Chapter 33: Purple Cloud Copper Furnace

"Xiangxiang, can an iron pot be used to refine pills too?"

In a waterside pavilion within Tianxiang Pavilion, Gu Caiyi lay propped on the table, watching Yu Xiang, who was applying makeup in front of her.

Under the delicate touch of the maidservant's slender hands, Yu Xiang's already beautiful face became even more radiant and dazzling.

Sometimes, Gu Caiyi couldn't understand why Yu Xiang, despite having become an inner disciple of the Hehuan Sect, still chose to come to such a filthy place.

Yu Xiang kept her eyes closed, allowing the maidservant to apply watercolors to her skin.

"A pot? If it's an iron pot that has licked a spiritual mine, then naturally, it can refine pills."

"Huh?"

Confused, Gu Caiyi asked, "Don't all alchemists use cauldrons to refine pills?"

"Hehe, that is your misconception."

Yu Xiang chuckled. "The Way of Alchemy is profound and vast. There are many methods, such as water refinement, fire refinement, blood refinement, living refinement, and so on."

"And when it comes to alchemy tools, the varieties are even more numerous."

"Because a cauldron can withstand sufficiently intense flames and hold more medicinal ingredients, and can also nourish the pills and lock in more pill energy after they have formed, the cauldron has become the mainstream tool for alchemy."

"But in reality, pots, stoves, guis, and kettles are also relatively common alchemy tools. I've even heard that some demonic cultivators use humans as cauldrons, employing the 'living refinement' method to forge Great Human Dao Pills."

Gu Caiyi listened, dumbfounded.

She had never imagined that the Way of Alchemy involved so many intricacies.

Moreover, judging by the implication in Yu Xiang's words, there were likely even more complexities to be discussed.

"Then can even the lowest quality iron pot from Wanbao Pavilion be used for alchemy?" Gu Caiyi still found it hard to believe.

Yu Xiang wasn't entirely sure. "How low is the quality of such a pot?"

"Miss, that kind of pot only contains trace amounts of Profound Iron; it can barely lock in the spiritual energy that dissipates during the steaming of spiritual rice. The selling price is one low-grade spiritual stone."

The maidservant beside them answered the question.

"Ah!"

Yu Xiang's mouth parted slightly as she opened her eyes in surprise.

"Such a tool... it probably can't produce good pills, can it?"

"Indeed. That's why I'm so shocked; I even wonder if my decades of cultivation have been in vain."

Through the smooth and clear glass mirror, Yu Xiang looked at Gu Caiyi, who was still leaning on the table, with curiosity.

"This person you mentioned who uses a low-quality spiritual iron pot to refine pills... he couldn't be that alchemist neighbor you mentioned last time, could he?"

Gu Caiyi nodded.

Yu Xiang said with a hint of amazement, "A mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator already has limited spiritual power, and yet he uses a low-quality spiritual iron pot containing only a small amount of Profound Iron to refine pills. Your neighbor is either a natural genius in the Way of Alchemy, or his foundation is incredibly solid, possessing a profound understanding of medicinal properties and precise control over the heat at every stage."

"Whichever it is, either one would be considered a 'seed alchemist' pursued by small families and minor factions."

Gu Caiyi was uncertain. "Is he really that capable?"

"Yes, very capable." Yu Xiang nodded heavily, but then her expression soured.

The maidservant, feeling helpless, could only begin redoing her makeup.

"I served as a fire-watching disciple in the Hehuan Sect's pill chamber for three years, a medicinal preparation disciple for five years, and then personally practiced alchemy for twenty years before building a decent foundation. And even then, it was only because I possessed a certain level of talent that the sect was willing to train me on the path of an alchemist."

It was somewhat difficult to imagine the appearance of such a graceful and quiet woman during her years of fire-watching and medicinal preparation.

Gu Caiyi simply felt that her neighbor seemed truly formidable.

Though he was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement and possessed only a single storage bag—suggesting a poor lifestyle with no powerful faction backing him—he had managed to hone alchemy skills in such a harsh environment that even ordinary cultivators wouldn't dare dream of them.

"However, Caiyi, I think there is one thing you should warn your neighbor about."

"What is it?"

"If he has the means, he should still switch to a better alchemy tool! Low-quality spiritual iron pots greatly affect the grade of the pills after they form. Furthermore, they are very prone to exploding; one mistake could lead to serious injury or even death."

Why had the cauldron become the mainstream tool for alchemy?

Aside from the various advantages Yu Xiang had mentioned, the greatest advantage was safety!

Even if a batch of pills was ruined due to excessive earth fire, a cauldron was unlikely to explode.

"He's so poor, he probably can't afford any good alchemy tools."

Gu Caiyi pursed her lips, then suddenly thought of something.

"Xiangxiang, don't you have an extra alchemy stove?"

***

The days spent refining the "Pill of All Wonders" were always tedious and monotonous.

Or rather, any repetitive task feels that way if done for a long time.

But Luo Chen did not!

The rising proficiency and the predictable income of spiritual stones constantly stimulated his perseverance in alchemy.

Moreover, recently, he had added other "recreational" activities.

Watching a bucket of nearly fifty pounds of water fly out of the well at a constant speed, Luo Chen couldn't help but grin with satisfaction.

His *Traction Technique* had reached minor success, and its level had reached "Proficient."

The reason he had progressed so quickly was that he had drawn inspiration from the scene of Gu Caiyi drawing water.

In truth, there was no need to strictly follow the standard cultivation methods for the *Traction Technique*.

This spell could be applied to every aspect of daily life.

From small tasks like dressing and sweeping to larger tasks like moving heavy objects, by releasing spiritual power whenever the opportunity arose, he naturally became more familiar with the *Traction Technique*.

With the *Traction Technique* at the "Proficient" level, he could now easily manipulate that set of Jade Blade artifacts.

In addition to the *Traction Technique*, Luo Chen had recently learned two other spells: the *Wind Riding Art* and the *Spiritual Eye Technique*.

The former was learned very quickly, likely due to his near-perfect *Carefree Wanderer* technique; he had mastered it in about the time it took to burn an incense stick.

The latter was more difficult.

Because it involved the fragile eyes and required powerful spiritual power, one wrong move could easily lead to blindness.

Therefore, Luo Chen waited until his *Traction Technique* had upgraded before attempting to control spiritual power to attach it to his eyes.

It must be said that before the spiritual power entered his eyes, Luo Chen had high expectations.

"In a modern urban novel, this would count as an ability; having X-ray vision wouldn't be an exaggeration!"

However, when Luo Chen opened his eyes to look at the world, he was disappointed.

There was no X-ray vision.

There was only a piercing sensation, like looking at the sun; after looking for a long time, his eyes felt very sore and tired.

The drawbacks were significant!

But there was certainly a reason why this technique was listed as one of the five essential basic spells for Qi Refinement cultivators.

The *Spiritual Eye Technique* allowed one to observe Qi, perceive spirits, and see through the ghostly and evil.

For low-level cultivators, what threatened their survival was not their low realm or lack of a powerful background, but ignorance.

Provoking an enemy who seemed ordinary but was actually of a high realm, failing to distinguish the habitats of demonic beasts, or encountering ghosts while walking at night—all could easily cost them their lives.

The *Spiritual Eye Technique* could effectively help avoid these problems.

While it had limitations, it could at least let a cultivator know which people they could not afford to offend and which places they should not go.

As for filthy places, one could see through them at a glance and keep their distance.

"However, this technique shouldn't be used recklessly. If I accidentally look at someone I shouldn't, it could cause trouble if I offend them."

It was fine for a high-realm cultivator to look at a low-realm one, but if a low-realm cultivator looked at a high-realm one, they would very likely be detected.

Peering was inherently prone to causing misunderstandings.

Of course, the "high" and "low" realms mentioned here referred to major realms.

Such as Qi Refinement vs. Foundation Establishment, or Foundation Establishment vs. Golden Core.

Within the same major realm, unless someone practiced a special cultivation method, they generally could not detect someone peering at them.

*Splash!*

A bucket of water poured into the large vat under the guidance of spiritual power. Luo Chen activated his *Spiritual Eye Technique* and looked inside carefully.

The Buddha said a single drop of water contains forty-eight thousand insects.

Modern biology also says there are massive amounts of microorganisms in water.

*Why can't I, a dignified cultivator, see anything?*

"This newly mastered *Spiritual Eye Technique* is worse than a microscope."

After muttering a few words, Luo Chen looked at the thirty jade bottles prepared in front of him.

This was the result of his half-month's work. Not only had he produced three batches of finished goods, but he had also raised the proficiency of the "Pill of All Wonders" to the "Proficient" level.

He had twenty-five portions of raw materials left. If he wanted to refine them all, it would take at least nearly a month.

What Luo Chen was currently considering was the timing for selling the "Pill of All Wonders."

The event Gu Caiyi mentioned—the extreme busyness of Tianxiang Pavilion at the beginning of every month—made him realize a problem with his own sales strategy.

"Selling them only at the large markets certainly saves more time for refining, but in reality, I'll earn less money."

Pills of high enough quality rarely lack a market.

But to create a continuous stream of profit, one must ensure the pills are constantly present in the market, so consumers can notice and purchase them at any time.

Why was the *Qi Nourishing Pill* so popular among low-level cultivators?

One must realize that the pills capable of increasing the spiritual power of Qi Refinement cultivators were not limited to the *Qi Nourishing Pill*.

The reason was that the Spirit Medicine Pavilion always had *Qi Nourishing Pills* for sale.

They used massive stock volume to forcibly squeeze out the living space of other similar pills.

Currently, there weren't many competitors for the "Pill of All Wonders," but he should still consider this issue.

He should try to increase production as much as possible, but it was also necessary to ensure that the "Pill of All Wonders" was always visible in the market.

"Decided. I'll set up a stall three times a month from now on!"

Two small markets and one large market.

Luo Chen was alone and had his hands full; for now, this was the best he could manage.

However, this plan was shaken the very next morning.

"A first-grade, low-tier magic tool... a Purple Cloud Copper Stove?"