First Alchemy!

Original old forest.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft!"

After being baked internally by high-temperature fireballs.

The scales, which were originally indestructible, had their defense greatly reduced.

Now, encountering Wind Blades, which specialized in cutting, was like butter being sliced by a hot knife.

Foul-smelling black blood gushed out.

The Ironback Black Python's massive body thrashed wildly on the ground.

Its tail swept indiscriminately, snapping several trees as thick as a person's embrace in half.

Wood chips flew, and dust filled the air.

But even so.

The Ironback Black Python wasn't completely dead; its vitality was outrageously tenacious.

Ye Xuan wasn't in a hurry to approach.

He stood ten paces away, watching quietly.

A cornered beast's struggle was the most dangerous.

There was no need to risk his life now.

He lightly rubbed his chin with his finger, his eyes looking at it like a pig ready for slaughter.

Only when the giant python's movements slowed down, until only a nervous tremor remained, did Ye Xuan take a step forward.

To be safe, he added another Wind Blade.

A green light flashed.

The huge snake's head rolled off to the side, the severed end as smooth as a mirror.

"That's better."

Ye Xuan walked forward and kicked the dead snake's head.

No reaction.

It was truly dead.

He didn't immediately tend to the vibrant red Vermillion Fruit. Instead, he took out a short knife from his bosom.

"Squelch."

He skillfully cut open the snake's belly.

A dark green snake gall was revealed, about the size of a fist, emitting a strange, clear fragrance.

A good thing.

Ye Xuan took out a jade bottle with the back of his hand, carefully placed the snake gall inside, and sealed the bottle's opening.

This thing, if taken to a mortal pharmacy, could be exchanged for ten thousand taels of gold.

Even in the Cultivation World, it was a rare primary ingredient for detoxification.

Next came skinning and sinew extraction.

His movements were fluid and natural, as if he had done it thousands of times.

In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn.

This Ironback Black Python, which once dominated a radius of ten miles, was reduced to a pile of neatly arranged materials.

Ye Xuan stuffed all these things into the Storage Bag at his waist.

After completing all this.

Ye Xuan turned and walked towards the Vermillion Fruit.

The bright red fruit was only the size of a thumb, its surface rippling with a faint rosy glow.

A Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit.

Although it wasn't some peerless divine medicine, for Ye Xuan at this moment, it was the best auxiliary ingredient for Alchemy.

"Plucked."

Ye Xuan did not hesitate, pulling it out by the roots.

Half an hour later.

Inside a hidden cave.

Ye Xuan cleaned the weeds from the cave entrance, sprinkled some insect repellent powder, and casually set up a simple warning trap.

"Clang."

A muffled sound.

A Bronze Cauldron, half a person's height, was brought out by Ye Xuan.

The cauldron was crudely made, its surface even pitted, and its three legs were uneven. It had to be propped up with a stone to sit flat.

This was the Alchemy Cauldron he had bought in Heyang City.

It had cost him five taels of silver.

If the guys from the Qingyun Sect who specialized in refining medicine saw it, they would probably laugh their teeth out.

This wasn't an Alchemy Cauldron at all.

It was clearly a giant incense burner!

Even the medicine-boiling pots in mortal pharmacies were better than this.

But Ye Xuan didn't care.

"A craftsman must first sharpen his tools to do his work well"?

That was for mediocre talents.

A true master could injure people with just a plucked leaf or a flying flower, and could refine divine pills even with a broken pot.

Of course.

Mainly, Ye Xuan didn't have money now, nor the channels to get a good Alchemy Cauldron.

"I'll make do with it."

Ye Xuan sat down cross-legged, his expression becoming serious.

The contents of Low-tier Alchemy Mastery appeared in his mind.

This was not just a skill, but also contained countless pill recipes.

Among them was a type of pill called the "Foundation Replenishing Pill," specifically used to strengthen the foundation and improve cultivation.

Soon.

Ye Xuan first took out the Vermillion Fruit from his Storage Bag.

He then took out several auxiliary herbs he had casually picked in the forest earlier—Purple Leaf Orchid, Earth Root Grass, and Hundred-Year He Shou Wu.

These herbs were treasures in the mortal world, but in the eyes of cultivators, they were just so-so.

Only this Vermillion Fruit was the core ingredient.

"Ignite."

Ye Xuan formed a hand seal with his right hand.

A ball of crimson flame rose from his palm.

This was not mortal fire, but True Fire catalyzed by his Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao spiritual energy.

He carefully controlled the heat and sent the flame to the bottom of the Bronze Cauldron.

This broken cauldron had uneven heating.

If the fire was too strong, the cauldron would explode.

If the fire was too weak, the medicinal properties couldn't be dissolved.

This required extremely precise micro-control.

Ye Xuan's divine sense was like a tentacle, tightly enveloping the cauldron, constantly sensing the temperature changes of every inch of the bronze wall.

"Sizzle..."

He first added the auxiliary herbs.

Under the high-temperature roasting.

The herbs quickly withered, blackened, and finally turned into balls of colorful medicinal liquid suspended in the cauldron.

Ye Xuan's fingers danced.

Spiritual energy transformed into invisible threads, meticulously removing impurities from the medicinal liquid bit by bit.

Black smoke rose.

A pungent smell filled the cave.

This was the toxins and waste residue from the herbs.

This step was crucial.

If the impurities were not removed cleanly, the pills refined would be poisonous.

Not only would they not increase cultivation, but they might also cause three days and three nights of diarrhea.

When the medicinal liquid became crystal clear and exuded a pure medicinal fragrance.

Ye Xuan's gaze sharpened.

"Now."

He grabbed the Vermillion Fruit and threw it directly in.

"Boom!"

As the Vermillion Fruit entered the cauldron, the originally gentle medicinal liquid instantly began to boil.

Fierce spiritual energy rampaged within the cauldron, causing the Bronze Cauldron to hum and vibrate, as if it would fall apart at any second.

This cauldron is really too shoddy!

It couldn't even withstand this slight impact of spiritual energy.

Ye Xuan's expression remained unchanged as he slammed his left hand onto the cauldron lid.

The Tai Chi primal energy within his body surged out madly, forcefully suppressing the restless cauldron.

"Condense!"

Ye Xuan let out a low growl.

Spiritual energy poured in like a tidal wave, forcibly compressing the violent medicinal power of the Vermillion Fruit together with the gentle auxiliary medicinal liquid.

This was a tug-of-war.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Ye Xuan's forehead.

Not from exhaustion.

But from the heartache of losing spiritual energy.

To protect this broken cauldron, he had consumed more spiritual energy than for the Alchemy itself!

It felt like using the finest silk to patch a burlap sack – a total loss no matter how you looked at it.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The vibrations within the cauldron gradually subsided.

The pungent smell of burning disappeared.

In its place was a refreshing, pleasant fragrance.

Just one whiff of this scent made every pore in his body relax, and all fatigue vanished.

It was done.

Ye Xuan extinguished the flame and let out a long sigh.

He didn't immediately lift the lid, but waited quietly for a moment, allowing the pill energy within the cauldron to settle slightly.

"Open."

A gust of wind from his palm.

The lid flipped open.

Five pills, the size of dragon's eyes, lay quietly at the bottom of the cauldron.

They were perfectly round, pale gold in color, with three subtle cloud patterns flowing across their surfaces.

Foundation Replenishing Pills.

And they were high-grade Foundation Replenishing Pills!

If he had used a top-quality Alchemy cauldron.

The medicinal power of this Vermillion Fruit could have yielded at least ten pills.

Now, only five were formed, with half the potency lost.

"Such a waste of resources..."

Ye Xuan shook his head, feeling a pang of regret.

But soon, this emotion was replaced by anticipation.

He picked up one of the pills and examined it.

The pill was warm and smooth like jade, containing astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations.