What Do You Think of Mi Junping?

The doors of the alchemy chamber stood wide open, with pill-nurturing attendants carrying wooden trays back and forth. Having arrived early, Gu Caiyi was directing workers to tally up the pills concocted that day for transfer into storage. "Eighty-seven low-grade Jade Marrow Pills, thirty-five mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills." "Take them to the Pill Nurturing Room." Once the count was finished, Luo Chen washed his hands in a small pool fed by a mountain spring. Gu Caiyi walked over. "Are you heading home today?" Luo Chen shook his head. "No. I’ve had a few leisurely days, and now my hands are itching. I’ll stay here tonight to read some alchemy manuals and test out a few new ideas." Hearing his answer, Gu Caiyi said no more. She was returning home today. Having overseen everything here by herself lately, she felt genuinely exhausted. Walking to the cliffside opening outside the Pill Hall, Luo Chen looked into the distance. His mind, however, remained on his attribute panel. "Restricted by refining vast amounts of low- and mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills, my proficiency gains for the Jade Marrow Pill are grinding slower and slower." Luo Chen had essentially grasped the quirks of the attribute panel. At every tier, one had to refine pills of the corresponding quality, or proficiency would not increase. The Beginner and Skilled tiers primarily required low-grade pills. The Proficient and Perfect tiers called for large quantities of mid-grade pills. And upon reaching the Grandmaster tier, one had to refine five hundred high-grade pills before advancing to Great Perfection. This rule made good sense. In the cultivation world, anyone capable of stably producing hundreds of high-grade pills of a particular type was fully worthy of being hailed an Alchemy Grandmaster. As for top-grade pills, they were strokes of pure serendipity! In fact, Luo Chen had also experimented with concocting Great Perfection-tier Fasting Powder. His success rate for yielding top-grade Fasting Powder was merely ten percent. And even that was already astonishingly high. With a sigh, Luo Chen dwelled on it no longer. For now, mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills were more than enough to satisfy Mi Shuhua. And the high-grade Jade Marrow Pills he secretly embezzled were enough to satisfy himself. It was just that the Myriad Wonders Pill had been stuck at the Grandmaster tier for so long. He wondered what extraordinary effects a top-grade Myriad Wonders Pill would possess once he attained Great Perfection. Fellow Daoist Zeng Wen was probably anticipating that even more than he was! With a soft laugh, Luo Chen reined in his thoughts and looked out over Crescent Moon Valley. Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, cultivators who had finished their shifts left in pairs and groups, either casting the Wind Riding Technique or flying on artifacts. Under his watchful eye, Gu Caiyi met up with Murong Qinglian, who had just finished her duties, and the two headed home together. Before long, the bustling valley grew quiet, leaving behind only a shift of mid- and late-stage cultivators on guard duty. These guards did not all linger casually out in the open, either. Some lay concealed in the shadows, some patrolled the perimeter, and others rested, ready to relieve their companions at any moment. "Mi Shuhua truly values Crescent Moon Valley more and more!" Noticing the far stricter security compared to before, Luo Chen felt much more at ease. Returning to his stone house, he activated the Tier 1 Water Wave Formation to envelop the building. Then he lifted the floorboards and dropped into the sprawling network of mine tunnels. Following his memory, he made his way downward. Soon, he arrived above the cave containing the spiritual vein. Rather than rushing down, he retrieved several formation flags from his storage bag. Planting the flags around the perimeter and leaving behind an ample pile of spirit stones, Luo Chen let out a breath of relief. This set of Tier 1 formation flags was part of the spoils from Lu Huaiben’s storage bag. It served only one purpose: concealing fluctuations of spiritual power. Though it could not stop the spiritual qi in the cave from leaking outward, masking this area was better than nothing. He was confident that even if Mi Shuhua came to the Pill Hall and swept the area with spiritual sense, he would be unable to detect the cave. A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spiritual sense was hardly omnipotent; it was obstructed by mountains, earth, water, and many other obstacles. Now, with a concealment formation in place, this spiritual vein cave could truly be considered completely secure. "Or perhaps, even if he did discover it, he wouldn’t care about a tiny tributary like this." After all, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. A Tier 1 main vein could barely sustain his cultivation, so why would he spare a glance for a minor offshoot? With a self-deprecating smile, Luo Chen descended into the cave. First, he set up the Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace and began simmering Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid. Once the liquid was brewed, he cleared away the firewood. Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen brought out the formation flags for the Minor Spirit Gathering Formation, his gaze settling on the azure flag. Forming hand seals, he caused the flags to hum and vibrate, after which the azure flag settled firmly in the center. Set up this way, the Minor Spirit Gathering Formation would prioritize drawing in surrounding wood-attribute spiritual qi, making it far better suited for channeling the Eternal Spring Art. Lighting incense, soaking in the medicinal bath, swallowing his pill. Calming his mind and focusing his spirit, he began his rigorous cultivation. *** After a night had passed, Luo Chen stowed the alchemy furnace and formation flags, leaving the cave with a light and breezy step. As expected of the Minor Spirit Gathering Formation! The boost was astonishing! Even setting pills aside, the efficiency with which his Eternal Spring Art absorbed and refined spiritual power had leapt another major stride. Originally, his Grandmaster-tier Eternal Spring Art granted him a cultivation efficiency comparable to a triple-spirit root cultivator—roughly four times what he had possessed with a five-spirit root. With the bonus from the spiritual vein cave, it had increased by about one more fold, reaching five times the baseline efficiency. Last night, after utilizing the Minor Spirit Gathering Formation, his efficiency had jumped by another three times, achieving an astounding eightfold baseline speed. What did an eightfold speed mean? Luo Chen surmised that this cultivation efficiency was infinitely close to—or perhaps even on par with—that of a dual-spirit root cultivator! The cultivation world was filled with legends, some true and some false. Yet many were grounded in practical experience. For instance, it was historically recorded that heavenly spirit root cultivators could attain Foundation Establishment within ten years, and that was without consuming pills. Meanwhile, dual-spirit root cultivators were said to take merely twenty to thirty years under normal conditions. An eightfold cultivation efficiency aligned remarkably well with that timeframe. Having arrived at this estimation, the taut, anxious mindset Luo Chen had harbored regarding his cultivation finally loosened a fraction. At a fivefold efficiency, it would have taken at least fifty or sixty years just to reach the threshold of Foundation Establishment. Yet his lifespan was bizarrely capped at seventy-five years, just like in his previous life. Fifty or sixty years from now, he would be an old, decrepit man, with no strength left to attempt Foundation Establishment. Now, with the aid of the Minor Spirit Gathering Formation, that timeframe was shortened to within thirty years. By then, he would only be in his fifties. He would still be in the prime of his life, with vigorous blood and vitality, possessing more than enough strength to make an attempt at Foundation Establishment. What was more! All of these calculations excluded the consumption of pills and various auxiliary cultivation resources! If those were added into the mix, the timeframe would shrink drastically. After all, compared to the slow process of actively absorbing ambient qi, taking concentrated pills of spiritual power was vastly faster and more direct. "Mi Shuhua truly has been good to me!" Luo Chen sighed with emotion as he climbed back up into the mine tunnels. Just as he was about to leave, he paused and looked around at the crisscrossing shafts. The thought that had surfaced in his mind last time rose once more. Perhaps he really could dig another exit leading in a different direction? With a thought, Luo Chen released his little pangolin puppet beast. Relying on his sharp memory, he walked toward a tunnel that faced the direction of the Howling Moon Mountain Range. *** "Hall Master, you seem in high spirits today!" Tang Quan sidled up, speaking with an ingratiating smile. "Oh, really?" The corner of Luo Chen's mouth curved upward. His mood was indeed great. The boost in his cultivation efficiency gave him a tangible glimpse of hope for Foundation Establishment. Moreover, his morning exploration of the mine shafts had finally uncovered a narrow passage that had previously been dug quite far. That tunnel was extremely tight, barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through. Yet after checking its direction, Luo Chen realized it was the closest one to the Howling Moon Mountain Range. If he took some time to dig a little each day, it might well lead straight to an exit outside. When that time came, should Crescent Moon Valley ever face cultivators or demonic beasts they could not withstand, he would be able to slip away with ease. With hope for both his cultivation and an escape route, his mood was naturally excellent. Glancing at Tang Quan, Luo Chen said suddenly, "Your uncle, Zeng Wen, asks me every day when I'll brew another batch of Myriad Wonders Pills. But as you know, the gang leader has me focusing entirely on Jade Marrow Pills. Where would I find the time to make Myriad Wonders Pills for him?" Tang Quan nodded, wondering why Luo Chen was bringing this up. Then, Luo Chen's next words made his expression shift dramatically. "Mi Li and Luo Erduo can already concoct Fasting Powder decently well. It’s no good for you to keep idling around the herb piles all day." "Why don't you brew the Myriad Wonders Pills in my stead?" "Huh?!" Tang Quan was dumbfounded. "What are you 'huh'-ing about!" Luo Chen pulled him into the alchemy chamber and pointed at the Xuanyun Cauldron. "Since we have some free time right now, I'll teach you a trick or two." With that, he glanced back at Mi Li and the others. "You can watch, too. If anyone is interested, you're welcome to try your hand at it." *** Teaching his subordinates the method of concocting the Myriad Wonders Pill was actually a vague notion Luo Chen had entertained months ago. In the beginning, he had hoarded his knowledge, unwilling to teach anyone anything. Yet as alchemy took up more and more of his cultivation time, he knew he could not keep going like that. Therefore, he had gradually taught them how to process medicinal ingredients, control heat, and even the techniques for gathering and storing pills. Three months ago, he had shared some insights on Fasting Powder with Mi Li and the others. Fasting Powder was one thing; its recipe was common knowledge, and Luo Chen had hardly been the only vendor selling it back at the Rogue Cultivator Market. Compared to Fasting Powder, the recipe for the Myriad Wonders Pill was exceptionally precious—a closely guarded trade secret. By all logic, Luo Chen should never have let anyone else learn it. Yet now, his perspective had shifted. Cultivation was the true foundation of a cultivator; the various arts of the Dao existed solely to serve one's cultivation. After weighing the pros and cons carefully, Luo Chen decided it was better to let his apprentice alchemists learn it. First, if they could refine the Myriad Wonders Pill, it would maintain the variety of pills produced by the Mountain Breaker Gang’s Pill Hall. Second, it would save him a great deal of time that he could dedicate to cultivation. Third, frankly speaking, the market for the Myriad Wonders Pill was quite limited. Even though he could now stably produce mid-grade Myriad Wonders Pills, the market remained confined to Dahe Market. Mi Shuhua had attempted to expand sales into places like Taishan Market and Liuguang Market, but prices there could never be pushed higher. That was why Mi Shuhua had ultimately resolved to have Luo Chen focus entirely on Jade Marrow Pills. The profit margin on the Myriad Wonders Pill was simply too small. Back when it was just supporting Luo Chen’s solo cultivation, it had been barely sufficient, but as the flagship product of an entire gang, it fell short. Lastly, there was another crucial reason. An alchemist could not produce superior pills simply by possessing a recipe. Given the aptitudes of Tang Quan, Mi Li, and the rest, even if they were given abundant ingredients and all the time in the world, they would likely never produce a high-grade Myriad Wonders Pill in their entire lives. In other words, the core competitive advantage remained firmly in Luo Chen's hands. Luo Chen would never be foolish enough to teach an apprentice only to starve the master. He would always keep a few aces up his sleeve. *Sniff, sniff.* Inside the alchemy chamber, Tang Quan’s nose twitched as he caught the smell of charring. He turned to look at Luo Chen, only to see Luo Chen shrug. "What are you looking at me for? Failing in alchemy is completely normal." "Clean up the furnace. We still have Jade Marrow Pills to brew this afternoon." Leaving behind those words, he turned and walked out. Tang Quan, Mi Li, and the others were left behind in the chamber, glumly cleaning the alchemy furnace. Leaving the alchemy chamber, Luo Chen neither returned to his stone house nor strolled about Crescent Moon Valley. Instead, he greeted Zhou Yuanli and flew toward the forest behind Crescent Moon Valley. *When I first took up the Myriad Wonders Pill, I relied entirely on the system to cross the threshold, and even then, I failed numerous times.* *As for Tang Quan and the others, who knows how many failures it will take before they stumble upon their first success.* *Let them fail; in any case, they're only burning through the Mountain Breaker Gang’s ingredients.* Luo Chen chuckled softly as he descended from the sky into the forest. Glancing back, he withdrew his gaze. Barring any surprises, Zhou Yuanli and his men were secretly shadowing him to provide protection. No matter; he was only here to test out his artifacts, so there was nothing he needed to hide. His true trump cards were not these artifacts. Rather, they were the spells he had painstakingly cultivated. His Great Perfection Fireball Art, his astonishing movement speed, his Grandmaster-tier Entangling Art. Even his recently initiated Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers, combined with his accomplished Hunyuan Bead technique and hundreds of discarded Jade Marrow beads, packed formidable power. In comparison, these artifacts merely diversified his combat repertoire. "To cast a wide array of spells so swiftly and effortlessly in the Qi Refinement stage—I’m probably the only one who can do it!" After his previous battle, Luo Chen was immensely satisfied with the depth of his spiritual power. A spell’s might was never inferior to that of an artifact! The only thing lacking was the person wielding it. *Whoosh!* A plain, gray spear landed in Luo Chen’s grip. Channeling spiritual power into it, the gray spear gradually turned crimson, until Luo Chen could feel a scorching heat emanating against his palms. "A high-grade Fire-Tipped Spear, renowned for its formidable offensive power." "Back then, even when my Four Symbols Cauldron deployed its full defense, it nearly failed to block it. If an enemy is caught off guard, a single strike from this spear would tear right through an ordinary high-grade robe." A robe's defensive power was far inferior to that of a dedicated defensive artifact. With a flick of his arm, the spear shot forward like a shooting star. Its target was a century-old tree a hundred meters away. With a thunderous crash, the massive trunk shuddered violently. Dust and smoke billowed; when Luo Chen looked, the tree had already been reduced to powder. Reaching out a hand, the Fire-Tipped Spear flew back toward him with domineering momentum, yet halted deftly right before him. His Grandmaster-tier Attraction Art allowed him to master artifacts with extraordinary speed. "Its power is indeed remarkable!" After testing it, Luo Chen reached his conclusion. Its piercing ability was inferior to the Soul Breaking Nail, but in terms of instantaneous burst and area damage, the nail could not compare. With this spear, Luo Chen possessed a reliable weapon for direct confrontation. From now on, the Jasper Saber would only be a secondary choice. It was a pity about that high-grade flying sword! That sword possessed the ice attribute; to wield it effectively, one either needed an ice spirit root or an exceptional water spirit root. Luo Chen lacked an ice spirit root. And though he possessed a water spirit root, having all five elements meant it was nothing special. Moreover, his primary cultivation method, the Eternal Spring Art, was wood-attributed. With wood as his foundation, his spiritual power naturally leaned toward wood. According to the cycle of generation and overcome, wood feeds fire, and abundant wood makes fire blaze; thus, Luo Chen had great affinity for fire spells and fire artifacts. By contrast, water generated wood, an interaction difficult to invert. Consequently, he was poorly suited for water-based spells and artifacts. Yet he was reluctant to sell a high-grade artifact, so he had simply left it at the milk tea shop to serve as an "ice maker." Whenever he needed it in the future, he could retrieve it at any time. "What is this bell used for?" Taking out the pair of emerald bells, Luo Chen felt somewhat curious. Infusing magic power, the bells flared with bright green light, but produced no other reaction. Pondering a moment, he gave his hand a gentle shake. *Ding-dong!* A soft chime rang out. Caught completely unprepared, Luo Chen felt his mind turn momentarily dizzy. "Oh? A sonic artifact!" "That’s quite rare!" Delighted by the discovery, Luo Chen plugged his ears with spiritual power in advance, then vigorously rang the bells. *Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.* *Thump!* A large snake collapsed directly in the forest ahead. Luo Chen merely glanced at it, unmoved. It was only a common king ratsnake, a weakling even among Tier 1 demonic beasts. With sparse spiritual power, its meat would fetch almost nothing on the market. "Although it's only a mid-grade artifact with meager power, sonic attacks are rare." "Used unexpectedly, it might deliver a decisive blow." In an instant, Luo Chen conceived the most fitting combat use for this bell. Not to pair with the Fire-Tipped Spear, but with the Soul Breaking Nail, which was equally suited for ambushes. "In that case, I might as well name you the Soul-Lost Bell!" Luo Chen smiled faintly and slipped the Soul-Lost Bell into his storage bag. Next, he tested the other artifacts in sequence. Unfortunately, they were all run-of-the-mill low-grade artifacts, nowhere near impressive. As for that white board, Luo Chen had long since inquired about its specific function from Wanbao Pavilion. The item was originally sold by Wanbao Pavilion, specially tailored for environments like Snow Lotus Market. A Snow Treading Board! A flying artifact. Its flight speed was mediocre, roughly equal to an ordinary mid-stage cultivator casting the Wind Riding Technique. However, across snowy terrain or over large rivers and oceans, the board could leverage the terrain to multiply its speed several times over, matching the flight speed of a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. Luo Chen had no intention of selling it. Such an artifact could prove useful under the right circumstances. Next, Luo Chen advanced several thousand meters deeper, entering the inner section of the outer forest. There, traces of demonic beasts grew more frequent. Using these Tier 1 demonic beasts as practice targets, Luo Chen familiarized himself with his newly acquired Fire-Tipped Spear and Soul-Lost Bell. It had to be said that the subtle utilities of certain artifacts could only be grasped through actual combat. Aside from being launched at enemies, the Fire-Tipped Spear, when held and infused with spiritual power, could release a formidable shower of fire. Great bursts of sparks flew forth, raining down like a fiery deluge. While the individual attack power was somewhat low, it excelled in its broad area of effect. Under this blanket strike, nearly every spark carried the force of a low-grade artifact. As for the Fire-Tipped Spear’s most lethal tactic, aside from frontal charges, a sudden turnaround thrust while feigning retreat was the deadliest move in its repertoire. *No wonder Lu Huaiben didn’t use this spear right away back then, waiting until I pursued him before unleashing it.* *First, he was likely terrified by how quickly I killed two of his allies, and second, he wanted to strike a decisive blow, killing me with a single thrust the moment I let down my guard.* *Too bad for him, I kept the Four Symbols Cauldron’s defenses raised the entire time.* Riding the white Snow Treading Board, Luo Chen leisurely flew back toward Crescent Moon Valley. Behind him, Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang exchanged bewildered glances. The Hall Master seemed to possess an extraordinary talent for battle! Just now in that forest, he had effortlessly defeated three Tier 1 demonic beasts in a row. One had to remember that those artifacts were clearly brand new to him. At first, his handling had carried an unmistakable clumsiness. Yet as time went on, his control grew increasingly fluid, until he was even unlocking their specialized functions. "Could it be... that the three enemies who hunted the Hall Master back then were truly killed by his own hand?" Zhou Yuanli could not help but mutter. Liu Qiang remained half-convinced, half-skeptical. After all, those had been three enemies at the very same cultivation realm as Luo Chen! *** Upon returning to Crescent Moon Valley, Luo Chen sought out Sikong Shoujia. "Entrust the gang to sell these low-grade artifacts?" Sikong Shoujia scrutinized the low-grade artifacts and shook his head. "They probably won't fetch many spirit stones." Luo Chen was puzzled. "How can that be? These pieces are in decent condition with virtually no damage. Besides, isn't demand for artifacts always high in Dahe Market?" "Demand is high in Dahe Market, but not everywhere else!" Sikong Shoujia rolled his eyes and began explaining to Luo Chen. As it turned out, ever since the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect established dominance over the Jade Cauldron Domain, the realm had enjoyed three hundred years of relative peace after the initial century of turbulence. With conflicts reduced, demand for pills rose, while demand for artifacts fell steadily. Coupled with the fact that artifacts were durable and could be passed down as heirlooms whenever an old senior kicked the bucket, artifacts in the cultivation world only multiplied over time. Magic treasures were even more remarkable. Cultivators could nurture them with magic power, allowing their power and grade to rise continuously. As a result, artifact prices across the Jade Cauldron Domain had followed a downward trend for years. It was only because Dahe Market bordered the Million Mountains of the Eastern Wilderness, where hunting demonic beasts was prevalent, that artifact prices remained elevated. Yet over the years, the lower artifact prices from other regions had gradually begun to impact Dahe Market as well. In truth, Luo Chen had encountered this long ago. When Wanbao Pavilion bought back artifacts, their offers capped out at half-price, and heavily damaged ones didn't even get that. When Wang Yuan ran his stall, he had primarily sold mid-grade artifacts. Low-grade artifacts were few and far between. "With these common goods of yours, hardly anyone would look twice if you set up a stall. Those who do take an interest would definitely be early- or mid-stage cultivators, who can't afford high prices anyway." "My guess is that selling them all for a few hundred spirit stones would be pushing the limit." Luo Chen was outraged! "I earned these artifacts by putting my life on the line! A few hundred spirit stones? Are you treating me like a beggar?" "Who told you to bring items that have changed hands who-know-how-many times! And they're bottom-tier low-grade artifacts at that!" Sikong Shoujia curled his lip, then offered Luo Chen three suggestions. "Either give them to friends for a friendly discount." "Or take them to Wanbao Pavilion, where they'll treat them as scrap and give you basic cost value." "Or hand them over to the gang and convert them into merit points." Luo Chen dismissed the first option immediately. He had no friends who needed low-grade artifacts. Even Yuan Xiaoyue, who was only at the third layer of Qi Refinement, did not lack artifacts. Her grandfather and deceased father had left her a complete set of mid-grade artifacts. As for the second option, Luo Chen felt hesitant. And the third? "Merit points? What good are they?" "You can exchange them for cultivation techniques collected by the Merit Hall! Or buy pills directly from the Merit Hall... er, right, all the gang's pills are brewed by you." Sikong Shoujia paused, momentarily at a loss for what the gang possessed that Luo Chen would actually need. The main issue was how shameless Luo Chen was. Leveraging his position as Hall Master of the Pill Hall, he freeloaded whatever gang spells he could get his hands on. Merit points? He didn't give a damn about them. "Forget it, I'll just hold onto them for now!" It was only a few artifacts, and they didn't take up much space. What if artifact prices rebounded in the future? Having made up his mind, Luo Chen was in no hurry to sell them; he was not hurting for those few spirit stones right now. Just as he was about to leave, Sikong Shoujia caught his sleeve. Looking at the old man's hesitant, conflicted expression, Luo Chen asked in bewilderment, "What's the matter? Constipated? In that case, I recommend heading to Mixue Bingcheng at White Stone Square and buying a cup of undiluted fuzhu milk tea. It loosens the bowels and purges the gut—the effect is miraculous!" "Piss off!" Sikong Shoujia cursed, then weighed his words carefully before asking: "What do you think of Merit Hall Master Mi Junping?"