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

After collecting the Sea Soul Grass, Fang He devoted all his energy to cultivation and alchemy.

Two months passed, and late spring turned into summer. The spirit grains in the spirit fields had already sprouted ears, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty and humid heat, blew across Qing'ao Island.

Fang He practiced the Green Wood Technique every day, and his spiritual energy circulated more and more smoothly in his meridians.

Recently, he vaguely sensed that the bottleneck of the fifth level of Qi Refining had loosened slightly.

When the spiritual energy reaches a certain point, it is no longer blocked as before, but trembles slightly, as if there is a crack that can be broken through.

But this tiny gap is far from enough with just daily practice.

It takes the powerful effects of a high-quality Peiyuan Pill to completely break through the bottleneck.

Fang He took out the Sea Soul Grass and prepared the other medicinal materials needed for the Nourishing Essence Pill.

Today, he is going to refine a batch of Qi-Nourishing Pills for a breakthrough.

Inside the medicine shop's alchemy room, Fang He formed hand seals, channeling spiritual energy into the alchemy furnace to ignite the spiritual fire at its bottom.

Master Wu sat to the side, observing silently.

The "【Micro-Control of Spirit Fire】" entry came into play, and Fang He precisely controlled the temperature of the spiritual fire, without the slightest error.

The medicinal herbs are added in sequence.

The first ingredient is Polygonatum sibiricum.

The second ingredient is Bi Ling Gen (碧灵根).

The third ingredient is seaweed.

This is the most crucial ingredient.

Sea Soul Herbs are potent; the slightest carelessness could cause an explosion in the furnace. Fang He took a deep breath and activated his spiritual sense at full power.

His keen spiritual sense allowed him to clearly perceive the changes in the medicinal properties of the Sea Soul Grass after it was put into the furnace; every fluctuation of spiritual energy could not escape his perception.

[Fire Control Perception] Tell him when to increase the spiritual fire and when to stop.

It has reached the condensation stage.

Fang He activated the [Condensing Elixir Heart Method].

As spiritual energy condenses, the medicinal liquid inside the alchemy furnace slowly solidifies, forcing out impurities and continuously improving the quality of the pills.

Fang He was completely focused, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Fifteen minutes later.

The alchemy furnace emitted a clear, melodious hum.

Become!

Fang He opened the alchemy furnace, and five round and plump Peiyuan Pills lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

Each one has a faint luster.

Superior-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill!

Master Wu picked up a Qi-Nourishing Pill, held it to his nose and sniffed it lightly, then used his spiritual sense to probe and perceive it.

After a moment, he nodded slightly.

"Superior grade. The medicinal properties are mellow, with very few impurities, and the pill-condensing technique is quite skillful."

Fang He felt a sense of relief, but remained expressionless.

Master Wu put the pills back into the jade bottle, looked at Fang He, and his eyes showed a hint of satisfaction.

"You've mastered the basics."

Fang He had been waiting for these four words for a long time.

From being initially rejected, to getting close to Su Yun'er, to helping solve the medicinal herb problem, to formally studying, and now gaining recognition, he has walked this path for nearly a year.

Master Wu handed the jade bottle to Fang He: "These five Qi Cultivation Pills are enough for you to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining."

Fang He accepted the jade bottle and solemnly thanked him, "Thank you, Master."

Master Wu waved his hand and then coughed a few times.

Fang He noticed that her master's aura was even weaker than it had been a few months ago. His complexion was also paler.

But Master Wu quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "You have already entered the path and can refine pills independently in the future. You may come and go from the medicine shop whenever you wish; there is no need to pay your respects every day."

Fang He nodded, but he remembered his master's cough.

"Master, I plan to refine a batch of pills to ward off sea monsters. Captain Chen mentioned this before."

Master Wu was slightly surprised: "Water-Avoiding Beast Pill? You know the formula for this pill?"

"I've seen the incomplete formula in the Cultivation Techniques Pavilion, and with my own deductions, it should work."

Master Wu nodded: "Go then. The way of alchemy lies in practice."

After leaving the pharmacy, Fang He returned to the thatched hut.

He took out the medicinal materials from his storage bag: sea beast bone powder, spirit-repelling grass, and water-repelling flower. These were all materials for refining the water-repelling beast pill, which he had specially purchased at the market.

The Water-Avoiding Beast Pill is a first-tier pill, not particularly difficult to obtain, but it is still a new attempt for Fang He.

Alone in his thatched hut, he set up a furnace and began refining pills.

However, the condensation stage of the Water-Avoiding Beast Pill is different from that of the Qi-Nourishing Pill. It requires the injection of a trace of water-attribute spiritual power at the last moment to make the pill repel sea beasts.

Fang He does not have a water-attribute spiritual root, but he has the attribute of "proficient in water".

He attempted to harness the power of the inscription, transforming a wisp of spiritual energy into water-based spiritual energy, which he then channeled into the alchemy furnace.

The alchemy furnace trembled slightly, and a faint, sweet-smelling aroma wafted out.

Fang He opened the furnace lid.

Four grayish-white pills lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace.

The Water-Repelling Beast Pill is complete!

Its quality is only average, but it should be effective enough to ward off sea monsters.

Fang He put the pill into a jade bottle and got up to head to the dock.

As evening fell, Fang He arrived at the dock.

Captain Chen's merchant ship is anchored at the shore, and the crew is tidying up the mooring lines and loading and unloading cargo.

Fang He found Captain Chen on the deck.

Captain Chen was talking quietly with several crew members when he saw Fang He. He was slightly taken aback, then smiled.

"Young Master Fang? What a rare guest."

"Captain Chen, you mentioned the trouble caused by the Ironbeak Flying Fish last time. I've refined a batch of Water-Avoiding Beast Pills and would like to ask you to try them out."

Fang He took out the jade bottle and handed it over.

Captain Chen took the jade bottle, poured out a pill, and examined it.

"Water-Avoiding Beast Pill... This pill is sold in the market, but it's not cheap, and the effect is just average."

"Captain, try this batch. If it works, we can talk again later."

Captain Chen nodded and beckoned to a crew member: "Go and get a bucket of seawater."

The crew quickly brought over a bucket of seawater.

Captain Chen crushed the pills and sprinkled them into the bucket.

The elixir dissolved, and a faint grayish-white halo appeared in the bucket.

Captain Chen lowered his head and sniffed, his eyes lighting up.

"This flavor...is much stronger than what I buy at the market!"

He took out a small piece of dried fish and threw it into the bucket.

After soaking the dried fish in water for a while, Captain Chen scooped it out and handed it to the crew member next to him.

"Take it and feed it to the stray cats by the dock, see if they'll eat it."

The crew member did as instructed and returned a moment later, looking surprised.

"Captain, the wildcat sniffed it and ran away, not eating a single bite!"

Captain Chen laughed heartily: "Good! This proves the evasion effect is strong enough!"

He turned to look at Fang He, his eyes full of admiration.

"Young Brother Fang, I'll take these pills! How many do you have?"

"We only have four at the moment, but we can continue to refine more in the future."

Captain Chen readily agreed, "Four pills, three spirit stones each, twelve spirit stones in total. However, since this is your first time offering pills, I'll pay ten spirit stones upfront. If the effects remain consistent in the future, the price will increase!"

Fang He nodded in agreement.

Captain Chen took out ten spirit stones from his pocket and handed them to Fang He.

"Furthermore, I will first test this batch of pills in coastal waters. If the effects are truly good, we can cooperate long-term in the future!"

"Thank you very much, Captain Chen."

Fang He put away the spirit stones and got up to take his leave.

Captain Chen escorted him to the ship's railing and suddenly asked, "By the way, how's your cultivation progress lately?"

"At the fourth level of Qi Refining, I am preparing to break through to the fifth level."

Captain Chen nodded: "Good! The higher your cultivation level, the more confident you'll be in alchemy. Keep up the good work!"

Fang He left the dock with light steps.

With a high-quality Qi-cultivating pill in hand and ten more spirit stones, the conditions for a breakthrough are now met.

Back in the thatched hut, Fang He placed the Peiyuan Pill on the table and examined it quietly.

The fifth level of Qi Refining is within reach.