Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 474: Only when the money is used will it be regretted.

Ji An pursed his lips and began to recall what exactly the Transformation Spirit Mud was made of.

He gave a soft hum and said:

"Fellow Daoist, do not try to deceive me. The Transformation Spirit Mud is a third-tier material, on par with the fire-elemental spiritual object, Phoenix Stone."

Adding Nascent Soul Mud to a second-tier top-grade spiritual artifact would cost far more than two hundred high-grade spirit stones.

The Transformation Divine Mud is not a natural spiritual object, but a material created by cultivators in imitation of the fourth-grade top-quality material, Breath Soil. It is an indisputable third-grade spiritual material.

If the other party adds this substance to the spirit armor, the refining cost will not seem so expensive, because the material cost will account for a larger proportion.

“Friend, I would not joke with my reputation, because the amount of Transformation Divine Mud added is very small, so the cost is not high.”

Perhaps you didn't hear the modifier I used; it was only a small minority!

Gu Tai's eyes turned fervent, and after taking a long breath, he said:
"My wish is to refine a magic weapon, but my cultivation level is not high enough to reach the Golden Core stage, so refining a magic weapon is just a pipe dream."

However, there is one exception: the requirements for cultivation level are not so strict when refining earth-elemental magic treasures. In my lifetime, I might be able to refine an earth-elemental magic treasure.

There was one thing he didn't mention: he possessed the method for refining the Transformation Divine Mud, which wasn't expensive, only time-consuming.

In addition, the Sky Soaring Armor is his most proficient spiritual weapon, and he has a preliminary plan in mind to upgrade and transform the second-tier top-grade spiritual armor into a magic weapon!

This plan is still being improved. If it is perfected in the future, he will be one of only two weapon refiners in the North who can forge magical artifacts.

Looking into the other person's eyes, which shone like stars, Ji An clapped his hands and said:
"Fellow Daoist, you have great courage. I wish you success soon."

"Many people think I'm delusional, and although they don't say it outright, I can sense it."

Fellow Daoist is one of the few who sincerely encourages you, thank you!

Gu Tai recovered from his frenzy, solemnly cupped his hands in greeting, and decided to add a pinch of Transformation Spirit Mud to the other party's spirit armor.

Ji An laughed and said:
"Every dream deserves respect; what if it comes true!"

The other person's wish is a higher-level need for self-actualization, and all he can do is offer his blessings.

"Once the spirit armor is finished, I will send someone to notify you to come and pick it up."

"Ok."

Ji An understood the other person's intention to see him off, so he got up to take his leave.

Leaving the weapon-refining shop, Ji An sighed softly.

You only realize how little money you have when you need it. If he were to order more leg armor and face armor, his accumulated high-grade spirit stones would not be enough.

He currently has 236 high-grade spirit stones left, which, after paying the balance for the breastplate, is only enough to order one pair of trousers!

Unless absolutely necessary, he cannot sell the materials he has, because the supply of materials is insufficient, and the way to earn spirit stones by drawing a large number of talismans has been blocked. He has to find another way to earn spirit stones.

If we had stayed in the sect, we wouldn't be in such a predicament!
Even disregarding the profits from the spiritual plants that cover the entire Crimson Flame Peak, his reputation alone would allow him to borrow one or two hundred high-grade spirit stones, even if it meant taking out a loan.

Things become more valuable away from home, while people become less valuable away from home. Although the worlds are different, many principles are the same.

As Ji An walked, he pondered, his pace slow and deliberate, a stark contrast to the hurried pace of the people around him.

When he stopped and looked up, he saw the plaque of "Lingdan Pavilion" hanging high.

'Subconsciously, my solution is alchemy?'

Ji An smiled bitterly. In his previous life, he was destined to be a hard worker. He had cultivated Taoism here for many years, but in essence, he was still the same.

"No wonder I wasn't rich in my past life!"

He shook his head and stepped into the shop.

This life is much better than the previous one. He owns a stone turtle and a small world, making him a true landlord with passive income.

Upon seeing him enter, Zhu Hanshan hurriedly went to greet him and said warmly:

"Senior, you've arrived! Please come upstairs and take a seat."

The two arrived at the VIP room, and after exchanging pleasantries, Ji An got straight to the point:

"Fellow Daoist, do you have any whole sets of pill ingredients for sale recently?"

"None of the types of refining are what you are good at, senior."

Ji An keenly sensed the other party's implied meaning and smiled.

"So that means I have complete sets of ingredients for the pills that I'm not good at refining?"

"To be honest, senior, I do have it, but I cannot give it to you."

We have the materials for several batches of Qi-Nourishing Pills, which we need to refine into pills to supply the auction house.

Zhu Hanshan shook his head. If the other party messed it up, he, as the shopkeeper, couldn't bear the responsibility. He could only seek out the alchemists he had worked with before to refine it.

Ji An frowned, which created a famous paradox.

Finding a job requires relevant work experience. Recent graduates lack experience, so they cannot find jobs, and without jobs, they have no way to accumulate experience.

If you don't practice refining, you'll never gain experience, and without experience, you won't get the chance to refine.

Pills like the Peiyuan Pill, which are used to break through major realms, would never be given to him to refine.

He had a serious expression and remained silent.

Zhu Hanshan carefully explained:
"Senior, I can't make the decision about this kind of pill either, I'm sorry."

Ji An waved his hand, "I understand. But then again, if we send the pills to the auction house, they will definitely take a commission, which will result in a loss of some profits."

I can purchase materials at a premium; you can report back to me.

"It's possible, but it's not guaranteed to work."

Zhu Hanshan should give a heads-up: it's not that it might not work out, it's that it definitely won't work out.

Having cooperated for several years, both sides know each other quite well. The shop will not establish an extremely close cooperative relationship with a foreign cultivator who is destined to leave, because in the end it will all be for nothing.

Ji An placed his hand on the table, tapped his fingers lightly a few times, and said in a deep voice:
"What kind of pills are you currently using the most in your shop? We require pills that are at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage."

Low-grade pills have too low a profit margin, so they are not suitable.

Zhu Hanshan thought for a moment and said:
"There is a kind of elixir called the Crimson Flame Void-Breaking Pill, and there are about twenty portions of it."

However, the material price is the same as that of the Fire Dragon Heart Refining Pill, but the purchase price is fifty spirit stones cheaper than that of the Fire Dragon Heart Refining Pill. Other materials do not meet the senior's requirements.

"If you, senior, can refine the Crimson Flame Void-Breaking Pill, we can provide another batch of materials, about fifty portions, in about six months."

The Crimson Flame Void-Breaking Pill is a substitute for the Fire Dragon Heart-Refining Pill. Its medicinal effects are slightly inferior, but its refining difficulty is not low, so most alchemists are unwilling to refine it.

He could tell that the other party was in dire need of spirit stones and might be willing to take on this arduous task.

Ji An quickly considered the matter in his mind and nodded:
"It's possible, but I don't have the prescription."

The recipes not only record the various ingredients, but also the details of the refining process.

“We do have them. If you wish to purchase them, senior, they will only cost thirty mid-grade spirit stones.”

The recipe for the pill is priceless. This pricelessness means that it is worthless in the eyes of some cultivators, but it is worth a fortune to those cultivators who need it.

"You really know how to do business, it's too expensive! If I refine the Crimson Flame Void-Breaking Pill, I'm helping you clear out your inventory."

"Be quick, what's the lowest price?"

The elixir formulas for the later stages of Foundation Establishment are widely circulated and not worth this price.

Zhu Hanshan scratched his head and tentatively asked, "Twenty-five yuan?"

He observed the other person's expression and chuckled, "Twenty mid-grade spirit stones, that's the bottom line in the industry."

Ji An nodded slightly. This price definitely contained some markup, but not much.

"Give me the prescription and the ingredients."

"Senior, wait a moment."

Zhu Hanshan got up, fetched the items, and said:
"Twenty-two materials, plus the pill formula, totaling two hundred and forty mid-grade spirit stones."

Ji An carefully examined the prescription and checked the materials, then readily paid the spirit stones.

"I have some free time recently. If you have any valuable materials, please leave them for me."

He then took out two more mid-grade spirit stones, placed them on the table, and got up to leave.

Now that we need their help, it's only right to give them some benefits.

Inside the cave, Ji An finished his cultivation, his eyes gleaming.

Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. Unless there are special circumstances, he maintains four hours of cultivation every day to increase his magical power and nourish his immortal veins.

He brewed a pot of Yunding Silver Needle Tea, drank it all, and then closed his eyes to rest and regain his senses.

Once his consciousness had mostly recovered, he placed the jade slip containing the pill formula on his forehead and began memorizing the steps of pill refining.

He's a seasoned veteran now, and in terms of alchemy skills alone, he's no worse than those cultivators who have been practicing alchemy for years.

Because his spiritual strength is sufficient, he can perform many precise operations, which can completely make up for the disadvantage of having a short time in alchemy.

After memorizing the alchemy steps, Ji An took out all the medicinal materials, sorted them into categories, and then took out the Fire Crane Danyang Furnace, which was the size of a clay pot.

He wanted to refine all the medicinal herbs to extract their essence, so that he could quickly master the appropriate extraction temperature.

He activated the magic seal, and the alchemy furnace grew to the size of a water bucket, which was its normal size.

All spiritual artifacts have their own magical restrictions. When he becomes richer, he plans to acquire a top-grade spiritual artifact alchemy furnace, and even purchase a magical treasure alchemy furnace in the future.

He liked the design of the Firecrane Elixir Furnace very much, and he wanted to make it in the same style again when he made other elixir furnaces in the future.

Ji An activated the Three Yang Elixir Fire Technique, urging the azure elixir fire to begin warming the elixir furnace.

The magical power he is currently channeling is passing through the Wood Elemental Palace, hence its turquoise color.

Most of these medicinal herbs are fire-elemental herbs, with a small amount of wood-elemental herbs. When refining the divine essence, they are nourished with alchemical fire imbued with wood-elemental spirituality, which can enhance their medicinal properties.

These are small details that any alchemist must master.

The basic steps of alchemy are largely the same; the first step in all of them is to refine the essence of the medicinal materials.

This step is not difficult for alchemists, as long as the level of the pill is not too far beyond that of a cultivator.

To refine high-grade medicinal herbs into divine essence, a higher furnace temperature is required. The inside of the alchemy furnace is engraved with a magic array to amplify the temperature. However, if the alchemist's cultivation level is not high, he cannot activate a higher-grade alchemy furnace.

As the crimson flames baked the furnace, the fine, dark gold patterns beneath it shimmered with light, as if lava were flowing within them.

The wings of the three golden flamingos reliefs on the belly of the furnace will light up, and the inscription of the blessing for the departure of fire inside the furnace will flow like water.

The fire spirit held in the flamingo's beak was as bright as the sun.

Ji An used his object manipulation technique to lift the Panlong Cover and place it into the Fire Leaf Grass.

Why do alchemists value experience? Because to refine different elixirs, one must be familiar with how to refine and extract the essence from various materials.

Some elixirs are made from the ingredients of various elixirs, but the requirements are different, so the furnace temperature control and methods for refining the divine essence are different.

The explanations of these details in the prescriptions are rather vague because each alchemist's situation is different and cannot be quantified at all.

Ji An had once considered establishing a pill production line using industrial methods, but he felt it was simply impossible.

For low-level pills, it's manageable because there are enough materials and few variables, and it's even possible to develop a semi-automated production line. However, this method is no longer applicable starting with pills at the Foundation Establishment level.

He lowered the lid and controlled the magic power within his body through the Fire Elemental Palace, changing the nature of the magic power and causing the alchemical fire he activated to gradually change from turquoise to crimson.

This seamless switching technique, which some alchemists practice for decades to achieve, was commonplace for Ji An, who mastered it completely in just three years.

The skill in her movements was so adept that it would put many alchemists to shame.

Black smoke billowed from the top of the furnace, and a burnt smell filled the air, indicating that the furnace temperature was too high.

Some medicinal herbs are extremely sensitive to temperature changes, so it is necessary to prepare in advance and reduce the heat of the elixir early on; this is where experience comes in.

Ji An remained calm. It was perfectly normal for the first time to 'burn' the essence of this spiritual herb.

Some medicinal herbs have explosive properties and might even cause the furnace to explode, which would be quite interesting.

It reminded him of the time he set off firecrackers as a child in his previous life. He would light a big firecracker, cover it with a broken iron bowl, and with a "bang," the bowl would fly high into the air. The feeling was indescribably wonderful.

He stopped urging the fire, cleaned the black residue from the bottom of the furnace, used the Lesser Cloud Rain Technique to cool and clean the furnace, and then began to review where the operation went wrong.

Time seems to speed up when you're focused, and three hours pass by without you even realizing it.

Ji An refined all the Fireleaf Grass, obtaining two piles of divine essence of different colors.

One pile was dark red with a dull glow; that was the initial refinement. The other pile was bright red with a vibrant glow; that was the finished product after mastering the craft.

A strong soul brings many benefits, and this applies to all cultivators.

Ji An stretched and said, "Finally, I've completely mastered the refining techniques for Fireleaf Grass. That's a wrap!"

At this moment, his concentration vanished, and he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over his soul, instantly engulfing his consciousness.

At this moment, a pot of Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea is a must.

Light the stove to boil water and brew the spiritual tea; a faint fragrance wafts through the rising steam.

As I gently inhaled the aroma of the tea, I felt a refreshing coolness in my mind.

Drink tea, then go to sleep.

For the next few days, Ji An stayed indoors, focusing on refining spiritual herbs and divine essences while cultivating and tending to the spiritual fields of the gourd world.

On this day, he finally completed the refining of all the elixirs.

The obtained essence was divided into two parts, one of slightly inferior quality and the other of superior quality.

Of the original twenty-two batches of pills, only fourteen remain, a significant amount lost.

About 60% of the divine essence is of slightly lower quality, and it is impossible to refine high-quality pills with these divine essences.

Even without considering the recipe, this alchemy attempt will not be able to recoup its costs.

After resting for a while, Ji An rolled up his sleeves; now it was truly time to refine the elixir.

He took out the jade slip again and pressed it to his forehead to check if his memory was wrong.

After confirming that everything was in order, Ji An skillfully performed the Three Yang Fire Technique, and the emerald flames preheated the alchemy furnace.

He was extremely focused, and poured the divine essence into it one by one in order.

A moment later, Ji An saw the medicinal liquid inside the furnace start to burn.

"Oh!"

The dragon-shaped lid of the alchemy furnace was blown high into the air, and the maiden voyage ended with a lively furnace explosion.

(End of this chapter)