Also I am doing experiments to see if I can propagate spirit soil, which I'm convinced is possible since some of my spirit soil receded this winter. I already know that you can use super expensive spirit seeds to make a new tile, or one of the pet fox miracles, but I think it's possible to do it manually, either with elements, qi concentration, fertility, or maybe some plants.
After extensive testing in the "land of illusion", I concluded that spirit soil does not in fact, propagate naturally. Earlier, when I found that it had "receded during winter", it was actually due to turning nearby tiles into "fertile soil" : I found out that when you change a tile, it can change nearby tiles as well.
On the bright side, in those tests I discovered two ways to artificially generate spirit soil, one through a special building that you probably unlock in late game, and the other is spirit seeds, which I already knew about, but I could confirm that they generate more than 1 tile, instead they generate a big square over 3 years (I did not have the patience to way for the full 3 years to see the final size of the patch, but it should be sizeable).
Anyone know a good mat (or element type?) to make Alchemy furnaces (tables?) out of?
The game states that my greystone version is ominous :p
Spirit stones blocks ! Using money as a building material feels really luxurious, but honestly it's more plentiful that stone and it makes everything auspicious and beautiful. One of the downsides is that you need twice the number of blocks to build with, so your disciples will have to spend more time carving.
Thinking about it, you could probably make your greystone alchemy furnace auspicious, but that would require changing at least the floor to something fire-attuned (which is doable with 1 igneocopper ore). If it's ominous, your room is probably made of wood, which is bad for earth materials.
Edit : since I was at it, I checked in the "land of illusion" (editor) and sure enough, igneocopper floor will do, but you'd need to change the walls too (greystone works). Alternatively you could build outside, and as long as there's nothing wood-attuned nearby, it could be auspicious.