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

Three days later.

"Today is the opening day of Dan Ding Lou, it's time to set off."

Zhang Li got up, tidied himself up briefly, instructed Li He and Wang Mu to take care of the spirit site, and then boarded the Black Shadow Boat and headed towards Yunyu Immortal City.

Traveling smoothly, Zhang Li arrived in the bustling and vibrant Yunyu Immortal City in less than half an hour.

The immortal city was as bustling as ever today, with crowds of people flowing through the streets and cultivators coming and going in an endless stream. He followed the flow of people and soon found the brand-new shop in the bustling streets in the center of the immortal city.

The shop was still called Dan Ding Lou, but it was much larger than the one in Yunxi Market. The two-story building stood tall, with a large red silk ribbon hanging in front of the door and attendants standing on both sides to welcome people. There were many cultivators coming and going, all of whom came for the 10% discount on opening day.

With a 10% discount, cultivators of all levels can save a lot of spirit stones, so naturally no one would want to miss it.

From afar, Su Qinghe, dressed in a light green dress, was standing inside the door entertaining guests. Her gaze swept over Zhang Li in the crowd, and she immediately greeted him with a smile, "Junior Brother Zhang."

"Senior Sister Su, congratulations on your opening." Zhang Li smiled and stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

Beside her, an elderly man in his fifties, dressed in a grey robe with graying hair and a handsome face, followed Su Qinghe's gaze to Zhang Li. He looked at Zhang Li with a hint of curiosity and asked softly, "Qinghe, who is this?"

Su Qinghe turned to the side and introduced the two with a gentle smile: "Uncle, this is Junior Brother Zhang Li, a friend I met in the sect. He is an expert in alchemy and has already achieved some success."

After saying that, she turned to Zhang Li and introduced him softly: "Junior Brother Zhang, this is my uncle Qin Zijiang, the chief alchemist of the clan. Most of the second-tier pills sold in Dan Ding Lou are made by my uncle."

Being able to refine second-tier pills meant he must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Zhang Li quickly bowed respectfully, saying, "Junior Zhang Li greets Senior Qin."

Qin Zi stroked his white beard, calmly surveying Zhang Li. Seeing Zhang Li's composed and reserved demeanor, his expression softened, and he slowly spoke, "No need for formalities. Qinghe told me you are an expert in alchemy and have already achieved some success. What kind of pills can you refine now?"

"It's all thanks to Senior Sister Su's kind words. I'm hardly an expert in alchemy. I've only explored it in my spare time," Zhang Li said humbly, cupping his hands in greeting. "After so many years of exploration, I can only refine three kinds of pills: the Bigu Pill, the Qi-Returning Pill, and the Qi-Nourishing Pill."

Upon hearing this, a hint of approval flashed in Qin Zijiang's eyes, and he slowly nodded: "To be able to refine Qi-Nourishing Pills by your own exploration, without any systematic inheritance or guidance from others, has already surpassed the vast majority of alchemists, even I am not as good as you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Li quickly waved his hand and said, "Elder Qin, you are too kind. I am only able to achieve what I have today by sheer luck. A few days ago, I made a big mistake while refining pills and the furnace exploded. So today I thought I would come to your shop to choose a suitable furnace."

Upon hearing this, Qin Zijiang not only did not look down on him, but his smile deepened. He stroked his beard and sighed, "Exploding the furnace is an inevitable tribulation for alchemists. When I was refining my first batch of second-grade pills, I blew up three furnaces before I even got the hang of it."

After saying that, he turned to Su Qinghe and instructed her, "Qinghe, I can handle things here. You take Zhang Xiaoyou to choose a suitable alchemy furnace, and the price will be calculated according to the clan's disciple price."

A faint smile appeared in Su Qinghe's eyes, and she immediately agreed: "Alright, Uncle, Junior Brother Zhang, come with me."

Upon seeing this, Zhang Li quickly bowed to Qin Zijiang and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your consideration, Senior Qin."

"It's nothing to worry about. Just focus on your alchemy studies from now on." Qin Zi waved his hand and turned to greet the other cultivators who entered the shop.

Su Qinghe led Zhang Li through the noisy hall on the first floor and up the carpeted stairs to the second floor.

Unlike the hustle and bustle downstairs, the second floor consists entirely of private rooms, quiet and elegant, with a faint aroma of sandalwood and herbs filling the air.

"Junior Brother Zhang, please come in." Su Qinghe pushed open the door of an elegant room and led Zhang Li inside.

"Please, senior sister."

The two sat down opposite each other as host and guest. Su Qinghe reached out and took the celadon teapot from the table, poured a cup of spiritual tea, and pushed it in front of Zhang Li.

"I just brewed some Qingxinling leaf tea, junior brother, please have a taste."

Zhang Li reached out and took the teacup: "Thank you for your hospitality, Senior Sister."

Su Qinghe poured herself another cup, and after they each took a sip of spiritual tea, she got to the point: "Junior Brother, do you have any requirements for the alchemy furnace?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Li put down his cup, thought for a moment, and said, "The best grade would be first-grade high-quality, so it can be used for a longer period of time."

Su Qinghe nodded gently upon hearing this: "Indeed, as long as it is not deliberately damaged, a first-grade high-quality pill furnace is enough to use until the Foundation Establishment stage. Junior brother, please wait a moment, I will go and fetch the pill furnace."

A first-grade high-quality alchemy furnace is not cheap. Even if you go through the clan, it will cost eight or nine hundred spirit stones. However, Su Qinghe is not worried at all that Zhang Li will not have enough spirit stones. She would be more than happy if Zhang Li didn't have enough spirit stones.

About fifteen minutes later, Su Qinghe pushed open the door again and entered. With a wave of her hand, three alchemy furnaces of different sizes and colors appeared on the table.

"These are the three best-quality alchemy furnaces in my Alchemy Pavilion. I hope they have caught Junior Brother Zhang's eye."

After speaking, Su Qinghe pointed to a blue alchemy furnace and said, "This furnace is called Azure Pattern. It is made primarily of Azure Pattern Gold, mixed with several auxiliary materials that are suitable for alchemy. It can increase the success rate of alchemy. The internal price is 920 spirit stones."

Zhang Li discreetly examined the cyan alchemy furnace and nodded inwardly.

Su Qinghe then pointed to another crimson cauldron: "This Crimson Flame Furnace is made of molten black copper. It can withstand high temperatures and has an extremely strong ability to concentrate fire. It can slightly improve the efficiency of refining essence. Its price within the clan is eighty to thirty hundred spirit stones."

Finally, she looked at the dark black pill furnace on the far right and said, "The Xuan Gu Ding is made of refined black copper. It has the thickest furnace wall and is the safest of the three. Its durability is far superior to the previous two. The only problem is that it does not have the effect of increasing the pill-forming rate. Its advantage lies in its solidity and durability. The internal price is eight hundred spirit stones."

After discussing the three alchemy furnaces, Su Qinghe lowered her eyes, took a sip of tea, and quietly waited for Zhang Li's choice.

Zhang Li's gaze swept over the Crimson Flame Furnace and the Profound Solid Cauldron, finally settling on the lustrous blue-patterned furnace. He pointed at it and said firmly, "Senior Sister, I choose this Crimson Flame Furnace."

Su Qinghe's fingers, holding the teacup, paused almost imperceptibly. He had thought that Zhang Li would choose the Azure Pattern Furnace, which could increase the probability of pill formation, or, considering the possibility of another furnace explosion, choose the Profound Solid Cauldron.

Before Su Qinghe could ask why, Zhang Li waved his hand, and thirty identical white jade bottles appeared neatly on the table, their bodies emanating a faint medicinal fragrance. "These are all Qi-Nourishing Pills that I personally refined. Senior Sister, please count them and use them to offset the spirit stones."

Su Qinghe was startled and looked up at the row of jade bottles. Her secret hope that Zhang Li would not have enough spirit stones vanished instantly, but she still maintained her gentle appearance and began to count the pills.

After a moment, Su Qinghe slowly said, "I can give you 765 spirit stones for this batch of pills, Junior Brother. You only need to add another 65 spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Li took out the spirit stones and put the Crimson Flame Furnace into his storage bag.