eat into his cultivation time. It wasn't worth it; he might as well quit and devote himself to cultivation.
"Now that I've quit, I can't afford to slack off."
Back in his room, Shen Mo took out paper and brush and drew up a detailed schedule. "I need to plan how to arrange my time from now on."
Cultivation required both perseverance and self-discipline.
"I can't spend all my time refining pills. I can't neglect my cultivation, martial skills, or immortal arts, either."
"I need to develop in every area."
Last month, Shen Mo had devoted all his time and energy to Talisman Making, letting his cultivation slide instead.
Shen Mo thought it over carefully. "I'll set aside the time from early morning until noon for alchemy. I'll spend the afternoon cultivating and meditating, and practice martial skills in the evening."
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