Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

A group of people walked slowly along the coastline, the afternoon sun shining on the rocks and creating shimmering waves.

This was his last patrol mission of the month.

Recently, the activity of sea monsters has been unusually quiet. Several patrols have been fruitless, and not even a shadow of a first-tier sea monster has been seen.

That's strange.

Han Laosan walked ahead, muttering to himself, "At this time of year, the sea monsters would be causing trouble, why are they so quiet this year?"

Fang He didn't respond, but silently observed the sea.

The "Sea Beast Sensing" entry was active, but there was indeed nothing unusual within a radius of several miles.

As the group approached the market, Han Laosan slowed down and walked alongside Fang He.

"Young Fang," Han Laosan sized him up, "have you changed at all lately?"

Fang He looked at him: "What changes?"

I can't quite explain it.

Han Laosan frowned. "It's just that you give off a different vibe. Before, although you were composed, I always felt like it was... an act. Now it's different; you seem genuinely composed."

Fang He smiled and said, "Perhaps it's because my cultivation level has improved, and my state of mind has changed as well."

Han Laosan shook his head, seemingly not agreeing with the explanation, but did not press further.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly lowered his voice: "You little brat, are you plotting something?"

Fang He didn't answer directly: "Old Han, do you think this patrol team... is worth staying in indefinitely?"

Han Laosan's expression changed slightly, then he smiled bitterly: "Whether it's worth it or not, is it up to us? We're just rogue cultivators, we'll just live one day at a time."

He paused, then said, "But if you have another way, you should take it. Second-tier sea beasts will come sooner or later, and we Qi Refining stage cultivators... are just cannon fodder."

Lin Qingshan, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up: "This is a good thing."

Both of them looked at him.

Lin Qingshan remained calm and said indifferently, "Only those who can see the situation clearly can live a long life."

Han Laosan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily: "Xiao Lin, it's rare for you to say so much."

Lin Qingshan did not speak again and continued walking in silence.

As the procession reached the entrance of the market, Fang He bid farewell to Han and Lin.

Just then, they bumped into Zhao Haisheng.

"Brother Fang!"

Zhao Haisheng strode forward, a simple, honest smile on his face. "Just got back from patrol?"

Fang He nodded: "What's this?"

"Just got back from the dock."

Zhao Haisheng scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "By the way, my wife wants to learn a skill to supplement our income. Do you have any connections?"

Fang He pondered for a moment: "I'll keep an eye out for you. I'll let you know if there's any suitable news."

Zhao Haisheng's eyes lit up: "Thank you so much, Brother Fang! Come over for dinner another day!"

Fang He smiled and nodded, and the two said goodbye.

Watching Zhao Haisheng's departing figure, Fang He had already made up her mind.

Zhao Haisheng was one of his few friends in Ling Tin District, and he helped him a lot on a regular basis.

If there's an opportunity, it would be right to lend a hand.

However, since the alchemy studies have just begun and the investigation into the cold-natured ginseng is still in its early stages, it is not advisable to be too distracted.

As for the patrol team...

Han Laosan's words made him even more determined to quit.

With the threat of second-tier sea beasts looming overhead, he had to find his way out before the crisis struck.

-----------------

The next day at dawn, Fang He went to the pharmacy.

He had arranged to meet Master Wu at Chenshi (7-9 AM), but out of habit, he went to the spirit field first.

Fang He had just reached the edge of the spirit field when he saw Old Man Lin squatting on the edge of the field, examining his spirit grain.

"Uncle Lin."

Fang He stepped forward to greet them.

Old Man Lin turned his head and saw that it was Fang He. He frowned slightly and said, "Young Fang, you haven't been taking good care of your spirit field for a while, have you?"

Fang He followed his gaze.

Although the spirit valley is still relatively normal, its leaves are slightly yellow, which is obviously due to insufficient spiritual energy and inadequate care.

"I've been busy lately and have been a bit negligent."

Fang He spoke the truth.

Old Man Lin stood up and dusted off his hands: "The sea beasts have gradually calmed down, and the patrol duties have become lighter. You've just broken through in cultivation, so it's time to lay a solid foundation. You still need to keep the spirit fields stable."

He paused, then said, "The spiritual field is your root; don't lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains."

Fang He nodded: "The old man is right, I understand."

Old Man Lin's expression softened slightly, and he waved his hand, "Go on, don't delay important matters."

Fang He bowed and said goodbye, then walked towards the market.

When I arrived at the pharmacy, Master Wu was already busy behind the counter.

"Here I am." Wu Danshi said without looking up.

Fang He cupped his hands in greeting: "Master Wu Dan."

Master Wu pointed to the basket of medicinal herbs beside him: "First, sort these herbs according to their quality. Su Yun'er will teach you."

Su Yun'er came out of the inner room and smiled slightly at Fang He: "Brother Fang, over here."

She led Fang He to the medicine basket and began to explain the key points of sorting the medicine.

Fang He quickly got the hang of it; the "[Spirit Herb Identification]" entry allowed him to easily distinguish the quality of medicinal herbs.

About half an hour later, Fang He finished sorting the entire basket of medicinal herbs. The herbs were clearly classified and there were almost no mistakes.

Master Wu walked over and glanced at it, his eyebrows twitching slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"I recognize most of them."

Master Wu Dan said, "Today I will teach you the basics of alchemy."

Master Wu led Fang He to the alchemy room in the backyard.

The alchemy room was not large, with a bronze alchemy furnace about half a person's height in the center, its walls engraved with intricate patterns.

Next to it was a long table, filled with various medicinal herbs and utensils.

"Alchemy."

Master Wu spoke, his voice hoarse but clear, "There are three things to pay attention to—controlling the fire, adding the medicine, and condensing the elixir."

He walked to the alchemy furnace: "Fire is fundamental. Too much fire will burn the medicinal herbs. Too little fire will not release their medicinal properties. The timing of adding the medicine is crucial; a minute too early or too late will result in drastically different effects. Condensing the elixir is the final and most critical step. The quality of the elixir depends entirely on this step."

Fang He listened attentively, memorizing every key point.

Master Wu glanced at him: "Have you studied fire magic?"

"I've learned the fireball technique."

Fang Hedao.

Master Wu nodded: "That's perfect then. You should have some sense of fire elemental power. Let's try controlling fire today."

He handed over a jade slip: "This is the basic method of fire control. You must figure it out yourself."

Fang He took the jade slip, placed it between his eyebrows, and probed it with his divine sense.

About fifteen minutes later, Fang He opened her eyes.

"Can we give it a try?" Wu Danshi asked.

Fang He nodded.

He walked to the alchemy furnace, took a deep breath, formed hand seals, and began to circulate his spiritual energy according to the instructions on the jade slip.

The spiritual energy originates from the dantian, flows along the meridians to both hands, and finally gathers in the palms.

"Start a fire," said Master Wu.

Fang He pressed his palms against the fire holes on both sides of the alchemy furnace, and spiritual energy surged, causing a cluster of flames to leap up from the bottom of the furnace.

"Stay calm."

Master Wu stared at the flames in the furnace.

Fang He tried hard to control the heat, but the flames were erratic, sometimes large and sometimes small. About fifteen minutes later, a burnt smell came from the stove.

The fire was too big, and the medicinal herbs were ruined.

"Again," Wu Danshi said, his expression unchanged.

Fang He starts anew.

This time, he activated the [Sharp Senses] attribute to perceive the subtle changes in temperature within the furnace.

The flames gradually stabilized, but the timing of adding the medicine was still not right.

If the medicinal herbs are added too early, their medicinal properties will not be fully activated.

The third time, Fang He activated the [Fire Affinity] attribute, using his perception of the fire element to stabilize the flames.

The timing of administering the medicine was appropriate, but problems arose in the final stage of condensing the elixir.

The medicine failed to coagulate and dispersed into a pool of waste liquid.

Fang He cleaned the residue out of the alchemy furnace and was about to throw it away when a thought suddenly struck him.

He focused his attention on the remaining charred dregs of medicine and the marks on the furnace wall, and a panel appeared.

[Detection can extract historical data]

[Item: Residue from the Alchemy Furnace]

[Historical Imprint: Insights into the Control of Alchemy Fire (Gray)]

【Whether to extract? 】

Fang He confirmed.

Extraction successful

[Acquired term: Temperature Sensitivity (gray)]

[Perception of Fire Level (Gray): Increases perception of the fire level in alchemy by 10%, making it easier to seize the opportunity]

Fang He's heart stirred.

He sensed a subtle resonance between the two terms, "Perception of Fire" and "Affinity for Fire," within his dantian.

The interplay of these two senses deepened his understanding of fire.

He carefully collected the residue, then turned around to find Wu Danshi staring at him.

"What you just did."

Master Wu frowned. "What did you sense?"

Fang He was taken aback, then said, "I just... find these remnants somewhat unusual."

Master Wu stared at him for a few moments, then suddenly sighed, "You rascal, you learn things very quickly."

He turned and left, saying without looking back as he reached the door, "To be continued tomorrow."

Su Yun'er walked out from the corner and smiled at Fang He:

"Brother Fang, you've done really well today. When I was learning, I blew up the oven three times in a row."

Fang He chuckled, speechless: "An explosion?"

Su Yun'er nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Be careful tomorrow. When Grandpa Wu is in a good mood, it won't be too difficult."