Chapter 26: First Furnace Fires

Back within the privacy of his hut, Lin Fan surveyed his impromptu alchemy setup. The newly acquired bronze Pill Furnace sat solidly on the floor, radiating a faint metallic scent. Around it, laid out on clean cloths, were neat piles of common spiritual herbs and materials: bundles of dried Greenleaf, chunks of Ironvine Root, vials of low-level Beast Blood, and other sundry items he'd purchased in bulk from the Outer Sect Market vendors. The "Introduction to Pill Concoction" manual lay open beside him, turned to the recipe for the most basic of cultivation aids: the Qi Gathering Pill.

He reread the steps carefully. Unlike the instant mastery granted by system rewards, this required deliberate effort, precise control, and adherence to principles he was only just beginning to grasp. The recipe detailed specific quantities, the exact order of addition, required temperatures at different stages maintained by Qi-fueled heat control, and the crucial final step of Qi infusion for refinement and coagulation.

Compared to the raw power of his cultivation or the instantaneity of his system, this felt... meticulous. Almost tedious. Yet, the allure of creating something tangible, a pill that could aid cultivation, held a certain appeal.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Fan began. First, heating the furnace. The manual suggested placing low-grade Spirit Stones beneath or directly infusing Qi. Opting for control, Lin Fan placed his palm near the furnace's heat intake vent and carefully channeled his fifth layer Qi, guided by the principles of the Nine Cycles Refining Art, aiming for the steady, moderate heat described in the first stage of the recipe. The bronze furnace began to warm up, glowing faintly. Maintaining a perfectly stable temperature with Qi alone, however, proved trickier than simply circulating it for cultivation – it required constant, fine-tuned output.

Once the furnace reached the desired heat, he followed the recipe precisely, adding the ingredients in order. First, the Greenleaf Powder, which released a fragrant green smoke upon hitting the heated interior. Then, crushed Ironvine Root, letting it steep and release its essence. He added drops of Beast Blood according to the measurement described, watching as the mixture inside began to bubble and change color, shifting from green to a murky brown.

The critical stage arrived: refinement and coagulation. The manual stressed the importance of infusing one's own Qi into the mixture, using it to burn away impurities and guide the medicinal essences to coalesce into pill form. It warned that unstable Qi or poor control could easily result in failure – inert dregs, or even minor energetic backlash.

Lin Fan extended a finger, carefully feeding a stream of his potent, Nine Cycles-refined Qi into the bubbling concoction through a designated infusion port on the furnace. He tried to keep the flow steady, gentle yet firm, attempting to guide the energies as described. But controlling externalized Qi for such delicate work was vastly different from circulating it internally. His flow fluctuated slightly, a momentary lapse in concentration due to the dual task of maintaining heat and infusing Qi.

Pop! Fzzzzt!

A puff of acrid, black smoke erupted from the furnace's vents, carrying the smell of burnt herbs. The bubbling inside ceased abruptly. Lin Fan quickly cut off his Qi supply, frowning.

He let the furnace cool slightly before peering inside. At the bottom lay a small, charred black lump, emitting a foul smell. Utter failure. Not even inert sludge, just burnt dregs.

He wasn't necessarily discouraged, more… analytically annoyed. He reviewed the process in his mind and consulted the manual's (very brief) troubleshooting section. "Cause of Failure: Likely unstable heat control during refinement OR impure Qi infusion OR incorrect ingredient timing," he murmured. Probably a combination of all three, primarily the difficulty of precise, external Qi control for a novice.

The silver lining? The ingredients were essentially free for him. Failure only cost time. He quickly cleaned out the furnace – the charred lump crumbling to useless ash – and prepared a second set of ingredients.

This time, he was even more focused. He paid meticulous attention to maintaining the furnace temperature, using only the bare minimum Qi required, adjusted constantly. He added the ingredients with careful timing, visualizing the process described in the text. When it came to the Qi infusion step, he channeled his energy even more slowly, more deliberately, trying to feel the subtle shifts within the concoction, guiding rather than forcing the refinement.

The process was mentally taxing, requiring a level of sustained concentration far exceeding his usual cultivation or combat maneuvers. Minutes stretched by. The mixture bubbled, changed color, and gradually, agonizingly slowly, seemed to condense under his careful Qi guidance. The acrid smell didn't reappear.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the energy within the furnace stabilized. A single, small object rested at the bottom.

Lin Fan carefully cut off the heat and let the furnace cool. With a pair of tongs (which he quickly manifested using the system's ability to provide basic, currency-equivalent items), he retrieved the result.

It was… arguably a pill. Small, roughly spherical but noticeably misshapen, its color a dull, inconsistent green rather than the vibrant hue of standard Qi Gathering Pills. It felt slightly gritty to the touch.

He held it up, examining it critically, then used Basic Appraisal. [Item: Impure Qi Gathering Pill (User-Made). Quality: Inferior (Contains Impurities, Low Efficacy). Effect: Provides minimal Qi recovery (approx. 1/10th of standard pill), risk of minor Qi disruption due to impurities.]

One pill. Inferior quality. Minimal effect. Potential side effects. Compared to the hundreds of standard pills he'd casually given away, or the potent Pure Qi Pills from the lottery, this was laughably bad.

Yet... he had made it. Through following instructions, applying precise control, learning from failure. There was a tiny spark of satisfaction in that, completely different from the instant power granted by the system.

It also solidified a crucial understanding: alchemy was hard. His superior Qi control gave him an edge, but true mastery required immense knowledge, practice, and likely better tools than this basic bronze furnace. Unless the system's lottery granted him an 'Instant Alchemy Mastery' skill (which seemed unlikely, given the pattern of foundational techniques vs. auxiliary skills so far), becoming proficient would be a long, arduous process of trial and error.

He stored the single, sad little pill and the furnace back in his ring. While he now had the basic tools and ingredients (thanks to his wealth), dedicating the necessary time and focus to alchemy practice wasn't feasible while he was actively pursuing his Contribution Point goal. It would remain an interesting potential sideline, something to perhaps dabble in during downtime.

His path forward remained clear. He needed more CP. The brief detour into alchemy, while informative, hadn't changed that fundamental requirement for progressing within the sect structure.

He stood up, stretching. Time wasted fiddling with herbs was time not spent earning points. He glanced towards the door, ready to head back out, perhaps to the Contribution Hall to find his next task, or maybe to a training ground to ensure his combat skills remained sharp after the demanding Wraith fight. The grind for Contribution Points continued.