Cultivating Immortality Starts with Planting Techniques

Lifting the completed Wood Origin Pill, Li Ye took in the fresh herbal scent. He immediately felt his inner spiritual power stir and become more lively, greatly boosting his spirits. 

"If I hadn't gotten a little impatient during the condensation phase and overheated the flame, I might've gotten more than just one high-grade pill…" 

Reflecting on his recent gains and losses, Li Ye stared at the pale green pill with a bit of hesitation. 

Taking it now would most likely allow him to break through his current bottleneck and reach the fifth level of Qi Refining! 

But after thinking it over, he clenched his teeth and held back. 

Based on his understanding of the Wood Origin Pill formula, he believed that if he added a purer, gentler wood-type spiritual essence like Emerald Bud Essence during the refining process, it could serve to harmonize and balance the pill's properties. 

That might push the fusion of medicinal energies to an even higher level, further reducing impurities and potential side effects. 

Only pills refined under those conditions would truly maximize their benefits for someone like him! 

He sat cross-legged and meditated, recovering his spiritual power and focus, while mentally revisiting every step of the previous refinement. 

Then Li Ye fired up the furnace once again! 

He repeated the same preparation steps, feeding the various herbs into the cauldron and carefully refining them into liquid or powder using precise flame control. 

At this stage, everything proceeded just like before. 

But once he began the next phase fusing the herbal extracts Li Ye's expression shifted. He summoned four strands of Emerald Bud Essence and added them into the furnace. 

Each strand didn't contain much power on its own, but after some calculations, Li Ye concluded that four strands would hit the sweet spot. 

It wouldn't upset the pill's energy balance, and it should still serve its intended purpose. 

Even if it failed, he could adjust the amount in future attempts. 

The moment the Emerald Bud Essence was added, the furnace was instantly filled with pure wood-type spiritual energy. The previously unstable and slightly chaotic fusion of extracts underwent a rapid transformation. 

Like a catalyst, the Essence accelerated the fusion process. The impurities faded quickly, and the medicinal liquid became visibly more refined shifting into a deep greenish-purple. 

Li Ye watched closely, committing every detail to memory. He followed the process and added the Jadeheart Grass. 

This time, as the Jadeheart's essence slowly merged into the liquid and turned it a pure purple-green, Li Ye could feel an unprecedented sense of smoothness. 

The fusion was so seamless that there was no need for additional refining what had once been a risky process now completed swiftly and effortlessly! 

As a result, the required precision in flame control also lessened. Drawing from his past failures, Li Ye smoothly split the liquid and formed the pills. 

Time to collect! 

Ten pills shot out of the furnace. Two turned black, four were slightly dull in color, but the final four glowed faintly with a clear, almost crystalline sheen… 

As they settled into the container their glow dimmed 

Just as Li Ye was starting to feel pleased by this surprisingly high success rate, he suddenly noticed something one of the pills stood out. 

It was exceptionally clear, almost like a gemstone, with faint, intricate patterns etched across its surface. 

"A spirit pattern?!" 

He froze for a moment. He had refined a pill with a natural spirit pattern. 

This was no small feat only when the medicinal energies fully integrate, with absolutely no impurity or imbalance, could such a phenomenon occur. 

A pill with a spirit pattern often possessed greater potency than others of the same kind and had no pill toxins or negative side effects making it virtually perfect. 

The number of spirit patterns on a pill typically indicated how much more powerful it was. 

This Wood Origin Pill in Li Ye's hand had a single spirit pattern, meaning its effectiveness would be around 10% higher than standard pills of its kind. 

Was the effect of the Emerald Bud Essence really that incredible?! 

If it worked for the Wood Origin Pill, then maybe it could be applied to other pills as well so long as their attributes aligned with wood-type energy… 

Maybe it could even be used in refining weapons, crafting talismans, or creating Gu worms! 

Li Ye's breathing grew heavy. 

Even a Tier 2 Alchemist might not be able to achieve this when refining Tier 1 pills yet he had done it effortlessly. 

If not for the fact that he was still a low-level cultivator with very limited pill formulas, he could probably pass himself off as a high-level alchemist and be welcomed by countless powerful factions as an honored guest! 

"Hahahahaha…" 

Low laughter suddenly echoed through the alchemy room, growing louder and more unrestrained, until it turned into full-blown laughter filled with sheer joy. 

So this was the true potential of his golden finger and it matched him perfectly! 

As the laughter gradually faded… 

Calming himself down from the rush of excitement, Li Ye carefully stored away the pills except for the one with the spirit pattern. 

After tidying up the alchemy room, he returned to his secluded training chamber. 

He gave the crystal-clear, jade-like pill one last look then swallowed it without hesitation. 

The pill entered his stomach. 

At first, only a gentle stream of wood-type energy spread through him. But as he circulated his spiritual power and began refining the pill. 

A powerful surge of pure medicinal energy erupted, rushing through his body. 

He could barely keep up with the influx! 

Li Ye's face flushed red. It felt like he'd been hit with a massive dose of energy. Wasting no time, he fully focused and poured all his attention into refining the overwhelming power surging within him. 

.... 

"Whew..." 

With a sudden breath, Li Ye opened his eyes, a faint green light flashing within. Even the long exhale he let out was filled with a refreshing herbal fragrance. 

Sensing the newly strengthened spiritual power coursing through his body, his face lit up with excitement. 

"I've finally reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining!" 

His predecessor had exhausted every means struggling, fighting only to die without ever crossing this threshold. 

But he had done it! 

Still, after the excitement faded, Li Ye's expression turned a bit odd. 

"But with my inferior dual spiritual roots of earth and wood… this is kind of ridiculous." 

A single Wood Origin Pill with a spirit pattern, its medicinal energy pure and free from toxins, and even more powerful than usual 

Even Qi Refining sixth-layer cultivators might use it to break into the seventh layer with decent odds. 

And yet, in his hands, it had only barely helped him overcome the bottleneck to the fifth layer! 

Such difficulty… 

If not for his "golden finger" being so resource-oriented, Li Ye might've truly felt a bit hopeless. 

In the market district - Hundred Treasures Pavilion. 

Refreshed and in high spirits, a faint smile on his face, Li Ye stepped confidently into the grand hall. 

A busy attendant, upon spotting him, immediately signaled others to handle the current guests and hurried over to greet him warmly. 

"Honored guest, it's been a while! Care to head upstairs for some tea?" 

"I've got some items to sell. Let's go upstairs." 

Li Ye replied with a casual smile, already making his way toward the staircase as if walking his own home. 

The attendant quickly followed and led him into a familiar private room, serving fragrant tea and snacks. 

A few moments later, Yue Quan entered with a bright grin. 

"Fellow Daoist Li seems to be in a good mood today. As the saying goes 'A joyful heart brings a radiant spirit.' I'm guessing you bring good news for our humble shop?" 

"You could say that..." 

Li Ye chuckled and pulled two jade bottles from his storage pouch, placing them on the table with a clear clink. 

"And these would be…?" Yue Quan's eyes lit up. 

In the past, this man had never treated Fasting Pills as anything precious. But if those bottles held Qi-Gathering Pills then his alchemy skills had made a major leap! 

"They're all Qi-Gathering Pills. I won't be bringing those practice runs like Fasting Pills anymore to embarrass myself." 

Li Ye said mildly. 

"All of these are Qi-Gathering Pills? Congratulations, Daoist Li, on your advancement in the alchemic arts!" 

Yue Quan immediately rose and cupped his fists in sincere congratulation, about to reach for one of the jade bottles to inspect it. 

"No rush." 

Li Ye smiled and gestured for him to sit first, then took out another jade bottle and slid it across the table. 

"I wonder how your shop handles the acquisition of Wood Origin Pills?" 

Yue Quan's eyes widened slightly, instantly growing serious. 

"Daoist Li... you're saying you can already refine that kind of pill?" 

This was worlds apart from someone barely managing to produce a defective one after wasting ninety percent of their ingredients. 

A defective pill only retained about 50–60% of the potency of a real one the difference in value was enormous. 

If Li Ye could truly refine Wood Origin Pills, it would be a massive milestone for him! 

With a quick apology, Yue Quan took the jade bottle and popped it open. A wave of fresh, woodsy fragrance hit him, instantly refreshing his mind. 

"It is a Wood Origin Pill!" 

He gently tipped the bottle, letting the pale green, crystal-clear pill roll out. His expression was now a mix of awe and respect. 

The way he looked at Li Ye had subtly changed his gaze now filled with fervor. 

To shops like his, even Qi-Gathering Pills were hot commodities. Supplies from the family alone couldn't keep up with demand. 

Wood Origin Pills? Even more so! 

Li Ye supplying Qi-Gathering Pills already gave Hundred Treasures Pavilion a solid boost in sales. If he could consistently provide Wood Origin Pills as well, Yue Quan might even have a shot at becoming the top-performing manager in the family and earning a prestigious reward! 

"Daoist Li, however many Wood Origin Pills you have I'll take them all! The price will satisfy you!" 

He spoke solemnly, then hesitated before asking carefully: 

"…May I ask, how do you feel about the Yue family?" 

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