"Here, breakfast."
Passing a leaf-wrapped sticky rice cake to Luo Chen, Gu Caiyi took a seat beside him.
Luo Chen took the piping-hot cake and took a hearty bite.
"Authentic!"
"I never knew sticky rice cakes pounded from spirit rice could taste this good."
Watching Luo Chen devour it with relish, Gu Caiyi gave a soft chuckle. "Isn't this all thanks to your popcorn inspiring people? Those copycats started putting their minds to work on the most ordinary spirit rice."
Luo Chen grinned, savoring the breakfast imbued with spiritual energy.
Once a human began refining Qi, their body entered a state of passive transformation.
Throughout that process, nourishment from food was just as crucial as cultivation itself.
The so-called fasting practiced by cultivators was something high-stage cultivators typically undertook only when entering secluded cultivation.
In truth, low-stage cultivators tried to avoid fasting whenever possible. During the Qi Refining stage, besides refining external spiritual energy, the body simultaneously refined its own physical essence and qi. If essence and qi ran short, it would damage one's foundation. Cases of cultivators ruining their health through excessive Qi refining were far from rare.
Yet eating had its own rules. Common grains and coarse cereals were never a cultivator's first choice. Eating too much of them would only load the body with impurities and hinder the process of refining essence into qi.
Naturally, spirit rice, spiritual vegetables, monster beast meat, spiritual wine, and spiritual tea had grown immensely popular.
Even when Luo Chen was at his lowest, he would grit his teeth and buy the lowest grade of spirit rice just to keep his physical condition from dragging down his cultivation.
Nowadays, the spiritual food market in Dahe Market was thriving like wildfire.
There had always been established establishments like Spirit Source Studio and Zhongding House. Later, Luo Chen had whipped up a whole selection of snacks containing trace amounts of spiritual energy, which became wildly popular. Spurred on by this, rogue cultivators put their brains to work as well, innovating all kinds of small food items infused with spiritual energy.
It had to be said that the demand was real. Once cultivators grew sick of plain spirit rice, they were more than willing to spend a few spirit stones to treat their palates.
Luo Chen, for instance, was quite fond of several treats sold in White Stone Square, often asking Gu Caiyi and the others to bring some over in the morning.
Of course, he paid in spirit stones; he was not one to freeload. He was fairly generous, too, allowing whoever ran the errand to share in the feast.
In the past, like ordinary cultivators, Gu Caiyi usually ate only one meal of spirit rice a day. But now, following Luo Chen, she had grown accustomed to eating breakfast as well.
She leaned against the table, pondering matters of cultivation.
Suddenly, she caught a whiff of fragrance.
"Huh, Luo Chen, did you put on some rouge? Why is there a scent on you?"
"I'm not a woman. Why would I put on rouge?!"
Gu Caiyi twitched her nose and sniffed carefully. The scent drifting from Luo Chen was faint and elusive.
It was as fierce as fire, yet as gentle and smooth as jade.
It was a contradiction, yet breathing it in felt remarkably soothing.
Luo Chen paused, then said, "It's probably the pill qi accumulated from my years of pill refining. Is it strong?"
"Not strong at all. You have to be very close and sniff carefully to catch it."
Gu Caiyi took another breath, feeling surprisingly refreshed. How had she never noticed this pill qi on him before?
Hearing that, Luo Chen was relieved.
It was perfectly normal for an alchemist to carry a hint of pill qi, so long as it was not overpowering enough to leave an indelible impression. Still, if he ever needed to do anything underhanded in the future, it would be best to conceal or purge it completely.
After breakfast, the logistic cultivators gradually arrived at the Pill Hall.
A new day of pill concoction was about to begin.
Under Gu Caiyi's leadership, none of them had any complaints.
Starting this month, the improved compensation promised by Hall Master Luo had been formally approved by the gang. Depending on their positions, everyone saw their earnings increase to varying degrees.
Furthermore, working in the Mountain Breaker Gang over time accumulated merit points. Once enough merit points were gathered, one could go to the Merit Hall to exchange them for low-tier spells. Though they were common varieties, buying them outside still cost a hefty sum of spirit stones, whereas an internal exchange was dirt cheap.
Thanks to these better benefits, everyone's enthusiasm ran higher than ever, and they assisted Luo Chen during pill concoction with far greater dedication.
After all, Luo Chen had casually mentioned once that he planned to promote two stewards from among the medicine apprentices and pill keepers, just like Qu Hancheng.
One day later, the refining session drew to a close.
Today's yield rate was not particularly high, only around forty percent.
Of course, that was merely what the logistic cultivators saw.
The real yield rate was actually fifty percent.
The extra ten percent had been quietly pocketed by Luo Chen.
Those were twenty upper-grade Jade Marrow Pills he had deliberately refined, with potency comparable to Qi-Nourishing Pills. Though they still could not match the Dust-Cleansing Pills he currently relied on, they came with no drug resistance!
Luo Chen was in no rush to refine them through meditation; he simply swallowed them, letting their medicinal potency flood his meridians to be absorbed automatically. That way, whether he was concocting pills or casting spells, his spiritual power remained consistently full.
Moreover, the passive recovery trait of the Eternal Spring Art was constantly at work. Luo Chen also wanted to test whether keeping his internal spiritual power perpetually full would trigger any passive purification.
In truth, Luo Chen sometimes wondered what would happen if his embezzlement were ever discovered.
After turning it over in his mind multiple times, he had arrived at a conclusion.
What could happen?
As long as he did not go overboard, Mi Shuhua would simply pretend not to see it even if he found out. Could he really lock him in the dungeon over this? At most, there would be a warning, after which Luo Chen would rein himself in for a bit before slipping back into old habits.
Hence, Luo Chen felt virtually no psychological burden lining his pockets.
After finishing his duties, Luo Chen called Gu Caiyi over, and they set off toward the inner city.
As he departed, Zhou Yuanli and several other bodyguards tacitly fell into step behind him.
Only when they reached the safety of the inner city did the bodyguards disperse.
Once they were gone, Luo Chen bade Gu Caiyi farewell and began strolling through the inner city on his own.
He first stopped by Hundred Herbs Hall.
Accompanied by Bai Meiling, Luo Chen met the shop's new shopkeeper.
To his surprise, the man was not an elderly cultivator like Liu Hecai, but an apparently young Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Shouldn't a talent like this stay within their sect to cultivate diligently, become a Foundation Establishment true disciple, and strive for Core Formation? Or was the Medicine King Sect so brimming with genius that they could casually dispatch young Foundation Establishment cultivators to handle trade affairs?
The reason the man was willing to meet Luo Chen was entirely thanks to former Shopkeeper Liu putting in a word, mentioning that Dahe Market had a rogue alchemist like Luo Chen.
Alchemists were rare to begin with, and rogue alchemists were rarer still, naturally piquing curiosity.
However, upon learning that Luo Chen was already serving a gang, the man lost interest. They exchanged names, and he waved his hand, leaving Luo Chen to browse on his own.
After purchasing the medicinal ingredients for Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid along with dozens of Heavenly Sun Fruits, Luo Chen took his leave of Bai Meiling and headed straight for Xianzhu Residence.
Xianzhu Residence was a shop under Mount Ailao, specializing in selling all kinds of building materials and ores, as well as collecting resources.
Stepping inside Xianzhu Residence, Luo Chen began wandering about.
Seeing his aimless browsing, the Mount Ailao disciples running the shop did not bother coming over to attend to him. Rogue cultivators of this sort were a dime a dozen; after browsing for half a day, they rarely bought anything of real value.
"What else is there to argue about? It has to be the work of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!"
"Who would be stupid enough to commit murder right on their own turf?"
"Tch, that sort of thing happens all the time. Otherwise, where did the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect get so many magical treasures to put up for auction?"
Overhearing two late-stage Qi Refining Mount Ailao disciples gossiping nearby, Luo Chen grew intrigued.
He recalled that during the earlier auction, the local Sword Pavilion representing the Sword Sect had indeed put numerous magical treasures on the block. The Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel that Mi Shuhua had paid a fortune for was one of them. In the subsequent auctions, at least four magical treasures had been sold!
He had wondered before where the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect got so many treasures, given that it was not particularly renowned for artifact forging.
To think he would hear such an explanation from the disciples of another sect.
Thinking it over, it made sense. Once a cultivator of the Sword Sect reached Foundation Establishment, they discarded most external items to focus entirely on their sword pellet. Magical artifacts and treasures that rogue cultivators prized like life itself were hardly indispensable to sword cultivators who revered the doctrine of "one sword breaks all dharmas."
If they happened upon magical treasures that were of no use to keep, auctioning them off was only logical. Doing so in the heart of the Jade Cauldron Domain might bring trouble, but in an out-of-the-way place like Dahe Market, there would be no loose ends. In a place like this, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion was an undisputed hegemon that no one dared cross.
The conversation continued nearby, dripping with righteous indignation.
"The wounds on Martial Uncle Fei Baiwen's corpse were clearly inflicted by a treasure-grade sword pellet! There are plenty of sword pellets across the Jade Cauldron Domain, but the only ones who can nurture a treasure-grade sword pellet are the Sword Sect's Golden Core masters!"
"But why would a Sword Sect Golden Core strike down a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
"Who knows? Maybe they had their eye on Martial Uncle's Fanlong treasure. They say defense treasures like the Fanlong can be used by sword cultivators too."
"Perhaps!"
"In any case, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect has gone too far! When our sect's Supreme Elder went to demand an explanation, they acted utterly arrogant. After returning, the Supreme Elder was furious, cursing the Sword Sect and even halting the renovation plans for several of the Sword Sect's large markets."
"Hiss... Our Mount Ailao can't afford to provoke a Nascent Soul sect. Isn't the Supreme Elder worried about inviting disaster by doing that?"
"Heh, that's where you don't know the whole story. Back when the Jade Cauldron Domain was first opened up... Hey, kid! Are you going to buy anything or not?!"
Luo Chen blinked, then put on a smile.
"Of course I am! I just didn't want to interrupt your conversation, fellow Daoists."
"What do you want to buy? Spit it out quickly, we're closing soon."
Luo Chen pursed his lips and smiled. "Earth Fire Fiend. I heard you have it here, but I searched the shelves for a long time and couldn't find any."
The Mount Ailao cultivator gave him a disdainful glance.
"Ignorant. How could something like Earth Fire Fiend be kept on an open shelf? How much do you need?"
***
*Fiend* was synonymous with slaughter—exceedingly vicious, allowing no foreign matter to abide.
Wherever an extremely sinister or harsh environment existed, fiend qi was often born. Once a corresponding fiend qi took hold, nothing else could survive there except the very medium that birthed it.
Take Underworld Yin Fiend, for example: it was a fiend qi condensed over countless years in places where Tier 2 Underworld Water converged. In such an area, aside from the Underworld Water itself, the Underworld Yin Fiend would actively destroy any foreign object.
The Earth Fire Fiend operated on the same principle.
It was a type of fiend qi born only where massive quantities of subterranean fire gathered. As a result, Earth Fire Fiend tolerated no outside substances, possessed extreme destructive power, and belonged to the class of masculine, virulent fiends.
Yet cultivators were exceedingly clever. If such tremendous destructive force were incorporated into a magical artifact, its might would multiply severalfold. Thus, through years of study, generations of brilliant minds had devised numerous methods to extract, contain, and wield fiend qi.
After all, no matter how formidable a substance was, all things were subject to mutual restraint; there would always be something of a higher grade or conflicting attribute to subdue it.
While Earth Fire Fiend was of the fire element, it resided year-round within the veins of mountains and earth, meaning it was naturally constrained by earth-attributed materials.
Led by the Mount Ailao disciple, Luo Chen was shown the vessel used to store Earth Fire Fiend.
It was a stone riddled with tiny perforations, resembling a honeycomb.
"This is a floating rock, a companion mineral to subterranean fire. A single stone can hold ten wisps of Earth Fire Fiend."
"If you want to buy the Earth Fire Fiend, you have to buy a floating rock with it. So, as for the price..."
"Fifty spirit stones!"
Luo Chen was taken aback.
Earth Fire Fiend was merely the lowest and most common grade of fiend qi, ranking at only Tier 1.
Just ten wisps were going to cost him fifty spirit stones!
Seeing Luo Chen's pained expression, the cultivator smiled. "Of course, we will also teach you the technique to guide the fiend qi. You definitely won't be losing out on this deal."
Hearing that, Luo Chen found it somewhat acceptable.
Still, after parting with fifty spirit stones to purchase the Earth Fire Fiend, Luo Chen remained indignant.
Mount Ailao's Xianzhu Residence was run by damn profiteers.
Selling goods was one thing, but tying them into bundled sales was another. Ten wisps of Earth Fire Fiend had actually been bundled together with a floating rock and the Fiend Control Incantation.
***
Leaving Xianzhu Residence, Luo Chen did the math.
Ten wisps of Earth Fire Fiend cost fifty spirit stones.
Heavenly Sun Fruits were relatively cheap; buying an amount corresponding to the Earth Fire Fiend cost about ten spirit stones.
Explosive ape blood, one of the three main ingredients for the Blood Burning Pill, was not cheap either. He had not bought it yet, but he knew the market price: ten portions of explosive ape demon blood would run at least thirty spirit stones.
Factoring in the other auxiliary ingredients, that was another twenty stones or so.
Adding it all up, gathering ten batches of primary materials would require roughly one hundred and ten lower-grade spirit stones.
He had not realized it until calculating, but the production cost was astronomical!
A single cauldron cost eleven spirit stones to start!
And that was without factoring in labor, resources, or the firewood used for refining.
"The cost of a Myriad Wonders Pill or a Jade Marrow Pill is only about five spirit stones. Why is the Blood Burning Pill so expensive?"
"Could it be because this pill formula was derived by me?"
Luo Chen could not help reflecting on the formula itself.
Generally speaking, mature pill formulas had been refined and tested countless times by alchemy grandmasters, with every main and auxiliary ingredient carefully selected. That process could take decades, centuries, or even millennia of evolution. As a result, the prices of the ingredients in established formulas had already been driven down to their absolute minimum.
His Blood Burning Pill formula, on the other hand, was an opportunistic shortcut. He had derived it from the Tier 2 Blood Fiend Pill, using the system to force an entry-level mastery. In between, there had been no optimization or simplification whatsoever.
*If that's the case, it means the Blood Burning Pill formula still has room for improvement.*
*Yet with my current attainment in alchemy, deriving a usable formula already pushed me to my limits. How am I supposed to optimize it?*
If production costs could not be brought down, the profit margin on the pills would be razor-thin.
Even if the effects were outstanding, it was still only a Tier 1 pill. It would do little for high-stage cultivators, while low-stage cultivators could not afford high prices, which naturally squeezed profits.
"Forget it, I'll refine a batch first."
"If the effects are average and not worth selling, I'll just use them myself!"
Luo Chen sighed, settling on this plan.
He had no intention of giving up on refining the Blood Burning Pill. It was a Tier 1 pill after all; what if it found a great market? Moreover, by refining the Blood Burning Pill and raising his proficiency, the experience could serve as a stepping stone to help him modify the Blood Fiend Pill later on.
At the end of the day, both shared the same origin.
Over the next few days, he gathered the remaining auxiliary ingredients one by one.
As for the explosive ape demon blood, he did not buy it personally, choosing instead to entrust Duan Feng with the purchase.
The reason for having Duan Feng step forward was that buying such an item made perfect sense for him. Explosive ape demon blood was well-suited for brewing a potent tonic medicinal soup that worked wonders for cultivators suffering from depleted vitality and blood. Cultivators who fought regularly on the Dao Discussion Platform often bought it to brew soup.
Luo Chen had seen this before. Back during the battle of the eighteen cultivators, Murong Qinglian had brewed a tiger bone soup for Qin Liangchen. The recipe for that tiger bone soup was the very tonic soup mentioned, using different main ingredients but operating on the identical principle.
Once all the materials were assembled, Luo Chen prepared to begin refining the Blood Burning Pill.
As for the location, he chose his own home, inside his small pill room.
***
*Thud!*
With a dull thud, the Four Symbols Cauldron settled over the fire pit.
Luo Chen frowned slightly. The pill room in his home was too small; once the zhang-tall Four Symbols Cauldron was placed inside, the space felt rather cramped.
Yet there was no alternative.
He could not brazenly do this sort of thing at the Pill Hall in Crescent Moon Valley. Even if he refined pills late into the night, it would easily be noticed by the Mountain Breaker Gang cultivators on night watch. Thus, he had no choice but to do it at home.
With no one to assist him, Luo Chen returned to the tedious alchemy chores he had not performed in quite some time.
Heating the Four Symbols Cauldron took a long time, and relying solely on firewood was insufficient. Luo Chen had to divide his focus, unleashing Fireball Arts at intervals while carefully regulating his spiritual power to ensure the fireballs did not grow too destructive.
Fortunately, he was thoroughly practiced in the Flame Manipulation Incantation, and his control over flames was exceptionally adept.
Handling these cumbersome tasks, Luo Chen even found himself reflecting on his recent circumstances.
It was a good thing he had joined the Mountain Breaker Gang. If he were still fighting alone like before, concocting pills every day would have worked him to the bone. Now, he refined pills twice a day, three cauldrons per session. Even though his workload was greater than before, having that group of medicine apprentices and stokers to help made things far easier.
"Next, it's time to add the auxiliary ingredients."
One processed medicinal herb after another went into the Four Symbols Cauldron. For those requiring on-the-spot preparation, he employed his specialized alchemical technique, the Pure Heart Hand, to handle them.
Next came the mild Heavenly Sun Fruit.
Inside this item was a wisp of innate qi. Though minute in quantity, it was remarkably precious; otherwise, Hundred Herbs Hall would not have offered it for sale.
After the Heavenly Sun Fruit came the explosive ape demon blood.
Luo Chen retrieved a magical artifact: the Wave-Swallowing Sea-Ingesting Pot.
This was a recent purchase. He had given his previous pot to Feng Xia to store beast milk from the Fuzhu deer. Truth be told, this new purchase had cost him only two hundred spirit stones. He recalled that Wanbao Pavilion used to sell the Wave-Swallowing Sea-Ingesting Pot for two hundred and thirty. Sikong Shoujia had not lied to him—magical artifacts were indeed growing cheaper. Perhaps centuries or millennia from now, storage bags, which currently commanded exorbitant prices, would become standard issue for every Qi Refining cultivator.
Opening the spout, a foul, metallic stench billowed forth.
This substance required no processing; what was needed was its raw, unadulterated essence.
Luo Chen precisely measured out the demon blood until there was enough for one batch of Blood Burning Pills, then stowed the Wave-Swallowing Sea-Ingesting Pot away.
After pouring in the explosive ape blood, Luo Chen ceased all movement, focusing entirely on controlling the heat.
Occasionally, he used the Attraction Art to lift the cauldron lid, stirring the gradually melting medicinal broth with a specially crafted medicine spatula.
According to his derived formula, the Blood Burning Pill was best kept from excessive contact with the alchemist's spiritual power during the refining process, as foreign energy would taint its purity. The only moment of contact would be at the very end, when alchemical techniques were used to shape the liquid into pills with spiritual power.
The simmering and stirring dragged on for a long time, to the point where Luo Chen began to feel drowsy.
Of course, he would never actually fall asleep.
He even started thinking about how to organize the schedule if he were to produce Blood Burning Pills on a large scale. Stokers to watch the flames would be a must. He could also train a dedicated group from among the medicine apprentices to monitor the stages of the broth's transformation.
Perhaps this applied not just to the Blood Burning Pill; there was a stage in refining Jade Marrow Pills that consumed a great deal of his energy as well. Could he implement the same approach there?
These thoughts flitted through his mind in a flash.
Luo Chen returned his full attention to the refining.
After another incense stick's worth of time, sensing the moment was ripe, Luo Chen retrieved the honeycomb-like floating rock.
With the rock suspended above the Four Symbols Cauldron, Luo Chen reached out a hand, sending forth a surge of spiritual power.
As his fingers formed incantation seals, the strands of spiritual power wove together like a swarm of bees and burrowed into the honeycomb.
Breaching the boundary set by the Mount Ailao cultivators, Luo Chen's spiritual power wrapped around a wisp of Earth Fire Fiend like bees carrying pollen, slowly guiding it out.
The moment the Earth Fire Fiend entered the cauldron, Luo Chen abruptly withdrew his spiritual power.
The cauldron lid slammed shut in an instant.
Almost immediately, the Four Symbols Cauldron trembled faintly.
*Once the mild medicinal broth contacts the Earth Fire Fiend, a unique reaction takes place. The overall properties will instantly turn violent.*
*Not only that, the spiritual energy in the explosive ape demon blood and Heavenly Sun Fruit will erupt simultaneously under the stimulation of the Earth Fire Fiend, then fuse together.*
Having derived the formula himself, he naturally knew every reaction that could occur during the process. It was fair to say that in this entire world, no one understood the Blood Burning Pill formula better than Luo Chen. Even if a grandmaster of alchemy were brought here, they would not know it better than he did.
Suddenly!
The vibrating Four Symbols Cauldron went still, returning to total silence.
Luo Chen's mind snapped into sharp focus. This was the final moment of pill formation.
He channeled his spiritual power, letting it seep inward along the formation runes originally etched into the cauldron.
Roughly five breaths later, Luo Chen lifted the cauldron lid in anticipation.
A pungent, scorched odor instantly billowed out.
"Did it fail?"
"Well, I'm used to it. On a first attempt, with only entry-level proficiency, failing is completely normal..."
Just as Luo Chen braced himself for disappointment, he peered at the bottom of the Four Symbols Cauldron and froze.
There, five peanut-sized, blood-red pills lay resting.
It hadn't failed!
Success on the very first try!
Chapter 116