Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 251 Preparing to Form a Pill
As a substitute for the Core Formation Spiritual Treasure, the Condensed Crystal Pill is of a grade no lower than the mid-stage of the third rank. Without the blessing of spiritual flames, even the alchemical fire of an ordinary pseudo-Core Formation True Person cannot refine it.

Although Li Ji'an had thoroughly studied the formula for the Crystallizing Pill and repeatedly deduced its perfection, this was the first time he had actually put it into practice.

The most crucial point is that only one set of materials is needed to make one pill of the Crystal Condensation Pill, and he had only managed to gather one set of materials.

To ensure the success of the pill, he borrowed a third-tier pill furnace from Master Yudan, saying he wanted to try refining a third-tier pill.

After bathing and changing clothes, and praying to the Alchemist, three days later, Li Ji'an incorporated the little fire spirit into his dantian.

Three months later, as the spiritual energy fluctuations above the outer peak stabilized, a humming sound came from inside the alchemy furnace, and the first Crystallization Pill was produced.

Looking at the Crystallized Pill slowly floating in front of him from inside the alchemy furnace, Li Ji'an let out a long breath.

"It's finally done!"

Although the texture is only average, I'm still satisfied.

During the three months of refining, there were several near-problems, as some details recorded in the ancient elixir formulas differed somewhat from the medicinal materials Li Ji'an used.

Li Ji'an analyzed that this was probably due to the difference in medicinal properties between the herbs used today and those used in ancient times.

Fortunately, he was skilled in alchemy and had enough confidence to adjust the details in time during the crisis.

"Its internal energy is indeed somewhat similar to that of the Seven-Colored Treasure Tree and the Earth Essence, two other Core Formation treasures." Li Ji'an was delighted as he carefully compared the two Core Formation treasures he already possessed.

This is only a mid-grade Crystallization Pill, but in terms of its energy, it seems to be not much weaker than the Earth Source Essence.

This proves that the Crystallization Pill developed by that ancient alchemist not only does indeed help with the formation of the Golden Core, but its effectiveness is even comparable to the top twenty spiritual treasures on the Golden Core Formation List.

"No wonder that ancient predecessor instructed his descendants to take the Crystal Condensation Pill, the Seven-Colored Treasure Tree, and the Autumn Departure Water, condense a Golden Core, and then go to find him. This is the source of his confidence!"

After confirming that the Crystal Condensation Pill was normal, Li Ji'an carefully sealed it in a jade bottle.

He then calmed his mind and reviewed the process of refining the Crystallization Pill for the first time.

After a while, he imprinted all his insights and lessons learned onto the jade talisman.

After taking a Qi-Nourishing Pill to regulate his breathing, he immediately added third-tier spiritual herbs to refine a batch of pills needed for the daily cultivation of a Core Formation cultivator.

The purpose was simply to cover up the aura of the condensed elixir inside the alchemy furnace.

The next day, after returning the alchemy furnace to Jade Elixir Immortal, Li Ji'an proposed the idea of ​​preparing to attempt to form the Core Formation.

After carefully sensing the surroundings again, Master Yu Dan said nothing more, only instructing him to inform the sect leader.

Anyway, there aren't many people in the sect using the third-tier secluded cultivation caves these days, so there's no need to queue.

Moreover, as an elder, Li Ji'an didn't need to wait in line.

Li Ji'an then went to the main hall of the Biyun Sect and met with the sect leader.

"Good! I look forward to my Biyun Sect producing another Core Formation True Person. Li Danshi, as the deputy peak master of this sect, you may go to the sect's treasury to collect a Core Formation spiritual resource." The sect master not only displayed great emotional value and did not say any negative words, but also genuinely allowed Li Ji'an to collect a Core Formation spiritual resource.

This is also a tradition of the Biyun Sect. Whenever a disciple in the entire sect wants to break through to the Core Formation stage, he or she will receive a Core Formation resource.

The only difference is whether the spiritual resources for forming the core are abundant or not.

Ordinary disciples have little hope of forming their core; the spiritual resources required for this are only a few Spirit Nourishing Pills and Meridian Protecting Pills.

Disciples who have a chance to condense a false core usually possess at least one spiritual plant or magical artifact, similar to a 500-year-old Heavenly Heart Grass, to assist in core formation.

For those who have the hope of condensing a true elixir, the sect will do its best to obtain a genuine treasure of heaven and earth for them.

After thanking the sect leader, Li Ji'an went to the sect's treasury.

As expected, he only received a few pills.

However, even these few pills are highly sought-after items in Cangyun Prefecture, as they can at least guarantee that one's life can be saved if one fails to form a core.

After expressing his gratitude to the sect, Li Ji'an returned to Dan Ding Peak.

"Master, I am well. The copying of the pharmacology is complete. Please review it." As soon as she landed in the cave, Guo Wanzhi bowed and presented the assignment she had been given.

His manners were polite and his demeanor graceful; Li Ji'an could sense the respect he held for his elders.

"Hmm, how is your understanding of pharmacology now?" Li Ji'an scanned the scroll with his divine sense. The scroll was filled with Guo Wanzhi's handwriting, which was neat and meticulous.

"Replying to Master, I now have a firm grasp of the principles of pharmacology," Guo Wanzhi said modestly.

Li Ji'an smiled and shook his head. Guo Wanzhi studied very hard on weekdays. In addition, after becoming a cultivator, her spiritual awareness was strong, and her memory was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary people. A year ago, he knew that Guo Wanzhi had already memorized the pharmacology.

"Pharmacology is ever-changing. The year, dosage, place of origin, and supporting medicinal materials will all have an impact. It is also different when it is used as an adjuvant and when it is used as a main medicine. I have said before that when studying pharmacology, we cannot just memorize it by rote. Instead, we should integrate and understand it based on the various records in pharmacology."

The purpose of having you copy pharmacology texts is not simply for you to memorize them, but rather to organize, think critically, and apply what you've learned to other situations.

Upon hearing this, Guo Wanzhi immediately knelt down and listened attentively.

Only after Li Ji'an finished speaking did she kowtow again: "Thank you for your teachings, Master. I understand."

"Well then, let's talk about your current understanding of pharmacology. Don't hold back your knowledge, your teacher," Li Ji'an asked again, giving a special reminder.

“Yes…” Guo Wanzhi then explained her understanding in detail.

After hearing her true understanding, Li Ji'an nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, Wanzhi, you have a great talent for alchemy, much better than I was back then."

"Master, you flatter me. How can I compare to you?" Guo Wanzhi finally showed a confident smile on her young face.

"How has that kid been these days?" Li Ji'an glanced again in the direction of the alchemy room.

"Replying to Master, since being reprimanded by you last time, I have thoroughly reformed myself and devoted myself to the Dao of Alchemy, doing my utmost to refine pills every day..."

"Don't try to flatter him!" Li Ji'an interrupted him directly, clearly trying to exonerate Xu Xiaochun.

Because his divine sense had already detected that Xu Xiaochun was still fast asleep in the alchemy room.

That was Xu Xiaochun's favorite spot to slack off. The alchemy room had a restrictive array and strictly prohibited outsiders from entering. Apart from Li Ji'an, no one else knew what he was doing inside.

"Call him here!" Li Ji'an ordered as he walked into the main hall.

Guo Wanzhi bit her lower lip slightly, agreed, and hurriedly headed towards the alchemy room.

The alchemy room here is close to the third rank, and it has a near-third-rank restriction array. Even a fake alchemy master would have to make a commotion if they tried to probe it with their divine sense.

However, Li Ji'an, with his early True Core stage divine sense, was able to see everything in a single sweep.

"Junior brother, wake up quickly, Master is back!" Guo Wanzhi hurriedly called out to Xu Xiaochun as soon as she entered the alchemy room.

Xu Xiaochun rubbed his sleepy eyes and suddenly exclaimed, "Huh? Why did Master suddenly come back? Oh no, oh no, I haven't finished refining a hundred batches of mid-grade pills yet!"

"Hmph, did you send a message to Master?"

Guo Wanzhi wrinkled her nose at him: "Don't talk nonsense, I'm not that kind of person."

"I'm sorry you don't dare!"

"Hey, what did you just call me?" Xu Xiaochun, now more awake, suddenly stared at Guo Wanzhi again.

Guo Wanzhi remained silent.

"I'll say it again, I'm the senior brother, and you're the junior sister!"

“Master said I am the senior sister and you are the junior brother,” Guo Wanzhi argued.

"That's because Master is senile. I clearly ran up to Master before you and was the one who called out 'Master' first!" Xu Xiaochun protested.

Guo Wanzhi's eyes widened immediately, then she lowered her voice and criticized, "Don't you dare slander your master! Your master isn't old at all!"

……

Inside the lobby, Li Ji'an watched this scene with a smile on his face.

Over the years, one of his greatest tools for adjusting his mindset has been looking at these younger generations.

As a person lives longer and sees more things, their experience and wisdom increase, but they also lose a lot of spirituality.

Once a person loses their spirit, they become dull and numb, losing their joy and passion.

He didn't dislike his disciple Xu Xiaochun, who still had a youthful spirit. A short while later, Xu Xiaochun, his face covered in soot and his hair disheveled, excitedly ran out.

"Master, you're finally back! Your disciple missed you so much..."

Li Ji'an glanced at him. The black ash on his face hadn't been wiped off, and his hair was deliberately messy. The black ash on his hands was too obvious.

"You unfilial disciple, if you dare to imitate your grandmaster again, go to the back mountain and face the wall for a month!"

This is not the first time Xu Xiaochun has imitated the appearance of the Jade Elixir Immortal.

"Thump~" Xu Xiaochun immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Master, I was wrong, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again."

Seeing his smug look, Li Ji'an glared at him and asked, "Have you finished making the hundred batches of pills?"

"Hehe, Master, um..." Xu Xiaochun shrank back, forcing a bitter smile.

"Hmm?" Li Ji'an put on a stern face.

"But Master, I've refined a Qi-replenishing pill! And it's a top-grade one." Xu Xiaochun hurriedly took out a jade bottle from his storage bag and poured out one of the Qi-replenishing pills.

Li Ji'an asked him to refine a basic Qi-gathering pill, which was not of high quality and was meant for beginners in cultivation.

Qi-replenishing pills, on the other hand, are for cultivators in the early stages of Qi cultivation, and their difficulty level is naturally different.

The fact that Xu Xiaochun could refine a top-grade Qi-replenishing pill is enough to demonstrate his alchemy skills.

"Hmph!" Li Ji'an snorted coldly.

"What I asked you to refine is the Hundred Furnaces Qi-Gathering Pill, not the Qi-Replenishing Pill!"

From this day forward, you are confined to the alchemy room. You are not permitted to leave until you have refined two hundred batches of Qi-gathering pills; otherwise, I will expel you from the sect.

Xu Xiaochun was well aware of his alchemy skills. He was intelligent, quick-witted, and had many ingenious ideas, so it was not surprising that he could refine a top-grade Qi-replenishing pill.

However, its foundation is not solid enough. If the foundation is not built in detail, its future achievements will be limited.

"Ah!" Xu Xiaochun was stunned. He had originally thought that he would get praise from his master with this high-grade Qi-replenishing pill.

"Master, please calm down. Your disciple will obey. This time, your disciple will definitely follow your orders." Seeing that Li Ji'an was serious, Xu Xiaochun dared not be naughty anymore and immediately accepted the punishment.

Li Ji'an then waved his hand, taking the Qi-replenishing pill from the other's hand and examining it closely.

"Hmm, the pill is solid, with a pure color and excellent medicinal effects. It's very good, which shows your talent in the path of alchemy. However, a tall building starts from the ground up. If you don't lay a solid foundation, you will regret it in the future." This time, Li Ji'an's expression was calm, and there was even appreciation in his eyes.

Xu Xiaochun's talent for alchemy was made clear without any attempt to conceal it.

Xu Xiaochun finally felt smug, looking at Guo Wanzhi beside him with a rather proud expression, his smile even more smug than an AK.

Guo Wanzhi glared at him, then a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.

Li Ji'an then formally instructed his two apprentices.

"I am about to attempt to form the Core Formation. From today onwards, Wanzhi, you must urge Xiaochun to diligently study alchemy. If he is not attentive enough, report to your grandmaster. Of course, if he encounters any problems with alchemy during this period, he can also seek his guidance."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Xiaochun exclaimed, "Master, you're about to break through to the Core Formation stage!"

"Great! Great! Master, you will definitely succeed in forming your core!"

"We'll have a Core Formation Realm Master from now on!"

……

"Silence!" Li Ji'an glared at him again.

"What? You want to find a real master?"

Xu Xiaochun hurriedly waved his hand: "Master, you misunderstand. I just felt that you have profound magical power and a perfect state of mind, so you are sure to succeed in forming your core!"

"Wishing Master success in achieving the Golden Core!" Guo Wanzhi's big eyes were also filled with joy, and she hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects.

Li Ji'an smiled and nodded: "Xiao Chun, when I am not around in the future, you must listen to your senior sister. When I come out of seclusion, I will test your progress in alchemy."

"Wanzhi, while I'm away, you may punish him on behalf of your master."
-
After giving his instructions, Li Ji'an returned to the outer peak and gathered all the spiritual resources he needed to break through to the Core Formation stage. Then, he took Guagua and Little Fire Spirit and headed straight for the Strange Stone Forest.

Breaking through to the Core Formation stage is not like Foundation Establishment; it cannot be accomplished in just a few months.

He planned to entrust Guagua and Xiaohuoling to Xiao Qiao's care.

After three years apart, Ning Yutan finally waited for Li Ji'an to return to the Strange Stone Forest.

Given the accident three years ago, Li Ji'an granted his request for one day.

However, this time they did not engage in any sexual activity, but simply engaged in sexual intercourse.

That night, Li Ji'an told Ning Sujin about his upcoming attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage, and Ning Sujin was very much looking forward to it.

I hadn't planned to stay long this time, but on the third day, an unexpected person came to apologize.

It was the same branch of the Liu family that Dong Jiangling's daughter had married into. Later, fearing being implicated by the Liu family, she returned to her ancestral lineage and adopted the surname Tang.

Not long after, Li Ji'an met the old patriarch at the Taoist temple.

"Elder Li, it is all my fault for failing to discipline you properly. I have come to apologize."

Seeing the old man he knew from back then in such a state, Li Ji'an frowned slightly.

"We've known each other for years, why is this?"

The Tang family patriarch looked remorseful and sighed, "Alas, it is I who have failed to live up to the friendship I have with Elder Li."

"Fellow Daoist Tang, please don't be anxious. Please sit down and tell me slowly what happened." Li Ji'an invited him to sit down.

"I dare not, I dare not. I am a criminal, how could I dare to sit here?" The Tang family patriarch declined again.

Li Ji'an stopped pressing the matter and let him explain himself.

"Elder Li, I have failed to discipline my grandson properly, resulting in him becoming a rebellious child who injured Miss Qun'er. Now..." The Tang family patriarch then explained the whole matter.

"..."

Hearing half of it, Li Ji'an frowned.

In short, the Tang family once treated Dong Jiangling's granddaughter, Tang Qun, with special favor because of Li Ji'an's status as the number one alchemist in Immortal City.

Subsequently, because Li Ji'an became a guest alchemist of the Biyun Sect, he regarded Tang Qun as the linchpin of the Tang family and the sect, and focused on cultivating him. He even promised to let him become a Daoist partner with Tang Yu, the young master of the Tang family, so that he could take over the Tang family in the future.

Over the years, they have also been doing their best to raise foundation-building pills for the two of them.

However, since the Tang family was originally a vassal Foundation Establishment family of the Liu family, they had no foundation or industry to rely on. In addition, the family members were conscripted to fight against demonic cultivators in previous years, resulting in significant losses. As a result, it has not been easy to raise Foundation Establishment Pills in recent years, and they have not been able to raise enough spirit stones.

Just a few days ago, the Tang family finally managed to accumulate five thousand spirit stones, but that was only enough for one Foundation Establishment Pill. The clan wanted Tang Yu to establish his foundation first, since the ancestor's lifespan was running out and he had been injured on the battlefield. It was unknown how many more years he could last.

Tang Yu was deeply devoted to Tang Qun, saying that he and Tang Qun had made a vow to build their foundations together.

In the end, Tang Qun said that five thousand spirit stones would be enough, and that she could buy two more if she went to Li Ji'an.

……

As a result, Tang Qun and Tang Yu went to the Biyun Sect together. On the way, a stranger attacked Tang Yu from the shadows.

Moreover, Tang Qun was actually in cahoots with that strange cultivator, and they seemed quite intimate.

In the end, Tang Yu used the trump card given to him by his clan to kill the stranger cultivator and then injured Tang Qun. Tang Qun's whereabouts are still unknown...

Tang Yu, worried that Li Ji'an would avenge Tang Qun, sent a message to his clan and then disappeared without a trace!

The Tang family patriarch put it very succinctly.

However, Li Ji'an had already imagined half a book about this plot, leaving him speechless.

(End of this chapter)