### Chapter 23: Alchemist Su’s Techniques

"With such weak strength, how dare they become bandit cultivators?"

Qin Ming returned to his shantytown home. He opened the storage bags he had looted and began examining their contents.

The two Spirit Feather Sect cultivators' storage bags contained over five hundred spirit stones, two low-grade artifacts, one mid-grade artifact, several low-grade talismans, and two mid-grade talismans—one a Golden Blade Talisman and the other a Flame Cloud Talisman. Neither had the chance to use them before meeting their end.

The only mid-grade artifact was the black round shield that Qin Ming had sent flying with a single shovel strike. The shield had a crack in it, but it could probably still be repaired and used.

In addition to these items, there were five bottles of pills. Two contained Qi Nourishing Pills, while the other three were antidotes and similar medicines. The cultivation manuals and spell books the two had been practicing were also inside, though Qin Ming had no use for them.

The storage bags of the other three cultivators contained a combined total of over six hundred spirit stones, along with three low-grade artifacts and some low-grade talismans.

In total, Qin Ming had gained over a thousand spirit stones from this haul.

"As they say, crime pays well," Qin Ming mused.

He stored all the valuable items in his own storage bag and burned the rest with a fireball spell.

After finishing, Qin Ming began to ponder how the five of them had teamed up.

From what the burly man had said, Fellow Daoist Ruan must have sought them out later, coveting Qin Ming's Beast Tooth Rice and plotting against him.

What was more concerning was that Spirit Feather Sect cultivators were closely associated with bandit cultivators.

This was a chilling thought, suggesting deeper corruption within the sect. However, as long as they didn't bother him, Qin Ming didn't care.

For now, he just wanted to focus on farming. I

f Qin Ming hadn't broken through to the fifth level of body cultivation, it might have been someone else going through his storage bag today.

The outcome would have been completely different.

Two days later, the atmosphere in the shantytown grew tense again.

The deaths of two Spirit Feather Sect patrol members had caused quite a stir.

This was a direct challenge to the sect's authority!

The Spirit Feather Sect began tightening security and conducting searches near the market.

"These bandit cultivators are too bold! First, they killed Fellow Daoist Long and dumped his body in the river as a warning. Now they've directly attacked Spirit Feather Sect members. They're absolutely fearless!"

"It's terrifying!"

Qin Ming listened to the nearby residents' chatter, his lips twitching slightly. He shouldered his spirit hoe and went out to work.

After tending to his five acres of spirit fields, he also plowed Alchemist Su's three acres.

Then, he collected the swarm of Four-Winged Frost Bees from the tree and stored them in his spirit beast bag.

These bees would be useful for growing spirit herbs in the future.

The Bee Control Technique was simple to use, and Qin Ming mastered it after just one attempt.

Just as he finished his work, he received a message from Alchemist Su, informing him that he was about to start refining pills and asking Qin Ming to come over.

Hearing this, Qin Ming's spirits lifted.

"Finally, he's starting the pill refinement!"

Qin Ming hurried to Alchemist Su's courtyard. Inside, Alchemist Su was already making preparations.

"This time, I'll be refining a top-grade first-rank pill—the Marrow Cleansing Pill."

Even though Qin Ming had guessed what kind of pill Alchemist Su might refine, he was still deeply impressed.

'Could it be that Alchemist Su is about to break through to becoming a top-grade alchemist today? If so, I'll be the sole witness.'

...

"Come with me. I'll show you something good," Alchemist Su said with a mysterious smile, gesturing for Qin Ming to follow.

The smile sent a shiver down Qin Ming's spine.

He followed Alchemist Su to the innermost room of the house. When Alchemist Su opened the door, a wave of heat rushed out.

Qin Ming looked inside and was stunned.

The room, about twenty feet wide, contained a purple pill furnace.

Around it were various workstations, equipment for refining medicinal essences, and tools for preparing ingredients.

What shocked Qin Ming the most was that the purple pill furnace was connected to an underground fire source.

Though small, the room was fully equipped—a complete alchemy workshop.

Alchemist Su, seeing Qin Ming's astonished expression, grinned proudly.

"What do you think? Who would've guessed that there's an underground fire vein beneath this shantytown? I discovered it by chance. This fire vein is likely a hidden branch of the Green Sun Market's main fire vein. I built this alchemy room directly above it to channel the underground fire for pill refining. And coincidentally, this is the only spot in the entire shantytown where the fire can be fully drawn out."

Qin Ming was speechless for a long time.

Underground fire veins were typically resources controlled by sects.

Alchemist Su had essentially freeloaded off this one.

No wonder a mid-grade alchemist like him had stayed in the shantytown for so many years.

"However, this method of using underground fire is only suitable for refining low-grade pills. For second-rank pills and above, you'd need a cultivator's true fire or high-grade spirit fire," Alchemist Su explained.

Qin Ming was amazed.

To Alchemist Su, even first-rank pills were considered low-grade? Qin Ming couldn't even refine the most basic pills for an apprentice alchemist.

Compared to Alchemist Su's setup, his own tools were nothing but junk. The gap between them was astronomical.

'Hmm… I need to find a way to borrow Alchemist Su's alchemy room,' Qin Ming thought to himself.

...

"Alright, I'm about to start. Watch from the side, but don't disturb me. Alchemy is an extremely complex art. The entire process requires absolute focus and must be completed in one go. Even the slightest mistake can ruin the batch and result in a failed pill," Alchemist Su said solemnly.

Qin Ming nodded and quietly stepped aside.

Alchemist Su opened the fire valve.

*Whoosh!*

Intense flames burst from the ground, and the temperature in the room soared.

Then, Alchemist Su took out various spirit herbs and began refining the medicinal essences with practiced ease.

Qin Ming held his breath and watched closely, observing every detail of Alchemist Su's movements.

Gradually, he realized that Alchemist Su's technique for refining medicinal essences was incredibly advanced.

His movements were smooth and precise, and he completed the entire process in no time.

The quality and accuracy of the essences Alchemist Su refined far surpassed Qin Ming's own efforts. Moreover, Alchemist Su made it look effortless.

After clearing out the useless residue from the equipment, Alchemist Su moved on to the next step—preparing the ingredients.

This wasn't simply mixing herbs together; it required precise measurements without the slightest error. These two steps were the most time-consuming.

Yet, Alchemist Su completed them in less than fifteen minutes, a task that would have taken Qin Ming half a day.

The next step was the main event.

Alchemist Su quickly formed a hand seal and gently adjusted the flames.

The previously wild and chaotic underground fire immediately calmed down, becoming docile. The red flames evenly heated the pill furnace.

Qin Ming watched in awe, itching to learn Alchemist Su's stunning flame control technique.

(End of Chapter)

---