Rumble, rumble...
Thunder rolled with deafening roars, the raw might of heaven and earth hushing the entirety of Dahe Market.
The lively sight of escape lights streaking across the sky had grown far scarcer.
After all, no one could guarantee they wouldn't have the misfortune of getting struck down by lightning while flying. If that happened, who knew whether it counted as facing a heavenly tribulation ahead of schedule?
Dahe Market covered a vast expanse of land. At its heart stood an inner city protected by a tier-three grand formation, sturdy enough to fend off attacks from demon beasts below the third rank. Even if a rank-three demon beast launched a surprise assault, the barrier could usually hold out for a while, giving the people within plenty of time to react. Naturally, keeping such a massive formation active and maintained every day came at an exorbitant cost, so it only enveloped the inner city.
By contrast, the rogue cultivator settlements that sprawled outward around the inner core enjoyed nowhere near that level of security.
Across the north, south, east, and west, over ten thousand wooden and stone dwellings stood scattered about.
Beside a stream in the southwest corner, a wooden cottage with a single bedroom, sitting room, and kitchen sat quietly, separated by nearly two li from the nearest rogue cultivator's home.
Quiet as it was outside, the kitchen inside was bustling with heat and activity.
"One jin of sliced Chinese yam in, two liang of white tuckahoe, three liang of one-year-old ginseng..."
"One jin of rank-one demon beast yellow beef, minced fine, without a trace of bone gristle."
"Add scallions, ginger, round-grained rice, fennel..."
The muttering came from a bare-chested young man. He stared intently into the pot, his hands practiced as he grabbed ingredients from the wooden rack beside him and tossed them in. The ladle in his hand moved in a flurry, stirring and tossing without pause.
As he poured in a large pot of snow-white beef bone broth, Luo Chen let out a sigh of relief. He poked at the firewood in the stove, pulling out a few logs here and there to adjust the flame, and then settled into a quiet wait for the final product.
Two hours later, the young man lifted the lid. Looking at the thick, gooey mixture inside, he took a deep breath.
"Look at that color—glossy, pure white, and vibrant. Top grade!"
"Smell that aroma—toasty yet mellow. Top grade!"
Luo Chen reached out, dipped a finger into the ladle, and popped a dab into his mouth.
He smacked his lips.
"Spiritual essence brimming and alive. Under the stimulation of the angelica and ginseng, the spiritual qi from those five jin of rank-one demon beast yellow beef has been evenly distributed throughout this Fasting Powder."
"Not bad. The flavor is nailed down completely too. Top grade!"
Licking his finger, Luo Chen couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Based on his experience over this period, a single pot of Fasting Powder could be rolled into at least five bottles of Fasting Pills.
It sounded a bit comical, but in truth, Luo Chen was indeed concocting pills!
And it was the Fasting Pill most commonly used by cultivators—even if it was merely a budget version that could at best be called Fasting Powder.
Before the temperature dropped, he scooped the paste out and emptied it onto a cutting board. Luo Chen took out a yellowed bamboo scroll, transferred the sticky paste onto it, drizzled a few drops of Hundred-Flower Fragrant Honey, and began rolling the bamboo scroll. Under the rolling bamboo scroll, the steaming Fasting Powder gradually formed into long cylinders, its hue turning faintly yellow as the honey blended in.
Moving with swift, nimble fingers, he pinched off pieces from the cylindrical paste, rolling them into plump, round pills roughly the size of a thumb.
One, two, three...
By the time Luo Chen finished, fifty Fasting Pills sat neatly arranged on the board.
Looking at his harvest, before Luo Chen could even celebrate, his focus shifted to the panel hovering before his eyes—invisible to outsiders.
[Name: Luo Chen]
[Lifespan: 27/75]
[Spiritual Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Realm: Qi Refinement Layer Three: 75/100]
[Cultivation Method: Eternal Spring Art (Mastered: 235/300)]
[Spells: Cleansing Technique (Novice: 49/100), Entanglement Technique (Practiced: 176/200), Fireball Technique (Mastered: 268/300)]
[Skills: Tier-One Alchemist: Fasting Powder (Grandmaster: 501/1,000)]
[Achievement Points: 10 (Can be used to initiate cultivation methods, spells, or skills of the corresponding realm)]
"Ten achievement points in hand. Now I can initiate the Myriad Wonders Pill!"
Looking at this proficiency panel, Luo Chen actually felt a bit emotional.
He had been here for a full year!
In his previous life, he had been nothing more than a corporate drone who left early and returned late. When he did find a spare moment, his only pastime was playing small mobile Xianxia progression games. Lacking money, he could only grind his way through, endlessly grinding cultivation progress bars whenever he had free time.
Who could have guessed that late one sleepless night, while grinding dungeon runs, he would grind himself right into a transmigration?
The original owner of this body was also named Luo Chen, and had been the exact same age as him. In his youth, he had ventured deep into the mountains and chanced upon a fortuitous encounter inside a cave—the skeletal remains of an immortal cultivator. From that day on, he had embarked on a ten-year path of cultivation.
Following the map found among the remains, he had made his way to Dahe Market, hoping to join the disciple recruitment of nearby sects. Yet ten years ago, he was already seventeen, past the sects' age limit of sixteen. Worse yet, he possessed an evenly balanced five-element spiritual root constitution—hardly better than a mortal with no spiritual roots at all. No sect would take him.
Ordinarily, one would go back where they came from. Yet the original owner's heart for the Dao was exceptionally resolute. Relying on a bottle of pills, a scroll of the Eternal Spring Art, and a few spirit stones from his encounter, he settled down right here in Dahe Market.
In the early days, strapped for cash, he couldn't even afford a wooden house near the inner city and had to rent a spot by the stream on the outermost fringe.
Living in a market town was no easy feat. Even for a dwelling on the outermost perimeter, the rent cost half a spirit stone per month. Although he had built the cabin himself, that half a spirit stone still had to be handed over every month.
After exhausting his few spirit stones, the original owner hadn't simply waited for death. He either tended stalls for others or joined hunting parties into the mountains, scraping by and stubbornly holding his ground. Later, realizing this was no long-term solution, he set his mind on the two pill formulas found among the remains.
The Myriad Wonders Pill was somewhat difficult, so he could only start studying the lowest-grade Fasting Powder. One could only say that those blessed with fortuitous encounters possessed at least some measure of fortune. After a few early failures, he successfully concocted the Fasting Powder. Though the quality was ordinary, there was always someone willing to buy it among the rogue cultivators who frequently hunted in the mountains for ten days or half a month at a stretch.
With that, the original owner managed to eke out a living and settle in Dahe Market.
Yet the weather can turn foul in an instant, and fortune can shift overnight. Feeling that Fasting Powder was not enough to sustain his cultivation, the original owner set his sights on a damaged pill formula he had collected. And on his very first attempt to concoct it, the pot blew up!
The violent explosion had even collapsed this very wooden cottage. It was precisely at that moment that Luo Chen transmigrated and took over this body.
Whenever he recalled the circumstances of his arrival, Luo Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It had been pouring rain then too. Amid the rubble, face covered in blood, he had stared at this new world in dazed helplessness.
Fortunately, all of that was in the past now.
"A full year. My Fasting Powder proficiency finally went from Perfect to Grandmaster, just barely enough to cover my daily living expenses."
"The greatest gain, however, is that my achievement points have accumulated to ten. I can use them to initiate the Myriad Wonders Pill!"
Luo Chen currently held three pill recipes in his hands: the tier-one Fasting Powder formula, the tier-one Myriad Wonders Pill formula, and a damaged tier-two pill formula the original owner had obtained by sheer luck.
That formula was for the Jade Dew Pill. If successfully crafted, it yielded tier-two Jade Dew Pills, which were of immense benefit to cultivators who practiced water-attribute cultivation methods. A single bottle usually sold for as high as one medium-grade spirit stone!
With such astronomical profits, it was no wonder the original owner had gotten carried away back then. Perhaps he believed in his own luck; perhaps the ease of learning the Fasting Powder gave him confidence; or perhaps the bitter reality of poverty drove him to take the risk. In any case, he had charged recklessly ahead. The end result: the pot exploded, the cabin collapsed, and the man was gone.
Now, Luo Chen had arrived at his own moment of decision.
Relying solely on Fasting Powder was enough to survive, but definitely not enough to cultivate. If he wanted resources to cultivate, he had to open up another source of income beyond Fasting Powder.
His sights were not set on the Jade Dew Pill at all—besides, ten achievement points were not enough to initiate a tier-two pill refinement. Therefore, ever since discovering the achievement points feature on the proficiency panel, he had already made up his mind.
"I have to concoct the Myriad Wonders Pill!"
"I must!"
"Even if it costs me my reputation!"