At dawn, a ray of sunlight pierced through the small window of the attic, shining on Rin Tianhai's face.
Opening his eyes, he stretched lazily out of bed, the fatigue of half a month dissipating without a trace. Cultivators too needed a balance of work and rest; constant seclusion in cultivation was detrimental to advancement in the later stages.
Pushing the door open, he stepped out of his family's courtyard. The morning in Green Bamboo Mountain was exceptionally lively, with clan members moving along the mountain paths.
The rising sun resembled a fiery red disc, hanging beside the peak of Green Bamboo Mountain. At the foot of the mountain, a vast expanse of Qingling Bamboo stretched for over a hundred acres. More than a hundred attics dotted the mountainside in clusters of two or three, encircling Green Bamboo Peak—a breathtaking sight.
Releasing his divine sense, a green and red flying sword materialized in Rin Tianhai's hand. Seven feet long and half a foot wide, it was sharp enough to slice through iron as if it were mud. This was the Green Bamboo Sword, a low-grade spiritual artifact.
Every clan member who reached the third level of Qi Cultivation could receive a Green Bamboo Sword from the Family Merits Hall, serving both as a weapon and as a means of travel.
With a spell, the sword instantly grew several times larger. Rin Tianhai leaped onto it, steering the Green Bamboo Sword toward the family's Alchemy Hall.
In less than a quarter of an hour, he arrived at a five-story attic on the mountainside. A large plaque hung over its entrance, flamboyantly inscribed with the words "Alchemy Hall."
Though it appeared to be an ordinary attic, several restrictive formations guarded it.
Rin Tianhai took out a green token from his storage bag, formed a hand seal, and murmured an incantation. A beam of green light shot from the token, striking the formation, and in the blink of an eye, a gap opened. Rin Tianhai stepped forward and disappeared.
Inside, he passed through several alchemy rooms with practiced familiarity before stopping at the innermost chamber.
There sat an old man in his seventies, upright on a meditation cushion.
Dressed in a gray Daoist robe, with hair mostly white and a long goat beard, the elder exuded a friendly and amiable air. In front of him stood a flaming red pill furnace, three feet tall, with three legs and intricate carvings—the Three Star Furnace, a second-order, medium-grade pill furnace.
The furnace, passed down for over three centuries, was a relic of an ancestral alchemist and now the treasure of the Alchemy Hall, overseen by Rin Tianhai's grandfather, Rin Shigong.
Next to it, on a stone table, lay a dozen colorful spirit herbs, brimming with spiritual energy.
This elder was Rin Shigong, at the Great Perfection Realm of Qi Cultivation. Ninth in seniority among the Shi generation of the Rin Family, he was nearly a hundred years old, and one of only two alchemists in the family.
The Rin Family, with over eight hundred years of history, had 175 cultivators and more than fifty thousand mortals spread across nearby towns. The mortals intermarried with locals, but all descendants bore the Rin surname.
Rin Tianhai himself was of the Tian generation, sixteenth in lineage, ranked sixth among his peers. His father, Rin Jian, belonged to the Xing generation.
Entering the room, Rin Tianhai bowed respectfully.
"Grandson Tianhai pays his respects to Grandfather."
Rin Shigong examined him with satisfaction.
"You have been diligent," he said, pointing to the cushions before him. "Take a seat."
Rin Tianhai chose one at random and sat.
Moments later, the Alchemy Hall's formation flickered. Rin Shigong used a token to open the restriction, and a man and a woman entered.
The man, Rin Tianhong, nineteen, was at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, with Three Spiritual Roots. He was the son of Rin Xingping, ranked second in the Tian generation.
The woman, Rin Tianqin, eighteen, also at the fourth level of Qi Refinement with Three Spiritual Roots, was the daughter of Rin Xingsu, ranking third in their generation.
In the Rin Family, those below the fourth level of Qi Refinement focused solely on cultivation. From the fourth level onward, they could choose to study one of four crafts: alchemy, artifact refining, talisman making, or formation techniques. By the fifth level, they were expected to contribute to the family.
Though time-consuming, proficiency in a craft could greatly aid cultivation by providing resources.
Bowing, the two greeted in unison:
"Tianhong and Tianqin pay respects to Ninth Grandpa."
"Sit," Rin Shigong instructed sternly. "Today, you will learn the concoction stage of alchemy. Ask if anything is unclear."
When the three sat properly, Rin Shigong began his lecture.
Alchemy required a pill formula, spiritual herbs, a pill furnace, and earth fire—or, ideally, a Heaven and Earth Marvelous Fire. Missing any of these rendered pill-making impossible. The higher the grade of the pill, the more difficult it was to produce.
Beyond materials, alchemy demanded strong divine sense, proper elemental alignment, and precise control. A powerful divine sense allowed cultivators to purify herbs, extract their essence, and seize the optimal moment for pill solidification, greatly improving success rates.
"Today, we will discuss the most basic Fasting Pill," Rin Shigong said. "It is a first-order pill. Consuming one sustains the body for half a month without food. While it cannot raise cultivation, it is indispensable for Qi Refining cultivators during seclusion. At the Foundation Establishment stage, cultivators can go years without food or drink."
The three disciples listened attentively, asking questions, and Rin Shigong patiently answered. Hours passed, and the basics of alchemy were firmly planted in their minds.
"Now, I will demonstrate a batch of Fasting Pills. Watch carefully."
He placed the Three Star Furnace over the Earth Fire vent. With a spell, flames burst forth, filling the room with heat.
"This is Golden Bull Grass, this is Fire Ganoderma, and this is Nine-direction Flower…" One after another, Rin Shigong tossed over a dozen first-order spirit herbs into the furnace, hands weaving incantations.
After two quarters of an hour, he shouted:
"Solidify!"
A rich fragrance filled the air. Opening the furnace, seven brown pills lay inside, each the size of an eyeball, along with black residue at the bottom.
"From one batch of ingredients, up to ten pills may be formed—but only by a high-order alchemist refining low-grade pills. For most, producing three is already considered a success."
He collected the seven pills, then brought out three more sets of ingredients.
"Tianhong, you try first."
Though nervous, Rin Tianhong obeyed. But after a quarter of an hour, cracking sounds came from the furnace, leaving only burnt residue. A failure.
"Tianqin, your turn!"
She attempted next, but with the same result.
Unbothered, Rin Shigong explained, "You two did not purify the herbs long enough, wasting their essence and weakening the medicinal strength. Failure on a first attempt is normal. Alchemy requires practice."
Finally, he turned to Rin Tianhai.
"Tianhai, it's your turn. Remember—do not rush."
Relaxing, Rin Tianhai channeled his divine sense to control the Earth Fire, carefully tossing herbs into the furnace and extracting their essence step by step.
After a quarter of an hour, he shouted:
"Solidify!"
The fragrance spread. Opening the furnace, two cracked, misshapen pills floated out—defective, but still pills.
Though exhausted, Rin Tianhai's heart brimmed with joy.
Rin Shigong was only slightly surprised as he knew Rin Tianhai spiritual root alignment which plays a big role here, so he managed to appear utterly composed. To produce defective products on the very first attempt at alchemy was quite an achievement. He remembered well that in his own time, it had taken him dozens of tries to reach the level Rin Tianhai had achieved on his first go.
He pointed out Tianhai's mistakes, encouraged him, and let them practice with the remaining ingredients.
By day's end, Tianhai had produced one proper pill and two defective ones, Tianqin managed defective pills, and Tianhong failed outright.
Rin Shigong packed away the furnace and gave them jade tubes of alchemy insights.
"Study these well. Strive to master pill-making as soon as possible."
The three bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Grandfather, for your teachings."
They left together, and after parting with Tianhong and Tianqin, Tianhai summoned his Green Bamboo Sword, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the horizon.