Yang Chan was very familiar with the Cyan Yuan Sect’s Earth Fire Institute. Compared to the stable Earth Fire from the Pharmacist Alliance in White Jade City, the fire here was far less consistent. This was a major reason why his refining attempts still sometimes failed.

This effectively increased the difficulty. Thus, whenever he was refining elixirs, he prepared a generous amount of ingredients—enough for several batches—to avoid repeated failures due to bad luck.

Yang Chan’s current Alchemy Ability wasn’t good enough to cope with the fluctuations in the Earth Fire; failure was still highly likely. It was just as Yan Jinfeng had said: his skills still had a flaw. This was due to his limited number of refining attempts; moreover, he had never even tried to control the fire.

He wasn’t in a hurry. The process of refining elixirs was a gradual one. Successfully performing Alchemy with a fluctuating Earth Fire required time and practice.

Yang Chan first tested the Earth Fire, only beginning to refine the elixirs once it became relatively stable.

His Alchemy naturally began with the simplest elixir, the Lantian Jade Refining Pill, followed by the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pill, and finally, the Cyan Spirit Pill, each progressively more difficult.

The Earth Fire was relatively stable today. It only fluctuated twice. The first time was after he had already finished refining, so it had no effect. The second happened mid-process, causing one failure. All in all, it went very smoothly.

He had successfully refined the Lantian Jade Refining Pills and First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pills he needed, and in greater quantities than expected. His recent trip to White Jade City had raised his proficiency as a Pharmacist, broadened his Experience, and improved his Fire Control. As a result, his success rate in Alchemy had increased significantly, leading to a much better outcome than he had anticipated.

Only after finishing the refining process for those two elixirs did Yang Chan begin to work on the Cyan Spirit Pill.

At the Pharmacist Exchange Conference, Yang Chan had watched many people refine the Cyan Spirit Pill, which had given him a great deal of insight. ’Back then, I was actually somewhat confident I could succeed, but I chose to fail deliberately. I just didn’t want to take part in the next round of Alchemy and was content to remain a spectator.’

Even after his own attempt failed, he had stayed on the platform to observe the Alchemy processes of many others, which gave him considerable insight.

Although he hadn’t watched them refine the Cyan Spirit Pill from the very beginning, the insights he gained were still substantial, and they had also significantly raised the proficiency of his Pharmacist profession on his status panel.

’I watched the entire process for the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill. If it hadn’t been for that incident during the Pharmacist Exchange Conference, I could have observed even more Alchemy. My proficiency would have definitely increased by a lot more.’ Yang Chan felt it was a real shame.

’I took such a risk, but the final reward was mediocre. It just doesn’t feel worth it.’

The refining process for the Cyan Spirit Pill went even more smoothly than Yang Chan had anticipated. He followed the ideas in his head, acting on the insights he had gained. He had already experimented with the initial steps, so he was treading familiar ground. When it came to the finishing touches, he integrated what he had observed from the others’ Alchemy and made his attempt.

Yang Chan’s luck was excellent; he succeeded on his very first try. Or maybe it wasn’t luck. He had already run through countless mental simulations before he even started, so it was only natural that the refining process went off without a hitch.

Yang Chan first inspected the newly refined elixir. He sniffed the Pill Qi, examined its Medicinal Properties, and finally swallowed a single pill to experience its effects. Only after confirming there were no issues did he store the rest away.

Yang Chan was always meticulous about checking any medicine before taking it. He would never consume anything if he sensed even the slightest problem.

When it came to his own life and safety, he was far more careful than most.

Once the medicinal effects took hold, Yang Chan could clearly perceive the changes in his lungs and spleens as the elixir aided in their Tempering. The process wasn’t fast, but its effects were far superior to those of the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pill.

’No wonder it’s suitable for the third and fourth stages of the Inner Refining of the Lungs and Spleens. Its medicinal effects are just that much better. For someone like me, who’s only completed the first stage of Inner Refining, using it might seem wasteful. But I don’t care. I value the increase in Potential Points far more than its effects on my organs.’

’Compared to that, the benefit to my Inner Refining of the Lungs and Spleens is just a bonus.’

After his first success, Yang Chan continued the refining process until all of his materials were used up. By the time he walked out of the Earth Fire Institute, the sun was already setting.

He had spent the entire day refining elixirs, which was about what he had expected. After all, refining elixirs was a very time-consuming process.

Carrying the fruits of his labor, Yang Chan left with a smile. The Steward of the Earth Fire Institute called out a greeting, and Yang Chan smiled back in response.

’As expected, things are going smoothly now that I’m back in the Cyan Yuan Sect. It’s nothing like White Jade City, where it felt like everything was constantly going wrong.’

When Yang Chan returned to his small courtyard, he found Han Bingyu tidying up. This sparked a thought in his mind. ’I should probably find a few servants. After all, it’s a waste to have a Pharmacist’s Assistant doing this kind of work all day. I’ll need to consider the candidates carefully, but I can arrange it in the next few days.’

’I have some free time now, so it’s a good opportunity to get this sorted.’

’I avoided hiring anyone before to protect my secrets, but that’s not necessary anymore. Servants would have no way of getting close to my real secrets. The only crucial thing is to make sure they’re not problematic themselves.’

’Xiaoyu’Er from White Jade City would be an excellent candidate. And it’s not because of her massage techniques or her... special bathing skills. She’s just genuinely competent, handles all sorts of tasks perfectly, and never complains.’

’The only problem is, I don’t even know if she’s still alive. After the incident at the Cyan Yuan Pavilion, they were all sent away. White Jade City has been through several major battles since then. An ordinary person like Xiaoyu’Er would have had no chance of survival if she was caught up in it even once.’

’Besides, I left White Jade City in such a hurry that I didn’t have time to ask about her. But now that I’m back in the Cyan Yuan Sect, I can arrange for someone to make inquiries. From what I’ve heard, peace has been temporarily restored to White Jade City, after all.’

’They say it’s all for the marriage alliance with the Jin Meng Empire. The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty needs to project an image of strength. An alliance like that only happens between equals; otherwise, it’s just a prelude to war. The Old Emperor, Yang Yu, would naturally want White Jade City back on its feet as quickly as possible, both for the sake of the alliance and the stability of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.’

This was all news Yang Chan had managed to gather, though he wasn’t sure how much of it was true. ’But I do know about the Jin Meng Empire’s marriage proposal.’

’The Cyan Yuan Sect is sending people to White Jade City to investigate anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem to have them ask about Xiaoyu’Er while they’re at it.’

’Even if Xiaoyu’Er is alive, I’ll still need more servants. I can’t have one person doing everything. I have a few other candidates in mind, but there’s no rush.’

After entering the courtyard, he told Han Bingyu to stop her work and follow him inside.