Yang Jing consumed an Upper Grade Blood Circulation Pill that Iron Head had just refined. He circulated his Magical Power to dissolve it, and a warm surge of vital energy spread from his Dantian to his limbs and throughout his entire body.
He felt an incredible sense of invigoration.
The Upper Grade Blood Circulation Pill was perfectly formed and flawless, its medicinal effects completely integrated. It could raise the upper limit of one's vital energy, making its effects countless times better than the Middle Grade pill he had taken from Li Jixun.
Yang Jing drew his Iron Sword, a weapon he had taken from those Tribulation Cultivators. A small amount of Iron Essence had been added during its forging, making it what mortals would consider a divine weapon. In the Marketplace, however, it would only fetch two Spirit Crystals.
With a flick of his wrist, Yang Jing began to practice the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Swordsmanship. This sword technique emphasized using one's own heart to sense the flow of celestial phenomena and the cycle of the Five Elements, in order to comprehend their True Meaning.
He had been a Spirit Farmer for over four years, constantly cultivating three acres of Spirit Rice. As a result, his understanding of the twenty-four solar terms far surpassed that of an ordinary cultivator, allowing him to progress incredibly fast with this sword technique.
The Iron Sword danced and weaved, letting out a series of sharp whistles. A layer of frost condensed on the blade, exuding a chilling aura. As he executed the Sword Mantra, Yang Jing could feel the cool Five Talisman Scripture Water Magical Power transform into Water Element Spiritual Charm, nourishing his body.
He practiced the five stances—Cold Dew, Frost Descent, Winter Begins, Little Snow, and Great Snow—in a single breath before he felt his strength give out. He slid the Iron Sword back into its sheath.
His vital energy surged through his body like a tidal wave.
In the aftermath of his sword practice, the surrounding weeds were coated in a layer of frost, and a cold mist swirled in the air.
Iron Head cautiously opened its mouth, stuck out its tiny tongue, and licked the frost from a blade of grass. It was instantly frozen into a shiver and leaped into the air, all the fur on its body standing on end.
Yang Jing grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up. He chanted a spell to summon clean water and washed the Profound Gold Tripod, then took out the Demon Flesh.
The slab of Demon Flesh looked like ordinary meat, but it was incredibly hard, like a block of stone. Ordinary iron could barely cut it.
Yang Jing drew his Treasure Sword, infused it with Magical Power, and sliced off two catties from the whole piece of Demon Flesh. He then cut the meat into neat, thin slices.
He lit the Silver Silk Charcoal, heated the Profound Gold Tripod, and placed the thinly sliced, well-marbled meat on the bottom of the tripod.
The way Demons cultivated was different from human cultivators. They absorbed the Muddy Qi and Evil Qi from deep within the earth, refining it into Demon Power. Because of this, their flesh often retained residual Demon Power and Muddy Qi. Eating it directly would require several days of conditioning one's body to expel the foul energies.
The best way to remove the Demon Power and Muddy Qi was to roast it with Spiritual Fire. It was a shame Yang Jing didn't have any skewers laced with Iron Essence, or he could have just grilled it directly.
While the meat was cooking, Yang Jing took a piece of Spirit Salt and ground it into a fine powder. He continuously flipped the Demon Beast Flesh in the Profound Crystal Tripod.
The Demon Beast Flesh was extremely tough. Yang Jing had to cook it for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before it was thoroughly done.
He eagerly extinguished the Spiritual Fire, then used chopsticks to pick up a piece, dip it in the saucer of salt, and place it in his mouth. A rich, meaty juice immediately exploded on his tongue. The texture was deep and satisfying, becoming more flavorful the more he chewed.
Iron Head, with its food bowl in its mouth, was running around Yang Jing in an anxious circle. Its tail spun like a propeller, and it kept jumping up to get a look at the roasted meat in the Profound Gold Tripod.
Yang Jing picked up a piece of meat, dipped it in Spirit Salt, and placed it in Iron Head's bowl. Iron Head immediately gobbled it down in one gulp, not even having the time to taste it.
It stared blankly for a moment, looking a little dazed.
The man and his dog ate all two catties of the roasted meat, leaving them feeling almost uncomfortably stuffed. Because it was so rich in vital energy, Demon Flesh was much more filling than ordinary meat.
The next day, Iron Head successfully completed two batches of Blood Circulation Pills. The pill formation rate was about the same as yesterday, yielding fourteen Blood Circulation Pills. It then attempted three batches of Water Cloud Pills, producing ten Formed Pills.
[Mica Refining Technique: Proficient (61%)]
Its biggest obstacle in alchemy was the difficulty of forming hand seals for the spells in the Mica Pill Book with its paws.
A total of fifteen Independent Cultivators lived in San Yuanli. They held a small gathering once a month to exchange cultivation insights and trade for needed items.
Every autumn, the Demon Country would organize a grand army of Demons to attack the Six Passes Defense Line. Although the main army would be held back beyond the defense line, a considerable number of Demons would still manage to sneak into the Chen Kingdom.
During this time, the Six Great Sects would conscript cultivators from the Marketplaces to station in the towns and counties of the Chen Kingdom to fend off the demon scourge. The conscription would often group cultivators from the same village into a single Wu to defend a county town, so relationships within a village were generally quite close.
Cultivators in the Early Stage Qi Cultivation were given three chances to be exempt from the autumn defense. Yang Jing had already used all of his, so this year's duty was unavoidable.
He planned to go to the gathering this time to exchange some information and make a tentative attempt at selling a few Blood Circulation Pills and Water Cloud Pills.
Yang Jing chose not to continue working in a vacuum. In the Cultivation Realm, being cut off from information was fatal; disaster could strike one day without any warning.
Although he had some understanding of the general situation on the Western Continent from his time "gaming the Nine Heavens," he lacked many details. Moreover, now that there were no player factions, the grand course of events would likely not follow its original trajectory.
The Independent Cultivators living in San Yuanli were generally somewhat well-off, so selling Spirit Pills would not be a problem.
The small gathering was held in a bamboo forest within San Yuanli. Although the bamboo here was not a type of Spirit Plant, the rich Spiritual Qi in the area made the bamboo shoots exceptionally delicious.
Yang Jing first dug up a dozen bamboo shoots and placed them in his Storage Bag before walking toward the meeting place.
It was a clearing in the bamboo forest where a stone pavilion had been built. A clear stream flowed right past the pavilion. Many people were already seated inside, talking around a stove.
An old Daoist in a yellow robe, who had a sagely, otherworldly air about him, saw Yang Jing and immediately welcomed him warmly into the pavilion. This was San Yuanli's Village Chief, Li Yuanqing. He was over sixty years old and his cultivation had reached the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, making him one of the few high-level cultivators in San Yuanli. He just wasn't very skilled at Magical Combat and was amicable to everyone.
The further one progressed in the Qi Cultivation realm, the more difficult it became to advance one's cultivation. For an Independent Cultivator to reach the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer by the age of sixty was truly remarkable.
After all, without guidance, it was quite common for Independent Cultivators to be stuck at a single bottleneck for three or four years.
Also present were the two brothers, Zhang Long and Zhang Hu, as well as Wang Da, who excelled at cultivating Spirit Plants, and the taciturn Lin Guitian, who specialized in growing Spirit Rice.
Seated in the innermost spot was a Kun Dao. She wore a goose-yellow Daoist Robe and appeared to be about twenty years old, with skin as white as snow and features as if from a painting. Yang Jing only knew her surname was Song and her given name was Min. She had a cold and aloof personality and rarely interacted with the others in San Yuanli.
Other people lived in San Yuanli, but they hadn't come to this small gathering.
"Little Brother Yang, you've finally come! You've missed the last two monthly gatherings, haven't you?"
Li Yuanqing poured Yang Jing a cup of Spirit Tea. This Spirit Tea was a variety that Wang Da had transplanted from the Cai Kingdom, and it could dissolve the restless energy within one's Magical Power.
Yang Jing took a sip and immediately felt a coolness spread through his body, his pores opening wide.
"I realized that if I just kept growing Spirit Rice, I'd probably never see any hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in my life. So, I've been focused on studying Alchemy. I practiced for half a year with a second-hand Pill Furnace and recently steeled my heart and bought a new one from the Treasure Trove Pavilion."
The moment his words fell, everyone present turned to look at him. No matter where one went, Alchemists held a high status, and this was especially true among Independent Cultivators.
"Ah, Little Brother Yang, as the saying goes, a man can change greatly in a short time. I never thought San Yuanli would produce an Alchemist."
Li Yuanqing was a shrewd man. He knew that since Yang Jing had brought up the topic of Alchemy himself, he must have achieved some success.
Yang Jing shook his head humbly.
"You praise me too much. I was just lucky enough to refine a few Spirit Pills. I'm still a long way from breaking even."
As he spoke, he took out two Pill Bottles from his robes.
"These are the Blood Circulation Pills I just refined. Three Lower Grade pills and seven Middle Grade pills. The other bottle contains Water Cloud Pills, but I only managed to make five Lower Grade pills."