Chapter 130: Gathering Herbs and Refining Pills — Fragrance Spreads from a Mistake

Two months passed in the blink of an eye as Yu Xian flew across the land.

During that time, he passed several markets and cultivation zones belonging to scattered Foundation cultivators. He avoided conflicts wherever possible, steering clear of trouble and disputes.

Thanks to this low-profile approach, he completed the hundred-thousand-mile journey without incident.

Over these months, he also made some progress in his Longevity Wood Spring Technique.

His Qi Sea had expanded by three more inches, the small elm tree within it had grown taller by half an inch, and the Foundation Platform had become more solid and refined.

As for his Body Cultivation Technique, he was still stuck at the Condensing Qi Body stage. Advancing further seemed a distant dream—reaching even the Small Qi Body stage could take who knew how many years.

Then, one day while riding his Cloud Heron, Yu Xian saw a large city in the distance, even from far away.

The city was quite sizeable, brimming with spiritual energy—it was clearly the location of the ancient ruins marked on the map!

“…So this isn’t some unknown hidden realm at all.”

It was more like a place that everyone knew about.

But after some thought, it made sense.

The ruins had likely been discovered long ago, and either had a fixed or irregular opening schedule. Only when the entrance activated could cultivators enter to seek opportunities.

It was just like the Ascension Island in many ways.

Yu Xian wondered if the place would also be as brutal—like a Gu ritual, forcing cultivators to kill one another for survival.

Suppressing these thoughts, he signaled the Cloud Heron to descend. It let out a soft cry and landed smoothly.

His next step was clear—stay low-key while approaching the city. Afterward, he could slowly investigate details about the ruins:

What was inside?
How many had died in past years?
What treasures had people obtained?
Were there any known dangers?

Only after collecting that intel would he decide whether or not to enter.

Of course, he figured that not just anyone could enter the ruins—if it were that easy, it would’ve been stripped clean long ago.

After all, the cultivation world wasn’t short on desperate or fearless people who dared to fight for fortune.

Yu Xian had no illusions about being uniquely bold—plenty of people were just as daring.

He dismissed the heron into its beast pouch and masked his cultivation, suppressing it to the Qi Condensation stage. Unless someone was also a Foundation cultivator, they’d struggle to see through his disguise.

He made a mental note to later study a better concealment technique—after all, appearing weak was a valid strategic advantage.

As he walked toward the city—about fifty miles away—he noticed a growing number of cultivators gathering near it.

Their cultivation levels ranged from Qi Condensation to Foundation, and perhaps even some Core Formation cultivators, though Yu Xian couldn’t discern their power.

Naturally, the opening of the ruins had drawn people from all over, each hoping to seize a stroke of luck.

After all, luck won’t find you while you’re cultivating at home.

With his aura concealed, Yu Xian blended into the crowd, heading toward the city’s gates.

The city, while not massive, had a vibrant atmosphere. It was clearly more lively than a typical market town, full of shops, stalls, and hawkers.

From the looks of it, this place had become a permanent gathering point thanks to the recurring appearance of the ruins.

And clearly, not everyone could enter—there had to be some sort of entry condition.

Over the years, the crowd had naturally formed a semi-permanent marketplace here.

He wondered who actually owned or ruled this city, and what their cultivation level was.

Stalls lined the streets—selling all kinds of things. Judging by the casual expressions of the crowd, the ruins hadn’t opened yet.

With roughly seven days until the entrance activated, Yu Xian decided to go treasure hunting through the vendor stalls.

While he wasn’t skilled with most things, he had a keen eye for medicinal herbs.

So he ignored everything else and focused on buying herbs only.

He needed to refine some pills before the ruins opened:

Pills for himself
High-grade pills for the Cloud Heron to help it break through
Bone tempering pills, and more

The city seemed to allow street vendors freely, and as long as they didn’t block traffic, no one stopped them. From the looks of it, there were thousands of stalls extending to the end of the street.

Yu Xian browsed carefully, picking out third-tier auxiliary herbs. If they were cheap and he recognized value, he’d grab them.

If he needed something but couldn’t find a bargain, he still negotiated for a fair price.

To refine fourth-tier pills, you needed fourth-tier main herbs—and sometimes even beast cores as auxiliary materials.

But since Yu Xian wasn’t yet ready to ingest high-grade alchemical treasures, he skipped buying beast cores for now.

After spending over twenty thousand spirit stones, he gathered all the necessary auxiliary herbs.

As for the main herbs, he had already purchased six different types during his visit to the Golden Scale Pavilion, each in batches.

Now that he had everything—including bamboo charcoal from nearby stores—he was ready to begin pill refining.

What he lacked was a quiet space to work.

Markets were not like sects—they didn’t provide pill refining rooms for disciples.

So Yu Xian went to a large inn, paid the highest rate for a secluded premium room, and calmly told the staff that he was entering closed cultivation and was not to be disturbed.

Normally, innkeepers wouldn’t interfere in such situations unless they were intentionally stirring up trouble.

Thus, this setup was the best he could manage under the circumstances.

As for going into the wilds?

That was actually more dangerous and more easily interrupted—he had no interest in taking that risk.

Inside his room, Yu Xian moved the table aside and flicked his wrist.

A pill furnace flew out and gently landed before him.

It was the Tier-3 Lian Grass Furnace.

Using a third-tier furnace to refine fourth-tier pills would obviously be a bit strenuous, but it wasn’t impossible.

Yu Xian had prepared enough materials for five batches of each pill—and mentally prepared to fail at least four times.

As for failing every batch?

Impossible. Absolutely not.

He had enough confidence to know he’d succeed at least once.

He formed a hand seal and began regulating his breath. After one incense stick’s time, his mind was calm and free of distraction.

Then, with a wave of his hand, a pile of bamboo charcoal flew into the furnace, and he began to heat it up.

This was his first time refining fourth-tier pills.

Despite his extensive theoretical knowledge and countless rehearsals in his mind, now that he was actually starting, a hint of nervousness still surfaced.

But that nervousness was the good kind—the kind that transformed into excitement.

It was the thrill of rising to the challenge with full confidence!

“First time or not… I will succeed!”

As the furnace heated, the room grew noticeably warmer. Yu Xian’s gaze remained calm. With a flick of his wrist—

Over thirty auxiliary herbs flew into the air, each one activated with spiritual energy, releasing its medicinal essence in an instant.

The speed was dazzling—flashes of green and gold—and the control flawless.

Had Xiao Wusheng witnessed this, he would’ve gasped in astonishment.

For someone who had just entered the Foundation Realm, Yu Xian’s mastery of spiritual energy channeling and herbal activation was already close to that of a peak Foundation cultivator.

To activate over thirty herbs simultaneously without the slightest error—

It wasn’t just technique, it was art.

The activated herbs fell into the furnace one by one.

Yu Xian adjusted the heat with focused attention. Soon, wisps of medicinal fragrance began to rise from the furnace.

Yu Xian sniffed… and then his expression changed.

“Crap…”

He had overlooked something very important—

He had no way to suppress the scent!

He had no formations or tools to isolate airflow—only a powerful formation could block the spread of air and odor.

But clearly, Yu Xian had none.

And now that the furnace was active and the scent had begun to spread, unless he abandoned the entire batch, there was no stopping it.

But there was no way he was giving up!

He buried his anxiety and focused on maintaining control.

Pill refining could not be rushed. The process required exact timing.

Unless he reached the level of a master alchemist, capable of modifying formulas and speeding up the process at will, he had no choice but to follow the classical method.

Too fast, and the pill would fail.

Too slow, and it would ruin the essence.

The fragrance quickly began to permeate the inn.

It spread to the neighboring rooms, then the rooms beyond… until finally, it filled the entire building.

In that moment, everyone inside the inn—

Those quietly cultivating, waiting for the ancient ruins to open, drinking in the lounge, or simply sitting in silence—

All turned their heads, looking toward the source of the overwhelming medicinal aroma.