I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

Xu Lingxi is a woman of action; she'll leave whenever she wants.

Li Hanshan was dragged along by her, and they flew all the way to Jade Peak.

Half a year had passed, and Jade Peak remained as serene and tranquil as ever. A light green mist shrouded the entire mountain, and a faint medicinal fragrance permeated the air. In the spirit fields halfway up the mountain, many outer disciples were working. Upon seeing Xu Lingxi, they all bowed and greeted her as "Senior Sister Xu."

Xu Lingxi nodded in response to each of them, then pulled Li Hanshan and flew straight to the mountaintop.

"Grandpa Li, Master's alchemy room is on the mountaintop, the highest point, where it draws fire from the earth's core, making its success rate for alchemy much higher than ordinary alchemy rooms." She explained as she flew, "However, the alchemy room is always locked when Master isn't around. Hehe, but she gave me the key."

As she spoke, she took out a jade pendant from her storage bag, waved it in front of Li Hanshan, and her little face was full of pride.

Li Hanshan couldn't help but chuckle. Jiang Nianwei truly doted on this disciple to an extreme degree.

Before long, the two arrived at the Pill Hall at the mountain peak. Xu Lingxi used the jade token to open the barrier and pulled Li Hanshan inside.

The layout of the Pill Hall was largely unchanged from my last visit. In the center stood a bronze pill furnace, about half a person's height, its surface inscribed with dense array patterns, emitting a faint spiritual light. The shelves on the four walls were filled with various bottles and jars, and the air was thick with the complex aroma of medicine.

"Grandpa Li, this is Master's alchemy furnace, called the 'Azure Fire Furnace,' a fourth-grade alchemy furnace." Xu Lingxi pointed to the bronze alchemy furnace, her tone full of pride. "Using it to refine pills will greatly increase the success rate."

Li Hanshan nodded, looked at the formula for the Peiyuan Pill again, and after confirming that it was correct, took out the medicinal materials he had prepared in advance from his storage bag.

Hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, Blood Jade Ginseng, Poria cocos, Polygonatum sibiricum... these medicinal herbs were all accumulated by him over the past six months. Among the spoils of war from killing the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Yinming Sect, there were already quite a few spiritual herbs. In addition to the spirit stones bestowed by the Third Elder, he also purchased some more at the sect's market, which was more than enough to gather the materials for the Nourishing Essence Pill.

"Grandpa Li, let me help you start a fire."

Xu Lingxi volunteered and ran to the alchemy furnace, following Li Hanshan's instructions to introduce the fire from the earth's core into it. Although she didn't know how to refine pills, she had been influenced by Jiang Nianwei and understood the basic operations.

Flames rose up, and the temperature of the alchemy furnace slowly increased.

Li Hanshan took a deep breath and, following the steps in the prescription, put the first ingredient—a century-old Ganoderma lucidum—into the furnace.

The first step in alchemy is purification. This involves refining the impurities in the medicinal herbs, leaving only the purest medicinal power. This step seems simple, but it actually tests the control of the heat. Too high a heat will burn the herbs; too low a heat will leave the impurities incompletely purified.

Li Hanshan focused intently, his divine sense probing into the alchemy furnace, closely observing the changes in the Ganoderma lucidum. Under the control of his spiritual power, the flames swelled and shrank, gradually stripping away and burning away the impurities within the Ganoderma lucidum.

About an incense stick later, the Ganoderma lucidum transformed into a fist-sized ball of emerald green liquid, crystal clear and exuding a rich medicinal fragrance.

The first step was successful.

Li Hanshan was overjoyed, but dared not be careless in the slightest. Following the order on the prescription, he put the Blood Jade Ginseng, Poria Cocos, and Polygonatum into the furnace one by one for purification.

The purification of the first three medicinal materials went smoothly, but problems arose when purifying Polygonatum.

Polygonatum has a mild medicinal property, but it is extremely susceptible to heat. Li Hanshan's heat was slightly too high, and the yellow liquid turned to ashes with a "hiss".

Failed.

Li Hanshan frowned, but he was not discouraged. Failure in alchemy was common, especially since this was his first time.

He cleaned the ashes from the stove, took out a new portion of Solomon's Seal, and started again.

This time, he was even more careful. He kept his divine sense locked onto every slight change in Huang Jing, and controlled the temperature of the flames with even greater precision than before.

Finally, the Polygonatum sibiricum transformed into a pale yellow liquid, crystal clear.

The second step is integration.

Li Hanshan slowly brought the four clumps of medicinal liquid closer together, allowing them to come into contact and blend in the alchemy furnace. This step was equally dangerous; the different medicinal properties clashed, and the slightest mistake could cause a conflict, ruining the entire batch of pills.

Sure enough, the moment the Poria cocos liquid and the Polygonatum sibiricum liquid came into contact, the two liquids churned violently, as if they were incompatible.

Li Hanshan quickly adjusted the heat, gently simmering the medicine while forcibly suppressing the conflicting medicinal effects with his divine sense. Through his efforts, the two clumps of liquid gradually calmed down and began to slowly merge.

With this experience, the subsequent fusion went much more smoothly. The four clumps of medicinal liquid finally merged into one, transforming into a fist-sized ball of liquid that slowly swirled within the alchemy furnace.

The third step is to condense the elixir.

This is the final and most crucial step in alchemy. The medicinal liquid needs to be divided into several portions, each portion condensed into a single pill, while maintaining a balanced potency.

Li Hanshan used his divine sense to guide the medicinal liquid, carefully dividing it into six portions. Each portion of the liquid slowly shrank and condensed under the warmth of the flames, eventually transforming into six pills the size of longan fruits.

The pills are pale green with faint, flowing patterns on their surface and emit a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

Become!

Li Hanshan let out a long breath, only then realizing that his back was soaked with sweat. His first attempt at alchemy was a success, and despite Luo Li's detailed formula and Xu Lingxi's assistance, this achievement was still something to be proud of.

"Grandpa Li, you're amazing!" Xu Lingxi clapped her hands, her little face full of admiration. "You succeeded on your first attempt at alchemy! My master said that for ordinary alchemists, succeeding on their first attempt is considered quite talented. Not only did you succeed, you made six pills! You're simply a genius!"

Li Hanshan smiled, took out six Qi-Nourishing Pills from the alchemy furnace, and examined them carefully in his palm.

The quality of the pills wasn't particularly good; they could only be described as low-grade. But for someone refining pills for the first time, it was already quite an achievement.

He didn't rush to continue, but instead sat cross-legged, took a Qi-nourishing pill, and carefully felt the changes in the medicine's effects on his body.

As the Qi-Nourishing Pill entered his stomach, a gentle medicinal power slowly spread, flowing along his meridians to his limbs and bones. The medicinal power wasn't overpowering, but rather like a clear spring, silently nourishing his dantian and meridians. His spiritual energy, which had been somewhat weak due to the rapid breakthrough, gradually became more solid under the nourishment of this medicinal power.

It's definitely good stuff.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes, secretly delighted.

With this Qi-Nourishing Pill, the hidden dangers left by his rapid breakthrough can be gradually eliminated. Luo Li is right; an unstable foundation is a major taboo in cultivation, especially during the Foundation Establishment stage. If it cannot be consolidated in time, it will become a fatal flaw when he forms his core.

"Lingxi, thank you so much this time." He looked at Xu Lingxi.

Xu Lingxi waved her hand, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "Grandpa Li, what are you saying? You've helped me so much, what's a little favor like this?"

She paused, then added, "By the way, Grandpa Li, you can come to Jade Peak anytime you want to refine pills. Master has been away a lot lately, so the pill refining room is just sitting empty. I'll talk to the senior sisters guarding the peak, and they won't stop you."

Li Hanshan nodded: "Then I'll trouble you."

"No trouble at all," Xu Lingxi waved her hands repeatedly, then suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice, "Grandpa Li, I heard you offended Elder Wu and Deacon Lu? Have they given you any trouble?"

Li Hanshan shook his head: "Not for now."

For the past six months, he has kept a low profile, rarely leaving his cave. Even if Wu Zhanlong and Deacon Lu wanted to cause him trouble, they couldn't find an opportunity. But this situation won't last long; once they find an opportunity, they will definitely make their move.

"Grandpa Li, you have to be careful." Xu Lingxi's little face was full of worry. "Master said that Wu Zhanlong is a vindictive person. You defeated Wu Tianxiong in front of so many people, he definitely won't let it go."

"I know." Li Hanshan rubbed her head. "Don't worry, Grandpa Li knows what he's doing."

Xu Lingxi nodded, gave a few more instructions, and then reluctantly left the Pill Hall.

Li Hanshan did not rush to leave, but continued to refine pills in the Pill Hall.

With the experience gained the first time, the subsequent alchemy went much more smoothly. The second time, seven pills were successfully made; the third time, eight pills were successfully made; and the fourth time, nine pills were successfully made, two of which reached the middle grade.

Li Hanshan didn't stop working until night fell.

He refined five batches of pills in total, succeeding in four and failing in one, reaping a total of twenty-eight Qi-Nourishing Pills. Among them, twenty were of low grade and eight were of medium grade.

This achievement would be considered amazing for any beginner.