The First Immortal of Destiny

"Eh... Senior Brother, don't you know yet?"

The chunky cultivator was taken aback and couldn't help but ask in return.

"Yes, I went down the mountain for training some time ago. After returning to the sect, I went into seclusion for a while, so I haven't been to the Alchemy Zone for quite some time."

"No wonder."

The chunky cultivator nodded. "Do you remember the Alchemy talent named Mo Shen who broke several of Senior Sister Lingyin's alchemy records?"

"Senior Sister Lingyin may be upset and want to cause him some trouble."

She probably doesn't want to cause me trouble; she just wants to watch me refine Elixirs.

Shen Mo thought to himself. Even though he had not met this Senior Sister Lingyin, judging from her life experiences and her way of doing things, Shen Mo could somewhat guess what she was thinking.

"A while back, Senior Sister Lingyin posted a bounty task at the Deacon Hall, seeking his true identity."

"However, after all this time, nothing has been found."

"So, Senior Sister Lingyin issued another task."

"Anyone who sees an unfamiliar Alchemist enter the Alchemy Tower and records their details to submit can receive ten Spirit Stones."

The chunky cultivator, with a rather smug look, took out a jade slip. He showed Shen Mo the results of his efforts over the past two months.

On the jade slip were recorded over ten names, along with detailed descriptions.

Most of them were newly promoted Grade I Alchemists of the Riverside Sect, who had come to the Alchemy Tower to attempt breaking the records for Grade V or even Grade I Elixirs.

In just two months, he had earned hundreds of Spirit Stones. For an inner disciple who had just entered the Qi Gathering Realm, this was quite a good income.

Seeing Shen Mo's "admiring" expression, the chunky cultivator became even more proud.

"Not only that, if someone breaks a record and immediately notifies Senior Sister Lingyin, there are also Spirit Stones to be earned."

"If you're lucky enough to catch that Alchemist Mo Shen, the bounty is immense."

"Look over there; they're all competing with me for business."

Looking at the several fellow disciples crouching outside the Alchemy Tower, Shen Mo couldn't help but be somewhat amused. "If you all keep squatting here every day, won't your cultivation fall behind?"

"We're poor, Senior Brother! Relying solely on absorbing Spiritual Qi every day, our cultivation progresses too slowly."

"It's better to earn more Spirit Stones here and refine some Elixirs to consume. Those who can't perform alchemy can also go to Dedao Lane to buy them."

"It's rare to come across someone as generous as Senior Sister Lingyin. If we miss this opportunity, where else could we earn Spirit Stones so easily?"

Shen Mo nodded slightly.

Although he was now wealthy, he had also known hardship. A year ago, he was still relying on Uncle Chen's support, earning only a meager amount of cultivation resources after a month of hard work guarding the mountain gate. Chen Mengze, despite reaching Layer V of the Qi Gathering Realm, had to take on duty at the Dark Crystal Mine just to earn a hundred Spirit Stones. Chen Mengze must have earned quite a lot from her trip to the Ghost Nation Ruins. However, one could easily guess that she would soon exchange the Spirit Stones she earned for suitable Elixirs, magic artifacts, cultivation methods, and so on, to enhance her cultivation. In a few days, she would be poor again! Similarly, most of the inner disciples were really struggling. Except for those cultivators who had decided to leave the Riverside Sect and return to the secular world to establish their own bloodline families—they might save their cultivation resources. Most others found it very difficult to accumulate Spirit Stones. The reason was simple: in the cultivation world, the strong grew stronger and the weak grew weaker. If one's strength was insufficient, any saved Spirit Stones were likely to become fodder for another's advancement. So why not convert Spirit Stones and other resources into one's own fundamental strength?

"Junior Brother, wait for me to come out of the Alchemy Tower, and I'll give you a great opportunity."

Shen Mo smiled at the chunky cultivator and then stepped into the Alchemy Tower.

"Then I, your Junior Brother, wish you success in your alchemy, Senior Brother, and hope you break the records set by Senior Sister Lingyin and Alchemist Mo Shen!"

The chunky cultivator, quick to comprehend, narrowed his eyes into slits and said some flattering words.

Shen Mo didn't mind being found. Before cultivating the Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique, he might have been troubled by Zhao Lingyin's methods. But now, he had changed completely, from the inside out. Revealing the "Mo Shen" persona would, ironically, help conceal his true identity and hide all previous clues beneath this disguise.

Upon entering the Alchemy Tower, he proceeded to refine four types of Elixirs according to plan.

The alchemy process itself was unremarkable!

With his Elite (MAX) alchemy proficiency, he quickly broke the refining records for the Demon Suppressing Pill, Great Yuan Cultivation Pill, Dragon Power Pill, and Sweet Rain Pill—all Grade II Elixirs.

Without a doubt, the previous records had also been set by Zhao Lingyin.

Soon, Shen Mo smoothly received the generous rewards from the Alchemy Tower:

Two Grade III Elixir recipes.

A high-grade profound level cauldron.

A copy of the "Detailed Explanation of the Path of Alchemy by Tortoise Crane Sect."

"Grade III Elixirs: Flesh Bone Pill, Ganoderma Marrow Pill!"

Shen Mo scanned the Elixir recipes on the jade slip with his sense, a hint of delight immediately spreading across his face.

The Flesh Bone Pill, like the Sweet Dew Pill and Sweet Rain Pill, was a type of healing Elixir. However, its effectiveness was vastly different. From the pill's name alone—claiming to 'revitalize the dead and grow flesh on white bones'—one could roughly guess its effects. For example, if a cultivator's palm was corroded to the bone by poisonous water, a Grade II Sweet Rain Pill could only stop the corrosion from spreading but couldn't regrow the Flesh and Blood and meridians. However, after taking a Flesh Bone Pill, new, fresh skin and flesh would grow from the healthy area, spreading to cover the rotten palm. The newly grown part, naturally, couldn't compare to the original palm. Nevertheless, performing simple incantation gestures or gripping a Flying Sword would still be possible. However, it was only effective for a period immediately after the injury. The smaller the injury, the better the effect. Furthermore, if an area larger than a palm lost all its Flesh and Blood, it would be difficult for them to regrow. Additionally, it couldn't regenerate severed limbs. In this regard, it was much inferior to his Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique. Regardless, the Flesh Bone Pill was still considered a supreme healing Elixir.

As for the Ganoderma Marrow Pill, it was similar to the Green Wood Qi Transformation Pill Shen Mo had taken before—another top-level Grade III pill that aided cultivation and contained a large amount of Mana. However, the Ganoderma Marrow Pill's medicinal properties were gentler. It wasn't as potent as the Green Wood Qi Transformation Pill, so naturally, the spiritual medicines required for its refinement were more expensive. Disregarding the high cost of ingredients, this pill was an excellent choice for both cultivation and recovering Mana after the Dantian was depleted.

Besides the two Grade III Elixir recipes, the high-grade cauldron rewarded by the Tower Spirit was also very practical. The cauldron was named "Fire Chi." It was a purple-gold, double-eared cauldron adorned with Descendant of Python Dragon patterns. Its spirit light was contained, exuding an air of ancient simplicity. When this cauldron was forged, a Class III demonic beast—a Fire Chi that had caused widespread harm and was said to be a variant of the Descendant of Python Dragon—had been used in a Blood Sacrifice. During alchemy, once firewood was lit, or Earthly Fire or Spiritual Fire was channeled into it, a phantom of the Fire Chi would manifest and roam within the cauldron, helping the Alchemist better control the refining flames.

The last reward was the "Detailed Explanation of the Path of Alchemy by Tortoise Crane Sect." Like the "King of Medicine's Guidebook" and the "Ascending Alchemy Method," it was one of the Manuals that broadened an Alchemist's horizons. As for what kind of immortal sect the Tortoise Crane Sect was, Shen Mo wasn't too sure, only that it wasn't located within the Red Flame Country. But for its work to be collected by the Alchemists Alliance and given as a reward for breaking a Grade III Elixir record... the Tortoise Crane Sect must have had considerable attainments in the Alchemy Path.