Ji Yuan sat cross-legged in the quiet room, a bronze alchemy furnace before him.
He did not immediately open the furnace to refine elixirs. Instead, he channeled streams of spiritual energy, slowly infusing them into the furnace.
Concurrently, a profound Daoist rhyme emanated from within his body, resonating with the core of the bronze furnace.
As his cultivation steadily improved, Ji Yuan discovered that this bronze furnace was far more complex than he had initially imagined.
He had previously believed it to be merely a magical artifact with several layers of restrictions.
However, having now reached the Third Realm, he realized that the restrictions he had sensed were merely projections formed by the aura of the internal Daoist rhyme.
By refining it with Daoist rhyme of the same origin, he had finally unveiled the furnace's mysterious veil.
He then startlingly discovered that this bronze furnace was neither a magical artifact nor a treasured artifact, but an innate object.
It was forged by heaven and earth, without any human craftsmanship. Inside, there were no restrictions, only a mass of innate Daoist rhyme.
Much like Chen Yurou's innate Daoist body, it required continuous cultivation to perfect itself.
The existence of the bronze furnace was akin to a prototype or a rough embryo. While it could not cultivate independently, it could strengthen itself in tandem with the owner's advancement in alchemy. Ultimately, it would guide the internal Daoist rhyme to completeness.
Of course, for it to truly take shape, it would require constant feeding with various spiritual herbs to enhance the furnace body.
As he gradually refined the bronze furnace, Ji Yuan could not help but sigh, reflecting that nothing left behind by the ancestors of Xuan Tian Guan was ordinary.
He wondered how many other existences, like the Patriarch's sword and the bronze furnace, had been taken away by those who came before.
Several days later, Ji Yuan had initially refined the bronze furnace. With a mere thought, the furnace body spontaneously absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and a multi-colored flame ignited at its base.
This fire’s colors were indescribable, constantly shifting, and it emitted a terrifying heat that even distorted the surrounding void.
He spent half a day getting accustomed to the flame's intense heat, and managed to control its temperature with a single thought.
Only then did Ji Yuan prepare to open the furnace and refine elixirs.
This time, he planned to refine three types of elixirs, all obtained from the underground dojo, from the Grandmaster of Alchemy named Huang Tianci.
The three elixirs were named: 'Shen Guan Tian Xin Dan', 'Jiu Long Yun Ling Dan', and 'Wu Qi Yang Yuan Dan'.
The first two elixirs, the former possessed the effect of aiding enlightenment, allowing one to perceive the principles of heaven and earth more clearly, and weakening bottlenecks. The latter, when consumed, could extend one's lifespan by ten to ninety years.
Moreover, after consumption, it would condense dragon energy within the body, constantly nourishing the physical body and soul.
As for the last one, the Wu Qi Yang Yuan Dan, it nourished the user's true essence with the energies of the five elements. However, it could only be used by cultivators above the Third Realm.
Those who advanced to the Ming Dao realm, besides constantly tempering their Dao heart and perceiving the principles of heaven and earth, also needed to nurture a reservoir of true essence, which was the foundation for forming a core in the future.
The more profound and refined one's true essence became, the higher the probability of success when forming a core.
This time, relying on his own alchemical attainments and the assistance of the bronze furnace, Ji Yuan spent a full half-year to barely succeed in refining them.
For each of the three elixirs, he managed to produce two to three batches, with only one successful pill per batch.
Although the quantity was small, it was sufficient for his current plan.
Ji Yuan pondered for a moment and decided not to leave seclusion immediately. Instead, he took out his last batch of spiritual herbs and began to refine a fourth type of elixir.
This elixir was named 'Xuan Tian Cheng Lu Dan', a medicinal pill recorded in the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture, used to enhance one's cultivation. It did not have a fixed rank; its quality depended entirely on the spiritual herbs used.
Its medicinal effects were neutral and balanced, and extremely pure. Upon consumption, it could be transformed into one's magical power and cultivation with little to no refinement, and the time required was very short.
In Xuan Tian Guan hundreds of years ago, even the patriarchs with unfathomable cultivation levels would regularly consume this elixir to increase their cultivation accumulation.
This alone was enough to illustrate the efficacy of this elixir.
Of course, the elixir Ji Yuan was currently refining was not of such a high grade.
He refined two batches of Xuan Tian Cheng Lu Dan. One batch was made with ordinary herbs, suitable for cultivators of the First and Second Realms. The other batch used more precious spiritual herbs, sufficient for cultivators of the Third Realm.
After both batches of Xuan Tian Cheng Lu Dan were refined, another three months had passed.
Thus, after nine months of seclusion, Ji Yuan finally broke out and left the quiet room of his residence in Hengshan County.
Without alarming anyone, he quietly arrived outside Qian'an County. After nearly a year of construction, the mountaintop named Guan Dao Mountain was finally completed.
The entire mountain had been transformed. Pavilions and buildings were visible everywhere. Due to the mountain-guarding array, clouds had gathered, and white cranes were seen soaring.
Ji Yuan's gaze swept across the scene. He immediately noticed that the white cranes in the mountain were of an unusual breed, innately not inferior to ordinary wolves, and possessed the potential to develop intelligence and embark on cultivation.
Once they possessed cultivation, they would be excellent mounts or helpful in guarding the cave dwelling and the mountain gate.
He couldn't help but be curious about who had procured such white cranes. If it were only one or two, they wouldn't be excessively expensive.
However, at a glance, the mountain was filled with flocks of white cranes, clearly numbering more than a few dozen. The price would be quite exorbitant. Ordinary sects would not have the financial capacity to acquire them.
"Sect Master!"
As he arrived at the main hall of the Daoist temple on the mountaintop, the assembled individuals rose and called out.
Ji Yuan nodded and immediately took the main seat, beginning to inquire about recent events.
The situation in Feiyun Commandery remained extremely chaotic and showed no signs of subsiding.
Even with the Nine Xuan Sect leading the righteous sects and other forces, coupled with the strong suppression from the Commandery Governor's office, the effect was still not significant.
Demons, monsters, wild cultivators, and various other entities emerged from all directions, stirring up trouble and acting with impunity.
Ji Yuan had no solution for this situation, nor did he intend to seek trouble.
Despite his significant increase in cultivation, he did not believe that he, as a cultivator of the Third Realm, could achieve what many Golden Core Great Cultivators could not.
For now, he only needed to manage his own territory and develop peacefully.
If necessary, he would contribute his share, but before that, there was no need to involve himself with a self-proclaimed sense of justice.
"Li Junxian, Zheng Wanrong, Zhao Yuebai, Lu Yuzhe, Zheng Jiaxing, prepare yourselves. You will accompany me out tomorrow."
After understanding the recent situation, Ji Yuan spoke directly.
Upon hearing this, the individuals immediately acknowledged their orders and, at his signal, the people in the hall dispersed.
Only Li Buwei was kept behind.
"How is the matter of recruiting personnel proceeding?"
Ji Yuan inquired.
In fact, while ascending the mountain, he had already scanned the surroundings with his divine sense and detected dozens of unfamiliar auras, ranging from the First to the Second Realm, including several at the late stage of the Second Realm.
"The process has been unexpectedly smooth."
Li Buwei's expression was somewhat strange, as if he had something to say but hesitated.
Although he was in charge of the matter, he was at a loss for words for a moment, as the situation had exceeded their expectations.