C11 First Time Refining

As dusk settled, Xiao Xiaofan and the members of the Blueprint Mercenary Group gathered around a crackling bonfire to grill meat.

Lan Luo and his companions occasionally cast longing glances towards Xiao Xiaofan, their mouths watering uncontrollably.

Xiao Xiaofan was intently flipping the meat by the fire, and next to him lay a collection of powders made from crushed leaves.

These powders were substitutes he had found based on an alchemist's notes, similar to seasonings from his past life.

The meat had turned a succulent golden brown, dripping with juices, and its tantalizing aroma was irresistible to everyone.

Xiao Xiaofan wouldn't boast about much, but when it came to his grilled meat, if he claimed it was second best, no one would dare claim first.

Under the watchful eyes of the hungry group, Xiao Xiaofan expertly seasoned the meat, the sizzle of spices hitting the flames sounding like a heavenly chorus.

With everything prepared, Xiao Xiaofan dusted off his hands and declared, "All done!"

Unable to wait any longer, Lan Luo and the rest dashed over, eagerly tearing into the meat before them.

Xiao Xiaofan's lips twitched at the sight. Weren't they worried about the heat?

As the meat was quickly disappearing, Xiao Xiaofan jumped into the fray without a second thought.

When Lan Luo tasted the meat, his eyes shone with a golden light.

"This is unbelievably delicious! Is this even roast meat? It's like the finest delicacy on earth!"

"Now this is real roast meat. Everything I've had before was garbage!"

"The aroma, the perfect cook, and the hint of spice—it's an impeccable fusion!"

"To describe this roast meat, it's as if such meat should exist only in heaven, and how often could mortals get to savor it?"

Xiao Xiaofan chuckled to himself. Was a simple roast meat worth all this fuss?

It even inspired poetry!

The other members of the Blueprint Mercenary Group didn't concern themselves with their leader's rapture, seizing the chance to devour as much as they could.

When Lan Luo came to his senses, he couldn't help but yell, "Damn it, you animals! Save some for me! Remember, I'm the leader!"

"Doesn't matter if you're the leader or not—if you're too slow, you've only got yourself to blame!"

"Boss, I'm stepping out of the Blueprint Mercenary Group. I'll rejoin after I've had my fill of this roast meat!"

"I won't let anyone else snatch my roast meat!"

Suddenly, the members of the Blueprint Mercenary Group started grumbling amongst themselves.

Once everyone was well-fed and content, they wiped their mouths and settled down for a rest.

Xiaofan approached Lan Luo and whispered, "Uncle Lan, could you tell me where I can sell a magic core?"

"Xiaofan!" Lan Luo quickly replied, "You can sell magic cores at the Mercenary Union or the Chamber of Commerce!"

By now, they had grown quite familiar with each other, so their addresses had become more informal.

Xiaofan's eyes sparkled at the information, and he continued, "Does the Chamber of Commerce also buy other items besides magic cores?"

Lan Luo gave Xiaofan a surprised look, wondering to himself if someone with Xiaofan's background really needed to sell items for money. Despite his thoughts, Lan Luo answered, "The Chamber of Commerce will also buy pills, weapons, cultivation techniques, rare materials, and even art. Essentially, they're interested in any useful item you can think of!"

Xiaofan nodded and replied quietly, "Got it, thanks, Uncle Lan!"

Lan Luo dismissed the thanks with a casual wave of his hand, while Xiaofan found a secluded corner and took out a mid-grade red potion and a mid-grade blue potion.

With his Divine Level alchemy skills, his current task was to purify and merge them.

He examined the properties of both potions: the blue potion would restore fifty percent of one's Battle Aura in five seconds, and the red potion would heal fifty percent of injuries in the same time frame.

The potency of these effects was astounding, and even Xiaofan was impressed.

With determination, he activated his Battle Aura and began the purification process for the red potion as described in his notes.

The liquid inside the red potion churned, forming tiny whirlpools.

The volume of the liquid gradually decreased, as though it were evaporating.

Xiaofan remained patient, knowing that this was a sign of increasing purity.

As Xiao Xiaofan progressed with the process, beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead. His golden holy tattoo meant that he could only refine the red potion by harnessing his Battle Aura. It was a good thing he possessed a Divine Body capable of constant rejuvenation; otherwise, he would have surely collapsed by now.

The potion within the bottle was steadily condensing, on the verge of transforming into a perfectly round pill. Xiao Xiaofan's gaze sharpened. He sensed that if the liquid fully solidified into a pill, the benefits would be immense. Yet, he chose not to follow through with that. Instead, he applied the technique from his alchemist's notes to divide the potion's potency into ten smaller doses.

The liquid, which was about to become a single pill, was now split into ten separate portions, naturally forming pills ahead of schedule. This was akin to compression; the larger the initial amount, the more challenging it becomes to compress later. But with smaller portions, compression becomes much more manageable.

Upon completion, Xiao Xiaofan breathed a sigh of relief. His inaugural attempt at alchemy was a success, thanks in no small part to the alchemist's notebook, which provided both the method and invaluable insights. Without the regenerative properties of his Divine Body, this feat would have been impossible.

As he examined the ten small pills in his hand, information about them appeared:

Middle-Grade Blood Recovery Pill: Instantly restores 20% of health, followed by an additional 10% over the next five seconds.

The remarkable efficacy of the pill left Xiao Xiaofan agape, his face a picture of disbelief. An instant recovery of 20% health was significantly more effective than a gradual recovery over five seconds. In a critical moment, those five seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

The power of alchemy was indeed formidable, yielding such potent results. One could only imagine the effects if the potion had not been divided.

With a steadied spirit, Xiao Xiaofan proceeded to refine the blue potion with the same meticulous technique.

Middle-Grade Qi Recovery Pill: Instantly restores 20% of Battle Aura, then slowly replenishes another 20% over the following five seconds.

The effects were essentially identical to the Middle-Grade Blood Recovery Pill, with the distinction being that one healed physical injuries while the other replenished Battle Aura.

Xiao Xiaofan's gaze intensified as he focused on the task at hand. Refining and separating were merely the initial steps; the crux of the matter lay in the fusion process!

Alchemy is about blending disparate elements to create something entirely new!

That's where the real thrill of alchemy lies. Once you've got the technique down, the experimentation phase is full of surprises—you never know what you might concoct!

He was eager to discover the kind of magic that would result from combining a Middle-Grade Blood Revival Pill with a Middle-Grade Qi Recovery Pill!

Fusion involves disrupting the original properties of the items, then using special techniques to meld them back together!

Though it may sound straightforward, it's anything but simple.

Disrupting the original properties is a challenge in itself, not to mention the complexity of merging two different attributes!

It's important to remember that destruction is always easier than restoration!

In this unprecedented moment of seriousness, Xiao Xiaofan set about the delicate task of fusing the two items together.