Chapter 05

"Deer blood, deer antler, deer penis, mica, red stone..."

Gao Xian carefully placed each processed medicinal ingredient into the alchemy furnace and lit the fire to begin the roasting process.

The three-legged, spoutless furnace, shaped like a water pot, could be divided into eight different sections using internal discs and manual partitions.

Some areas were used for roasting, others for steaming, and some for extracting and refining medicinal properties.

Beneath the furnace was a brick-built platform with a flue connected to an external chimney.

Alchemy required a large amount of charcoal, and this simple platform, combined with the rotating furnace, allowed for precise temperature control.

The furnace was engraved with a yin-yang fire and water array, which could be activated using spirit stones if necessary.

However, using the array was costly and placed higher demands on the alchemist.

The original host had only been at the first level of Qi Refining, making it extremely difficult to control the furnace array. As a result, he had almost always used charcoal for alchemy.

After all, he was only refining low-grade elixirs, and charcoal was sufficient for the task.

Gao Xian had elevated *Deer Antler Powder* to the grandmaster level, fully mastering various foundational alchemy techniques.

Combined with the original host's complete alchemy memories, Gao Xian had transformed from a novice into a skilled alchemist almost overnight.

Taking out the *Wind and Moon Mirror*, he saw that the previously grayed-out alchemy skill had been restored. Moreover, the proficiency of his alchemy skill had significantly increased, nearly reaching the proficient level.

To test his newfound knowledge, Gao Xian decided to try his hand at refining *Deer Antler Powder*.

This elixir was simple, using common medicinal ingredients that he could find in his own herb storage.

After selecting the ingredients, he lit the furnace and began the process.

It was only at this point that Gao Xian truly understood concepts like "gentle fire" and "fierce fire," as well as how to control the heat and extract medicinal properties.

These subtle techniques could never be learned from books alone. Only by hands-on refining could one grasp the nuances and timing.

Alchemy was a technical craft with countless steps. A single mistake in any step could drastically reduce the efficacy of the elixir or even lead to complete failure.

Gao Xian, however, was a grandmaster in refining *Deer Antler Powder*. In the vast world, few could surpass him in this specific elixir.

After half a day, the *Deer Antler Powder* was ready, filling the room with its medicinal aroma.

As the name suggested, *Deer Antler Powder* was refined into a pile of medicinal powder, weighing over two pounds.

Looking at this pile of charcoal-like powder, Gao Xian felt a surge of excitement and a deep sense of accomplishment.

It was akin to a master chef completing a signature dish. In fact, alchemy was quite similar to cooking—combining various ingredients and subjecting them to steaming, boiling, and roasting.

However, alchemy was far more meticulous and complex.

In more sophisticated terms, it involved reorganizing and recombining materials to make energy more orderly—a process of entropy reduction.

This successful alchemy session greatly boosted Gao Xian's confidence and solved his most pressing problem!

After reveling in his excitement for a while, Gao Xian remembered that the task wasn't yet complete.

He took jade honey and mixed it with pine resin to create a pill coating, then hand-rolled the medicinal powder into pill-sized balls, each about the size of a peanut.

The outer coating helped seal in the medicinal properties and aroma, making the pills easier to preserve and more pleasant to consume.

Rolling the pills was a simple task, and the ultra-fast hand speed from the *Electric Light Dragon Hand* technique came in handy.

In no time, Gao Xian had rolled over two hundred pills.

The *Deer Antler Powder* refined at the grandmaster level was bound to be exceptionally potent.

However, Gao Xian didn't have an accurate estimate of its efficacy. He had never refined or consumed *Deer Antler Powder* before, so he wasn't sure how effective his version would be.

To test the potency, Gao Xian took one pill himself.

A surge of warmth rose from his dantian, quickly spreading through his limbs and bones before rushing straight to the crown of his head.

This warmth was strong but not overwhelming, yang in nature but not excessively dry.

It made him feel as though his energy was brimming over, yet his mind remained clear and calm, without any of the agitation that powerful medicinal effects might cause.

"Grandmaster-level elixirs are truly remarkable!" Gao Xian was quite satisfied with the result.

Artifacts, talismans, and spells were generally divided into nine tiers and thirty-six grades, while elixirs were categorized into nine tiers but not grades—instead, they were classified from one to nine refinements.

For the same type of elixir, a single refinement could barely activate its medicinal properties, while a nine-refinement elixir could maximize its efficacy.

*Deer Antler Powder* was an unranked yang-tonifying medicine and couldn't undergo multiple refinements.

However, at the grandmaster level, the *Deer Antler Powder* could fully unleash its medicinal potential while eliminating all toxic impurities.

To further test its efficacy, Gao Xian reluctantly sought out Sister Lan.

After withdrawing his consciousness from the *Wind and Moon Mirror*, Gao Xian checked the *Great Puppet God Technique* and found that his cultivation had indeed increased by three points.

"With such a divine medicine, it could easily surpass those little blue pills. If I could travel back, I'd immediately become the savior of middle-aged and elderly men!"

Gao Xian sighed, lamenting that he had learned the art of slaying dragons but had no dragons to slay. It was somewhat regrettable.

Fortunately, the *Deer Antler Powder* was potent, and consuming it himself was beneficial, as it accelerated his cultivation of the *Great Puppet God Technique*.

Wait, no—this world also had plenty of middle-aged and elderly individuals. Even among cultivators, physical abilities were still bound by natural laws.

Take Old Wang next door, for example. He was exhausted, his spirit depleted, and his kidney energy insufficient. He would be the perfect user!

Making money wasn't an urgent concern right now. The top priority was refining a batch of elixirs.

Gao Xian took out the *Wind and Moon Mirror* and, sure enough, his alchemy skill had leveled up, reaching the proficient level in one go.

Alchemy was the most challenging skill for him to level up, so the significant progress this time came as a delightful surprise.

Including the three types of elixirs the original host knew how to refine, all had been elevated to the proficient level.

The grandmaster-level proficiency was specific to *Deer Antler Powder*, but many alchemy techniques were universal.

Through this hands-on experience, Gao Xian had fully integrated the original host's alchemy knowledge, leading to a tremendous improvement in his alchemy skills. His alchemy proficiency was now not far from reaching the expert level.

**Alchemy**: First Tier, Proficient (27/4000)

**Energy Restoration Pill**: Skilled (155/200)

**Solid Essence Pill**: Skilled (161/200)

**White Dew Pill**: Skilled (177/200)

Looking at the data on the *Wind and Moon Mirror*, Gao Xian felt quite satisfied.

In just a few days, he had made significant progress. If this growth rate continued...

Gao Xian did a quick calculation and found the results too exaggerated. Better not to take it too seriously.

Taking advantage of his good condition, Gao Xian cooked a meal, boiled some meat, and ate to his heart's content.

The little black cat, drawn by the aroma, appeared out of nowhere and also ate until its belly was round.

After eating, the kitten clearly felt sleepy and lay down, closing its eyes for a nap.

Gao Xian gave it a couple of strokes, and the kitten wagged its tail before falling completely still.

This made Gao Xian a bit envious. Eat, sleep, play, eat again... The little cat's life was too comfortable.

Maybe he should feed it less for a couple of meals, letting it experience the hardships of life and the unpredictability of fate.

With his spiritual energy replenished, Gao Xian circulated the *Five Elements Technique* through thirty-six cycles, which took about half an hour.

Without precise timing tools, Gao Xian felt that his circulation of the *Five Elements Technique* had become much smoother.

This was largely thanks to Sister Lan's assistance.

Taking out the *Wind and Moon Mirror*, he saw that his *Five Elements Technique* had steadily increased by one point, filling him with satisfaction.

After adjusting his state, Gao Xian headed to the adjacent medicine room.

The small courtyard he lived in had three main rooms: one served as a bedroom, half as a living room, and half as a kitchen. The remaining room was a storage area for medicinal herbs.

The alchemy room was a small side room next to the main building, housing only a single alchemy furnace.

The furnace, considered a first-tier magical artifact, was actually quite valuable. It was extremely heavy and fixed to a brick platform, making it difficult to move.

Moreover, there were only a handful of alchemists in Feima Market who could use such a furnace. Even if someone stole it, they would have a hard time disposing of it.

On the other hand, medicinal herbs were light and easy to carry, so Gao Xian had to store them in the main room.

After taking stock of the medicinal herbs, Gao Xian wanted to sigh. The original owner of this body really knew how to court disaster—he had used up all the ingredients for the White Dew Pills.

Although Gao Xian's alchemy skills had improved significantly, he couldn't make up for such a huge deficit!

For now, he could only refine a batch of pills and send them over to buy some time. He needed to figure out a way to replenish the consumed herbs...

He began sorting the herbs, steaming and drying them, grinding and mixing them, and then refining them in the cauldron.

It took him three days to finish refining a batch of Qi-Restoring Pills.

After manually rolling the pills, he ended up with a little over two hundred of them.

After three days of hard work, Gao Xian decided to step out to adjust his state of mind. He tucked two packets of Deer Antler Powder into his pocket and went next door to visit Old Wang.

Old Wang's place was even shabbier. His small courtyard had only two main rooms, with cracked walls and broken tiles. If it rained heavily, the roof would definitely leak.

The courtyard was paved with a few stone slabs leading to the entrance. In one corner was an open-air latrine with no door, offering a rather unobstructed view.

Although Gao Xian wasn't particularly fastidious, he didn't dare to look too closely.

Old Wang was lying in bed, dozing off. He yawned and grumbled, "What are you here for, kid?"

Gao Xian mentally cheered himself on: "Making a living isn't shameful. It's not like I'm selling fake medicine..."

After psyching himself up, Gao Xian gave Old Wang a reserved smile and said, "Friend, have you heard of Deer Antler Powder?"