Yang Jing put the Mica Pill Book and the Profound Gold Tripod into his Storage Bag and cautiously left the Celestial Treasure Tower.
"Shopkeeper Wang, why did you give him such a big discount?"
The pretty Maid asked curiously.
Wang Tong stroked his beard smugly. What he prided himself on most was his sharp eye for talent.
"The art of Talisman Making is not simple. For him to be able to create Tier One Middle Grade Talisman Paper from a low-quality material like Cyan Light Vine clearly shows he has talent. Alchemy, like Talisman Making, is all about controlling the heat. At the very least, he'll have no problem refining some Fasting Pills. If he truly achieves something, wouldn't that be a massive return on investment?"
He had only given a small discount within his authority; it didn't cost him anything.
Because Elixirs were special items meant for consumption, only renowned Alchemists sold their own creations. Most ordinary Alchemists chose to have their products exclusively purchased and sold by a Great Trading House like Celestial Treasure Tower.
Only Elixirs stamped with the Restriction of a Great Trading House could fetch a good price.
A large portion of Wang Tong's income came from taking a cut. One more Alchemist channel meant that much more income.
Besides, if Yang Jing really had an Alchemy Talent, he had other great uses for him.
Unaware of their conversation, Yang Jing left Celestial Treasure Tower. He headed for the long street where Independent Cultivators set up stalls, walking two laps around the area to gather the Spirit Medicines needed to refine the Water Cloud Pill and the Blood Circulation Pill. He collected three sets for the Water Cloud Pill and seven for the Blood Circulation Pill.
These Low Tier Spirit Medicines were not uncommon, most of them maturing every three to five years. Due to the intense competition among the Cultivators who had obtained Spirit Fields through Pioneer Orders, the prices had been dropping year after year. Ten sets of Spirit Medicine cost him only seven Spirit Stones. The Spirit Medicines required for the Water Cloud Pill were a bit more expensive, costing two Spirit Stones per set.
At these prices, an Alchemist only needed to produce more than two pills from a single furnace batch to break even. For Alchemists, the environment in the Chen Kingdom was much better than in the Cai Kingdom or the Wei Kingdom.
Therefore, there were quite a few Alchemists in the Chen Kingdom who could refine one or two types of Tier One Lower Grade pills. Having refined the same type of Elixir for years on end, their success rates were not low.
Finally, Yang Jing purchased a bundle of Silver Silk Charcoal. This was made from Spirit Wood fired through a special process. It could provide a stable supply of heat for a long time, and the flame it produced was extremely hot. An ordinary iron pot would be burned through in moments.
Only a Magical Artifact like the Profound Gold Tripod could withstand its heat.
On his way, Yang Jing saw an Independent Cultivator selling Demon Flesh. Ordinary Demon Flesh was rich in Blood Qi, and eating it regularly was beneficial for both Body Forging and Qi Cultivation. He considered it for a moment, then had twenty jin of pork belly cut at the stall.
Yang Jing left the Marketplace, infused his eyes with Magical Power, and only returned to his Cave Mansion after carefully confirming that no one was following him.
The moment he entered the Fog Concealment Array, Iron Head came running over, stumbling and whimpering. With a push from its four chubby little legs, it leaped into Yang Jing's arms.
"Ah, Iron Head, as Cultivators of our generation, we must cultivate the four arts of Pill, Array, Talisman, and Artifact. Today, I will pass the Alchemy Skill on to you. You must study it well."
Yang Jing said earnestly, rubbing its fleshy head.
Iron Head's little eyebrows knitted together. It felt a bit dejected, as if the burden on its shoulders was too heavy, leaving no time for play.
[Would you like to use the Skill Book "Mica Pill Book" to enhance the Mingyi Dog (Iron Head)?]
Yang Jing selected 'confirm', and five Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag instantly vanished into thin air.
As a massive amount of alchemy knowledge was poured into it, Iron Head felt its head spin. It lay in Yang Jing's arms, whining.
[Skill: Mica Refining Technique (Initiate 25%)]
The "Mica Pill Book" was much more complex than the "Jade Water Skill." Yang Jing had spent five Spirit Stones just to advance Iron Head's progress in the Mica Refining Technique by 25%.
He gritted his teeth and spent all the Spirit Stones he had in one go.
[Skill: Mica Refining Technique (Master (60%))]
Looking at the Alchemy skill that had directly leveled up and pushed the progress bar more than halfway, Yang Jing slowly exhaled. He was now completely broke. If Iron Head's pill formation success rate was low, he'd have to figure out a way to borrow some Spirit Stones from his neighbors.
How to process Spirit Plants, methods for discerning their medicinal potency, techniques for extracting their Spiritual Mechanism, control over the heat during Alchemy, and the method for collecting the pills.
All sorts of knowledge flooded into Iron Head's mind. The sheer volume of information was far greater than that of the Jade Water Skill, making its head feel so bloated and dizzy that it nearly passed out.
A long time later, Iron Head finally opened its eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.
"Let's try some Alchemy," Yang Jing said expectantly.
Iron Head was also eager to give it a try. It took out an iron plate mixed with a small amount of Iron Essence, which had an Array carved on it to control the fire's intensity. The Independent Cultivator who sold the Silver Silk Charcoal had thrown it in for next to nothing.
It arranged the Silver Silk Charcoal neatly on the iron plate and then set the Profound Gold Tripod on top.
The Profound Gold Tripod was a small, black tripod about the size of a foot basin, with numerous beast patterns and runes cast into its surface. These were the Restrictions engraved on it: a Fire Control Restriction to manage the heat, a Clear Wind Restriction to expel Elixir Poison from the tripod's body, and a Pill Solidifying Restriction to aid in pill formation. Having a Pill Furnace versus not having one made a world of difference in Alchemy.
"Iron Head, refine a batch of Blood Circulation Pills first. This pill isn't easy, so be careful."
Yang Jing spoke in a nonchalant tone, but his hands were clenched tightly behind his back. 'With the Mica Refining Technique at Master Level, refining a Tier One Lower Grade Elixir shouldn't be a problem,' he estimated internally.
Iron Head nodded repeatedly and began picking through the medicinal ingredients Yang Jing had bought. When performing Alchemy, it was best for the potency of the Spirit Medicines in the recipe to be comparable; stronger wasn't necessarily better. If the balance between the principal, adjuvant, and guiding herbs was lost, it would actually increase the difficulty of forming the pills.
This trick alone was something an ordinary Independent Cultivator would have to fail countless times to comprehend without a master's guidance.
Iron Head activated the Array on the iron plate. WHOOSH! The Silver Silk Charcoal ignited, releasing astonishing heat. The runes on the Profound Gold Tripod slowly lit up as the Restrictions engraved within began to activate.
In one fluid motion, it took out the selected Spirit Medicines, formed a hand seal to activate the Magic Prohibition, tossed them into the tripod, and placed the lid on top. Then, it formed another spell with its paw, activating the tripod's internal Restrictions to extract the Spiritual Mechanism from the Spirit Medicines.
After activating his Bright Qi Talent, Yang Jing could vaguely perceive the changes in Vitality inside the tripod, even through the lid. This was the most difficult step in Alchemy. Iron Head's Bright Qi Talent far surpassed Yang Jing's. With the assistance of this Talent, it could display Alchemy skills that exceeded the Master Level.
The Spiritual Mechanism from the various medicinal ingredients transformed into a medicinal liquid, while useless impurities were turned to ash by the Spiritual Fire. Iron Head carefully activated the Profound Gold Tripod's Clear Wind Restriction, expelling the ash as black smoke through the holes in the lid.
Suddenly, Iron Head formed the Pill Collection Spell with its paw, activating the lid of the Profound Gold Tripod.
The lid popped open, and a refreshing Pill Fragrance wafted out. Seven Blood Circulation Pills lay quietly inside the Profound Gold Tripod.
Yang Jing picked up a pill and observed it carefully. Of the seven, two were Upper Grade pills, their bodies perfectly round and a pure amber color. Four were Middle Grade pills, each with a single, fine red line on its surface—unrefined Elixir Poison. The last one was a Lower Grade pill, with three such red lines.
'The Mica Refining Technique at Master Level alone should have made it difficult to refine Upper Grade pills. Being able to form two of them was thanks to the Bright Qi Talent.'
Yang Jing was elated. He divided the seven Elixirs into two bottles, putting one of the Upper Grade pills in a bottle by itself and handing it to Iron Head. He rubbed Iron Head's head and said nonchalantly,
"It seems your talent is quite good. You must continue to practice diligently. The skill of Alchemy will be what you rely on to make a living."
Iron Head yapped happily. The sense of accomplishment from personally refining a furnace of Elixirs was unparalleled.
"Tomorrow, you'll start two more batches of Blood Circulation Pills. From now on, you'll also refine the Water Cloud Pills you need for your own cultivation."
Iron Head's ears instantly drooped.