Unlike usual, both Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin were present. Seeing Nie Kong sitting with impeccable posture, Lian Tianxin nodded in satisfaction, placing one jade box after another onto the low table: "Purple Jade Three-Heart Grass… Serpent Scale Fruit… Hundred Leaf Fragrant Orchid… Ice Plate Water!"

Lian Tianxin listed the names of nearly ten medicinal ingredients in succession.

"These are the materials for refining the 'Purple Li Elixir'."

Nie Kong paused, looking at Lian Tianxin and Nie Xingyun with slight surprise. The 'Purple Li Elixir' was a second-grade spirit medicine; consuming it could raise a Spirit Master who had just entered the Spirit Comprehension realm by one rank, and it was the only medicine the Nie family could refine capable of boosting the cultivation rank of a Spirit Comprehension master.

Of course, this didn't imply that the Purple Li Elixir was the sole spirit medicine capable of improving a Spirit Comprehension Master's rank, but rather that the Nie family only possessed the formula for the Purple Li Elixir. After all, the vast majority of formulas on the Heaven Spirit Continent were kept secret; even if one obtained samples of other spirit medicines, refining them proved immensely difficult.

Observing their expressions, Nie Kong instantly understood: they intended for him to attempt refining the Purple Li Elixir.

For the past month, Nie Kong had followed Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin daily, studying the pharmacological properties and medicinal nature of various herbs, alongside fundamental knowledge of alchemy. Yet, throughout this time, the pair never once mentioned having Nie Kong refine a spirit medicine, even halting his practice of refining the 'Spring Return Dew'.

Indeed, Nie Xingyun stroked his beard and mused, "According to the original discussion between myself and Hong Mao, we planned to spend half a year allowing you to rebuild your foundation before truly beginning your study of alchemy. But we never anticipated your capacity for acceptance would be so astonishingly fast..."

"Precisely. That's why Elder Wu and I have decided to let you start refining medicine ahead of schedule," Lian Tianxin interjected.

As they spoke, the two old men couldn't help but exchange a glance, seeing a flicker of disappointment in the other's eyes. Their disappointment stemmed not from Nie Kong being inadequate, but from Nie Kong being too outstanding.

Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin occasionally offered guidance to the spirit alchemists in the Alchemy Hall; a single word from them could occupy those alchemists for days, bringing endless benefit. But with Nie Kong, whatever the two masters explained, Nie Kong grasped it instantly, even demonstrating the ability to deduce related principles from a single example.

Teaching a disciple who grasped everything immediately was far too easy—so easy, in fact, that the two fifth-grade Spirit Alchemists felt a distinct lack of accomplishment. Consequently, the six-month plan arranged for Nie Kong was sharply condensed to one month. While gratified, how could they not feel a touch of melancholy?

A disciple with poor aptitude frustrates the master; a disciple with exceptional talent troubles the master even more. This phrase perfectly mirrored the current state of mind of Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin.

If only they knew what Nie Kong had done in his previous life, perhaps they wouldn't have felt this way.

In his past life, Nie Kong had become a nationally renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine physician at a young age. Besides the ancestral 'Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique,' he possessed encyclopedic knowledge of various herbs. Although upon rebirth Nie Kong knew almost nothing about the medicines of this Heaven Spirit Continent, there were striking similarities between the two worlds.

Especially since, much like in his previous life, the spirit medicine formulas here emphasized the roles of 'Monarch, Minister, Assistant, and Envoy' (Jun Chen Zuo Shi). While the Heaven Spirit Continent lacked such explicit terminology, the underlying meaning was nearly identical. As a TCM physician proficient in this field, Nie Kong possessed a formidable advantage when learning alchemy.

Moreover, some of the local herbs were identical to those found in demonic cultivation games, and within Nie Kong's Dantian's Yaochi Hidden Acupoint resided the little fellow, 'Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense.' Every time Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin explained a medicine, Nie Kong would personally taste it, leveraging the little fellow's ability to 'discern herbs by scent' to experience their properties in the fastest possible way.

After a month, Nie Kong had sampled the vast majority of the secret room's herbs, and the little fellow was stuffed full every day, conveniently saving Nie Kong the trouble of preparing his herbs. Alas, a few rare herbs, like the 'Electric Light Vine,' remained beyond Nie Kong's reach. Furthermore, after sampling most of the herbs once, Nie Kong lost the excuse to keep 'mooching' their supplies, meaning he had to find a new approach now.

Lian Tianxin beckoned, and a round medicinal cauldron, the size of a rice bowl, settled onto the table. "The key points for refining the Purple Li Elixir have already been explained to you by your master. Begin!"

"Using this cauldron?"

Nie Kong blinked in surprise. To be honest, without activating the 'Medicinal Cauldron Illusion Body' and utilizing the small cauldron conjured by the little fellow, Nie Kong couldn't guarantee that he, a complete novice, would succeed in refining the medicine on the first attempt. As for the integration of medicinal power, that was even harder to guarantee.

"That's right," Lian Tianxin stated gravely.

Seeing Nie Kong's crestfallen expression, Nie Xingyun couldn't help but chuckle. "Little fellow, this is for your own good. If you were only refining first or second-grade spirit medicines, your toy cauldron might suffice. But if you intend to refine high-grade spirit medicines, a large cauldron is indispensable. Take the third-grade 'Jade Condensing Pill,' for instance; the materials alone number eighteen kinds. Your little cauldron can't even hold all the ingredients, so how could you refine the medicine?"

"My little cauldron will grow bigger!" Nie Kong grumbled silently. Having no other choice, he began preparations. In any case, it was just one 'Purple Li Elixir'; even if it failed, it wasn't a heartbreaking loss.

Two qian of Purple Jade Three-Heart Grass, one Serpent Scale Fruit, five slices of Hundred Leaf Fragrant Orchid… one by one, the ingredients were skillfully placed into the cauldron by Nie Kong.

Finally, one liang of Ice Plate Water was added. This ingredient, sourced from the depths of the 'Ice Flame Cave,' was used in refining numerous spirit medicines.

Setting down the gourd, Nie Kong slowly closed his eyes, centering his mind.

Regardless of the grade, spirit medicines designed to forcibly enhance a Spirit Master's cultivation were always the most difficult to refine. Having Nie Kong attempt the second-grade 'Purple Li Elixir' on his very first try was not only because Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin believed he possessed the capability but also harbored a slight intention to challenge him.

After all, Nie Kong's previous performance had been too monstrous. Setting aside his mutated spiritual power, he managed to refine the 'Spring Return Dew' with nearly ten-tenths medicinal power integration through self-study. Recently, he had drained more than half of the knowledge held by the two old men in just one month. If Nie Kong failed his attempt at refining the 'Purple Li Elixir' this time, the two old timers, Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin, might find some psychological balance.

"Hoo!"

A moment later, Nie Kong's mind was tranquil. He exhaled lightly, his eyes snapping open suddenly. He placed both palms against the sides of the cauldron, and verdant green spiritual energy shot out from his palms, penetrating deep inside the vessel.

Under the searing heat contained within the spiritual energy, the cauldron began to warm gradually, its body enveloped by the energy emitting a faint red glow. Thin wisps of hot vapor rose from the small holes in the lid, starting almost imperceptibly and growing steadily thicker.

Nie Kong slowly withdrew his palms from the cauldron body.

"Buzz!"

Under the dual impact of heat and spiritual energy, the cauldron slowly began to spin, lifting off the table until it hovered at chest height. The speed of the cauldron's rotation also started to increase steadily. At this point, Nie Kong's right palm had unknowingly moved directly beneath the cauldron. Endless streams of verdant spiritual energy surged upward from his palm, twisting and flickering like a ball of flame, scorching the bottom of the vessel.

Witnessing Nie Kong’s calm execution, Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin exchanged a subtle smile. For the first time since their month-long silence, they found the other person slightly more agreeable. However, Nie Xingyun harbored a small doubt: the way Nie Kong was currently manipulating his spiritual energy and the cauldron seemed less fluid and natural than when he refined the 'Spring Return Dew' previously. Perhaps this was due to the sudden switch to a large cauldron and his first attempt at refining a second-grade spirit medicine...

...