From mid-November to mid-December, over the course of more than a month, Wuzheng fired up the furnace and refined seven batches of pills.
They were seven kinds of elixirs: Inedia, Golden Splendor, Purple Qi, Heavenly Origin, Jade Dew, Ever-Spring, and Qiongyu Paste.
Wuzheng possessed decent alchemy skills, but most of the pills he refined reached only the First-Revolution level, and one batch had even turned out to be ruined dross.
Zhou Wuji followed Wuzheng throughout the process, learning the secret recipes for all seven types of pills.
By empowering his learning with the primordial profound spirit, Zhou Wuji rapidly mastered their refining methods, elevating each to the proficient realm.
Among them, the inedia pill went without saying—it could substitute for ordinary grains and purge accumulated filth and impurities from the body, making it the most commonly used pill in Daoist sects.
Golden Splendor Pills strengthened physical essence, Purple Qi Pills replenished qi, and Heavenly Origin Pills fortified the spirit; all three were supplementary pills routinely used in daily cultivation.
Jade Dew Pills were generally used to dispel toxins and cleanse filth, Ever-Spring Pills were spiritual elixirs for prolonging life, and Qiongyu Paste was meant to preserve youth and nurture vitality.
These seven elixirs covered every aspect: cultivation, detoxification, longevity, and beauty preservation.
As Wuzheng put it, as long as one mastered these seven formulas, it would be more than enough.
The red blossom honey from the gold-ring poison bees was an exceptional spiritual ingredient for pill refining.
Ever-Spring Pills, Qiongyu Paste, Purple Qi Pills, and Heavenly Origin Pills could all incorporate it.
Adding the red blossom honey also allowed two batches of the pills to reach the level of Second-Revolution Returned Elixirs, greatly enhancing their efficacy and raising their value.
Wuzheng's current skill peaked at the Second Revolution at most—which meant returning the pills to the furnace for a second smelting and refining to further elevate their medicinal and spiritual properties.
The supreme realm of alchemy was the Nine-Revolution Returned Elixir, where a pill was tempered and refined nine times to push its miraculous potency to the absolute pinnacle.
At the level of a Nine-Revolution Returned Elixir, calling it a divine pill was no exaggeration.
Generally speaking, reaching the Second-Revolution Returned Elixir level already made one an expert alchemist.
Those who achieved the Third Revolution were worthy of being called grandmasters.
With the support of the primordial profound spirit, Zhou Wuji brought all seven elixirs to the proficient level, which equated to a steady Second-Revolution Returned Elixir standard.
He was on par with Wuzheng, but far more consistent.
Yet reaching such a level in alchemy also increased the demand for the primordial profound spirit.
There were not many destiny patterns above two liang on the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, and Zhou Wuji had no intention of dedicating himself solely to alchemy for now; upgrading his alchemy skills any further held little practical value.
Mutinous soldiers in such numbers were not something one encountered every day either.
Zhou Wuji planned to head to the lower abbey in the third or fourth lunar month to undergo ordination and learn several new arts, so he could not squander these reserves of primordial profound spirit recklessly.
As the New Year approached, more devotees flocked to the temple to pray for blessings. The prominent local families in the county naturally commissioned rituals and prayers as well, making the temple suddenly bustling.
Wuzheng no longer had time for alchemy, having to rush to Siming County every day.
Conducting rituals and prayers not only brought in ceremonial fees, but also strengthened ties with the faithful and consolidated their devotion, which was vital for the temple.
Wuzheng originally wanted to bring Zhou Wuji along, but Zhou Wuji declined.
He looked down on the meager earnings from those rituals, and he had even less interest in donning ritual robes to chant scriptures and incantations.
With the New Year not yet arrived, Zhou Wuji decided to venture into the Siming Mountains to hunt monsters and amass some Primordial Profound Essence.
Wearing a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat, Zhou Wuji departed, a sight witnessed by many in the temple.
Over at the military station, Wu Di soon received word: Zhou Wuji had headed into the mountains.
Ever since Zhang Xinhu's mysterious disappearance, Wu Di had been busy skimming wealth from the Zhang family.
With Zhang Yunfeng above him, most of the spoils had to be handed over, but the remaining fraction was still enough to make him fabulously wealthy.
After all, this was the accumulation of the Zhang family over a hundred years: ten thousand mu of fertile land, ownership of several mountains, abundant mineral deposits and medicinal herbs, alongside various shops and businesses.
However, converting all of this into gold was no easy task.
Wu Di had no choice but to join forces with Zhang Huai, and together they picked the Zhang family clean, reaping a massive fortune.
He had only just freed up his time and was preparing to enjoy the New Year in comfort when Zhou Wuji surfaced again.
The Siming Mountains were simply vast. To the northeast, they connected to the Chidan Mountains, beyond which lay Chubei Commandery.
The colossal mountain range spanned a thousand li, with countless peaks and gorges.
Trying to search through such mountains for someone adept in both martial arts and Daoist magic was no different from fishing for a needle in the ocean.
Wu Di had been to Laocang Village and Canglong Temple. In his forty-odd years of life, he had not seen as many corpses as he had on those two occasions.
Especially those mutineers slain by the sword—the gashes on their bodies were so sharp and precise that a single glance left them permanently etched in his memory.
When the ambush at Red Blossom Ridge failed, he sent Jin Chuan to investigate. Jin Chuan found a massive pit and confirmed that Fang Jing was dead.
As for who killed him, that went without saying—it was undoubtedly under Zhou Wuji's blade.
Only Zhou Wuji would have appeared there. Only Zhou Wuji possessed such a swift sword.
And only Zhou Wuji would take the trouble to dig such an enormous pit so that everyone could be laid peacefully to rest.
Wu Di had only interacted with Zhou Wuji twice, but he knew how ruthless and decisive the young man was.
Now that enmity had formed between them, Zhou Wuji would surely kill him if given the chance!
Even if only for his own survival, he had to kill Zhou Wuji.
Zhang Yunfeng had also instructed him to find a way to eliminate Zhou Wuji.
Of course, Zhang Xinhu's mysterious disappearance still filled him with apprehension.
People from the Arctic Sect were not to be trifled with.
To kill Zhou Wuji, he had to use someone else's hands; he could not afford to get his own dirty.
Wu Di closed his eyes in contemplation for a while, but could not devise a foolproof way to resolve the problem of Zhou Wuji.
He summoned Jin Chuan. This trusted subordinate was young, energetic, and quick-witted; perhaps he might have an idea.
Sure enough, Jin Chuan soon came up with a scheme. He said, "Libationer Fang Boxiong of the Yin-Yang Dao has already written twice to inquire about it. His Yin-Yang Hundred Spirits Banner must have fallen into Zhou Wuji's hands.
"Regardless of the truth, that is what we will tell him. Fang Boxiong is bound to rush over looking for Zhou Wuji.
"Zhou Wuji loves showing off by subduing monsters and exorcising demons. When the time comes, we can just find a village, stage a demon disturbance, and lure Zhou Wuji right into it."
Wu Di nodded in approval. "You truly have a sharp mind, kid. This is a fine plan."
He said, "Go find Fang Boxiong and tell him to head to Baizhu Village around the New Year.
"No matter what Zhou Wuji went into the mountains for, he has to return for the temple's god-worship ceremony during the New Year."
Waiting for Zhou Wuji's return before carrying out the plan was also an option, but Fang Boxiong was a Libationer of the Yin-Yang Dao. Rumor had it that his cultivation had already reached Rank 6, making him the highest authority of the Yin-Yang Dao in Yunyang Prefecture.
Though the Yin-Yang Dao operated in the shadows, Fang Boxiong was still considered a regional powerhouse, not someone Wu Di could easily manipulate.
If Fang Boxiong refused, Wu Di would have to think of another way.
Jin Chuan agreed repeatedly, then added with a touch of excitement, "We captured a few grave robbers. It seems they stumbled upon a former cultivator's cave abode. But two of their men died on the outer perimeter, so they didn't dare go further inside."
Wu Di's eyes instantly lit up. A cultivator capable of enduring solitary cultivation deep in the mountains was at least Rank 5 or above.
Low-ranking cultivators were not qualified to carve out a cave abode, nor could they survive out in the desolate wilderness.
The cave abode of a high-ranking cultivator might contain heavenly treasures, spiritual elixirs, or dharma artifacts.
He said, "Seize more people and make sure they break into the cave abode to see what treasures are inside."
Jin Chuan assured him, "Rest easy, Platoon Commander. That entire village is made up of grave robbers. If they don't bring out the treasures from the abode this time, not a single one of those mud-legged bastards will leave alive!"
Wu Di was very pleased with Jin Chuan's attitude and encouraged him, "Keep up the good work. Once I get promoted, the platoon commander post is yours..."
Chapter 64