Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

Li Ji’an was seeing Liu Jiuqian’s spirit pet for the first time.

The Red Refining Viper immediately transformed into a giant snake five zhang in length, as thick as a barrel, upon emerging from the Spirit Pet Bag.

Its red and black scales vibrated rapidly, producing a chilling sound of metal scraping against metal.

Gugu, from Li Ji’an’s Spirit Pet Bag, shivered instantly.

Snake-type spirit beasts are natural enemies of frog-type spirit beasts, due to bloodline suppression.

”Alchemist Li, please have a seat!” Liu Xuanting waved his hand, bringing out two Grandmaster’s Chairs and a tea table, and proceeded to pour some rare near-Tier Three Spirit Tea for Li Ji’an.

Liu Jiuqian went with a group to hunt the demon beast, while Liu Xuanting invited Li Ji’an to wait here.

In this scorching land stretching for miles, radiant heat waves filled the view. Li Ji’an and Liu Xuanting sat calmly drinking tea, in stark contrast to those risking their lives hunting the demon beast in the distance.

”Alchemist Li, this Red Blood Dragon Mound is not only sharp-nosed and cunning but also possesses the talent of limb regeneration and origin transfer, making it not an easy catch; we might have to wait for a while,” Liu Xuanting said cordially.

After refining the medicinal guide with Li Ji’an, he had come to appreciate Li Ji’an’s alchemy skills, which surpassed those of Alchemist Xu in his own family.

Most importantly, Li Ji’an was just over fifty years old, holding great promise for future achievements.

Now that he had become an Honored Guest Elder of the Biyun Sect, if he gained the favor of the Supreme Elder, there might be hope for reaching Core Formation.

At that time, if he becomes a Tier Three Pill Master, he would truly be among the small elite group at the pinnacle of Cangyun State.

Li Ji’an nodded, took a sip of tea, and drank it all.

On the way here, Liu Jiuqian, overjoyed by the unexpectedly high-grade Upper Grade Dissolution Blood Pill, explained the matter in detail to him.

Liu Jiuqian mentioned that the Red Blood Dragon Mound was a rare mutant demon beast recorded in the beast taming inheritance obtained by his ancestor from some ruins, known for refining Origin Essence Blood.

Beast Origin Essence Blood could be used to refine Sacred Beast Pills, enhancing the bloodline of spirit beasts.

The Earth Grade bloodline of this Red Blood Dragon Mound’s corresponding Sacred Beast Pill could theoretically elevate a spirit beast with an Upper Grade bloodline by half a grade. Liu Jiuqian’s Red Refining Viper already had an Upper Grade bloodline of the higher rank, and swallowing a Sacred Beast Pill would have a significant chance of promoting it to an Earth Grade bloodline.

There is a high possibility for a spirit beast with an Earth Grade bloodline to condense a demon pill.

For lower-tier bloodline spirit beasts like Gugu, the bloodline enhancement effect of the Sacred Beast Pill is even greater, guaranteeing at least one grade improvement.

However, generally, no one would do so; lower-tier bloodline spirit beasts were only fit as tools or cannon fodder and not worth the heart power to cultivate.

Boom~

Half a day later, a fierce sound of magical combat came from afar.

At the same time, a strong shockwave was felt from beneath the earth.

”Found it!” Liu Xuanting’s eyes sparkled as he instinctively flew up, gazing into the distance.

Taking this opportunity, Li Ji’an released Gugu.

With its nearly transparent body, it slowly burrowed underground, stealthily heading toward the fierce battle.

Gugu’s concealment ability and its mutated soul shield divine ability made it undetectable even within thirty feet by Fake Pill True Man, making any incident unlikely.

Moments later, a shared vision between Li Ji’an and Gugu revealed the magical battle in progress ahead.

They saw a super worm, comparable in size to Liu Jiuqian’s Red Refining Viper, frantically twisting as it was trapped by several Spirit Trapping Talismans and a rope-like fine Magical Artifact.

Countless dense golden rings on its body emitted a power suppression comparable to Foundation Establishment Late Period.

The ground around erupted with flying stones and dust, instantly creating a deep pit several zhang deep.

Above the pit, dozens of members of the Liu Family were killed or injured upon confronting the beast for the first time.

However, only the Liu Family’s servants, who dressed completely differently from Liu Jiuqian and others, were killed.

Liu Jiuqian and two other elders of the family evaded the first strike before they began deploying their techniques.

The two Foundation Establishment Late Great Cultivators of the family, along with Liu Jiuqian in the Early Period of Foundation Establishment, plus their respective Second Tier spirit pets, were collectively a formidable force of six against one.

Yet, despite being restrained, the Red Blood Dragon Mound still managed to resist, continuously emitting a faint yellowish aura from its crimson golden rings, endlessly imbuing its body with vitality.

”Bang!” Until all spiritual energy was confined within ten zhang of the deep pit, the crimson golden rings on the Red Blood Dragon Mound started to dim, reducing the supply of the corresponding faint yellowish aura.

”Sizzle~” Liu Jiuqian’s Tier Two Middle Stage Red Chain Snake suddenly released a cloud of thick, noxious green poison mist.

Ssss~

Under the cover of the poison mist, the Red Blood Dragon Mound finally succumbed, its body being severed by a slash of blade light from the Liu Family’s Third Elder.

However, at the moment of severance, the half of its body tied by the rope Magical Artifact quickly withered and dried, while the other half was instantly enveloped in light and started regenerating wildly.

In a breath’s time, its body was restored as before.

Having lost the rope Magical Artifact’s restraint, it attempted a rapid escape.

But it collided with the Restriction Array and was caught by another spirit beast.

...

Thus, after nine cycles of severance and regeneration, the Red Blood Dragon Mound was finally slain.

Liu Jiuqian promptly dissected its body, retrieving a jade bottle of Origin Essence Blood, imbued with a faint yellowish glow, from its core.

”Success!” Liu Xuanting received the message and was overjoyed, taking out a Pill Furnace as he looked at Li Ji’an: ”Alchemist Li, the task is yours!”

Li Ji’an nodded, also taking out his Pill Furnace.

Liu Xuanting activated a temporary Second Tier Gathering Spirit Array and threw in nearly a thousand Spirit Stones to supply it with energy.

The next moment, Liu Jiuqian approached with the jade bottle, face full of excitement.

”Uncle, Alchemist Li, it’s all up to you!”

Thereafter, the Liu Family members guarded the outside of the Gathering Spirit Array, while the two inside began the process of alchemy.

Li Ji’an leisurely took out the thirty-plus types of Tier Two spirit medicines that had been prepared for him, while keeping his attention on Liu Xuanting.

He watched intently as Liu Xuanting poured an unknown liquid into the Pill Furnace, followed by several kinds of suspected beast bone powders, then, with a determined effort, poured in seven types of beast blood, and finally added the Red Blood Dragon Mound’s Origin Essence.

This made Li Ji’an feel slightly unsettled. While he could judge the characteristics and smells of spirit medicines, those beast blood ingredients were beyond his comprehension.

Thus, his aspiration to personally refine a Sacred Beast Pill for Gugu seemed difficult to achieve.

And the Liu Family’s beast taming inheritance might not be attainable even in the next life.

All he could do was shake his head silently.

Only after Liu Xuanting had brewed for nearly half an hour did Li Ji’an begin refining the spirit medicine essence.

The number of spirit medicines needed for this Sacred Beast Pill was substantial, and it was not until the following noon that Li Ji’an finished extracting all the essence.

By this time, Liu Xuanting was also nearing completion.

As time ticked by, Liu Jiuqian grew increasingly anxious, until she saw that Li Ji’an had finished, her anticipation reached its peak.

She even secretly transmitted a message to Li Ji’an: ”Fellow Daoist Li, if we can obtain a Middle Grade Sacred Beast Pill this time, I will owe you a tremendous favor.”

Li Ji’an smiled slightly: ”Li will certainly do his best.”

However, he had already made up his mind to determine the outcome based on the spirit medicine essence refined by Liu Xuanting.

If only less than seventy percent of the medicine’s effectiveness remained, Li Ji’an would not hesitate to control the Refined Pill quality to Lower Grade.

After all, the ultimate scapegoat would definitely be Liu Xuanting, since his alchemy skills were already acknowledged by them.

In this way, it could be seen as the fruition of past sowed malicious acts, not affecting his reward this time; it was a win-win situation.

Having lived through six lifetimes, Li Ji’an’s heart nature had long progressed from ego to self and then through super-ego, ultimately returning naturally to ego.

With the ultimate goal of becoming an Immortal of Ten Thousand Worlds, external affairs were increasingly unlikely to perturb his heart nature.

Especially those so-called enmities were merely a matter of cause and effect to him.

If a cause was sown, then an effect would mature in due course, completing the cycle of cause and effect.

Another half-hour later, Liu Xuanting finally completed the brewing of beast blood, looking exhaustedly at Li Ji’an.

Li Ji’an nodded, using magical power to open the Pill Furnace.

Subsequently, the shimmering golden beast blood essence flowed into Li Ji’an’s Pill Furnace.

With a quick sensing, he found that only less than 70% of the beast blood essence had been refined.

Li Ji’an smiled lightly, slowly controlling the Pill Fire to begin solidifying the pill.

”Alert, enemy attack!”

But just as he was about to control the pill’s quality to Lower Grade, a Liu Family Elder outside the array suddenly roared.

Soon after, several figures were driven out by that Elder’s spirit beast from dozens of miles away.

”Hahaha, I’m here to take the pill, who dares to stop me?” A loud and rough laughter instantly echoed across the sky.