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Chapter 62: Opening the Furnace to Refine Pills

Over the years, Lan Chang\'an\'s talents, character, and conduct had gained Master Guan\'s approval, especially since he also had Foundation Establishment friends from the sect. Master Guan knew that Guan Qiaozhi wasn\'t worthy of Lan Chang\'an, but if she could become a concubine, it would at least set his mind at ease.

Compared to the money-grubbing and lustful Du Wei, Lan Chang\'an, whom he knew well, was far more reliable and wouldn\'t mistreat his disciple. Although the status of a concubine wasn\'t high, at least she wouldn\'t have to compete for favor by Lan Chang\'an\'s side.

"Junior Sister Qiaozhi is talented and capable. It would be an injustice for her to be a maid or concubine," Lan Chang\'an replied without directly rejecting the idea.

Master Guan was his immortal guide, and Lan Chang\'an felt obliged to help in some way. Guan Qiaozhi was considerate, a good cook, and could manage household chores and pets, which would improve Lan Chang\'an\'s quality of life. Additionally, her talent in making talisman papers could be useful to him.

"Master Guan should consider carefully," Lan Chang\'an suggested seriously. "There\'s another option: I can recommend Qiaozhi to the Mu Family at Feiyue Lake. With her spiritual root and skills, it wouldn\'t be hard for her to live comfortably."

"Thank you for your advice, Talisman Master Lan. I still need to consult Qiaozhi about this matter," Master Guan nodded, feeling quite relieved. Entrusting his disciple to either Lan Chang\'an or the Mu Family seemed like a reliable choice.

A few days later, Lan Chang\'an was invited to Du Wei\'s residence again. Du Wei hosted a banquet, spending dozens of spirit stones on ingredients, showing great enthusiasm.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, you are friends with \'Black Iron Face\' from Jin Yun Valley?" Du Wei asked in surprise.

"Black Iron Face" was the nickname of Zhang Tieshan, who was known for his ruthless and uncompromising enforcement of the sect\'s rules. Zhang Tieshan was also strong in actual combat, having captured and killed many notorious evil cultivators, and had notable achievements even in Huanglong Immortal City.

"Haha! I have an average relationship with Zhang Tieshan. My true Foundation Establishment friend in the sect is another person," Lan Chang\'an denied.

It was fine to be privately acquainted with Zhang Tieshan, but openly claiming a close relationship might attract unnecessary trouble, as Zhang Tieshan had many enemies. Moreover, Zhang Tieshan, with his low-grade spiritual roots, had lesser talent compared to Zhao Siyue but compensated with a strong will and exceptional combat skills. Lan Chang\'an suspected that Zhang Tieshan might possess some fortuitous encounter.

"By the way, when does Fellow Daoist Su plan to seek Alchemist Hua\'s help for pill refining?" Lan Chang\'an changed the topic.

Three years ago, their meeting with Alchemist Hua was canceled. About a year later, Du Wei found another opportunity and brought Lan Chang\'an and Su Xuetong to meet Alchemist Hua. The second meeting was successful. Lan Chang\'an gifted a two-hundred-year-old herb and several premium first-rank talismans, leaving a favorable impression on Alchemist Hua.

Su Xuetong\'s gift was even more valuable, though its contents were unknown, judging by Alchemist Hua\'s pleasant smile. Clearly, Su Xuetong had impressed him, and if the materials were gathered, pill refinement should be possible.

"Opening the furnace to refine pills should be within the next two years," Du Wei speculated.

"When the time comes, I hope Brother Du will take me along to broaden my horizons. Perhaps I might participate in the next furnace opening," Lan Chang\'an toasted to Du Wei.

Su Xuetong and others pooling materials for pill refining needed to be present at the scene; otherwise, if the pills turned out poorly, who would know if the Alchemist Hua had swallowed the materials?

Lan Chang\'an wanted to go there to observe, mainly to assess how skilled the Alchemist Hua was and whether his character was reliable.

"Of course! I\'ll take you with me," Du Wei readily agreed, finishing his drink.

Before leaving, he asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Lan, have you organized the remaining part of the alchemy inheritance?"

"Oh, I’ve organized half of the remaining part. If Brother Du is in a hurry, I can give it to you now," Lan Chang\'an said, handing over a jade tube.

Previously, he had given Du Wei half of the inheritance, primarily covering first-rank alchemy. The remaining half contained second-rank alchemy. Now, he divided this half into two parts, giving Du Wei a quarter of the total inheritance. The final quarter, which was the essence, remained with Lan Chang\'an. If necessary, he could even divide that further.

"Brother Lan is very considerate," Du Wei said, slightly twitching his facial muscles but smiling as he saw Lan Chang\'an out.

Two years passed in the blink of an eye. Lan Chang\'an turned fifty-five. His alchemy skills had finally stabilized at superior-grade first-rank. Although he was still far from Du Wei and the Alchemist Ge of back then, he could at least break even by refining a few superior-grade first-rank pills.

Lan Chang\'an\'s alchemy talent was mediocre, and his progress was due to abundant free time and long years of practice. His strong spiritual sense also helped.

Besides alchemy, Lan Chang\'an had reached the limit of the third layer of the Cloud Sand Body Refinement Manual, vaguely touching the fourth layer but encountering a bottleneck.

The fourth layer corresponded to the early Foundation Establishment Realm. In recent years, Lan Chang\'an had begun purchasing small amounts of second-rank spirit sand stones.

"Talisman Master Lan, come to my residence immediately!" A voice transmission note from Du Wei interrupted Lan Chang\'an\'s playtime with his Profound Water Turtle. Suspecting something significant, he put away his spirit pet and left Water Moon Residence.

At Du Wei\'s Residence, Lan Chang\'an met Su Xuetong, who had arrived almost simultaneously.

This time, Su Xuetong was not alone; a tall, thin man with a sallow face and at the ninth layer of Qi-Refining accompanied her. Lan Chang\'an sensed that this man, whether his cultivation or spiritual sense, had reached the limit of the ninth layer of Qi-Refining, surpassing many of his peers.

"This is my Daoist partner, Nie Xiang." Su Xuetong briefly introduced.

The tall, thin man, Nie Xiang, was taciturn and merely nodded at Lan Chang\'an. His eyes were calm as a dead lake, yet Lan Chang\'an faintly felt a murderous aura. Living near the Black Fog Mountain Range, adjacent to Huanglong Immortal City, was chaotic.

Reaching the peak of the ninth layer of Qi-Refining was rare without experiencing slaughter, so possessing a murderous aura was normal.

"Fellow Daoists, follow me to my master’s residence." Du Wei instructed without unnecessary words, leading the three out.

Soon, they flew to Huanglong District at the foot of Huanglong Mountain. Cautious in flight, they sensed the occasional presence of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

For the third time, Lan Chang\'an entered Alchemist Hua\'s residence. This time, Du Wei led them directly to the alchemy hall at the rear without announcing their presence.

In the courtyard of the alchemy hall, besides Lan Chang\'an\'s group, there were two other groups of five to six people each. Both groups were led by individuals at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi-Refining. One was a plump woman in her forties, the other a dashing young man in long robes. They were addressed as Madam Liu and Young Master Zhou, respectively. Madam Liu had been introduced by another disciple of Alchemist Hua, while Young Master Zhou had contacted Alchemist Hua through other channels.

At that moment, a lean old man with a youthful face and white hair emerged from the hall, exuding the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Alchemist Hua." everyone greeted respectfully.

"Bring out your materials; I will verify them," Alchemist Hua scanned the group with his spiritual sense, nodding to the leaders of the three groups.

Young Master Zhou, Madam Liu, and Su Xuetong each took out their storage pouches. Nie Xiang, who was with Su Xuetong, kept a low profile. He left all the social niceties to his cultivation partner.

"Young Master Zhou, acquiring this three-hundred-year-old Xuanling Fruit was no easy task." Alchemist Hua praised while inspecting the materials.

The value of spiritual herbs wasn\'t solely based on their age. Even a thousand-year-old mundane tree couldn\'t compare to a ten-year-old spiritual herb.

The Xuanling Fruit, a second-rank spiritual fruit with stringent growth conditions, was a critical ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill and needed to be at least three hundred years old.

"Xuanling Fruit, a strategic resource monopolized by major powers," Lan Chang\'an recalled. His collected materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill lacked such rare main ingredients.

"Hmm, Phantom Heart Grass, Moon Sun Branch, February Tears..." Alchemist Hua meticulously checked the materials provided by Madam Liu and Su Xuetong. After double-checking, he confirmed that the materials for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill were complete.

"Fellow Daoists, before refining, I must clarify. Due to the scarcity of materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill, second-rank pill masters who aren’t part of major sects don’t have much experience making them." Alchemist Hua stated, prompting nods from the group.

A second-rank alchemist could refine Foundation Establishment Pills, but they didn’t have as many opportunities to practice as they did with ordinary pills.

“The number of times this old me has refined Foundation Establishment Pills is not that many. Normally, I can make two pills. If I do well, I can make three. If I\'m unlucky, I might only make one.” Alchemist Hua cautioned.

Alchemist Hua was being upfront about the potential results. He was willing to help because he would be paid for his work and because he would gain valuable experience in the process.

(End of the chapter)