Chapter 4: Comprehending Alchemy Experience_1

```

Returning to his small courtyard as evening fell, he had dinner and then headed early to his room.

He took out the alchemy experience left by his grandfather and studied it earnestly.

Lin Shigong was a First Order Superior Grade Alchemist, capable of concocting most First Order elixirs, and was the best alchemist in the Lin Family.

Due to his inability to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he had always been unable to concoct Second Order Pills.

Besides him, the Lin Family also had a First Order Medium Grade Alchemist, Lin Tianming's clan uncle Lin Xingyuan, ranked fifth among the Xing generation, at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, and one of the most talented among his generation in the family.

Alchemists are highly respected in the Cultivation World, regardless of whether they are low order cultivators, high order cultivators, or even the high order Demon Beast Race, all rely on elixirs for assistance.

For hundreds of thousands of years in the Cultivation World, not only has the number of demons and humans increased, but it has become increasingly difficult for high order cultivators to break through their stages; the biggest reason being the scarcity of Spiritual Medicine resources.

It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, during the ancient times, the number of high order cultivators in both human and demon races was several times more than now.

During that period, there was an abundance of Spiritual Medicine and objects, and resources for cultivation were plentiful; the four great skills of pill concoction, weapon forging, formation, and talisman making reached unprecedented heights.

After hundreds of thousands of years of continuous mining and extraction, the scarcity of Spiritual Medicine and objects has led to the loss of many ancient pill recipes and the extinction of their concoction methods.

Alchemists can fully utilize the utmost effects of Spiritual Medicine, refining and condensing its essence into pills, which not only doesn't waste the Spiritual Medicine but also diminishes its side effects.

Therefore, elixirs have always been an in-demand resource in the Cultivation World.

First and Second Order elixirs are manageable, available for sale in various markets, but Third and Fourth Order elixirs are much more rare, generally hard to come by unless one attends large markets or auctions.

And with high order alchemists being just as scarce, it's clear to see why alchemists are in such demand.

Cultivating an alchemist requires a large number of resources; every alchemist is a product forged through a mountain of various Spiritual Medicines.

The other three major skills are equally difficult to cultivate, and the cost is something Loose Cultivators can hardly afford.

In the eight hundred years of the Lin Family, First Order Alchemists have never been in short supply, and only two Second Order Alchemists have ever emerged—one Second Order Junior Alchemist and one Second Order Medium Grade Alchemist.

The main reason is that the Lin Family's financial resources are limited; with a large number of clan members to support, they cannot afford the materials needed by alchemists, which also leads to the difficulty of the Lin Family in producing high order cultivators.

The Lin Family's income mainly comes from the First Order Artifact Refining material Qingling Bamboo from Green Bamboo Mountain. Every year they sell a batch of Qingling Bamboo Spirit Material, and the family also earns some Spirit Stones by forging a portion into Spiritual Artifacts.

The Lin Family itself has several First Order Artifact Refiners, and even a Second Order Artifact Refiner. The Qingling Sword is made by the Lin Family—part is used by ourselves, most are sold to other Loose Cultivators through market shops.

As for alchemy, the Lin Family can only prioritize the needs of Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators; Second Order elixirs, needed by Foundation Establishment Cultivators, can only be purchased in various markets.

Due to the restrictions in the pill aspect, the Lin Family has made the resolve to cultivate their own Second Order Alchemists.

Lin Tianming, Lin Tianhong, and Lin Tianqin all have Spiritual Roots suitable for alchemy and are young with great potential, thus they are the primary targets for intensive training.

He took out the alchemy experience left by his grandfather and pondered over it with full concentration.

Fasting Pills, Lingshen Pills, Huadu Pills, Huiyuan Pills, Xisui Pills, Pozhang Pills...

Huadu Pills, First Order Medium Grade Elixirs, can neutralize most First Order Demon Beast toxins but have limited effects on the toxins of some ancient demons with exceptional talents, only able to suppress the spread of the toxins temporarily and unable to completely cure them.

Although it can't neutralize all toxins, it can suppress the majority, making it one of the must-have pills for human cultivators.

Huiyuan Pills, First Order Medium Grade Elixirs, are effective in rapidly restoring spiritual power; a single pill can replenish nearly half of one's spiritual power in a brief moment.

Huiyuan Pills and Huadu Pills are both consumable elixirs, essential in combat for cultivators and can save one's life at critical moments.

Xisui Pills, First Order Superior Grade Elixirs, have the effect of cleansing the marrow and expanding meridians, thereby strengthening the cultivator's physical body, accelerating the absorption of spiritual energy, and expanding the capacity of one's Qi Sea and Dantian by ten percent, which is immensely heaven-defying.

```

Cultivators engaged in a duel of spells, and having even a slight increase in Spiritual Energy meant an extra layer of protection. Often, the outcome of such battles hinged on the competition of who had the most profound Spiritual Energy reserves. The Xisui Pill is one of the elixirs within the First Order Spiritual Medicine with a relatively higher degree of difficulty to concoct.

The Pozhang Pill, a First Order Superior Grade elixir, contains a large amount of Spiritual Energy. After consumption, it can break through the bottleneck of the Qi Refining Realm. It is expensive, with each Pozhang Pill selling for hundreds of Spirit Stones. Each sale is quickly snapped up, the Pozhang Pill and the Xisui Pill are among the most popular elixirs for Qi Training Cultivators.

Only one can be taken, and taking more is ineffective.

The Alchemy Experience documents detailed information on over twenty different types of elixirs and pill formulas that are widely known in the Cultivation World, along with an introduction to hundreds of types of Spiritual Medicine.

To his surprise, there was even an introduction to the Foundation Establishment Pill!

The Foundation Establishment Pill, a Second Order elixir, aids cultivators in the Qi Refinement Realm to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, increasing the chances of successful Foundation Establishment by fifty percent. It is one of the spiritual objects for Foundation Establishment.

The Foundation Establishment Pill is exactly what the Lin Family lacks the most.

The scarcity of the Foundation Establishment Pill is due to its main ingredient, the White Jade Grass that's five hundred years old, which is extremely difficult to cultivate, not easy to transplant, and has a very low survival rate.

It must satisfy the five hundred years of medicinal age before it can be used for alchemy. It's relatively easier to survive from seed cultivation, but the cultivation time is too long, making it possible only for great cultivation sects and families with thousands of years of heritage to grow them.

Wild White Jade Grass is extremely rare, as the vast majority have already been discovered and harvested by cultivators, and it probably only appears in lands inhabited by the Demon Race.

The reason why the Lin Family has only two Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators is because of the exorbitant price of the Foundation Establishment Pill, which sells for tens of thousands of Spirit Stones per pill. Only a small amount of Foundation Establishment Pills appears at auctions, where major clans and powers bid against each other fiercely—it's a seller's market with no availability at any price.

A single Foundation Establishment Pill requires the Lin Family to accumulate wealth for several decades, hence it is the lifeline of small families, and major powers would not readily let Foundation Establishment Pills flow to the outside.

After reviewing the various pill formulas and elixirs, he delved into the study of the Alchemy Experience.

Because his father Lin Xingrong was frequently traveling between the family and Luoyun Market, rarely reuniting with the family, he followed his grandfather Lin Shigong from an early age, helping to sort Spiritual Medicine and organize pill formula materials.

Under such influence, he became fascinated with the art of Alchemy from a young age and demonstrated a talent for it, earning his grandfather's deep affection. His grandfather, feeling his own age, had long wanted to pass on all his skills to his grandson and have him carry on the legacy.

Today, after concocting three batches of ingredients, he managed to produce only one Fasting Pill—with flaws. Lin Tianming couldn't help but feel, alchemy was indeed not easy.

With his grandfather's verbal guidance and personal instruction, Lin Tianming's understanding of the path of Alchemy had risen to a new level. What he needed now was diligent practice and relentless experimentation.

Tomorrow, he would go to the Family Merits Hall to see if he could get an Alchemy Furnace and a few kinds of Spiritual Medicine. To perform Alchemy, in addition to Spiritual Medicine and the Pill Furnace, one must also use Earth Fire.

Before reaching Core Formation, a cultivator's Mana is not pure enough, and the flames they generate do not reach high enough temperatures. They must rely on Earth Fire for both Alchemy and Artifact Refining. Once in the Core Formation Stage, they can use their own Golden Core Fire for both processes, which is far more effective than Earth Fire.

Beneath the Lin Family Clan Grounds flows a vein of Earth Fire that has existed for a long time, present since the establishment of the clan.

After great effort by the founding ancestor, who set up formations and opened up five rooms for both the Alchemy Room and the Artifact Refining room, the use of Earth Fire for Alchemy and Artifact Refining has generated quite a wealth for the Lin Family over more than eight hundred years.

The Lin Family has also developed over the past eight hundred years, leveraging the Golden Core Stage cultivation of the founding ancestor Lin Renfeng to quickly stabilize their footing on Green Bamboo Mountain.

The Lin Family has grown from just over ten members in the early days to one hundred seventy-five Cultivators and hundreds of thousands of non-cultivators to date.

After the passing of the old ancestor, the family went through several internal struggles and was nearly brought to ruin.

Surviving hardships through the protective treasures left behind by the old ancestor, the Lin Family members became more united, gradually regaining their strength in recent years.

After comprehending his grandfather's Alchemy Experience, Lin Tianming made significant progress, and with diligent practice, he believed that he could master Alchemy on his own before long.

This is the advantage of a family, having an elder who teaches without reservation, greatly reducing the potential for mistakes, as one would barely understand the most basic processes if left to fumble through on their own.

After contemplating for three hours, Lin Tianming put away the Jade Tube and lay back on his bed.

Late at night, the Qingfeng Bamboo outside his window rustled in the wind, and a fatigued Lin Tianming fell into a deep sleep.