Starting My Immortal Life by Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 112: First-Grade High-Quality Alchemist

The handwriting varied, as if penned by several individuals.

The topmost line boldly stated: "I am the first master of this cave dwelling, with the Daoist title Qingpin. As I sit in meditation at the end of my life, reflecting upon my journey, I find it truly impoverished. Even after a lifetime, I failed to establish my foundation. A pity, a regret."

The second line read: "Damn it, Brother Qingpin, your Daoist title is the problem. If you had named yourself 'Daoist Wealth,' perhaps you would have succeeded in establishing your foundation by now."

The third line's handwriting resembled the second, likely from the same person, but the tone differed greatly: "I have exhausted my entire fortune to purchase a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill from the Medicine King Valley. Whether I live or die depends on this attempt..."

Ji Yuan wondered whether this senior had succeeded. He looked further down.

This line was very short.

"I, Feng Zhitao, established my foundation and opened an island today. I leave this note!"

Upon reading this, Ji Yuan's eyes lit up.

This house had indeed produced someone who established their foundation; it seemed to possess some fortune.

Lastly, there was a line of handwriting that appeared quite new, likely written not long ago.

"I was originally a rogue cultivator from the Jin Kingdom. Honored by a senior, I was accepted into the sect in my twilight years. Now, twelve years have passed in anxiety, and I have achieved nothing. I fear I will soon pass away. I leave behind only an alchemy insight, placed in the drawer of the pill room, hoping it may aid future generations. I depart."

Ji Yuan stood before the wall, gazing at the rows of handwriting, silent for a long time.

The teachings did not retain people, but they preserved their entire lives.

Among the four seniors, only one succeeded in establishing their foundation.

That was quite commendable on this fledgling Dragon Island.

Ji Yuan exhaled deeply and returned to the pill room.

There was only one table here, with a single drawer. He opened it and naturally saw a heavily worn book inside.

He flipped through it briefly.

It contained alchemy experiences from first-grade low-quality to first-grade high-quality, with the last page left blank, titled "Foundation Establishment Pill."

But there was no content.

First-grade high-quality—Ji Yuan was currently stuck at this threshold, unable to refine first-grade high-quality pills.

Perhaps the opportunity for his breakthrough in alchemy lay here!

Ji Yuan was delighted; he hadn't expected that merely residing in this courtyard would present such a chance.

No, it wasn't just this courtyard; many courtyards likely held such legacies from predecessors.

This was one of the great attractions of the immortal sect's influence.

Many things hard to obtain outside were readily accessible here.

After taking the alchemy insights, Ji Yuan returned to the backyard. He glanced again at the inscriptions on the wall.

Regardless of whether he succeeded in establishing his foundation, he would leave a line when he departed, for those who came after.

As for what to write, Ji Yuan hadn't decided yet.

Presumably, his mindset would differ by then.

He walked through the backyard, where there happened to be a small pond.

Now, there was no need to dig a [Fish Pond].

However, within the Water Dragon Sect, Ji Yuan didn't plan to raise fish.

As long as he could activate the building's effect, receiving a daily basic income would suffice.

Raising pigs and fish would have to wait until he reached Misty Island.

In the corner, he could set up two enclosures to serve as the [Pigsty] and [Chicken Coop] for collecting the basic income.

Full of anticipation, Ji Yuan entered the backyard house.

Besides the bedroom and bathroom, there were two empty rooms: [Comprehension Room] and [Talisman Room], which fit perfectly.

As for the kitchen at the back, Ji Yuan inspected it and, finding no issues, summoned the panel.

He activated all building effects with one click.

By now, the sun had set.

According to the panel's time, it was evening.

Consequently, the spiritual energy density in both the front and back houses increased by 30%.

"Ah—"

Feeling the abundant spiritual energy, Ji Yuan let out a long breath.

Time to cultivate—he couldn't waste such excellent conditions.

He then released Tu Yue from his storage bag, instructing her to first collect the Water Essence Dew from the [Fish Pond], then gather some firewood or similar materials from the kitchen to set up the [Pigsty] and [Chicken Coop] in the backyard.

After receiving the basic income, it would be time to tidy up the house.

After all, this place had been previously occupied.

Even though Ji Yuan had activated the [Cave Dwelling] effect to remove dust and such, it still needed cleaning.

What should be discarded would be discarded; what should be burned would be burned.

However, after cultivating for only a few hours, Ji Yuan felt his dantian replenished, with all previous depletion restored.

He infused spiritual energy into the Water Dragon Sect's robe, triggering the dust-removal effect, rendering him completely clean.

Excellent; this even saved the step of washing up.

Although it was his first day joining the Water Dragon Sect, Ji Yuan wouldn't waste time.

After finishing his cultivation, he entered the [Comprehension Room] in the backyard.

This was the first place he had Tu Yue clean, so the room was already tidy.

The miscellaneous items left by the previous senior had all been thoroughly dealt with by Ji Yuan using a Fireball Technique.

He retrieved the meditation cushion left by Yue Zhu from his storage bag, sat cross-legged, and took out the alchemy insights he had just obtained for careful study.

Refining first-grade high-quality pills wasn't much different from refining first-grade mid-quality ones.

Except for the initial herb processing stage.

The subsequent steps were fusion, impurity removal, and pill formation.

But these three steps were extremely challenging, especially the impurity removal.

Initially, Ji Yuan had only one high-quality pill recipe: the Qi Gathering Pill. So, to advance to a first-grade high-quality alchemist, he could only use this.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried to collect more.

But pill recipes, like talisman techniques, were the core skills of each alchemist—their livelihood.

How could they possibly be sold?

Unless one resorted to killing to seize the recipes, something Ji Yuan wouldn't do—but had done.

The Blood-Burning Pill and Clear Void Pill recipes he now possessed were obtained by killing Yue Zhu.

The refinement method for the Blood-Burning Pill was even more complex than that of the Qi Gathering Pill, so it was currently unfeasible.

However, the refinement method for the Clear Void Pill was simpler than that of the Qi Gathering Pill.

Thus, Ji Yuan planned to use the Clear Void Pill first to become a high-grade alchemist, and then use the experience gained from refining the Clear Void Pill to improve his success with the Qi Gathering Pill, thereby achieving his goal of refining a high-grade Qi Gathering Pill.

For now, he needed to read the alchemy insights left by the senior.

Ji Yuan was in no rush.

He started from the first page and slowly read through it.

He didn't skip even the insights for low-grade alchemists, reading while contemplating.

From time to time, he would take out his alchemy furnace to try things out.

For example, the pill condensation hand seal described in the insights was quite effective.

It was said to slightly increase the success rate of pill condensation.

After reading the entire book of insights, Ji Yuan couldn’t deny being moved, especially while sitting in the [Comprehension Room].

He pondered over it repeatedly for nearly half an hour, and feeling confident, he took out the ingredients for the Clear Void Pill and began preparations.

The main ingredients for the Clear Void Pill were Soul-Calming Grass, Southern Cold Water Stone, and Schisandra, with auxiliary material being ashes from Yin Locust Wood.

He had already mastered the herb processing techniques back on Misty Island.

Now he could directly start the fusion.

As usual, he began with the “Fire Separation Technique.” Ji Yuan summoned a crimson flame and let it hover beneath the alchemy furnace.

Then came the process of warming the furnace.

Because the Southern Cold Water Stone required higher temperatures, Ji Yuan heated the furnace for a full ten breaths before throwing the stone into the furnace.

The refinement of this stone took even longer.

Ji Yuan burned it for almost half an incense stick’s time. When the stone turned bright red, he ground it into powder.

After slightly reducing the flame, he added the Soul-Calming Grass.

Otherwise, the previous high temperature for the Southern Cold Water Stone would have turned the Soul-Calming Grass into charcoal instantly.

After waiting a bit for the Soul-Calming Grass to melt into liquid and blend with the stone powder, Ji Yuan then added the Schisandra.

With the main ingredients refined, he added the Yin Locust Wood ash.

Once all the herbs were added, it was time to refine the medicinal liquid. As long as there were no errors in the earlier steps, this part should go smoothly.

He just needed to simmer it gently.

When the liquid turned amber, he increased the flame.

As the fire flared, the liquid inside the furnace was continuously burned and evaporated, leaving only the purest essence.

Following the recipe’s instructions, Ji Yuan burned it with a strong flame for five breaths, then cast the Ice Condensing Technique.

With the presence of the Southern Cold Water Stone, it was crucial not to overburn, or the medicinal properties would be lost, and the pill would become useless waste.

With a “hiss—” sound, white steam rose from the furnace.

Ji Yuan winced—this rising steam wasn’t just any steam, it was practically his spirit stones vaporizing!

The pill furnace suffered the most damage during the impurity-removal process.

But it couldn’t be helped. Just like how talisman brushes wore out when drawing charms and furnaces were damaged when crafting weapons, there was always some loss.

A layer of black impurities quickly solidified on the surface of the medicinal liquid. Ji Yuan waited several breaths before slowly increasing the furnace’s temperature again.

The pill liquid floated, and the furnace temperature rose.

The black impurities on the surface gradually fell away, and Ji Yuan quickly formed the newly learned pill condensation hand seal, dividing the liquid into four parts.

Clear Void Pill—one batch, four pills.

Success. Success!

Ji Yuan watched as the pills had already formed, but in the final step, a slight mistake caused the pills to shatter.

Yet he showed no frustration, instead beaming with joy.

Because this time, he had seen the hope of success.

He also knew why he failed—it was due to unfamiliarity with the pill condensation hand seal.

So, he realized, the gap between him and becoming a high-grade alchemist was simply a matter of experience.

As long as he continued refining diligently, it wouldn’t be long before he too became a first-grade high-grade alchemist.

The hand seal he learned from the alchemy insights greatly sped up the process.

With this thought, Ji Yuan calmed his mind and mentally reviewed the steps of pill refining several times.

Then he began practicing the pill condensation hand seal over and over, again and again.

Only after mastering the seal thoroughly did he take out new materials and fire up the furnace once more.

This time, he was even more proficient. Ji Yuan proceeded with caution every step of the way.

After nearly half an hour, he looked at the two light blue pills in his hand, still emanating a faint fragrance.

He finally felt at ease.

As long as one high-grade pill could be refined, he could call himself a high-grade alchemist.

Not to mention, with the aid of the [Pill Refining Room], once he mastered a pill recipe, his success rate would increase significantly.

With that in mind, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but glance at the panel.

A level-2 [Pill Refining Room] had the ability to let him automatically learn the refinement method for the “Foundation Establishment Pill.”

To upgrade the [Pill Refining Room] to level 2, one key requirement was to refine a second-grade pill: the “Water Spirit Pill.”

Now that he was already a first-grade high-grade alchemist, the next step was to become a second-grade alchemist.

Victory... was in sight!

Liancheng Mountain.

Water Dragon Sect garrison.

Sang Zhongyuan and Chu Jingtong used a patrol as an excuse to come to the edge of the garrison.

As soon as they arrived, Sang Zhongyuan cursed.

“Damn it, if not for that brat Ji Yuan, we wouldn’t have ended up here! Just wait till I get back—I’ll kill him!”

Thinking about how he had expressed endless gratitude to Ji Yuan before leaving, Sang Zhongyuan felt a burning shame.

Chu Jingtong glanced at him. “If you’re looking to die, don’t drag me into it.”

“Also, make sure to tell me in advance before you act, so I can distance myself.”

“What? Lao Chu, what’s that supposed to mean?!”

Sang Zhongyuan stopped in disbelief, staring at his old friend. “Are you insane or just stupid? Didn’t Ji Yuan set you up too?”

Chu Jingtong, with his hands in his sleeves, chuckled, “Set up? If we’re talking about being set up, wasn’t it actually those two Foundation Establishment seniors who framed us? By rights, Ji Yuan was framed too, but he had someone backing him and got out. We didn’t, so we ended up here.”

“Why do you assume Ji Yuan framed us instead of those two Foundation Establishment cultivators?”

Sang Zhongyuan was momentarily speechless.

Chu Jingtong sighed. “Let me explain. It’s because those two are Foundation Establishment cultivators, while Ji Yuan is just at the Qi Refinement stage. That’s all.”

“So what.”

Sang Zhongyuan grumbled.

Hearing that, Chu Jingtong sighed again.

“Lao Sang, think carefully—when Ji Yuan presented that token, let’s just call it a token for now—what reaction did those two Foundation Establishment cultivators have?”

“Well—”

“Lao Sang, one more question. Between us, who’s the most powerful backer in the Water Dragon Sect?”

Sang Zhongyuan couldn’t answer.

“A token that could make Foundation Establishment cultivators so cautious and respectful—what kind of backing do you think Ji Yuan has in the Water Dragon Sect?”

Chu Jingtong pressed on.

“Alright, alright, I get your point! So what do we do now?” Sang Zhongyuan waved impatiently.

“Simple. Survive, gain some benefits, improve our strength, and when we return to the Water Dragon Sect—go thank Ji Yuan. Seriously, thank him.”

Chu Jingtong said firmly. “Of course, I’ll go. Whether you go or not is up to you.”

“Thank him? What, are we supposed to offer our faces for him to slap?”

Sang Zhongyuan wasn’t too thrilled at that idea.

Chu Jingtong shook his head and chuckled.

“Didn’t we just say we had no backer in the Water Dragon Sect?”

“If that’s the case, then our backer’s backer is our backer.”

Sang Zhongyuan’s eyes widened. “What if Ji Yuan doesn’t acknowledge us?”

“No problem. Whether he does or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that others will recognize it—that’s more than enough.”