Chapter 26: The Auspicious Hour Has Arrived, I Shall Begin Refining Pills

They began searching for spirit herb seeds again. Spirit herbs were hard to come by, but seeds were plentiful. Chen Xun bought several bags, yet more than half contained dead seeds, mixed in with the good ones. Chen Xun immediately became displeased; he was at the fourth level of Qi Refinement and possessed the Fireball Technique—did they really think he was easy to bully? "I clearly paid for a full bag of spirit stones, yet you only give me half a bag of seeds?" Chen Xun raised an eyebrow, though no one noticed. "Moo moo!!" The big black bull also let out an angry bellow at the stall. "What? Spirit herb seeds are like that; are you looking for trouble, friend?" A man scoffed, a yellow talisman hovering in the air. With a flick of his fingers, a burst of light ignited and vanished in an instant, as he provocatively stared at Chen Xun. This fool, leading a bull and wearing a black scarf, was well-known to anyone who had done business here for a few years—at the third level of Qi Refinement, utterly alone. A flash of insight crossed Chen Xun's eyes; this man was actually at the fourth level of Qi Refinement and appeared quite affluent. "Brother Liao, who dares to cause trouble here!" A few people rushed in from behind the crowd, all dressed similarly, likely from a certain cultivation family. They were all at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, and one even at the fifth level. Many wandering cultivators gathered around, watching Chen Xun with mocking indifference. "What, do many bully the few?" Chen Xun smiled coldly, showing no fear in his eyes. "This is not how business is done." "I wondered who it was; turns out it's this bandit fool," a round-faced man said disdainfully. "Brother, leave this person to me." "Fine." The man nodded slightly. "No magic in the valley; be mindful of your actions." "Fool, kneel and apologize to my brother, and this matter will be settled today." The round-faced man looked down at Chen Xun, nostrils flaring. "I don't want to see you at the Ascension Conference again." These people were clearly trying to mock him; the more unfortunate they were in life, the more they enjoyed bullying the weaker. If he didn't show some attitude, these wandering cultivators would think they could easily manipulate him. "What are you? You look like a rotten watermelon," Chen Xun calmly retorted, standing his ground. "You think you can bark at me?" "Sharp-tongued, I'll smash your mouth!" The round-faced man was furious; this fool dared to insult him. He stepped forward, a faint light emanating from his hand, and with a powerful punch, he aimed directly at Chen Xun. Bang! Chen Xun stepped back, delivering an unremarkable punch that collided with the round-faced man's fist. The latter's expression changed dramatically, a hint of pain crossing his face, and he suddenly cried out, "Ah!!" The sound of cracking bones echoed, and the round-faced man was sent flying, looking at Chen Xun in fear. What monstrous strength was this! "The Liao family's Diamond Fist was actually broken; this person is hiding his true strength." "Hehe, I didn't expect this fool... friend to have such power." A commotion erupted around them, and the way people looked at Chen Xun changed significantly; it turned out he was not a fool after all. "The Liao family, is it?" Chen Xun nodded slightly, looking at the furious group. "Remember, you still owe me half a bag of spirit herb seeds." "Then you should be careful outside the Nine Star Valley, friend," the man said, supporting the round-faced man, a sinister smile on his face. "Knowing some physical techniques doesn't determine anything." "Oh?" Chen Xun smiled, his expression darker and more terrifying than theirs, making the Liao family members shudder. The onlooking wandering cultivators gasped inwardly; it turned out this hood had such an oppressive aura. Chen Xun led the big black bull away, with one of the Liao family members trailing behind. However, their pace gradually quickened, faster and faster. After three sharp turns, they burst out of the Nine Star Valley, disappearing from sight. The Liao family member was left bewildered—where did they go?! 

On the road, Chen Xun said, "Old Bull, I was impulsive this time. If I hadn't cared about that half bag of spirit herb seeds, we wouldn't have made an enemy." There was a hint of regret in his eyes; they had heard many rumors over the years, but had brushed them off as nothing. "Moo moo!" The big black bull seemed unconcerned; they were clearly being bullied on purpose. Life is not something one can let slide all the time. "Let's not go to the Ascension Conference for now; that Liao family member will definitely block us." Chen Xun said quietly, "We need to improve our strength first. We are utterly alone; this cultivation world is far more brutal than the mortal realm." "Moo!" The big black bull responded, sensing that Liao family member clearly harbored murderous intent. Back in the cave at the mountain's edge, Chen Xun constantly reflected on himself. Having stayed too long in the mortal realm, he was still caught up in momentary pride here, which could lead to dire consequences. "Old Bull, if we encounter such a situation again, we must endure. Once we have enough strength, we will reclaim what we've lost." Chen Xun muttered a curse that the big black bull couldn't understand, "Damn it, a few little brats." "Moo moo moo~~" The big black bull nudged Chen Xun; their mindset wasn't yet at a stage where they could dismiss everything; they still had to experience it. "It's fine, Old Bull." Chen Xun embraced the big black bull. "You go gather some spirit herbs; I'll look into pill refining." "Moo!" The big black bull obediently ran off, wanting to cheer Chen Xun up. Chen Xun flipped through the "Basic Pill Refining Techniques." First, he needed to condense the Dan Fire within his body, then slowly refine the properties of the spirit herbs, finally merging them into a pill. However, Dan Fire consumed a significant amount of mana; if he wasn't careful, an entire batch of pills could be ruined. A true master alchemist would have countless spirit herbs piled up. Yet the text also mentioned that there were earth vein fires that could replace Dan Fire, but such places were generally occupied by immortal sects, leaving ordinary cultivators with no hope. Chen Xun read with great interest; he had studied medicine before, and some of the concepts were similar. The most common pills in the Qi Refinement stage were the Featherweight Pill and the Qi-Enhancing Pill, both excellent for improving cultivation, and the formulas were widely known. "Twenty-year-old spirit herbs can be used for medicine," Chen Xun murmured. Of course, the older, the better, but spirit herbs of greater age were generally reserved for refining better pills. 

Time flew by, and before he knew it, a year had passed. They missed the Ascension Conference this time, and the Liao family members had long been waiting outside the valley, unexpectedly finding nothing. It seemed that fool was a bit clever, knowing he had offended a big shot and had turned into a turtle hiding its head. This year, a few people indeed appeared, selling small booklets like the one Chen Xun had, which became quite popular, making a fortune. Inside the cave, Chen Xun continued to add longevity points to the essence of all things. Today, he calmed his mind and sat cross-legged on the ground, while the big black bull stood up, constantly massaging Chen Xun's shoulders, its breath heavy with excitement. "The auspicious hour has arrived; I shall begin refining pills. May the immortals and Buddhas bless me, Chen Xun!" "Moo moo moo moo!!" The big black bull also called out behind Chen Xun. Chen Xun's eyes, which had been slightly closed, suddenly opened wide. Before him stood a pill furnace, and with a point of his finger, the furnace spiraled upward, aligning with his line of sight. Surrounding them were dozens of spirit herbs for the Featherweight Pill, all over thirty years old, accumulated over the past two years. "Go!" Chen Xun shouted, and a spirit herb soared into the air, flying into the furnace. Dan Fire erupted from his palm, and Chen Xun's mana began to deplete, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The Dan Fire fluctuated under Chen Xun's control, while the big black bull felt as if it were on a roller coaster, its heart racing, hardly daring to breathe. One spirit herb after another flew into the furnace, and the fragrant aroma wafted through the air, making the big black bull's eyes widen. Suddenly, a sound like a bubble bursting echoed, and a batch of Featherweight Pill materials was completely ruined, turning into pools of waste liquid. Chen Xun gasped for breath, pulling out a blank booklet to record his feelings from earlier, noting the timing for each herb used; theory and practice were indeed two different matters.