Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

Time slips away quietly.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Qingxuan Sect, Lingze Peak, Outer Gate, Courtyard No. 23.

Zhang Li sat cross-legged on the futon, his breathing long and deep, surrounded by a hazy red glow that rose and fell rhythmically with his breath.

suddenly!

An invisible wave of energy suddenly swept out, and at the same time, Zhang Li's cultivation level naturally broke through to the third level of Qi Refining.

Half an hour later, Zhang Li slowly opened his eyes.

After two and a half years of diligent cultivation, his cultivation level finally broke through to the third level of Qi Refining.

This cultivation speed is extremely fast, comparable to that of cultivators with three spiritual roots who have used a lot of resources.

All of this was thanks to his arduous training and the benefits provided by Kuroda's spatial abilities.

"Breaking through cultivation too quickly is also a troublesome thing," Zhang Li muttered to himself, but his tone was not so joyful, but rather somewhat worried.

The reason is that his cultivation level has increased at an abnormally high rate. The Four Spirits are generally recognized as mixed spiritual roots. Most cultivators with the same aptitude are still stuck at the first level of Qi Refining after two and a half years of cultivation, and very few can break through to the second level of Qi Refining.

Statistics also exist in the world of cultivation.

The book "Fundamentals of Cultivation" clearly states that, under normal circumstances, it takes an average of seven years for a cultivator with four spiritual roots to reach the third level of Qi Refining, ten years to break through to the middle level, and about thirty years to break through to the late level of Qi Refining.

He completed the path that others took seven years to walk in just two and a half years. Such rapid progress in cultivation is too easy to attract prying eyes and suspicion.

There is no shortage of clever and quick-witted people within the sect. If someone were to delve into the source of his rapid cultivation, they would eventually realize that something was amiss.

"The tallest tree in the forest will surely be felled by the wind."

Zhang Li quickly made up his mind to find a suitable time to reveal some of his alchemical skills to the outside world.

This explains why his cultivation progressed so rapidly.

Instead of trying to hide it and being overly cautious, fearing that others will discover your abnormality, it's better to take the initiative to give a reasonable explanation and silence the gossip.

This matter can be planned slowly; perhaps a suitable opportunity will arise later.

Right now, continuing to refine the art of alchemy is of paramount importance. Having already reached the third level of Qi Refining, it's time to start refining Qi Nourishing Pills.

Thinking of this, Zhang Li had a thought, and a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and his figure appeared in the cave.

In the black field not far in front of him, all the spirit seeds he had sown earlier had matured: Dew-Gathering Flowers, Green-Veined Poria, Qi-Nourishing Grass...

These spiritual herbs and medicines are all used to refine Qi-Nourishing Pills. He has accumulated about two hundred portions in the wooden house, which is enough for him to start his training.

After Zhang Li brought the mature spiritual herbs from the black field into the wooden house, he took out dozens of spirit stones and placed them on the black field to restore his depleted spiritual energy. Then, with a thought, he returned to the wooden house.

Now that the necessary elixirs have been prepared, it's time for intensive refining.

Qi-nourishing pills, get going!

For the next period of time, Zhang Li seemed to have returned to the days when he first refined the Bigu Pill.

Failure, failure, and more failure...

For ordinary cultivators, each failed attempt at fusion is a double blow to both their spirit stones and their mental well-being. However, Zhang Li possesses the Black Field Cave, allowing him to continuously cultivate spiritual herbs without worrying about losses.

Thank you, Toten Kuroda!

Every time a furnace failed, he would write down the details in a prepared blank book and learn from the experience.

A month or so passed in the blink of an eye, after nearly a hundred failures.

Zhang Li finally figured out a set of tips and experiences, and felt that he could successfully refine it.

The ninety-ninth furnace!

Zhang Li was already very familiar with the entire process of refining Qi-Nourishing Pills. He controlled the size of the flames under the furnace and methodically put the spiritual herbs into the furnace to extract the medicinal liquid and cleanse the impurities.

Then, he took a deep breath and activated the fire control array with all his might, turning the firepower up to the maximum.

Crimson flames surged and rose along the patterns on the bottom of the furnace, causing the furnace body to tremble slightly. The medicinal juice made from the five kinds of spiritual herbs inside was repeatedly tempered by the fierce fire, and the fine impurities mixed in the furnace continuously turned into wisps of gray smoke that drifted out from the furnace cracks.

This step is the most dangerous. If the heat is too high, the medicinal juice will be dried out and charred. If it is too low, the impurities will not be removed completely, and in the end, you will only get a clump of burnt medicinal residue.

Most of the past failures were due to mistakes at this step.

After about an incense stick's time, the bubbling medicinal liquid in the furnace gradually became clear and viscous, and the five medicinal liquids were completely blended into one.

Zhang Li dared not delay. He paused his magic at his fingertips, and the raging flames under the furnace instantly contracted and shrank, leaving only half their original size.

Condensation pill!

The gentle fire slowly warms the medicinal liquid in the furnace. The viscous medicinal paste gathers and shrinks under the heat, and round pills slowly take shape. A faint, sweet medicinal fragrance instantly fills the entire wooden house.

After another half incense stick's time, the trembling of the incense burner gradually subsided, and there was no further movement inside.

Zhang Li suppressed his inner turmoil and slowly lifted the furnace lid.

Five round and plump Qi-nourishing pills lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace.

Although this pill-making process still had flaws and shortcomings, including three substandard pills and one slightly deformed one, it was still the first time Zhang Li had personally refined a pill that could enhance his cultivation.

Although this is only a small, insignificant step in the art of alchemy, it is a giant leap in Zhang Li's alchemy career.

From now on, he can refer to himself as an alchemist.

A true alchemist, not an apprentice who can only refine basic elixirs like the Bigu Pill.

While the heat was still intense, Zhang Li immediately began refining the next batch.

……

Two months later in the blink of an eye.

Willow head on the moon, after dusk.

Luoxia Market is located on a spiritual mountain over 500 feet high, 300 miles southwest of Qingxuan Sect. The mountain is covered with a layer of light red spiritual rock. Every evening, the sky is filled with the glow of sunset, and the buildings in the market are bathed in warm red light. This is how Luoxia Market got its name.

This establishment was spearheaded by the Qingxuan Sect and jointly set up with several surrounding family forces. However, the management was naturally in the hands of the Qingxuan Sect, and the other family forces only had the right to participate in profit sharing and lease shops for operation.

Besides the inner and outer disciples of the Qingxuan Sect, the people coming and going also included independent cultivators and family cultivators from within a hundred miles. The scale far surpassed that of Hanxi Market, and the variety of goods traded was several times greater.

At the foot of the mountain, a barrier was set up, guarded by sect deacons and disciples. Anyone entering the mountain to trade had to pay a low-grade spirit stone as an entry fee in exchange for a wooden plaque engraved with the words "Luoxia".

With this permit, one may stay in the temple for three days. During this period, private fights and forced buying and selling are strictly prohibited. Violators will have their cultivation abolished and be expelled from the mountain.

Because Zhang Li possessed a grotto-heaven that allowed him to accelerate the ripening of spiritual herbs and plants, his progress in alchemy was extremely rapid due to the accumulation of massive resources. It was somewhat of a stretch to explain his advancement in alchemy solely by his aptitude for refining pills.

Therefore, he cannot sell Qi-Nourishing Pills in the sect's market for a short period of time, otherwise, people with ulterior motives will suspect his abnormal progress in alchemy.

Therefore, Zhang Li had to open up a market outside the sect, and Luoxia Market was the best choice for him in terms of both location and size.