Twenty-seven close friends slept together.

A rich, mellow fragrance drifted through the Luo family’s grand residence. It was reminiscent of both fine wine and the scent of burning tangerine peel, yet neither quite captured its essence. Difficult to define, the aroma nonetheless had an invigorating effect on the spirit.

In the bright kitchen, two handsome young men—one tall, one shorter—stood at the stove, busying themselves with a small alchemy furnace. The spacious countertop was crowded with jade boxes, cups, bottles, and plates of various sizes. Beside it crouched a kitten, four or five months old, its almond-shaped eyes fixed intently on their movements.

Luo Yu skillfully lifted the lid of the furnace with his spiritual power, collecting the freshly refined essence in a small jade cup. He tasted a little, then said, “This batch is suitable—it expands the meridians and works well. The essence is pure, roughly three hundred years old, fit for the Foundation Establishment stage. Selling a single stalk shouldn’t attract undue attention.”

Qin Yue tasted it as well and replied, “Agreed. I’ve made a note. Let’s try the others.”

The two of them toiled over these concoctions to fully grasp the properties of each herb, ensuring they could fetch the right price at the cultivators’ market.

Only after Qin Yue’s guidance had Luo Yu realized that wild ginseng couldn’t be used indefinitely. Ginseng, though a spiritual herb, was among the lowest grade. While its energy could mostly be absorbed as spiritual qi, that qi had standards of purity. The energy from ginseng was considered rather impure. During Foundation Establishment, cultivators reshaped their bodies; after such a transformation, ginseng’s energy became unsuitable, a forceful tonic rather than a nourishing one. Only if the ginseng gained sentience and transformed would it once again become a treasured alchemical ingredient sought by cultivators.

Their plan was to sell spiritual herbs first, resorting to pills only if the proceeds were insufficient.

This time, they were set on refining a pill suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage—a considerable challenge for Luo Yu. In the cultivation world, it was nearly unheard of to refine pills above one’s own stage. Yet Luo Yu was confident in his spiritual sense: before even entering the path, he could match those at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Now at the fifth level himself, he was at least capable of giving it a try. Besides, the gas stove’s steady flame was a great asset.

As Luo Yu extracted the essence, he explained the techniques and insights of pill refining to Qin Yue, who concentrated fully, observing the changes inside the furnace with spiritual sense.

Perhaps because the spiritual herbs used now were of higher grade and age, Luo Yu found the process far more demanding than with ordinary plants. Clearly, leveling up was crucial—without higher cultivation, it was hard to control these materials.

Their approach was systematic: first clarify each herb’s effect, then cross-reference with the formulas in “Essence of Wood and Stone,” seeking substitutes with similar natures and effects. They meticulously catalogued the mysterious herbs, numbering each, and noting which part had what effect—thorough and precise.

After half a day’s work, they had only made a small dent in the task. The project was vast, so they stopped, resolving to continue the next day.

That night, Luo Yu tossed and turned uncomfortably in bed. What was wrong with this pillow? So hard! And had his father tampered with the quilt? It wouldn’t settle over him, leaving no edge or anchor—far less satisfactory than Qin Yue! Qin Yue could serve as both pillow and bolster!

Hiding his head under the covers, Luo Yu sulked for a long while before finally finding a position and drifting into a lucid dream.

The next morning, his mood hadn’t improved. He trudged downstairs and saw that Qin Yue also wore a sullen face. Neither greeted the other; both were too out of sorts to bother.

At breakfast, the atmosphere at the table was particularly heavy.

Father Chu set down his chopsticks and asked, “What’s wrong with you two? Do you have some complaint about my cooking?”

Luo Yu poked at the red beans in his porridge in silence.

Qin Yue’s expression was wooden, saying nothing.

Father Chu grew annoyed and turned to Luo Yu. “You.”

Luo Yu replied, “I must be going through menopause—feeling irritable.”

Father Chu turned, exasperated. “You.”

Qin Yue, face still wooden, said, “I’m not sleeping in the guest room anymore.”

Father Chu asked, “Then where do you want to sleep?”

Qin Yue answered, “Anywhere but the guest room. Why must I sleep alone downstairs?”

Father Chu rubbed his temples. “Didn’t you sleep just fine there before? What’s changed now?”

Qin Yue said calmly, “The past is the past. People’s preferences change.”

Father Chu was displeased. “Are you trying to take over Grandfather’s study?”

Grandfather Luo eyed Qin Yue warily.

Qin Yue fell silent, then murmured, “I just won’t sleep downstairs.”

Luo Yu glanced left, then right, and said excitedly, “Then come sleep with me—but you’ll have to make the bed.”

Qin Yue considered, then agreed, “All right.”

Father Chu pressed his hand to his forehead, his thoughts inscrutable. Suddenly, he scrutinized their faces and the air between them. Seeing nothing amiss, he finally relaxed. After a long moment, he said, “Since you both agree, I’ll allow it.”

Luo Yu’s spirits inexplicably lifted, and he enjoyed his porridge with new delight.

In the days that followed, one refined pills, the other trained. Luo Yu spent five full days just extracting essences and assessing the herbs. Another day or two went into adjusting formulas; three failures marked his five-day alchemical effort. At last, he succeeded.

The furnace produced only five pills, each designed to enhance cultivation at the Foundation Establishment stage. According to Qin Yue’s rough estimate, one such pill could equal half a year’s meditation for a Foundation cultivator. Though merely advancing from early to mid-stage would require over a decade of meditation, these pills would surely be in high demand. After all, time equated to life itself, and this stage was a bottleneck on the path of cultivation. With only two hundred years’ lifespan at Foundation Establishment, advancing was far more difficult than at the Qi Refining stage—many failed here.

Foundation Establishment comprised four stages: initial, middle, late, and complete. Each required more meditation than the last, with the final layer demanding nearly fifty years. Without extra pills to save time, one could easily perish at an impasse.

Luo Yu tended the furnace for a full three days and nights. The advanced materials required greater effort and time. He stirred the concoction ceaselessly with his spiritual power—utterly exhausting. Clearly, fighting above one’s level was no easy feat. After collecting the pills, he immediately took a long nap, emerging the next day refreshed and ready to discuss the next steps with Qin Yue.

Luo Yu sprawled on the sofa, organizing their inventory, and asked, “We have eight days before school starts. Will we make it in time?”

Qin Yue replied, “We’ll have to check the station to see which market is open.”

Luo Yu was puzzled. “What does the station have to do with it?”

Qin Yue explained, “Haven’t you seen the signs at the major stations?”

“I have! But what’s that got to do with the cultivators’ market?”

Qin Yue looked at him with disdain. “That information is for cultivators—it’s visible only with spiritual sense. When a market opens, the details are posted on station billboards for easy reference. While the old monsters rarely appear anymore, there are always some Qi Refining disciples handling external affairs—like I told you before: overseeing jade mines or hunting for talented seedlings. Some low-level cultivators come out to seek herbs or try their luck. The monsters inside the cultivation world are far fiercer than those outside.”

“Really? Let’s go see!” Luo Yu exclaimed.

They drove straight to the plaza by Qingning City’s bus station, slowing as they approached. Luo Yu extended his spiritual sense and, sure enough, saw a massive signboard topped by an even larger plaque. Glistening golden characters declared:

Golden Core Stage—Year of Gengzi—Full Year 2020—Huilingding, Puzhan Temple—Treasure Fate Gathering

Foundation Establishment Stage—Year of Guisi—Month of Renxu—Full November 2013—Fengxi Valley, Wuyun Manor—Immortal Roaming Gathering

Qi Refining Stage—Year of Renchen—Month of Renyin—Day of Wuxu to Day of Gengzi—February 7th to 9th, 2012—Luofeng Town, Heavenly Dao Alliance—Assembly of Immortals

Luo Yu slowly read out the words, then announced, “Found it! Assembly of Immortals! Seventh to ninth of this month! Where’s Luofeng Town?”

Cultivating With My Best Friend, Chapter 27—The chapter is now fully updated!