Pfft!
Gu Shengtian stared at the burnt lump inside the pot, his expression turning dark as a pungent, scorched smell filled the air.
Failure.
The sixth attempt. Another failure.
For the past six days, he had been refining Zhongmiao Pills, maintaining a steady pace of one attempt per day.
And yet—not a single success!
His best result so far was just a light red paste, which was already a step closer compared to the black sludge he had at the beginning.
But he was absolutely sure—the Zhongmiao Pill formula explicitly stated that the final product should be a deep crimson, even redder than his burning determination!
Letting out a long sigh, he picked up the pot, walked over to the creek, and poured out the charred residue.
Then, without a word, he grabbed a loofah, filled the pot with water, and started scrubbing.
His mind, however, was constantly replaying the entire refining process.
"The ingredient ratios should be correct. I used the scale precisely, down to the last fraction."
"The order of adding materials was strictly followed. Each reaction stage matched the instructions."
"Was it the heat control? Or maybe the firewood? But the formula clearly states that first-tier elixirs aren't too demanding as long as mahogany is used."
"Or… is my technique the problem?"
The repeated failures made him begin to question himself.
Did he really have the talent for alchemy?
Was his earlier success with refining Bigu Powder purely because the original body's owner had already paved the way?
Had he just inherited a well-leveled account and started the game with an unfair advantage?
A Sudden Splash
Splash!
Cold water splattered onto his face, jolting him from his thoughts.
A large carp had jumped out of the creek as it swam past, hitting the surface with a powerful plop!
Lately, there had been more fish in the stream—probably due to rising waters from the main river flooding into smaller channels.
Gu Shengtian wiped the water from his face, his mood already foul from his failures.
His eyes locked onto the fish that had dared to mock his misery.
"Fireball Technique!"
Boom!
A fireball shot forward.
A moment later, a piece of floating charcoal drifted downstream.
Watching the remains of the fish float away, Gu Shengtian sighed and looked down at the freshly cleaned pot in his hands.
"Could It Be… My Equipment?"
He suddenly had a bitter thought.
In novels and legends, alchemists always had high-quality pill furnaces—mystical artifacts, burning heavenly flames to refine pills with precision.
And what was he using?
An ordinary cast-iron pot!
A mere cooking utensil!
"Other alchemists have superior-grade pill furnaces worth ten times more than a flying sword of the same rank…"
"Even rogue cultivators value defensive artifacts over pill furnaces, yet pill furnaces are still far more expensive."
"I already spent everything just gathering ten sets of Zhongmiao Pill ingredients… Let alone affording a proper alchemy cauldron!"
But even if he could get his hands on a cheap pill furnace, it would require first-tier spiritual firewood to maintain stable heat.
And worse—he didn't have enough cultivation to sustain a steady flow of spiritual energy to control the flame manually!
The Harsh Reality of Being a Broke Alchemist
Alchemists in legends could simply wave their hands and produce a dozen perfectly round, glossy pills.
Meanwhile, he had to knead medicinal paste into balls before it cooled… despite the burning pain!
Not to mention, some elixirs had harmful side effects on the skin and body!
"It's not that I don't want to be a legendary alchemist…"
"I just can't afford to be one."
After indulging in a little self-pity, Gu Shengtian placed the pot back on the stove, took off his apron, and walked outside.
The setting sun painted the sky in warm hues.
Sitting on the doorstep, he raised his hand and slapped himself—twice.
"What the hell am I sulking for?"
"I've already invested everything into this. Even if I have to smash my head against a wall, I'll break through!"
"Tomorrow—no refining. I need to adjust my mindset first."
He understood that rushing things only led to failure.
But when you were desperate, it was hard not to be impatient.
A Night of Venting
As night fell, an uncontrollable fire burned inside his chest.
He needed an outlet.
So…
Fireball!
Fireball!
Fireball!
The poor creek suffered his frustration, and the river fish trembled in fear.
He unleashed nine full-powered fireballs, completely draining his spiritual energy.
With a newfound 9 points of spell proficiency, he finally returned to his house, sat cross-legged, and began circulating Changchun Technique to restore his energy.
One full cycle—his spiritual energy recovered by one-fifth.
A second cycle—another one-fifth restored.
And that was it.
Low-level cultivators lacked endurance. Their spiritual power was still in its early, crude form.
For someone at his level, meditating twice per night was already pushing the limit.
A Dangerous Habit
Lying down, Gu Shengtian dozed off unknowingly.
When he woke up, his spiritual energy had recovered to less than half.
That was when a realization hit him.
"What if a monster had attacked while I was sleeping?"
Using every drop of spiritual energy had been reckless. If danger had arrived, he would've been powerless to fight or escape.
"I can't do that again… No more reckless spending of spiritual power!"
Muttering to himself, he resumed meditating for one more cycle.
His spiritual power recovered by another fifth.
Then, he opened his status panel.
Status Panel:
[Name: Gu Shengtian]
[Lifespan: 27/75]
[Spiritual Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Realm: Qi Refining Stage 3 - 75/100]
[Cultivation Technique: Changchun Technique (Mastery) - 249/300]
[Spells: Cleansing (51/100), Binding Vines (176/200), Fireball (Perfect - 304/500)]
[Skills: First-Tier Alchemist - Bigu Powder (Grandmaster - 507/1000), Zhongmiao Pills (Beginner - 3/100)]
[Achievement Points: 1 (Usable for skills, spells, or cultivation techniques)]
An Unexpected Discovery
Gu Shengtian froze.
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait a minute!"
His Zhongmiao Pill proficiency had increased from 1/100 to 3/100.
But—he had never succeeded in refining even one pill!
A shocking realization hit him.
"Failure… can still increase proficiency?"