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On the east side of the valley, the abandoned lime kiln stands like a giant white beast with its mouth agape, silent in the passage of time.

As Lu Qingshan stood at the kiln entrance, a pungent odor of alkaline dust hit him, making his throat dry and causing him to cough several times.

Every grain of dust in the air here is corrosive; inhaling it feels like it's burning your lungs.

"Kid, you're sleeping here tonight."

Zou Yuan's voice came from behind, still in that dry, emotionless tone.

Lu Qingshan turned around and saw the old man throw a bundle of wet, thick-rooted plants on the ground.

The plant had an ominous dark purple hue, and the serrated edges of its leaves gleamed coldly in the dim light.

Tripterygium wilfordii.

Moreover, it's freshly dug out of the ground, unprocessed, and contains the most potent and toxic raw materials.

"Before noon tomorrow." Zou Yuan kicked the bundle of thunder vine with his toe, without even lifting his eyelids. "Process it for me."

"Remove 90% of the poison, retain 70% of the medicinal properties."

"If you can't do it, or if you mess it up, then you can just get down the mountain yourself."

After saying that, the old man turned and left, his hunched back quickly disappearing into the twilight, not bothering to utter a single extra word.

Inside the lime kiln, only Lu Qingshan and the bundle of Thunder God Vine exuding a dangerous aura remained.

"Is this where you prepare Tripterygium wilfordii?"

"Remove 90% of the poison, and keep 70% of the medicine?"

Lu Qingshan squatted down, picked up a vine, and twirled it between his fingers.

The sensation transmitted through my fingertips was a sticky and spicy juice.

He knew better than anyone that processing Tripterygium wilfordii had always been one of the most challenging problems in the pharmaceutical industry. Its toxicity was second only to that of Crimson Crown of Arsenic and Gelsemium elegans.

The preparation process requires extremely stringent environmental conditions.

Temperature, humidity, cooking time, and even the material of the utensils used in the preparation must be strictly controlled.

Most importantly, this medicine is of the wood element and is most incompatible with alkaline soil.

Processing chicken in a kiln filled with lime dust is like throwing a handful of sand into a pot of fine chicken soup.

The medicinal properties will be completely neutralized and destroyed by the alkalinity of lime, resulting in a pile of useless waste.

This is not being difficult at all.

This is posing an unsolvable problem.

"Old man... do you want to see how I admit defeat?" Lu Qingshan muttered to himself, but a smile slowly crept onto his lips.

A yellowed ancient book flashed through his mind like lightning.

That rare medical book was something he obtained by chance in his previous life. It contained many long-lost preparation methods that were dismissed as "heretical" by mainstream physicians at the time.

Among them are methods specifically designed for processing potent poisons like Tripterygium wilfordii.

Fire calcination and water quenching method.

This method goes against the conventional approach to food preparation. Instead of avoiding alkaline soil, it actively utilizes alkaline substances such as lime and wood ash.

Fight poison with poison.

The "fire poison" of lime is used to calcine and neutralize the "wood poison" of Tripterygium wilfordii itself. After its toxicity is transformed, it is then instantly quenched with extremely cold water to stimulate its purest medicinal properties.

The entire process was extremely dangerous, requiring precise control over the heat and timing.

The slightest mistake could destroy the furnace and ruin the medicine, or even cause poison gas to be released, killing the person who prepared it on the spot.

"I've made the bet."

A glint of light flashed in Lu Qingshan's eyes.

He knew that this was a test from Zou Yuan, and also his only chance.

Complaining and pleading are useless here.

To truly gain the approval of this eccentric old man, one must demonstrate genuine skills that will impress even him.

Without further hesitation, he took action immediately.

There were no tools in the lime kiln; you had to rely on yourself for everything.

He first used stones and his hands to pry off large chunks of limestone that were not yet fully weathered from the inner wall of the cave.

Then, he went to the stream in the valley, filled his animal skin coat with water, mixed it with the yellow mud from the stream, and began to build a simple isolated stove in the center of the lime kiln.

The purpose of this stove is to prevent the flames from directly contacting the ground during processing, which could cause a dust explosion.

Next, he cut down several hollow, straight bamboo stalks in the mountains and connected them section by section to make a simple drainage pipe, cleverly diverting a mountain spring dozens of meters away to the entrance of the lime kiln.

By the time all this was done, it was completely dark.

Lu Qingshan did not rest. He used several huge flat rocks and a complete animal hide to build a temporary bellows next to the stove.

The howling mountain winds rushed in through another vent of the lime kiln. Through this simple device, a stable and strong airflow could be formed to ensure the temperature of the furnace fire.

sleepless nights.

As dawn broke in the east, Lu Qingshan had transformed this dilapidated lime kiln into a fully functional temporary processing workshop brimming with primitive wisdom.

He looked at his masterpiece, let out a long breath, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

Everything is ready.

He untied the bundle of thunder vine and, in a specific ratio, put it into the earthen stove along with crushed lime blocks.

Then he lit the flame.

"call--"

With the bellows pounding, the orange-red flames instantly turned an eerie blue, greedily licking the lime and thunder vine in the stove.

The temperature inside the lime kiln is rising rapidly.

Lu Qingshan stood in front of the stove, his expression more focused than ever before.

His eyes were fixed on the color of the flames, and his ears carefully discerned every subtle crackling sound coming from the stove.

Time seemed to slow down dramatically at that moment.

After an unknown amount of time, when the thunder vine in the stove was calcined until it turned completely red, like a red-hot branding iron, Lu Qingshan made a move!

He used two thick, long wooden sticks to swiftly pull the crimson vine out of the fire.

Without pausing, he turned around and threw the scalding hot vines into the icy cold mountain spring water beside him.

"Sizzle—!"

A loud bang!

When the crimson vines met the icy mountain spring water, a large amount of white steam burst forth instantly.

The steam carried a mixture of the acrid heat of lime, the spiciness of Tripterygium wilfordii, and an indescribable, peculiar medicinal aroma.

This is only the first time.

"Forging in fire once, quenching in water once. Repeat this process nine times in total."

"Nine is the ultimate number, which can completely eliminate toxicity and restore the medicinal power to its original state."

Lu Qingshan recalled the records in the ancient books in his mind, and his hands moved without the slightest hesitation.

Remove it, calcine it, remove it again, and put it into water.

Each fusion of fire and water is accompanied by a loud bang and a billowing white mist.

The Thunder God Vine, which originally had an ominous purple hue, began to undergo a wondrous color change through repeated tempering.

From crimson to dark red, and then to a warm, purplish-gold color.

Its surface thorns and rough skin all fell off during repeated firing, revealing its inner texture as smooth and warm as jade.

By the time the ninth water quenching was completed, the sun was high in the sky.

Lu Qingshan had almost exhausted all his strength. He leaned against the wall of the lime kiln, looking at the Thunder God Vine lying quietly in the clear water in front of him, seemingly reborn. Finally, a smile appeared on his face.

The next morning, Zou Yuan, keeping track of the time, strolled leisurely to the lime kiln entrance.

He had expected to see a disheveled young man, exhausted and worn out by dust, and a pile of "dregs" completely burned to charcoal.

But he was wrong.

Before he even arrived, an extremely pure medicinal fragrance, unlike anything he had ever smelled in his life, wafted into his nostrils.

This aroma has neither the spiciness of raw herbs nor the burnt smell of cooked herbs, but rather a refreshing yet warm and rich sensation.

It was as if metal and stone, and grass and trees, had reached a perfect balance within the confines of his sense of smell.

Zou Yuan's steps suddenly stopped.

He quickened his pace, arrived at the kiln entrance, and peered inside.

In the center of the cave dwelling, next to the simple stove he had built himself, there was a small pile of processed vines.

The vines, with their translucent purplish-gold color, shimmered with a warm luster under the morning light.

Where is even a trace of the ferocity of poison? They are clearly works of art, exquisitely crafted!

The young man was leaning against the wall, resting with his eyes closed, breathing evenly, as if he had only done something insignificant.

"you……"

For the first time, Zou Yuan's voice trembled uncontrollably.

He walked into the cave, picked up a piece of prepared thunder vine, held it under his nose, and took a gentle sniff.

That pure medicinal power shot straight to the top of his head!

The toxicity has indeed been reduced by 90%.

The 70% of medicinal properties were not diminished at all; on the contrary, due to some peculiar catalysis, they became more condensed and purer!

"...What kind of method is this?"

Zou Yuan raised his head and stared intently at Lu Qingshan, his gaze as if he were looking at a monster.

Lu Qingshan opened his eyes, slowly stood up, and patted the dust off his body.

"I learned this unorthodox method from an anonymous ancient book; I hope you'll forgive my ignorance, sir."

Zou Yuan did not press the matter further.

He knew that some things were ingrained in his bones and could not be asked out in a few words.

He just stared at Lu Qingshan for a very long time.

That look in his eyes was incredibly complex.

It is no longer an elder scrutinizing a younger generation, nor a master testing an apprentice.

It's a kind of appreciation that comes from meeting a worthy opponent.

It's a kind of...stunning, like finding a kindred spirit amidst mountains and flowing water!

a long time.

"You've passed the second hurdle."

Zou Yuan carefully put all the prepared Tripterygium wilfordii into his medicine bag, as if he were handling some rare treasure.

He turned around, looked at Lu Qingshan, his tone returned to calm, but his eyes were sharper than ever before.

"Five levels remaining."

After saying this, Zou Yuan turned and left. For the next four days, Lu Qingshan relied on his skills and knowledge from his previous life.

They overcame all obstacles along the way.

The setting sun burned on the horizon, and Lu Qingshan stood disheveled in front of Zou Yuan.

Zou Yuan's eyes held a complex expression.

"You've passed the sixth level. The seventh level is the final one."

He looked at Lu Qingshan, his tone returning to calm, yet carrying an unprecedented solemnity.

"Come with me first thing tomorrow morning."

The old man didn't say what the test was, but his solemn tone told Lu Qingshan that this final test was definitely no small matter.

However, the next day, when Zou Yuan led Lu Qingshan back to his small thatched hut instead of heading towards any dangerous valleys or steep cliffs, Lu Qingshan was surprised.

Zou Yuan pointed to the large water vat in the yard that he usually used to store water and spoke calmly.

"Jump down."

"If you stay underwater for a full hour, you'll pass the test."