Alchemist Sun

After equipping the Origin Condensation Art, all information related to the technique had already been poured into his mind.

Li Yuan did not immediately try to condense his spiritual power. Instead, he went over every step of the technique three times in his mind. Only after confirming that he knew every crucial point like the back of his hand did he slowly close his eyes and circulate the Origin Condensation Art.

The spiritual power within his Dantian began gathering toward the center under the technique's guidance.

The force of the spiritual power's resistance immediately emerged.

With every fraction of tightening, a counterforce surged outward from within the spiritual power, like the rebound of a compressed spring.

Li Yuan controlled the pace, neither fast nor slow.

The first condensation was only shallow. The density of his spiritual power rose by the slightest amount, and the spiritual power at the center of his Dantian became a little more compact than that at the edges.

The second tightening was greater than the first and lasted longer as well.

The spiritual power's resisting force increased accordingly.

Li Yuan maintained it for roughly twenty breaths before slowly letting go.

The instant the spiritual power spread apart, a faint sore, swollen sensation rose from his Dantian and spread through his meridians to his entire body before quickly fading.

A third time, a fourth time, a fifth time.

Each condensation went a little deeper than the last and lasted a little longer.

During the process, Li Yuan discovered something: his spiritual power resisted condensation less than he had expected.

The purer the spiritual power and the fewer its impurities, the lower the resistance during condensation.

The Permanent Affix of Spirit Qi Filtration had stripped the impurities from his spiritual power completely clean. Such purity became an enormous advantage in cultivating the Origin Condensation Art.

With fewer impurities, the repulsive force between strands of spiritual power was weaker, making them easier to press together during compression.

It was like wringing a towel. A clean towel was far easier to twist than one caked with mud and sand.

The corner of Li Yuan's mouth lifted slightly.

Spirit Qi Filtration and the Origin Condensation Art—one purified spiritual power, while the other compressed it.

Purified spiritual power was easier to compress, while compressed spiritual power became even purer due to its greater density and fewer impurities.

The two complemented each other perfectly.

Without realizing it, he practiced for more than half an hour. Li Yuan ended his cultivation and slowly exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

The panel appeared.

[Origin Condensation Art: Entry Level (0/200)]

He had reached Entry Level. It was faster than both the Iron Ox Technique and the Nurturing Origin Technique.

Li Yuan put away the panel, poured himself a bowl of cold water, took a sip, then returned to the bedside. He sat cross-legged and circulated the Spirit Guiding Art.

That afternoon, Li Yuan organized his belongings, hung his waist token at his belt, and pushed open the door.

Although he had returned to the market district to rest for several days, it did not mean patrols were no longer necessary. There was simply less time for them.

When he reached the fork where the old woman sold medicinal pills, Li Yuan's steps paused slightly.

The stall was still there, but the person sitting behind it had changed.

It was not the skinny old woman, but an old man with grizzled hair.

He looked around sixty, though his face did not appear particularly aged. His cheekbones stood high, his chin was sharp, and his fingers were slender, their tips faintly yellowed. His eyes were small but exceptionally bright. His aura was deep and solid, much stronger than He Shou's, though still a notch below Wang De's.

The items on the stall were somewhat different from before.

There were several more porcelain bottles, and the varieties had become much more mixed. The Turbidity Cleansing Pills and Yuan Condensing Powder were still there, while three or four unfamiliar medicinal pills with different colors and forms had appeared beside them.

A row of Fiend Essence Pills had been placed separately on the right side of the stall, each stored in its own bottle.

Li Yuan counted them. Twelve pills.

There were more than twice as many as when the old woman had been here.

Li Yuan crouched in front of the stall and glanced over the new medicinal pills beside it.

He picked up each one and asked a few questions, but did not discover any affixes.

Li Yuan then picked up a bottle containing a Fiend Essence Pill and weighed it in his hand.

"Fiend Essence Pills are still two Spirit Stones each?"

The old man nodded. His gaze paused briefly on the waist token at Li Yuan's belt before shifting away.

"How did you know the price of Fiend Essence Pills?"

"I bought some from your wife before."

The old man's expression changed. He looked Li Yuan up and down twice, his eyes narrowing as realization suddenly dawned on him.

"You're the patrol inspector who bought the Fiend Essence Pills?"

The old man slapped his thigh and straightened up.

"My wife told me about you. She said a patrol inspector bought one Fiend Essence Pill, then later came back for four more. You said the effect was decent and even asked whether there was any stock left."

The old man's tone carried both surprise and curiosity.

"I set aside three Fiend Essence Pills for you. Why hadn't you come to collect them?"

Li Yuan fell silent for a breath, scratched his chin, and let his gaze drift slightly aside.

"My Spirit Stones have been a little tight lately, so I didn't come."

The Fiend Essence Pills truly were not bad, but at two Spirit Stones each, the expenses added up to no small sum.

More importantly, Affix Permanentization was where his Spirit Stones needed to go first. No matter how many medicinal pills without affix enhancements he bought, they would only be icing on the cake.

The old man gave an understanding oh and nodded without asking why Li Yuan was short on Spirit Stones.

"No matter."

Li Yuan thought for a moment, then added, "But I can introduce some customers to you. Quite a few cultivators in the market district need cheap medicinal pills."

"Introduce customers?" The old man tilted his head, seeming unconcerned. "No one buys this stuff to begin with. The side effects are too severe; ordinary people can't endure them."

As he spoke, the old man tapped his fingers among several porcelain bottles on the stall.

"The Turbidity Cleansing Pills and Yuan Condensing Powder sell reasonably well. The Fiend Essence Pills are a formula I worked out myself, imitating the principles of Sha Spirit Pills. I removed the breakthrough function and retained the effect of accelerating cultivation, but I still haven't fully resolved the Fiend Qi problem."

The old man sighed here and shook his head.

"My wife says I spend all day researching these unprofitable things. She's right, but my hands just itch for it."

Li Yuan listened without replying.

After pausing for a while, the old man suddenly tilted his head. His bright eyes fixed on Li Yuan.

"I am curious, though. How can you withstand the side effects of Fiend Essence Pills? One pill is one thing, but you've taken five in total. The accumulated Fiend Qi is no trivial matter."

"My internal organs are fairly strong," Li Yuan said briefly.

The old man looked Li Yuan up and down a few times. His tone became more serious as he rubbed his fingers against his chin.

"Would you be willing to test pills for me?"

"Test pills?"

"Help me test medicine," the old man explained.

"Whenever I improve a pill formula, I need someone to take it and see the effects and side effects. I used to test them myself, but these old bones of mine can't withstand much more tossing around. Finding a young cultivator with strong internal organs to help test them would save me a great deal of trouble."

Li Yuan did not hesitate. "No."

The old man was not surprised. He waved a hand.

"Fine. I was only asking."

After a moment of silence, the old man looked at Li Yuan again, seeming to ponder something.

Then he reached across the stall, picked up two bottles of Fiend Essence Pills, and pushed them toward Li Yuan.

"These two Fiend Essence Pills are for you."

Li Yuan looked at the two bottles being offered. The hand he extended to take them paused.

"What are the conditions?"

"Help me gather some herbs outside." Leaning against the wall, the old man's tone became more serious.

"You're the vice-captain of the Patrol Squad, and you often go outside. I heard your squad has patrol missions in the outskirts."

"Herbs are difficult to find these days. If you come across any while patrolling outside, help me gather them and bring them back. I'll buy them at market price and won't short you a single coin."

The old man raised one finger and added another point.

"Also, every time you gather herbs for me, besides Spirit Stones, I'll give you extra Fiend Essence Pills or other medicinal pills as payment."

Li Yuan rapidly turned the offer over in his mind.

The conditions were not harsh.

He would buy the herbs at market price and give extra pills as well. In other words, Li Yuan only needed to spend the time and effort of gathering them in exchange for Spirit Stone income and medicinal pill supplies.

For the old man, it saved the time and cost of going out to gather herbs himself.

It was mutually beneficial.

"Will any herbs do, or are there specific ones?"

The old man pulled a folded slip of paper from his robes and handed it over.

Li Yuan accepted it and unfolded it for a look. It was densely covered with the names and simple sketches of more than a dozen herbs, with their growing environments and identifying features noted beside them.

Some were familiar to Li Yuan. Green Jade Grass and Red Root Vine were common in the outer regions of the Yuanheng Mountains. Others he had never seen before, but the drawings were detailed enough that following the map to find the horse would not be difficult.

"They're all commonly used ingredients for refining First-Order Pills. They aren't worth much, but they're genuinely difficult to buy on the market right now."

The old man pointed at several herbs at the top of the paper.

"These are in the shortest supply. Prioritize gathering them if you come across them. Pick the others whenever you happen to see them."

Li Yuan folded the paper and tucked it into his sleeve, then reached out and picked up the two Fiend Essence Pills from the stall cloth.

"Alright."

The wrinkles on the old man's face relaxed, revealing a mouthful of uneven teeth.

"Oh, right. My surname is Sun. Just call me Old Sun."

"Li Yuan."

Li Yuan tucked the Fiend Essence Pills into his sleeve, rose to his feet, nodded, then turned and continued his patrol along North Alley.