Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

The days passed by.

Finally, half a month later, Du Wuxin sent a message.

"Meet me at the Wuxu Mountain Villa in the inner city at noon today!"

……

After a brief disguise, Li Xiuyuan, carrying the Green Bamboo Sword and the Golden Shield Talisman, passed through a long series of street corners.

They found a cave dwelling called "Wuxu Mountain Villa" in the inner city.

Just as I was about to knock, a steward dressed in a magnificent robe opened the vermilion door.

Upon seeing the person who arrived, he was taken aback at first, looked them up and down, and then seemed to remember something.

With a smile on his face, he respectfully greeted, "Fellow Daoist, please come with me. Our master has been waiting for us in the inner courtyard for quite some time."

Li Xiuyuan looked at the old man and said in a calm tone, "Then I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."

The two chatted happily as they walked.

Through subtle questioning, Li Xiuyuan learned about this person's background.

The steward's surname was Luo, he was over fifty years old, and he was Du Wuxin's personal servant brought from the sect. He had the cultivation level of the first level of Qi Refining.

He was in charge of all the miscellaneous tasks, and he also managed this cave dwelling.

"Fellow Daoist, this is the place. Go through the screen and you'll see the pavilion by the lake; that's where you've arrived."

"I still have to go to welcome Fairy Yan Xinyou from White Tiger Mountain, so I won't keep you company any longer, fellow Daoist."

"Yan Xin You?"

Li Xiuyuan was completely unfamiliar with this name, so he guessed it must be an accomplice invited by Du Wuxin.

His expression shifted, and he immediately smiled and said, "Thank you for informing me, fellow Daoist."

Passing through the embroidered screen with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix and a profusion of flowers.

As far as the eye could see, there was a pool of emerald green water and a concentration of spiritual energy that far exceeded that of his cave dwelling.

In an instant, his entire body felt relaxed and refreshed, as if he were in a fairyland, and his spirit was lifted.

"Such dense spiritual energy! It's probably close to the concentration of a second-tier spiritual vein. Is this the treatment disciples of the Blazing Fire Sect receive?"

A hint of envy rose in Li Xiuyuan's heart, and then he swallowed hard.

Although Du Wuxin was born into the Dan Ding Sect, he was actually a member of the Lie Huo Sect.

The Blazing Fire Sect maintains strict control over many cultivation forces, including the Pill Cauldron Sect.

Immortal cultivators from various forces near the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains can directly ascend to the various sects of the Blazing Fire Sect through the once-every-ten-year "Ascension Conference".

This is a tactic of "cherry-picking" the best to curb the development of subordinates' power.

Like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, they harvest talent every ten years, bringing the best in the world under their command.

Subordinate sects cannot directly disobey the orders of their superior sects, nor can they prevent their disciples from pursuing better futures.

These methods allowed the Upper Sect to acquire many "hidden gems," such as Du Wuxin, who entered the Blazing Fire Sect ten years ago through the Ascension Conference.

When the Upper Sect opened up the wilderness, he volunteered to come to Shanyangfang Town, where the Dan Ding Sect was located, perhaps to repay the sect for its years of nurturing.

Du Wuxin was in charge of part of the management of the market area by Dan Ding Men.

"These are the people in charge of the market; they're rolling in money!"

As Li Xiuyuan felt a sense of admiration, he slowly walked into the pavilion and saw Du Wuxin already sitting in the first seat.

Li Xiuyuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Du!"

"Junior Brother Li, come, sit here. There's another fellow Daoist who hasn't arrived yet. Why don't you try this Flying Rain Cloud Mist Tea first?"

Li Xiuyuan sat properly to Du Wuxin's left, picked up a steaming cup of spiritual tea, and sipped it slowly.

……

Before long, a crisp clinking sound of jade pendants came from outside the screen, followed by a powerful spiritual pressure.

"A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator? Is that Yan Xinyou from White Tiger Mountain?"

Li Xiuyuan's expression shifted, and he stood up to look outside the pavilion. He saw a figure wearing an indigo-blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a pair of blue cloud-patterned shoes peeking out from under the dress, walk in.

This was actually a woman with a cool and aloof demeanor.

The woman simply styled her hair into a fairy-like bun, adorned only with a single white jade hairpin, which accentuated her refined and elegant demeanor.

The woman was pretty and seemed to be quite young, so Li Xiuyuan dared not underestimate her.

Judging from the spiritual pressure he felt earlier, the woman's cultivation level was far above his, already at the late stage of Qi Refining.

……

"Junior Sister Yan!"

Du Wuxin had already stood up and walked to the woman's side, introducing her with a smile: "This is Junior Brother Li, who is practicing the Heart-Clearing Pill with us this time."

Yan Xinyou performed a curtsy, nodded slightly to Du Wuxin, and then turned her gaze to Li Xiuyuan.

With a slight parting of her lips, a clear and melodious voice, like a gentle spring flowing over rocks, reached Li Xiuyuan's ears: "Greetings, Junior Brother Li!"

……

Manager Luo served a cup of spiritual tea at just the right moment and then respectfully withdrew, leaving only Li Xiuyuan and the three of them exchanging pleasantries in the pavilion.

Yan Xinyou did not question Li Xiuyuan's cultivation level, nor did she engage in the classic plot of "the geniuses of major sects and families looking down on rogue cultivators whose cultivation and status are inferior to theirs" found in storybooks.

Instead, he introduced his own background at just the right time, and occasionally pointed out the difficult points and key points of Li Xiuyuan's Qi cultivation.

This gave Li Xiuyuan a completely new perspective, as if his future path of cultivation had suddenly become clear.

During this time, Li Xiuyuan also learned about the woman's background.

He is a direct disciple of Baihu Mountain, a foundation-building force in Shanyang Market, and his status is comparable to that of an elder of Dan Ding Sect.

During their casual conversation, Du Wuxin seemed to be intentionally guiding Yan Xinyou as he explained the refining process of a low-grade first-order pill.

She would occasionally throw the conversation to Li Xiuyuan, seemingly intending to get Li Xiuyuan and Yan Xinyou closer.

Li Xiuyuan was deeply moved by this, and taking advantage of this excellent opportunity, Du Wuxin and the other person raised some questions they had encountered when they failed to refine pills.

Yan Xinyou was not offended. Seeing that Li Xiuyuan was humbly asking for advice, she patiently answered a few questions.

Her enthusiastic guidance was very helpful to Li Xiuyuan, and he even had a feeling that he was about to advance to the next level of a low-grade alchemist.

……

"Since you two are having such a pleasant conversation, why don't you exchange your communication methods and discuss things privately after this matter is settled?"

Du Wuxin looked at Yan Xinyou with a smile, then glanced at Li Xiuyuan with a half-smile in his eyes.

This left Li Xiuyuan extremely embarrassed, and even the usually aloof and elegant Yan Xinyou blushed slightly at the roots of her ears.

"Thank you very much, Senior Brother Du and Fairy Yan, for answering my questions. I am deeply grateful."

Li Xiuyuan then stood up and bowed to the two men.

Upon hearing this, Du Wuxin smiled slightly, "Alright, alright, I didn't call you here today to test your alchemy skills. There's still plenty of time, why don't we start refining pills together!"

"This alchemy session is a fortuitous opportunity for both of you. You are both alchemists, so you must know about top-grade pills, but which of you has actually refined a top-grade pill?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan and Yan Xinyou's expressions changed. Yan Xinyou's beautiful eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Senior brother, are you joking? How can just anyone refine top-grade pills? I, your junior sister, am confident in my talent for alchemy, and I have never even dared to dream of it!"

"Me too!"

Li Xiuyuan followed suit and echoed in agreement.

Du Wuxin nodded. "Top-grade pills are those with the lowest possible toxicity, almost none. They were extremely rare even in ancient times. Although I am a disciple of a sect, I have never seen one, let alone dared to hope to refine it."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan's expression became complicated. Du Wuxin had summoned him to refine pills, but it turned out to be to refine top-grade pills.

He had been in the market for many years and most of the pills he had seen were of medium to low quality; even the high-quality ones were very rare.

Today, I learned that neither of the two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators had ever seen such a top-grade elixir.

However, he had nearly fifty top-grade fasting pills hidden on him. It's just unknown whether it's easier for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to refine top-grade pills.

Today, Du Wuxin is refining a top-grade Qingxin Pill. If we can learn even a little from this opportunity, it will be of great benefit to us when we refine pills ourselves in the future.

"Indeed, just as you two thought, I, Du, intend to refine a batch of top-grade pills together, and I hope that you two junior brothers will lend me your full assistance."

Du Wuxin stood up and bowed to the two men.

Yan Xinyou looked excited, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

Du Wuxin nodded. "I have a secret technique that allows us to combine the innate fire spirit power of the three of us to refine and enhance pills."

"However, this method has an extraordinary origin, and the two of you must swear an oath not to spread it outside."

"That's exactly right!"

The three of them made a solemn vow to each other, promising not to reveal this matter and not to interfere with each other while refining pills.

……

One hour later.

Du Wuxin led Li Xiuyuan and the other to a fire chamber, where he sat on a high platform.

Li Xiuyuan sat cross-legged facing south of the alchemy furnace, while Yan Xinyou sat facing north.

Each of the three had a number of spiritual materials floating in front of them, all of which needed to be refined next.

"Boom!"

The light of the barrier on the high platform flickered, the earth vein fire burned fiercely, and scorching flames spewed from the furnace mouth, making the earth fire room unbearably hot.

Both of them were at the Qi Refining stage and were completely unaware of this, while simultaneously looking at Du Wuxin on the high platform.

With a flick of his sleeve, Du Wuxin sent a burst of spiritual light into the alchemy furnace. The earth fire remained silent for a moment, then erupted once more!

The two vaguely saw a shimmering, slurry-like fluid hidden within the aura.

Before the two could think further, Du Wuxin took out a small golden bell, formed a hand seal, and shouted in a deep voice, "The two of you circulate your magic power and pour it into the alchemy furnace!"

Upon hearing the sound, Li Xiuyuan reacted, only to see Du Wuxin unleash a golden bell, from which two beams of spiritual light flew toward Li Xiuyuan and Du Wuxin.

Li Xiuyuan suppressed his true nature and let the spiritual light fall on him.

The next moment, a strange inspiration arose out of nowhere, and just as I was about to capture it, the inspiration suddenly disappeared.

Li Xiuyuan vaguely felt a connection between himself and Du Wuxin.

This connection is very subtle, like a bridge built between their hearts. Li Xiuyuan's heart is free of dust and mud, and he feels no sense of being controlled by anyone.

Du Wuxin controlled both of them, and they both sensed a connection between them.

The two exchanged a glance, confirming that they were not being controlled by Du Wuxin, and calmed themselves down, but remained vigilant, awaiting further instructions.

Du Wuxin nodded, "You two should refine the spiritual materials in front of you as previously agreed."

Li Xiuyuan turned his gaze to the spiritual object in front of him and, without hesitation, began to refine it methodically according to the steps.

This plant closely resembles chives and is called: Bai Ling Cao (百灵草).

It is said that those that grow in places with abundant pure energy and contain pure spiritual energy are most likely to escape.

Once refined, the process must be swift.

He refined the Hundred Spirit Grass step by step without making any mistakes.

The story ends when this substance transforms into a cool, refreshing liquid.

Following this logic, refining spiritual objects takes three hours.

……

"Clang! Clang!"

As the fire on the high platform burned ever brighter, the precious furnace trembled violently.

"Both of you should immediately calm your minds and enter a meditative state."

Du Wuxin then gave the order, and at the same time, a great burst of spiritual light shone on the high platform, splitting into two beams that enveloped the two of them.

Li Xiuyuan calmed his mind and then sensed a ray of spiritual light shooting into his body, engulfing him in its glow.

Du Wuxin's expression was serious, one hand forming a hand seal, the other controlling the golden bell magic weapon.

He chanted incessantly, and finally shouted loudly, slamming his hand down on the golden bell.

Just then, Li Xiuyuan, who was in meditation, suddenly felt a strange fluctuation emanating from the golden bell, which stirred his physical body.

He emitted a harmonious magical power that was naturally compatible with him, a power that automatically guided him to do something without him having to activate it.

If he wanted to refuse, the black and white jade talismans could definitely suppress his physical body.

But it will definitely affect the alchemy process.

He did not resist, but rather acted as if he were watching a play, forming hand seals on his own. These were techniques he had never practiced before, yet he executed them very smoothly.

Yan Xinyou had the same feeling, and his hand seals were similar to his, both flying towards the high platform.

Rumble!

A holy light rose up, enveloping the entire alchemy furnace on the high platform.

The spiritual energy within the fire chamber shifted repeatedly, and both of them awoke from their meditation.

At this moment, they felt a connection between themselves and the high platform, and the alchemy furnace also felt a little closer to them.

But he clearly sensed that the owner of the alchemy furnace was still Du Wuxin.

When Du Wuxin opened his eyes again, his aura was slightly complicated, clearly indicating that guiding the two to cast spells simultaneously was not an easy task.

However, he couldn't afford to be distracted. He then guided the refined essence of the spiritual object to transform into wisps of vital energy that flowed into the alchemy furnace.

Both of them were doing the same thing, but Du Wuxin was putting in the most effort.

Half an incense stick later.

All the essence of the spiritual objects flowed into the alchemy furnace, making the flames inside the furnace display a dazzling array of colors.

Under Du Wuxin's urging, a round, gleaming golden object finally took shape.

After an unknown amount of time, the three of them even forgot about time, staring at the raging flames before them like stone statues.

……