Chapter 66: Learning Alchemy

From the main text of "Cultivating Immortality Starting from Scavenging," Chapter 66: Learning Alchemy. In the blink of an eye, three days passed. Xu Chen had recovered seven or eight-tenths, and like an unkillable little cockroach, he began jumping around full of life again.

Both Jiu Shixiong and Zhao Xuan were very surprised by Xu Chen's rapid recovery speed, but Xu Chen could not explain the reason, so the two could only regard him as a freak.

Fortunately, although Xu Chen recovered quickly, his cultivation base remained as trashy as ever.

This made Jiu Shixiong feel much more calm and composed.

Hearing that Xu Chen had recovered, the Third Elder specially summoned him to carefully inquire about what happened in the Linghu Mine. Xu Chen made a report mixing truth and falsehood according to his previous story, and the Third Elder did not say anything.

The Third Elder had already gone to investigate the Linghu Mine. It was indeed as Xu Chen had said; it had now become almost the same as Black Wind Ridge. Black mist, like thick smoke, was continuously spewing out from the depths of the mine, submerging the area for several miles around the entire Linghu Valley. A large amount of trees and vegetation began to wither and die, and a large number of wild beasts began to appear nearby, among which there were even many powerful Demon Beasts.

However, the Linghu Mine was after all not as large as the Black Wind Ridge rift, so judging by the current scale, in the future, the area within ten miles of Linghu Valley would become a dead zone, and the impact on the Taiyuan Sect would not be too great.

At present, this black smoke had already rushed hundreds of feet into the sky, and it could be vaguely seen standing on the top of Zhaoyang Peak.

And Xu Chen was actually more worried that the disaster that destroyed the Taiyuan Sect back then should have been related to the Mysterious Water Nether Lotus inside the mine.

But he knew nothing about what kind of ghost thing the Mysterious Water Nether Lotus was.

In addition, why the Taiyuan Sect wanted to cultivate this Mysterious Water Nether Lotus inside back then, and what they ultimately wanted to use it for, was also a mystery.

Even the Blue Jade Bead, which was an Immortal Treasure, had resistance to the Mysterious Water Nether Lotus and almost failed to subdue it. He was certain that this thing must also be a heaven-defying object, and its grade might be at the True Immortal Realm, which meant it exceeded the seventh grade.

It was just that he had absolutely no basis for this thought.

At present, the strongest cultivators he had seen were only the three Yuan Ying stage Spirit Transformation Great Cultivators: the Great Elder Danchenzi, Baiyun Zhenjun of Yuqing Hall, and Taiwu Zhenjun of Longmen Mountain. He had never even seen a True Spirit Realm cultivator, and as for the top-tier mighty figures of the Shenling Realm who could move mountains and fill seas, there wasn't even one in the entire Great Song Immortal World, so he naturally could not fathom their strength even more. As for the Void Immortal of Lian Shen Huan Xu, those were legendary figures, and he was completely unable to imagine them out of thin air.

But no matter what, the Mysterious Water Nether Lotus was now stored in the Blue Light Treasure Bottle, and he would have plenty of time to slowly come into contact with it in the future. If he could refine such a powerful thing, he estimated that his cultivation base would definitely become terrifying.

In the heart of every trashy cultivator, there is a heaven-defying dream.

Xu Chen was the same.

Although he knew clearly that his Spirit Root was trashy to a mess and he might never be able to reach the late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm in this lifetime, what if?

Now that he had this Blue Jade Bead that might be an Immortal Treasure, he had much more confidence.

After all, a scavenger who doesn't want to achieve longevity is not a good cultivator.

A salted fish might still have a day to flip over, so Xu Chen was full of expectations for his future.

Coming out of the Third Elder's Danyuan, Xu Chen went to visit his Master, Xuanhe Zhenren.

Xuanhe Zhenren's external injuries had already fully healed, but the internal injuries from the cold energy caused by the Spirit Transformation True Monarch's strike were not easy to clear. Without the assistance of special Spirit Pills, he could only rely on his own cultivation base to slowly wear them away and recover.

If they could not be completely cured, this hidden ailment would definitely affect his Golden Core.

If only the white energy released by the Jade Bead and treasure bottle on his body could be used for alchemy, Xu Chen thought, deciding to go back and experiment with it. However, before the experiment, he still had to go learn alchemy, so he decided to go find Jiu Shixiong to discuss it.

……

"You want to learn alchemy?"

Jiu Shixiong's jaw almost dropped in astonishment.

"Yes, my cultivation base is too low, and my Spirit Root aptitude is not good either. Every time I go out, I get injured. I decided to learn some skills to protect myself. In the future, even if I can't enter the Zhenyuan Realm, I can still help with alchemy on the mountain and not become a good-for-nothing of the Taiyuan Sect!" Xu Chen answered honestly.

Jiu Shixiong patted his shoulder with emotion and said, "Little Junior Brother, I have always misjudged you. Compared to you, I am the real good-for-nothing. I'm almost thirty and haven't even reached Foundation Establishment, not to mention that Master has taught me alchemy for several years, and until now I can't even refine a First-grade Pill. Sigh, forget it, if you want to learn, I will give you the First-grade Pill Furnace I use."

Looking at the fist-sized, earth-yellow Pill Furnace Magic Treasure handed over by Jiu Shixiong, Xu Chen said with a strange expression, "I feel like you have ulterior motives in flattering me."

Jiu Shixiong said with a face full of righteousness, "Nonsense, I am sincerely praising you. Alchemy is really not my strong suit. Little Junior Brother has a powerful Divine Sense and extraordinary bones. As long as you are willing to learn, you will definitely become a great alchemist in the future. By the way, I have many pill recipes and alchemy techniques I collected before here, I'll give them all to you!"

Saying this, Jiu Shixiong took out a handful of colorful Jade Slips.

Xu Chen: ……

Coming out of Jiu Shixiong's small courtyard, Xu Chen always felt something was not quite right.

However, looking at the First-grade Magic Treasure Pill Furnace in his hand, he felt that he was using the heart of a villain to measure the belly of a gentleman and really shouldn't think too much.

Jiu Shixiong was good in every way, just not very reliable.

What kept him brooding was the Second-grade Lie Feng Spirit Talisman that had severely wounded the Yuqing Hall disciple Liang Feng.

He remembered that when he escaped from Black Wind Ridge, Jiu Shixiong said that he had already used that Spirit Talisman, but he didn't expect that it had actually been hidden on his person all along.

In addition, the final Third-grade Lie Yan Talisman that killed the white-clothed disciple of the Ziyang Sect came even more inexplicably. At first, Xu Chen even felt that he had been cheated, also thinking it was just a First-grade Illusion Talisman.

A Third-grade Spirit Talisman, no matter where it was, absolutely belonged to the strongest Magic Treasure. Even if it was a one-time use Spirit Talisman, it was worth a lot and would not be cheaper than a top-tier Second-grade Magic Treasure.

This kind of one-time use powerful Magic Treasure required a Danyuan Realm expert to consume a large amount of vital energy and energy to produce. Each one came from the hands of a famous cultivator. Not to mention that folk rogue cultivators didn't have them, even major sects like Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain considered them rare items. They would only be given to those inner sect core elite disciples to carry for self-defense when going out, and they must be Personal Disciples.

The Taiyuan Sect's Great Elder Danchenzi had also made a few before, but they were only stored in the hands of the two Elders and a few Zhenyuan Realm cultivators like the Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, and Third Senior Brother. Each one regarded them as treasures and hid them away. Let alone Xu Chen having never seen one, Jiu Shixiong was also unable to see them.

So where did this Third-grade Lie Yan Talisman come from?

Therefore, beneath Jiu Shixiong's seemingly honest and simple appearance hid a treacherous and shameless soul, which absolutely belonged to the variety that could not be trusted too much.

As soon as Xu Chen left with the pill furnace, Jiu Shixiong headed straight for the Third Elder's Danyuan, and then excitedly told the Third Elder that the Danyuan's alchemy disciples had a successor, and Little Junior Brother Xu Chen was prepared to take over.

The Third Elder was surprised and said, "He really wants to learn alchemy?"

Jiu Shixiong hurriedly nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice, his face full of excitement as he said, "Really, really, he even asked for the First-grade Alchemist Furnace you gave me."

The Third Elder's face twitched, and finally he sighed and said, "Forget it, you are not a character who can stay idle either. I shouldn't have accepted you as a disciple back then. Since Chen'er likes alchemy, it is also a good thing for our Taiyuan Sect. I will arrange this matter myself. You go, you don't need to guard the Danyuan anymore in the future!"

Jiu Shixiong immediately cheered and left, as excited as a husky out of its cage.

The Third Elder sat down with a dark face, but after a moment, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

Compared to Lu Yuan, Xu Chen, the youngest disciple of the Taiyuan Sect, had a good temperament; he was not greedy or competitive, and could endure loneliness. Even if his cultivation base was a bit lacking, his powerful Divine Sense, which was far stronger than ordinary Kaiyuan Realm cultivators, was the most suitable candidate for alchemy and artifact refining. As long as he was polished for a few years, refining First-grade and Second-grade Spirit Pills would definitely be no problem. If he could enter the Zhenyuan Realm, refining Third-grade Spirit Pills was also very possible.

Now that the Great Elder Danchenzi had successfully transformed his spirit, the Taiyuan Sect's strength had increased sharply, and alchemy would inevitably become busier in the future. It was indeed necessary to cultivate a successor well.

Therefore, feeling satisfied, the Third Elder used Divine Sense Transmission to communicate with the Second Elder, who was in seclusion in the quiet room, to discuss the arrangements for this matter.

After all, Xu Chen was the Second Elder's Personal Disciple. If he were to teach Xu Chen alchemy, it would count as having the status of master and disciple, so it could not be too sloppy or casual.

Xu Chen, of course, did not know that he had been sold by Jiu Shixiong the moment he turned around.

Carrying the pill furnace and humming a little tune back to his small wooden house, he first read through all the Jade Slips about alchemy carefully. Feeling that he understood the basic knowledge, he activated the pill furnace. Instantly, the palm-sized earth-yellow pill furnace expanded to two feet in size, and with a clatter, it landed in front of him.

The material of the pill furnace was very ordinary; it was made from Hua Ling Soil, with a small amount of Essence Iron and Five Elements Crystal inside to carve and engrave the Array.

Because it was not a combat Magic Treasure, there was no great practical value, so even the Soul Locking Array that ordinary Magic Treasures had was omitted. As long as one was a cultivator, one could input vital energy according to the control method and activate the Array with Divine Sense.

Xu Chen followed the alchemy method, placing both hands on the vital energy channels on both sides of the pill furnace, continuously inputting vital energy. Soon, the Arrays inside the pill furnace were lit up one by one, slowly presenting a strange scene. A large number of crisscrossing and independent Array lights flickered, which was breathtaking.

This was Xu Chen's first time coming into contact with a Pill Furnace.

The Taiyuan Sect was very poor; any First Stage Magic Treasure was an incredible item, and Jiu Shixiong used to hide the Pill Furnace away like a treasure, never once letting him even take a look at it.

However, ever since returning from down the mountain this time, after suddenly coming into a windfall, everyone's horizons had suddenly become much broader.

This First-grade Pill Furnace was just tossed to Xu Chen like that, as if it were abandoned.

In fact, Xu Chen had thought about asking the Third Elder to learn alchemy before, but because his presence was truly too low and his strength was also too trashy, he had never dared to speak up; now that he had a Pill Furnace, he decided to slowly explore it himself first, and if he really didn't understand, he would go ask the Third Elder for advice—given his current contributions, the Third Elder would certainly not refuse.