Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

The flickering candlelight cast Gu An's long, thin, and distorted shadow.

He held the Breakthrough Pill, which he had acquired at great expense, between his fingers. Although the pill had a layer of spiritual light on its surface, the unmistakable sulfurous and fiery smell was still pungent when he brought it close.

"Good quality... 40% erysipelas."

Gu An's lips curled into a cold smile. In the eyes of Manager Li of the Treasure Pavilion, this was already a rare find. But in the eyes of true masters of alchemy, any pill containing more than 30% poison was considered a worthless pill.

If one is from a noble family, having consumed spiritual dew and nectar to cleanse their meridians since childhood, this amount of elixir poisoning is naturally nothing to worry about.

But who is Gu An?

Having come from a humble background and eaten "pig swill" for three years—those inferior Qi-restoring pills and fasting pills had already accumulated a thick layer of chronic illness in his body. Now, his meridians were like a riverbed blocked by silt.

If this barrier-breaking pill is forcibly swallowed, its violent medicinal power, unable to break through the barrier, will instead trigger the accumulated poison within the body...

"If one were to force a breakthrough by taking the medicine, the success rate would probably be less than 30%."

Gu An put the pill back into the bottle, the fervor in his eyes quickly cooling, replaced by his usual caution.

He can't gamble. In this outer gate, one wrong step means utter ruin.

"It needs to be washed."

Gu An recalled a technique from Old Zhang's pill formula. It described an unorthodox method called water-refining and cleansing, specifically used to process the auxiliary materials of Foundation Establishment Pills and remove impurities.

Although that was the technique of a second-level alchemist, the principles of medicine refining should be the same. Since both involve removing impurities, the same principle should apply to removing pill toxins. After all, pill toxins are mostly caused by excessive residues that lead to conflicting medicinal properties.

"Using the opposing forces of Yin and Yang to force out the excessive heat within the pills might actually be effective."

Gu An got up, packed his things, and, taking advantage of the darkness, quietly sneaked into Youying Valley.

A chilling wind howled through the valley, its cold penetrating to the bone.

Gu An went straight to the fissure in the ground where demonic cultivators had once been buried. The yin energy here was the strongest, and it was a natural source of cold fire.

He found a flat rock and took out the Azure Furnace that Manager Li had given him from his storage bag. The furnace was small, only about the size of a palm, and its entire body was icy cold, which was perfect for the environment here.

Gu An didn't dare to use that precious Breakthrough Pill for practice.

He pulled a porcelain bottle from his pocket and poured out a few dark pills. These were the "Yin-Avoiding Pills" that Zhao Feng had given out before. They were said to be able to resist yin energy and cold energy, but in reality, they were inferior products made by mixing waste medicinal residue with a little bit of blazing sun grass ash. The pills were so poisonous that they could kill rats.

"I'll use you as a test subject."

Gu An sat down cross-legged and put a Yin-avoiding pill into the furnace.

He didn't light the fire. Instead, he formed hand seals and circulated his half-baked Green Wood Everlasting Technique, guiding the wisps of black mist seeping from the crack in the ground to carefully envelop the alchemy furnace. His affinity with spiritual plants was fully activated.

In his perception, the alchemy furnace was no longer an inanimate object, but a miniature reaction vessel.

"Drawing in the yin energy into the furnace invigorates the medicinal properties."

Gu An flicked his finger, and a faint spiritual energy struck the furnace wall.

A soft hum filled the air. The Azure Condensation Furnace trembled slightly. The extremely yin and cold aura from the bottom of the valley snaked into the furnace hole.

The once lifeless Yin-avoiding pill, upon contact with this chilling energy, was like boiling oil doused with cold water; its originally balanced medicinal structure instantly collapsed.

After a muffled "plop!" sound.

Gu An lifted the furnace lid, and a plume of acrid black smoke billowed out. The pills inside had turned into a puddle of black liquid, completely ruined.

"You used too much force."

Gu An frowned, poured out the waste, but was not discouraged.

As long as the approach is correct, it's just a matter of time.

With that in mind, he took out a second one.

This time, Gu An slowed down. He no longer poured in Yin energy roughly, but instead, like peeling silk from a cocoon, he controlled the black mist, allowing it to seep into the surface of the pill bit by bit.

Fine beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, his senses locked onto even the slightest changes inside the pill like tentacles.

He vaguely sensed that inside the rough pill, the red, fiery impurities, under the pressure of the yin energy, began to frantically escape outwards.

"Now, seal it off!"

Gu An pressed his two fingers together and slammed them onto the furnace lid, cutting off the flow of yin energy while using the residual heat inside the furnace to stabilize the medicinal properties.

After an incense stick has burned.

Gu An slowly lifted the stove lid.

There was no black smoke, only a very faint, bitter herbal scent wafting out.

At the bottom of the furnace, a round pill lay quietly. Its originally dark and rough surface had become much smoother, presenting a deep iron gray color. Although it was smaller in size, most of the nauseating fiery odor had disappeared.

It must have worked! Gu An picked up the pill, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

Although it only improved the quality from inferior to medium, it still proved the feasibility of the "medicine washing method".

The light screen in front of me flickered slightly.

Through exploration and experimentation, you have grasped the basic techniques of alchemy.

Alchemy (Basic): Beginner (15/100)

Seeing the changes in the values ​​on the visualization panel, Gu An did not become complacent. He quickly adjusted his state and took out the priceless Breakthrough Pill.

This time, only success is allowed; failure is not an option.

He took a deep breath and first put the century-old Qingling Grass and the three-qian Jade Marrow Fungus into the furnace, using the Yin Fire to turn them into a pool of emerald green liquid, which he then spread at the bottom of the furnace as a buffer.

Then, the Breakthrough Pill was put into the furnace.

Gu An's expression was more solemn than ever before. His perception was like a vast net, enveloping every inch of the alchemy furnace.

As the Yin energy entered the furnace and came into contact with the emerald green medicinal liquid, a cloud of white mist instantly rose. The Breakthrough Pill floated in this white mist, and the barely perceptible black spots on its surface began to peel off and dissolve little by little.

Time slips away, bit by bit.

Gu An's spiritual energy was being depleted like flowing water, and his face grew paler and paler. Although this cleansing method did not use true fire, it was extremely taxing on his mind and spirit.

Just as he felt a sharp pain in his mind and was about to give up,

A clear, crisp sound suddenly came from inside the alchemy furnace.

Ding! Gu An's spirits lifted, and he abruptly swept the stove lid away with a flick of his sleeve.

The Breakthrough Pill hovered in mid-air, its originally dull color now radiating a warm, jade-like light, with faint cloud patterns appearing on its surface. The pungent sulfur smell had completely disappeared, replaced by a refreshing fragrance.

"Excellent!"

Gu An grabbed the pill, his palm burning hot.

With most impurities removed, the efficacy of this Breakthrough Pill has been increased by at least 20%, while the side effects have been minimized.

"Now!"

Gu An didn't hesitate for a moment, nor did he care about changing locations. Although Youying Valley was cold and gloomy, it was safer than the small courtyard because it was undisturbed and had the restrictions left by Zhao Feng.

He tilted his head back and swallowed the pill.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, transforming into a scalding torrent that rushed down the throat and into the dantian. This power was extremely domineering, like a river bursting its banks, frantically washing over the long-dried and stiffened meridians.

The excruciating pain began to spread throughout his body the moment he swallowed the pill.

Gu An gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound. He formed hand seals, forcefully circulating the Azure Wood Everlasting Spring Technique, guiding the violent medicinal power to break through that invisible barrier.

Once, twice, three times... the barrier was as solid as a rock, but under the continuous impact of the Breakthrough Pill, a crack finally appeared.

"Break for me!"

Gu An roared inwardly, mobilizing all his energy and spirit to launch a final all-out attack.

Crack. It felt like something inside my body had shattered.

The gaseous spiritual energy that had been filling the meridians suddenly contracted and collapsed at this moment, then transformed into the first drop of emerald green liquid spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy liquefaction, mid-stage Qi Refining!

With the birth of the first drop of spiritual liquid, it was like toppling dominoes, and the spiritual energy throughout the body began to transform wildly.

An unprecedentedly powerful feeling filled his entire body. Gu An felt that his hearing and vision were sharp, and he could clearly see the wind and grass within a ten-foot radius, even the crawling of an ant.

[Realm Breakthrough: Qi Refining Level 4 (1/800)]

Lifespan: 19/110

Gu An slowly opened his eyes, a blue light flickering within them for a full three inches before dissipating.

"This is the mid-stage of Qi Refining..."

He raised his hand, and spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips, no longer a floating mist, but solid as mercury.

However, before he could fully appreciate this power...

Gu An's expression suddenly changed.

As his cultivation level broke through, his affinity and perception range with spiritual plants also increased dramatically.

In that instant, he clearly sensed a faint yet chilling fluctuation emanating from the earth vein fissure sealed by Han Qingsong deep within the rock beneath him.

That wasn't the surging of earth's energy. It was a heartbeat, tinged with decay, greed, and an intense rhythm.

Gu An suddenly lowered his head, staring intently at the ground beneath his feet.

The sound, through the thick seal and rock layers, strangely resonated with his heartbeat after his breakthrough.

There are living things underground.

Moreover, it seemed... to have been awakened by the trace of pure medicinal fragrance that had leaked out when it was refining the pills.