Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

Liu Xing walked into the underground fire management office and saw quite a few people waiting to rent the underground fire room. A long line formed. Some were there to refine pills, others to refine weapons. Just as everyone was orderly lining up to complete the rental procedures, there was a sudden commotion at the door, catching the manager's attention.

"Oh, Master Li Dan, you're here! Please come in quickly." The steward, who was registering at the desk, saw an old man with a long beard coming in. He seemed to be a very important person. He immediately put down his work, ran to the door, and greeted the old man warmly.

The first cultivator in line was registering when he found that the steward had left him to greet someone else. He flew into a rage and was about to explode, but when he turned around and saw that the person coming was Master Li Dan, his anger immediately disappeared. He even smiled and called out, "Greetings, Master Li Dan." Many other people in the team had seen Master Li Dan before, and they all smiled, greeted him warmly, and acted very coquettishly.

Liu Xing observed the various forms of the world and was surprised by how renowned Li Danshi was, seemingly known to everyone in the room. Curious, he glanced at Li Danshi a few more times. With only the eleventh level of Qi Refining, his magical powers were average. Was it his exceptional alchemy skills that earned him respect? He silently took note of Li Danshi, determined to make a good friend of his when the opportunity arose.

"Manager Qian, how are you these days? I'm here to bother you again. Is the alchemy room I used last time empty?" Master Li Dan asked with a pleasant expression.

"It's empty, empty, reserved for you." Manager Qian nodded and led Master Li Dan forward.

"Just leave it empty. I'd like to continue using it for a few days. How much does it cost?" Master Li Dan asked politely.

"It's free, free. It's my honor that Master Li can come here to refine the elixir. There's no need for you to spend money." Manager Qian immediately responded tactfully.

"Then I, Li, will respectfully obey your order. Manager Qian, if you need to refine pills in the future, just come to me. I will give you priority in making pills." Master Li was not polite. He seemed to be accustomed to the flattery of the cultivators, and he accepted it frankly.

"Master Li Dan, you're so polite! I'm deeply grateful. Please come in." Manager Qian was so delighted when he heard Master Li Dan agree to prioritize his alchemy. He practically jumped for joy, as if he'd gotten a great deal. The people around him also cast envious glances, as if it were a great honor to be able to curry favor with Master Li Dan.

"Alchemists are indeed a rare profession and are very respected." Liu Xing sighed, fantasizing whether he could also become an alchemist respected by everyone.

Xicheng District is populated by low-level cultivators, the vast majority of whom are independent cultivators with generally mediocre qualifications. Cultivators with four spiritual roots, like Liu Xing, are common. It's no wonder that the more gifted cultivators have been accepted as core disciples by the major sects. Everyone is already scrambling to improve their mana, scrambling to cultivate every minute, leaving little time for alchemy. Furthermore, to become a master alchemist, one must have a vast supply of medicinal herbs, but these are expensive, making it difficult for independent cultivators to afford such resources. Therefore, it's practically impossible for an independent cultivator to become an alchemist.

I heard that Master Li Dan was not a casual cultivator, but rather came from a sect of alchemy. He had come to Haibin City to gain experience and might have to return at any time. Therefore, the cultivators cherished the opportunity. Anyone who had gathered the materials wanted to use their connections to ask Master Li Dan to refine the elixir. That's why Master Li Dan was so famous and everyone wanted to curry favor with him. After Master Li Dan was released, Manager Qian returned to continue receiving everyone.

"I'm sorry, everyone, for keeping you waiting." Manager Qian was running a business, so he was naturally very tactful. He first apologized to everyone, bowed to them in all directions, and then continued to register, pay, and make arrangements for everyone.

"Manager Qian is so polite. I hope you can introduce me to Master Li in the future." Everyone politely returned the greeting, hoping to use Manager Qian as a bridge to make friends with Master Li.

Registration went quickly and it was Liu Xing's turn soon.

"Fellow Daoist, do you want to refine pills or weapons?" asked Manager Qian.

"I want the alchemy room." Liu Xing said with a clear goal.

"The alchemy room is divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. The fees are three spirit stones, two spirit stones and one spirit stone per day respectively. Which level do you want?" Manager Qian continued to ask.

"What's the difference between the three?" It was the first time Liu Xing heard that the underground fire chambers were divided into different levels.

"Of course there is a difference. The higher the level, the more stable the earth fire, and the better the equipment in the alchemy room, which can increase the chance of successful elixir. The more expensive the elixir, the higher the level of the alchemy room is recommended." Perhaps because he saw Liu Xing's strength at the peak of the Qi Refining Stage, Manager Qian was very kind and patiently answered his questions.

"Is there a ready-made furnace in the alchemy room?" Liu Xing asked again.

"You'll need to bring your own furnace. If you need to buy one, I have three grades for sale: high, medium, and low. You can choose whichever you like." Manager Qian was indeed a master salesman. Seeing Liu Xing asking about furnaces, he keenly grasped the opportunity to sell Liu Xing his own furnaces. With a wave of his hand, three exquisite furnaces appeared on the table.

Liu Xing was indeed captivated. He had assumed the alchemy room would have a ready-made furnace, but now he realized he had to bring his own. He hadn't prepared any before, so he had no choice but to buy one. He picked up each of the three furnaces and examined them carefully. He had previously learned about furnaces during his visits to the city and discussions with alchemists. First, he looked at their sturdiness—whether they would explode if the pills were to explode. Second, their fire resistance—whether the heat was evenly distributed and the heat could be transmitted smoothly. Third, their spirit-locking ability—whether the spiritual energy of the medicinal materials could be trapped during purification or pill formation, preventing it from being wasted and dissipated. After examining the three furnaces one by one, he decided that refining the foundation-building pill was too important, so he'd better choose a higher-quality furnace. However, he remained calm and asked about the price first.

"A low-grade alchemy furnace costs fifty yuan, a mid-grade one hundred and fifty yuan, and a high-grade one costs three hundred spirit stones." Manager Qian quoted the price.

"I want a top-grade alchemy furnace and a top-grade alchemy room for one month." Liu Xing made a quick decision. He felt the price was fair, so he made the decision quickly.

"Okay, a total of three hundred and ninety spirit stones." Manager Qian was very happy. He had made another big deal today.

Liu Xing took out the spirit stone and gave it to Manager Qian, then put away the top-grade alchemy furnace.

"Please give me your ID card for registration." Manager Qian took the money and immediately made the arrangements. Liu Xing handed him his ID card and sighed inwardly, "City Master Han has a good way of managing the city. He requires ID cards to be used everywhere and every penny earned is earned."

"This is the restriction token for the top-grade No. C alchemy room. Please keep it safe, fellow Daoist. You only need to inject spiritual power into the token, and you can find the corresponding alchemy room according to the instructions on the token." Manager Qian moved quickly and handed him a jade token.

"Thank you, Manager Qian." Liu Xing took the token, thanked him, and activated the token. A small green arrow appeared on the jade token, and he walked in the designated direction.