Chapter 1 Moving House_2

Wooden Bridge Alley was already on the outskirts of White Stone City, and if even this place was unaffordable, the only option left was the shantytown further out.

There, filth and sewage were rampant, stench permeating everywhere, and rumors of hauntings were persistent with unidentified deaths occurring regularly.

Xu Mu wasn't good at combat and was caring for his pregnant wife. If forced to move from here, they feared they might never come back.

A collective sigh of dismay resonated among the people!

...

White Stone City

Shanty Town

On the dilapidated streets, the post-rain air was filled with the scent of earth and a faint stench.

Xu Mu held an oil-paper umbrella, supported Ye Yingying, following a weasel-faced man in a blue robe, stepping cautiously down the alley.

"There it is! A spirit stone a month, if you're willing, sign the papers!"

The man pinched his nose, pointing at the dilapidated house by the side.

He was a rent collector in the shantytown area: one of the Tooth People.

Xu Mu left Ye Yingying to wait outside, and he stepped into the house.

The interior had a total of four rooms: one bedroom, one kitchen, a living room, and a storeroom.

The house walls were all made of blue stone, seemingly sturdy enough to withstand a couple of attacks from spells.

The roof, made with poplar wood and tiles, had thick cobwebs collecting in the corner. The room's only piece of furniture was a wooden bed, covered with a thick layer of dust.

The air was filled with the scent of decay and mildew; it appeared as if the house had been uninhabited for a long time.

However, Xu Mu had no choice but to grit his teeth and nod in agreement.

Having already checked out several places in the vicinity, he found them virtually the same. At least this one was well located.

After signing the contract and paying the spirit stone, the place became the new dwelling for the couple.

"Seeing how quickly you paid, I'll give one final piece of advice. Try not to go out at night. I don't want to be the one collecting your corpses the next time I come here!"

With that, the Tooth Man quickly left, as if reluctant to stay a second longer.

The man's words weighed heavy on Xu Mu's heart, the threat of danger clear, but he had no other options.

After tidying up the place, Xu Mu left Ye Yingying indoors and went to visit the local neighbors with small gifts.

His goal was to ascertain the social norms and local customs and avoid any faux pas.

As expected, all of his neighbors were fellow impoverished cultivators, even though there were a handful who appeared to be fierce and formidable individuals.

For instance, a pair of pale-skinned twins with piercing cold eyes and a strong smell of blood on them.

When Xu Mu knocked on their door, they only opened it a fraction, gave him a chilly glance, then shut it abruptly.

That brief exchange left a chilly sensation in Xu Mu's bones and sent shivers down his spine.

"These two are likely cultivators who make a living through combat. I should avoid provoking them as much as possible," Xu Mu reminded himself.

But some of the neighbors were quite amiable, like a young married couple living next door and an old Pill Master at the entrance of the alley.

Once he had finished paying his visits, Xu Mu returned home and briefed Ye Yingying about the situation in the alley. Then, he urged her to rest while he began to prepare for alchemy in the cleaned-up storeroom.

As an Alchemist, his livelihood depended entirely on his ability to manufacture pills.

Being an Alchemist, one could say, was the most lucrative yet cash burning profession.

Although Xu Mu had passed the initial cash draining period, he was still a long way from making a fortune.

Currently, he could only concoct two types of pills: Fasting Pills and Qi Gathering Pills.

Fasting Pills were the most common type of pill, providing the effect of staving off hunger for three days after consumption.

However,

Individual results may vary!

For Xu Mu, one Fasting Pill merely sufficed for a day!

Most cultivators prepared some of these pills when hunting or cultivating in seclusion for convenience.

If a cultivator is relatively wealthy, they often consume Fasting Pills as a regular food.

Although cultivators can consume ordinary food, such food often contains heavy impurities. If consumed over a long period, these impurities can linger in the body and severely hinder cultivation.

The Qi Gathering Pill is a type of pill that aids in cultivation. After consumption, it can speed up the cultivator's rate of spiritual energy concentration in a short period.

Even though the Qi Gathering Pill is much more expensive than the Fasting Pill, it remains very popular among cultivators because it can assist in cultivation.

Xu Mu, at this moment, is preparing to refine Fasting Pills. As for the Qi Gathering Pill, even though he can produce it, the rate of failure is frighteningly high, and he is still in the money-draining phase.

He firstly takes out the medicinal herbs from his storage bag, closely checks them, and then takes out the most valuable item in his possession - the Alchemy Furnace.

The furnace is about three feet tall, with three legs and two handles. Its overall color is brass, and it has a tapered top and a wide bottom, resembling a little chubby kid. The furnace body is engraved with countless mysterious runes that look like tadpoles.

During a time when he could not afford to pay the rent, he had considered selling the Alchemy Furnace.

However, reason prevailed over impulse in the end.

Because doing so would be equivalent to choosing a short-term solution that could lead to a bigger problem.

His cultivation level is only Qi Cultivation third tier, and he is not skilled in combat. If he were to lose the source of livelihood provided by alchemy, he would be left with no way out, with death being the only avenue left.

After placing the Alchemy Furnace in position, Xu Mu takes out a few pieces of spirit wood, which are as translucent as jadeite, from the storage bag and places them under the furnace.

Making a hand gesture for a spell, the spiritual power in his body surged and "poof"! A fist-sized, orange-red fireball appeared in front of him.

"Go!"

Xu Mu's spell transformed, and the fireball dropped onto the spirit wood, quickly igniting it.

Next, he quickly enacted several other spells, unleashing a new skill.

Bang!

The flame on the spirit wood surged dramatically, morphing into several fiery serpents, enveloping the Alchemy Furnace from inside and out for preheating.

He used a skill known as the Fire-controlling Skill to control the fire, an essential first-tier Fire Skill for all alchemists.

The strength or weakness of the Fire-controlling Skill greatly impacts the successful refining of the pill.

After practicing for many years, Xu Mu has honed his Fire-controlling Skill to a proficient level and estimated that he could achieve perfection in a few years. As for the subsequent levels of master, grandmaster, and even the transcendent realm, they are not attainable by simple practice alone.

The Fire-controlling Skill is not only Xu Mu's means of alchemy, but also his most potent combat technique, allowing him to control the flames and form flaming serpents or birds to launch attacks on his enemies.

As for the attack magic artifacts used by most cultivators, Xu Mu used to have one, but he sold it a while back to pay for Ye Yingying's medical treatment.

Once the Alchemy Furnace is preheated, Xu Mu starts to put the herbs in one by one. At the same time, he activates the formation runes on the furnace to sense and control the changes in the medicinal ingredients inside.

When the herbs are fully dissolved, he starts using the Fire-controlling Skill to increase the flame's temperature.

Although the Fasting Pill is the most common pill in the cultivation world, the process of refining it is still very complicated and troublesome.

But it is precisely because of these troubles, alchemists are incredibly rare, enabling him to profit.

The busy refining process lasts a whole night.

Feeling that the medicinal properties within the Alchemy Furnace has stabilized and has started to sediment and contract, Xu Mu's hands quickly moved like phantoms to form the retrieval spell.

Clink!

The lid of the furnace opened, and a fragrant smell filled the air. Round and golden pills flew out from inside, landing in his palm.

"It's a shame; they are all of middle to lower quality!"

Xu Mu inspected them and a hint of disappointment crossed his face.

He had lost count of how many times he had made Fasting Pills. The failure rate was not high, but he was unable to improve the quality.

Alchemists classified the same type of pills into different quality tiers: lower-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, and premium-grade — the latter being the best and the former the worst.

Usually, fifteen lower-grade Fasting Pills could be exchanged for one lower-grade Spirit Stone. For a middle-grade one, around twelve to thirteen pills are needed. Only ten are needed if it's high-grade. As for premium-grade, five is enough.

Not only do premium-grade Fasting Pills fetch a high price with immense profits, but they are also in high demand.

Cultivators consume Fasting Pills for two reasons: one is to supplement their body's energy, and the other is to avoid residual impurities in their bodies.

Lower-grade, middle-grade, and high-grade all contain impurities, just in varying amounts. Only premium-grade Fasting Pills are impurity-free and can be consumed in large quantities for a long period.

"I dare not dream of premium quality, I'd be satisfied if I could refine some high-grade ones!"

Just as Xu Mu was about to meditate to restore his spiritual power, a sudden scream from his wife came from the bedroom.