Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Starting the Furnace

Regardless of the badger’s origins, it was always diligent in its tasks.

He had sought out heavenly treasures compatible with it, not just to test some of his own ideas, but also to help it.

Bai Mo felt he had done all he could for it.

When Li Wuji didn’t arrive that day, Bai Mo crushed the Jade Talisman the man had given him.

In less than four hours, Li Wuji rushed over.

Bai Mo was a little surprised.

The man had actually run here on his own two feet and was covered in dust.

"Senior Brother, what were you doing?"

Li Wuji wiped his face and said,

"Carving out a mountain. I’m only halfway done. I plan to live there from now on."

He was truly casual about it, deciding to settle down after finding a place that was merely passable.

"Junior Brother, why did you summon me?"

Bai Mo said apologetically, "A senior brother I know well sought me out to refine a certain Pill for him. It will take about two months."

"During this time, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to watch over the prison."

Li Wuji nodded. "Alright."

As he spoke, he asked casually, "Junior Brother, what is your skill in the Alchemy Dao?"

Bai Mo thought for a moment.

"I can refine Tier Three Pills. Do you have a need for one?"

Only then did Li Wuji show some surprise. He had heard from the people at the Foreign Affairs Hall that this junior brother who guarded the black jail had some skill in the Alchemy Dao.

He just hadn’t expected his skill to reach such a level.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Wuji spoke.

"My cultivation has run into a problem. I don’t know if it’s my natural aptitude and constitution, or a flaw in my Cultivation Technique."

"I often experiment. In the future, I might need you to refine some Pills for me, Junior Brother."

Bai Mo understood.

On the path of cultivation, this was the most feared kind of bottleneck—an unknown, unclear obstacle that completely halted one’s progress.

If it wasn’t resolved, one could be stuck at their current realm for life.

The process of searching for the flaw, fearing it might be due to one’s own aptitude, created mental turmoil that made it even harder to endure.

"Senior Brother, whenever you have a need, just say the word."

Li Wuji nodded.

"When will you start your seclusion, Junior Brother?"

"Tomorrow, I think. I still need to make some preparations..."

...

The next day, Li Wuji arrived punctually at dawn.

The gateway suddenly opened, revealing a passage wide enough for two people to pass through.

Just as Li Wuji was about to step inside, he saw a badger walking out, carrying a shoulder pole.

Ah Er saw him and froze for a moment, then set down its pole and clasped its paws together in a bow toward Li Wuji.

"Arr-uh!"

Li Wuji was even more astonished than the badger and subconsciously returned the bow with a cupped fist.

Then he watched as the badger picked up its pole again and, with practiced ease, found the path and headed up the mountain.

"Such intelligence!"

"Junior Brother has raised a fine Spirit Beast."

Shaking his head, Li Wuji walked through the gateway and saw that the stone house’s main door was tightly shut. A booklet was hanging beside it.

He checked the last registered date on it and, realizing today wasn’t a patrol day, found himself with nothing to do.

The area in front of the stone house was spotless, so he brushed the dust from his clothes. His originally blue-gray short shirt and trousers were now more gray than blue.

His hands paused for a moment. He took off his shirt, then sat down cross-legged and began to meditate with full concentration.

At first, the only sounds he heard were muffled noises from within the stone house—a strange, rhythmic humming that went on and on.

Then, the sound of whispers reached his ears.

"That prison-guarding brat is holed up refining Pills again!"

"The last Pill he made was probably that Poison Pill that tormented a person’s Golden Core. Now that he’s firing up the furnace again, has he made a breakthrough, or is he planning to do something like that again?"

"Woe is us, woe is us!"

"A Golden Core is a life! If he dissolves half of it, how can we stand for that? Why don’t we take advantage of his distraction..."

The whispering paused for a moment before starting up again.

"Huh! A newcomer. His qi and blood are flourishing."

"Excellent material for refining a Human Pill!"

"Hehe, you there, strong man! Come into the prison, come into the prison..."

"...your cultivation method is flawed... we are renowned masters..."

After waiting a moment and seeing the person outside remain unmoved, the fiend calling out with its seductive voice finally stopped.

"Hmph! So he’s an ascetic cultivator. Mind as still as water? Just a block of wood!"

"Haha! Brother Daoist, you were rebuffed, but there’s no need to fly into a rage! I wonder how ugly that look on your face is right now?"

Following that were the sounds of arguing.

Li Wuji opened his eyes. They were calm and tranquil, showing only a hint of disdain.

’Vile heretics...’

He closed his eyes again, completely immersing himself in the flow and circulation of Spiritual Qi within his body.

Inside the stone house, Bai Mo was not worried about what was happening outside.

After all, Li Wuji was an ascetic cultivator. The steadfastness of his mind was something ordinary people could never hope to match.

There was absolutely no chance he would end up like Ah Er, who, despite being terrified when Bai Mo first brought it back, was still involuntarily lured closer to the prison cells.

The water from the prison’s Spiritual Spring was already boiling, and the added medicinal herbs and ores bobbed up and down within it.

These items weren’t worth much; Bai Mo had paid for them himself.

Taking out the Primordial Beast Egg, Bai Mo held a dagger and began to gently shave its surface.

The stone-like skin flaked away, revealing the pure Spirit Stone within.

A Primordial Beast gestates deep within ore veins, so the shell that envelops it is naturally also a pure Spirit Stone.

If it had gestated within a variant Spirit Stone, the Primordial Beast would have been born with innate Divine Techniques like control over fire or water—a true blessing from the heavens.

At this moment, however, a barely perceptible wisp of gray-black energy darted about inside the stone egg, completely extinguishing the life force of this heaven-blessed creature.

The hazy mist of the Primordial Beast embryo was currently gathering and dispersing.

The gray-black energy wove through it but was too weak to consume it.

’The key to my Pill’s success is how much of this essence I can preserve.’

’I’m using the Moonlight Method to nourish the qi; I hope the vital energy within doesn’t dissipate so quickly.’

Bai Mo’s movements didn’t stop. He shaved off the entire outer shell of the stone egg, leaving a transparent, glowing Spirit Stone.

’It’s all up to Brother Yin’s fate now.’

With that thought, Bai Mo set down the Spirit Stone and plunged both hands into a nearby copper basin.

The Spiritual Spring water in the basin was steeping with many herbs. It had already been boiled once, and the water was a brownish-red color.

HISS!

A sharp pain shot through his hands, followed by an intense burning sensation.

Bai Mo endured it patiently, waiting for a quarter of an hour before finally withdrawing his hands.

By now, both his hands were red and searing hot.

Quickly picking up the pure Spirit Stone, he took a shallow breath and sliced the dagger through its center.

TAK!

The Spirit Stone split in two. The wisp of gray-black energy, now free, absorbed the impure qi from the air and rapidly expanded, instantly becoming the size of a human finger.

Just as it was about to flee, it suddenly saw the Primordial Beast’s essence slowly dispersing.

It paused, then, as if driven into a frenzy, it lunged toward the mist.

WHAP!

Bai Mo’s hand shot out and snatched it. He then casually thrust his hand into the flames beneath the Pill Furnace.

In just an instant, Bai Mo pulled his hand back, the palm and back of it scorched.

And the wisp of gray-black energy vanished with a soft POP.

Not daring to delay for even a second, Bai Mo tossed the Primordial Beast’s essence, along with the Spirit Stone that encased it, into the Pill Furnace.

Ignoring the pain in his hand, he slammed the furnace lid shut with a BANG.

With that, the long series of steps finally came to a temporary halt.

Bai Mo freed up his hands and began applying ointment to them.

Both hands needed it. That water in the copper basin was not a gentle substance; it was extremely harsh on the skin.

Occasionally, he would pause to listen carefully to the sounds within the Pill Furnace.

There were indeed sounds coming from the furnace, but they were very faint.

A faint white light seeped through the Pill Furnace, only to dissipate into thin air.

This was the precious part of the Primordial Beast Egg—the vital energy created by heaven and earth, the key to the Pill’s success.

However, Bai Mo couldn’t stop it from leaking away. All that mattered now was how much his methods could manage to preserve.

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