"Did we lose money or make a profit?"
Yang Zhen muttered to himself, "A dozen martial Cultivation Method, a master alchemist's notes, various resources, and six storage rings. These paupers, even Golden Core Realm experts can't afford to each have a storage ring."
"It seems like we won't lose money. That formation is just a restriction, not very useful. Although we didn't catch a big fish, now that I think about it, if the Grand Master of the Great Jiang Kingdom really comes after us, the six-star formation might not be able to trap this old guy."
Yang Zhen couldn't discern the true level of the Great Jiang Kingdom's Grand Preceptor; the difference in their cultivation levels was quite significant, which posed a considerable risk.
As for the unstable array plates hanging on Yang Zhen's body, they were all things that Yang Zhen figured out on his own.
The contents of the Heavenly Book: Profound Principles Chapter are very complex, covering all kinds of properties and mutual generation and restraint among rare and heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and also touching on formations. The unstable formation plate that Yang Zhen created was originally hidden here, and now it has come in handy.
Only when he could no longer sense any fluctuations of energy behind him did Yang Zhen find a secluded spot to stop and look up at the star map.
Using stars for navigation is elementary school material. Although there's no Dipper here, with more observation, one can still find a way to determine direction. After confirming the direction of the East Sea again, Yang Zhen began to ponder the so-called alchemy master's notes.
Yang Zhen's cultivation level is currently unstable. Although he accidentally condensed his essence into a core and entered the Golden Core Realm, Yang Zhen Dantian is still not stable and needs some time to stabilize.
As luck would have it, among the alchemy master's notes was a five-star pill called the Dantian Stabilizing Pill, which could stabilize the Dantian and was most suitable for cultivators who had just broken through to the Golden Core Realm.
That makes things easier!
Yang Zhen decided... to refine pills!
Alchemy is a profound art. It requires not only a great deal of effort to become familiar with the properties of various materials, but also to master the various Pill Formula and alchemy techniques to a high degree.
Most importantly, Alchemist's True Essence must be profound, enduring, and of a gentle nature.
Although Yang Zhen's True Essence is a bit irritable, his self-control is amazing. This is nothing to worry about; his off-the-charts talent isn't just for bragging.
Besides these, the most difficult thing for Alchemist is collecting various materials. In Yang Zhen's eyes, this is simply a profession that burns money. No, burning money is not as extravagant as Alchemist's extravagance.
Fortunately, none of this was a problem for Yang Zhen. He had the materials, the Pill Formula, and his experience. The only drawback was that he had never refined pills before and didn't even have a Pill Furnace.
There's a saying that goes, "A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools." After emptying out a bunch of usable items, Yang Zhen began to refine the tools using the pressure cooker from his memory.
On a distant hilltop, two old men perched on a tree, looking at each other with blank expressions as they stared at Yang Zhen.
The curly-haired old man opened his mouth. "What does he want to do?"
"Weapon forging!" The bald old man curled his lip, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. "This brat is obviously an amateur. Is this how you forge weapons? What's the use of forging this junk? Can you even put it together?"
The curly-haired old man chuckled and said, "You're an expert in weapon crafting, so why is this kid's skill so amateurish?"
The bald old man was panting heavily with anger. He tried to stand up, but the curly-haired old man grabbed him and said, "Calm down, calm down. You're practically on your deathbed, why are you still so angry?"
"As if you have a very good temper?" the bald old man said angrily. "Don't let me find out who this brat's mentor is, or I'll definitely slap him a couple of times."
"You really have absolutely no idea what to expect?" the curly-haired old man asked curiously.
The bald old man glared and said, "If this can produce anything, Laozi 'll gnaw this tree down!"
The curly-haired old man curled his lip. "Don't rush, you're not hungry right now. Let's see what this kid is up to first. I have a feeling that the smile on this kid's face is... very confident?"
"Is this confidence?" The bald old man glared. "This is clearly despicable and shameless. I've never seen such a brat. What does he think weapon crafting is? Playing with mud?"
Yang Zhen stared blankly at the pot, lid, and vent valve in front of him, and gave himself a thumbs up.
"Wow, if this kind of technology existed on Earth, it could bankrupt all pressure cooker manufacturers! This is practically Law Treasure —a pressure cooker that will never explode, a pressure cooker that can stew bones until they melt!"
As Yang Zhen muttered to himself, he spun around, assembling various parts without even using screws, using only some simple Luban buckles. Now, not only the buyer, but even he, the maker, couldn't take it apart.
Perfect!
explode?
Impossible. This is an extremely rare six-star refined iron, handcrafted and polished, with many simple and practical formations engraved on it. Anyway, Yang Zhen himself was extremely satisfied.
"Huh?" The curly-haired old man exclaimed in surprise, nudging the bald old man with his shoulder, and said, "It seems to have worked. Does this... count as a success?"
"Impossible, this... what use is this pieced-together thing?" The bald old man seemed not to hear the curly-haired old man's words, got up and was about to walk forward, but was pulled back by the curly-haired old man.
"Are you out of your mind? This is a tree, you'll fall and die, you old geezer!"
"Let me go, I want to see what he's made."
"No, wait a minute! I feel like this is a furnace. But wait, what's the use of a furnace? It only has a few simple magic arrays carved on it. This kid is strange in every way. Oh right, Old Gu, you eat this tree first!"
The bald Old Gu scoffed, saying, "You call this weapon forging? Then what have I been learning all these years? Just you wait, it's going to explode soon!"
The curly-haired old man hesitated before putting it on. "Could it be that this little fellow intends to use this to learn alchemy?"
As he spoke, the curly-haired old man pulled Old Gu down from the tree again, watching with great interest. "If it's for a beginner, it can be used to learn about the properties of some herbs or even ordinary pills. Wait, what is he trying to do?"
Yang Zhen prepared the medicinal materials needed for the Five-Star Dantian Stabilizing Pill, processed them one by one according to the steps, and set them aside in categories. He lit a campfire, heated the pot, and then threw most of the materials into the pressure cooker after adding water, leaving only a few materials that could not be cooked for too long.
The curly-haired old man's eyes widened, and he jumped to his feet, only to be quickly pulled back by the Old Gu: "Wait, what are you doing?"
"Outrageous! Outrageous! This kid doesn't even know the most basic alchemy techniques, yet he dares to try and refine five-star pills right off the bat. This is utterly delusional! I'm going to teach this arrogant brat a lesson."
The Old Gu chuckled, "He's got one foot in the grave, and he's still got such a temper. So what if it's a five-star pill? Maybe this kid can actually manage to refine it by accident!"
"Refined?" The curly-haired old man blew his beard. "If this can be refined into a five-star pill, I'll eat two trees!"