Firefly Journey

After bidding farewell to the wind chimes, Lin Yuanran returned to Zhulai Peak.

That evening, he met his long-lost, nominal master, Qingfeng Daoren.

From the time they first met until now, even though they live under the same roof, the number of times they've seen each other has never exceeded the size of a hand.

The Taoist Qingfeng was elusive and often ventured into the mountains and forests to search for rare medicinal herbs for future use in alchemy.

Lin Yuanran finally understood why Zhu Lai Peak was the weakest. Like father, like son; the problem lay at its root. It wasn't that Qingfeng Daoist was neglecting his duties; on the contrary, he was too focused on his duties, which was why Zhu Lai Peak's strength was worrisome.

The original purpose of establishing Zhulai Peak was to refine pills and provide them to the disciples of the sect for cultivation on time. Unfortunately, Daoist Qingfeng was a strict and upright person who did not show favoritism at all. Even though there were gourds of pills in the storeroom, he was reluctant to use them for his own people.

With him around, it would be a miracle if Zhulai Peak didn't rank last!

Lin Yuanran informed Qingfeng Daoist about his upcoming pill refining, but he didn't explicitly state that it was a new type of pill. Otherwise, the other party might think that he was being arrogant and overconfident, since Qingfeng Daoist's alchemy skills were not low, and over the years, he had only independently created one or two pill formulas.

Master Qingfeng showed concern for his disciple's formula.

"Feel free to ask me if you have any questions."

That's what I want you to say!

Lin Yuanran did have some questions: "I'm wondering which material to use to finalize the pill."

When it comes to refining elixirs, controlling the heat is definitely the most important factor, but besides that, the process of fusion of the elixirs is also crucial.

This is similar to binding sheets of paper into a book, which requires a stapler or glutinous rice paste.

The selection of this fusion material was the biggest problem Lin Yuanran encountered.

Qingfeng Daoist pondered for a moment: "Tell me what materials you have on hand, and what the effects of the pills you have refined are, so that I can prescribe the right medicine for you."

"Heavenly Emperor's mud and auspicious seven-colored clouds."

Qingfeng Daoist's expression changed. These two materials are not common. This kid is trying to reach the sky after just passing the novice stage!

However... seeing how confident he was, we couldn't refuse him, after all, it was his first time refining a non-basic pill.

"Does that pill have a name? If I've refined it before, it might offer some insights."

Lin Yuanran fabricated a story: "I found it in a mountain cave before, and it was because of it that I chose to learn alchemy..."

"Is that so..." Qingfeng Daoist was quite surprised, but also felt that it made sense. No wonder he chose my declining Zhulai Peak. So that's what he was thinking.

He was an old monster who had lived for hundreds of years, and he wouldn't care about the opportunities of a newly accepted disciple, let alone covet them. Qingfeng Daoist had his own pride.

In the path of alchemy, he has a place throughout Asia and even the world.

"And what about its effects?"

"It can permanently improve one's cultivation level."

"A kind of pill that makes magical power surge by pulling up seedlings to help them grow faster..." Qingfeng Daoist pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and patted the gourd at his waist.

Suddenly, a viscous white substance appeared in my palm.

Qingfeng Daoist explained, "This is Bodhisattva Mud, which has the effect of neutralizing magical power. It is the most suitable material for refining the pill you mentioned."

Lin Yuanran was somewhat excited, and there was an unexpected surprise.

Qingfeng Daoist even brought out the Bodhisattva clay, the meaning of which is self-evident.

Sure enough, Qingfeng Daoist said again, "You have been my personal disciple for several months now. I am usually quite busy and do not have time to personally teach you. Consider this Bodhisattva clay as a small compensation gift."

Lin Yuanran accepted it respectfully.

"Thank you, master!"

"We are master and disciple, so there is no need for thanks. Alchemy is not something that can be accomplished overnight. If you have any doubts along the way, please let me know."

"The disciple understands."

A simple meeting brought Lin Yuanran a great deal. The Bodhisattva Mud was far more useful than the Heavenly Emperor Mud and the Seven-Colored Auspicious Clouds. Perfect, now he didn't have to worry about it anymore and could save money on both.

Lin Yuanran had a good night's sleep.

Upon waking, Lin Yuanran arrived at the Dan Hall located halfway up the mountain, filled with excitement.

Looking around, Lin Yuanran didn't see a single familiar face. Even He Suoqiu, who always liked to cause trouble, had gone into seclusion a few days ago. To be honest, without his sarcastic remarks, Lin Yuanran actually found it quite boring.

After a few hours, the door to an alchemy room opened, and out came another familiar face, Han Yi.

This guy attacked ordinary people at the Nanlou Hotel, which was quite heinous. However, judging from our interactions over this period, he was just doing it for money. If he had a better source of income, he probably wouldn't have acted that way. In the end, it was all for the sake of cultivation.

"Did the Power Pill fail again?" Lin Yuanran asked.

As a disciple who entered the sect at the same time as Lin Yuanran, Han Yi was naturally closer to him. He didn't know that the personal disciple in front of him, Ario, was actually Lin Yuanran at that time.

"Don't even mention it, it makes me sick just thinking about it!" Han Yi said with a mournful face. "How can you be so talented!"

Lin Yuanran smiled and said, "Don't be discouraged. Failure is the mother of success. You will eventually succeed."

“That’s right!” Han Yi suddenly clenched his fist, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

"I've failed 12 times already, I'm not afraid to try again! Ario, excuse me, I'm going to pick out the materials for my 13th battle!"

After Han Yi finished speaking, he slipped into the warehouse, adjusting at an astonishing speed.

Even Lin Yuanran found it outrageous. This guy must be an unkillable cockroach. Well, with such perseverance in the face of failure, his future achievements are bound to be remarkable.

We waited until noon, and finally the main event began.

The food was still delivered by Feng Ling, but she had an extra task: to deliver the various materials promised by her master to Lin Yuanran.

Looking at the huge pile of rare and precious herbs, Lin Yuanran was overjoyed. If it weren't for the presence of his fellow disciples and the crowd, he would have loved to kiss Feng Ling right then and there.

Of course, that's just a thought; he probably doesn't have the guts.

After the meal, Fengling wasn't in a hurry to go back, and Lin Yuanran didn't want her to go back so soon either. So, under the pretext of refining pills, the two of them went into the small pill refining room together.

The alchemy room was originally a single room, and the interior space was not large; it was a bit cramped for two people to fit in.

Lin Yuanran didn't feel forced at all; there's a saying that everyone knows Sima Zhao's intentions. However, Feng Ling might be Cao Mao, the Duke of Gaogui, from another timeline, who would be happy to be usurped from power.

After categorizing and arranging the materials, Lin Yuanran began the practical operation based on his plan developed over the past three months.

He first divided each material into two portions, and then took out a furnace with a rather unique internal structure.

The alchemy furnace is similar to a hot pot with two separate compartments. Its original purpose was to facilitate the refining of two kinds of pills with different effects but the same refining time, thus speeding up the refining process and preventing the flavors from mixing.

Although the pills Lin Yuanran wanted to refine were exactly the same, if the materials were put together, they would definitely merge into a large lump. Cutting them in half at that time seemed a bit abstract, so he simply used the Mandarin Duck Pill Furnace to refine them.

Lin Yuanran meticulously placed both materials into the furnace, then gently snapped his fingers, and a cluster of vigorous flames rose from beneath the furnace.

Fengling watched the whole process, and when she saw Lin Yuanran complete the last step, she took out a square handkerchief and wiped his forehead.

Lin Yuanran is a fire mage, extremely heat-resistant, so how could he sweat easily?

The wind chime wasn't wiping away sweat; she was just using the action to prove something.

See, no matter what you do, there's always someone supporting you.