Top-level Qi Luck: Leading My Clan to Cultivate Chapter 5 - 5 - 3: First Attempt at Alchemy (Please Favorite and Recommend)_1

At the break of dawn, a beam of morning light sliced through the narrow attic window, illuminating Lin Tianming’s visage.

He awoke, rising from his bed with a leisurely stretch, the weariness accumulated over the previous half month vanishing entirely. For cultivators, maintaining equilibrium between effort and repose was essential; unrelenting isolation in cultivation could obstruct further breakthroughs in later realms.

He swung open the door and exited his family’s courtyard. The early hours on Green Bamboo Mountain buzzed with vibrancy, as family members traversed the winding mountain trails.

The rising sun resembled a blazing crimson orb, positioned near the summit of Green Bamboo Mountain. Below, an extensive field of verdant Qingling Bamboo covered more than a hundred acres, while over a hundred attics dotted the mountainside, clustering in twos and threes around Green Bamboo Peak, creating a breathtaking panorama.

With a sweep of his divine sense, a sword of green and red hues appeared in Lin Tianming’s grasp. Measuring seven feet in length and half a foot in width, it was razor-sharp, able to cleave through metal like soft earth. Known within the family as the Green Bamboo Sword, it was a low-grade spiritual artifact.

Any clan member attaining the third level of Qi Cultivation could claim a Green Bamboo Sword from the Family Merits Hall, serving both as a weapon against foes and a means of travel.

He invoked the flying sword and imprinted a spell upon it, causing the blade to expand manifold in size. Lin Tianming vaulted aboard, directing the Green Bamboo Sword toward the family’s Alchemy Hall.

Within a mere quarter hour, Lin Tianming reached an attic midway up the mountain. A grand five-story structure loomed there, its entrance adorned with a prominent sign boldly proclaiming “Alchemy Hall.”

This edifice seemed like a typical attic at first glance, yet it was fortified by multiple restrictive formations.

From his storage bag, Lin Tianming retrieved a verdant token, formed a hand seal, and chanted softly.

A streak of emerald light emanated from the token, striking the attic, and instantly, a wide opening appeared in the formation. Lin Tianming advanced, vanishing into the ether in an instant.

Navigating the Alchemy Hall, Lin Tianming moved through various alchemy chambers with practiced ease, as though a frequent visitor, until he halted before the door of the deepest room.

Inside sat an elderly man in his seventies, positioned rigidly on a meditation cushion.

The elder wore a gray Daoist robe, his hair largely silvered and a flowing goatee adorning his chin, projecting a warm and approachable demeanor.

Before the elder stood a crimson pill furnace, reaching three feet in height. The furnace, entirely scarlet with tripod legs and intricate engravings, was a second-order medium-grade Three Star Furnace.

The Three Star Furnace ranked among the second-order pill furnaces owned by the Alchemy Hall, its history stretching back over three centuries as a heirloom from an ancestral Second Order Medium Grade Alchemist of the family.

Currently the prized possession of the Alchemy Hall, the Three Star Furnace served family alchemists under the supervision of Lin Tianming’s grandfather, Lin Shigong.

Beside the furnace, upon a stone table, rested a dozen vibrant Spirit Grasses, each enveloped in spiritual energy.

This elder was precisely Lin Tianming’s grandfather, Lin Shigong, who had achieved the Great Perfection Realm of Qi Cultivation. As the ninth of the Shi generation in the Lin Family, he approached a century in age—one of just two alchemists within the clan.

The Lin Family boasted a legacy surpassing eight hundred years, with countless members. Generational markers included: Ren, Yi, Zhi, Jiu, Rong; Yu, You, Meng, Qiu, Ying; Huan, Cheng, Yi, Shi, Xing; Tian, Chang, Qing, Jing, Zheng; Qian, Ao, Jin, Ze, Cheng; originating from the founding ancestor Lin Renfeng.

Lin Tianming, from the Tian generation, stood as the sixteenth in the family lineage, placing sixth among his peers. His father, Lin Xingrong, held the eleventh position in the Xing generation.

The Lin Family encompassed 175 cultivators and more than fifty thousand mortals, dispersed across key towns within a thousand-mile radius of Green Bamboo Mountain. Family mortals wedded locals, and all offspring carried the Lin surname.

Entering the chamber, Lin Tianming offered a deep bow to the elder.

“Grandson Tianming pays his respects to Grandfather.”

Lin Shigong regarded his grandson approvingly:

“You’ve been assiduous, reaching the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement already.”

“Bear in mind, cultivation resembles rowing upstream; slacken and you’ll drift back,” Lin Shigong gestured toward the cushions before him and added, “Sit down.”

Lin Tianming eyed the five cushions and selected one at random to settle upon.

Moments later, the Alchemy Hall’s alert formation shimmered faintly.

Lin Shigong produced a token. With several spell gestures, he parted the barrier, allowing a young man and woman to enter.

The man, Lin Tianhong, aged twenty-two, had reached the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement with Three Spiritual Roots aptitude. Son to Lin Xingping, he was Tianming’s cousin and second in the Tian generation.

The woman, Lin Tianqin, twenty-one years old, likewise at the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement with Three Spiritual Roots, was the daughter of Lin Xingsu and third in the Tian generation.

In the Lin Family, those under the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement avoided craft studies, devoting themselves purely to cultivation.

At the Fourth Level, individuals could select from four crafts: alchemy, artifact refining, talisman making, or formation techniques; by the Fifth Level, contributions to the family became mandatory.

In the world of Cultivation, honing a craft demanded time and patience, yet mastery enabled rapid gathering of cultivation resources, accelerating one’s path forward.

Lin Tianhong and Lin Tianqin saluted Lin Shigong and chorused:

“Tianhong and Tianqin pay respects to Ninth Grandpa.”

Lin Shigong spoke gravely:

“Choose seats. Today marks your introduction to alchemy fundamentals. Ask freely if something puzzles you.”

Once Lin Tianming and the others were seated, Lin Shigong commenced his lecture.

Alchemy begins with a pill formula, spiritual medicines, a pill furnace, earth fire, or substitutes like Heaven and Earth Marvelous Fire. Lacking any element dooms the endeavor, and higher-grade elixirs pose exponentially greater challenges.

Besides essential materials, alchemy imposes rigorous demands on a cultivator’s divine sense.

A robust divine sense bolsters the process immensely, enabling meticulous refinement and extraction of spiritual medicine essences, and pinpointing the perfect instant for pill condensation, thus boosting success rates dramatically.

Our focus today is the simplest Fasting Pill, a staple first-order elixir. One such pill sustains a cultivator without sustenance for half a month.

The Fasting Pill substitutes for meals without enhancing cultivation. It remains indispensable for Qi Refining Cultivators in seclusion. At Foundation Establishment, one might abstain from food and drink for years on end.

Lin Tianming and his peers absorbed the teachings eagerly, posing questions intermittently, which Lin Shigong addressed with unwavering patience.

Time flew by in an hour, as Lin Tianming and his companions memorized the foundational principles, their enthusiasm for alchemy surging.

“Observe now as I concoct a batch of Fasting Pills,” Lin Shigong announced.

He positioned the Three Star Furnace over the earth fire outlet. A spell invoked, and streams of flame emerged softly, swiftly warming the chamber considerably.

“Here’s Golden Bull Grass, Fire Ganoderma, and Nine-direction Flower…” Lin Shigong rapidly introduced over a dozen first-order spiritual medicines into the Three Star Furnace, his fingers weaving incantations ceaselessly. Roughly two quarters of an hour later, he bellowed,

“Solidify…”

A potent medicinal aroma permeated the space as Lin Shigong finished.

Within the Three Star Furnace rested seven brownish pills, each eyeball-sized, exuding a potent scent, alongside some charred remnants at the base.

Lin Shigong nodded approvingly and explained,

“A single batch of ingredients might yield up to ten pills, but that’s reserved for High Order Alchemists crafting low-grade ones. Typically, forming three counts as satisfactory.”

With that, he gathered the seven Fasting Pills into his storage bag. Then, producing three portions of Fasting Pill materials, he prepared and directed,

“Tianhong, you go first.”

At the cue, Lin Tianhong appeared tense yet replied resolutely,

“Yes, Ninth Grandpa!”

Lin Tianhong inhaled deeply, circulated his energy, formed a seal with his fingers, and directed the spell toward the Alchemy Furnace. As earth fire ignited, he added over a dozen spiritual medicines in sequence, layering spells upon them.

After a quarter hour, faint pops echoed from the furnace, but no pills formed, leaving only fragmented dregs—a debut failure.

Lin Tianhong offered a bitter grin, drenched in sweat, comprehending that alchemy far exceeded his initial expectations in complexity.

“Tianqin, now you!”

Under Lin Shigong’s prompt, Lin Tianqin mobilized her energy, cast the spell on the Alchemy Furnace, and embarked on her alchemy trial.

Another quarter hour passed with akin crackles, mirroring Tianhong’s outcome in a complete failure to produce pills.

Lin Shigong remained unflustered, devoid of anger, and advised,

“Both of you purified the spiritual medicines too briefly, squandering essence and weakening the potency, which prevented pill formation. Failing on the first try is expected—it demands extensive repetition.”

Lin Tianming and the others acknowledged with nods, their faces blending comprehension and uncertainty.

Lin Shigong refrained from further comment, readying for additional trials.

“Tianming, your attempt next. Stay patient, don’t rush!”

Lin Tianming assumed a cross-legged posture on the cushion, easing his tension and drawing a steady breath to attain optimal focus.

Seals formed in his hands, he unleashed the spell, deploying his divine sense to vigilantly gauge the earth fire’s fervor. Systematically, he introduced the spiritual medicines, progressively separating their essences at the furnace’s depths.

A quarter hour elapsed; with a surge of spiritual power, sensing the crucial juncture, he instinctively cried out,

“Solidify…”

Abruptly, the medicinal fragrance wafted through.

Lifting the furnace lid revealed two irregular pills hovering centrally, accompanied by substantial residue, the pills marred by fissures and incompleteness—mere defective items.

Lin Tianming wrapped up, utterly spent, evidence of strain, but elation swelled within. For an inaugural alchemy effort, this outcome proved remarkable.

Inwardly stunned, Lin Shigong preserved a facade of serenity.

YIELDING defective products on the debut attempt marked rare talent. He recalled his own journey, needing scores of attempts to match what Lin Tianming accomplished immediately.

Lin Shigong highlighted Lin Tianming’s shortcomings and offered bolstering words.

Six material sets remained, and the trio alternated practices as the day waned imperceptibly.

In Lin Tianming’s final batch, a single pill emerged alongside two flawed fragments. Lin Tianqin yielded defective pills, whereas Lin Tianhong achieved none.

Lin Shigong stowed the Alchemy Furnace and declared solemnly,

“I entrust you three with Alchemy Insights Jade Tubes—within lie my lifetime’s wisdom fused with ancestral legacies. Study diligently and aim to grasp pill refinement swiftly.”

Following brief motivation, he dismissed the three.

Lin Tianming and his companions bowed courteously and stated,

“Thank you, Grandfather (Ninth Grandpa), for your meticulous guidance; we take our leave.”

The three exited the Alchemy Hall in unison.

Lin Tianming grinned, parting with Lin Tianhong and Lin Tianqin,

“Second Brother, Third Sister, today’s labors tire us. I shan’t delay longer. Let’s gather at my abode soon to exchange thoughts on alchemy and cultivation.”

After their assent, each exchanged farewells and went their separate ways.

Departing the Alchemy Hall, Lin Tianming summoned his Green Bamboo Sword, soaring skyward and fading into the distant skyline.