Zhang Ergou put away the Qi Condensation Pill recipe and continued browsing the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
Now that he had the recipe, to become an alchemist, he still needed a cauldron.
He walked around, looking, but still couldn't find anything like a cauldron.
It seemed that obtaining a cauldron was a matter of chance.
Alchemists were already rare, so cauldrons were not sold in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
Zhang Ergou shook his head in disappointment and prepared to leave.
Just as he turned, the dan fire within him suddenly stirred.
"Could something valuable be here?" The dan fire had moved last time when he found the Ghost Spear Tianwen in the Treasure Arms Pavilion.
Later, he had obtained the Heavenly Phoenix Body Refining secret technique.
Following the direction indicated by the dan fire, Zhang Ergou slowly walked over.
Anything that could attract the dan fire was bound to be a rare treasure.
Zhang Ergou examined his surroundings carefully.
His eyes scanned every item on the shelves until a purplish-gold furnace appeared before him.
The dan fire trembled violently.
"It must be you!" Zhang Ergou strode forward and took the small furnace into his hand.
The purplish-gold furnace was slightly larger than a bowl, a bit worn, and inscribed with several runes Zhang Ergou couldn't understand.
Lifting the lid, Zhang Ergou peered inside and was astonished to discover that it contained a world of its own.
The space was vast, capable of not only refining pills but also for storage.
Indeed, it was a treasure.
Zhang Ergou did not hesitate. Since it was a treasure recognized by the dan fire, it couldn't be bad. He looked at the price marked below the purplish-gold furnace.
"Holy crap, no way, this is too expensive, over six hundred contribution points!"
Even with all his current savings, he couldn't afford it.
"Little one, have you taken a liking to this purplish-gold furnace?" Wu Dafei reappeared behind Zhang Ergou as if from nowhere.
"Elder, you're here!" Zhang Ergou gave an embarrassed smile. "It's just that the furnace is a bit expensive, can you give me a discount?"
"Of course not. These over six hundred contribution points are already the lowest price."
Zhang Ergou regretfully put down the purplish-gold furnace and turned to leave.
Seeing Zhang Ergou about to leave, Wu Dafei became anxious. This furnace had been sitting there for nearly twenty years without anyone showing interest.
Today, he finally found a gullible customer, how could he let him go?
"Little one, wait a moment, how many contribution points do you have?"
Wu Dafei asked with a smile.
"Four hundred and eighty!"
"Still over a hundred short. Why don't you make up the difference with something else?"
Blinking his eyes, Wu Dafei said enticingly.
"Cough cough!" Zhang Ergou coughed dryly and leaned mysteriously towards Wu Dafei.
"Elder, do you want this?" A small black bottle appeared in Zhang Ergou's hand.
"What is it?" Wu Dafei curiously took the black bottle, opened the stopper, and sniffed gently.
"Cough cough!" Wu Dafei coughed, choking. "Kid, this is a poison pill, where did you get it?"
Staring at Zhang Ergou, Wu Dafei said irritably.
"I picked it up, of course. I don't know how to refine poison!" Zhang Ergou rubbed his nose and said softly.
"Picked it up? Are you trying to fool me, kid?"
"I only have this bottle of poison pills. Elder, do you think it can cover the more than one hundred point difference? If not, then I'll have to reluctantly give up."
Zhang Ergou shrugged, looking innocently aggrieved.
"You're not old, but you're always messing with all sorts of strange things." Although he lectured Zhang Ergou, Wu Dafei was quick with his hands, stuffing the small black bottle into his robes.
"This poison pill is too potent, it's no good for you. It's better to leave it with me. I'll reluctantly sell you this purplish-gold furnace then."
Zhang Ergou inwardly scorned Wu Dafei, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Thank you, Elder, for your generosity!"
Saying that, he took out his jade token and handed it to Wu Dafei.
Wu Dafei transferred all of his remaining four hundred and eighty contribution points.
"Here, the furnace is yours!"
"Thank you, Elder." Zhang Ergou expressed his gratitude again.
Zhang Ergou stored the purplish-gold furnace in his storage ring and quickly left the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, afraid Wu Dafei might change his mind.
After Zhang Ergou left, Wu Dafei took out the small black bottle again.
"A poison pill secretly refined by the Poison Sect. I've made a huge profit this time, hehe!" Wu Dafei cackled, clutching the small black bottle.
Returning to Spring Sun Peak, Zhang Ergou found no trace of Spring Sun Hermit or Liu Cuilan, so he paid them no mind.
He found a secluded spot, took out the purplish-gold furnace, and sat down cross-legged.
As he had done last time, he took out a dagger, sliced his finger, and dripped blood onto the purplish-gold furnace.
Suddenly, the purplish-gold furnace emitted a brilliant metallic luster, dazzling and eye-catching.
However, the light was as quick to vanish as it was to appear, and in an instant, the purplish-gold furnace returned to its original appearance.
But Zhang Ergou felt a faint sense of connection with the furnace.
It was subtle, and quite wondrous.
Other than that, there were no other significant changes.
The expected secret techniques did not appear, and Zhang Ergou couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Just as he was about to put away the purplish-gold furnace, a piece of obscure and difficult-to-understand text suddenly appeared in his mind.
"What is happening?"
That text entered his mind as if imprinted there, refusing to fade.
Unable to comprehend it, Zhang Ergou ignored it and moved on.
He put away the purplish-gold furnace and took out the Qi Condensation Pill recipe from his storage ring, examining it carefully.
Strangely, when he had looked at the recipe in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion earlier, he had been completely bewildered by some of the specialized terminology.
Now, re-examining it, he found the method for refining Qi Condensation Pills to be remarkably simple, as if he were born knowing how to refine pills.
Even the obscure specialized terms were easily understood.
As Zhang Ergou marveled at this, he couldn't help but feel puzzled, yet he couldn't figure out the reason.
Could he be a natural-born alchemy prodigy?
Zhang Ergou mused to himself.
The ingredients required for refining Qi Condensation Pills were not many, only about a dozen, and they were all common herbs.
Zhang Ergou glanced at the sky; the sun was setting in the west, and another day was drawing to a close.
He stood up and walked towards the depths of the jungle. The spiritual energy was denser there, and it was also a good place for medicinal herbs to grow.
Following the recipe, Zhang Ergou traversed the jungle back and forth. After about an hour, he had collected all the medicinal herbs mentioned in the recipe.
"Only the White Jade Lotus is missing." Looking at his haul, Zhang Ergou realized that to refine the Qi Condensation Pill, he was now only missing one last ingredient.
He searched carefully. The White Jade Lotus was not a rare species, so it was easy to find.
Soon, Zhang Ergou found several White Jade Lotus plants. This herb had a mild medicinal property, was pure white like jade, and gave off a cool sensation.
Having obtained several White Jade Lotus plants, Zhang Ergou did not leave immediately.
He intended to find a place to begin refining the first batch of pills in his life.