Celestial Official!

Inside the quiet room of the Cui Shu Lou (Emerald Comb Pavilion).

Yan Chen sat upright on the bed, his gaze fixed on the cauldron in front of him, unable to look away.

With the help of that book, "The Lesser Pure Jade Elixir Classic", Yan Chen gained some understanding of things like alchemy furnaces and medicine cauldrons.

The cauldron in front of me was jet black and quite heavy. It was two feet four inches tall, round on the outside and square on the inside, and one foot two inches deep. It had eight sides and eight doors, with partitions on the doors and grooves on the partitions. These were the places for burning medicinal materials and storing the medicinal liquid.

It was indeed a fine "alchemy furnace"!

"Since it is a pill furnace, there is no need to go through too much trouble to refine the 'Earth' energy contained within it. Perhaps refining a pill with it will achieve the goal."

Yan Chen briefly recalled the matter in his mind and immediately felt that this method was feasible.

But then he thought about it again, and his brows furrowed.

He had only obtained the "Minor Pure Spirit Jade Elixir Scripture" a few days ago.

During this period, his schedule was extremely full. He had to manage the market and take care of his cultivation, so he had no time to study the art of "alchemy".

in short--

He knew absolutely nothing about alchemy.

"No...yes, yes...no, no!"

Yan Chen seemed to have thought of something, but his thoughts were like drifting clouds, unpredictable and difficult to settle.

He silently lamented, "This is terrible!"

He immediately activated the "Divine Furnace Fire Burns Affection and Desire Spell," severing his distracting thoughts, and only then did he calm his mind, silently pondering:

"What I need to do is refine the 'Earth' Qi within this cauldron. The so-called alchemy is just a way of gathering Qi, not the key."

"In other words, whether I can refine the elixir or not is completely unimportant."

"As long as the 'Earth' Qi is present, even if what is refined is a pile of medicinal dregs, it is not unacceptable."

Once the decision was made, Yan Chen immediately stopped hesitating, opened the book "Minor Pure Spirit Jade Liquid Elixir Classic" and followed the instructions to find the pills that could be refined.

A moment later, his gaze fell upon the three tiny characters "Nourishing Spirit Pill".

The so-called Nourishing Spirit Pill uses cinnabar as a coating, jujube seed as the main ingredient, combined with angelica and white peony to nourish blood, and tortoise shell glue to nourish yin and subdue yang, so as to achieve the effects of nourishing essence and preserving sharpness, nurturing spirit and enlightening mind.

"I happen to have all of these medicinal herbs here, and the refining process of this Nourishing Spirit Pill is much simpler than that of other pills, which is quite suitable for me."

Having made up his mind, Yan Chen was not in a hurry to fetch the medicinal herbs, but instead immediately began to study the art of alchemy.

Among all the arts of cultivation, alchemy comes first; this is an undisputed consensus among all the lineages and traditions of Taoism.

It will be of great benefit to one's own spiritual practice and future interpersonal relationships.

Therefore, many ordinary disciples of Danlan Valley were eager to learn one or two alchemy skills from Steward Zheng.

As Yan Chen looked at it, his brows furrowed unconsciously.

Although he had anticipated the complexity and difficulty of "alchemy," he still felt a great headache upon first encountering it.

It turns out that Daoist alchemy also has an "internal" and "external" distinction.

The so-called "internal alchemy" method imagines the human body as a cauldron, using the exchange of internal and external qi to refine the essence, qi, and spirit within the body into an elixir.

At first glance, Yan Chen suddenly realized that it was quite similar to his own poem, "Tea Stove Boiling Sword Dance and Song".

Just as I was about to learn more, I only saw a few vague summaries, and there was no more detailed introduction at all.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then continued reading.

There are many more accounts of "external alchemy".

The so-called "external alchemy" uses a vessel as a furnace and fire as a medium to collect the essence of the five metals and eight stones, follow the cycle of the eight trigrams, use external objects as a solid form, achieve the balance of water and fire, and refine the essence of metals and stones into a elixir to nourish the physical body and increase lifespan.

Yan Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, digesting the information for a moment.

"The way of alchemy is to use similar things to assist nature. Things that are formed are easy to mold and refine, and those that are similar will follow each other."

"Therefore, the strength and gentleness of Heaven and Earth complement and encompass each other, Yang receives Yin, male and female depend on each other, and the essence and energy are released. Kan and Li are crowned, first reflecting and spreading... Finally, the golden elixir is obtained and taken as a medicine!"

"The very essence of creation that strips all things of life from heaven and earth lies in this!"

As Yan Chen read, his eyes brightened slightly, and he praised:

"But I never imagined that a small alchemy furnace could become a world of its own!"

"To strip away the life-giving power of heaven and earth from all things... How tyrannical!"

While marveling at the sight, Yan Chen looked again at the "Houtu Chengguang Cauldron" and secretly pondered:

"To say that one can master the Dao of Alchemy in half a month is a pipe dream, but if one tries every means to refine a wisp of one's own earth Qi, there shouldn't be any major problems."

……

……

Before we knew it, five days had passed in the blink of an eye.

The corridor outside the quiet room on the second floor.

Yu Shunan tried to knock on the door several times, but after hesitating for a moment, she withdrew her hand in frustration.

"Never mind, Senior Brother Yan hasn't shown up for several days, he must have his own important business to attend to. As the disciple in charge of Cui Shu Lou, it is my duty to share his burdens."

"In my senior's words, this is accumulating 'work experience,' which should be a blessing for us!"

"It's a bit strange... but my senior brother wouldn't lie to me!"

Yu Shunan smiled, then turned her head and saw Zhao Dengke climbing the stairs to the second floor at the end of the corridor.

Upon seeing her, he merely nodded slightly, said nothing more, and hurried to the main hall.

Curious, Yu Shunan stepped into the lobby.

Immediately, one could see that only Cui Yong was in the hall, speaking to Zhao Dengke in a mocking tone:

"Senior Brother Zhao, what brings you here today? You even have time to sit in our Cui Shu Lou?"

Zhao Dengke ignored this and simply frowned and asked:

"Is Senior Brother Li not here?"

Yu Shunan stepped forward and answered:

"Senior Brother Li has been busy managing his shops in the market these past few days and has rarely been seen in the office. Senior Brother Zhao has been spending a lot of time with Senior Brother Li lately, so how could he not know?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dengke gave an awkward smile, offering no direct response, and after a few vague words, hurriedly left.

Yu Shunan asked in confusion:

"Senior Brother Zhao has been acting really strange these past few days."

"That's how it is for small, humble families."

Cui Yong commented casually.

……

……

Outside Xuchunfang, in a secluded and humble dwelling.

Zeng Deyan held a letter in his hand, looked at the plump woman before him, and said in a deep voice:

"Five days from now, one of the elders from the main altar of my Holy Sect will arrive here. At that time, I will go to the market and, during the sacrificial ceremony, extract Li Xuanyi's soul to use as a vessel for possession."

"As for Shuying, you shall stay here and await the arrival of my chief elder. While I am away, please treat him well and do not neglect him!"

Xu Shuying was somewhat uneasy and asked suspiciously:

"Is that elder you mentioned really that powerful?"

"Of course!"

Zeng Deya laughed heartily:

"I might as well tell you a thing or two about that elder. He was originally a mortal. When he was ten, he herded cattle for his master. When he was seventeen, he wiped out his master's entire family and used his vast wealth to exchange for a cultivation technique!"

"Eight years later, he entered the path of Qi Refining, joined the Qing Sheng Sect, and after another nine years, he finally reached the third level of Qi Refining. He mastered a soul-capturing technique that was unpredictable and divine. Combined with the Thousand Soul Banner, even the elders at the fourth level of Qi Refining in the main altar were unwilling to provoke him easily."

"The reason I was able to get to know this person was purely by chance. It has been several years since we last met. I estimate that his cultivation has improved again, and he has probably already broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining!"

"I've offered him a great deal to get him here! Shuying, please be sure to fulfill any requests he may have and don't neglect him!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shuying was relieved and smiled:

"With that, my brother's matter is now settled!"

……

……

Outside the Forging Academy in the Melting Gold Valley.

A warm and fragrant room.

Three figures hovered above the window frame, and the sound of their conversation could be faintly heard.

"Senior Brother Lü, have you found out everything? What exactly is the Azure Saint Sect plotting?"

"Hmm, I learned from that woman that the year-end sacrificial ceremony is in five days, and Zeng Deyan intends to go there. In that case, the Qing Sheng Sect will definitely be empty, and at that time you and I can..."

All I heard was this and that.

After he finished speaking, it took a long time before a voice finally rang out.

"With Zeng Deyan gone, this is indeed a great opportunity!"

"This is a one-time opportunity, a decisive blow that will determine victory or defeat, and even life or death!"

……

……

Inside the quiet room of the Cui Shu Lou (Emerald Comb Pavilion).

Yan Chen suddenly opened his eyes, breaking free from his meditative state. He then flicked his sleeve and lifted the lid of the "Houtu Chengguang Cauldron".

In an instant, a thick cloud of smoke, mixed with a strange aura, burst forth.

Yan Chen frowned, carefully sensing for a moment, then a cheerful smile appeared on his face.

"Haha, I did it!"