Cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.
Whether practicing alchemy or refining qi, they needed an external flame.
Those with the means drew fire from the earth's core, a stable flame whose heat was easy to control.
Those without could only burn spirit charcoal, using formations to regulate the temperature.
Some cultivators also raised fire-attribute demon beasts, using their demonic flames for alchemy and artifact refining.
Foundation Establishment cultivators, however, did not have to go to so much trouble.
Foundation Establishment cultivators developed innate true flame within their bodies. Although its power and the ease of controlling its heat still fell short of earthfire, it far surpassed demonic flames and the like.
Immortal Peach Mountain had no earthfire supply, so Master Hu used innate true flame for alchemy.
As he began purifying the medicinal ingredients with his true flame, the temperature in the Alchemy Room soon began to climb.
The Wang Family Ancestor sat cross-legged several yards away, staring unblinkingly at Master Hu's movements, betraying his nervousness.
The medicinal ingredients disappeared one portion at a time. A rich medicinal fragrance gradually filled the Alchemy Room, and the pill furnace began to tremble slightly.
Before they knew it, ten days had passed.
Suddenly, Master Hu's expression grew solemn. He formed a hand seal and gave a low shout: "Rise!"
Whoosh!
The furnace lid flew open, and two streaks of radiant light shot out, coming to rest before Master Hu and driving the temperature in the Alchemy Room up considerably once more.
The radiance faded, revealing two pills the size of pigeon eggs. Rather than reaching for them, Master Hu used his magical power to float them over to the Wang Family Ancestor.
Master Hu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Wang, I'm pleased to say I fulfilled the task. Two pills!"
"Only two." The Wang Family Ancestor paused in surprise, but immediately smiled. "Thank you for your efforts, Master Hu."
In theory, using seven-hundred-year-old golden marrow jade zhi as the main ingredient could yield up to three Foundation Establishment Pills under ideal conditions.
But if the refinement failed, producing not even a single Foundation Establishment Pill was perfectly normal.
Obtaining two pills had already met his expectations. The descendant he favored most had dual spirit root aptitude, and with a Foundation Establishment Pill's assistance, the chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment were quite high.
At that thought, the stone weighing on the Wang Family Ancestor's heart finally lifted.
"As long as another Foundation Establishment cultivator emerges within the lineage, everything will have been worth it."
Thirty days later, at Li Ping's cave abode.
A female cultivator from the Meng Family said respectfully, "Senior Li, these are the spirit stones earned from selling your Spirit Talismans, with the cost of your purchased materials already deducted. Please count them."
Li Ping swept his divine sense over the pile of spirit stones on the table and the sizable quantity of second-tier talisman-making materials.
After confirming the quantities were correct, he smiled and nodded. "Good, that's the right amount."
Hearing his response, the Meng Family cultivator could not help breathing a sigh of relief. "Then I won't disturb your cultivation any further, Senior."
Before coming, she had actually been anxious the whole time.
After all, many of the Foundation Establishment seniors on the mountain had peculiar tempers.
Their peculiar tempers were one thing, but every one of them also held a lofty position, and her own ancestor took their opinions very seriously.
As a cultivator sent by the Meng Family to deal with the Foundation Establishment seniors on the mountain, she handled every transaction with extreme care, terrified of making a mistake and provoking their anger.
If something like that happened, she was certain the lineage would transfer them away from Immortal Peach Mountain to appease those Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Stewards on Immortal Peach Mountain earned far more each year than the lineage's other stewards, and she had no desire to be transferred away.
She had heard that some Foundation Establishment seniors on the mountain liked to haggle over every copper and would often fly into a rage over an accounting discrepancy of just one or two spirit stones.
That was still relatively normal. Some Foundation Establishment seniors even liked to get handsy with low-ranking cultivators like them during transactions, saying strange things such as, "You wouldn't want to lose this job, would you?"
Fortunately, Senior Li isn't that sort of weirdo. He's quite easy to get along with and doesn't deliberately make things difficult for low-ranking cultivators like us, the Meng Family cultivator thought as she respectfully withdrew.
Watching the Meng Family cultivator leave, Li Ping swept his sleeve and put the spirit stones and numerous talisman-making materials on the table into his Storage Bag.
Today was New Year's Eve, the day of the Shared Boat Association cultivators' annual gathering. Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, and the others would all arrive shortly.
Li Ping had already informed Immortal Peach Mountain's managers in advance, asking them to let Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, and the others through.
Sitting in the pavilion, Li Ping's eyes held a trace of amusement.
Over the past month, he had not only completely converted the magical power within his body into Longevity Art magical power, but had also begun cultivating the Longevity Art's first level.
Of course, since he had yet to draw primordial aura from medicinal pills, his current Longevity Art magical power displayed no wondrous properties and was no different from ordinary magical power.
Master Hu's second-tier upper-grade Pill Refiner legacy would not be easy to obtain for now. Li Ping planned to visit the markets in the Immortal City after the New Year, or ask the Meng Family for help, to see whether he could buy a first-tier Pill Refiner legacy and start practicing first.
With his current wealth, buying a first-tier upper-grade Pill Refiner legacy would be easy.
While Li Ping was pondering this, Zhang Tie's voice reached his ears. "Big Brother, this place of yours is truly magnificent."
Li Ping looked up and saw Zhang Tie entering from outside the courtyard, peering furtively around. He looked rather restrained and thoroughly ill at ease.
Because his six sworn siblings were coming today, Li Ping had not completely sealed the formation. Instead, he had deliberately left an entrance in the courtyard's formation, allowing Zhang Tie to walk straight in.
Li Ping smiled and beckoned. "Second Brother, come sit!"
That evening, the Shared Boat Association's seven cultivators gathered in the main hall of Li Ping's cave abode. Li Ping could clearly sense the envy in the others' eyes.
Compared with Li Ping's luxurious cave abode, which covered a thousand mu, the Outer City where they lived was practically a latrine.
At the same time, however, this further strengthened their determination to reach Foundation Establishment.
Once they became Foundation Establishment cultivators, they too could soar into the heavens in a single leap, just like their big brother.
The seven first discussed their respective progress in cultivation. However, they had already gathered a few months earlier when Li Ping reached Foundation Establishment, and too little time had passed since then.
Thus, the Shared Boat Association cultivators' cultivation levels had not changed much from that time.
Only their third brother, Gu Musheng, had successfully advanced to the late Qi Refining stage, thanks to a Qi Condensation Pill he had obtained from Master Hu's eldest disciple, Feng Qufeng.
There was also their fifth brother, Qi Hanmo. According to him, his musical skills had improved again during this period, and he was now a first-tier upper-grade musician.
At his words, everyone, Li Ping included, looked at him in surprise.
Admittedly, among the hundred cultivation arts, being a musician was a lower-to-middle-end profession, easy to get started in. Unlike alchemy, artifact refining, and similar professions, studying it did not consume vast quantities of resources.
But they could not forget that Qi Hanmo had only just entered the middle Qi Refining stage, and even after the New Year, he would only be twenty-seven.
Becoming a first-tier upper-grade musician at such a young age still came as quite a surprise to everyone.
Clearly, Qi Hanmo had a great talent for music!
Of course, his rapid progress likely also had much to do with his love of music.