Demoness, Stop! - Chapter 48 - Chapter 48 – Junior Sister Zheng

With Elder Han’s assistance, it only took a short while to prepare all thirteen ingredients needed for refining the Fasting Pill.

The dosage for each pill was fixed. Li Yu only needed to follow the sequence listed in the pill formula, adding each portion of spiritual liquid one by one, then slowly refine it using his fire.

One thing to be especially careful of was the violent spiritual energy contained within the combined ingredients. During the refining process, the energy could become dangerously unstable—one slip, and the furnace could explode.

Han Tiancheng stood beside Li Yu the entire time, ready to respond to any accidents at a moment’s notice.

Of course, he had his own motives for treating Li Yu so well.

As an alchemist, who wouldn’t want to glimpse the mysteries of the Heaven-Man Unity Realm? Being able to observe Li Yu’s refinement process up close, he was like someone living right by the water—naturally he’d be the first to benefit. He wouldn’t dream of wasting such an opportunity.

Li Yu added the spiritual liquids in the proper order, then began the refinement process.

Compared to unranked low-grade pills, the biggest difference in refining a first-rank pill was the sheer power of the energy contained within the medicinal liquids—they weren’t easy to control. Fortunately, Li Yu’s spiritual power was strong, already surpassing the ninth layer of Qi Refinement. This level of difficulty was nothing for him.

A full hour passed before Li Yu finally let out a breath and withdrew his spiritual flame.

That entire hour, Han Tiancheng hadn’t blinked once while watching Li Yu, leaving his eyes sore—but even so, he still failed to glimpse the secrets of the Heaven-Man Unity.

He rubbed his eyes and asked, “How did it go?”

Li Yu opened the pill furnace, revealing eight white pills at the bottom, each bearing three pill lines.

Shaking his head, Li Yu said, “As expected of a first-rank pill… not a single top-grade one, and not even ten in total…”

This wasn’t a competition, and there were no Meridian Clearing Pills as a reward, so Li Yu hadn’t used the cheat. He had thought he could at least produce ten pills, maybe even one or two top-grade ones, but it seemed he had overestimated himself.

Han Tiancheng pursed his lips and said nothing.

When he had tried refining a first-rank pill for the first time, his pill furnace had exploded. It took him ten attempts before he finally produced a single pill—and that one only had one pill line, a low-grade pill that couldn’t even be consumed. Compared to Li Yu…simply speechless.

The dominance of triple spiritual veins in the art of alchemy was truly terrifying.

Forcing a smile, he said, “Congratulations, Li Yu. For your first time refining a first-rank pill, this is already outstanding. There are first-rank alchemists who’ve been at it for a hundred years and still can’t match your results…”

Not long after, Li Yu returned to his small courtyard, arms full of books.

He had to admit—Elder Han had treated him quite well. These books were all advanced texts on alchemy, and even included Elder Han’s personal pill refining notes. For someone preparing to take the first-rank alchemist test, it was truly a godsend.

In the cultivation world, alchemists had to be certified through examinations.

From alchemy apprentice to first-rank alchemist, then to second-, third-, and fourth-rank alchemist—each promotion followed a standardized process, more or less the same across all major sects.

Among them, the Kunlun Sect’s alchemists were the most widely recognized in the cultivation world. If someone couldn’t make it in Kunlun, they could still be welcomed with high regard in virtually any other sect.

Currently, Li Yu was still just an alchemy apprentice. He would need to pass the assessment before he could officially become a first-rank alchemist.

To pass the first-rank exam, the candidate had to successfully refine three different types of first-rank pills, with a minimum success rate of at least one pill for every three sets of ingredients. Upon passing, one could officially become a first-rank alchemist and enjoy the treatment of being granted a separate residence and a personal assistant by the sect…

For the sake of his future villa and secretary, Li Yu threw himself into his studies over the next few days with the same determination he had during his college entrance exams, diligently studying the alchemy books.

There were many types of first-rank pills. The most classic ones were the Fasting Pill and the Qi Recovery Pill, as these required the fewest ingredients and had the gentlest medicinal properties—making them ideal for apprentices looking to advance.

Besides these, there were also offensive-type pills, such as Flame Burst Pill, Ice Seal Pill, and Wood Bind Pill, which functioned similarly to talismans. These were one-time consumables that, when used, would automatically release spells of various elements. They saved the user’s own spiritual energy and activated faster than casting techniques directly.

However, such offensive pills were much harder to refine than Qi Recovery or Fasting Pills. Not only did they require more ingredients, but the refining steps were more complex. They were considered among the most difficult of first-rank pills—practically bordering on second-rank.

After careful consideration, Li Yu chose three first-rank pills as his assessment targets: Qi Recovery Pill, Fasting Pill, Vitality Protection Pill.

The Qi Recovery Pill and Fasting Pill were classics among first-rank pills. After becoming a first-rank alchemist, one was required to refine a set number of these pills each month for the sect. As for the Vitality Protection Pill, it was an upgraded version of the six-flavor Rehmannia Pill. After taking it, one could warm the kidneys, boost vitality, replenish blood, strengthen the body, and treat kidney essence deficiency.

Li Yu certainly didn’t need such a thing himself, but in exchange for a bottle of beauty pills, he had asked Junior Sister Xu to do some research. She found that the best-selling pill at the Danxin Pavilion wasn’t the Qi Recovery Pill or the Meridians-Clearing Pill—it was the Vitality Protection Pill.

In the world of cultivation, one’s body does grow stronger as their cultivation level increases. But this strength is largely external. Certain… frequently used faculties, however, still suffer depletion over time.

Moreover, some Foundation Establishment elders in the sect, with their lifespans nearing the end, would look back on their lives and realize they had spent their whole time cultivating—and never got a chance to form a core. On their deathbeds, they often wanted to experience a bit of pleasure they had never known…

By then, their bodies were already aged and depleted, long past their prime—thus, their demand for the Vitality Protection Pill was quite high.

There were also male disciples who tried to curry favor with female Foundation Establishment elders to take shortcuts. Their cultivation was low, and their physiques weren’t much better than ordinary mortals, so they needed this kind of pill frequently and in large quantities.

Once Li Yu became a first-rank alchemist, he would need to find ways to earn spirit coins to support himself and his little secretary. Naturally, he would refine whatever pills sold best.

Li Yu originally wanted to give it a try now, but he didn’t have a pill furnace suitable for refining first-rank pills, nor did he have the ingredients needed. This was the downside of having no background. Those genius alchemists in the sect all had high-level alchemists as masters—things like this were taken care of for them.

He planned to ask Wu Tong if he knew where to get the necessary herbs. That guy was well-informed; Li Yu remembered that not long after joining the sect, Wu Tong had somehow managed to acquire ingredients for a Qi Recovery Pill.

But just as Li Yu stepped into his courtyard, there was a knock at the gate.

He paused and called out, “Come in.”

The courtyard gate slowly opened, and Li Yu saw a completely unexpected person.

It was the genius girl who had been refining pills next to him during the alchemy apprentice competition a few days ago.

The two of them had ranked first and third respectively in the competition. Aside from a brief conversation during the first round, they hadn’t spoken again.

They barely knew each other—what was she doing here?

The girl smiled at him and said, “Hello, Senior Brother Li.”

Although he didn’t know what her purpose was, she was being very polite. Li Yu responded courteously, “Hello, Junior Sister Zheng. May I ask what brings you here?”

The girl gave a small smile and said, “Can’t I come visit Senior Brother Li just because I feel like it? We’re both alchemists, after all. When we have free time, we can exchange insights. I’ve always admired your talent in the Dao of Alchemy…”

She glanced at a few books placed on the stone table in the courtyard and asked, “Are you preparing to take the first-rank alchemist assessment?”

Li Yu nodded. “Yes.”

Junior Sister Zheng said, “Perfect. I’ve also been trying to refine first-tier pills recently—we can exchange some insights.”

Li Yu replied a little awkwardly, “I don’t have the spiritual herbs or ingredients needed to refine first-tier pills yet, nor do I have a cauldron. Right now, I’m still at the reading stage.”

With a light wave of her hand, a pill cauldron and a pile of spiritual herbs appeared on the stone table in front of Li Yu. She smiled and said, “Well, I do. Senior Brother Li can give it a try. If these materials aren’t enough, I can go get more…”

At that moment, Li Yu couldn’t help but envy the disciples of high-ranking alchemists.

Not only did each of them have their own storage treasure, but the resources they enjoyed weren’t something he could compare to.

An alchemist’s growth required large amounts of spiritual herbs and ingredients for practice. Without strong backing and resources, it was very difficult to nurture a high-level alchemist.

Opportunities don’t just fall from the sky—Junior Sister Zheng being so generous surely had her reasons.

She wasn’t Jiang Li, after all. She wouldn’t give Li Yu so much for nothing.

Li Yu gave a few polite refusals, then accepted them without further fuss. After all, if he wanted to take the first-rank alchemist exam, he needed a lot of practice materials. When someone hands you resources, there’s no reason not to take them.

She clearly had her own agenda, and Li Yu knew it wouldn’t be long before he figured out what exactly she was up to.