Chapter - 1

Chapter 1

Boom! Boom!

Thunder rumbled, shaking the heavens and the earth, silencing the entire city of Dahefang.

The once lively scene, where cultivators filled the sky with light, had now become much quieter. After all, no one wanted to risk being struck by lightning mid-flight. Would that even count as an early tribulation?

Dahefang City occupied a vast area, its inner city protected by a three-tiered formation, strong enough to fend off monster attacks below the third tier. Even if a third-tier beast launched a sudden assault, the barrier could hold for a while—long enough for the city's inhabitants to react.

Of course, maintaining such a large formation required an immense amount of resources, so it only covered the inner city.

Outside, where scattered cultivators had formed their own community, safety was far less guaranteed. Tens of thousands of wooden and stone houses stood in all four directions—southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest—forming a loose, unprotected settlement.

Near a stream in the southwest corner, a small wooden house stood quietly. It had just one bedroom, a living area, and a kitchen. The nearest residence was almost two miles away, leaving the house in an isolated, tranquil setting.

Outside, everything was peaceful. But inside the kitchen, chaos was unfolding.

"One pound of sliced yam, two taels of white poria, three taels of aged ginseng…"

"One pound of first-tier yellow beast beef, cut into pieces—no bone residue."

"Add scallions, ginger, japonica rice, cumin…"

The muttered ingredients came from a young man, shirtless, his eyes locked on the bubbling pot before him. Every now and then, he reached for ingredients from a nearby wooden shelf, tossing them into the pot with practiced ease.

The spoon in his hand moved with such skill that the contents of the wok practically danced.

As the large pot of milky-white beef bone broth simmered, Gu Shengtian let out a quiet breath of relief.

Tending to the firewood in the stove, he adjusted the flames by pulling out a few sticks, then sat back to wait.

An hour later, he lifted the lid, allowing the thick, fragrant steam to rise. Taking a deep breath, his eyes sparkled.

"Look at this color—moist, white, and bright! Top quality!"

"Smell this aroma—rich but not overpowering! Top quality!"

Gu Shengtian dipped a finger into the broth, touched it to his lips, and smacked his tongue.

"Yuanzu Spirit Elixir—infused with angelica and ginseng. The spiritual energy from five catties of first-tier yellow beast beef has been evenly distributed into this Bigu Powder."

"Yes! The taste is excellent! Top quality!"

Licking his fingers, he smiled in satisfaction.

Based on his experience, this pot of Bigu Powder would be enough to make at least five bottles of Bigu Pills.

It might sound absurd, but Gu Shengtian was actually refining pills—albeit a simplified, low-grade version. At best, his concoction could be called Bigu Powder, rather than an actual Bigu Pill.

Without letting the temperature drop, he lifted the pot and poured its contents onto a wooden board.

Grabbing a yellowed bamboo slip, he carefully spread the thick paste across it. A few drops of Hundred Flower Honey were added before he began rolling the bamboo slip with practiced hands.

Under his skilled movements, the hot Bigu Powder gradually took on a cylindrical shape, its color shifting slightly yellow from the honey.

His fingers moved swiftly, pinching the cylinders into small, thumb-sized round pills.

One. Two. Three…

By the time he stopped, fifty Bigu Pills were neatly arranged on the chopping board.

Yet, before he could celebrate, his attention shifted to an invisible panel before him—a screen no one else could see.

---

[Name: Gu Shengtian]

[Lifespan: 27/75 years]

[Spiritual Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]

[Realm: Qi Refining, Level 3 (75/100)]

[Cultivation Method: Changchun Technique - Master Level (235/300)]

[Spells: Cleaning (49/100 - Beginner), Binding (176/200 - Proficient), Fireball (268/300 - Proficient)]

[Skills: First-tier Alchemist - Grandmaster in Bigu Powder (501/1000)]

[Achievement Points: 10 (Can be used to improve skills, spells, or realm)]

---

"I finally earned ten Achievement Points—enough to unlock the Introduction to Wonderful Pills!"

Staring at the proficiency panel, Gu Shengtian felt a wave of emotions.

It had already been a year.

In his past life, he was nothing more than an overworked office worker, waking up early and returning home late. The only time he had for himself was when he played Xianxia cultivation mini-games on his phone.

Since he had no money to spend on in-game purchases, his only strategy was grinding endlessly.

Then, one sleepless night, he stayed up playing, farming dungeons—and suddenly, he woke up in another world.

The original owner of this body had also been named Gu Shengtian, and they were even the same age.

Ten years ago, at the age of seventeen, the previous Gu Shengtian had ventured deep into the mountains, where he stumbled upon the remnants of an immortal cultivator's cave. That fateful encounter set him on the path of cultivation.

Following the directions left behind in the remains, he arrived at Dahefang City, hoping to join a sect.

However, he was already past sixteen—the maximum age limit for disciples.

To make matters worse, he possessed a Five-Element Spiritual Root, a balanced but utterly mediocre constitution that made cultivation nearly impossible. No sect would accept him.

By all rights, he should have just returned home.

Yet, his desire to pursue the Dao was unwavering. Armed with a single bottle of pills, a scroll of Changchun Technique, and a few spiritual stones from his adventure, he settled in Dahefang City.

At first, he struggled. Too poor to afford housing near the inner city, he could only rent a remote shack by the creek.

"Surviving in this city is no easy task."

Even in the outermost district, rent cost half a spiritual stone per month.

And although he built his house himself, he still had to pay the monthly fee.

With his savings dwindling, the original Gu Shengtian refused to sit idly.

He worked odd jobs, helped merchants at market stalls, and even joined hunting parties in the mountains—doing whatever he could to survive.

Eventually, he realized that none of this would be enough, so he turned to alchemy, studying the two pill formulas he had obtained from the immortal's remains.

One was the Bigu Powder formula. The other was Zhongmiao Pills, a more complex concoction.

Blessed by luck or fate, he managed to refine Bigu Powder after a few failed attempts.

Although its quality was average, it was still valuable to rogue cultivators who spent weeks hunting in the mountains. There was always someone willing to buy it.

This allowed him to barely scrape by in Dahefang City.

But then, fate took a cruel turn.

Determined to increase his earnings, the original Gu Shengtian decided to attempt a higher-tier pill using an incomplete second-tier alchemy formula.

His first attempt resulted in an explosion.

The blast destroyed his home, and his life ended in an instant.

That was when the current Gu Shengtian arrived in this world—waking up in the wreckage, bloodied and confused.

It was also raining heavily that night.

But now, one year had passed.

He had finally mastered Bigu Powder, ensuring a stable livelihood.

And more importantly—he had ten Achievement Points!

This meant one thing:

"It's time to unlock the Wonderful Pills!"