Cultivation Chat Group Chapter 3: One Pill Recipe

The sun was high in the sky, marking the exact hour of noon.

Because his roommates were aware that Song Shuhang was still struggling with his cold, they had proactively requested an additional day of sick leave so he could focus on his recovery.

“Is my condition actually getting worse? Perhaps my lack of exercise lately has caused my physical health to deteriorate,” Shuhang mused to himself.

A bowl of century egg porridge sat next to him, brought back by his roommates during their lunch break.

“They really are great guys!” Song Shuhang thought, immediately placing them deep within his 'friend zone'.

Having slept for an indefinite amount of time, he was so famished that his stomach felt like it was touching his spine. He quickly finished off the porridge before turning his computer back on.

Following his usual routine, he opened his chat software and noticed a red notification dot next to the ‘Nine Provinces (1) Group’.

Driven by curiosity, Song Shuhang clicked on the tab to see what the Xianxia-obsessed chuunibyous had been discussing throughout the night.

The conversation logs from the early morning hours unfurled before him.

He saw North River’s Loose Practitioner asking about the ‘newcomer’, the reckless antics of Mad Saber Three Waves, and mentions of an intriguing senior from Spiritual Butterfly Island. There was also a message from Mt. Yellow’s True Monarch, who claimed his divination indicated their meeting was a fated encounter.

As he scrolled through the messages, Shuhang began to form mental images of these eccentric personalities.

“So I was just added by mistake. I knew I didn't actually know this Mt. Yellow’s True Monarch.”

Based on the logs, it appeared the group wasn't open to just anyone; entry required a recommendation from an existing member.

Furthermore, this group of enthusiasts didn't seem young at all. One member even mentioned having a daughter.

Judging by the way he spoke, the daughter wasn't a child anymore. A quick calculation suggested the man might be in his late forties or fifties. To be that old and still so deep in a chuuni phase—his daughter must have a difficult time.

Continuing to skim the chat, Song Shuhang stayed in lurking mode, choosing to remain completely silent.

Watching these people act out their fantasies was entertaining, but he didn't want to join in. After all, he wasn't the type to play along with such nonsense.

His strategy was simple: stay hidden, read the logs, and enjoy a few daily laughs.

He told himself that if the group ever became dull, he would simply leave the Nine Provinces (1) Group.

That was his initial intention.

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Ten days passed by in the blink of an eye.

It was now June 1st, a Saturday and Children’s Day.

Shuhang’s roommates were mostly local students who stayed in the dorms during the week and returned home for the weekends. Consequently, when Saturday arrived, he was the only one left in the quiet dormitory.

While his fever had broken, Song Shuhang was still dealing with a lingering cough and a congested nose. Cold-related coughs were always the most stubborn; if neglected, they could persist for months.

Taking advantage of the holiday, Shuhang slept in until 8 AM. After waking, he headed to the canteen for a light, bland breakfast.

With no other plans, he headed back to his room.

Once his computer was on, checking the Nine Provinces (1) Group logs had become a reflexive habit. It was now his primary source of entertainment.

He realized he had already been a member for ten full days.

During his time lurking, he observed the members discussing which secret realms to raid and the treasures they expected to find. They also traded stories about sightings of evil ghosts or demons, debating whether to subjugate or execute them.

They spoke with such conviction that Shuhang thought if he took these logs, edited them slightly, and published them as a Xianxia novel, he could probably earn a decent amount in royalties.

Over the last ten days, he had become familiar with several key figures.

There was the elusive founder, Mt. Yellow’s True Monarch.

Then there were the two moderators who had yet to make an appearance: Daluo Sect’s Rainmoon True Monarch and Seven Path’s Respected Sage.

The regulars included the 'info-broker' North River’s Loose Practitioner, the suicidal Mad Saber Three Waves, Su Clan’s Ah Qi—who was always ready for a fight—and Medicine Master, a man of extremely few words.

There was also the perpetual lurker, Roaming Cloud Monk Tong Xuan, who only sent emojis. Rumor had it the monk was practicing silent meditation and couldn't speak or type, leaving him limited to icons.

Finally, there was Soft Feather of Spirit Butterfly Island, who seemed to be the only one who spoke normally. Her account number was nearly identical to Shuhang’s; it was only by piggybacking on her luck that he had ended up in the group.

He had gathered most of this information when North River’s Loose Practitioner gave Soft Feather an enthusiastic introduction to the various members.

......

Today, the first thing Shuhang saw upon opening the chat was a post from Medicine Master.

The usually silent Medicine Master had written: “Improved a foundation pill formula.”

Counting the punctuation, that was six whole words! Since joining, Shuhang had never seen Medicine Master post anything that long, so he kept reading.

The message had been sent in the early hours of the morning.

“Simplified Pill Recipe for Body Tempering Liquid: Ginseng 3 liang, Goji Berries 4 liang 3 qian; Morning Dew Mysterious Grass; Rising Sun Stone 3 liang, Maiden’s Fragrance 1 liang 3 qian... Fresh Overlord Branch 1 liang, Nine-Yang Scarlet Flame Bamboo (thinly sliced) 4 liang...”

The list continued with forty-five different ingredients. Some were common, like Ginseng and Goji Berries, but others were obscure, like Rising Sun Stone, or completely fictional-sounding, like Morning Dew Mysterious Grass and Nine-Yang Scarlet Flame Bamboo.

“Follow the ratios and add to the pill furnace one by one. Simmer for five minutes before adding the next herb. Repeat the process. Monitor the fire temperature closely! The liquid will eventually thicken into a paste. The finished Body Tempering Liquid should be translucent black with a pungent aroma.”

The instructions were surprisingly straightforward.

Shuhang didn't recognize many of the forty-plus items, so he searched for them online out of curiosity.

About thirty of the ingredients were standard Chinese herbs used for tonifying Qi and blood.

However, fifteen of them—like the Scarlet Flame Bamboo and Overlord Branch—yielded no results. Was this ‘Medicine Master’ just making things up?

“These guys are so lost in their roleplay that they’re inventing medical formulas now! Surely nobody is actually going to cook this and eat it?” Shuhang wondered.

He felt a twinge of concern. You can eat whatever food you want, but you shouldn't mess around with unregulated medicine.

Could eating this stuff be fatal? Should he warn them? Even though it was a group of strangers, he had been watching them for ten days.

If someone actually died from self-medicating with a fake recipe, he would feel a sense of guilt.

As he scrolled further down the chat, he was shocked to see that someone had already tried it!

It was Soft Feather of Spiritual Butterfly Island—the most sane-sounding member—who had replied around 2 AM.

Spiritual Butterfly Island’s Soft Feather: “This version uses far fewer rare ingredients than the traditional recipe, and the steps are much simpler. Medicine Master, what is the ideal fire temperature? My first attempt failed halfway through. Also, how much weaker is this compared to the original?”

“Effect 2:1,” Medicine Master replied.

The potency was halved, which made sense given the cheaper ingredients. However, being able to create Body Tempering Liquid with common materials was still a massive gain.

“You must master the temperature and timing through practice; it cannot be taught through words,” Medicine Master sent, providing another unusually long explanation. He only seemed talkative when discussing pill concoction. “If your fire control techniques are lacking, I suggest using a specialized treasure.”

“Understood, senior. I’ll try again,” Soft Feather replied with a smiley face before going quiet.

Her last message was at 2:30 AM. If she had been brewing since then, she probably had several batches finished by now.

Could this kill her? These people were already eccentric; if they poisoned themselves, they’d go from silly to brain-damaged. There might be no coming back from that!

His conscience won out. He began typing into the chat box: “Medicine shouldn't be taken randomly!”

Just as he was about to hit 'Enter' to send his very first message, the chat window buzzed.

A large emoji appeared from a moderator who had been absent until now—Seven Path’s Respected Sage.

Seven Path’s Respected Sage: “This recipe is excellent. I just tested it by running seven furnaces at once, and every single one was a success. The reliability is impressive. I’ve sampled the result; the potency is slightly over half of the standard Body Tempering Liquid. However, the production cost is only a tenth of the original.”

“The Body Tempering Liquid is a basic pill, but in this era where worldly Qi is fading and rare herbs are scarce, this is a significant breakthrough. Medicine Master, keep up the good work. If you can simplify a level three recipe or higher, your contribution to the Cultivation world will be monumental.”

“One more thing: the difficulty is so low that even medicinal students could probably brew this.”

Seven Path’s Respected Sage was a highly respected elder in the group, possessing even higher status and strength than Mt. Yellow’s True Monarch. He was the undisputed expert on pill concoction, so his endorsement was a huge honor for a junior like Medicine Master.

“I will continue to work hard, thank you senior!” Medicine Master replied instantly, clearly excited.

Song Shuhang’s jaw dropped. Someone had actually brewed it and *eaten* it already?