Learning Alchemy (Please Follow)

Before the bookshelf, Ye Jingcheng held two jade slips, hesitating between them. Ye Haiping did not urge him; on the contrary, he was more curious about Ye Jingcheng's choice.

"Eighth Granduncle, may I ask how many contribution points it costs to copy the formulas for the Body Tempering Pill and the Azure Spirit Pill?" After deliberating for a long while, Ye Jingcheng finally picked up the two jade slips and asked.

"The Azure Spirit Pill costs eighty contribution points, and the Body Tempering Pill costs sixty!" Ye Haiping finally answered with a smile.

"What about the other pills?" Ye Jingcheng continued asking.

"The Azure Origin Pill is seventy, the Qi-Blood Pill is fifty..." Ye Haiping answered each one in turn.

"Eighth Granduncle, I'll choose the Azure Spirit Pill formula. Also, I'll use contribution points to exchange for the Body Tempering Pill formula as well!" Ye Jingcheng quickly made his decision.

As another sixty points were deducted from his family token, two jade slips appeared in Ye Jingcheng's hands.

"Both jade slips must be returned within one month!" Ye Jingcheng nodded. One month was more than enough time for him to master the formulas.

"Eighth Granduncle, I'd also like to exchange for materials for twenty batches of Spirit Feeding Pills, ten batches of Body Tempering Pills, and five batches of Azure Spirit Pills!" Ye Jingcheng took out his family token again.

Ye Haiping nodded at this, quite satisfied with Ye Jingcheng's choice. Other cultivators might have directly exchanged everything for first-tier mid-grade materials.

But alchemy was hardly so easy. Proceeding step by step was the most reliable approach.

After another seventy contribution points were deducted from the token, Ye Jingcheng accepted it back with a pained expression.

With the spirit herb ingredients and pill formulas prepared, he headed home. Only after reviewing them at home for three days did he make his way to the Pill Pavilion.

Inside the Pill Pavilion, every alchemy room was tightly shut. Ninth Elder Ye Haitian sat leisurely in his seat, with his treasured bell placed beside him.

Clearly, it was not yet time to switch rooms. Those who came here to refine pills generally rented their rooms for three days and would not emerge until noon.

Ye Jingcheng had arrived a little early. Whenever he came early, he would help the Ninth Elder with some chores and take the opportunity to ask about alchemy.

That allowed him to gain a little more from every pill-refining session than the others.

Yet this time, Ye Haitian merely glanced at him before turning away and busying himself.

Ye Jingcheng was naturally rather puzzled.

Only after surveying the room did he suddenly understand.

One door was currently left half-open.

Delight instantly flooded Ye Jingcheng's face, because this alchemy room belonged to none other than Ye Family's Ye Haiyun.

The eldest of the Hai generation in the Ye Family, Ye Haicheng, was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The second, Ye Haiyi, was acknowledged as the strongest in Qi Refinement combat among the Ye Family and oversaw the Demon Hunting Hall. Meanwhile, the fourth, Ye Haiyun, was the Ye Family's greatest alchemist.

His alchemy room remained shut year-round!

But whenever it was left half-open, one could glimpse the pill-refining within through the narrow crack.

Ye Jingcheng's attainments in alchemy owed no small part to his frequent peeking.

Other Ye Family members might feel that, without the Fourth Elder's permission, it was best not to watch in secret.

But Ye Jingcheng saw things differently. If it was left half-open, wasn't that practically an invitation for them to watch?

They simply were not allowed inside, after all. The greatest taboo for cultivators refining pills was being disturbed!

As Ye Jingcheng watched, he also took out a jade slip and began recording.

Through the half-open door, he could see that it was precisely the moment to collect the pills. The pills being refined were Azure Spirit Pills.

There were ten glistening azure Azure Spirit Pills in all, every one plump and perfectly formed, their spiritual fragrance overflowing.

Ye Jingcheng's footsteps immediately halted. The early bird really did catch the worm!

Whether Ye Haiyun had not noticed Ye Jingcheng or for some other reason, he made no unnecessary movements. With a wave of his hand, he began nurturing the furnace again.

Like cultivation itself, alchemy involved countless considerations. The first step was to wipe away every trace of residual spirit herb dregs, then use precisely the right flame to bring the pill furnace to precisely the right temperature. This was nurturing the furnace.

This was also why Ye Haitian and Ye Haiyun favored Ye Jingcheng more. Every time, Ye Jingcheng would clean the pill furnace thoroughly, nurture it anew, and finally clean the alchemy room, leaving everything in perfect order!

The furnace nurturing continued. Yet unlike Ye Jingcheng's cautious approach, Ye Haiyun merely formed a hand seal, and the flames surged to half a man's height, radiating terrifying heat. In an instant, the pill furnace began to glow red-hot, while its engraved patterns came alive and shone with spiritual light.

Clearly, the furnace had been nurtured in just a few breaths.

The second step was refining the herbs. For some reason, Ye Jingcheng felt that Ye Haiyun slowed down considerably once he reached this stage. If nurturing the furnace had been accomplished in one smooth motion, then refining the herbs was cautious and deliberate, every step carefully secured.

Every detail was handled with extreme care.

Ye Jingcheng had just studied the pill formula and still had many doubts in his mind. At this moment, he could verify them one by one.

To understand them more clearly, he even took out the borrowed Azure Spirit Pill formula and compared it line by line. The sight made Ye Haitian's mouth twitch.

Still, he said nothing.

Ye Jingcheng had two jade slips in hand. He could not alter the Ye Family's jade slip, but his own jade slip was filled with a lengthy record, and he had even listed every possible variation.

Of course, the reason he could proceed so smoothly also had to do with Ye Haiyun refining pills exceptionally slowly today.

Ye Haiyun refined three furnaces of Azure Spirit Pills. Every furnace yielded ten full pills, their pill patterns rich and full, their spiritual energy dense.

It was not even noon yet when Ye Haiyun began refining Body Tempering Pills!

Ye Jingcheng's heart was full of gratitude, yet his desire to learn only grew stronger.

As Ye Jingcheng studied, several cultivators had already emerged.

They were somewhat puzzled, because Elder Ye Haitian had not rung his bell today to urge them on.

It left them feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it. And at this moment, there were still cultivators inside continuing to refine pills, as if preparing to make a fresh batch. They deeply regretted not staying a little longer.

The moment they came out, they saw Ye Jingcheng watching Ye Haiyun refine pills.

The two of them also moved closer to watch. But after watching for a while, they felt it was no different from what Ye Haitian had taught them. More importantly, they did not have the recipe for the Body Tempering Pill, so they simply returned to the alchemy chamber to refine pills once more.

It was not until the hour of Shen that Ye Haiyun put away his furnace, and the door began to close as well.

Ye Haitian began ringing the bell. Ye Jingcheng could not help recalling Ye Haiyun's words: there was no absolute fairness within the family.

Now it seemed that the family would also favor those who worked hard and persevered!

One cultivator after another walked out. Ye Jingcheng paid the spirit stones, rented the place for three days, and rented another pill furnace as well!

Afterward, he released the Crimson Flame Fox from the spirit beast pouch.

The Crimson Flame Fox let out shrill cries. Sensing the high heat, the fur covering its body gleamed an even more vivid red beneath the firelight.

"Little Flame, watch closely. If you can provide flames like this earthfire in the future, I'll give you an extra meal every day at midnight—four meals instead of three!"