Chapter 5 - Lazy Salamanders

Aster Wen arrived at the area the Tyrant Salamanders liked to bask, and found many of them lying on the rocks. Sneaking up on one of the salamanders, he leaned over it and stabbed as hard as he could into its eye while grabbing its neck. Its body spasmed for a moment before it stopped, dying. Aster Wen blinked a few times. It wasn't supposed to be this easy, right?

Going up to another salamander, he used the same strategy, and it once more died. Aster Wen was confused as these monster beasts were also marked as being worth twenty contribution points, meaning he just got forty in less than a minute. Were these monster beasts supposed to be so lazy? Looking at the rocks, he saw that there were seven more basking in the sun. Going over, he did the same things and killed all the salamanders that were lying on the rocks.

"Surely it's not supposed to be this easy to kill them. There's probably something wrong with them," Aster Wen thought out loud.

Gathering one salamander on both his shoulders, one under both his armpits, and the rest in his arms. He walked with care back to the contribution hall, having more than a few people have aghast looks as he went by. Walking into the contribution hall, the clerk's jaw dropped as he saw Aster Wen drop off all nine monster beasts onto the processing station. The processer was also just as shocked.

Walking to the clerk, he was rewarded one hundred eighty contribution points, bringing his total up to two hundred fifty-five. He explained that he thought that there might've been something wrong with the salamanders, as they were all killed with ease by stabbing them through the eye. The clerk thought that was the most probable reason and sent out an investigation team to go around the area.

As he had enough contribution points to exchange for the technique to make the pills, to use the alchemy furnace, and more, Aster Wen went out to get the ingredients for the pill. Gathering four jars, he put them in a bag and set out into the mountain to collect the materials. With the hardest monster beast blood already being acquired, the collection of the next materials should be a walk in the park.

There was a cherry blossom tree a little ways up the mountain, so Aster Wen headed there first. There were a few people there already, but the tree had enough leaves for everyone to collect. As such, he took out two jars and filled them up with the leaves in ten minutes.

Next on the list was the petals of a Spirit-Dripping Flower. These grew even further up the mountain, at the entrances of caves. Due to that fact, it might seem like they weren't abundant, but the opposite was true. There were hundreds of flowers at a cave entrance, with three naturally forming entrances close to each other. Even if someone carved a cave entrance, the flowers would begin to grow there after a time.

Plucking the petals off the flowers took much longer than collecting the leaves, as they had to be undamaged. After two hours, both jars were filled with the petals. Having collected the materials, he headed to the contribution hall to exchange for the technique to refine the pill. The pill was called the Foundation Forming Pill as it advanced one to the Foundation Body first stage.

One hundred contribution points were deducted from him, and he was handed the manual that contained the technique to refine the Foundation Forming Pill. He also bought the right to enter the alchemy furnace room to make the pill for twenty contribution points, bringing his total down to one hundred thirty-five. Heading into the room, he sat down in front of the furnace, placing out all the ingredients. Opening the manual, the first thing he was told to do was put in ten petals of the Spirit-Dripping Flower with the normal temperature of fire. Following along, he put in the petals, turning on the furnace. Without being able to manipulate natural qi outside his body, he could only rely on natural techniques to increase and decrease the temperature of the furnace. The next step had him sprinkle in ten crushed cherry blossom leaves, increasing the temperature as more is sprinkled in. After this, put in ten drops of monster beast blood. He then needed to wait ten minutes before the next step.

He would now need to put in twenty petals of the Spirit-Dripping Flower, keeping the temperature steady. Then put in ten more drops of monster beast blood, increasing the temperature as each drop was added. When sprinkling in twenty crushed cherry blossom leaves, he needed to decrease the temperature while sprinkling. Waiting ten more minutes, he put in another ten drops of monster beast blood before needing to wait again. Decreasing the temperature at a steady rate, he opened the alchemy furnace, and to his surprise, a successful pill lie in the furnace.

"Well, that's unexpected. Guess I can keep the rest of the materials for later use, then," he said aloud.

Gathering his materials back into his bag, he went to the contribution hall to return the manual. The clerk raised his eyebrow at him, but he just raised up the pill in his hand. The clerk's eyes widened.

"You're quite lucky. Not only having an encounter that allowed you to gather contribution points fast, but also making the Foundation Forming Pill so fast," the clerk said.

Aster Wen shrugged his shoulders. "Guess that's just how it is. It probably won't always be so easy for me, though."

The clerk nodded and took back to manual. Heading back to his room, he sat down on his cot. He looked closely at the pill he had refined and couldn't help wonder if it would always be this easy. However unlikely it may be, he hoped it would be. Swallowing the pill, he got into a lotus position to refine the pill into himself.