"Steady now, no need to rush," Han Yi murmured, taking a deep breath as he surveyed the spirit medicines and herbs he had emptied from his storage pouch.
Moments later, his brow furrowed again. "With these materials, even disregarding the success rate, I can only refine about two batches of Spirit Enhancement Pills, sixteen batches of Plague Dispelling Powder, and twenty batches of Beast Taming Pills."
"Even if I truly elevate my Alchemy Technique to a new level, I still won't have enough materials to refine pills worth a hundred Sect Points."
"Forget it. Overthinking won't help. I'll take things one step at a time."
Han Yi prepared to resume pill refinement, determined to push his Alchemy Technique to the next stage.
However, before continuing, he needed to replenish his mana. After refining four consecutive batches of pills, his already meager reserves had been completely depleted.
He divided two ounces of Spirit Sand, held it in his palm, closed his eyes, and began circulating the Fire Pill Profound Art to restore his mana.
Thanks to the spirit vein beneath Little Spirit Void Peak, the courtyard was rich in spirit qi. Combined with the Spirit Sand in his hand, Han Yi reopened his eyes after only half an hour.
"Ah, this feeling is invigorating."
"Too bad Spirit Sand isn't very durable. Two ounces, even with full concentration, only sustains me for half an hour."
He recalled that the original owner of this body had been too stingy to use Spirit Sand for cultivation, let alone Spirit Stones.
"No wonder his cultivation realm was so low."
With his Low-Grade Spirit Root, the harsh environment of the Outer Peak, and his reluctance to use Spirit Sand and Spirit Stones, it had taken Han Yi three years to progress from novice to the second layer of Qi Refining.
After replenishing his mana, Han Yi swallowed a Qi Sustaining Pill and immediately resumed pill refinement.
He continued to focus on Plague Dispelling Powder.
Refine pills, replenish mana, take a Qi Sustaining Pill, meditate to rest, cultivate, refine more pills, replenish mana again, take another Qi Sustaining Pill...
The cycle repeated endlessly.
In the world of pill refinement and cultivation, time held no meaning.
Han Yi remained completely focused, utterly immersed in the process.
Then, suddenly...
In the quiet chamber, as he reached for more herbs to continue refining pills, he noticed only a pile of empty jade boxes beside him, containing nothing but scattered auxiliary ingredients.
The original twenty taels of Spirit Sand and three Low-Grade Spirit Stones had been completely exhausted.
"Is it all gone?"
Realizing his pill refinement session had come to an end, Han Yi exhaled a long breath.
His body was exhausted, but his mind buzzed with exhilaration.
He glanced at the jade bottles neatly arranged on the other side of the room, a surge of satisfaction welling up within him.
"Two bottles of Spirit Enhancement Pills, twelve bottles of Plague Dispelling Powder, and twelve bottles of Beast Taming Pills."
Next, he turned his attention to the ethereal status panel before him.
[Name: Han Yi]
[Lifespan: 21/87]
[Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining (Second Layer) (19/100)]
[Cultivation Method: Fire Pill Profound Art (Foundation 29/100)]
[Skills:]
[ Alchemy Technique (Beginner's Grasp 11/100) ]
[ Spirit Void Finger (Proficient 29/100) ]
"My progress in the second layer of Qi Refining has increased from 14/100 to 19/100. This must be due to the Spirit Sand and Spirit Stones.
But this cultivation speed is painfully slow.
The Fire Pill Profound Art has only improved by six points, from 23/100 to 29/100 at the introductory level. It's barely worth mentioning.
But the biggest change is..."
Han Yi glanced at his skill list and saw that his Alchemy Technique had changed from "Proficient 82/100" to "Beginner's Grasp 11/100."
The meaning was clear: the next stage after Proficiency in a skill was Beginner's Grasp.
In reality, after refining twelve batches of Plague Dispelling Powder and fifteen batches of Beast Taming Pills, Han Yi's Alchemy Technique had already broken through to Beginner's Grasp.
Before the breakthrough, his success rate for refining Beast Taming Pills and Plague Dispelling Powder had hovered around fifty percent, the level of the original owner of the body.
But after the breakthrough, his success rate for Beast Taming Pills had soared to one hundred percent in this session, while he had only failed one batch of Plague Dispelling Powder.
Most importantly, both batches of Spirit Enhancement Pills—the ones he valued most—had succeeded, though the total yield was meager, only five pills.
Compared to his previous 30% success rate with Spirit Enhancement Pills, this was a remarkable improvement.
"This rapid progress is definitely different from the original owner of this body. He refined countless batches of pills over three years, yet his advancement was slow. My progress in just a few days far surpasses his entire accumulated progress.
The root of this lies in the work manual I brought with me when I transmigrated. In other words, with this manual's interface, I can actually track the progress of my skills.
So, for now, let's call this interface... the Progress Panel?
No, that doesn't quite capture its essence.
This is a system that allows me to become increasingly proficient in any skill simply by practicing diligently.
Proficiency, proficiency... with this panel, all my skills will become more proficient.
Then let's call it the Proficiency Panel.
Furthermore...
Two bottles of Spirit Enhancement Pills, twelve bottles of Plague Dispelling Powder, and twelve bottles of Beast Taming Pills can be exchanged for a total of 49 Sect Points.
It's not enough yet.
But once I exchange these pills for points and buy more medicinal herbs, my newly enhanced Alchemy Technique will make earning a hundred points a mere matter of time."
At that moment, Han Yi finally let out a deep breath of relief.
Just like in his previous life, having a marketable skill meant he could thrive anywhere.
Han Yi stored the refined pills in his Storage Pouch, stood up, stretched languidly, and then left his residence, heading straight for Vermilion Bird Peak to exchange the pills for Sect Points and purchase enough medicinal herbs.
As Han Yi stepped out of his residence, he encountered Zheng Hai hurrying toward him.
"Han Yi, why are you only coming out now? I was worried sick!" Zheng Hai exclaimed, his face etched with exasperation. "I've been here seven or eight times, and you were never around. I was about to report you to the Hall of Law Enforcement, thinking you might have lost your mind and hanged yourself in the courtyard!"
Han Yi frowned, a vague sense of oversight prickling at the back of his mind. "Calm down. What's the matter?"
"What's the matter?" Zheng Hai repeated incredulously. "It's been twelve days, and you're acting like nothing's happened!"
"I had several plans in mind," Zheng Hai continued, "but now the ten-day deadline has passed, making things even more complicated."
The moment Zheng Hai finished speaking, Han Yi's eyes widened in realization. He finally understood what he had overlooked: time. A full twelve days had passed, yet it felt as though only four or five had gone by.
With a swift mental calculation, he pinpointed the cause. In the quiet chamber, besides rapidly replenishing his mana with spirit sand and spirit stones, he had periodically settled his mind to cultivate the Fire Pill Profound Art, drawing upon the spirit qi provided by the Second-Tier Spirit Vein beneath Little Spirit Void Peak.
While he could control the duration of pill refinement, once he immersed himself in the Profound Art, his consciousness merging with his physical body, time slipped beyond his grasp. He might close his eyes, feeling like only a short period had passed—perhaps half an hour—when hours had actually flown by.
In reality, nearly half a day had passed.
The saying "cultivation knows no time" wasn't just an empty phrase.
Generally, before entering a meditative state, cultivators would deliberately leave a mental marker, a subtle reminder of when to awaken, rather than losing themselves completely in their practice.
However, having just transmigrated, Han Yi's consciousness still considered this his first cultivation session, and he lacked this ingrained awareness.
This oversight led to the miscalculation of time.
Moreover, at the Profound Pill Sect, every disciple's residence, whether on the Inner or Outer Peak, was protected by a Courtyard Formation. These formations served to safeguard the occupants, preventing other disciples from intruding during their cultivation, disrupting their practice, or even triggering demonic qi deviation.
During those twelve days, Zheng Hai had visited seven or eight times, but the formation's barrier had kept him out. Frustrated, he had nearly forced his way in.
"You..."
"Ah, forget it. What's done is done. There's no use dwelling on it. You should go to Vermilion Bird Peak and redeem your points. If the Hall of Law Enforcement gets involved, you'll face penalties."
Zheng Hai departed, his tone a mix of disappointment and concern. After calming himself, he reassured Han Yi and promised to help him prepare for the Sect Return Assessment in a year.
In Zheng Hai's eyes, Han Yi saw a flicker of frustration, a silent accusation of "you're not trying hard enough."
Despite everything, Han Yi felt content to have such a companion.
Unlike Zheng Hai, he wasn't discouraged.
"Well, it's done," he thought. "Since it's already happened, let's head down the mountain for now."
"Now that my Alchemy Technique has improved, the Sect Return Assessment shouldn't be too difficult for me."
The die had been cast. Even if he regretted it now, there was no changing the outcome.
Composing himself, Han Yi set off once more toward Vermilion Bird Peak.