Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

As the morning sun streamed through the window, Li Xiuyuan finished his practice, concluding his nightly cultivation.

[Yi Jin Jing (Beginner): First Form, Old Tree Roots 29/50]

After getting started, the rate of skill improvement slows down, but it still exceeds the normal level.

Li Xiuyuan looked up at the sky outside; the sun was setting, and it was almost dark.

[Yi Jin Jing [White Rune]: Increases Qi and Blood by 2 (Refinable)]

"In just one night, I've already mastered more than half of the skill level; that's a remarkable leap forward!"

Li Xiuyuan gazed at the two white runes floating deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, radiating a dense aura of blood and qi.

"Qi and blood enhancement, could it directly strengthen a cultivator's qi and blood?"

He pondered for a moment, then touched it with his divine sense.

The next moment, the rune spirit fish symbolizing [Qi and Blood Enhancement] was absorbed by Li Xiuyuan.

Rapid refining.

But then they saw his meridians and bones stretching out, as if a plant were photosynthesizing, breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"Boom!"

A series of sounds, much like boiling water, emanated from his body.

"Qi and blood are continuously replenished!"

At the same time, a warm feeling arose in his lower abdomen.

This warmth is like the flow of hot spring water, gently and persistently flowing through the internal organs.

Heart, liver, lungs, kidneys... every organ is nourished by this warm current.

Li Xiuyuan took a deep breath and clearly felt his internal organs become stronger and more robust.

Clench your fists and feel like you have inexhaustible strength!

Open the panel and take a look

[Immortal Lord: Li Xiuyuan]

Lifespan: 30/32

"His lifespan has been restored!"

Li Xiuyuan practiced boxing and stance training repeatedly last night, and his spirits remained high.

The feeling of weakness and depletion that I had felt before was gone, and I felt refreshed and invigorated.

"The rumored life-extending effect of this technique is true!"

This further strengthened Li Xiuyuan's determination to practice the Yi Jin Jing, no matter how well he mastered it.

His physical strength was comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the method of prolonging life alone solved his worries.

"Cultivating immortality is about seeking longevity and desiring freedom!"

For at least the next year, there is no need to worry about insufficient lifespan.

Pushing open the wooden door, I saw the sunlight streaming in.

Li Xiuyuan planned to rest for a while before starting to refine the Bigu Pill.

"Although I can now refine mid-grade fasting pills, the income from selling them is still too low. I need to improve my fasting pill refining skills. If I can refine it to the highest quality, I won't have to worry about a shortage of spirit stones for a while."

"It will generate more surplus spirit stones to purchase cultivation resources, after all, strength is paramount in the cultivation world! A cultivation level of only Qi Refining Level Two is still too low!"

Li Xiuyuan first went to the kitchen and made a meal of demon beast meat mixed with spirit rice.

As the saying goes: "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts!"

Cultivators have an extremely high demand for elixirs and medicinal herbs that enhance their qi and blood when refining their bodies.

In the market town, the families of prominent clans would brew precious medicines for their direct descendants when they were young to help them develop their innate talents.

An ancient saying goes: "Cultivation is like sailing a boat on a sea of ​​suffering; even the physical body is used to board a precious raft."

Having a powerful physical body makes cultivation twice as effective for a cultivator.

The demon flesh he purchased contained a trace of vital energy, which was very beneficial to those who cultivated their bodies.

Half an hour later, he placed a large basin of juicy monster meat and fragrant spirit rice on the wooden table.

The aroma alone was enough to whet his appetite.

In no time at all, he devoured the five pounds of meat and three pounds of spirit rice by himself.

"carefree!"

Li Xiuyuan took a sip of cold water and sipped the last piece of roasted pork.

He squinted his eyes contentedly and leaned back leisurely in the wooden chair, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.

Half an incense stick later, Li Xiuyuan, having eaten and drunk his fill, tidied up the room and prepared to start refining pills.

It's the same old routine: split the cinnabar wood, put it into the cinnabar furnace, light the fire, and heat the furnace.

He made hand seals and muttered incantations.

About two breaths.

A fireball the size of a palm appeared in his hand.

go with!

With a buzzing sound.

The cinnabar wood inside the furnace burst into flames instantly.

"Not bad, not bad. I'm getting more and more comfortable with this process. I wonder if I could improve the success rate of pill formation by creating a standard operating procedure (SOP) based on my previous life?"

Li Xiuyuan calmed down and shook off the unrealistic thoughts in his mind.

Looking at the panel, I found that both Fireball and Fire Control had improved by a little.

[Spells: Fireball (Minor Mastery) 153/300, Fire Control (Minor Mastery) 108/300]

He only learned two spells, both of which were fire-based.

Among them, the Fireball skill has the highest proficiency.

After all, he was assigned to the Pill Hall from the beginning.

As a menial servant, one naturally starts as a fire-tending boy.

Every day before dawn, they would go and light the furnaces in each of the alchemy rooms.

In the evening, after the alchemists finished their day's work, these menial workers would clean the house before they could go home.

He had been working there for over a decade and was considered a veteran. In recent years, he had also become involved with Du Wuxin.

This saved them from the daily chores; they only needed to submit their crafting tasks on time.

Earth vein fire is rare and is controlled by powerful families and clans specializing in alchemy.

Therefore, not all alchemy rooms are qualified to use earth fire.

Most cultivators relied on cinnabar wood to start fires.

Dan wood can stabilize the furnace fire, and it is quite expensive.

It naturally won't burn and warm like a furnace day and night, unlike underground fire.

His years of experience in starting fires have made him very skilled at it.

The days of alchemy were always tedious and boring.

[Grain-Breaking Pill +1]

[Grain-Breaking Pill +1]

[Grain-Breaking Pill +1]

……

sunset.

Li Xiuyuan wiped the sweat from his brow and bottled up the last batch of fasting pills for the day.

He didn't plan to sell them in advance this time, but instead planned to save them up and sell them together with the Qingxin Pills he refined later.

【Bigu Pill (Dacheng) 450/500】

Next, he prepared to begin refining this month's Qi-Nourishing Powder.

This was very simple, and he completed his monthly quota in no time.

……

Inner City Quest Hall.

A row of handyman disciples began to examine the medicine powder in front of Du Wuxin.

When it was Li Xiuyuan's turn to inspect the medicine powder, Du Wuxin looked at the medicine powder in his hand and couldn't help but show a hint of relief.

He observed that the Qi-Nourishing Powder refined by Li Xiuyuan had stable medicinal power and a bright color, indicating that it was of excellent quality. He believed that the Qi-Nourishing Pills made from this base would not be lower than the inferior grade.

"Not bad, not bad, Xiu Yuan, your alchemy skills are becoming more and more proficient, and the quality of this medicine powder can be described as top-grade."

Du Wuxin scrutinized Li Xiuyuan carefully, and after a moment, a smile appeared on his face.

"I heard you can refine fasting pills?"

"I had a sudden inspiration a while ago, and luckily I succeeded."

"Well done, you did a great job with your tasks this month. Here's a reward of one spirit stone."

Li Xiuyuan bowed deeply in respect.

He had barely finished speaking.

A commotion came from behind me.

A streak of blue light pierced the sky, and as the light faded, a massive flying ship came to a steady stop in front of the main hall.

An elderly man in red stood on the deck with a serious and stern expression. Behind him stood six or seven outer disciples of the Dan Ding Sect, standing in neat rows and respectfully.

Upon seeing this person, Du Wuxin quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Elder Zhou. As per your instructions, the medicine powder for this quarter has been submitted. Please take a look."

Having said that, he respectfully handed over a jade slip.

Li Xiuyuan followed suit and bowed his head to pay his respects early on.

At this moment, Du Wuxin was all respectful in front of Elder Zhou, completely unlike his usual relaxed and carefree self.

Although the other party was only an outer elder of the Dan Ding Sect, he was still his superior, so he naturally dared not overstep his bounds.

Elder Zhou quickly scanned the jade slip and instructed his disciples to gather all the servants together.

There were over a thousand people.

A man squeezed through the crowd to his side and whispered, "Brother Li, you did a great job with your tasks this month. Senior Brother Du rarely praises you in public!"

Upon closer inspection, Li Xiuyuan realized that the man was Su Laosan, who lived on the same street as him.

This person has a low-grade spiritual root and is at the third level of Qi Refining cultivation.

He was very outgoing and had entered the world of cultivation ten years earlier than him. They were both menial servants, but this person was quick-witted and clever, yet timid and cowardly.

It does have a good relationship with its predecessor.

Li Xiuyuan chuckled, trying to brush the matter off: "It was just luck. You see, I've always barely scraped by. But you've been at the top of your class these past few months, quietly making a fortune!"

"Hehe, I was just lucky."

Su Laosan's expression was unfocused, and he said guiltily.

At this moment, Elder Zhou on the Dharma Boat looked around at everyone and said in a serious tone, "The collection of medicinal powder for the three quarters of this year has been completed."

"Following the highest directive from within the sect, I hereby announce that the bottom 100 in the annual ranking of medicinal powder quality will be forcibly conscripted to the front lines. Disobedience is strictly prohibited!"

Elder Zhou's powerful words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, sending shockwaves through the servants' hearts.

"What?!"

"Forced conscription to the front lines?"

"No...you're not serious, are you?"

"Luckily, I'm not last!"

Why wasn't such an important matter explained in advance?

……

The servants panicked and lost their composure.

"So noisy!"

Elder Zhou snorted coldly, and a surge of perfected spiritual power swept over.

Everyone fell silent.

"The quality and ranking of the medicinal powder for these three quarters are all here. Please check them yourselves!"

After Elder Zhou finished speaking, a disciple behind him stepped forward and sent a burst of spiritual energy into the jade slip in his hand.

next moment.

A huge light screen appeared above the servants' heads, with lines of text clearly visible.

Li Xiuyuan looked up and quickly saw his name: number eight or ninety-eight!

"That was close, just a hair's breadth away!"

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the medicinal powders he produced these two times were of excellent quality, raising his average quality by several places.

"How is that possible? I'm number eighty-nine!"

Su Laosan, who was standing next to him, exclaimed in surprise.

The rankings appeared on the screen: 899th, Su Sanmei...

Su Sanmei's ranking is right behind Li Xiuyuan's.

As far as he knew, Su Sanmei's medicine powder was of much higher quality than Li Xiuyuan's in the first two quarters.

But the quality of Li Xiuyuan's medicine powder this quarter is too incredible, directly surpassing his own.

Those ranked at the top are either mid-stage Qi Refining servants or individuals with exceptional alchemy talent.

"The rankings are clearly visible, and everyone can see them at a glance!"

"The last hundred people, come aboard with me."

"Mei Youqian, Zhao Wuxin, Liu Dehua..."

The hundred servants whose names were called looked ashen-faced and were soaked in sweat; many of them even fainted on the spot.

What awaits them is a frontline that can be described as a "meat grinder".

However, they couldn't muster the slightest intention to resist Elder Zhou, who had reached the pinnacle of Qi cultivation.

They obediently followed the Dan Ding Sect disciples onto the ship.

"Now that you have joined our immortal sect, you should strive to improve yourselves. In the coming year, work hard to refine medicine and contribute to the sect. Next year, there will be new quotas within the sect, and the next two hundred menial servants who are assigned to the front lines will be the ones ranked last!"

Elder Zhou's unquestionable voice echoed in everyone's ears.

Li Xiuyuan sighed inwardly.

This time, Dan Ding Sect launched a surprise attack.

He didn't reveal anything beforehand, if it weren't for his improved alchemy skills.

He was probably like those people, forcibly conscripted to the front lines as cannon fodder!

Judging from this, a fierce competition will likely erupt among these menial workers next year.

after all.

Nobody wants to go to the front lines to die!

……