Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

It was raining heavily outside, and the lights were brightly lit inside.

Li Xiuyuan quickly washed himself and casually put on a black robe.

He took the shattered bronze alchemy furnace out of his pocket and began to repair it.

Despite its broken state, this alchemy furnace was genuinely produced by the Dan Ding Sect.

With its renowned reputation, the furnace could fetch fifteen or sixteen spirit stones on the black market.

He was lucky; he found it in a pile of junk.

He was very skilled at repairing tools; that was what he did every day as a handyman at the Dan Ding Sect.

[Refining Basics +1, 1/50]

"That's only right!"

He repaired the alchemy furnace with a smile on his face.

In his mind's eye, the numbers in the "Refining Techniques" column of the crystal-clear jade tablet kept changing.

Li Xiuyuan's technique in repairing the alchemy furnace was skillful. The file in his hand was precise and powerful, as if he were performing swordsmanship, quickly, accurately and ruthlessly removing the damaged parts.

Repair the severely damaged parts and steadily restore the structure of the alchemy furnace.

He couldn't help but sigh to himself, "The 'Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon' sword was able to kill Sun Xiaochuan ten years ago, and it's still so useful for repairing the alchemy furnace."

【＋1、＋1、＋1、＋1、＋1、＋1、＋1、＋1、……】

Half an hour later, Li Xiuyuan rolled up his black sleeves and wiped the beads of sweat the size of soybeans from his head.

[Refining +20, Entry Level 20/50]

[Repair the Bronze Alchemy Furnace [White Rune]: Requires two uses of Mid-Grade Fire Control Technique (can be refined)]

When it came to the crucial moment of repairing the furnace core, Li Xiuyuan's gaze sharpened, his divine sense as sharp as a dagger, and with a swift and decisive move, he resembled a sword immortal slaying demons and monsters.

The damaged furnace core was precisely repaired and perfected, leaving no flaws or residue.

[Refining +10, Entry Level 30/50]

A white talisman floated above the sea of ​​consciousness, shimmering with light: [Repair Bronze Alchemy Furnace [White Rune]: Mid-grade Fire Control Technique once (can be refined)]

A satisfied smile spread across his face. "Thirty points added to weapon crafting proficiency, excellent!"

Looking at the numbers jumping on the panel that no outsider could see, Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly.

"A mid-grade fire control technique? It can be used three times. Let me test its effectiveness."

He pulled a faded parchment notebook from his pocket.

He found this in the abandoned alchemy room along with the black and white jade talisman.

The contents recorded in the notebook were very simple: the method for refining the first-grade top-quality pill, Huangya Dan, and the method for refining the aphrodisiac and yin-nourishing Longhu Dan.

He wasn't interested in Huangya Dan, as this pill required a first-grade high-level alchemist to refine it.

Moreover, the pills require second-tier spiritual herbs, which are treasures only Foundation Establishment cultivators possess, not something a Qi Refining cultivator like him can afford.

His attention was entirely focused on the next page of the journal.

The first half describes the recipe for the Bigu Pill.

Unlike typical prescriptions, this notebook records in detail the proportions of various medicinal ingredients in this fasting pill, as well as the processing methods for these ingredients.

It even records when to extract the liquid, when to condense the elixir, and the timing of controlling the heat.

In his previous life, Li Xiuyuan chose to refine the Bigu Pill because he wanted to quickly learn the art of alchemy by relying on his experience in the manual.

Li Xiuyuan was thoroughly familiar with the steps of making the Bigu Dan (a type of fasting elixir).

Light the fire and start the furnace.

Following the order recorded in the alchemical formula, he put a prepared batch of materials for refining the fasting elixir into the furnace.

"Six catties of any demonic beast's flesh and blood, three catties of spirit rice, and ten catties of dew collected in the early morning, imbued with the essence of the great sun..."

Li Xiuyuan's movements were slightly clumsy, but his eyes shone with a resolute light.

As the flames continued to leap, the medicinal herbs inside the furnace continued to liquefy.

Half an incense stick later.

"Boom!"

The rusty, broken alchemy furnace swayed precariously, accompanied by waves of vibration.

"Oh no, the heat is too high, the oven is going to explode."

A thought struck him, and he quickly focused his divine sense into his sea of ​​consciousness, choosing to refine a 'Mid-Grade Fire Control Technique' rune.

A myriad of insights instantly arose in his mind, and the next moment he skillfully performed hand seals and pointed towards the alchemy furnace.

Li Xiuyuan's aura was extremely mysterious; at this moment, he was like a monarch of ten thousand fires.

The once unruly alchemy furnace quickly became docile and approachable.

Li Xiuyuan calmed his mind and focused on the flow of magical power in the medium-grade fire control technique.

Half an incense stick later, Li Xiuyuan had a sudden realization, understanding the shortcomings of his own fire control technique.

At this moment, the flow of magic no longer felt as sluggish and unfamiliar as before.

His friend Huang Dali also spent nine years mastering the art of fire control, relying on his family's secret techniques.

[Spell: Fire Control (Minor Mastery), 119/300 (Minor Mastery)]

Soon, the fire and medicine in the furnace were in perfect harmony, and a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted into the ears and nose along with the wisps of smoke.

"As the elixir is completed, green smoke rises, and the fragrance of medicine fills the air!"

"This is an imagery only found in finished elixirs!"

In the various arts of cultivating immortality, spiritual objects and materials are classified by quality: into four grades: low, medium, high, and top grade.

The skill grades correspond to cultivation realms: grades one through four, corresponding to the four major realms of cultivators: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul.

The same applies to pills. Li Xiuyuan's batch of pills was clearly a grade-advanced pill, or at the very least a low-grade pill.

Although the Bigu Pill is of low quality, as long as its quality is raised to the top grade, it means that one has the ability to refine a first-grade low-grade pill.

Even the lowest grade of the fasting pill can fetch a considerable price in the outside world.

[Fasting Pill +1, Fasting Pill Beginner Level 11/50]

"Not bad, you've improved your proficiency a bit more."

Li Xiuyuan experienced the benefits of increased proficiency and couldn't help but feel excited.

He saw the "Introduction to Bigu Dan" displayed on the panel [11/50].

He couldn't help but exclaim, "I never imagined that the [Mid-Grade Fire Control Technique] would be so useful!"

While marveling at the usefulness of the runes, he felt a surge of excitement within him.

The next moment, he suppressed his inner excitement.

"I can't let my guard down, I have to stay steady!"

"I still need to cultivate as usual. My current strength and status are not enough to be arrogant or complacent. The last leg of a journey is the hardest; it's best to develop steadily!"

Li Xiuyuan secretly reminded himself of the beginning of his time in the market.

He was once a naive young man who, driven by passion, went out to hunt monsters with a group of like-minded cultivators.

The cultivation stories depicted in storybooks are nothing but illusions: he knows by heart what "falling off a cliff, entering the cave of a powerful senior, picking up an ancient cultivation technique and soaring to the sky" and "hunting monsters to increase proficiency" and similar cultivation novels by heart.

When he truly embarked on the path of hunting demons, what he witnessed was that his companion, who had been close to him just moments before, had inadvertently fallen into a trap and was killed by the Qingfeng Demon Wolf, which had been lying in ambush for a long time, with a single claw.

Brain matter spilled everywhere, a nauseating sight. There was no time to collect his body, and the next moment his corpse became food for the monsters.

He barely escaped with his life from the claws of a first-tier Qingfeng Demon Wolf by relying on the "Ruthless Sword Technique" he had honed by slaying demons and monsters throughout the martial world.

For years afterward, he would still wake up in the middle of the night covered in cold sweat.

"My proficiency is at the beginner level. Every ten points I gain increases the chance of obtaining a rune. I still have over eighty sets of alchemy materials; I need to continue alchemy!"

With a heart as still as water, Li Xiuyuan continued his alchemy endeavors!

[Grain-Breaking Pill +1]

[Grain-Breaking Pill +1]

[Grain-Breaking Pill +1]

……

Time flows like water, quietly slipping away.

Before long, the sky brightened, and the earth after the rain carried the scent of fresh grass.

The warm sunshine shines on the green tiles and blue bricks, and the birds on the branches are leisurely preening their feathers.

The rain has stopped and the sky is clear; it's a new day.