The next morning, well before dawn, Luo Chen was already up and out of bed.
It was foggy outside, so foggy that if you took a moment to listen, you might occasionally hear a beast roaring from inside the Million Mountains.
However, none of that was relevant to him.
Because he knew today, and the coming days, would be busy ones.
Firstly, he had to categorize and handle various herbs.
The herbs he bought from the rogue cultivators' stalls were generally processed crudely, some were even still wet.
He first placed these items in a sieve, waiting for the sun to rise so he could dry them outside.
The next task was the Jade Lotus Seed.
He had to peel them, needing only the fruit nucleus inside, the peel was definitely unnecessary.
Luo Chen sat under the oil lamp, meticulously peeling seed after seed, until his eyes started to feel dry, then he paused for a rest.
"I wonder if doing this will make my eyesight weak?"
"However I am an Immortal Cultivator now, I surely won't get shortsighted, right?"
By the time he finished with the Lotus Seeds, daylight had fully arrived.
He placed the seeds into a basin of diluted Chi Yang Chicken blood, then he took a few sieves out to dry in the sun.
Living on the outskirts of Outer City was not very safe, but there were relatively good benefits, such as a large usable area.
Ordinarily when refining Fasting Pills, one part of the process could produce an offensive odor. If this process happened in a populated area, it would probably result in complaints.
Elder Chen had been complained about more than once because of his operation at home, making talisman paper. Later, he gave a few good talismans to mangers to appease them.
Luo Chen didn't have this concern.
Jade Mountain Medicine needed to be cubed, and a portion of it should be sliced; this part was reserved for the refinement of Fasting Pills.
Luo Chen was not one to put all his eggs in one basket.
In the initial phase of the Allure Pill refinement, he foresaw many failures.
Even completely failing, losing all his investment, was a distinct possibility.
After all, his proficiency was still at a beginner's level.
Under such circumstances, the one financial opportunity he already had, could absolutely not be interrupted.
In the worst-case scenario, where he lost everything, he could at least rely on the profits from the Fasting Pills to maintain his life and rise again.
By the time he finished processing the Jade Mountain Medicine, it was already noon.
At this time, he should be having lunch!.
Feeling the hunger in his stomach, Luo Chen curled his mouth.
Everyone says Immortal Cultivators do not need to eat grain, but when you're hungry, you're still hungry!
Washing his hands, Luo Chen went into the kitchen.
He scooped a small bowl of crystal clear rice from the rice jar, without washing it, he directly poured it into a small pot.
This was Spirit Rice, ten kilos of which cost one Spirit Stone!
He didn't dare wash it, for fear of losing some Spirit Qi.
He walked over to a secret compartment next to the kitchen, pressed it, and a large hole appeared on the ground. A tiny underground storage room of about one meter squared came into view.
Inside, half a beef carcass was hanging!
A First Order Demon Cow!
This meat was expensive - you get about ten kilos for a Lower Grade Spirit Stone.
The reason Luo Chen had several hundred kilos of this meat was not because he was gluttonous, but because beef of a Demon Cow was one of the main ingredients of a Fasting Pill.
A kilo of meat, with the right amount of ginseng and other ingredients, could produce five bottles of Fasting Pills, which could be sold for a Spirit Stone!
He always tried to buy in bulk because it was cheaper. He used ice blocks to store it.
Looking at the half carcass of beef, Luo Chen swallowed his saliva.
Then, with a knife, he cut out about two kilos of meat and took out some common vegetables from the ice cellar.
After washing the meat and vegetables clean, he diced the vegetables, sliced the meat into very thin pieces, and then put everything into the small pot.
Add wood!
Start a fire!
With a two-hand spell, uttering an incantation, about two breaths later, a small fireball appeared in his hand.
Go!
With a puff.
The firewood in the stove suddenly caught fire.
"This time went smoothly. Incidents like when I just came here and the fireball exploded the stove, should never happen again!"
Luo Chen faintly smiled, looking somewhat self-satisfied.
He glanced at the system panel, his proficiency in the mastery level Fireball Technique had jumped from 268/300 to 269/300!
He had only cultivated three techniques.
The Water Type Cleaning Technique, the Wood Type Entanglement Technique, and the Fire Series Fireball Technique.
Among these three techniques, he had the highest proficiency in the Fireball Technique.
There was a reason for this.
Initially, he just found Immortal Cultivation fascinating and played with Fireballs for fun in his spare time.
He had experimented with this technique. Although it was slow and energy-consuming, its power was indeed tremendous!
Once it hit the target, it could melt metal, burn wood, and even incinerate bones to ashes.
The key was to hit the target!
Normally, it would take at least three breaths for a cultivator to cast the Fireball Technique.
Within three breaths, the enemy could have killed him a hundred and eighty times already.
It was almost the same for Luo Chen at the beginning, and every time he cast it, it would consume one-tenth of his total Spirit Power.
Only then did he realize why low-order cultivators seldom used techniques in combat.
They either used magic tools or talismans, both of which were fast, less energy-consuming, and just as powerful as techniques.
Knowing this, he lost interest in lower order spells like the Fireball Technique.
But as he refined pills every time and used the Fireball Technique to ignite the fire, his proficiency improved, and he felt that techniques were not entirely useless.
Like now, the energy consumption remained the same, one-tenth, but the speed had been reduced to within two breaths.
And this was just at the Mastery level.
What about reaching the level of Perfection in proficiency?
What about reaching the Grandmaster level in proficiency?
So, he would cast the Fireball Technique once or twice almost every time he needed it.
Every little makes a mickle!
Lost in his thoughts, the rice in the pot was almost ready.
Smelling the aroma of the rice, Luo Chen took out a chunk of pickled radish from the pickle jar.
A big bowl of stewed beef rice, full of Spirit Qi, seducing with its colorful appearance, paired with a few slices of tangy pickled radish.
Sitting under the eaves, facing the creek's cool breeze and the sun, he ate with gusto.
This was the most enjoyable moment for Luo Chen every day!
If there was no pressure to survive, no pursuit of longevity, enjoying such a meal every day would indeed be a pleasure.
Unfortunately, Luo Chen had no choice. He was a man with a system. Even in the darkest night, he was destined to shine!
...
"Damn it, this thing smells so bad!"
The man destined to shine clutched his chest, squatting beside the creek, retching constantly.
He didn't expect the Fire Dog Tail he bought from the Hundred Herbs Pavilion to smell so bad when he was processing it.
Wearing a mask, Luo Chen mustered his courage and started processing the Fire Dog Tail again.
While flipping the skin and applying special liquid, he kept telling himself.
"This thing doesn't stink, this thing doesn't stink."
"It's Spirit Stones, all Spirit Stones, it's fragrant Spirit Stones!"
After processing one Fire Dog Tail, he couldn't wait to rush to the creek side.
"Blegh!"
Processing the raw materials was laborious and time-consuming, but cannot be compromised!
It could even be said that it was more critical than the method of the refining process.
It's a simple principle. Even if you have a perfect Pill Formula, exquisite technique, and top-tier alchemy equipment, if there is a problem with the materials themselves.
The final result is destined.
Just like building a skyscraper, if there's a problem with the foundation, there's no point in discussing anything else.
After spending seven days, all kinds of raw materials have been processed to the best possible stage, whether semi-processed or deeply processed.
Luo Chen also took the time to refine a few pots of Fasting Pills, pressed them into pills, and put them away.
But he didn't plan to sell them this time.
He planned to wait until the Allure Pills were refined, then sell them together.
Next, the iron pot containing a bit of Spirit Ore would need to be cleaned and used to refine the Allure Pills.
Standing in front of the stove, Luo Chen solemnly put on an apron for himself.
Paying his respects to the darkened kitchen ceiling, he prayed, "Elder Guan of my hometown, the Supreme Elder, the local Pill Saint, bless me with success in one go!"
Let's start cooking!
Ignite!