Within the narrow cave, the flames in the medicinal cauldron reflected off the stone walls, leaping and writhing with vigorous life. Zhang Yan focused intently on the swirling flames within the cauldron, his slightly pale face beaded with sweat. Prolonged medicinal brewing was an exceptionally demanding task that consumed considerable qi, and since his current cultivation technique was merely a basic yellow-stage level, lacking in both depth and endurance, it was no easy feat that he had managed to maintain his concentration at the cauldron for nearly two hours. Upon observing Zhang Yan successfully extract the blood-stem herb into a fine white powder, the elderly herbalist, sensing that he had reached his limit, nodded gently and said, "Well, take a break now." "Heard this, Xiao Yan's shoulders, which had been striving to maintain balance, sagged instantly. His body, as though drained of strength, gently collapsed onto the cold ground, breathing heavily in deep, labored gasps. His chest rose and fell continuously, and with his entire body aching and numb, he now barely had the strength to move even a single finger." "At this stage of practice, the results are most effective," the Yaolao said calmly, glancing at Xiao Yan, who lay like soft mud on the ground. After a brief internal struggle between laziness and diligence, Xiao Yan reluctantly groaned and sat up, his trembling hands forming the meditation hand seals before slowly closing his eyes. Seeing Xiao Yan's condition, the Yaolao smiled and shifted his gaze to the dozen jade boxes arranged before the medicine cauldron. Each box contained a pale, powdery substance extracted from the Blood-Forming Grass—precious achievements accumulated by Xiao Yan over time. From left to right, the pale hue of the jade boxes grew increasingly rich, until the final one, whose white powder had nearly attained a pure, flawless whiteness. Observing this remarkable progression, the herbal master nodded in amazement, once again silently praising Xiang Yan's exceptional spiritual perception. Glancing at Xiang Yan, who was now recovering his qi, the herbal master settled himself cross-legged against the stone wall, closing his eyes calmly. At present, Xiang Yan had only refined the first material; two more remained, requiring steady effort ahead. "Your cultivation is settled? Then let's proceed." With a smile, the elderly pharmacist gazed at Xiao Yan, now vibrant and energetic once again. Shaking his head with a wry smile, Xiao Yan finally realized after enduring the grueling process of preparing the elixirs that he had been deceived by the old man. Previously, when the pharmacist prepared pills, he would simply extend his palm and briefly burn it, and the resulting elixirs—long admired and eagerly anticipated—would emerge hot and ready. This seemingly simple routine had left Xiao Yan with the impression that pill-making was effortless. But now, having personally undertaken the task, he understood that it was far more laborious than hauling stone from a mine. Though he now grasped the truth, it was too late to make a difference. With a sigh of resignation, Xiao Yan once again settled himself before the cauldron, beginning to extract the essences of the remaining two herbs. Building on his prior experience with refining the blood-strengthening herb, Xiao Yan this time found the process noticeably smoother. After burning eight living-energy fruits and ten poppy flowers, he successfully extracted the necessary components from the two herbs to formulate the healing medicine. The substance obtained from the living-energy fruits consisted of fine, slightly dark particles that effectively removed blood clots and promoted circulation. In the field, experienced wounded mercenaries often crushed these fruits into pulp when they lacked sufficient healing supplies to alleviate their injuries. The liquid extracted from the poppy flowers was a pale red substance that exerted a numbing effect on nerves, serving as an effective pain reliever. Observing the three refined medicines neatly arranged before Xiao Yan, the herbal elder nodded gently and said, "The required materials have now been extracted. It is now time to blend their medicinal properties together—this is the most crucial step in the process of medicine preparation." Inhaling deeply, Xiao Yan nodded solemnly, then skillfully poured the pure white powder into the cauldron, followed by gently heating it for about ten minutes. As the powder began to slightly turn a deeper red, he swiftly poured in the liquid from the opium flower. Immediately upon entering the cauldron, the liquid enveloped the powder, swirling gently with the flame, gradually blending into a light red, viscous liquid. With his spiritual perception carefully regulating the flame's temperature, he slowly heated the light red liquid. As the flame continued to simmer, the viscous liquid gradually transformed into a dark red, paste-like consistency. Fixing his gaze steadily through the transparent viewing surface at the dark red paste in the cauldron, Xiao Yan hesitated slightly before adding the small black particles of the living vitality fruit. Though the black particles entered the cauldron, they remained unchanged—bouncing around among the fine grains, refusing to seamlessly integrate into the dark red paste. "Various materials exhibit different resistance to temperature, so you must learn to skillfully control the flame temperature at any given point within the cauldron—when you need a low temperature, suppress the flame; when you need a high temperature, release the suppression and elevate the flame..." Observing Xiao Yan, who was sweating profusely from anxiety, the Ye Elder spoke calmly. Sipping dryly at his cracked lips, Xiao Yan nodded and immediately dispatched a cluster of soul perception energy, striving to gradually raise the temperature beneath the fine particles. "Boom..." As the soul perception energy released its suppression on temperature, a sudden, uncontrolled flame surged upward, instantly turning half of the black particles into ash. Xiao Yan, startled and drenched in cold sweat, quickly pressed down hard to contain it. Maintaining the temperature of one flame while simultaneously raising the temperature of another required constant dual focus—this dual-task demand proved exceedingly challenging for Xiao Yan. Yet after several near-misses, Xiao Yan finally calmed down, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, exhaled deeply, and channeled the dwindling Qi entirely into the flame at the mouth of the cauldron. Within the cauldron, the fine black particles, under the rising temperature, eventually burst, releasing clumps of deep black powder that drifted slowly into the pale red paste, deepening its hue. Once the final clump of black powder had settled into the paste, Xiao Yan sighed in relief, slowly withdrawing his hands from the flame. As his hands drew back, the flames within the cauldron gradually dimmed and faded. Watching the breathless Xiao Yan, the elderly pharmacist smiled gently, raised his hand, and with a motion, the lid of the cauldron was flung off. Then, with a swift gesture, a large mass of deep red paste rose into the air, hovering suspended in the half-space of the cave. Gazed at the thick, deep crimson paste radiating a strong medicinal aroma, the elderly pharmacist's palm sliced through it as if it were air, and with each movement of his hand, the continuously flowing paste was divided into at least a hundred small liquid portions. Taking the storage ring from Xiao Yan's hands, he flicked his fingers, and instantly, a hundred small jade bottles filled the narrow cave. After arranging the bottles, a simple gesture from the pharmacist caused the liquid pastes floating in midair to land precisely into each bottle. Reaching for one bottle at random, he smiled and handed it to Xiao Yan, teasingly saying, "Congratulations! Your first successful medicinal concoction!" Eagerly accepting the bottle, Xiao Yan looked at the deep red liquid inside, which was not particularly pure, yet a surge of excitement and pride welled up within him. "Heh, from now on, I can officially call myself a pharmacist!"