Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 4 Useless Pills and Inferior Pills
The speaker was an elderly man in black with completely white hair and beard, and a face full of wrinkles. He was about the fifth level of Qi Refining and was walking out of the alchemy room with a hunched back.

Seeing Lin Changheng lift the curtain and walk into the backyard, he immediately chuckled.

Lin Changheng subconsciously wanted to reply,
Can something that happens to an alchemist be considered an explosion? It should be called a fire in the alchemy furnace…

But the words that came out were replaced by a bitter laugh. "Master Mo, please stop teasing me."

Master Mo did not respond, but beckoned Lin Changheng over. As Lin Changheng entered the alchemy room as instructed, Master Mo suddenly asked, "Are you refining the Crimson Flame Pill?"

"Yes."

When will it be bombed?

"Mix the medicine..."

"Hmm... Once I finish refining this batch of pills, the next batch will be the [Crimson Flame Pill]. You will stay by my side and watch carefully, correcting any mistakes and omissions."

"Yes! Thank you, Master Mo!"

Lin Changheng was overjoyed and immediately thanked him repeatedly.

Master Mo was an old guest of the Xu family. He was originally a mid-grade first-level alchemist with strong alchemy skills, but due to his advanced age, he suffered from hidden injuries.

Unable to support the high-intensity refining of mid-grade pills, he voluntarily applied to come to Zichuanfang, a resource-based market that was gradually declining, to take charge and refine low-grade pills year-round to maintain sales.

Even so, for Lin Changheng, being able to personally observe a master alchemist refining pills was indeed a significant opportunity.

After all, what you learn from books is never enough; it's so rare to find someone who can give you a proper demonstration.

"nothing."

"Keep an eye on the fire in the furnace; it's refining the [Wood Essence Pill]."

Master Mo gave a brief explanation and then said he would be leaving temporarily.

"But... I know nothing about refining the Wood Essence Pill. Senior Brother Xu usually watches the furnace."

Lin Changheng immediately reminded him.

"Xu Hanzhou has been summoned back to the clan. He left early this morning, returning with the clan's delegation that came to handle some business."

After explaining casually, Master Mo instructed, "From now on, when refining two batches of pills at the same time, you will have to rely on you to watch over the furnace and tend the fire."

"it is good."

Lin Changheng was taken aback, then nodded with a slight change in expression.

Originally, the Xu family's alchemy shop had two alchemists, four alchemy apprentices, and eight Xu family members working odd jobs.

Later, as the first-grade [red iron stone] mineral resources near Zichuanfang were exhausted, leaving behind only desolation and no profit to be made, cultivation forces and cultivators flocked in and then withdrew in droves.

As a result, Zichuanfang gradually declined, its population dwindled, and its former glory was gone.

The Xu family also made corresponding adjustments.

Five years ago, a master alchemist and two apprentices were removed.

Nowadays, all the pills sold in the alchemy shops are refined by Master Mo.

Generally speaking, Master Mo would refine two batches of low-grade pills a day at different times, ten pills per batch, and then rest for a day after finishing.

As a mid-grade alchemist, he could refine two batches of low-grade pills at the same time with ease, which could even be considered a way to maintain his health.

But for Lin Changheng, this would take up even more of his time.

Of course, there are advantages as well, namely, the opportunity to learn the formula and refining techniques for the new elixir, the "Wood Essence Elixir."

The Xu family keeps this information very secret and rarely lets it out.

Lin Changheng spent more than ten years before he mastered the formula for the Crimson Flame Pill. Even his skill in it was still very basic, vague and obscure, and he had to figure it out on his own.

For the next hour, Lin Changheng tended the furnace fire, but his mind was preoccupied with the refining method of the Crimson Flame Pill.

Master Mo also came once in the middle of the process. He did not drive Lin Changheng away. He recited more than thirty alchemy incantations in front of the alchemy furnace and did not forget to throw a yellowed jade slip to Lin Changheng.

This is related to the alchemy of the [Wood Essence Pill].

After watching Lin Changheng swear an oath to ensure that the secret would not be leaked, he leisurely left.

……

At midday, Master Mo arrived again. After reciting complex alchemy incantations, he lit a fire in another alchemy furnace two zhang away, intending to refine the [Crimson Flame Pill]. "Come and take a closer look."

An aged voice beckoned to Lin Changheng.

"Yes." Lin Changheng's spirits lifted.

He has accumulated many doubts and hypothetical solutions, which need to be observed and verified.

Master Mo's movements were incredibly fluid and graceful; in his hands, the complex task of alchemy even acquired a kind of beauty.

Lin Changheng watched intently, not daring to miss a single detail.

"Watch the fire."

After giving his instructions, Master Mo left immediately.

Lin Changheng seemed oblivious, lost in thought, until Master Mo reached the door, at which point he realized what was happening and hurriedly saw him off.

A flicker of surprise crossed Master Mo's face, but he didn't take it to heart. He waved his withered hand and left with a departing figure.

……

Around 7 PM.

The two batches of pills were finally refined in succession.

As the furnace fire gradually died down, the elixirs were drawn out using the elixir-retrieving incantation, their fragrant aroma filling the air. They flew from the furnace into a specially made wooden box and settled one by one.

Lin Changheng stood guard by his side, watching this scene with his hands at his sides. He was secretly delighted, because he had gained a lot from observing the alchemy process. Not only could the problem of the furnace exploding that he had encountered last time be solved, but many steps and the connection between the alchemy techniques were also clearer.

Suddenly, Lin Changheng heard Master Mo let out a soft exclamation, and then saw him take out a red pill with cloud patterns and examine it in his palm.

He then shook his head and put it away separately from the wooden box.

Lin Changheng was curious, as this was the first time he had been allowed to be present to see Master Mo obtain the elixir.

"This is a substandard pill."

Master Mo intentionally offered guidance, "Whether due to differences in the ingredients themselves, deviations in the refining process, or some kind of accident, it's inevitable that a few inferior pills or even ruined pills will appear during alchemy. Ruined pills are unusable, and burnt pills won't take shape; you should be quite familiar with that..."

Lin Changheng gave an awkward smile; what he got from exploding the furnace yesterday was just a useless pill.

“A defective pill is easily recognizable. But an inferior pill is different. It is still formed, but it contains many impurities and still contains poison. It cannot be taken by cultivators, otherwise it will cause harm and ruin their path. It is also called a ‘poison pill’.”

"If you are refining ten pills in one batch, it is acceptable if the number of defective or inferior pills is kept within 50%. In my pill refining, the number of defective or inferior pills is generally around 10% to 20%."

As he spoke, he stroked his long beard with considerable pride.

"I see. Thank you for your explanation, Master Mo. Master Mo's alchemy skills are universally acknowledged, and almost no one in Zichuan Workshop can rival them."

Lin Changheng, having gained some new insights, naturally offered a few flattering words in return.

Seeing Master Mo's cheerful expression, a thought stirred within him, and he seized the opportunity to ask, "How should inferior pills be disposed of?"

"There was once a certain alchemist of a clan who was of low character. He mixed inferior pills with genuine pills to cheat rogue cultivators. When the matter was exposed, the victimized rogue cultivators gathered to take revenge, and the alchemist's family was also targeted in retaliation. Many of his clansmen who were away from home died or were injured, and as a result, the family was ruined and expelled from the clan!"

Master Mo gave an example, his expression serious, and pointed out the key issue, issuing a warning.
“My Xu family is different. We have an upright family tradition and do business for the long term. We have a good reputation.”

"Waste pills are destroyed directly; inferior pills are either destroyed or sold at a low price to beast-taming and beast-raising families to supply meat-breeding."

Lin Changheng seemed to understand something, noticing the loophole, and asked again: "If the beast-taming and beast-raising families ostensibly acquire them but actually resell them to others, wouldn't that also damage the reputation of my Xu family?"

Master Mo looked at Lin Changheng with approval, but did not answer, intending to test him.

After a moment's thought, Lin Changheng blurted out two words, "Cut Dan!"

Since the pill is split in two, it can no longer be sold, but it does not affect the breeding of meat-producing animals.

"Not bad, Qiedan." Master Mo looked Lin Changheng up and down with admiration. The boy hadn't changed much in other aspects, but his personality had become somewhat gloomy and impatient in recent years.

If things change again now, it's probably because the agreed-upon date is fast approaching, and under immense pressure, things are breaking down and rebuilding.

As they chatted, they walked out of the alchemy room. Lin Changheng took the opportunity to ask about three questions, and Master Mo did not refuse, offering insightful and incisive explanations in just a few words.

If it were the old Lin Changheng, he probably wouldn't have understood, but now, it has enlightened him and made him accept it all.

……

(End of this chapter)