The Weapon Forging Workshop was sweltering.

However, the Cultivators here were all long accustomed to the searing heat, so no one paid it any mind.

"Alchemy Skill isn’t an inflexible art."

"The Pill Books record that someone once refined a Pill using just half a cauldron..."

Bai Mo spoke with self-assurance.

A Pill Furnace crafted by a few amateurs would naturally have its shortcomings, but it was more than enough to meet his needs.

What mattered most was that it suited him!

When Ah Chong saw how well-versed Bai Mo was in the Alchemy Dao, the look in his eyes began to change.

"You practice Alchemy?"

Bai Mo nodded and pointed in a certain direction.

"My shop is just down that street, not hard to find. You should stop by when you’re free!"

Hearing this confirmation, Ah Chong was even more shocked.

’He’d only suspected Bai Mo had a backer. He never imagined Bai Mo was the master himself!’

"You’re truly skilled."

"However, forging the furnace’s internal structure is difficult. I’m afraid we won’t be able to finish it quickly!"

He discussed it with a few of his assistants.

"If we divide the labor, the fastest we can do it is half a month."

Bai Mo made the decision on the spot.

"Alright, half a month it is. I’ll be counting on all of you!"

"When my shop opens, I’ll bring a few Pills for everyone to show my gratitude!"

Ah Chong blinked. It was too late to back out now. He exchanged a look with his assistants, ready to start work as soon as possible.

One of the assistants whispered reassuringly, "Don’t worry. It’s a big order. If we really can’t handle it, we can always ask the master to step in..."

After leaving the Weapon Forging Workshop, Bai Mo hesitated, wondering if he should go see Xu Ruyuan.

But then he remembered Xu Ruyuan had been running all over the place recently, so he decided against it.

After returning home and resting for a bit, Bai Mo lit the fire under his Pill Furnace.

He took the herbs Lanshan and the others had brought back and placed them in the furnace one by one. Following his own method, he then added the other ingredients sequentially.

He had taken the time to refine the Climbing Vines a few days ago, and all the resulting Evil Exorcism Pills had been given to Lanshan.

All that remained in his hands were the leftover roots and scraps of the Climbing Vine.

He was keeping them to compare their medicinal properties.

It took less than a quarter of an hour for a thick, burnt smell to waft out of the Pill Furnace.

Bai Mo’s expression didn’t change. He removed the firewood, opened the lid, waited a moment, and then used a spatula to scrape out all the burnt paste from inside.

Placing a bit of the paste under his nose, Bai Mo sniffed it lightly, then discarded all of it.

’Not a trace of the medicinal potency I was expecting. Useless.’

Bai Mo washed the Pill Furnace clean. His composure unshaken, he started the furnace again and tossed in the herbs.

The process of testing medicinal herbs seemed dull and tedious to outsiders, a test of one’s temperament.

But to a Cultivator practicing Alchemy, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

You never knew what you would get at the end of the process, and the joy of that discovery was hard to put into words.

Moreover, the changes in medicinal properties were nothing short of miraculous.

For three whole days, Bai Mo was completely immersed in it.

He still had no results when Wei the Third’s herbs arrived.

Bai Mo was startled by the bundles of herbs that were delivered.

"Why so many herbs?"

Wei the Third was taken aback.

"Is it too many? When my wife was secretly testing Pills, she prepared a lot of herbs for trial and error!"

Bai Mo paused, then said, "This much won’t be necessary."

"When will your clansmen arrive?"

Wei the Third quickly replied, "In three days. I’ll try my best to delay them."

"I had the herbs sent with a merchant caravan. Even with them hurrying, they didn’t get here much faster than my clansmen will."

Bai Mo shook his head.

"It will only take me three or four days to produce the Pills. How about I start by refining five for you to try?"

Wei the Third nodded repeatedly.

"Five Pills is enough."

He hadn’t expected Bai Mo to be so confident.

’I thought I would have to fool around and stall for a few more days.’

’It seems my wife was still a long way from being a true Pill Master.’

"Oh, right. The two thousand Spirit Stones. I’ve already withdrawn them. They should arrive tomorrow."

"I’ll bring them to Alchemist Bai then."

Seeing Wei the Third’s sincerity, Bai Mo felt he couldn’t delay.

"Since we’re short on time, please go on ahead, Senior Wei. I need to get started right away."

"You can give me the Spirit Stones when I deliver the Pills."

Wei the Third was delighted. A deal where both sides acted in good faith was always so refreshingly simple.

"I may not know Alchemy, but I know a thing or two about preparing herbs. I used to help my wife all the time."

"How about I help you prepare them, Alchemist Bai?"

Bai Mo looked at his rough, calloused hands and couldn’t help but shake his head.

’He doesn’t look like the type for delicate work. Besides, when he was "helping" his wife with herbs, I doubt either of them was really focused on the herbs.’

"Senior Wei, you should focus on dealing with your clansmen. This won’t take me long."

After a bit more polite back-and-forth, Wei the Third obediently took his leave.

Bai Mo’s gaze fell upon the bundles of herbs.

Taking a handful from each bundle, Bai Mo began to sort and select them.

The Pill Formula had clearly explained how to process the herbs.

’A Pill that regulates yin and yang... its medicinal properties are anything but simple.’

’The wife who poured her heart and soul into this must have focused all her energy on the properties.’

’However, some of the herb ratios in the Pill Formula are probably incorrect, since it was never practically tested.’

This was something Bai Mo had to test for himself.

Before long, Bai Mo put down the herbs he had finished preparing.

He took a Qi Absorption Pill and returned to his bed to meditate.

The process of test-refining a Pill required one to maintain their peak mental and spiritual energy.

In that regard, this process was far more draining than regular Alchemy.

Four hours later, smoke began to curl up from Bai Mo’s residence.

Wei the Third leaned back on a recliner, squinting at the smoke.

"This Alchemist Bai is a man of his word!"

Young Master Wei, who was waiting on him nearby, carefully replied:

"Shopkeeper Bai has always been an easy person to get along with."

The two of them were talking. As for Young Master Wang, he had been sent to gather news about their clansmen.

"Third Uncle, why are you having the Pill refined in secret?"

"Wouldn’t it be easier to give the Pill Formula to the clan and have them find someone to refine it?"

Wei the Third couldn’t stand his nephew’s timidness. He closed his eyes and said with detached composure:

"You don’t know what the people in our clan are like?"

"You’ve ended up stranded here. You haven’t seen your mother in almost half a year, have you?"

Young Master Wei was at a loss for words. After a long moment, he sighed.

"Are you really interested in the Clan Leader’s position?"

Wei the Third sneered.

"What’s so great about that position? You have to juggle everyone’s interests, you can never do what you want, and everything is measured in terms of gain."

"If I really gave them the Pill Formula, I’m afraid the clan would just hide it away."

He grabbed his cup, and Young Master Wei deftly refilled his tea.

"Why should I just hand over the Pill Formula my wife poured her heart and soul into?"

"When she was on her deathbed, there were so many people around that she didn’t even dare to give me the Pill Formula openly!"

"I won’t let those clansmen defile this Pill! It belongs to me and your Third Aunt!"

Bai Mo couldn’t care less about the drama behind the Pill Formula.

The changing medicinal properties were far more interesting to him than any human drama.

In just two days, Bai Mo had produced a finished Pill.

The panel didn’t change.

’Just as I thought. It hasn’t reached Tier Two.’

’There’s still room for improvement.’

After a long moment of thought, Bai Mo fired up the furnace several more times, finally producing a total of five Pills.

However, because Bai Mo kept making improvements, each Pill was bigger than the last.

The largest one was as big as a baby’s fist!

Lining up the five smooth Pills, Bai Mo looked them over with great satisfaction before placing them one by one into a pill vial.

The two largest Pills wouldn’t fit in a vial, so Bai Mo simply wrapped them in oil paper and stored them safely.