Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

After dinner.

The sky suddenly darkened, and a light drizzle began to fall.

Zhang Li finished cleaning up the dishes and walked towards the incense hall, holding a bamboo umbrella.

Outer disciples of the Qingxuan Sect receive a monthly stipend, but after a year of membership, they must complete a sect mission every three months, or their stipend will be cancelled.

Soon the scenery opened up before him, and with a burst of noise, Zhang Li had arrived outside the incense hall.

The corridor was crowded with disciples who had come to accept missions. They gathered in twos and threes, discussing the difficulty of the missions or complaining about the meager rewards. The noise was deafening.

Zhang Li glanced around but didn't find any tasks that suited his taste. So he approached a disciple on duty who was responsible for assigning tasks and asked if he could take one.

The disciple on duty didn't even look up: "You can choose any of the jobs listed on the notice board. Just report the number of the job you want and register. There's no use coming to me."

"Senior brother, I've seen all the tasks posted outside." Zhang Li bowed slightly and said, "I came here to ask if there are any tasks related to managing the herb garden. Could you please check if there are any that haven't been posted yet?"

As he spoke, Zhang Li calmly took out two spirit stones and slipped them over.

The disciple on duty paused, quickly glanced at Zhang Li, then casually gathered the spirit stones into his sleeve. His tone softened considerably, no longer the cold and perfunctory one he had been earlier.

"It seems that my junior brother has experience managing a herb garden at such a young age. It's normal for him to want to choose a task that he's good at. Let me see..."

As he spoke, the disciple on duty pretended to flip through the thick task book beside him, and after a long while he slowly opened his mouth.

"What a coincidence! There is indeed a task for tending the herb garden that hasn't been announced yet. Herb Garden No. 16 needs disciples to tend the spiritual herbs. All that's required is to loosen the soil and water it daily. The task will last for one month. What do you think, Junior Brother?"

Zhang Li's heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained calm. He then asked, "May I ask, Senior Brother, what kind of spiritual herbs are planted in that herb garden? Are there many disciples visiting it regularly?"

"They are all first-tier spiritual herbs, mostly Qi-nourishing herbs and dew-condensing herbs. The herb garden is in a secluded location and is quiet all day long, so no one will disturb you," the disciple on duty said.

"This is it, thank you, senior brother." Zhang Li immediately made the decision.

This task was perfect for him.

"Junior brother is indeed straightforward. If you need to take on any more missions in the future, just come to me. I'll make the arrangements for you. By the way, my name is Pei Yiming, just call me Senior Brother Pei."

"Definitely, definitely." Zhang Li nodded in agreement.

After Pei Yiming finished registering, he explained some precautions and then gave Zhang Li a token.

Only with this token can the array restrictions of the herb garden be activated. After the mission is completed, this token will also be needed to claim the mission spirit stones.

Zhang Li accepted the token, chatted with Pei Yiming for a few words, and then bowed and left the incense hall.

After leaving the incense hall, Zhang Li headed towards Hanxi Market.

Now that I've decided to start refining pills, I naturally need to prepare to buy a pill-refining furnace.

Upon re-entering the Pill Cauldron Pavilion, the cultivator guarding the shop had changed to a middle-aged cultivator dressed in blue.

As the drizzle subsided and a cool breeze swept through the mountains, Zhang Li walked briskly and soon entered the bustling Hanxi Market.

He knew the way well and went straight to Dan Ding Lou, stepping inside.

Today, the person guarding the shop is no longer the senior sister in green from that day, but a middle-aged cultivator dressed in blue with a calm face. He carries a faint aura of medicine furnace fire around him, and it is clear that he is an old hand who has been refining pills for many years.

The middle-aged cultivator glanced at Zhang Li and asked in a calm tone, "Young friend, are you looking to buy pills or spiritual herbs?"

Completely unable to sense the blue-robed cultivator's cultivation level, Zhang Li cupped his hands in greeting, performing the proper etiquette: "Greetings, senior. I have come here to purchase a usable alchemy furnace, just enough for a beginner to practice with."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator pointed to a row of wooden shelves inside the counter: "There are three types of first-tier alchemy furnaces that meet your requirements."

Ordinary iron-patterned furnaces, spirit-gathering furnaces, and explosion-proof furnaces range in price from fifty to two hundred low-grade spirit stones. Beginners in alchemy mostly choose iron-patterned furnaces because they offer the best value for money.

Zhang Li looked in the direction he pointed and saw three alchemy furnaces of similar size neatly arranged on the wooden shelf. They all had dark blue-black bodies, but the patterns on the furnace walls were different.

"Senior, what is the difference between this Spirit Gathering Furnace and the Iron Pattern Furnace?" Zhang Li asked, his gaze falling on the alchemy furnace in the middle, which was engraved with flowing cloud patterns.

"The Spirit Gathering Furnace has a built-in simple Spirit Gathering Array, which can reduce the mana consumption during alchemy," the middle-aged cultivator patiently explained. "As for the explosion-proof furnace, the walls are thicker and engraved with buffer patterns, which can reduce damage in the event of an explosion, but the price is a bit higher."

The iron-patterned furnace is the cheapest, costing only fifty spirit stones, which is enough for beginners. The explosion-proof furnace is the safest, but its price of two hundred spirit stones is really expensive and has a very low cost-performance ratio. He is only exploring the basics at this stage, so there is no need to be so extravagant.

On the contrary, the spirit-gathering furnace in the center perfectly suited his needs.

"May I ask, senior, how much does this Spirit Gathering Furnace cost?" Zhang Li asked.

"One hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones."

This price isn't cheap, but it's within Zhang Li's budget.

"Then this junior will choose this Spirit Gathering Pattern Furnace," Zhang Li immediately decided.

Seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator reached out and took down the spirit-gathering furnace with flowing cloud patterns, placing it on the counter. Then, he casually took out an array plate and placed it next to the pill: "This is the most basic fire control array plate, which I will give to you, young friend. If you succeed in alchemy in the future, I hope you will patronize my Pill Cauldron Pavilion."

Zhang Li was secretly delighted and quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your generous gift, senior. If I make any progress in alchemy in the future, I will definitely give priority to visiting Dan Ding Lou."

After speaking, Zhang Li took out one hundred and twenty spirit stones and placed them on the counter.

The middle-aged cultivator glanced at the stones casually, and after confirming that the number was correct, he put them away.

"The alchemy furnace can be used immediately upon arrival. Remember to place the fire control array plate in the center of the bottom of the furnace." The middle-aged cultivator then gave a brief reminder on the key points of usage.

"I will remember this, and thank you for your guidance, senior."

Zhang Li thanked him sincerely, put away the alchemy furnace and the fire control array plate, and turned to slowly walk out of the Alchemy Tower.

He didn't linger in the market, avoiding the crowds, and hurried along the mountain path towards Lingze Peak.

Back in his courtyard, Zhang Li closed the gate and took out the alchemy furnace and array plate.

Following the middle-aged cultivator's instructions, he placed the array plate in the center of the furnace bottom, then put spirit stones into the recessed area on the array plate, and finally injected a wisp of magic power to activate the array plate.

hum-

A subtle vibration emanated from the furnace body, and a gentle, even flame slowly rose from the bottom of the furnace, its size fluctuating under his control, which was very convenient.

After trying it for a while, Zhang Li put away the alchemy furnace and array plate. He planned to wait until he finished handing over the materials at the Ding Sixteen Herb Garden the next day before officially starting to refine the Qi Nourishing Pill.