Chen Jinshu meditated inside the cold, rough-hewn stone house for a short while, her breathing shallow and controlled as she adjusted to the heavy air.
The lotus birthmark on her forehead quietly surfaced again, pulsing with a gentle, warm cyan glow that illuminated the dusty corners of the room. It cast long, flickering shadows against the uneven stone walls.
Strands of toxic miasma that tried to seep into her body were silently refined the instant they touched that light. They transformed into faint yet pure spiritual energy that flowed into her Golden Core, settling there with a soft, comforting warmth.
"Better than nothing," she snorted softly. Her eyes flicked toward the darkened window, showing a trace of pragmatic acceptance as she made use of the very toxins meant to hinder her.
She then stepped outside into the small, desolate courtyard. With a flick of her wrist, several formation flags of different colors appeared in her palm, each one carved with dense, intricate runes that seemed to writhe on the fabric. The flags fluttered without any wind, letting out a low, resonant hum that vibrated in the air.
"Go."
She gave a sharp, clear command. The flags turned into streaks of colored light and nailed themselves precisely into the four corners of the stone chamber and the center of the dusty ground.
Threads of emerald spiritual energy extended from her fingertips, sketching complex formation patterns in the air like glowing silk. The runes flashed briefly with a sharp light before sinking into the positions of the flags, anchoring the array.
Buzz.
A pale white barrier of spiritual light rose instantly, forming a translucent glass dome that sealed the entire stone chamber and the small courtyard outside with perfect precision.
The suffocating stench of old medicinal residue and the stagnant miasma inside the Boulder Residence was immediately blocked off by more than half. The heavy pressure on her chest eased as the barrier took hold.
The air was still thin and carried a lingering bitterness, but it could finally be called barely fresh enough for her needs.
"Still not enough," she murmured to herself, her gaze fixed on the wasteland beyond her walls.
She walked to the stone window that faced the vast expanse of discarded residue and took out several freshly cut segments of vibrant green spirit bamboo from her storage pouch.
These green jade bamboo stalks carried a weak but resilient vitality that she had sensed earlier. She had picked them up casually from the various stalls on the outer edge of the market, where they were sold cheaply as common materials.
She embedded each bamboo segment into the dry earth beneath the window. Every time she set one in, she flicked her finger, sending a droplet of condensed wood spiritual energy straight into the base of the bamboo.
When she finished the row, she stepped back and rapidly formed hand seals, her lips moving as she was chanting under her breath.
A miniature spirit gathering and life nurturing formation took shape around the window, glowing with a soft green light that flowed through the bamboo.
The green jade bamboo sprouted tender green shoots at a visible pace, the wood creaking softly as it grew. Slender leaves unfurled from the stalks, greedily absorbing the wood spiritual energy she had infused into their roots.
In an instant, a vigorous vitality spread between the bamboo stalks, carrying a fresh scent of grass and wood that stubbornly resisted the heavy deathly aura drifting over from the wasteland.
Xiao Yin finally seemed more comfortable in the room. Its fluffed feathers slowly settled against its body, and it tilted its small head before pecking curiously at a newly grown bamboo leaf, letting out a pleased chirp.
Only then did a faint trace of satisfaction appear on her face as she looked at her handiwork.
…
The next day at chen (dragon) hour (around 8 AM), Chen Jinshu made her way into the inner market of the Medicine King Market.
It was even noisier and more crowded than the outer market had been. The sound of shouting merchants and clinking spirit stones filled the air.
All kinds of spirit plants shimmered with flowing light on the stalls, their medicinal auras overlapping in a dizzying kaleidoscope of scents and energies.
She merged into the bustling crowd, her green robes blending in. Xiao Yin on her shoulder looked far more energetic as well, its small eyes darting around at the dazzling displays of rare herbs.
The detailed list of ingredients she needed for the Purple Palace Spirit Nurturing Pill was clearly laid out in her mind, etched into her memory.
None of the items she required were ordinary or easy to find.
She stopped first at a stall that was thick with concentrated spiritual energy, the air around it shimmering.
The stall owner was a smiling old man who watched the crowd with keen eyes. Inside a padded jade box before him, a Spirit Condensing Flower with pale gold stamens released a gentle aura that nourished the Primordial Soul of anyone who stood near it.
"Daoyou, how is this flower traded?" she asked decisively, her eyes fixed on the specimen.
The old man stroked his long white beard and smiled at her. "Fairy has good taste. These are three-hundred-year Spirit Condensing Flower stamens. They're top-grade for nurturing the sea of consciousness. One thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones, or equivalent fire-attribute materials or pills."
Her spiritual sense swept over the flower to verify its potency. The stamens were full and the age was sufficient for her needs. She didn't haggle over the price. Instead, she took out two bottles of Crimson Sun Pills suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators and handed them over.
After checking the quality of the pills, the old man's smile widened as he carefully presented the jade box to her. "Fairy is straightforward in her dealings."
Next on her list was the Purple Veined He Shou Wu.
It needed to be at least five hundred years old, and she specifically required the tuber extract for the refinement.
She searched several different stalls, weaving through the narrow aisles, before finally finding what she needed at a stall specializing in tuber-type spirit medicines. The piece was as thick as a baby's arm, and its dark surface was covered in natural, deep purple patterns that pulsed with a hidden light.
Dense earth spiritual energy and potent medicinal power were sealed within the root.
The stall owner asked for two thousand spirit stones for the piece. After a brief pause to consider her reserves, she took out a high-quality piece of Blazing Sun Jade infused with pure fire spiritual energy and exchanged it for the root.
The Jade Marrow Ganoderma was white like fine, polished jade. Its cap was round and smooth, and it felt warm to the touch as she inspected it.
It wasn't an extremely rare plant in these parts, but it had to be completely intact to be useful. Any broken roots or cracked caps were unacceptable for a pill of this tier.
She searched patiently for nearly an hour and finally bought one of excellent quality for one thousand eight hundred spirit stones from a taciturn middle-aged cultivator in an inconspicuous corner of the market.
The most troublesome items to acquire were the Earthfire Lotus Hearts and the Rootless Spirit Dew.
Earthfire Lotus grew only deep within active terrestrial fire veins, making harvesting them a dangerous task. Its heart contained pure fire essence along with a trace of earth vitality.
She asked at several prominent stalls, only to hear the same reply that all were currently out of stock.
Just as she was about to try her luck near the edge of the outer market where the rogue cultivators gathered, a cultivator wrapped head to toe in a thick gray cloak sent her a voice transmission from the shadow of an alley.
"Daoyou looking for Earthfire Lotus Hearts? I have got three here, just brought them out of the Molten Fire Abyss. The fire qi hasn't dispersed from them yet."
She followed him to a secluded spot behind a row of empty warehouses.
He opened his palm to show his wares. Three lotus seeds the size of pigeon eggs lay quietly there. They were crimson like blood marrow, with faint golden flames dancing in their cores.
A scorching aura rushed toward her the moment he revealed them. The quality was excellent.
"How much?"
"Five thousand spirit stones, no bargaining. Or…"
He paused, his eyes gleaming behind the cloak. "If Daoyou has pure wood spirit crystals or a third-tier wood-attribute beast core, those work too."
She frowned slightly at the high demand.
The price was well above the usual market value, but Earthfire Lotus Hearts were indispensable for the Purple Palace Spirit Nurturing Pill.
After a moment of thought, she took out a wood spirit crystal from deep within her storage pouch. It was no bigger than her thumb, yet it was a lush green and brimming with concentrated vitality.
This was a companion product she had nurtured long ago within her own spirit plant space.
A sharp gleam flashed in the man's eyes as he saw the crystal. He agreed to the trade immediately.
Rootless Spirit Dew was even rarer than the lotus hearts.
It was the essence formed when rootless heavenly water condensed over a thousand years in specific spiritual lands. Pure beyond any compare, it was used to harmonize the conflicting medicinal properties of the other ingredients.
She searched nearly the entire outer market, her feet aching from the effort. Only at dusk on the third day did she finally see a small, cold jade vial at an old woman's stall that specialized in water-attribute spiritual items.
Inside the vial were three drops of clear liquid that looked ordinary to the naked eye, yet they held no impurities and concealed a deep spiritual resonance.
The old woman asked for three thousand spirit stones, and she specified spirit stones only.
Chen Jinshu paid the amount without hesitation, wanting to finish her search.
As for the auxiliary materials like Star Pattern Sand and Azure Void Stone powder, those were much easier to obtain. A few hundred spirit stones was enough to gather all the quantities she needed.
After three days of running around the markets, when she returned to the Boulder Residence with the last auxiliary ingredient, a trace of fatigue showed between her brows despite her cultivation.
Most of the spirit stones in her storage pouch were gone, her heavy purse now light.
Inside the Boulder Residence, after continuous purification by the cleansing formation and the green bamboo, the air still carried a lingering bitter undertone of medicinal residue, but it was finally usable for the delicate process of alchemy.
She sat quietly on the stone couch and took out all the ingredients, laying them out in a precise order before her.
She closed her eyes to center herself. The pill formula for the Purple Palace Spirit Nurturing Pill, the complex changes in fire control, and the countless subtle points of medicinal fusion played over and over in her sea of consciousness.
Every step of the process required extreme focus. There was no room for even the slightest mistake if she wanted a high-grade result.
The environment here was still harsh. The spiritual energy was impure, and the invisible toxic miasma constantly tried to erode the integrity of the pill furnace.
She took a deep breath and forced all stray thoughts down into the depths of her mind.
Then she raised two fingers and pointed into the air. The Genesis Alchemy Furnace emerged from her sea of consciousness in a flash of light and landed steadily in the center of the stone chamber.
The furnace lid opened with a heavy metallic sound. Her expression turned solemn as she guided her spiritual energy with her fingertips. The first wisp of pure pill fire quietly ignited beneath the bronze furnace.
The flame was a clean blue-white, its temperature controlled precisely at a critical threshold by her will.
"Go."
She gave a low shout as the Star Pattern Sand and the Azure Void Stone powder were thrown into the furnace first.
Under the refining heat, they quickly melted and fused together. They formed a smooth, flowing crystalline liquid that shimmered with a starlike blue light and spread across the furnace base.
Next, the Jade Marrow Ganoderma was lifted by her spiritual energy and slowly sent into the depths of the furnace. The moment the warm ganoderma touched the star-blue liquid foundation, a faint sizzling sound rang out in the quiet room as white mist rose from the opening.
She focused completely on the task. Her ten fingers moved like butterflies through flowers, rapidly changing as streams of fire control seals were continuously sent into the furnace.
The pill fire sped up and slowed down at her command, sometimes simmering gently, and sometimes surging fiercely. She was precisely tempering the ganoderma and forcing out its jade marrow essence.
The cyan lotus mark on her forehead flickered with a rhythmic light, dispersing any negative aura that tried to disturb her mind or her control.
She didn't dare relax for a single moment. Once the jade marrow essence was fully refined and condensed into a hazy, milky-white spiritual liquid floating in the furnace, she immediately added the Purple Veined He Shou Wu tuber.
Five days later, the process reached its climax.
The pill furnace hummed before her, the bronze casing vibrating with the intensity of the reaction inside.
A sharp light burst from her eyes as she formed the final, incomparably complex pill condensation seal. She roared, her voice echoing in the stone room,
"Xuanpin returns to origin. Purple Palace nurtures the spirit. Condense!"
Boom!
An invisible force slammed into the pill furnace along with the final seal.
The furnace shook violently, the legs rattling against the stone floor, then all sounds and light instantly withdrew into the core.
Half an incense stick (around fifteen minutes) later, the furnace let out a soft, melodic hum.
From the crack of the lid, strands of pure violet-gold radiance spilled out. They illuminated the stone chamber like a violet-gold immortal hall, washing away the shadows.
An indescribably rich pill fragrance spread throughout the room, completely overwhelming the decayed medicinal residue scent both inside and outside the Boulder Residence.
Her tightly drawn body suddenly relaxed, almost losing strength in her limbs as the tension of the refinement drained away. She stumbled forward and steadied herself against the edge of the stone table, her fingers digging into the rough surface.
On her pale face appeared a tired smile of relief, while her eyes shone brilliantly.
"It worked."