Old Fool That I Am-Dragon-and-Tiger Alchemy!

42-24 years old.

The little kid in front of me is older than the reign of the Great Yu dynasty.

And... pills?

The Seven-Orifice Dragon-Tiger Pill that transforms one into a human?

Li Mo thought to himself, "Everything has a spirit, and there's a talking hammer lying in the World Seed."

It seems that the ability of elixirs to transform into human form isn't so hard to understand now.

He also possessed many priceless elixirs, but none were as miraculous as this.

"The sect says I have a congenital defect, and I suppose that's not entirely wrong."

Tang Xiaobao rubbed his chin:

"My master also said I'm a bit lacking."

"What is missing?"

"Idiot."

"..."

Li Mo felt that Elder Xue was talking about might not necessarily be physical.

The two picked up the books, and since they were both heading to Cauldron Peak, they decided to travel together.

"By the way, Junior Brother Li, you've reached the Jade Liquid Realm now?"

Midway through, Tang Xiaobao spoke up and asked a question.

"Yes."

Li Mo nodded.

"Junior brother, you're such a pervert."

Tang Xiaobao said sincerely.

"... Thank you for the compliment."

Li Mo took it as a compliment.

Tang Xiaobao sighed with some distress, "If this continues, the next time I see you and Junior Sister Ying Bing, I'll have to call them Senior Brother and Senior Sister."

In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, martial arts reign supreme, and most sects rank members according to their strength. Clear Abyss Sect is no exception.

So he used to be the senior disciple of Cauldron Peak.

I'm now the junior apprentice.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Xiao Bao, you'll always be my senior brother."

Li Mo, recalling the other person's astonishing age, solemnly made a promise.

"No wonder everyone in the sect says that Junior Brother Li has the demeanor of an ancient gentleman; you're quite a nice person too."

Tang Xiaobao smiled happily and clenched his fist again:

"I will also work hard and strive to reach the Profound Pill Realm before you."

"By the way, Junior Brother Li, will you be watching me practice later? Master will be there too."

"Okay."

Originally, Li Mo was going to see Elder Xue, and he was also a little curious about Tang Xiaobao's martial arts practice, so he agreed without much thought.

Soon.

The two arrived at Cauldron Peak.

Among the peaks, this one has the most lush vegetation, and a unique fragrance can be smelled everywhere.

Li Mo took a few more breaths and found it smelled quite pleasant.

Upon reaching the summit, one finds the living quarters of the True Disciple and the peak-leading elder Xue Jing.

The furnishings were extremely simple: a small courtyard with a huge Dragon-Tiger Pill Furnace in the center, just like the one Li Mo had seen in the medical clinic.

At this moment, blazing flames were leaping beneath the Pill Furnace, and the temperature was extremely high.

Xue Jing and his two True Disciples, a man and a woman, happened to be refining pills.

All three were focused intently on the Pill Furnace, each performing their assigned task.

The male True Disciple are responsible for introducing new materials, True Disciple are responsible for cleaning up the residue.

Xue Jing, on the other hand, focused solely on controlling the flames and extracting and purifying the medicinal herbs.

Now was not the time to make a sound and disturb them, so Li Mo and Tang Xiaobao quietly watched from the side.

"Add Yellow Origin Fruit."

After Xue Jing spoke, the male disciple quickly took out a thumb-sized, crystal-clear fruit.

Apart from the Black Baleful Wood Oil used to enhance the firing process, Little Li didn't recognize any of the other materials.

Fortunately, Tang Xiaobao was there to explain things to us.

"The medicinal properties of Yellow Origin Fruit are mild; when combined with other main ingredients, its medicinal effects can be made more active."

"Next, Master should add the Dust-Separating Flower."

What exactly is the "Dust-Separating Flower"?

Li Mo had no ambition to become an Alchemist; he was simply curious about the process of alchemy.

I've read about it so many times in novels, but this is the first time I've seen it in person.

"The Dust-Separating Flower is naturally used to separate medicinal properties."

"I see."

Seeing Xue Jing take out a jade shovel and rummage through the materials in the Pill Furnace, Li Mo felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

I can't quite put my finger on what's strange about it.

At this time.

Xue Jing then said solemnly:

"Bring me the True Precious Pill Liquid."

The male disciple immediately became solemn and carefully took out a basin containing a pool of pale golden liquid.

It's clear that this is a very precious material.

It contains a strong sense of vitality.

"True Precious Pill Liquid?"

Li Mo thought the name sounded impressive.

"Yes, it's my bathwater."

Tang Xiaobao said in a low voice.

Li Mo: "..."

There's no need to explain everything in such detail.

"Reduce the sauce over high heat!"

After pouring the so-called True Precious Pill Liquid into the Pill Furnace, Xue Jing added Black Baleful Wood Oil.

Li Mo finally realized where that familiar feeling came from.

"Aren't we cooking?"

"Where's the supposedly sophisticated alchemy process?"

Little Li, rubbing his forehead.

"The two are not that different to begin with."

Tang Xiaobao blinked.

Li Mo: "... It doesn't seem like anything's wrong."

Cooking requires specific ingredients, and alchemy requires specific medicinal materials; the order of preparation is important for the former, and the same applies to the latter.

Moreover, both require extremely high control over the heat.

The only difference is that alchemy is more dangerous.

If the food isn't cooked properly, it will burn; similarly, elixirs might explode due to conflicting medicinal properties.

At this time.

The thrilling and exciting alchemy process has come to an end.

"This batch of Green Snake Blood Spirit Pill is now complete."

Xue Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

He already knew Li Mo was coming, so he turned around and smiled:

"This pill is good for body tempering, but unfortunately, it was ordered by Futu at a high price, so we can't spare two for you."

"Thank you for your concern, Elder Xue."

The meeting between the old man and the young man was quite harmonious.

Old Xue has always had a very good impression of this grand-apprentice.

"I don't know what to say about you."

Xue Jing looked at Li Mo, who was now vastly different from before, and chuckled to himself:

"How did you manage to sneak into the Avici Trial and even get first place?"

"It was all fortuitous opportunity coincidence, really."

Li Mo humbly cupped his hands in greeting. "My Internal Breath is rather special; it just so happens to be able to erase the aura of the Swallow Before the Hall."

"Have some tea."

Xue Jing gestured for him to sit down.

Li Mo naturally sat down on the rosewood chair next to him and casually brewed two cups of tea.

I learned it from Ice Block.

"You did a good job."

Xue Jing picked up his teacup and took a sip:

"If you leave your Swallow Before the Hall, we can keep track of any moves the Drizzle Pavilion makes in Purple Sun Prefecture immediately."

"However, their 'Swallow Before the Hall has a very unique preparation method. How could your Internal Breath erase the aura from it?"

If the Swallow Before the Hall are so easy to scare away...

Even the Drizzle Pavilion wouldn't be so feared throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

Not to mention assassinating the king.

You'll see at a glance.

Li Mo flicked his finger, and a wisp of deep red Internal Breath shot out, landing on the pill residue from before.

Crackling--

The tiny flame burned quietly, as if it were eternal.

The dregs that hadn't been refined by the high temperature of the Pill Furnace were slowly disappearing, being burned away completely.

Xue Jing narrowed his eyes, a strong light appearing in his pupils.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh:

"I'm so confused..."

"Back then, I should have taken you under my wing no matter what."

If this flame were used for alchemy, its future achievements would be extraordinary.

"Why do you say that, Elder Xue?"

Li Mo smiled wryly.

I've heard the old men say this many times.

"Even I, an old man, can at most purify the elixir ingredients to 99% purity."

"With practice, it's possible for you to achieve perfect accuracy."

"He's practically born to refine pills."

Xue Jing remarked with considerable emotion.

If Elder Han He were here, he would definitely say that Li Mo was born to be a blacksmith.

After all, forging also requires careful control of the heat.

Little Li also has a hammer that can forge Mystic Weapon...

"Master, Master."

"Now that you've finished refining the pills, it's my turn."

Tang Xiaobao climbed into the Pill Furnace, and a buzzing sound echoed inside.

Li Mo remained silent for a moment.

Since alchemy is like cooking.

Wouldn't that be similar to stewing oneself in an iron pot...? Ugh, just a random association.

"Um?"

Xue Jing was taken aback and looked at Li Mo.

"My Senior Brother Xiao Bao told me all this on the way here," Li Mo said.

Xue Jing nodded, but didn't say anything more.

He intentionally wanted Li Mo to observe more alchemy practices, so he sent the other two True Disciple away but kept him behind.

"Call--"

He touched Tang Xiaobao's forehead from a distance.

Instantly, a fragrant aroma, stirring deep within the soul, wafted out.

Li Mo seemed lost in thought.

It seems that Elder Xue had used special methods to seal away Senior Brother Xiao Bao's aura and internal energy, making him no different from an ordinary child.

Then, Xue Jing became solemn, his beard and hair standing on end, making him appear even more otherworldly.

An invisible field spread out.

The Dragon and Tiger coiled on the Pill Furnace seemed to have come to life.

The tiger's mouth and the dragon's maw opened wide, spewing out raging flames.