Juqi Dan, the introductory elixir for all alchemists, primarily serves to restore spiritual energy to oneself, with its effectiveness depending on the elixir's quality.
Of course, this is also an ordinary first-grade elixir.
The rules of the immortal cultivation world dictate that anyone who can refine a first-grade elixir, even a low-grade one, can be called a first-grade alchemist.
By extension, the highest level for alchemists is ninth-grade.
The medicinal ingredients for such elixirs are precious, and their finished effects are astonishing and awe-inspiring.
Elixirs of seventh-grade and above have a chance to attract lightning tribulations.
In short, in the immortal cultivation world, alchemists hold a much higher status than ordinary cultivators, and alchemy is always the most prosperous profession.
As for our Boss Xue, she had an overly simplistic view of alchemy before she began. Having a recipe doesn't automatically mean one can refine elixirs.
Throughout the night, dense smoke billowed from the entire courtyard.
Every time materials were added, she fumbled. The fusion of these medicinal ingredients, coupled with the heat of the flames, often resulted in strange reactions.
Regardless, the alchemy furnace kept making popping sounds all night. Fortunately, it was sturdy enough not to sustain any damage, no matter how many explosions occurred.
The only thing damaged was Boss Xue's confidence.
After six hours, not a single elixir was successfully refined, and Boss Xue's mentality shattered. She almost burst into tears.
Chu Yang once again played the role of a warm and caring big brother, offering comfort and patient guidance.
Although Chu Yang had never refined elixirs himself, he possessed the [Eye of Insight], which allowed him to clearly see the problems.
"At this temperature, add the Star Spirit Grass!"
Xue Qianwei's eyes were bloodshot. The moment she received the instruction, she immediately put several Star Spirit Grasses into the furnace.
"Increase the heat!"
"Be careful not to exceed the temperature you used for preheating."
"Now! Add the spirit stones!"
"..."
As Chu Yang's familiar instructions were called out one by one, Xue Qianwei operated like a soulless alchemy machine, working frantically.
After waiting for nearly ten minutes, Chu Yang's eyes gleamed, and he shouted, "Extinguish the fire!"
This time, Xue Qianwei seized the opportune moment, reaching out and absorbing the flames within the furnace back into her own body.
Chu Yang also breathed a sigh of relief, saying with a smile, "Alright, open the furnace."
Xue Qianwei was filled with joy. Although her entire face was smudged with soot and her hair was messy, she still looked quite pretty when she smiled.
This time, even before opening the furnace, she knew the elixir must have succeeded!
Wiping away tears that might have been from exhaustion or smoke inhalation, she opened the alchemy furnace.
A faint medicinal aroma drifted out from the furnace. Three pure white elixirs lay quietly within.
Judging by their color, if not top-grade, they were at least mid-grade.
They had started refining Juqi Dan at eight in the evening and finally succeeded at three in the morning.
"Hahaha! It worked! I'm the ancestor of alchemy!"
She clutched the three Juqi Dans to her chest, her expression akin to a woman holding her newborn child.
Accompanying Boss Xue in alchemy, Chu Yang wasn't physically tired, but his heart was a little weary.
"Congratulations, Boss Xue, on successfully advancing to a first-grade alchemist! This is a joyous occasion, and your future is promising. The task of alchemy mentor is now yours! Keep up the good work. We have plenty of medicinal ingredients, so refine to your heart's content. I'm going to the plaza to take a look!"
Xue Qianwei blinked in surprise and suddenly felt a bit insecure.
"You're not going to teach me anymore?"
"I can't possibly guide you in refining every single elixir, can I? Only when you can achieve over 70% refining success rate on your own without me nagging beside you, can you truly say you've mastered the refining method for that elixir."
Boss Xue scratched her head. While that was true, if she couldn't refine anything without Chu Yang's guidance, wouldn't that be very embarrassing?
But upon further thought, not daring to refine it herself seemed even more embarrassing.
"You can go! I've comprehended it all, you're no longer needed!"
Chu Yang: "???"
Boss Xue rolled up her sleeves and plunged headfirst into the world of alchemy. She was truly determined to make this her career.
Chu Yang naturally didn't linger, leaving Boss Xue alone to continue her decisive battle with the alchemy furnace and medicinal ingredients.
As for what he had told Xue Qianwei earlier, it wasn't just empty platitudes.
A danpu was a compilation of danfangs, much rarer than cultivation techniques.
Since Xue Qianwei had cultivated the "Blazing Heart Danpu," it certainly couldn't be wasted on her alone. Let her learn it first, then select some apprentices and teach them gradually. Wouldn't that cultivate a large batch of alchemists?
Of course, although she didn't have to participate in battles at the brink of life and death like Li Qingyun and the others, alchemy wasn't an easy task. If Chu Yang hadn't been there to comfort and guide her tonight, she might have suffered a breakdown of her Dao heart.
This depended on Boss Xue's perseverance.
When Chu Yang returned to the plaza, the previously noisy audience quieted down, their voices dropping by a significant notch.
This made Chu Yang feel a bit awkward.
It seemed everyone had some misconceptions about him, viewing him as a fierce and cold-blooded individual.
He looked at the large screen displaying the live broadcast of the [Demon Spirit Realm] trial: "There are only two days left for the trial. I hope you put some pressure on yourselves and show me the limits of you geniuses..."
For the trial-goers in the [Demon Spirit Realm], time seemed to pass like years, but in reality, the fifth day had already flown by.
Up to this point, 203 trial-goers had died.
This number was slightly lower than he had anticipated. This was also thanks to individuals like Li Qingyun, who had cleared out the surrounding demonic beasts in the first two days, forcing the lower-level beasts to flee deeper into the forest.
Initially, Luo Xiaowei and Qin Xiaoxiao were the ones Chu Yang worried about the most. However, Luo Xiaowei's unexpected bravery greatly comforted Chu Yang.
And because of Luo Xiaowei, Qin Xiaoxiao had also grown considerably.
Every battle was a life-or-death struggle.
If she didn't want to be a burden to Luo Xiaowei, she had to learn how to utilize her strength. After several days of trials, she had begun to learn how to use her Ice Phoenix Sacred Body.
When she unleashed her full power, her output even surpassed Luo Xiaowei's.
At this moment, Qin Xiaoxiao was using cloth strips to bandage Luo Xiaowei's wound.
Earlier today, when fighting a third-tier Ice Leopard, Luo Xiaowei was accidentally bitten, leaving a gruesome wound on his thigh.
Watching Qin Xiaoxiao diligently tending to his wound, Luo Xiaowei said with a slightly dimmed gaze, "I didn't expect that in the later stages, I would be the one becoming the burden."
Qin Xiaoxiao paused, pursed her lips, and said, "It was clearly coming for me, why did you have to block it for me?"
"Ah... uh... coincidence! I was planning to sneak attack it at that moment, but I didn't expect to directly transfer the hostility to you. A miscalculation, a miscalculation..."
Qin Xiaoxiao pouted; she didn't believe him at all!
Luo Xiaowei sighed and continued, "You can now deal with some second-tier demonic beasts on your own. My leg won't be able to move for a while, and I'm afraid I'll be a burden. Why don't you go on your own from now on..."
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Xiaoxiao looked up, her eyes flashing with ferocity, and said, "Shut up! You can't beat me anymore, so I make all the decisions now!"
Just then, rustling sounds from the surrounding bushes alerted them, and both became vigilant!