Complete one practice method every day

In the darkness, Chen Yue slightly simulated the action of administering the medicine, and his fingertips could almost feel the slightly hot sensation of being baked by the furnace fire.

In the days that followed, Chen Yue was like a tightly wound spring, appearing on time every day in the alchemy room courtyard.

Lin Quan's requests, whether it was assigning him to clean the heavy stone mortar stained with medicine or having him watch the furnace fire for an hour to maintain a certain temperature, he completed them meticulously, without saying much and without ever making a mistake.

Soon, everyone in the pharmacy knew about it.

"Have you heard? Chen Yue gave up a perfectly good job as a bodyguard, even forgoing his monthly salary, to become Master Lin's apprentice!"

"Tch, how greedy. He got lucky and became a guard, and now he thinks he's something special, even dreaming of becoming an alchemist?"

"Exactly! Do you really think you can learn it just by looking at a stove and moving some medicinal herbs? Wishful thinking!"

"I think he finds the guard job too arduous and wants to slack off in the alchemy room, right? After all, he's guarding the furnace, protected from the wind and rain."

"Just wait and see. In a few days, Master Lin will definitely yell at him and send him packing! Then he'll slink back to work as a guard, and let's see what he'll have left to be so arrogant about!"

The apprentices in the backyard, and even some of the guards in the front yard, would gossip in their spare time, their words filled with mockery and a mischievous anticipation of seeing the joke played.

In their view, Chen Yue's rise from a lowly apprentice to a guard was already a stroke of good fortune, and he should be content with his lot.

Such unrealistic ambitions are simply foolish and laughable.

Chen Yue seemed oblivious to the whispers and the occasional strange glances directed at him.

All his attention was focused on the furnace fire in the alchemy room and on the ever-growing flow of qi and blood within his body.

Time, like the charcoal fire under the alchemy furnace, burns silently, and ten days have quietly passed.

Just a few days ago, the experience bar for Iron Mountain Fist on the panel finally ran out. This fist technique, which laid the foundation for his martial arts, had been cultivated to its limit and could not be improved any further.

The feedback from the perfected Iron Mountain Fist is also much richer, with the daily cultivation boost increasing from 5 points to 7 points.

Chen Yue's martial arts realm has steadily improved to the [Skin Refining Realm (67/300)].

In terms of alchemy, the results have also been gratifying.

Because Lin Quan refines different pills every day, in addition to the most common Blood Activating Pill which he has mastered to the level of [Minor Success 80/200], he has also made initial progress in mastering two other more advanced pills.

[Body Tempering Pill (Beginner 60/300)]

【Guyuan Pill (Beginner 60/300)】.

The Blood Activating Pill is a basic pill for martial artists in the Skin Refining Realm to temper their physique and assist in the circulation of qi and blood. The latter two, the Body Tempering Pill, is used to temper the fascia and strengthen the internal organs and is used by martial artists above the Flesh Refining Realm. The Qi Strengthening Pill is the same.

However, the orders Lin Quan received were mainly for the Blood Activating Pill, which had the highest demand.

On this day, the furnace in the alchemy room was burning brightly, and Lin Quan was refining a batch of Blood-Activating Pills as usual.

As usual, Chen Yue stood quietly to the side, his eyes following Lin Quan's movements, while his mind involuntarily rehearsed each step.

Adding the medicine, controlling the fire, observing the changes in the liquid... everything was done step by step.

Just as Lin Quan was evenly sprinkling the last dose of red peony powder into the medicinal liquid, preparing to carry out the final fusion step, he suddenly paused slightly. Instead of immediately adjusting the air damper, he turned his head and looked at Chen Yue, who was standing quietly to the side.

"Chen Yue,"

Lin Quan's voice rang out amidst the monotonous crackling of the furnace fire, "There are many crucial points to refining this Blood-Activating Pill. For example, this furnace fire—can you discern any requirements for it right now?"

Chen Yue was immersed in observing and reflecting when he heard the voice and was startled. He looked up and met Lin Quan's gaze.

"Master Lin, red peony powder is cold in nature and mainly enters the blood. Its purpose is to harmonize the dryness of other herbs. It should be kept under a medium heat, maintaining a gentle boil without boiling over."

Lin Quan was only in a slightly better mood today, and seeing that Chen Yue had been watching very seriously for the past few days, he had the idea to give it a try. He didn't expect this apprentice who had only recently started learning to say anything profound.

Hearing Chen Yue's answer now, though it seemed immature, every word hit the nail on the head.

"Oh?" Lin Quan turned around to face Chen Yue. "Then, in your opinion, how should the heat be adjusted when adding the safflower?"

"Safflower invigorates blood circulation and unblocks menstruation. It is warm in nature and requires strong fire to accelerate the process, but the time must be short. Once the aroma is strong, it should be dissipated and replaced with gentle fire." Chen Yue had already mastered the refining of the Blood-Activating Pill, so he answered without hesitation.

"If, during the alchemy process, a burnt smell is detected in the medicinal liquid, what should be done?" Lin Quan asked quickly.

"Immediately reduce the fire, and quickly sweep a cold iron sheet wrapped in a damp cloth across the bottom of the furnace, about three inches above it, to draw away some of the accumulated heat. At the same time, observe the state of the medicinal liquid." Chen Yue answered fluently.

Lin Quan's questions were all based on situations he had encountered recently while refining elixirs.

Lin Quan remained silent for a moment, his gaze sharp as needles, fixed firmly on Chen Yue's face. He suspected that Chen Yue had previously refined Blood-Activating Pills, and might even have been apprenticed under someone else.

But he immediately rejected it.

Chen Yue's background was crystal clear, and alchemy was such an expensive craft that an ordinary apprentice would never have the opportunity to learn it.

Therefore, the only explanation is that this kid mastered many of the key refining techniques of the Blood Activating Pill by simply observing in the alchemy room for the past ten days or so.

If that's really the case...

Lin Quan's heartbeat quickened almost imperceptibly.

Inside the alchemy room, there was only the faint crackling of the furnace fire and the gurgling sound of the medicinal liquid churning and mixing within the furnace.

After asking those questions, Lin Quan fell silent. He turned back around, his gaze returning to the alchemy furnace. His fingers precisely manipulated the air vents, controlling the heat, as if the question and answer had never happened.

Chen Yue remained standing with his hands at his sides, not saying a word, and watched Lin Quan refine pills intently.

Time passed in his focused concentration. Finally, Lin Quan flicked his wrist, sending a cold, wet iron plate swiftly across the bottom of the furnace, while his other hand lifted the furnace lid with lightning speed.

With a scoop and a guide using a medicine spatula, three Blood-Activating Pills fell into the prepared jade plate, spinning around and emitting a rich medicinal fragrance.

The elixir is formed; the practice is complete.

Lin Quan gently placed the furnace lid back on. Instead of immediately dealing with the three pills, he carefully wiped his hands with the soft cloth before slowly turning around to look at Chen Yue.

"Have you ever refined a Blood-Activating Pill?" Lin Quan asked bluntly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Chen Yue shook his head and told the truth: "I have never refined it before, I have only watched Master Lin refine it."

"Um."

Lin Quan nodded, his face expressionless, and simply pointed to the still-warm alchemy furnace, "Now, you refine one batch."

Chen Yue's heart skipped a beat, but without any hesitation, he immediately bowed and replied, "Yes."

He strode forward, not sitting on the cushioned stool that Lin Quan usually sat on, but instead moving a shorter wooden stool next to him and placing it in front of the alchemy furnace.

He first carefully examined the remaining embers in the stove, then checked the dryness of the various types of firewood available nearby. Next, he went to the herb shelf and, following the prescription for the Blood-Activating Pill, began selecting the herbs one by one.

Chen Yue's movements were clumsy, like that of an apprentice who knew nothing.

But Lin Quan's eyes narrowed even more.

It is unfamiliar, truly unfamiliar, but beneath this unfamiliarity lies correctness.

The selection of medicinal materials and their proportions were precise. Although the order of processing the materials and the basic techniques were rigid, no fundamental errors were made.

Chen Yue sorted the processed medicinal materials into categories, lit the fire, preheated the alchemy furnace, and felt the temperature of the furnace walls.

Then, he picked up the first main ingredient, Panax notoginseng powder, and with a slight flick of his wrist, sprinkled it evenly into the furnace. Next came safflower, salvia miltiorrhiza, and red peony root…

Each medicinal herb is added to the alchemical furnace according to specific timing and heat requirements.

Lin Quan stood with his arms crossed, three steps behind Chen Yue, watching silently without saying a word.

Watching Chen Yue operate the system, albeit clumsily, yet with a complete framework, and observing his minor, acceptable mistakes, Lin Quan's expression showed not disappointment, but rather a barely perceptible smile.

Finally, Chen Yue completed the last step.

He imitated Lin Quan, using a wet, cold iron plate to draw away some of the residual heat, and then clumsily lifted the furnace lid.

A smell mingled with the aroma of herbs and a faint burnt smell wafted out.

At the bottom of the alchemy furnace lay two pills.

The color is uneven, and there are some small spots on the surface. The shape is fairly round, but the size is significantly smaller than that of the ones refined by Lin Quan.

It has been successfully made into an elixir.

However, this quality is the lowest of the low, impure and mixed, and pharmacies would never sell it. But if a martial artist is really strapped for cash and has to take it, it can still help improve their cultivation.

Chen Yue looked at the two unappealing pills, then turned to Lin Quan. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to start.

Lin Quan burst into laughter.

The laughter was hearty and genuinely joyful, a stark contrast to his usual aloof and taciturn demeanor.

He stepped forward, picked up a low-quality pill, examined it closely, and even brought it to his nose to smell it.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Lin Quan said "good" three times in a row, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.

"On your first attempt at refining pills, you managed to create two pills simply by observing! Chen Yue, do you know what this means?"

Chen Yue shook his head blankly.

"This means you were born to make pills!" Lin Quan put the pill back on the jade plate and patted Chen Yue's shoulder hard.

"Hahaha, that kid Chen Lin has brought me a treasure this time!"