“The exact location of the Longevity Valley remains unclear for now, but I’ve already purchased a batch of raw materials for refining Longevity Pills from the Tianxuan Mirror,” Li Fan said as he waved his hand, causing a storage ring to appear mid-air.
“Elder Liu, take a look at the quality. Can it meet the requirements for pill refinement?” Li Fan asked.
Liu San examined the ring’s contents, his expression astonished. “The quality is excellent, with most of the spiritual herbs being over a hundred years old. Did you select them personally, Young Master?”
Li Fan shook his head. “They’re merely common spiritual plants sold in the Tianxuan Mirror.”
Hearing this, Liu San couldn’t help but marvel, “After the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association unified the cultivation world and consolidated the world’s resources, they indeed became incredibly wealthy.
“In our time, even the ten great immortal sects wouldn’t have been able to provide such a large quantity of high-quality spiritual herbs.”
Li Fan smiled and nodded in agreement. “Perhaps it’s also because most cultivators have perished. The current scale of the cultivation world is nothing compared to what it used to be. Back then, our Medicine King Sect, with a few thousand disciples, would have been considered a medium-sized sect at most. In one state alone, there would have been countless sects like ours.”
“But now…” Li Fan paused, “If we were to suddenly reappear, it might cause a great stir in the world, drawing the attention of Longevity Immortal Realm experts.”
Liu San was startled, frowning slightly. “While flying across several states earlier, I noticed the same issue. Compared to the past, the cultivation world has become far more desolate. The land is vast, but the population is sparse. Outside of established cities, it’s rare to encounter cultivators in the wilderness. Back then, any mountain with a spiritual vein would be occupied by cultivators.”
“Young Master, your decision is correct. Breaking into smaller groups and infiltrating the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance is the best way for us to recover our strength without drawing attention,” Liu San said, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Li Fan.
“Within the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, all cultivation resources are tied to contribution points. We already owe Fellow Daoist Zhou some favors. Although he hasn’t mentioned it, if we fail to produce results soon, it could lead to trouble. Binding ourselves to a shared interest with him is the most secure strategy.”
Li Fan explained, “Trust in people’s hearts is fleeting; only shared interests are eternal. To stabilize our position, we must produce Longevity Pills quickly. Elder Liu, I’ll need to trouble you!”
Liu San’s expression turned solemn. “Restoring the glory of the Medicine King Sect is my unshakable duty. Please rest assured, Young Master!”
Leading a group of disciples into the central alchemy chamber of the Medicine King Cauldron, Liu San said in a deep voice, “Young Master, please grant me permission to control the True Medicine King Cauldron.”
With a thought, Li Fan temporarily transferred the authority over the chamber. A shadowy image of the Medicine King Cauldron materialized in the center of the room.
Liu San lightly tapped the void, and the shadow transformed into a solid cauldron with a resounding “clang” as it landed on the ground.
“Form ranks!” Liu San swept his gaze over the disciples and commanded in a firm voice.
Ninety-nine carefully selected elite Foundation Establishment disciples each controlled their own small Medicine King Cauldrons. They arranged themselves in a specific formation around the central True Medicine King Cauldron.
Azure light radiated from the True Medicine King Cauldron, linking with the smaller cauldrons to form a vast formation etched into the ground.
“The Great Longevity Formation…” Observing from the side, Li Fan muttered thoughtfully.
Liu San activated the Longevity Sutra with all his might, and a stream of pure azure Longevity Energy flowed from the central cauldron. The energy circulated through the formation, becoming even more vibrant before returning to the main cauldron. ȐãŊᛒĘ𝙎
Once the cauldron was half-filled with this green energy, Liu San began adding the medicinal ingredients required for pill refinement.
“Poof…”
The spiritual herbs were placed into the cauldron, and the Longevity Green Energy seemed to boil, surging violently without pause.
In an instant, the spiritual herbs melted and disappeared within the cauldron. The vapor they produced condensed into a transparent barrier at the top of the cauldron, preventing the Longevity Green Force from spilling out.
Liu San’s expression was grave as he carefully controlled the timing of adding the medicinal ingredients based on the state within the cauldron.
The ninety-nine disciples around him, while assisting with the operation of the auxiliary Small Medicine King Cauldron, seized this rare opportunity to observe Liu San’s alchemy process without blinking.
Time passed, second by second.
As more and more medicinal ingredients were added, the Longevity Green Energy became increasingly viscous, almost turning into a tangible substance.
At the most critical moment, Liu San shouted, “Condense!”
With that, he pointed toward the center of the cauldron from mid-air.
In an instant, the cauldron blurred and then shrank sharply toward the center.
During this moment of compression, the Longevity Green Energy, already thick to the extreme, underwent a qualitative transformation, changing from a liquid to a solid state.
The phantom of the Medicine King True Cauldron disappeared, leaving only a cyan pill suspended and rotating mid-air, exuding a rich vitality.
A strong medicinal fragrance spread from the pill.
All the cultivators present, including Liu San, subconsciously showed a trace of greed in their eyes upon smelling the aroma.
However, Liu San, being a Dao Integration cultivator, quickly snapped out of the abnormal state.
His expression shifted slightly, and he suddenly shouted, “Not good!”
He lunged forward, forming a giant hand that enveloped the freshly refined Longevity Pill.
“Hm?”
Just as the others were puzzled, a loud explosion erupted from Liu San’s palm.
Liu San’s body trembled slightly. Although he quickly composed himself and withdrew his hand, a trace of awkwardness was evident on his face.
“Did… the alchemy fail?”
Li Fan and the disciples of the Medicine King Sect looked at Liu San with strange expressions.
“Ahem…”
Liu San cleared his throat softly and explained, “I forgot about the drastic changes in the world and still used the old method of alchemy, so…”
“But it’s not a big issue. It only requires some minor adjustments.”
“Next time, next time it will definitely work,” Liu San declared confidently.
Li Fan nodded without saying much.
Thus, Liu San once again summoned a phantom of the Medicine King Cauldron and restarted the refinement of the Longevity Pill.
This time, while there was no explosion, the resulting product…
Li Fan glanced at the half-green, half-purple pill in his hand, his face twitching slightly.
Liu San’s expression faltered as he roared in anger, “Again!”
The elder’s fury made the disciples tremble with fear, leaving them no choice but to continue assisting.
Finally, on the third attempt, they successfully refined a proper Longevity Pill.
At this point, Liu San let out a slight sigh of relief.