Su Wan’er spent a full two hours just to hack that massive boulder into a shape that could barely be called a pot. To call it a pot was generous; it was actually more like a crooked stone basin.

Su Wan’er moved the stone pot to the depths of the cave and stood respectfully to the side, waiting for the Senior’s next instructions.

Lai Li’an took the Silver Moon Grass from his robes. Its silver-white leaves emitted a faint, serene glow in the dim cave, like a small, plucked fragment of moonlight.

He placed the Spiritual Herb next to the stone pot, then fetched some dry firewood from outside and piled it underneath.

Su Wan’er blinked. Was he going to… start a fire?

She couldn’t help but recall the scenes of her senior brothers and sisters refining pills on her sect’s Alchemy Peak. The bronze Alchemy Cauldrons were carved with intricate array formations, earth fire surged from the bottom of the cauldrons, Spiritual Qi overflowed, and the fragrance of pills drifted through the air.

Every time a cauldron was opened, it was accompanied by various phenomena, either the sky would be filled with glowing clouds, or rolling thunder would rumble.

Yet the Senior before her was currently squatting on the ground, striking a fire with the most ordinary flint.

Clack, clack, clack.

Sparks fell onto the dry grass, slowly igniting the twigs. The orange-red flames danced, illuminating Lai Li’an’s expressionless face.

Su Wan’er’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she ultimately swallowed her words. How was the Senior concocting pills? This was clearly starting a fire to cook! However, she didn’t dare to ask and could only watch quietly.

Lai Li’an placed the Silver Moon Grass into the stone pot, fetched some clear water from the mountain stream outside the cave, and poured it in. The clear water submerged the leaves, and a silvery-white luster diffused into the water.

The fire burned stronger and stronger, and tiny bubbles began to appear in the water of the stone pot. The leaves of the Silver Moon Grass slowly unfurled in the water, and that clear, cold Spiritual Qi rose along with the water vapor, permeating the entire cave.

Su Wan’er took a deep breath. Just smelling this medicinal fragrance made the circulation of Spiritual Power in her body a bit smoother, but the confusion in her heart grew even deeper.

Could a Pill really be concocted like this? Although she had never studied the Alchemy Dao in her sect, she still knew that alchemy required an Alchemy Cauldron, Spiritual Fire, Formations, and precise Spiritual Power guidance.

This stone pot in front of her, this pile of Mortal Fire, these things… how could they possibly refine a Spiritual Herb?

However, nothing could be read from Lai Li’an’s face. He sat cross-legged in front of the stone pot, his eyes slightly closed. The flames cast dancing lights and shadows on his face, making it appear even more profound and unfathomable.

Su Wan’er quietly released a wisp of Spiritual Sense, wanting to perceive the changes inside the stone pot. The moment her Spiritual Sense probed into the water, her pupils suddenly shrank.

The Silver Moon Grass was melting. Starting from the edges of its leaves, it bit by bit turned into silver specks of light. Those specks of light suspended in the water, slowly rotating along with the churning current, like a miniature galaxy.

Su Wan’er held her breath. Although she did not understand alchemy, she could perceive just how pure the Spiritual Qi contained within those silver specks of light was.

That was not an ordinary extraction of medicinal properties, but rather the flawless stripping away of every single wisp of Moonlight Power the Silver Moon Grass had absorbed over the past century.

To achieve this, one’s control over heat had to be precise to a degree she could not even imagine.

And Senior… he did not even look. He just sat there with his eyes closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

Yet the flames beneath the stone pot seemed to be manipulated by an invisible hand, sometimes blazing, sometimes weak, adjusting perfectly in accordance with the changes in the water temperature and medicinal power.

Su Wan’er’s heart pounded wildly. She suddenly realized that she was witnessing a true session of alchemy.

It was the most ancient, purest method of alchemy that tested an alchemist’s own attainments to the utmost, using heaven and earth as the cauldron, and all creations as firewood.

The Senior wasn’t just boiling medicine; he was demonstrating the origin of the Alchemy Dao in the simplest way.

Su Wan’er’s eyes grew slightly hot. She remembered what the Senior had said before: cultivation was not about cultivating “techniques,” but cultivating the “heart.”

Those alchemists who relied on Alchemy Cauldrons and Spiritual Fires cultivated “techniques,” while the Senior cultivated the “Dao.”

Ding!

Lai Li’an’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He actually wasn’t controlling the heat at all.

He had merely thrown the Silver Moon Grass into the pot, lit the fire, and sat there spacing out. As for why the flames fluctuated in size, or why the Silver Moon Grass dissolved into specks of silver light… he had no idea either. Perhaps this Spiritual Herb was just naturally like that?

Anyway, the Scripture of the Eternal Alchemy God operated automatically. He just needed to sit here and leave the rest to the system.

However, Su Wan’er seemed to have imagined something extraordinary again. Lai Li’an calmly glanced at the prompt on the System Panel indicating an increase in Fantasy Points and nodded secretly in his heart.

Time passed bit by bit.

The water in the stone pot had turned silvery-white. The silver specks of light grew denser, beginning to slowly converge toward the center of the pot’s bottom.

The Moonlight Power was condensing. It was only one final step away from forming the “Moonlight Spiritual Elixir.”

But for this step, Mortal Fire was no longer enough. The Scripture of the Eternal Alchemy God gave a clear prompt in Lai Li’an’s mind: Moonlight Power belongs to Yin, and Mortal Fire belongs to Yang. Using Yang fire to boil Yin power could extract the medicinal efficacy, but it could not make them truly fuse.

To make those scattered silver specks condense into liquid, a stronger force was needed. Lai Li’an opened his eyes, glanced at the suspended silver specks in the stone pot, and then looked at the System Inventory.

Life-Protecting Pearl of the Great Void.

Its description was clear: It required no Spiritual Power to activate, took effect automatically upon being worn, and could withstand a full-strength strike from an Early Nascent Soul cultivator.

But the Scripture of the Eternal Alchemy God had just transmitted a piece of information to him: the core of the Life-Protecting Pearl of the Great Void was a wisp of “Qi of the Great Void”.

The Great Void represented the state before chaos was divided and before Yin and Yang were separated. This kind of power could inherently harmonize Yin and Yang, making it the exact key needed for the Moonlight Spiritual Elixir to take form.

Of course, he was only borrowing the aura of the Life-Protecting Pearl; it wouldn’t actually consume its defensive capabilities. Lai Li’an reached into his robes and took out the Life-Protecting Pearl of the Great Void.

The moment the pearl appeared, the entire cave suddenly lit up. The thumb-sized pearl displayed an indescribable luster, as if an entire universe was hidden within.

What shocked Su Wan’er was the aura emitted by the pearl. Although she didn’t understand alchemy, she understood Magic Tools.

As the personal disciple of the Heavenly Veil Sect’s Sect Leader, she had seen her fair share of Magic Tools. While she couldn’t use the High-Grade Magic Tools in the sect’s treasury, she had at least seen them with her own eyes and touched them with her own hands.

Yet, compared to the pearl before her, those Magic Tools were like fireflies before the bright moon.

Su Wan’er’s legs went slightly weak. Just what level of Magic Tool was this? A Spiritual Tool, a Magic Treasure, or a legendary… She didn’t dare to think any further.

Lai Li’an suspended the Life-Protecting Pearl of the Great Void above the stone pot. The pearl rotated gently, and a faint wisp of Qi of the Great Void fell from it, sinking into the silvery-white medicinal liquid.

In that instant, the silver specks of light in the stone pot seemed to be awakened by some force and began converging madly toward the center.

Countless specks of light collided and merged. The silvery-white glow grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire cave as if it were broad daylight.

Grumble—

Lai Li’an’s stomach suddenly growled. The sound wasn’t loud, but in the quiet cave, it was exceptionally clear.

His mouth twitched. Nearly a day and a night had passed since he had that bowl of plain noodles.

Although he was now a Golden Core Master, he still fundamentally had a mortal body that needed to eat. Not eating for a day made him truly hungry.

But right now, he was a transcendent “Senior.” A Senior could eat noodles because that was “experiencing the mortal realm.”

However, a Senior couldn’t have a stomach growling from hunger. Lai Li’an’s brain worked at lightning speed. A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked at Su Wan’er, who was sitting off to the side in a daze.

“Wan’er.”

Su Wan’er abruptly snapped back to reality. “What are Senior’s orders?”

“This Venerable needs to warm and nourish the spiritual fluid here, which will take an hour1.” Lai Li’an’s tone was flat. “During this hour, you will go do something.”

Su Wan’er immediately sat up straight: “Please instruct me, Senior.”

Lai Li’an glanced at her and slowly said, “A cultivator cannot merely cultivate Cultivation Techniques and neglect their State of Mind. Along the way, this Venerable has observed that your temperament is passable, but you have one shortcoming.”

Su Wan’er’s heart tightened: “Please guide me, Senior.”

“Your understanding of mortal affairs is too shallow.”

Su Wan’er was stunned for a moment.

“Whether it is Fasting or remaining untainted by the mortal world, these are not the goals of cultivation, but merely the process.” Lai Li’an’s voice was unhurried. “True cultivation means maintaining an undisturbed Dao Heart in any environment. You have cultivated for more than ten years but have never truly touched upon mortal matters. This is a deficiency.”

“The cultivation task this Venerable gives you is very simple. There are wild animals in the mountain forest outside the cave. Go hunt one, bring it back, and personally slaughter, clean, and roast it. From beginning to end, you are not allowed to use Spiritual Power, nor may you use Techniques. You must rely solely on your bare hands.”

Su Wan’er blinked. Hunting? Senior wanted her to go hunting?!

Her mind was a tangled mess, but the Senior spoke with complete seriousness, every word resounding powerfully.

Perhaps… her cultivation was truly too shallow to comprehend the Senior’s profound meaning?

“Yes, Senior.” Su Wan’er stood up and bowed respectfully. “This junior will go at once.”

She turned and walked out of the cave, her steps brisk, but the moment she exited the cave entrance, she paused slightly.

Wait, was Senior intentionally sending her away? Were the upcoming steps something she shouldn’t see?

Su Wan’er looked back at the gray figure sitting cross-legged deep in the cave, an indescribable emotion welling up in her heart.

That’s right, it had to be. It turned out that in Senior’s eyes, she was not yet qualified to observe the rest of the pill-refining process.

She bit her lip, withdrew her gaze, and walked quickly into the mountain forest.

Inside the cave, once Lai Li’an confirmed that Su Wan’er’s aura had faded into the distance, his entire posture instantly collapsed. He slumped onto the ground and rubbed his protesting stomach.

An hour. By the time that girl returns, it should be just the right time to eat some hot roast meat.

Lai Li’an licked his lips, sat back down cross-legged, and continued preparing to refine.