Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

Lu Zaian dared not forget that the desolate city was covered by a third-order grand formation.

There is also a Core Formation cultivator stationed inside the city.

If he accidentally sensed Xiao Yi's presence, that would be disastrous...

As a result, the storage space contained items such as the Mystic Ice Cold Heavy Water, the Purple Crystal Divine Fruit, and the Water Spirit Lotus.

Lu Zaian also decided not to take anything out.

Speaking of Xiao Yi, Lu Zaian seemed to remember something and gritted his teeth.

"Damn it, I forgot that Xiao Yi also needs spirit stones and various spiritual items to cultivate. I have to provide for two people by myself!"

Xiao Yi needs to absorb all kinds of energy to cultivate, and she's also a picky eater.

Just as cultivators need various elixirs to aid their breakthroughs, Xiao Yi also needs various forms of energy to advance.

But it can't be too high-level!

Just like Xuanbing Hanzhongshui is a third-tier spiritual item, it's still a bit too much for Xiaoyi to digest at once.

Given Xiao Yi's current level, the best approach is to gradually feed her some second-tier spirit creatures.

But... where the hell am I supposed to find you a second-tier spirit item right now?!

Lu Zaian was driven crazy by this.

The only thing to do is to appease Xiao Yi and let her absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth first.

It's okay if your cultivation is a little slow.

Seeking progress while maintaining stability is the key to success...

We arrived at the nearest market street.

The crowds were surging, and the atmosphere was lively and bustling.

Lu Zaian did not buy from those large stores, as the quality there was guaranteed, but the prices were also higher.

There are small stalls on both sides of the street.

These stalls are relatively inexpensive to rent and are specifically designed for short-term businesses.

"Hey, take a look!"

"A water spirit mushroom, freshly picked from the marsh, is a low-grade, first-tier mushroom, costing eight spirit stones per bloom!"

A cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining stood guard at the stall, shouting loudly.

His stall was filled with fluorescent blue Ganoderma lucidum.

There were about twenty or thirty flowers, of varying sizes.

He must have found a growing spot and brought the whole family of Ganoderma lucidum to a complete end.

"Water Ganoderma lucidum has a mild and healing effect, and can be used to refine blood-clotting pills, not bad..."

Lu Zaian strolled over to the stall and examined the quality of the water lingzhi.

Alchemy must begin with the lowest grade, the lowest level.

After careful consideration, Lu Zaian decided to start with Blood Clotting Pills and Qi Cultivation Pills.

The former of these two pills treats external injuries, while the latter consolidates one's cultivation.

Even if other alchemists in Huangze City were selling their products, the low-end market was still in short supply...

At the same time, these two prescriptions are relatively simple, the materials are common, and there are several combinations and substitutions.

More suitable for beginners.

"Boss, give me five flowers."

Lu Zaian picked out five of the freshest ones.

"Alright, fellow Daoist, that's nine spirit stones in total!"

"That can't be calculated like that! These five flowers are all different sizes, how can they be priced the same? I'll give you a maximum of seven spirit stones!"

Lu Zaian gestured with his hands, indicating that he should save where he could and spend where he could.

The alchemy hasn't even started yet, and we haven't even made any money.

Every cost must be strictly controlled.

That's right, I am that frugal!

"Eight yuan! It's not easy to travel to and from the marshland. I already have to pay one yuan for the city entrance fee. I can't go any lower."

The stall owner wouldn't budge an inch, and his luck couldn't be this good every time.

"Alright alright……"

Let's consider the piece of spirit stone that was cut off as a victory for Lu Zaian.

"Next are Bloodstone Powder, Sunflower Ginseng, Red Silk Grass, and Silver Moon Flower and Fran Grass, which are needed to refine the Qi-Nourishing Pill..."

"Hmm... I do have a few Red Silk Grass and Silver Moon Flower plants in my storage bag."

Lu Zaian also had a small amount of medicinal herbs in his pocket.

It was either from an enemy's storage bag or something they found along the way.

And so, Lu Zaian finished browsing through this small market, comparing prices at three different shops, and honing his bargaining skills.

In the end, it cost sixty-three spirit stones to buy all the necessary materials.

"Next, we need to find a place to refine the pills..."

.........

"This guest, our cheapest rental price for the Earth Fire Hall is two spirit stones per day!"

"..."

"Five days first!"

Spirit stone! Spirit stone! Spirit stone!

Screw it, everything costs spirit stones!

I've already spent over seventy yuan before I even started refining it.

Lu Zaian gritted his teeth, feeling a surge of pressure.

This alchemy can only succeed; it cannot fail.

A hot stone room.

Lu Zaian entered the room and checked it first, finding no unusual surveillance or spying formations.

These shops that specialize in serving alchemists and weapon refiners are generally reputable.

In the center of the floor was a first-grade low-level alchemy furnace.

The alchemy furnace was of average quality and did not provide any additional assistance in controlling the flames or refining medicinal herbs.

However, it was enough for Lu Zaian.

Advanced alchemy furnaces, on the contrary, require alchemists to have stronger control.

Beneath the alchemy furnace, a crack appeared in the floor, and a string of flames extended upwards, constantly licking the bottom of the furnace.

"There are traces of an array, probably at the second level, otherwise it wouldn't be able to contain the raging ground fire..."

Lu Zaian sat down cross-legged, not in a hurry to start refining pills immediately.

Instead, he closed his eyes, concentrated, and circulated his energy to adjust his state to its best.

Although time is tight, one must first have the right tools to do a good job.

In Xiao Fenlin's memory, the most important thing in alchemy is to be meticulous and able to endure loneliness.

After all, even the slightest mistake can lead to failure!

An hour later, Lu Zaian slowly opened his eyes, his deep eyes shining brightly.

"Let's begin...start with the Red Ribbon Grass."

First, he used his magic to wrap the red silk grass and placed it in the alchemy furnace.

At the same time, it activated the earth fire to scorch the red silk grass, expelling impurities from its interior...

Whether it's the thickness of the magical power wrapping the red silk grass or the burning temperature of the earth fire, every step requires meticulous control.

With the help of his alchemy memories, Lu Zaian successfully extracted a liquid essence in the first few steps.

Impurities in the medicinal materials were burned to ashes.

"Next up is the water lingzhi."

Lu Zaian tried to do the same thing, but the water spirit mushroom made a hissing sound and failed to be refined.

"what happened?"

Lu Zaian frowned slightly and subconsciously increased the intensity of his attack.

Bear!

The water lingzhi was instantly engulfed by flames and turned into a cloud of water vapor, its medicinal power completely burned away!

"hiss……"

Lu Zaian took a deep breath and quickly stopped the fire.

Fortunately, Lu Zaian is now exceptionally perceptive, and after a moment's thought, he found the reason.

“I understand… An alchemist’s technique is influenced by the materials and the environment.”

The memories in my mind came from Xiao Fenlin's long-term alchemy practice in the Black Soil Mountains.

Take this water lingzhi for example. It is harvested from barren marshes and contains more moisture and medicinal power than the black soil mountain.

"I used too little firepower before, so I couldn't refine it in the same amount of time..."

Lu Zaian tried gradually increasing the firepower this time, and sure enough, there were no problems.

The medicinal properties of Ganoderma lucidum were successfully extracted.

Having learned from one failure, Lu Zaian drew lessons from it and applied them to other situations.

If there were any minor differences in the subsequent medicinal materials, Lu Zaian was able to adjust them immediately...