Chapter - 5

Before dawn, Gu Shengtian was already up.

Outside, a thick fog blanketed the landscape, and from time to time, the distant roars of beasts echoed within the vast Million Mountains.

None of that concerned him, though.

Today—and for the days to come—he would be busy.

Preparing the Ingredients

The first task was to sort the various medicinal ingredients.

Most of the herbs he had bought from rogue cultivator stalls were in rough condition—some not even dried properly. He spread them out on bamboo trays, setting them aside to dry once the sun came up.

Next was the Jasper Lotus Seed.

It needed to be peeled carefully. Only the seed core was required; the outer skin was useless.

With an oil lamp in hand, Gu Shengtian worked meticulously, peeling one seed after another. He only stopped when his eyes grew dry.

"Can cultivators even get myopia?" he mused. "Surely not... right?"

By the time he had finished processing a large batch of lotus seeds, daylight had arrived.

He soaked the seeds in a diluted solution of Red Sun Chicken blood, then laid them out to dry on a fresh set of trays.

The Perks of Living on the Outskirts

Living at the edge of the outer city had its risks, but it also came with certain advantages—like having ample space.

When refining Fasting Powder, the process often produced an extremely pungent odor. If done in a crowded area, complaints would be inevitable.

Old Daoist Chen had faced such troubles before. His neighbors had protested against the stench from tanning talisman skins in his home. Eventually, he had to bribe the district manager with some premium talisman hides to smooth things over.

Gu Shengtian had no such concerns.

Risk and Strategy

Next, he had to process the Jade Yam—some diced, some sliced. The diced portion would go toward refining Zhongmiao Pills, while the sliced portion would be used for making Fasting Powder.

After all, he wasn't the type to put all his eggs in one basket.

In the early stages of refining Zhongmiao Pills, failure was almost guaranteed. If things went badly, he could lose all his savings in a single attempt!

Given his limited skill, it was entirely possible to burn through his resources without producing a single successful pill.

That was why he needed a fallback.

Even in the worst-case scenario, as long as he could still refine and sell Fasting Powder, he wouldn't starve.

By the time he finished processing the Jade Yam, it was already noon.

And with that realization, his stomach grumbled.

A Cultivator's Meal

"They say cultivators transcend worldly grains, but hunger is hunger!" Gu Shengtian scoffed.

He washed his hands and headed into the kitchen.

Scooping a small bowl of spiritual rice, he poured it straight into the pot without rinsing.

This rice was infused with spiritual energy—ten pounds cost one spirit stone! He wasn't about to waste a single trace of its essence by washing it.

Next, he pressed a hidden latch beside the kitchen, revealing a concealed underground storage room.

Inside, half a slab of beef hung from a hook.

This wasn't just any beef—it was first-tier demon ox meat.

Expensive stuff, nearly ten pounds for a single low-grade spirit stone.

Gu Shengtian had stocked up on hundreds of pounds of it, not because he was a glutton, but because demon ox meat was a key ingredient for Fasting Powder.

With one pound of meat, plus ginseng, angelica, and other herbs, he could produce five bottles of Fasting Powder—each selling for a spirit stone.

The more he bought, the better the deal.

Now, standing in front of his storage, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Cooking with Fireball Technique

With a sharp kitchen knife, he sliced off two small taels of beef and took out some common vegetables from the ice cellar.

He cleaned everything thoroughly, diced the vegetables, and sliced the meat into thin strips before placing them into the pot.

Then came the fire.

Gu Shengtian formed a hand seal, muttering an incantation under his breath.

Whoosh!

A small fireball materialized in his palm.

Thud.

The fireball landed in the stove, instantly setting the firewood ablaze.

"At least this time it worked properly," he sighed in relief. "Unlike the time I nearly blew up the stove."

He glanced at his status panel.

His Fireball Technique proficiency had just increased from 268/300 to 269/300!

So far, he had mastered three spells:

Water Cleansing (Water Element)

Binding Vines (Wood Element)

Fireball (Fire Element)

Among them, Fireball was the most proficient.

The Potential of Spell Mastery

At first, Gu Shengtian had simply found spellcasting fun. He used to spam Fireball just for the novelty of it.

It wasn't until later that he realized how impractical low-level spells were in actual combat.

Take Fireball, for instance—it was slow, drained too much energy, but had immense destructive power.

The issue was hitting the target.

For most cultivators, casting Fireball took at least three full breaths—more than enough time for an opponent to kill them multiple times over.

Initially, each cast consumed one-tenth of his total spiritual energy.

It was then that he understood why low-level cultivators rarely relied on spells in battle.

Magical artifacts and talismans were much more practical—faster, less draining, and just as deadly.

But through repeated use, Gu Shengtian noticed something:

With each Fireball cast—whether for cooking or alchemy—his proficiency grew.

And proficiency mattered.

At his current level, he had already shortened the casting time from three breaths to two.

"What if I reach Perfect Proficiency?" he wondered. "Or even Mastery?"

With that thought, he made a habit of casting Fireball at least once or twice every day.

Little by little, progress added up.

The Time Has Come

As these thoughts ran through his mind, the rice finished cooking.

The fragrant steam filled the air as he plated his meal—a large bowl of braised beef rice, rich in spiritual energy, with a side of sweet-and-sour pickled radish.

He sat beneath the eaves, letting the cool breeze and gentle sunlight wash over him as he ate by the stream.

This was his favorite moment of the day.

If he had no ambitions—if there were no struggle for survival or the pursuit of immortality—then perhaps, just eating like this every day would be enough.

But that was not his fate.

Gu Shengtian was a man blessed by the system, and even in the darkest night, he would shine.

Alchemy Begins

"Ugh, why does this stuff stink so much?"

Covering his chest, he stumbled to the creek, retching.

He hadn't expected the Fire Dog Whip—a crucial alchemy ingredient—to reek so horribly when processed.

With a mask on, he mustered his resolve and got back to work.

As he peeled the outer layer and applied the special juice, he chanted to himself:

"This doesn't stink. This doesn't stink."

"It's all spirit stones. Precious, fragrant spirit stones!"

After seven days of preparation, every raw ingredient—whether semi-processed or fully refined—was finally perfectly prepped.

It was time.

Wearing an apron, Gu Shengtian stood solemnly before his furnace.

Raising his hands, he bowed respectfully toward the kitchen roof.

"Master Guan, Lord Supreme, Local Alchemy Sage—bless me with a successful batch!"

With that, he opened the cauldron—the first step in refining Zhongmiao Pills had begun.