Hao Ren watched Yun Zhenting leave the cave.
His mouth twitched.
Had this Yun family patriarch, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, misunderstood something again? His hurried, trembling demeanor was too strange!
Forget it!
Hao Ren shook his head. He couldn't be bothered with Yun Zhenting, this "deluded genius." Heaven knows what kind of awe-inspiring "great master" Hao Ren's image had been "imagined" to be in Yun Zhenting's mind.
Hao Ren's gaze fell upon the Crimson Refining Cauldron and the ancient pill recipes outside the cave.
Gaga, such good things!
Hao Ren was excited, but he still maintained enough restraint and didn't immediately rush out to snatch the treasures. Hao Ren woke up the system and used the "Search Nearby People" function.
[Ding! Within a thousand-meter radius, no cultivators were found!]
Upon hearing this, Hao Ren finally felt at ease. He strode out of the cave and picked up the Crimson Refining Cauldron and the ancient pill recipes.
[Magic Treasure Name: Crimson Refining Cauldron]
[Grade: Ninth-grade Magical Artifact]
[Detailed Introduction: This magical artifact has a mysterious origin, refined by a super powerful cultivator. It can greatly improve the success rate of pill refinement. Each pill refinement requires the consumption of ten ordinary low-grade spirit stones. (Special Note: This magical artifact contains a huge secret. Unlocking the secret requires the consumption of 1000 Fire Spirit Stones.)]
Hao Ren frowned.
The item was good, but it wasn't of much help to him.
Firstly, Hao Ren was not an alchemist. He didn't know how to refine pills. The "Crimson Refining Cauldron's" main function was to improve the success rate of pill refinement, which was not his specialty.
Secondly, the "Crimson Refining Cauldron" consumed too much. Each use required ten low-grade spirit stones. Who could afford that? If he had spirit stones, Hao Ren would rather invest them in the "Small Five Elements Formation."
However, Hao Ren was very interested in the special note at the end of the system.
A great secret was hidden within the "Crimson Refining Cauldron"!
This secret required 1000 Fire Spirit Stones to unlock!
Tsk tsk...
Ordinary spirit stones were attribute-less, containing impure spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
Spirit stones with attributes contained relatively pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth. For example, Fire Spirit Stones mainly contained fire-attribute spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
Spirit stones with attributes were much more expensive than ordinary spirit stones.
1000 Fire Spirit Stones were worth at least 10,000 low-grade spirit stones.
Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, where could he find them?
Hao Ren sighed and could only place the "Crimson Refining Cauldron" in a corner to gather dust.
Three ancient pill recipes.
The first one, "Ancient Qi Gathering Pill Recipe."
"Ancient Qi Gathering Pill Recipe," as the name suggested, was a recipe for refining the "Qi Gathering Pill."
The "Qi Gathering Pill" was the most commonly used auxiliary cultivation pill in the cultivation world.
Novice alchemists often started their practice with the "Qi Gathering Pill."
First, the "Qi Gathering Pill" was simple to refine, making it suitable for beginners.
Second, the "Qi Gathering Pill Recipe" was widely circulated, making it easy to obtain a generic "Qi Gathering Pill Recipe."
The "Ancient Qi Gathering Pill Recipe" that Yun Zhenting gave Hao Ren was, of course, not the common goods circulating in the market, but a true ancient recipe.
The wisdom of ancient cultivators was extraordinary. The biggest difference between this "Ancient Qi Gathering Pill Recipe" and ordinary "Qi Gathering Pill Recipes" lay in the refining materials.
Ordinary "Qi Gathering Pill Recipes" required several spirit herbs to refine the "Qi Gathering Pill."
However, the "Ancient Qi Gathering Pill Recipe" did not require spirit herbs. It could refine the "Qi Gathering Pill" using only ordinary medicinal materials like ginseng and reishi mushrooms.
It was precisely with this "core competency" that the Yun family ancestor stood out from countless rogue cultivators and successfully established a cultivation family.
Being able to refine the "Qi Gathering Pill" without spirit herbs was indeed amazing!
Hao Ren was tempted!
He wanted to try if he could develop in the direction of an "alchemist."
Protagonists in cultivation novels typically had alchemy, artifact refining, spear skills, and a harem as standard equipment. Hao Ren felt he should keep up with the times!
The next second, Hao Ren was dumbfounded. He discovered a serious problem.
He had no refining materials!
Yes, the "Ancient Qi Gathering Pill Recipe" did not require spirit herbs, but it did need ordinary medicinal materials like ginseng, reishi mushrooms, angelica, and pseudo-ginseng... none of which could be omitted.
Hao Ren looked around the cave. Apart from a few "monkey urine mushrooms" at the cave entrance, there wasn't a single plant.
A clever cook cannot cook without ingredients!
Without medicinal materials, no matter how capable Hao Ren was, he couldn't refine any pills.
What to do?
Maybe give up!
Hao Ren thought dejectedly, when suddenly, a system notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Friendly system reminder: Host can walk out of the cave and meet more cultivators. As long as their favorability reaches two stars, cultivators will proactively send gifts to the host, including but not limited to various medicinal materials!]
Hao Ren's eyes lit up.
What a great idea... not!
System, you're trying to trick me into going down the mountain again!
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Going down the mountain, I will never go down the mountain in this lifetime!
As a "covert cultivator," I have principles. How can I go down the mountain just to find medicinal materials?
Ridiculous!
What is the purpose of refining pills?
To enhance strength!
What is the purpose of enhancing strength?
To live well and avoid danger!
Asking me to risk danger to go down the mountain to find medicinal materials now, isn't that putting the cart before the horse!
Hao Ren's "logical loop" was very clear and bright, leaving no room for exploitation.
As a "covert cultivator," he would absolutely not leave the cave to adventure in the outside world!
System.
[Ding! Ding ding ding... Beep... Beep beep...]
It seemed very excited. It changed from "ding ding" to "beep beep." Was it learning a foreign language?
Dismissing the system's "suggestion," Hao Ren casually put the "Ancient Qi Gathering Pill Recipe" aside. He then took out the other two ancient recipes.
The second one, "Longevity Pill Recipe"!
The third one, "Youthful Appearance Pill Recipe"!
The "Longevity Pill Recipe" could be used to refine the "Longevity Pill." Cultivators who took the "Longevity Pill" could extend their lifespan.
The "Youthful Appearance Pill Recipe" could be used to refine the "Youthful Appearance Pill." Cultivators who took the "Youthful Appearance Pill" could maintain their youth forever.
These two pill recipes were not simple. They required various rare spirit herbs, and the refining difficulty was very high, not something Hao Ren could dabble in at the moment.
Alas!
Put them away, put them away!
Hao Ren sighed and put these two recipes away as well. It seemed his dream of becoming an "alchemist" was destined to be shattered.
At this moment, a familiar "ji ji" chirping sound echoed from outside the cave.
The monkey was here!
Hao Ren's heart stirred. He quickly went to the cave entrance and saw the monkey standing outside the cave, peeking in and looking around.
Seeing the monkey's appearance, Hao Ren's hands itched uncontrollably. Since he was in a bad mood, why not beat up the monkey to vent his frustration?
As for the reason, it was too easy.
Hao Ren planned to scold the monkey as soon as he went out.
"Monkey, what are you looking at?"
The monkey would definitely not be convinced. This guy would 100% glare at Hao Ren.
What are you looking at!
"Try glaring at me again?"
The monkey would definitely still be unconvinced. It would definitely glare at Hao Ren again.
Let's try!
At this moment, all the conditions were met. Hao Ren could openly charge up and beat up the monkey!
With this thought, Hao Ren chuckled.
I'm such a clever little genius!