Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

Lu Qian, however, had a different idea. He thought that since Senior Brother Zhao was able to buy the alchemy furnace and get to know the disciples of the Pill Pavilion, his identity must not be so simple, and he was definitely not a grassroots disciple.

To put it bluntly, an outer disciple like Lu Qian wouldn't even get a second glance if he went out, so how could he possibly get to know the disciples of the Pill Pavilion?

However, if Zhao Qi has connections in the Pill Pavilion, he might be able to recommend Lu Qian for entry. But this matter cannot be rushed. It's not good to make so many demands after taking the goods but before getting the job done.

At least wait until the original task is completed before making new requests.

Seeing that Lu Qian remained silent, Zhao Qi assumed he was dissatisfied and quickly explained, "Although this Day Furnace is only a low-grade magic artifact, its quality is not bad. It could actually be refined into a mid-grade pill furnace. However, at that time, my cultivation level was low, so I specifically refined it into a low-grade magic artifact. If I were to sell it now, I wouldn't budge on the price for less than four hundred spirit stones."

Lu Qian had no objection to this. Even Foundation Establishment alchemists generally only use high-grade alchemy furnaces. Only older Foundation Establishment alchemists with extremely high skills can afford spirit weapon alchemy furnaces, and not everyone has one. It's already quite good that he's using a low-grade alchemy furnace now.

"How could I be dissatisfied? I trust that the things my senior brother uses are not of inferior quality."

If this really is the alchemy furnace that Zhao Qi used himself, he is unlikely to be lying to himself.

"As long as you're satisfied."

Zhao Qi placed the alchemy furnace on the stone table. "This furnace is very suitable for beginners because it can extend the alchemy process by controlling the heat, and the medicinal effects will be less intense and more gradual."

"For experienced alchemists, this function is quite useless, but for beginners, it makes it easier to control the alchemy process and learn more."

He only talked about learning. As for successfully refining pills, Zhao Qi never thought about it. If anyone could successfully refine pills with just any pill furnace, wouldn't everyone be able to refine pills?

The normal training path is to learn how to process spiritual herbs from a young age, then watch other alchemists refine pills, memorize the key points, and finally refine pills under the guidance of an alchemist.

Therefore, alchemy must be cultivated from a young age; it is extremely difficult to learn after one has mastered the basics.

"I understand, thank you, senior!"

Lu Qian took the alchemy furnace and was about to leave, but Zhao Qi asked curiously, "Are you just going to leave with the alchemy furnace like that?"

"Otherwise what?" Lu Qian asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Don't you have a storage bag?"

Zhao Qi scratched his head and smiled helplessly. "The saying goes, 'Don't flaunt your wealth.' If you just walk out with this alchemy furnace, everyone will know that you got an alchemy furnace from me."

Lu Qian shook his head. "I really don't have a storage bag."

The main reason is that he doesn't need it. He only has an outer disciple's badge and a few bottles of pills, which are perfectly fine to carry around, so there's no need for him to buy a storage bag.

"Your cultivation level is still low, so you might not need it yet, but you'll definitely need it in the future. I'll sell it to you at a low price."

Zhao Qi took out a dusty little cloth bag. "You can use your true energy to probe inside and collect items. However, this is just a very simple low-grade storage bag. There are no restrictions on it, but it's enough to hold a pill furnace."

"This storage bag would sell for thirty to fifty spirit stones outside, but transferring twenty contribution points to me will be enough."

Lu Qian accepted it without hesitation. The storage bag wasn't expensive; the key was that a new outer disciple like him didn't have the connections to buy one.

The storage bags displayed at the exchange were priced around eighty, which was obviously an exorbitant price. However, since the sect did not offer them, and outer sect disciples with low cultivation levels could not go out to perform missions, it was impossible for them to buy them at the normal price.

After transferring twenty contribution points, Lu Qian only had a little over ten left. He still wanted to buy a bottle of Yellow Sprout Pill, but it didn't matter. In the short term, it would be difficult for his cultivation to improve again, so it was okay to postpone taking the pill.

Lu Qian took the storage bag, probed it with his true energy, and refined it in an instant. The space inside was about one cubic meter in size, which was enough to hold a day-burning incense burner, and he could also put in some more medicinal herbs.

"Alright, I've given you the alchemy furnace. Now, you'd better do a good job of handling the matters I've assigned you."

Looking at the day-incense furnace that Lu Qian had put into his storage bag, Zhao Qi felt a little regretful. His dream of alchemy was completely shattered, but in the end he was relieved. The day-incense furnace was destined to gather dust if it stayed with him, and he didn't want to sell his first furnace anyway. Giving it to Lu Qian was still an acceptable choice.

"Actually, I have some more pill formulas, but I can't give them to you for free. I went to great lengths to obtain them. Of course, I don't care about my past investment, nor am I expecting to recoup my costs, but the secrets are not to be passed on lightly. No one can easily break the rules, or everyone will condemn them."

Many cultivation techniques and pill formulas can be bought and sold normally, but you can't easily give away a large number of them, otherwise other people's business will be ruined. Even if you buy a cultivation technique manual, you have to swear an oath not to pass it on. But those are big deals. Simple first-level pill formulas don't require such treatment.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Zhao, I understand."

Lu Qian was already satisfied and was about to start refining pills, so what else was there to worry about? "I will come to you when I need you."

Zhao Qi nodded in satisfaction, but still couldn't help but give a final reminder, "Remember to keep your hands and feet in check, don't listen, don't ask, don't hear, and don't let anything affect you."

"It'll happen in the next few days; someone will contact you then."

Lu Qian was somewhat puzzled. If Zhao Qi valued this matter so much, why would he seek out a newly initiated outer disciple like himself? However, he remembered not to ask questions he shouldn't ask, so he simply nodded and left.

When Lu Qian left Zhao Qi's cave dwelling, he felt that he also needed a cave dwelling.

Without a cave dwelling or spiritual veins, cultivation is a problem. More importantly, there is no secrecy. As soon as someone gets close to the residence, they will know that it is refining pills. It is difficult to hide anything from others.

He didn't intend to go back immediately, but went to the exchange meeting first. With the alchemy furnace in hand, he had to try it out first.

During this time, Lu Qian also tried to cultivate with spirit stones, but he felt that the efficiency was not very high. The spiritual energy absorbed from the spirit stones would dissipate quickly and be wasted before it could be refined. It would be better to use pills instead. Therefore, he saved most of the spirit stones he had.

In fact, if you use spirit stones to cultivate, you can improve your cultivation level even faster. However, when your cultivation level is low, there are very few ways to obtain spirit stones in the sect.

Lu Qian had accumulated spirit stones little by little by chopping wood, and he was still reluctant to use them so soon. Now that he was going to the exchange meeting, it would be time to spend the spirit stones.

The recipe for a Qi and Blood Pill, three portions of medicinal herbs, and a body-refining technique that was included as a bonus—a fragment of the Xuanjing Technique—cost Lu Qian a total of forty spirit stones. He had to haggle with the stall owner for a long time before he could buy it.

The reason these things are so cheap is mainly because they are intended for mortal martial artists. For cultivators, Qi and Blood Pills can at most replenish Qi and blood and relieve fatigue and exhaustion. In other words, these are actually pills for cattle and horses.

For martial artists who cultivate external skills in the mortal realm, the Qi and Blood Pill can be considered a miraculous elixir, but for cultivators, it's just another ordinary thing, not worth mentioning.

As for the Xuanjing Technique, there are some claims that it can quickly accumulate qi and blood, and strengthen the physical body.

However, Lu Qian only obtained a fragment of the Xuanjing Technique, and only the first level. He could only wait and see if he could find the other two levels. In any case, he only learned the Xuanjing Technique to make up for his lack of sufficient means in the early stage of Qi Refining.

Having learned the Xuanjing Skill, at the very least, carrying and cutting firewood won't be so tiring anymore.

So it's actually still the same old ox-and-horse technique.

"They say they don't want to be manual laborers, but the pills they refine and the cultivation methods they choose are still the same."

There's nothing we can do about it. Everyone wants to do easy, high-paying jobs, but the problem is that it's never Lu Qian's turn. What can we do?