Lord of the Demon Sect - Chapter 32 - The Effect of Spirit Wine

“Mo’er, could you help me prepare the materials for thirty ‘Qi Condensing Pills’ and their pill recipes? I plan to study them thoroughly today and start the trials tomorrow!” Jiang Chen said casually.

Liu Jie glanced at Jiang Chen, concern deepening in his eyes.

The Liu family’s alchemy workshop was located in a basement behind their residence, built over a fissure of ground fire. After discovering this auspicious land, the Liu ancestors built the family residence and established the alchemy workshop and the artifact crafting pavilion above the ground fire fissure.

Jiang Chen stayed alone in the alchemy workshop, with the door securely closed behind him.

Alchemy was a task that required intense focus and could not tolerate any disturbances from others. Thus, neither Liu Mo nor Liu Jie made any move to watch Jiang Chen perform alchemy, which allowed him to relax.

He had placed the golden jade furnace, sent by Luo Zhiyuan, at a closed opening within the alchemy workshop. This opening had a rotating mouth, and by adjusting a switch nearby, he could control the intensity of the flames emitted by the ground fire.

At this moment, he twisted the switch, and bright red flames surged forth from the newly opened hole, enveloping the golden jade furnace. The flickering light of the flames danced across the walls of the basement.

Jiang Chen focused intently on the swirling flames beneath the golden jade furnace, then opened the recipe for the Qi Condensing Pill and began experimenting with alchemy…

About three hours later, his face, slightly flushed from the heat of the flames, was dotted with beads of sweat. Prolonged alchemy was an extremely taxing endeavor, draining one’s spiritual power. Moreover, the cultivation method he was currently practicing, the “Ghost Slaughter Technique Qi Refinement Manual,” was considered one of the most basic and inferior methods within the Ghostly Slaughter Sect. Not only was progress slow, but it also severely hindered the continuity of spiritual power. Therefore, lasting three hours of alchemy was quite an accomplishment for Jiang Chen.

He sat in a chair, staring at the nine Qi Condensing Pills in the tray beside the furnace, feeling an overwhelming sense of excitement.

He had really succeeded! He successfully refined nine Qi Condensing Pills from thirty sets of materials, achieving exactly a thirty percent success rate. It seemed the alchemy success rate bonus from the Holy Lord System indeed applied to all pills.

However, Jiang Chen also knew that if he handed over the nine Qi Condensing Pills, it would surely shock Liu Mo and her father. Besides, he himself had reached the middle stage of Qi Refinement and needed these pills to greatly enhance his cultivation.

So, without hesitation, Jiang Chen swept six of the Qi Condensing Pills into a jade porcelain bottle and placed it into his storage bag.

Next, he filled another jade porcelain bottle with the remaining three Qi Condensing Pills. Then, holding it, he opened the door and smiled at the maid waiting outside, saying, “Could you please inform Miss Liu that I have succeeded in refining the Qi Condensing Pills…”

“Wow… this is really a Qi Condensing Pill!” Liu Jie and Liu Mo exclaimed in surprise as they held the light red pill, inhaling the fragrant aroma it exuded.

“Dad, I told you Jiang-Ge would be able to do it! He really refined three Qi Condensing Pills from thirty sets of materials! That’s a success rate equivalent to that of Gathering Qi Powder! This means we can start selling pills again at our bazaar!” Liu Mo shouted excitedly, her beautiful eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

Seeing the genuine Qi Condensing Pills, Liu Jie was equally astonished. He never expected Jiang Chen to actually refine these pills! Moreover, it seemed that he had only just received the recipe today and started refining. If he could achieve a success rate like this, wouldn’t his alchemy skill be extraordinary? It was widely known that the success rate for refining Qi Condensing Pills was extremely low; even an intermediate alchemist wouldn’t dare to guarantee a ten percent success rate.

However, being older and more thoughtful, Liu Jie soon posed a question: “Jiang Chen, can you maintain this efficiency in refining the Qi Condensing Pills…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Chen understood what he was implying, and waved his hand dismissively, saying, “Uncle Liu, there’s no need to worry. I have already grasped the method for refining the Qi Condensing Pills. The reason it took longer just now was that it was my first attempt, and I wasn’t very familiar with the technique and was a bit nervous. But after a few more tries, I’ll get the hang of it… Plus, I only added one set of materials to the alchemy furnace at a time, which naturally slowed the process. After I take a short break, I’ll start adding several sets of materials at once, and that will substantially increase my efficiency!”

Hearing this, Liu Jie and Liu Mo were overjoyed and hurried to prepare the alchemy materials for Jiang Chen.

After resting for nearly an hour, Jiang Chen’s eyes, which had appeared dull from the exhaustion of his spiritual power, regained their brightness and shimmered with energy. The fatigue that had weighed him down lifted significantly, and he stretched his neck, feeling revitalized. With a contented sigh, he relaxed.

“Jiang-Ge, I can’t thank you enough this time!” Liu Mo, dressed in a light green silk dress, sat across from him, beaming at him with a warm smile.

Jiang Chen raised his head to look at her and couldn’t help but feel a little moved.

Liu Mo sat gracefully on a meditation cushion in front of him, wearing a fitted dark green brocade dress. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with golden threads and adorned with floral patterns, maintaining an elegant yet understated beauty.

Her lower half was clad in a light green pleated skirt that hugged her curves, with a delicate silver satin belt accentuating her figure. Both her top and skirt were expertly tailored, emphasizing her slim waist and enhancing the fullness of her chest.

She wore little makeup, her natural beauty shining through, yet Jiang Chen could still catch a hint of her faint, enchanting fragrance from a distance.

As he gazed at her petite, rosy lips and finely arched eyebrows that resembled delicate spring hills, he found himself momentarily lost in thought.

Liu Mo seemed to sense the intensity of Jiang Chen’s gaze and a hint of blush appeared on her charming face.

At that moment, she reached into her storage bag and pulled out a brownish-yellow wine jar, handing it to Jiang Chen. “Jiang-Ge, this is the spirit wine I brewed just for you! Drink it! It will quickly replenish your spiritual power!”

Spirit wine? Quick replenishment of spiritual power? Jiang Chen paused, a bit taken aback.

Upon noticing Jiang Chen’s puzzled expression, Liu Mo exclaimed, “Jiang-Ge, you don’t know the benefits of spirit wine?”

Jiang Chen rubbed his nose, sneezing slightly. “Mo’er, I’ve been so focused on cultivation and alchemy that I’m not very familiar with other matters. Could you explain what this spirit wine is all about?”

Seeing that Jiang Chen genuinely didn’t know, Liu Mo sweetly smiled and replied, “Alright! Let me explain how spirit wine works… You should be aware that there are three methods to restore spiritual power. The first method is to mediate. That one is the slowest option, of course, and doesn’t require any resources. However, this approach has a very low efficiency…”

Jiang Chen nodded as she continued. Liu Mo giggled before adding, “The second method is to use spirit stones for recovery. I’m sure you’ve used spirit stones before! You just need to crush them, and the spiritual power contained within the stones will quickly enter your body, enabling rapid recovery… But while this method is fast, it also comes with a staggering waste. Even though you can absorb the spiritual energy from the spirit stones and convert it into spiritual power, the conversion rate is less than one-third. The majority of the spiritual energy dissipates into the air while entering your body… I don’t need to tell you how precious spirit stones are; I believe you understand that using crushed spirit stones for recovery isn’t a method anyone would dare to use lightly, not even your sect leader unless facing a life-or-death situation… Besides that, there’s a third method…”

“What is the third method?” Jiang Chen asked eagerly, gazing at Liu Mo. He had a feeling that she would mention spirit wine.

Liu Mo smiled mischievously and replied, “Jiang-Ge, the third method is to use spirit wine for recovery!”

“Spirit wine? What is it made from?” Jiang Chen asked, intrigued.

“Spirit wine is brewed from spiritual fruits. There are many types, suitable for cultivators at different stages. It doesn’t directly enhance a cultivator’s level like pills do, but it can replenish the spiritual power that has been consumed. Of course, there is a slight lag after drinking the spirit wine; it gradually restores your spiritual power-usually, it can fully replenish you within half an hour, which is much quicker than recovering through meditation. Plus, spirit wine is relatively inexpensive. It’s quite suitable for use during alchemy, artifact crafting, talisman crafting, practicing spells, martial skills, and lengthy battles,” Liu Mo patiently explained.

“Where do the spiritual fruits come from?” Jiang Chen decided to dig deeper.

“Spiritual fruits grow on spiritual trees. Our Liu family has five hundred acres of spiritual fields outside Blood Shadow City. Half of it is planted with spiritual trees, while the other half is used for various spiritual herbs and medicines,” Liu Mo elaborated.

She then playfully tapped the large wine jar and said, “Jiang-Ge, this big jar of spirit wine is enough for your alchemy for three days. If you find it insufficient, just let the maid at the entrance of the alchemy workshop know, and I’ll send someone to bring you more right away!”

Jiang Chen didn’t hesitate to express his gratitude and accepted the jar of spirit wine. Then, remembering something, he said, “Mo’er, I have a favor to ask you.”

“Jiang-Ge, just tell me what you need! I’ll do my best as long as it’s within my capabilities!” Liu Mo responded eagerly.

“Well, since I’ve decided to become an alchemist, I want to either excel at it or not do it at all. So, I’m looking to procure a batch of medicinal materials to study alchemy more thoroughly. Would it be possible to deduct this from my wages?” Jiang Chen asked cautiously.