Chapter 34: Gaining the Dan Furnace, Preparing to Refine the Qi Gathering Pills

"Lady Ling Yue, can you take another look and tell me what this copper furnace is used for?"

Xu Taiping asked as he curiously lifted the small copper furnace and handed it to Ling Yue.

"Little Taiping, your luck is really quite good."

Ling Yue didn't answer directly but instead looked at him with a smile in her eyes.

"Why do you say that, Sister?"

Xu Taiping sensed that there was more to her words.

"This is a Dan Furnace, a tool used by cultivators to refine pills. It's just right for you to use in refining the Qi Gathering Pills you'll need for your breakthrough."

Ling Yue explained.

"Refining Qi Gathering Pills? But I heard from Master Ziyang that to break through to the Opening Realm, I only need to cultivate my residual haze energy to the freezing stage and then accumulate the Qi in my dantian. I should be able to break through by opening the acupoints in my body in one go."

Xu Taiping was a little confused.

"Little Taiping, you are a 'Common Bone.' Naturally, your path of cultivation will have more obstacles than other cultivators."

Ling Yue sighed with a hint of sympathy.

Xu Taiping was stunned for a moment, a trace of dissatisfaction flashing in his eyes. But soon, his gaze firmed up again as he said:

"Sister Ling Yue, please teach me how to refine the Qi Gathering Pills!"

…

Two months later.

Yunlu Mountain remained a land of eternal spring, its scenery unchanged.

Xu Taiping's life followed a similar routine, with regular practice of the Residual Haze Technique at the hours of Zi, Wu, and You, interspersed with punching, archery, chopping wood, watering, hunting, and studying pill refining. His days were full.

The only regret was that since that meal, Uncle Bai hadn't come back, and the spirit bird delivering items had been replaced by a bad-tempered white-headed eagle.

Additionally, the Nine-Leaf White Purple Mint in the medicinal garden had ripened again, and Xu Taiping had finally gathered enough ingredients to buy the materials needed for the Qi Gathering Pills.

"After deducting the cost of the herbs and the expenses of the last couple of months, I still have 96 merit coins left. Although it's still far from enough to purchase a True Fire Talisman, at least I don't have to worry about being short of merit coins to submit to the sect."

That night, in the backyard of Qingzhu Courtyard, looking at the herbs in the bamboo basket beside him, Xu Taiping felt a sense of accomplishment.

But at this moment, Xu Taiping still faced his greatest crisis—

In half a month, if he could not break through to the Opening Realm, his name would be erased from the Ling Bone Monument, and he would face expulsion or even punishment from the Qingxuan Sect.

"The moon is already at its zenith. I can call Sister Ling Yue out to refine the Qi Gathering Pills now."

Xu Taiping looked up at the full moon and murmured to himself.

According to the agreement with Ling Yue, the full moon two months later would be the time for them to refine the Qi Gathering Pills together.

During these two months, Xu Taiping had secretly tried the method taught by Master Ziyang to break through, but no matter how hard he tried, he had not been able to succeed.

So now, the only path left for Xu Taiping was to refine the Qi Gathering Pills.

"Sister Ling Yue, the time has come."

Xu Taiping stood up and called out to the medicinal garden.

"Mm..."

Soon, a lazy voice came from the direction of the medicinal garden.

"Ah... I had such a good sleep."

After a while, Ling Yue appeared before Xu Taiping, still carrying traces of drowsiness in her eyes as she stretched and yawned.

"Sister Ling Yue, did you not sleep well when you were outside the mountain?"

Xu Taiping asked with curiosity.

"The spiritual energy outside the mountain is sparse. Sleeping there is a torment for this remnant soul of mine. But here, it's different. The abundant spiritual energy makes sleep not only harmless but beneficial, nourishing my soul."

Ling Yue smiled and explained.

Xu Taiping's question seemed to have cleared away most of the drowsiness on her face.

"Have you gathered all the herbs?"

Ling Yue asked.

Before sleeping, she had instructed Xu Taiping to prepare all the ingredients for the Qi Gathering Pills.

"Yes."

Xu Taiping nodded and pointed to a small bamboo basket nearby, where all the herbs were neatly arranged in separate packages.

"They're all common herbs. The merit coins I've saved up were just enough to buy a set."

He added.

"The herbs for Qi Gathering Pills, just like the Bone-Washing Soup, are not particularly rare. The key is in the refining method."

Ling Yue glanced at the herbs on the ground, then looked up at Xu Taiping with a serious expression.

"But after breaking through the Opening Realm, the herbs and pills used for cultivation will become very expensive. Taiping, you need to be mentally prepared."

"Mm!"

Xu Taiping nodded firmly, "No matter the cost, I'll gather all the materials needed."

"Then let's begin."

Ling Yue nodded in approval.

Xu Taiping took out the small copper furnace from his chest and placed it on the ground, then put his hand on top of it, beginning to inject true energy into it.

"Boom!"

With a loud explosion, the originally fist-sized copper furnace instantly expanded to the height of a stove.

Xu Taiping remained calm. He had seen this happen many times before.

"You should already be familiar with the handling methods of the medicinal furnace. Now, you can begin adding the charcoal."

Ling Yue instructed.

"This Dan Furnace is also a very ordinary artifact. After refining a batch of pills, the spiritual energy within it will dissipate, turning back into an ordinary stove. So, Taiping, you must listen carefully to my instructions and control the furnace's heat, as well as the timing of adding the herbs."

As Xu Taiping added the charcoal, Ling Yue continued to remind him, her expression serious.

"Don't worry, Sister Ling Yue. Over the past two months, I've practiced many times in advance. There won't be any mistakes."

After adding the charcoal, Xu Taiping stood up, his eyes full of determination as he looked at Ling Yue.

The pill refining process went as smoothly as he had promised, without a single mistake from start to finish.

"This little guy has actually mastered the complex timing for adding herbs and controlling the furnace temperature so well. He's completely on par with cultivators who have been learning pill refining techniques for years. How much effort did he put into this?"

Ling Yue watched Xu Taiping, whose hand was pressed against the furnace, carefully controlling the heat with his true energy. Her eyes grew increasingly fiery.

Because compared to cultivation, pill refining was Ling Yue's greatest skill. Seeing such a talented young person in pill refining, how could she not feel envious?

"Little Taiping, become my disciple."

Ling Yue nearly blurted it out, but when the words reached her mouth, she held them back.

"Right now, I'm not in a position to be a good master. And if people discover the technique he's practicing and know that he's my disciple, it will surely bring him countless dangers in the future. Forget it… forget it…"

Ling Yue's expression dimmed as she thought about it.