All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 251 Reaching the Pinnacle of Alchemy! A Third-Order Alchemy Master (Two Chapters Combined)

Seven days later, Zhou Qing entered southern Xinjiang.

At dawn, Zhou Qing, who had been flying all night, descended from the sky and landed on the top of a mountain.

The city of Shuntian Prefecture is visible in the distance.

A giant volcano, surrounded by four smaller volcanoes, soars into the clouds, while a massive, entirely black city stands on a gentle slope, nestled against the mountain.

On the east side of the five volcanoes are three huge sinkholes.

Above the mountain city, dark red and black smoke clouds blanketed the sky.

Zhou Qing could sense the faint fire-attribute power of heaven and earth emanating from it.

This place can be considered a holy land for practitioners of fire-attribute techniques.

"What a magnificent city! No wonder it's the legacy left behind by the Divine Fire Sect!"

Zhou Qing couldn't help but sigh, this was his first time visiting Shuntian Prefecture City, and the city seemed even larger than Jinyun Prefecture City.

It is said that this place was once the mountain gate of the Divine Fire Sect, one of the ten major sects of the previous dynasty. There were originally five natural volcanoes. Later, the founder of the Divine Fire Sect used his great supernatural powers to move three more volcanoes and set up the 'Golden Crow Eight Absolute Formation'.

This formation is known as the number one killing formation in the world.

Later, the Divine Fire Sect was besieged. Before the Golden Crow Eight Absolute Formation was broken, they moved their mountain gate and took three volcanoes with them. Therefore, the five volcanoes in this area were not affected and were preserved.

While the overall strength of the Southern Frontier may not be as good as most of the prefectures in the Central Plains, Shuntian Prefecture City, relying on the remnants of the Divine Fire Sect's formation, has defensive capabilities comparable to those of the top-ranked prefectures in the Central Plains.

If the Gu Masters and martial artists were to engage in another major battle, Shuntian Prefecture City, as the last line of defense in the southern border region, would be able to withstand the attacks of multiple third-tier Venerables, giving the Central Plains region time to react.

"Using the earth fire here to refine pills should improve their quality even further." Zhou Qing looked at the four volcanoes surrounding Shuntian Prefecture City, where there were earth fire chambers opened by Shuntian Prefecture City, which could draw in and stably provide earth fire.

Many skilled alchemists and blacksmiths from the southern Xinjiang region gather here.

"The environment here seems to be very beneficial for the cultivation and refining of fire-attribute Gu worms."

Zhou Qing pondered for a moment.

After Crimson Flame evolved into Heavenly Fire Golden Centipede, its growth rate was not slow, which was obviously due to the power of the degenerated divine seed fragments still taking effect.

If we rent a Fire Chamber here, it should be able to accelerate the growth of the Heavenly Fire Centipede.

However, the main reason Zhou Qing hadn't come to Shuntian Prefecture before was because it was different from other prefectures in the Central Plains.

Not all the powerful families with Grandmasters in Jinyun Prefecture are concentrated in Jinyun Prefecture City.

Only the Yao family dominates Jin Yun Prefecture City. The Qi family, which also has a Grandmaster, has family businesses and strongholds in Jin Yun Prefecture City, but their family headquarters is located at Crescent Lake, thousands of miles away from Jin Yun Prefecture City.

As for the Xie family in Emerald Valley, they are a thousand miles away from the Qi family in Crescent Lake.

Of course, for a powerful family with a Grandmaster, controlling a region spanning a thousand miles is not considered a large area.

This is also why the Qi family suppresses the Xie family and is unwilling to allow the Xie family to produce a Grandmaster.

Shuntian Prefecture City is different; all the powerful and influential families in the entire Southern Frontier have gathered in Shuntian Prefecture City.

Although Zhou Qing didn't know if there were any Grandmasters in the Southern Frontier, if there were, they must be in Shuntian Prefecture.

Most prefectures in the Central Plains may be stronger than the Southern Frontier as a whole, but if we only consider the strength of the prefectural cities, Shuntian Prefecture City may not be the weakest.

Zhou Qing had too many secrets, so he dared not easily enter Shuntian Prefecture City, where powerful figures gathered.

He could still deal with peak-level cultivators who had undergone twelve blood transfusions and those who were half-step Grandmasters, but the gap between a Grandmaster and a half-step Grandmaster was too great.

Even now that he possesses a third-tier Wood God Gu, he wouldn't dare to easily challenge a Grandmaster.

After all, to unleash the true power of a third-tier Gu worm, one still needs a third-tier Gu Master.

When a Gu Master reaches the third rank, they are called a Venerable not only because they have an additional Yuan Aperture, but more importantly, the true essence in their three Yuan Apertures can fuse with the power of heaven and earth, giving birth to a special supernatural power that can condense a kind of magic crystal called 'Seed of Magic Power'.

Wild Tier 3 Gu worms are generally stronger than martial artists of the same rank because they are born with a 'seed of magic power'.

The third-tier Gu worms cultivated later must be fused with the 'seed of magic power' in order to have the ability to fight completely autonomously. Otherwise, they will have to consume their own original power or rely on the Gu master's true essence to fight.

This is also the real reason why a third-tier Gu Master is called a Venerable.

Otherwise, a second-tier Gu Master with several third-tier Gu worms could truly challenge a third-tier Venerable.

For any profession, the leap from level two to level three is a qualitative one.

Just like a Grandmaster in the Blood Transformation Realm, no matter what, cannot defeat a normal Grandmaster.

Even a second-tier Gu Master with fourth-tier Gu worms cannot compete with a normal third-tier Venerable. Without the 'seed of mana' condensed by a third-tier Venerable, even a fourth-tier Gu worm might lose to a third-tier one.

Of course, if a second-tier Gu Master can subdue wild third-tier combat-type Gu worms, or even fourth-tier Gu worms, and make them obey commands without refining them through the Yuan Aperture, then they can overcome a major realm difference to defeat a third-tier Gu Master.

However, the intelligence of wild third-tier Gu worms is no less than that of humans, and fourth-tier Gu worms can even transform into human form to cultivate. Making them submit, especially to the weak, is probably harder than climbing to heaven.

"I'm just here to refine pills, not to cause trouble," Zhou Qing thought to himself. He had no intention of provoking a Grandmaster, and now he had the Wood God Gu, a third-tier combat-type Gu worm, as his trump card, so he could confidently head to Shuntian Prefecture City.

Zhou Qing jumped off the mountain and walked to Shuntian Prefecture City.

By the time they reached the gate of Shuntian Prefecture, it was already broad daylight.

Zhou Qing did not enter Shuntian Prefecture City in the appearance of 'Zhou Chaoxian', but instead disguised himself as an ordinary-looking dark-skinned old man.

After entering the city, Zhou Qing discovered that the martial artists here were indeed much stronger than those in other parts of Southern Xinjiang. The difference was even more pronounced than in Jin Yun Prefecture.

Although Jin Yunfu City has no shortage of martial arts masters at the Blood Transformation Realm, you can see martial artists of all levels walking on the streets.

In Shuntian Prefecture, Zhou Qing encountered mostly martial artists at the Bone Refining Realm, but also quite a few at the Blood Exchange Realm.

However, even though he entered the more bustling inner city from the outer city and saw more Blood Transformation Realm Grand Martial Masters, he didn't see many high-level Grand Martial Masters. Most of these Grand Martial Masters were still at the Blood Qi Veil Realm, very few were at the Blood Qi Wolf Smoke Realm, there was only one at the Blood Qi Dragon Realm, and not a single one at the Blood Qi Furnace Realm.

It should be noted that a large-scale auction, held once every three years, will be held in Shuntian Prefecture City soon, and there should be more mid- to high-level martial artists than usual.

It is conceivable that even though Shuntian Prefecture City has gathered most of the high-level martial artists in the Southern Frontier, the Blood Exchange Realm is not as common as cabbage, and is not everywhere.

High-level martial arts masters, in particular, are extremely rare.

However, Zhou Qing also sensed a relatively pure fire-attribute power of heaven and earth from the most central area of ​​the inner city. That area was either the core of a remaining formation or had a grandmaster presiding over it.

Zhou Qing dared not unleash his full soul power to perceive, and could only make a rough guess.

"It's a pity that I don't cultivate fire-attribute techniques."

Zhou Qing browsed through the various shops in the inner city, purchasing all the resources he needed.

Although most of the treasures here are related to the fire element and do not fit other elements, they are very diverse and include many rare items that are hard to find elsewhere.

In addition, he discovered some high-level fire-attribute ores and elixirs that could promote the evolution of the Heavenly Fire Golden Centipede, so he spent a lot of money to buy some.

When Yao Ze delivered the auxiliary medicinal materials needed to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill, he also presented Zhou Qing with more than one million taels of silver notes, greatly enriching Zhou Qing's pockets.

Therefore, if circumstances allow, he wouldn't mind giving Yao Ze a few more mid-grade Heavenly Spirit Pills.

After making the purchase, Zhou Qing went to the 'Heavenly Fire Pavilion' next to the City Lord's Mansion, which was specifically responsible for renting out the Earth Fire Chamber.

The auction will be held in half a month, and the alchemy is estimated to take less than half a month, so Zhou Qing rented a place for a month first.

After paying, he received a token from the steward of the Heavenly Fire Pavilion that looked like it was carved from a red crystal.

This token can open the door to the Fire Chamber and also serves as proof of participation in the auction.

After all, not everyone is qualified to participate in the auction. At the very least, one must have the cultivation level of Bone Refining Realm, or be accompanied by a Grand Martial Master, or prove that one has enough wealth. Renting the Earth Fire Chamber for a month requires five thousand taels of silver, which already meets the minimum requirements for participating in the auction.

Zhou Qing put away the token, left Shuntian Prefecture City, and headed towards the volcano in the south.

Tunnels have been carved out of the mountain, leading directly into the volcano.

Every few dozen meters inside, there is a fire chamber.

Zhou Qing inserted the token into the groove on the stone door, and the token disappeared completely inside. At the same time, the stone door slowly opened.

The underground fire chamber was only about ten square meters in size. In the middle stood a stone platform that was three feet square and less than one foot high. In the middle of the platform was a black stone cover the size of a washbasin, with chains attached to the bottom.

Zhou Qing entered the Earth Fire Chamber. The stone door slowly closed, and a groove appeared behind the door. The token slowly rose from the groove and then fell down.

Zhou Qing reached out and took the token.

The entire underground fire chamber has only one skylight, about two feet square, at the top, for ventilation.

Wall lamps hung on the surrounding walls, emitting a soft fluorescent glow.

Zhou Qing walked to the stone platform in the middle and reached out to touch the chain. Instead of the expected burning sensation, it felt icy cold.

He grabbed the chain and pulled hard, tearing open the black stone cover. A blue flame, about a foot high, rose up, and the temperature in the room immediately soared.

"Those below the Blood Exchange Realm probably cannot withstand this temperature."

Zhou Qing suddenly realized that even with his physical strength, he felt a bit hot. An ordinary Blood Exchange Realm cultivator would definitely find it unbearably hot. If it were someone below the Blood Exchange Realm, their meridians would probably be scorched by the fiery energy contained in the earth fire, consuming their blood and qi.

"hiss--!"

Seemingly sensing the change in environment, the Heavenly Fire Golden Centipede within Zhou Qing's body became somewhat excited.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing released the shrunken Heavenly Fire Golden Centipede from his Yuanqiao.

puff!
The Heavenly Fire Golden Centipede plunged headfirst into the flames, and then continued to descend deeper into the fire.

"Be careful not to get spotted."

Zhou Qing quickly reminded him.

"Hiss!" The Heavenly Fire Golden Centipede indicated that it knew what was going on.

More than half a month passed quickly.

In order to make the most efficient use of the remaining Heavenly Spirit Fruits, Zhou Qing planned to buy a high-quality alchemy furnace, or directly bid for a second-tier divine weapon alchemy furnace, and then start refining pills.

However, Zhou Qing also used other medicinal herbs he purchased in the city to refine other second-tier pills. With the help of the earth fire, he actually refined several high-grade marrow cleansing pills, and one of them even reached the highest quality.

Although Zhou Qing's alchemy skills have reached the second-tier high-grade level, and he can quickly master most second-tier pills, the probability of producing a high-grade version of the same second-tier pill is still very low.

Previously, when refining Marrow Cleansing Pills, it would take several batches to produce one high-grade pill, but now almost every batch produces one high-grade pill.

Low-grade pills refer to the effects of the pills themselves.

Mid-grade pills increase medicinal power by 30% and are easier for the body to absorb and refine. Taking multiple pills at the same time can slightly enhance the medicinal power.

Top-grade pills increase medicinal potency by at least 60%, and no matter how much is taken, drug resistance will not occur.

As for top-grade pills, their potency is one to two times that of normal pills, and taking multiple pills at the same time can greatly enhance their potency.

The effects of low-grade and mid-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills were too weak for Zhou Qing, so he basically stopped taking them; it would be a waste.

As for the superior-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill, he usually takes it when cultivating with the help of the power of heaven and earth to assist in his cultivation.

This was the first time he had successfully refined a top-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill.

[Occupation: Alchemist]

[Skill: Alchemy]

[Progress: Masterful (569/800)]

"It seems that refining a second-tier top-grade pill has a significant boost to proficiency."

Zhou Qing couldn't help but show a look of joy as he saw the significant improvement in his alchemy progress.

However, in just half a month, the raw materials consumed in refining the pills amounted to 300,000 taels.

Of course, if all these pills were sold, the profit would be more than five times.

It's a pity he has no sales channels now. Selling so many pills at once, even if he disguises himself and sells them in batches, would still be very conspicuous.

If possible, Zhou Qing still intends to cooperate with the Yao family, preferably limiting the scope to the fourth branch of the Yao family.

Improving one's alchemy skills is important, but it must be protected by powerful forces; otherwise, it could very well bring disaster.

A person can become a guest of honor in a prestigious family because of their superb alchemy skills, but they can also become a prisoner because of the same skills.

"I hope we can buy that second-tier divine weapon alchemy furnace!"

Zhou Qing wasn't originally determined to obtain the second-tier divine weapon furnace, but the successful refinement of the top-grade marrow cleansing pill made him fully realize the importance of external forces.

With the bonus from the Alchemist profession, plus the effect of the second-tier divine weapon alchemy furnace, there might be a chance to refine a high-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill. In this way, when breaking through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top in the future, one can further enhance their foundation.

The large-scale auction arrived as scheduled.

Zhou Qing headed to the volcano in the east, where the auction was to be held. The entire interior of the volcano had been hollowed out and a huge palace had been built inside.

It is said that this enormous palace, besides serving as the venue for auctions, has other ingenious uses.

Of course, its specific function is unknown. It is rumored that this place is the core of the incomplete formation, but the truth of this remains to be verified.

Zhou Qing went to the venue, showed his token, and was led into the hall, where he found a seat at random.

"The triennial auction is about to begin. All are welcome to attend!"

On the auction stage at the front of the hall, an elderly man in a red robe spoke. His voice was not loud, but it could be heard throughout the entire hall.

He didn't waste any time; after briefly explaining the rules, the auction began immediately.

Initially, the items auctioned included elixirs, divine weapons, and secret manuals.

Although they are all first-tier items, they are basically high-grade pills needed to break through bottlenecks. As for divine weapons, they are relatively ordinary.

However, for some ordinary Blood Exchange Realm cultivators, a first-tier divine weapon can play a significant role in combat and can also increase the family's foundation, making it as sought-after as breakthrough pills.

Finally, there are various martial arts manuals that can be cultivated to the Blood Exchange Realm. Compared with breakthrough pills and first-tier divine weapons, few people bid on martial arts manuals.

Because those present were either Blood Exchange Realm Grand Martial Masters or Bone Refining Realm Martial Masters, and basically all had inheritances, they didn't even look down on ordinary Blood Exchange Realm martial arts.

Top-tier Blood Exchange Realm manuals are not easily auctioned off, nor are they auctioned repeatedly, since no one wants their hard-earned divine skills to be revealed to others.

After the initial rounds, the pre-auction period ended, and the main event began, with second-tier treasures appearing one after another.

"A second-tier spiritual herb, the Hundred-Year Fire Essence Jujube, can be swallowed directly to refine fire-attribute true essence. It is also one of the main ingredients for refining the Fire Essence Pill. I won't go into the details of the Fire Essence Pill's effects."

The elderly man in the red robe explained.

A waitress dressed in a moon-white dress carried a tray containing a giant red date the size of a fist, its surface emitting a faint glow.

"Fire Essence Jujube Fire Essence Pill." Zhou Qing was somewhat tempted upon seeing this.

This item is useful for the Heavenly Fire Golden Centipede. He had been trying to refine the Fire Essence Pill, but he lacked the main ingredient, Fire Essence Jujube.

"never mind."

Seeing the surrounding martial artists bidding higher and higher, Zhou Qing shook his head secretly, realizing he still needed to save money to buy a second-tier divine weapon furnace.

A second-tier divine weapon costs at least a million taels of silver, and it's priceless; it's almost impossible to buy with money alone unless you pay several million or even tens of millions of taels in one go.

Therefore, the auction accepts barter.

In addition, the rules mentioned by the red-robed elder who presided over the auction just now also included accepting bids in Yuan Stones.

Wanqi Zongyuan once said that a single Yuan Stone could be exchanged for a hundred taels of gold and a thousand taels of silver.

However, the exchange rate here is that one Yuan Stone can only be exchanged for eight hundred taels of silver.

Zhou Qing had used up most of his stock in order to refine the Wood God Gu, and now he only had less than three thousand spirit stones left, which could be exchanged for more than two million taels of silver. With cash, he estimated that he could get three million taels, but that probably wouldn't be enough.

Fortunately, he still had some pills, as well as unused secret manuals and first-tier divine weapons. With these, he should be able to take down the second-tier divine weapon pill furnace.

However, it wasn't foolproof. In order not to reveal his trump card and have to pay a higher price, Zhou Qing had no choice but to resist the temptation of the Fire Essence Dates.

"Next up, a hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit!"

After the Fire Essence Dates were sold, the next item of spiritual medicine was to be discussed. As soon as the red-robed elder finished speaking, the crowd became excited.

Even Zhou Qing felt his breathing become much heavier.

If he didn't possess a three-hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit, he would have been determined to get this hundred-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit.

Although most martial artists, even if they break through to the Qi and Blood Furnace Realm, may not have the chance to glimpse the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top Realm, no martial artist would be willing to give up even if there was only a sliver of hope.

Therefore, the Hundred-Year Heavenly Spirit Fruit immediately attracted bidding from high-level martial artists. The bidders were undoubtedly top-tier Blood Exchange Realm cultivators with powerful auras, and two of them were at the Blood Furnace Realm.

"Seven hundred and thirty thousand taels! Please give the Xie family of Emerald Valley some face. If you have any needs for alchemy or purchasing spiritual herbs in the future, the Xie family can give you a 20% discount."

At this moment, a middle-aged man with a large belly loudly offered a price and gave his background information.

Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Qing immediately recognized the person as Xie Feng, the manager of Xie's Trading Company.

730,000 taels is a huge premium for a century-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit, but for powerful Blood Exchange Realm martial artists, money is sometimes the most useless thing.

"Whatever kind of valley you are? This isn't Golden Cloud Prefecture! If you want the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, you'll have to rely on your wealth!"

At this moment, a man dressed in a black robe and wearing a straw hat retorted in a deep voice, showing no respect whatsoever.

Shuntian Prefecture City is adjacent to Jinyun Prefecture, but it is three or four thousand miles away from Emerald Valley. For top experts, Emerald Valley does not yet have a Grandmaster, so it is not prestigious enough.

"Could this Heavenly Spirit Fruit be prepared for me?" Zhou Qing wondered to himself.

The auction continued, but Xie Feng seemed to get angry and started arguing with the man in the straw hat.

In the end, Xie Feng spent 1.1 million taels of silver to successfully bid for the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, glaring hatefully at the man in the bamboo hat.

Each subsequent item sold for around one million taels of silver.

As the auction drew to a close in its second half, two martial artists struggled to carry a five-foot-tall cyan alchemy furnace.

"The next item to be auctioned is the grand finale of this auction—an extremely rare second-tier auxiliary divine weapon, the Azure Flame Purple Gold Furnace!"
Originally, this was a pill furnace used by a third-level alchemist for over a hundred years. Later, the alchemist passed away peacefully, and his unworthy descendants sold the furnace, which eventually ended up in this auction house.

It should be noted in advance that, according to the appraisal of our auction house's appraisers, this alchemy furnace is of excellent quality and can increase the success rate of alchemy for second-level alchemists by about 10%.

However, for some reason, this alchemy furnace was damaged, so the additional success rate of alchemy was reduced to about 50%.

Of course, if a second-tier high-grade blacksmith could be found to repair this divine weapon furnace, it should be possible.

In addition, to master this divine weapon alchemy furnace, one needs at least six Blood Exchange Realm martial arts cultivation levels and a second-tier mid-grade alchemy skill.

To unleash the full potential of the alchemy furnace, one might need to reach the Blood Exchange Realm seven times and possess a second-tier, high-grade alchemy skill.

The Azure Flame Purple Gold Incense Burner has a starting bid of 1.5 million taels of silver, with each bid increment no less than 200,000 taels. Bartering with various rare resources will be given priority.

The old man in the red robe gave a detailed introduction to the alchemy furnace, more so than any other item in the auction.

The main reason is that second-tier divine weapons are too rare and are rarely put up for auction. Moreover, they are extremely expensive. If problems are explained after the sale, it will affect the reputation of the auction house.

"I was wondering why there were second-tier divine weapons up for auction this time; they were defective!"

"Even with a 50% success rate bonus, you still need a second-tier high-grade alchemy skill. How many alchemists at this level don't have their own dedicated alchemy furnace?"

The red-robed elder's words immediately aroused dissatisfaction among the martial artists present.

A support-type divine weapon, or a flawed product that offers no enhancement to a martial artist's strength, has limited appeal to most people.

Of course, most people present couldn't afford it either.

"Two million taels, two million two hundred thousand taels, three million taels"

There weren't many martial artists participating in the auction, but the price of the Azure Flame Purple Gold Furnace quickly broke through the three million mark.

"Three million six hundred thousand taels!" Seeing that the price had gradually soared to three million four hundred thousand taels, and only Xie Feng and the man in the bamboo hat remained as bidders, Zhou Qing made his move.

"Hmm?" The two of them looked at Zhou Qing at the same time.

"Besides the silver, I also have twenty high-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills," Zhou Qing added, taking out four jade bottles from his robes.

"A high-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill?!" Many people present were surprised. Marrow Cleansing Pills were not rare, but high-grade ones were very rare.

"Oh? Please invite Master Zhao Dan here!" The red-robed old man's eyes lit up, and he immediately had someone bring the jade bottle. Then he had a servant invite an old woman in a black robe with white hair and beard.

The old woman poured out the pill, took a sniff, and her eyes lit up. "It's of excellent quality, definitely a top-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill. Moreover, its medicinal power is extremely well preserved, so it must have been refined recently."

As she spoke, the old woman looked at Zhou Qing and bowed respectfully, asking, "May I ask who refined this elixir?"

Zhou Qing shook his head, unwilling to explain.

Seeing this, the old woman was somewhat disappointed. After whispering a few words to the old man in the red robe, she left the hall.

"Recently mastered? Could this person be...?" Xie Feng's eyes changed slightly as he looked at Zhou Qing, whose face was covered by a mask, and tried to sense the other's aura.

"Twenty top-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills, estimated at 600,000 taels!" the red-robed elder announced loudly.

"I'll offer four million four hundred thousand taels!" The man in the bamboo hat gritted his teeth, seemingly unwilling to give up.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing took out two more jade bottles, saying, "I have ten more high-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills left."

This time, the red-robed elder did not ask the old woman to come out and test the pills. He simply compared the quality of the pills and directly gave a price of 300,000 taels.

"Hmph!" The man in the straw hat snorted coldly and sat down unwillingly.

"Four million seven hundred thousand taels! The Azure Flame Purple Gold Furnace, sold!"

The elderly man in the red robe slammed the auction gavel down heavily.

"Phew~" Zhou Qing breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully there was no real danger.

There was only one item left to bid on, but Zhou Qing had no patience to wait any longer. He went straight to the back of the room, emptied his pockets of silver notes and spirit stones, and successfully got his hands on the alchemy furnace.

After obtaining the alchemy furnace, he left the venue directly.

"There really are people following us."

Upon exiting the volcano, Zhou Qing discovered that several powerful martial arts masters at the Blood Exchange Realm were pursuing him.

These people weren't likely to rob people outside; they probably wanted him to refine pills for them. However, Zhou Qing didn't want to cause any trouble, so he used his Lightning Speed ​​Step and Wind and Thunder Boots to quickly shake them off.

After leaving Shuntian Prefecture, he took a long detour, disguised himself again, and returned to Shuntian Prefecture, where he rented another underground fire chamber.

After entering the Earth Fire Chamber, Zhou Qing took out the alchemy furnace. As Zhou Qing poured in his true essence, the cyan alchemy furnace became a seamless whole, and a burst of spiritual light appeared.

Zhou Qing noticed a tiny crack inside the alchemy furnace, which must be the damage the auction house had mentioned.

In a daze, Zhou Qing seemed to see an old man making various gestures to control the fire in front of him.

"This is."

At this moment, a line of text appeared in Zhou Qing's field of vision.

You have acquired a new divine weapon – the Azure Flame Purple Gold Furnace.

[Grade: Second Grade]

[Azure Flame Purple Gold Furnace: Forged from thousand-year-old purple gold and the flesh and bones of the Azure Flame Demon Serpent, it has been used by a third-tier alchemist for over a hundred years, retaining a trace of the third-tier alchemist's will and alchemy insights.]

[Conditions for Mastery: Seven Blood Exchanges, Second-Tier High-Grade Alchemy Skill]

[Control Effect: Core Formation (Second Tier)]

[Condensing Elixir (Second Tier): Increases the success rate of refining elixirs below the third tier by 3%.]

"Less than half a percent, only three percent?"

Looking at the information in his field of vision, Zhou Qing frowned slightly.

"Three points isn't low either."

Zhou Qing sighed inwardly and began to try to control the divine weapon, and directly warmed the furnace to test the feel of it.

"puff!"

Soon, a batch of Marrow Cleansing Pills was successfully refined, consisting of three low-grade, two mid-grade, and one high-grade pill.

“No significant improvement.” Zhou Qing’s lips twitched. The next moment, the alchemy furnace suddenly emitted a series of buzzing sounds, and the emerald green furnace quickly turned light purple.

At the same time, Zhou Qing successfully took control of the Azure Flame Purple Gold Furnace, and the text in his vision changed accordingly.

[Control Effects: Core Formation (Tier 2), Core Embracing (Tier 3)]

[Embracing the Elixir (Tier 3): Significantly extends the alchemy process, increases the success rate by 10% by reducing the number of pills produced, and slightly improves the quality of the pills.]

"Hidden effects activated!"

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up; the third-tier profession, [Master of Weapons], was unleashing its power.

Now the success rate of the Azure Flame Purple Gold Furnace has increased to 13%!
"Let me try."

Zhou Qing couldn't wait.

Half a month has passed quietly.

Zhou Qing stood in the Earth Fire Chamber, in front of him was a five-foot-tall purple alchemy furnace.

Buzz!
As the alchemy furnace hummed, a milky-white pill emitting a tri-colored halo floated out.

"A three-colored halo! A top-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill!!"

Zhou Qing's pupils trembled violently.

At this moment, a line of eye-catching text appeared in Zhou Qing's field of vision.

Your alchemy skills have improved!

Your career has been promoted!

[Alchemist (Tier 2)] → [Master Alchemist (Tier 3)]

You have awakened a Tier 3 extraordinary profession!

[Limit Break Point +1]

[Breakthrough Point: Significantly enhances the effectiveness of classes below Tier 3]

"A third-tier profession! A master alchemist!" Zhou Qing was overjoyed.

[Occupation: Master Alchemist (Tier 3)]

[Skill: Alchemy]

[Progress: Masterful (800/800)] → [Progress: Pinnacle (1/800)]

[Effect: Increases the success rate of refining first-tier pills by 60%; increases the success rate of refining second-tier pills by 30%; increases the success rate of refining third-tier pills by 15%.]

(End of this chapter)