I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Only four days have passed.

Zhou Yuan already had a plan in mind.

Four days of research gave him confidence in refining these two newly introduced elixirs.

He lifted the restrictions, pushed open the stone door of the alchemy chamber, and said to the attendant waiting outside:

"Please inform Manager Ouyang that the medicinal herbs have arrived, and I'm preparing to start refining the pills."

"Yes, Senior Zhou, I'll go inform the manager right away!"

The waiter obeyed and hurried away.

Before long, Ouyang Gong arrived in person, his face filled with expectation and a hint of scrutiny.

Afterwards, Ouyang Gong handed a storage bag to Zhou Yuan, which contained the materials needed to refine one batch of "Snow Spirit Pills" and one batch of "Essence Pills" according to the pill formula.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I entrust everything to you! I will wait quietly outside and will not disturb you."

Ouyang Gong cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Zhou Yuan nodded and took the storage bag.

He turned and went back to the alchemy room.

With a loud crash, the heavy stone door slammed shut again, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

Inside the alchemy room, Zhou Yuan took a deep breath to calm his mind.

With the enhancements from equipment slots 3, 4, and 5, he instantly entered a state of alchemy.

The ground array patterns lit up, and a pure and stable stream of intense heat was ignited and injected into the area beneath the "Gilded Cloud Pattern Furnace" through pipes.

Then he walked to the alchemy furnace.

Sit cross-legged.

Instead of immediately adding materials, he first used his own pure Foundation Building True Fire, combined with the Earth Fire, to slowly warm the alchemy furnace, allowing the furnace body to be heated evenly and reach the optimal heating state.

At the same time, he took out one of the materials from the storage bag and placed it around the room.

Everything is ready.

Zhou Yuan's gaze remained calm. With a slight movement of his fingers, he used his object manipulation technique to toss a white, level-five demon core into the alchemy furnace in front of him...

The formal alchemy process has begun!

……

Two days later.

With a low, grinding sound, the stone door to the alchemy chamber slowly opened again.

Zhou Yuan looked tired, but his eyes remained clear and steady. He stepped out, holding two small jade bottles in his hands.

Upon seeing this, the attendant who had been waiting nearby immediately rushed towards the main hall to report it.

Almost instantly, Ouyang Gong appeared at the end of the corridor, walking quickly with undisguised urgency and anticipation on his face: "Fellow Daoist Zhou, how is it?"

Zhou Yuan handed over the two jade bottles in his hand, his tone calm: "Luckily, both batches of pills have been successfully refined."

Ouyang Gong quickly took the jade bottle.

After uncorking the bottle, a pure medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air. He carefully poured out a few pills and examined them in his palm.

There was a pill poured out of a jade bottle, about the size of a soybean, pure white, with a faint mist swirling around its surface.

It was indeed the "Snow Spirit Pill".

The other jade bottle contained a slightly larger pill, which was pale gold in color and had a richer, more subtle fragrance; it was the "Essence Pill".

Both bottles contained twelve pills.

Each one is round and plump, with clear red patterns and full of spiritual energy; they are all top-grade!

"Both batches of pills... were successful? And each batch contained twelve pills! Excellent quality!"

Ouyang Gong was both surprised and delighted, and his voice rose slightly.

His initial expectations were not high.

Even though Zhou Yuan's alchemy skills were quite good, this was, after all, his first time encountering these two types of pill formulas.

In his mind, being able to successfully refine a batch, even if the success rate was low and the quality was poor, would be enough to prove Zhou Yuan's skill.

Yu Huanju would recruit Zhou Yuan.

To his utter surprise, Zhou Yuan gave him a huge surprise—

Both batches are ready.

And they are all top-grade full-fledged pills!

This success rate and the quality of the pills produced are far beyond what ordinary alchemists can achieve!

Ouyang Gong forcibly suppressed his excitement, and his gaze towards Zhou Yuan was different now, filled with more solemnity and eagerness:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou... no, Alchemist Zhou! I wonder what your success rate is in refining these 'Snow Spirit Pills' and 'Essence Pills'? Or, if these two batches succeed, is there... an element of luck involved?"

He asked cautiously.

This issue relates to Zhou Yuan's true value and the subsequent cooperation methods.

Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment.

He naturally couldn't tell the truth.

With all the advantages in his equipment inventory, he was almost 80-90% confident in refining these two kinds of pills.

As his refining skills improve, his success rate will soon reach 100%.

But that would be far too shocking.

"About 50%."

Zhou Yuan gave a relatively conservative, yet still astonishing figure.

"If I'm in good form, I might be able to reach 60%. If I'm not in good form, it might be slightly lower, but I should be able to maintain above 40%."

50%!

A stable success rate of 40% to 50%!

Ouyang Gong's eyes suddenly lit up in a frightening way!

"Fifty percent! That's wonderful! Master Zhou, you've given me a huge surprise!" Ouyang Gong's voice trembled slightly, a result of extreme excitement.

He quickly began to calculate in his mind.

Snow Spirit Pill and Essence Pill are two types of pills that are in high demand and very popular among Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Chaotic Star Sea, and are used to improve their cultivation!

A single Snow Spirit Pill typically costs around 350 low-grade spirit stones, while a Spirit Essence Pill is even more expensive, usually costing 420 spirit stones.

If a batch of pills yields twelve pills, the total value can reach four thousand two hundred spirit stones and five thousand spirit stones respectively!

If a batch of pills yields twelve pills, the total value can reach four thousand two hundred spirit stones and five thousand spirit stones respectively!

Furthermore, the quality of the pills refined by Zhou Yuan is higher than the market price, so the price can be raised even further.

Based solely on the original price.

The material cost to refine one batch of Snow Spirit Pills is about one thousand spirit stones, while the material cost to refine Essence Pills is about one thousand two hundred spirit stones.

Based on Zhou Yuan's 50% success rate estimate, on average, two sets of materials are enough to successfully refine one batch of pills.

So, the cost of materials for two sets of Essence Pills is 2,400 spirit stones, and the value of a single batch is 5,000 spirit stones, with a gross profit of more than double.

Even after deducting alchemist fees, store operation fees, channel fees, etc.

It still has extremely considerable net profit!

It should be noted that ordinary alchemists who can refine these two types of pills usually only have a success rate of about 30% to 40%, and the quality is far inferior to Zhou Yuan's.

Zhou Yuan's success rate of 50% or even nearly 60% means that his profits will almost double!

This isn't an alchemist; it's clearly a walking money tree!

Ouyang Gong looked at Zhou Yuan as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

He took a deep breath, trying to make his tone calm and solemn: "Master Zhou, as the manager of Yuhuanju on Kuixing Island and the person in charge of Liulian Hall here, I formally represent Liulian Hall to sincerely invite you to become our guest alchemist! We will certainly not treat alchemists unfairly."

He explained in detail: "The alchemists will refine pills for my Six-Tier Hall. We will provide the pill formulas, materials, alchemy rooms, and corresponding assistance. For each batch of pills successfully refined, regardless of the type, the alchemist will receive 10% of the final selling price of that batch as a reward! At the same time, the alchemist has the right to priority purchase of all kinds of materials, pill formulas, and books from our store, at preferential prices."

"The Six-Halled Hall will also provide necessary protection and support for alchemists."

One-tenth of the profits!

This treatment is definitely considered generous among the alchemists in the Chaotic Star Sea.

It should be noted that many alchemists only receive a fixed reward of spirit stones.

The fact that the alchemist's profits are tied to the shop's profits means that the alchemist's interests are tied to the shop's profits.

It can also motivate alchemists to refine high-quality, high-value pills as much as possible.

Zhou Yuan quickly weighed the options in his mind.

The treatment was better than he had expected, especially the right of first refusal and the protection of the Six-Hall Alliance, which were particularly important to him as a newcomer.

With the connection to the Six-Linked Palace, things will be much easier for him to do things on Kui Xing Island.

"Okay! I accept this condition."

Zhou Yuan didn't hesitate for long and nodded in agreement.

Ouyang Gong's face immediately broke into a bright smile: "Excellent! Master Zhou, it's a pleasure to cooperate! I'll go prepare the contract right away..."

"Wait a minute."

Zhou Yuan raised his hand to interrupt him, "Manager Ouyang, I have one more request."

"Master Zhou, please speak."

"I hope to conduct the alchemy in my own cave dwelling."

Zhou Yuan slowly said, "I'm not used to spending long periods of time in seclusion refining pills in a busy place like a shop's pill refinement room. My own cave is quieter and allows me to better control the pace and state of my pill refining process. Of course, I will deliver the pills to your shop on time once they are finished."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Gong pondered for a moment.

It is not uncommon for alchemists to request to refine elixirs in their own cave dwellings, especially for some highly skilled alchemists with unique habits.

As long as the pills can be delivered on time, in good quality, and in the correct quantity, the shop will generally not refuse.

He quickly nodded with a smile:

"This request is reasonable. May I ask where Master Zhou's cave is located? If it's too far from our shop, it might be a little inconvenient to deliver materials and pills back and forth..."

Zhou Yuan frankly said, "I've just arrived at Kui Xing Island and haven't found a suitable cave dwelling yet. I've only heard that besides the three main peaks, Qingyun Mountain on the island also has thirty-six excellent spiritual peaks..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Ouyang Gong already understood his meaning.

This is in the hope that the Six-Linked Hall can help him secure a cave dwelling among the thirty-six peaks of Qingyun Mountain!

That's quite a demand.

Qingyun Mountain has thirty-six peaks, and its spiritual energy concentration is second only to the three main peaks. It is a cultivation treasure land that Foundation Establishment cultivators on the island dream of.

Each mountain peak has a master, protected by island rules. Before the ten-year challenge period is over, it is difficult for outsiders to take over. To obtain a place in advance, one needs to use considerable connections and power.

But when you think about Zhou Yuan's 50% success rate in alchemy, and the excellent quality of his pills, and the enormous profits that come with it...

Ouyang Gong thought so.

This investment is absolutely worthwhile!

——PS

Just so you know, in the last chapter someone questioned why a level 5 demon beast, which is a Core Formation demon beast, could produce pills that could be used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

That's absolutely true!

Most of the pill recipes in the Chaotic Star Sea use the inner cores of demonic beasts as the main ingredient. Even the pills for the Foundation Establishment stage use the inner cores of demonic beasts.

Monsters only have inner cores at level five.

If you don't believe me, you can read the original story. Han Li returned from hunting demons, bringing hundreds of level-five demon cores to refine pills for his second cultivation breakthrough... At that time, Han Li was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage after dispersing his cultivation.