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

The next morning, after finishing his morning classes, Zhang Li headed straight for the Ding Sixteen Medicinal Herb Garden.

According to the address left by Pei Yiming, the location of the herb garden was quickly found.

Ding No. 16 Medicinal Herb Garden is located in a valley with lush trees and a quiet environment. There is only one path leading to the garden.

Zhang Li followed the path into the valley, but soon encountered the restrictions of the herb garden and was blocked by a colorless light barrier.

Seeing this, Zhang Li took out the token and shone it forward. Instantly, a beam of green light shot out from the token and flew into the restriction.

Then the invisible light barrier slowly dissipated. Zhang Li did not immediately enter the herb garden, but waited patiently.

A moment later, a disciple also dressed in a blue Taoist robe hurriedly came out.

The man was about thirty years old, of medium build, with slightly dark skin. He looked quite ordinary, and his cultivation level was probably two levels higher than Zhang Li's, roughly at the early stage of Qi Refining.

The disciple in the green robe strode out of the herb garden, his gaze falling on the token in Zhang Li's hand. He looked Zhang Li up and down and said, "You're the junior brother who recently took over Ding Shiliu's herb garden? My name is Li Wu."

Zhang Li bowed slightly, his attitude humble: "Greetings, Senior Brother Li. My name is Zhang Li, and I am here to take over the herb garden."

After exchanging greetings, Li Wu led Zhang Li into the herb garden.

Stepping into the park, the view suddenly opens up.

The entire valley was neatly divided into ten equal-sized medicinal herb fields, with crisscrossing bluestone ditches dividing the fields in an orderly manner.

Each medicinal field was lush and verdant, filled with various first-tier spiritual herbs, such as Qi-nourishing herbs and dew-condensing herbs, as well as several unfamiliar spiritual herbs that were newly encountered. The sweet fragrance of the herbs permeated the entire valley.

Zhang Li's gaze swept quickly across the entire medicinal herb field, carefully examining the growth of the plants. He did not find any abnormal plants that were withered, damaged, or diseased, indicating that the garden was well-maintained.

As Li Wu walked alongside, he quickly explained the rules for guarding the area: "The spiritual herbs in the garden are divided into two grades: mature and semi-mature. Mature plants are full of medicinal properties and must not be touched or picked at will. Any damage will be compensated according to the sect's pricing."

"You just need to use the spiritual water from the well to water the plants once a day at Chenshi (7-9 AM) and remove the weeds regularly. There are no other complicated tasks. If you keep up your duties for a month, you can successfully complete the task."

Zhang Li listened intently, silently memorizing each rule, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

The two walked to the stone table in the center of the herb garden. Li Wu reached out and took Zhang Li's guard token. He moved to the center of the array, activated the spiritual energy, and re-bound his identity and handed over the guard authority.

A moment later, he handed the token back to Zhang Li, let out a long sigh, and said with a relieved smile, "The formation has been re-bound. From now on, only your token can freely open and close the restrictions on the herb garden. For the next month, this herb garden will be under your care. Take good care of it, junior brother. I'll be leaving now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wu took out a yellow longsword from his storage bag, and his magic power surged to a length of ten feet with a slight circulation.

With a light tap of his toes, he leaped onto the floating longsword, riding the wind and transforming into a bright yellow rainbow that pierced the sky above the valley before disappearing into the distance at the edge of the forest.

Zhang Li stood there, looking up at the fleeting rainbow, a deep sense of envy unconsciously rising in his eyes.

Flying on magical artifacts, riding the wind to and fro, overlooking mountains, rivers, and seas of clouds—this is true cultivation of immortality.

Unfortunately, he is only at the second level of Qi Refining and cannot yet fly. Only after breaking through to the middle stage of Qi Refining and learning the Art of Object Manipulation will he be able to attempt to fly.

"Mid-stage Qi Refining...flying on a magical artifact." Zhang Li murmured to himself, his eyes growing increasingly determined.

In the path of spiritual cultivation, one's realm of attainment is fundamental. Only through steady progress and solidifying one's cultivation can one break free from the constraints of mere steps and acquire the ability to ride the wind.

Before long, Zhang Li snapped out of his reverie and began his alchemy career in the herb garden.

Zhang Li had already considered the first type of elixir he was refining: the Bigu Pill.

The art of alchemy has always emphasized starting with the easy and progressing to the difficult, step by step, and Zhang Li naturally understood this principle well.

The Bigu Pill is almost the first choice for all beginners in alchemy. It requires simple medicinal materials, is the simplest to refine, has low difficulty in controlling the fire, and has little loss if it fails. It is perfect for getting familiar with the furnace and getting used to the rhythm of controlling the fire.

Earlier, he had used the black fields in the cave to cultivate a large number of spiritual herbs specifically for refining the Bigu Pill, enough for him to use for more than a month.

Zhang Li cleared out a thatched hut, tidied up the clutter in the corners, placed the spirit-gathering furnace in the center of the room, and then placed the fire-controlling array plate and spirit stones.

Once everything was ready, Zhang Li took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, and condensed a wisp of magical power at his fingertips, slowly activating the fire control array plate under the furnace.

hum-

A slight tremor resounded in the room, and the fine fire patterns on the array plate lit up one after another, with crimson spiritual light flowing and swirling.

The next moment, a gentle and even flame rose from the bottom of the furnace and burned intensely.

After about fifteen minutes, the Spirit Gathering Furnace was almost fully heated, its black body turning slightly red, and the temperature inside had stabilized.

Zhang Li remained calm and focused, showing no sign of impatience.

He raised his hand and took out a portion of the ingredients for refining the Bigu Pill, and put them into the pill in the order recorded in the alchemy book.

The moment the medicinal herbs were placed in the furnace, their leaves immediately began to curl up, slowly releasing a faint, bitter medicinal fragrance.

Alchemy is like cooking; the key is controlling the heat.

Zhang Li adjusted the intensity of the flames from time to time, following the requirements of alchemy.

Time passed slowly, and the only sound inside the room was the faint whisper of the spirit fire burning quietly.

About fifteen minutes later, the originally verdant spiritual herbs softened completely, turning into clumps of lustrous, pale green medicinal paste, which floated quietly in the furnace.

Thanks to Zhang Li's dedicated research into the fundamentals of alchemy and the initial understanding of Qinghe Dandao, the extraction of the essence proceeded relatively smoothly.

However, just a moment later, due to a slight error in Zhang Li's control over his magic power, the temperature in the furnace rose slightly, and the fusion of the medicinal liquid immediately went wrong.

The originally warm and clean pale green medicinal paste suddenly turned a slightly burnt yellow color, and the warm medicinal fragrance inside the furnace was instantly replaced by a slight burnt smell.

The dispersed and suspended medicinal slurry no longer blended smoothly, but instead began to churn violently. Some of the liquid evaporated rapidly due to the high temperature, turning into wisps of pale green mist that slowly drifted away from the furnace opening.

Zhang Li's heart tightened, and he instantly sensed something was wrong.

Although he was very familiar with the theory, it was his first time practicing alchemy, and his control over his magical power was somewhat rusty.

When I slightly adjusted the fire, I used a little too much mana. This tiny difference turned the gentle fire in the furnace into a powerful one, completely disrupting the rhythm of the medicinal liquid's quenching and fusion.

Although Zhang Li wanted to salvage the situation, the mistake had already been made and it was too late.

The churning medicinal liquid inside the furnace became increasingly turbid, and its yellowish-brown color continued to spread. After only a few breaths, a burnt smell emanated from the furnace.

Thus, Zhang Li's first attempt at alchemy ended in failure.

He was mentally prepared; for a novice alchemist, failure is the norm, and smooth sailing is the exception.

Zhang Li slowly withdrew his magic power, temporarily shut down the fire control array, allowed the alchemy furnace to cool down naturally, cleaned the dregs at the bottom of the furnace, and began to carefully review the entire process.