First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

Farmers' wages have always been paid every six months.

Many of the medicinal herbs in Yulongtian take ten or even a hundred years to mature, so here, the salary is not based on the harvest, but only on the growth of the medicinal herbs. If they are up to standard, a fixed salary will be paid.

With his increased income, Xu Mu bought several more alchemy techniques.

There are many kinds of alchemy, because it is an ancient method of cultivating immortality, just like the current Qigong practice. It is divided into many schools, some using fire, some using soil, some using water, some drawing on stars, and some connecting with the sun and moon.

Each alchemy technique has its own unique "alchemy essence".

The alchemy technique he initially practiced was called "Qi-cultivating alchemy method," which involved directly using magical power to nurture and refine elixirs.

Because I heard it's relatively simple, the most basic alchemy technique, most outer disciples choose this one, as it's enough to refine first-stage pills during the Qi Refining stage.

Xu Mu wanted to use this alchemy technique to get started, but he didn't even grasp the most basics. He was just taking advantage of his long lifespan and not being in a hurry, and he didn't have the money to buy other alchemy techniques, so he kept struggling.

Now that I have money, of course I want to try other alchemy techniques. Maybe I'm just not suited for this "Qi-cultivation alchemy method"?

Even if it is the most basic, it doesn't mean it's suitable for everyone to learn.

If you broaden your thinking and learn more about different alchemy techniques, you might be able to uncover their secrets.

So now that he has money, he buys alchemy techniques and starts learning them. If he can't learn them, he buys more, putting his cultivation aside for now.

He bought five different kinds in a row, spending a total of 500 coins.

Until nightfall that day.

The stars are shining brightly.

Facing the starlight, Xu Mu's ten fingers flew across the screen, rapidly casting spells.

The materials inside the alchemy furnace began to rotate, change, and fuse, seemingly conforming to some kind of rule under the starlight.

The starlight gradually intensified, enveloping the entire alchemy furnace, and a mysterious power was brewing—this was the [Alchemy Aura].

When the light faded, a brown pill appeared inside the alchemy furnace.

It became.

After taking a breath, Xu Mu retrieved the pill from a distance and used a spell to examine it again, lest his lack of skill lead him to concoct a poison.

Every year in the cultivation world, a few unlucky individuals are poisoned to death by the pills they themselves concoct.

This poison is not an ordinary toxin, but is known as erysipelas.

Every elixir contains some form of poison, more or less, depending on the individual's skill level. This is the greatest obstacle in ancient cultivation methods.

Some people, while practicing, actually killed themselves.

Especially be very careful when consuming elixirs made by others.

Knowing whether a pill is suitable for one's own consumption is a compulsory course for every cultivator when they begin their training.

People have different constitutions. Others may be fine after taking the pill, but you may experience a erysipelas attack.

What is honey to you is poison to me.

This is determined by the Tao, and there is no way to resolve it.

The Dao is magnificent yet terrifying. Those who cultivate the Dao must always revere it, for the slightest negligence could lead to their own demise.

Those who cultivate the Tao are going against the will of Heaven and will inevitably encounter numerous obstacles.

Therefore, it is generally believed in the cultivation world that it is best to refine pills oneself. Refining pills by others is like having others cultivate for you, which is the most dangerous thing.

A small amount of erysipelas may not be noticeable, but it can become dangerous if it accumulates.

That is why not all alchemists are qualified to refine pills for others.

In particular, alchemists who sell pills must undergo an examination at the Pill Alliance and obtain an alchemist level certificate before they can refine and sell pills; otherwise, they are practicing pill refining without a license and will be punished.

Food safety in the cultivation world.

After a brief examination, Xu Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmm, no problem, this Spirit Gathering Pill will give me strength."

He put the pill away with satisfaction.

After ten years of hard work, I finally mastered an alchemy technique called "Zhou Tian Qu Xing Shu".

This technique can only be performed at night.

When one's skills are not yet proficient, they will lose their effectiveness on cloudy or rainy days when the stars are obscured.

However, the fire refining method requires a suitable fire source and the use of fire control techniques to refine pills, which is quite troublesome.

This alchemy technique only requires starlight, which is already quite convenient.

Cultivation is never easy; if one can learn even one aspect of it, one will be content.

Seeing that there was still time, he continued to open the furnace.

Because of his lack of skill, he only dared to refine one at a time, not many. Although the efficiency was low, the success rate was higher.

……

Before I knew it, I had been in Yulongtian for five years.

Xu Mu's cultivation barely broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

This progress made Lao Yu and others shake their heads.

Xu Mu is already over fifty years old, and he has less than thirty years left to cultivate at this speed to reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage. It is almost impossible for him to do so.

After the age of 81, one becomes old and weak, and will never have the chance to build a foundation again.

Therefore, Lao Yu and others advised Xu Mu to give up cultivation, marry a Daoist partner as soon as possible, have a child, and leave the money to his own child, which was the right path.

"Once my daughter is old enough to cultivate independently, I'll take my Daoist partner out for a stroll," Old Yu said with a smile.

His daughter is eleven years old. She was tested to have spiritual roots when she was young, but unfortunately her aptitude is a little lacking, so she can only be an outer disciple. She is currently studying in the Transmission Hall, and her cultivation resources are supported by her family.

Uncle Lu and Fatty, among others, also have Daoist partners, but they haven't yet had children with spiritual roots.

If parents have spiritual roots, their children have a higher probability of having spiritual roots as well. However, some people are unlucky and cannot give birth to a "spiritual fetus".

Moreover, one's spiritual root can only be tested after birth; before that, one must be pregnant for ten months.

Therefore, some female cultivators got tired of it and stopped having children, some had children intermittently, and some had children non-stop, not caring whether the orphanages in other villages were overcrowded.

People from other villages are all called miscellaneous disciples. Their children may also have spiritual roots and are an important source of disciples for the sect. Therefore, babies without spiritual roots are not abandoned casually.

It was this set of values ​​that made Xu Mu feel uncomfortable.

He's immortal anyway, why would he need to have a child? It would only be a nuisance.

I can have a partner, but I can't have children; I'll be childless for life!

……

On this day, Yulongtian was suddenly taken over, and all the medicine farmers and field guards were summoned to gather at the entrance of Yulongtian.

Xu Mu and the others were terrified, still unaware of what had happened.

At this moment, an old man dressed in a dark yellow Taoist robe and a woman dressed in a white dress walked out from the Jade Dragon Field.

With just one glance, Xu Mu recognized the two as being like divine beings and knew they were Core Formation elders.

"Elder Yanfu, after investigating to the end, the culprit turned out to be Hu Yaosheng, who has already passed away. There's really no way to prove it now that he's dead," the woman in the white dress said calmly.

Elder Yanfu sighed helplessly: "Elder Cuixin, this is entirely my fault for being negligent, allowing a mere Qi Refining stage outer disciple to steal right under my nose."

"It can't be entirely your fault. A few small leaves, a few roots, a little bit of missing weight, it's really hard to notice." Elder Cui Xin's expression was so calm that it didn't seem like she was trying to comfort her.

"It's strange that Hu Yaosheng, a mere outer disciple, was able to collude with the Spirit Field Bureau and fail to report the shortfall in weights and measures for decades."

The integrity of this medicinal herb naturally needs to be checked when it is collected. Even if a small leaf or a root is missing, it is not difficult to find if you look closely.

Therefore, if one wants to profit from these petty gains, one must bribe the Lingtian Si, who is in charge of harvesting and inspection.

"With profit at his fingertips, Huang Bin of the Lingtian Division has received a lot of benefits. It's likely that Huang Bin was actually the mastermind behind this, shifting the main responsibility to the deceased Hu Yaosheng so that there would be no way to prove it," Elder Yanfu said.

"Hu Yaosheng has been dead for many years, so why are we still losing scraps of material these past few years?"

Elder Cui Xin spoke calmly, her gaze sweeping over Xu Mu and the other several pharmacists.

Elder Yanfu also looked over and said with a stern face, "According to Huang Bin's account, he was bewitched by Hu Yaosheng and blinded by greed. He couldn't stop, so he found someone else to continue this scheme. Therefore, he must have been the mastermind in recent years, and he can't escape responsibility."

"Then who is he looking for?"

Both the pharmacist and the field keeper were startled by these words.

This was actually identified by that person named Huang Bin. Doesn't that mean whoever he identifies is the most suspicious?

"It's unlikely they'd wrong me. I've only been here for five years. If they're looking for a scapegoat, they shouldn't be looking for me... But I took over after Hu Yaosheng died..." Xu Mu muttered to himself, afraid of being dragged into this mess.

Elder Yanfu's gaze swept over the line of field guards, then came to the medicine master's side, and lingered on Old Yu.

Yu Hanlin.

"Huh?" Old Yu's legs trembled instantly.

"I...I didn't! I really didn't take anything!"

He was so panicked that he was at a loss for what to do, and tears were about to stream down his aged face.

Xu Mu breathed a sigh of relief because he was alright, but then his heart felt heavy.

He felt that Lao Yu couldn't possibly have done such a thing; he was more than 80% likely being used as a scapegoat.

Old Yu, the most diligent pharmacist, ended up in such a state.

Elder Cuixin remained silent, her gaze fixed on the direction of the pharmacists' residences.

Several disciples from the Enforcement Hall flew over on their swords, carrying several suspicious items that had been searched from the rooms of the pharmacists.