After returning to his room from the council chamber, Xiao Yan prepared the necessary items for crafting the healing elixirs and then quietly ascended once more to the secluded cave where he had previously practiced on the back mountain. The old medicine master had once said that during the process of brewing medicine, disturbances must be avoided—family members were often busy and clumsy, and if someone came in unexpectedly, just as Xiao Yu had done last time, Xiao Yan would not be able to bear the consequences. With cautious steps, Xiao Yan hurried into the cave and immediately pulled out his storage ring from his sleeve, channeling a stream of qi into it. The pale red ring shimmered slightly, and then, out of nowhere, a red cauldron about half a meter tall materialized within the cave. The cauldron had a deep red body, with subtle glimmers of light across its surface. Carved beneath it were two fierce serpent heads, their mouths wide open, forming two interconnected channels that carried heat. These channels curved and flowed continuously, narrowing as they went deeper, suggesting an intricate design hidden within. At the top section of the medicinal cauldron, a giant serpent coils to form a dark red lid. On this lid, there is a special opening specifically designed for adding herbs. Scattered across the lid are finely crafted holes made of ice silver, which serve to dissipate heat and prevent the furnace from bursting due to excessive temperature. In the central portion of the cauldron, a transparent mirror crafted from cold ice ice is installed, allowing clear visibility of all activities inside during the brewing process. The surface of the cauldron is adorned with exquisite, lifelike carvings of magnificent mythical beasts, as if they were alive. Observing this splendid cauldron, Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction and gently touched the ancient black ring on his finger, causing the medicinal essence to glow softly. "Hmm, a two-mouthed cauldron—this should be quite satisfactory for someone who's just beginning," the elderly pharmacist said, glancing at the three serpent mouths on the dark red lid. "A two-mouthed cauldron?" "Hearing this unfamiliar term, Xiao Yan blinked in curiosity. "There are indeed different levels of medicine cauldrons—those with more fire ports indicate a higher grade and greater rarity. You shouldn't think that simply drilling a few holes makes a good cauldron. The intricacies are completely invisible to outsiders. The fire ports are the essence of the cauldron, requiring precise craftsmanship. During the forging process, even the slightest error can render the entire cauldron a failure. Therefore, cauldrons with more fire ports offer stronger support in the alchemical process. Naturally, controlling multiple ports demands a strong spiritual perception—right now, your ability to manage just two is already at the limit." The old medicine master smiled and explained. "A good medicine cauldron is as essential to an alchemist as a master's prized sword." Nodding slightly with growing understanding, Xiao Yan gazed at this large cauldron before him and asked hesitantly, "What should I do next?" "First, get familiar with the medicine cauldron. Place one of your hands on the flame opening and channel your body's qi into it." The elderly pharmacist sat cross-legged in the cave, giving instructions. Staring into the swirling flames within the cauldron, the elder pharmacist nodded and said in a steady tone, "The fire you have summoned now is not the fire used in medicine preparation. Focus your mind and control that single strand of wooden energy within your body, then channel it into the cauldron!" Following these instructions, Xiao Yan closed his eyes, allowing his spirit senses to gradually stabilize and continuously scan for that thin trace of wooden energy within him. It took him over ten minutes to locate the wooden energy for the first time, and only after that did he breathe a sigh of relief and open his eyes. "Found it?" the elder pharmacist remarked, slightly surprised upon seeing Xiao Yan's eyes open. When Xiao Yan nodded, the elder silently praised him, recalling that when he himself first sought out the wooden energy within his body, it had taken nearly half an hour—demonstrating just how exceptional Xiao Yan's spirit perception was. With one finger, Xiao Yan gently touched the other flame mouth, and a delicate stream of green energy flowed slowly into the cauldron. A green flow of energy had just entered the cauldron, and the previously pale-yellow flame suddenly became quiet, as if undergoing a chemical reaction. Even before Xiao Yan had fully controlled the flame, he could sense that the turbulent energy within it had been neutralized by the power of wood. Thanks to the principle of wood nurturing fire, the flame now exhibited greater endurance and control compared to before. "Blood-coagulating powder: one stalk of blood-coagulating herb, one grain of vital-energy fruit, two blossoms of opium flower..." After mentally recalling the quantities of the herbs, Xiao Yan's soul gradually penetrated into the cauldron, carefully regulating the relatively gentle flame. He tapped his fingers on the storage ring, and a stalk of slightly reddish blood-coagulating herb appeared in his palm. After a moment's hesitation, he tossed it into the serpentine head that was coiled at the top of the cauldron. As soon as the herb entered the cauldron, Xiao Yan hadn't time to control the flame—it surged upward immediately, and within a moment, the stalk turned into black ash, then was expelled from the cauldron by its special internal mechanism. Gazing at his first mistake, Xiao Yan awkwardly smiled. "Continue," the elderly pharmacist said calmly. Swallowing a lump of saliva, Xiao Yan then added another stalk of blood-coagulating herb. This time, the herb held the flame a bit longer, but still ultimately turned into black ash. "The temperature is too high." Sweating profusely, finally having to take the initiative to prepare the elixirs himself, Xiao Yan finally realized that this task wasn't something anyone could easily manage. After persistently burning twenty-plus stems of blood-stemmed grass until he finally managed to pinpoint the temperature range that the grass preferred, Xiao Yan carefully placed another stem into the flame. His face serious, he tightly controlled the flame's temperature with his soul perception, his eyes fixed through the icy mirror surface, intently watching the stem floating in the flames. After a few moments of swirling in the fire, the grass gradually shed its outer layer, and the sap within the leaves turned into fine, pale powders. Finally, the essence of the blood-stemmed grass was successfully extracted by this novice.