The Pill Workshop

"Alas, life is unpredictable..." Xiao Yushi shook her head and sighed, "But who would have thought that what Duke Yongchong couldn't accomplish back then, Duke of Shouyang is about to do..."

"Huh? Which eunuch is this?" Li Fan didn't react.

Xiao Yushi wasn't surprised by his persona. She explained, "What eunuch? He's the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, the Duke of Shouyang, Sima Xuanwen. Li Lang, if you don't understand the ins and outs of the Immortal Palace, don't meddle in the affairs of the Three Great Sects. Just remember, when you travel the world in the future, never offend anyone from the Grand Tutor Manor. Sigh, that person is the true ruler of the world, far more powerful than my father."

Li Fan was a little confused. "Well, there are actually quite a few people more powerful than Ruler Xiao's Country, right? Cough cough, I mean, now that Sanyuan has suffered a crushing defeat in Kun Country, does that mean they're pretty powerful?"

Xiao Yushi smiled and said, "Since the Immortal Venerable, the only powerful ruler who can lead the Immortal Clan and control the Three Enclosures, Six Departments, Four Constellations, and the Northern and Southern Armies is the current Grand Tutor."

Now that the Wen Tianjun is dead, the various kingdoms are in turmoil, and no vassal king or clan leader can challenge the Three Realms anymore. It is said that even the Nine Great Xuan Sects have joined forces with the Grand Tutor in order to focus on dealing with the Divine Sect. Yuntai Peak is almost controlled by the Grand Tutor Manor.

Although I am but a woman, I can see that the revival of the Immortal Palace and the unification of the world are unstoppable. In short, the world may seem chaotic at the moment, but the general trend will soon become clear, and you will see it when you watch."

Xiao Yushi was surprised that she thought so highly of Li Fan, the Grand Tutor of the Three Palaces. Of course, she didn't look down on him. It was just that based on her own experience, she felt that among the Three Great Sects, the Immortal Palace was clearly inferior to the Profound Sect and the Divine Sect. It was just relying on the legacy of its ancestors. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. It was just struggling to survive.

However, upon closer reflection, the Immortal Palace has actually been embroiled in chaotic internal strife since the Immortal Venerable's death, with various factions and cliques vying for power. Comparing its current fragmented and inflicted strength to the united Divine Sect or the Nine Great Xuan Sects mystical sects gathered through Yuntai Peak is indeed unfair. Perhaps, as Xiao Yushi said, once the Grand Tutor Manor takes the lead in unifying the Immortal Palace, then these will truly be the Three Great Sects?

Of course, these things have nothing to do with Li Fan. And if we have to say, Ink Bamboo Mountain seems to be part of the Grand Tutor's faction, right? That guy from the Grand Tutor Manor still owes him some wages, which shows that Li Fan is a good friend of the Three Great Sects!

Alright, enough joking around. Xiao Yushi had a subtle fragrance about her, whether from applying perfume or powder. And whether it was from the heat or something else, she took off her shawl while writing a few words with a brush, revealing her round, pink shoulders and a pair of jade-like arms. She kept rubbing against Li Fan, making him restless.

So, in order not to disturb her reciting the Ling Shu, Li Fan chose 'Leave voluntarily' at this plot fork.

Just then, Zhou Chengxue came over to visit him.

"Brother Li, I heard you went out to sea to hunt monsters? Did you hunt anything good? Should I take you to exchange for some magic treasures or talismans?"

"Oh, just some strange and unusual things. But I gave all the monster materials to the two from the Ling family to hand over. There are also some things I picked up casually from the seabed nearby, probably unclaimed. Brother Zhou, could you help me see if there's anything valuable?"

After all, his mission was actually to 'protect the Ling family sisters.' Now that everyone was on good terms with each other, helping them fight a few monsters was no big deal. The key was to use them to bring the matter of the Shatentacle and the Devil Embryo Fetus to the forefront through the official channels of the Zhenzhen Palace. He wanted to see how the upper echelons of Penglai would react when the spies of the Divine Cult had come to their doorstep.

"Of course... Holy crap!" Zhou Chengxue took the Storage Jade from Li Fan, glanced at it, and almost bit his tongue. "Could this be Brother Li's collection over the years?"

Li Fan shook his head. "No, these are just what I picked up this time. The East Sea is truly abundant. Rare treasures are everywhere. I just casually picked them up and collected so many. Joining Penglai is so lucky!"

Zhou Chengxue was dumbfounded. "Really? Is Penglai really this wealthy? Are thousand-year-old red corals something you can just pick up anywhere? Why have I never encountered one before?"

"Honglan... Oh, this? I found it by chance when I was chasing a monster. It was such a big piece that it took up too much space, so I cut off some of the rest and threw it away. Is this thing really that rare? Coral is everywhere, isn't it? I thought it was pretty because it was sparkling, so I took some. I was planning to make jewelry for Yuzhi. What's the use of this? Is it for Foundation Establishment?" Li Fan made up a story half-truthfully.

Zhou Chengxue clutched his chest, took three deep breaths, and muttered something like "fools have their luck" before calming himself down. He then said, "Red Orchid Coral isn't just a powerful treasure for Foundation Establishment; it can also be used to refine pills. Brother Li, I apologize for being so presumptuous, but since you've collected so many materials this time, would you allow me to try my hand at refining a batch of pills for you?"

"Oh? Brother Zhou, you want to refine pills? Great! Can I come along and watch? I don't mean to steal your skills, I'm just a humble man from the mountains, I've never seen immortals refine pills before, I'm really curious."

Li Fan wasn't surprised by Zhou Chengxue's enthusiasm. After all, that's how it is in Penglai. The opportunities for alchemy in the sect are all monopolized by the top-ranked disciples. Ordinary alchemists have to beg the disciples who have collected the materials to help them practice alchemy.

However, Li Fan had never actually seen anyone else refine pills, since pill refining was a top secret in this world. Although he would occasionally take a pill, and had taken nearly a hundred of them, he had never actually refined a single batch himself.

Zhou Chengxue was overjoyed and pulled Li Fan along as they flew towards the swirling smoke and clouds of the Daoist palaces. "Why not? I was going to ask you to help anyway. Don't worry, you've collected so many treasures. I'll give you some supplementary materials so you can refine the Donghua Changchun Pill."

"Huh? So all you need is this to refine the Donghua Changchun Pill?" Li Fan was somewhat surprised. "It seems to be just some very ordinary seafood. I heard you say something about the 'Supreme Treasure Formula, the renowned Donghua Eternal Spring Divine Pill!' You said it was so powerful, I thought it required dragon liver and phoenix gall to refine."

Zhou Chengxue laughed and said, "Brother Li, you know nothing about alchemy, but you've hit the nail on the head. Let me ask you, is a pill formula that requires rare materials to refine superior, or is a pill formula that can be refined with common materials superior?"

"That's right... Oh, I see."

After Zhou Chengxue's explanation, Li Fan understood a little better.

The essence of alchemy is to remove impurities from external substances and retain as much of the refined essence as possible for the body to digest and consume. However, even the most skilled alchemist will inevitably suffer losses or even fail and cause a major disaster when refining and purifying pills.

Top-grade spiritual materials like dragon liver and phoenix gall are already exquisite enough. Frankly, wouldn't it be wonderful to make them into celestial cuisine, or even better, to enjoy them directly? Why risk using them to refine pills? And if a pill formula requires exceptionally rare key ingredients, it doesn't necessarily mean the alchemy itself is so powerful; it simply means the ingredients have particularly remarkable effects.

"Of course, those old-school ancient sects still focused on fully utilizing the characteristics of Heavenly Treasure and pursuing the ultimate efficacy of pills. After all, back then, various materials were scarce. If you lacked this or that, you would lack everything and have to fight for everything. In fact, not everyone was worthy of taking elixirs and miraculous medicines."

However, in recent years, with the completion of Yuntai Peak, the Nine Great Xuan Sects have continuously exchanged the Five Arts, and more and more people have entered the Dao of cultivation. The Dao of alchemy has also produced many talents. In addition, the output of various spiritual materials has also increased with the frequent appearance of the False Moon. At least in the Dao of alchemy, the Xuanmen have made many innovations and improvements.

In particular, we will improve those superior-grade elixir formulas with excellent medicinal effects, and gradually replace those rare and Heavenly Treasure with various common medicinal materials. While maintaining the efficacy of the elixirs, we will pursue increased production. In this way, various elixirs and spiritual medicines will no longer be unattainable, at least for the Inner Sect disciples.

As Zhou Chengxue spoke, he led Li Fan to the Penglai Mountain. With a flick of his jade pendant, he opened a barrier and entered the Penglai Grotto.

At a glance, Fourth Department can see a huge complex of Daoist palaces built on the floating fairy islands. The palaces and halls are connected in one place. From the top of the towers and pavilions, seven colors of smoke and mist, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, fill the sky and the earth. The rosy clouds and mist Fourth Department are like a fairyland on earth, covering the entire fairy island.

But these clouds of smoke are not as beautiful and harmless as they appear. They are not illusions, but rather the smoke rising from an alchemy furnace.

"Be careful of these clouds of smoke; the poison is very potent." Zhou Chengxue spread his hand, revealing a luminous magic treasure. It emitted a gentle breeze that dispersed the smoke and dust three zhang away, forming a spherical protective aura around him and Li Fan. Then he pointed to the palaces, "Those being refined are all Donghua Changchun Pill."

"All of them?" Li Fan was stunned. This place was the size of a small town Lou Guan Tower, and it was just a pill-refining workshop in Penglai? No, it couldn't be called a workshop anymore; it was practically a factory!

Zhou Chengxue took out a jade gourd from his bosom, poured out a pill of Donghua Changchun Pill to Li Fan, and explained, "This pill is the foundation of our Penglai overseas sect, which can compete with the powerful families of the Central Plains and stand firm among the Nine Great Xuan Sects."

The Donghua Changchun Pill, developed by our sect's Grandmaster of Alchemy, was remarkably effective in restoring the Daoist body from injuries. However, the original formula required not only auspicious beasts like the Qilin, Mirage Pearl, Fritillaria, Azure Luan, and Azure Dragon, but also various rare and precious treasures. This refined elixir, however, truly possessed boundless efficacy. Holding just half a pill under the tongue ensured an inexhaustible supply of vital essence and blood, allowing for instant healing even from fatal wounds like heart-splitting or abdomen-tearing during sword fights. This provided a tremendous advantage in combat. Therefore, as you have seen, our Penglai sect has now spread to the Nine Palaces, boasting numerous masters and dominating the world—all thanks to this.

"This is also a Nine-Turn Pill?" Li Fan frowned and looked at it. It had indeed been modified; the smell of this pill was much fainter than the ones refined by the Abbot.

"The formula for pills has changed. Back then, the Donghua Changchun Pill was a celestial pill that only the sect leader, palace master, and direct disciple could use. Now, the scales, bones, claws, and teeth of those Divine Beasts, as well as rare and precious treasures, have been replaced with materials commonly found in the East Sea. The medicine obtained through refining and purification can achieve a similar effect."

Of course, such a pill would not be very effective for the Dao body of Divine Transformation cultivator, but Divine Lords naturally have other alternatives. In any case, there are countless secret formulas for divine pills at that level; what is lacking is spiritual materials, so it doesn't matter if other materials are used."

Li Fan frowned, "But this can no longer be considered the 'Donghua Changchun Pill', can it?"

Zhou Chengxue laughed, "How can it not be? My Penglai sect calls it the Changchun Pill, Yuntai Peak also calls it the Changchun Pill, so it is. Besides, the effects of this pill are the same. It's enough to save the lives of Golden Core Stage disciples, and it can still be used to heal those in the Nascent Soul Realm. Moreover, if you wish, you can continue to add ingredients to refine it and gradually improve its efficacy. It's just that there are slight differences in the medicinal power."

Zhou Chengxue led Li Fan into an empty Daoist palace on the outskirts, presumably his own alchemy workshop. Inside was a huge alchemy furnace, three zhang tall, which was somewhat similar to the furnace used to stew the Five Immortals Soup on Ink Bamboo Mountain. However, the furnace had nine layers, with carvings of Qilin, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, Toad, White Tiger, Suanni, Zhuque, Chiwen, and Baxia from top to bottom.

But it looks like it's covered in dust, it hasn't been used in a long time, is it even usable...?

"Here, put these clothes on."

Zhou Chengxue took the Storage Jade and his own inventory and made some arrangements. He then gave Li Fan a blue Daoist robe, covered his face with a veil, and led Li Fan to the Daoist palace inside.

As soon as Li Fan entered, he sensed something was off. How to put it? It was too modern. Zhou Chengxue's alchemy workshop was relatively normal at first, with a strong cultivation vibe, but the Penglai Sect's alchemy workshop was different! The style was completely different! It was practically a factory!

Entering the factory requires passing through seven or eight doors. A refreshing breeze blows in as soon Door Opening, and the floor is covered in soft, anti-static material—clearly a standard negative-pressure cleanroom! The children coming and going inside are all dressed in Daoist robes and masked, each equipped with a protective shield made of spiritual jewels and jade. Not a single hair falls to the ground, and most of them are 'objects'—spirit children! This is practically an 'unmanned' factory!

Each palace has a ventilation system. Outside, the clouds and mist swirl around, but inside, there is a gentle breeze and no impurities. Moreover, this alchemy furnace is not made of bronze. It has been polished to a fluorescent shine, clearly made of some kind of alloy, but the basic structure is still there. It has nine layers, with pipes and feeding ports.

Li Fan was stunned. Zhou Chengxue pulled him aside and led him to the adjacent workshop, where trays of deer antlers were displayed, looking like...

"The horn of the Qilin is not the horn of the auspicious beast Qilin, but the horn of the Spirit Race of the East Sea. They regularly replace their horns and sell them to sects. There's plenty of them, and they can be refined and used." Zhou Chengxue said as he pointed to the horn for Li Fan.

Just then, a boy in the adjacent workshop brought over some Spirit Race horn as raw material. He first used Sword Light to grind it into powder, then put it into a pill furnace, added elixir, and boiled it down to produce a gel-like substance. Most of it was transported to the next workshop in a jade box Magic Treasure, but after the boy negotiated with Zhou Chengxue, he cut off a piece for him to take with him. However, there seemed to be a magic array restriction in this factory, so Storage Jade could not be used, and Li Fan was given a box to carry it.

I also toured other similar workshops and collected about thirty or forty kinds of ingredients and auxiliary materials. They were indeed common materials from the East Sea, such as pearls, corals, and herbs. The children continuously processed them into various powders, solutions, and colloids, all of which were mass-produced ingredients. I even borrowed a cart and piled it up high.

It's clear that the Penglai Sect also takes care of the Inner Sect disciples like Zhou Chengxue, allowing them to have the advantage of proximity and obtain semi-finished products for their own alchemy. As long as they replenish the corresponding materials afterward, it's fine. In any case, this is clearly a large-scale production factory with an assembly line that never stops, so taking a little less won't have much of an impact. With such large-scale production, the cost of the Donghua Changchun Pill must be kept extremely low.

Zhou Chengxue gathered enough materials and brought Li Fan out, pointing out the Dao Palace inside to him. "I can't take you in there. That's the forbidden area where pills are finally refined. There are many high-grade divine artifacts and Heavenly Treasure used for refining them."

Previously, the refining process had to be handled by at least a Grandmaster of Alchemy. However, the prescription has been improved, and elders also need to cultivate, so now it is handled by disciples from various mountains who have passed the examination to become Alchemists. In our Penglai, this is Xia Chengming from the Zhenzhen Palace.

Each of these alchemy workshops, Yingzhou Fanghu and others, has one. You've seen the top three on the list, right? They produce about four or five hundred pieces each month in total.

According to the agreement with Yuntai Peak, our Nine Truth Sect will pay 300 Donghua Changchun Pill every month, which will be distributed among the Nine Great Xuan Sects in exchange for raw materials and supplies from other sects. This is our permanent mission. Any excess will be given to the alchemists as a reward."

Li Fan frowned. "But aren't these sect resources? Didn't that top-ranked person just get over a hundred for free?"

"You mean Xu Chengyang? Ha, actually, you can't count it that way. Working for the sect will definitely take away from his own cultivation time. Moreover, the risk of refining pills is still very high. Even if the pill formula is changed, and even if those refining furnaces and magic treasures are all top-grade divine artifacts, the risk of ruining the pills after refining them to the ninth level is still very high."

I've roughly calculated the input. If there were enough refined materials, a single workshop should be able to produce a thousand pills. But the final product is only one or two hundred, which shows the yield rate isn't high. Moreover, to refine the Nine-Turn Elixir, at most one batch can be made per month. Some of the refined processes take at least several days, and it can't be rushed. If it fails, not only will all the accumulated rewards be returned, but it's not uncommon for the Dao Palace to have to pay the sect a lot of pills. If there are consecutive failures like this, even the position of Dao Child might be in jeopardy and someone else might have to take it.

Of course, being able to practice in person and receive guidance from many senior practitioners in the alchemy workshop is still very beneficial to the cultivation of alchemy."