Chapter 100: Chapter 95: The Heaven-Defying Medicine Cauldron

After returning to the bamboo house, Han Shuangjiang just felt she was overthinking.

Clearly, the two of them often traveled together, so why did it feel different when he mentioned it as a stroll?

In her early years at Hongxiu Restaurant, going out was restricted.

Every year during the Lantern Festival, she watched the hustle and bustle of the streets from the building.

Men and women went out in pairs, guessing lantern riddles and admiring the moon.

They might even walk by the river and set a river lantern afloat.

At the age of youthful curiosity, even if there was no one in your heart, you couldn’t help but be attracted to matters of affection.

—The moon rises above the treetops, and people meet after dusk.

What’s there to see about the moon that you’ve watched since childhood?

In the end, it’s about the person accompanying you to admire the moon.

Han Shuangjiang sat on the mat inside, with her long jade-like legs crossed.

Her knees pressed against her clothes, causing the fabric at her thighs and hips to stretch tautly.

It outlined the full and slightly fleshy thighs, and the round, full-moon-like hips.

She looked out of the window, beginning to wish she truly carried the fortune Chu Huaixu spoke of.

Compared to entering a secret realm, a moonlit stroll might make her more uneasy and tense.

“However, the scenery of the Daoist Sect is indeed beautiful,” the young girl suddenly thought.

She took a deep breath, withdrawing her gaze from the window.

Closing her eyes, she began to cultivate the “Six Celestial True Scripture.”

The cultivation speed of the Profound Yin Body was indeed incredible, and she was already approaching the First Realm Third Heaven, soon to catch up with Chu Huaixu’s progress.

Meanwhile, a certain dead fox didn’t take his own words seriously at all.

Because he had confidence in Han Shuangjiang, as long as she walked more, they could surely enter the secret realm!

What’s the point of strolling, aren’t we clearly forming a team for a dungeon run?

At this moment, he spent over three thousand experience points to get initiated in the “Profound Fire Heaven-Burning Technique.”

This very basic alchemy technique matched him well purely because it consumed a lot of Spiritual Power.

And the Spiritual Power in Chu Huaixu’s body had no special attributes, its main feature was vast quantities!

He placed several herbs for Qi Gathering Pill beside him, and with a thought, they entered the mysterious space of the black bead, being placed into the medicine cauldron.

He formed seals with his hands, beginning to perform the alchemy technique.

As soon as Spiritual Power entered the black bead, the greedy and hungry medicine cauldron wanted to absorb it.

Chu Huaixu quickly turned it into alchemy fire, burning fiercely outside the cauldron.

—Still trying to absorb? Come and burn!

Thus began his first alchemy experience.

“It seems like I don’t need to control the heat?” Chu Huaixu was somewhat surprised.

Controlling the heat was important for alchemy.

Therefore, throughout the process, the alchemist had to constantly watch and adjust with spells.

But [Dao Generating One] apparently didn’t need that.

Specifically, the artifact spirit controlled it by itself.

Compared to the alchemy novice Chu Huaixu, the artifact spirit seemed more experienced and skilled.

It still behaved the same, continually conveying a message to its master—Hungry!

Yet, amidst its cries of hunger, it skillfully performed alchemy by itself.

This made Chu Huaixu feel as if: “When I perform the Profound Fire Heaven-Burning Technique, it’s like powering up the medicine cauldron and flipping a switch.”

“Does it then automatically enter self-operating mode?”

He never planned to level up this Low Tier Alchemy Technique to Full Level from the start, as he deemed it unnecessary.

“Leveling up is to increase success rates.”

“But doesn’t the medicine cauldron inherently have a 100% success attribute?”

Looking at it this way, this was also the extraordinary aspect of [Dao Generating One].

To concoct a Qi Gathering Pill would require about two hours.

Initially, Chu Huaixu would watch alongside, but later he found it unnecessary.

“Isn’t this just like nurturing an alchemist in the black bead?”

“Every time I perform the Profound Fire Heaven-Burning Technique, it’s like giving him a whack on the back of the head, commanding fiercely, You better refine!”

“Then he just begins refining, and I don’t need to do anything. Just come back in two hours to collect the elixir.”

“Hiss—!” Chu Huaixu took a deep breath.

He once again recognized how terrifying this medicine cauldron, suspected to be the Dao Ancestor’s Lifebound Object, was!

Right now, it’s merely mass-producing Level 1 Spirit Pills, which is not much.

But in the future, as his realm advances and the development of the medicine cauldron deepens, it would be unimaginable!

The main point is, this could save Chu Huaixu’s time, so he doesn’t have to spend it on alchemy himself.

Moreover, there’s another critical point.

—Manpower is sometimes exhausted!

Whether it’s alchemy or artifact refining, it requires immense concentration, greatly consuming mental energy.

Take Qi Gathering Pill for instance, though it only takes two hours for a batch, a Low Tier Alchemist can barely make three batches in a day, which is about the limit.

Six hours, that’s 12 hours!

That’s treating oneself like an ox or a horse.

And after using up one’s Spiritual Power, one needs to meditate to recover, which also takes time.

Doing the math, it means apart from eating and sleeping, it’s all about alchemy.

If a concoction fails, it might even lead to a breakdown…

But the medicine cauldron is different.

Chu Huaixu is like a ruthless capitalist, impossible to see it as a person.

“You’re a cauldron!”

In the scorching summer, with the air conditioner on 24/7, do you ever think: “The air conditioner must be tired too?”

Most people wouldn’t feel sorry for the air conditioner, at most they’d worry about the electricity bill.

But in any case, the medicine cauldron is now Chu Huaixu’s Lifebound Spiritual Artifact.

So, he still fed it some strands of Spiritual Power, as if paying it wages…

The artifact spirit, after absorbing those strands of Spiritual Power, kept crying for more.

This always made Chu Huaixu feel a bit incompetent?

Unable to feed it adequately.

But fortunately, as it cried for not getting enough, it continuously performed alchemy without stopping.

Two hours passed in a flash.

Just as described by the system, the Qi Gathering Pill was successfully refined.

A cauldron produced 10 spirit pills.

Chu Huaixu held the ten spirit pills in both hands and examined them carefully.

“Perfect quality!”

“Even if the Pill King climbed out of his grave to refine them, he would probably only achieve this level,” he thought.

Scoring only one hundred points is because the full score of this test is one hundred points.

“This can easily be sold at a high price. When the Treasure Pavilion recycles them, they can’t find any reason to haggle!” Chu Huaixu thought happily.

In his joy, he fed a few strands of spiritual power to the medicine cauldron.

Then, Chu Huaixu fetched a wooden bucket and cleared out the medicinal residue from the cauldron.

This medicinal residue actually has some uses.

They can be used as fertilizer for spirit grass, feed for spirit beasts, and for poor body refining cultivators to soak in medicinal baths.

Chu Huaixu wasn’t a stingy person, with ten perfect quality Qi Gathering Pills in hand, how could he neglect his little junior Xiaoxu?

“Xiaoxu!” he called out.

“Yes, Senior Brother!” Xu Ziqing immediately responded, thinking his senior brother had given some instructions.

“There’s a wooden bucket at my door, take it to have a medicinal bath, it’ll be somewhat useful.” He shouted.

“Alright, thank you, Senior Brother!”

“Remember to wash the bucket and leave it at the door when you bring it back.” Chu Huaixu instructed.

“Alright.”

He definitely won’t let him consume the Qi Gathering Pill now, Chu Huaixu himself is reluctant to use it.

Now the goal is to roll profits, to earn more contribution points.

He’s currently in debt and hasn’t even paid back the 300 points to Big Ice Cube.

“It’s simply not the time for high consumption yet.”

Once he has enough, the family of three can take medicine together.

“Xiaoxu’s Innate Medicine-Striking Saint Body, meeting me is truly his good fortune,” Chu Huaixu thought.

Otherwise, he would be stuck for a long time in the Acupoint Opening Stage.

…

…

East Continent, Mirror Country, Imperial Capital.

Inside Hongxiu Restaurant, the storyteller finished his duties for the day, cupped his hands towards the audience, and then smiled as he left the stage.

The dancers, veiled in light fabric, began to take the stage, offering up song and dance.

This place, as a high-class establishment in the Imperial Capital, although it had changed its behind-the-scenes owner after the Joy Sect’s demise, the quality of women hadn’t dropped.

The men in the outer hall watched the women dancing gracefully on stage, finding each and every one of them pleasing.

Only this storyteller kept looking into a mirror, entranced by his own nonexistent beauty.

The Dao Sect’s Second Elder, who looked like a peasant, habitually and bored began biting his nails again.

He was already tired of being here, but Junior Martial Uncle seemed not to tire of storytelling yet.

The big man knew well that Junior Martial Uncle loved the feeling of being in the limelight on stage.

“Junior Martial Uncle, aren’t we going back yet? It’s been quite a while,” he asked.

Too boring, even slaying demons and devils would be better than watching these red-dressed skeletons.

As an Alchemy Grandmaster, he was worried about his precious spirit grass, wondering if his disciples were taking good care of them.

“Not going back, not going back.” The storyteller frowned, his tone displeased.

He continued, “By the looks of it, that child Shuangjiang should have already reached the First Realm. If I’m not mistaken, she should already be on Hidden Spirit Mountain.”

“But this mountain, it’s full of variables and tests one’s character.”

“Zhegu Heaven is her best choice, I wonder if she has taken it.” Junior Martial Uncle said.

He put down the mirror, looked at the Dao Sect’s Second Elder, and said, “As for that young fellow Xu Ziqing…”

“He can’t even reach the First Realm by next month!”

“I specifically instructed in my message to Li Chunsong, treat them as ordinary disciples after taking them up the mountain.”

“Especially this kid Xu Ziqing, he perfectly matches everything described in the Daoist Ancestor’s Proverbs. If it is indeed as you said, giving him the Profound Celestial Fetal Breath Pill, and should any variable occur, will you take responsibility?” He gave the big man a glance.

The big man shrank his head in response.

This concerned the great catastrophe of heaven and earth and related to the Origin Spirit Realm, he dared not take on this responsibility.

The storyteller glanced at the big man and said, “I know you are an Alchemy Grandmaster and have many elixirs. When he reaches the First Realm and passes through Hidden Spirit Mountain, you can give him the Profound Celestial Fetal Breath Pill, it’s not too late then.”

Dao Sect’s Second Elder could only nod.

With an appearance suggesting not much intelligence, in his eagerness to return to the Daoist Sect, he began to think of various excuses, and quickly he really found one.

The big man suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no!”

“What’s all this fuss about?” The storyteller was utterly displeased.

“Junior Martial Uncle, I suddenly discovered a huge variable!”

“Oh? What variable?”

“Junior Martial Sister!” The big man said anxiously.

“How so?” The storyteller smiled faintly, looking as calm as ever.

Dao Sect’s Second Elder immediately explained, “Junior Martial Uncle, you and I both know Junior Martial Sister’s troublesome nature. She has the Profound Celestial Fetal Breath Pill!”

“How do you know she has it?”

“Uh, I gave it to her last year.” The Alchemy Grandmaster replied.

The storyteller continued gazing into his mirror, then leisurely said, “Such a trivial matter, does it merit a fuss? I’ve long included this in my highest-level confidential message, below the Seventh Realm, none should know.”

He bore a look of supreme confidence as if everything had been within his grasp all along.

This was the feeling of having all bases covered!

“Junior Martial Uncle, impressive!” The big man, disappointed, could only praise in this way.

The storyteller adjusted the dragon whiskers across his forehead and said, “I know you are impatient, so let’s do this; in another month, we will depart back to the Daoist Sect.”

“This child Xu Ziqing’s cultivation aptitude is too poor, under normal conditions he simply cannot fulfill the requirements to earn the mountain entry token.”

“At that time, the Sect Leader will have to specially approve a pass token for him.” Junior Martial Uncle said.

Dao Sect’s Second Elder nodded, “The Sect Leader’s special approval, the charred wooden token can only be given once every three years. In recent years, there haven’t truly been disciples worthy of it, so it’s just right to give it to Xu Ziqing, without breaking any rules.”

“Junior Martial Uncle, impressive! Truly impressive!” He began to praise again, figuring he’d just have to endure one more month at the foothill.

The storyteller heard this and wore a faint smile of satisfaction, having planned everything down to the last detail, naturally with a sense of pride.

…

(ps: Second update, asking for monthly tickets~)

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