He would explore the path ahead another time.
Standing before the pitch-black mining shaft, Luo Chen was faced with another three-way fork.
Without hesitation, he turned and headed back.
This network of tunnels branched in every direction and led deep underground. It was obvious he couldn't finish exploring it in a short time.
That was enough for today.
Recalling the little pangolin puppet, Luo Chen relied on his memory and quickly returned to the stone chamber.
After carving a stone to seal the hole he had blasted open, Luo Chen cast a Cleansing Art on himself.
Looking refreshed, he pushed open the stone door.
"My dividend from last month?"
Luo Chen eagerly accepted the pouch, which was filled with a pile of spirit stones.
After counting them, there were 650 spirit stones in total.
The joy on Luo Chen's face faded slightly.
"Is the dividend less than you expected?" Gu Caiyi asked curiously upon seeing his reaction.
Luo Chen nodded at first, then shook his head.
"A bit less, but not by much."
Although he hadn't personally handled the retail sales of the Myriad Wonders Pills over the past month, as the alchemist, he naturally understood the costs and output.
Over the course of the month, he opened the furnaces twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. The mid-grade cauldron could process two portions of raw ingredients, and the two Purple Cloud Bronze Furnaces could each handle one.
Factoring in his later breakthrough to the Grandmaster proficiency in the Myriad Wonders Pill, he had produced a final yield of one thousand pills.
Their grades varied among low, mid, and high grades.
Following Mi Junping's tiered pricing strategy, the revenue generated from them varied accordingly.
Still, the total revenue should have landed at around four thousand spirit stones. Deducting the raw material cost of six hundred, the remainder was pure profit.
Luo Chen's share of the dividend should have been around seven hundred.
Now, it was short by fifty.
Gu Caiyi handed over a document and said, "This is the ledger Hall Master Mi sent over. It specifically lists the expenses for the cultivators of the Pill Hall, the three shops, and the Pill Protection Squad.
"These expenses were deducted directly from the profits and shared equally among everyone.
"Of course, relying solely on this cut of the profits isn't enough to cover all their wages, so the headquarters subsidized a portion as well."
Luo Chen listened while carefully reviewing the ledger.
Finally, he gave a slight nod.
In truth, this was well within his expectations.
As such, he felt no anger.
At this moment, he was actually calculating a different balance sheet in his mind.
If he hadn't joined the Mountain Breaker Gang, how many spirit stones could he have earned last month?
Without three furnaces, without the raw materials supplied by the gang, without a crew of fire attendants and medicine apprentices assisting him, and without people specifically dedicated to handling sales...
He would have opened at most two cauldrons a day. No matter how fast he ground his proficiency, it never would have surged to Grandmaster.
Factoring in all these conditions, Luo Chen arrived at a final figure: "Eight hundred!"
Indeed, relying purely on himself, his net income last month would have been around eight hundred low-grade spirit stones.
Comparing the two, it seemed joining the Mountain Breaker Gang had cost him a full hundred and fifty spirit stones.
However, one couldn't calculate the ledger that way!
"Aside from the dividends, I also have a fixed monthly salary in Qi-Nourishing Pills worth four hundred spirit stones, even if I swindled it out of them."
That single source of extra income was more than enough to offset his loss.
In fact, he was turning a profit!
"Mass-refining pills drastically accelerated my proficiency, granting me genuine alchemy experience and achievement points."
That factor also had to be accounted for.
On top of that, the *Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition*, the *Illustrated Compendium of a Hundred Herbs*, and the incomplete pill recipe for the Nether-Passage Pill were worth at least several thousand spirit stones!
Most important was one more thing.
The golden reputation of the Mountain Breaker Gang and the backing of Mi Shuhua, a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
That was a value spirit stones couldn't measure, protecting him from the covetous eyes of other cultivators while his cultivation base remained low.
For instance, regarding the trouble with Gao Tingyuan, Mi Shuhua had stepped forward in person to tie up those loose ends for him.
After weighing these factors, a satisfied smile spread across Luo Chen's face.
*As expected, my original decision was the right one.*
*Acting as a tool might seem restrictive, but in the long run, the benefits far outweigh the costs.*
*Besides, didn't my monthly compensation just go up again?*
Luo Chen picked up another item from the pouch.
It was a wooden box. Opening it, he found twelve slender sticks of incense neatly arranged inside.
"Spirit Calming Incense!" Gu Caiyi exclaimed in astonishment.
Mi Shuhua had worked remarkably fast to deliver this so soon.
Closing the box, Luo Chen nodded in satisfaction.
This was an authentic treasure; he had experienced its effects firsthand.
A single box of Spirit Calming Incense was worth one hundred and twenty spirit stones—an exceptional cultivation aid for low-tier cultivators!
With this incense, his cultivation speed would soar once again.
It allowed a low-tier cultivator to circulate their natal cultivation method four to five extra times each day without suffering mental fatigue or soul pain.
Naturally, the physical body also required a massive amount of nutritional replenishment; otherwise, even if the soul kept up, the body would collapse.
When Luo Chen had first obtained Spirit Calming Incense, he had been forced to stretch a single stick over two to three days.
That was precisely because his body's nutrition couldn't keep pace back then.
*But now, I have money!*
With the dividend in hand, combined with his prior savings, his net worth had surpassed the thousand-stone milestone through his own efforts for the first time.
One thousand three hundred!
Excluding his various possessions, that was his true liquid wealth.
And replenishing nutrition?
He had a few methods for that now as well.
Stowing away the Spirit Calming Incense, Luo Chen grabbed Gu Caiyi and hurried outside.
"Time to clock out!"
Gu Caiyi was bewildered. "Aren't you supposed to open the furnaces again this afternoon?"
"What's the rush? Refining a batch of Jade Marrow Pills today is enough to keep Old Man Mi grinning for two days."
Luo Chen snorted. "I, Luo Chen, only work so I can get off work. Overtime doesn't fit my character."
With that, he turned and shouted back toward the Pill Hall.
"Brothers, take the rest of the day off! Be here early tomorrow!"
The recruits, who had been tormented half to death while trying to familiarize themselves with the herbs and heat control for the Jade Marrow Pill, erupted in cheers.
They hailed him as the best hall master ever!
"See? Nobody wants to work overtime."
Gu Caiyi blinked. *Isn't this just skipping work? How does that count as avoiding overtime?*
Luo Chen ignored her; she was simply too naive.
Back when she worked at Tianxiang Pavilion, pulling night shifts every single day, the sect capitalists had thoroughly conditioned her.
***
Leaving early wasn't just about slacking off.
Ordinarily, he left early and returned late, which caused him to miss the daytime market.
In a cold, calculating cultivation world filled with intrigue, almost no one conducted business at night.
Thus, high-quality goods were generally available only during the day.
Luo Chen worried that if he delayed any longer, he would have spirit stones with nowhere to spend them.
Under the bewildered gazes of his two guards, Luo Chen escorted Gu Caiyi back to the inner city in a hurry.
Then, he plunged straight into the South Market Rogue Cultivator Market.
Cultivators were flocking to Dahe Market in ever-greater numbers, and the permanent resident population had already exceeded twenty thousand.
Two small Foundation Establishment cultivation clans had recently settled nearby, bringing thousands more with them.
It was said that the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect was continually relocating populations here. Aside from hundreds of thousands or even millions of mortals, cultivators were arriving in clan units.
All one could say was that Dahe Market was growing undeniably prosperous.
Alongside the South Market Rogue Cultivator Market and the central shopping street, two new trading hubs had cropped up.
One was at the White Stone Square outside the Dao Discussion Platform, where Yuan Xiaoyue sold her immortal bean popcorn.
The other was in the northern district, where a small commercial street had been marked out. That was where the Mountain Breaker Gang had purchased its storefronts.
The management of that street differed from the central shopping street; instead of sect-backed enterprises, it was populated almost entirely by small clans and gangs.
Luo Chen planned to browse there when he found the time.
For today, his primary destinations were the familiar South Market Rogue Cultivator Market and the central shopping street.
"Tier 1 dragon bone? It sounds fancy, but it's just the bone of a swamp crocodile!"
"Still, killing one of those things takes real skill. Give me one!"
"What? Three spirit stones for this little scrap of bone? Are you insane? Never mind, I'm not buying."
Luo Chen made a loud fuss, dragging Gu Caiyi along to leave.
Behind them, the rogue cultivator gritted his teeth. "Fellow Daoist, please come back, we can talk! How about two spirit stones? I truly can't go any lower; this dragon bone weighs over thirty jin!"
Luo Chen strolled back with feigned reluctance, digging out spirit stones while picking flaws the whole time.
Complaining that it wasn't monster beast meat, or that it was severely damaged and only a few jin could actually be cooked...
The vendor looked as miserable as if he were attending a funeral.
*He got a bargain and still rubbed it in!*
If swamp crocodile bones weren't notoriously difficult to sell, he would never have let it go for just two spirit stones.
Gu Caiyi watched the display with great amusement. Even after pocketing a handsome dividend, Luo Chen remained thrifty.
Then again, it might simply be his refusal to ever take a loss; haggling had become second nature to him.
Next, Luo Chen swept through the center of the rogue cultivator market, buying up goods left and right.
He even gave Gu Caiyi a list, instructing her to notify him the moment she spotted any of the items on it.
After spending three hours sweeping the south market, the two headed straight for the central shopping street, embarking on an extensive shopping spree at Spirit Source Studio, Hundred Herbs Hall, and Spirit Herb Pavilion.
By the time they returned to the courtyard, Gu Caiyi tallied the expenses and gasped in shock.
"Luo Chen, did you just spend three hundred spirit stones in one go?"
Luo Chen nodded and hurried into the house.
Gu Caiyi was still shaken. Luo Chen often acted petty, squeezing every spirit stone until it broke in two, yet when it came to spending, he didn't hesitate in the slightest.
It seemed entirely contradictory.
Contradictory?
Luo Chen knew he wasn't contradictory at all.
He fought tooth and nail to earn spirit stones, and when it came to useless expenditures, he was stingier than anyone.
Yet when it concerned his path of cultivation, he was more generous than anyone.
Even when Qi-Nourishing Pills were prohibitively expensive, he had bought them five bottles at a time back when he was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining.
*Thud!*
The Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace landed heavily in his alchemy room.
He stoked the fire, added water, and poured in a bottle of Innate Powder—which had cost ten spirit stones at Spirit Herb Pavilion—stirring thoroughly.
Then, he added various medicinal herbs in sequence, finally tossing in the crocodile dragon bone, which looked small but weighed a full thirty jin.
"Simmering it for six hours should yield a batch of Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid from the *Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition*."
Luo Chen let out a breath, feeling full of anticipation.
The *Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition* recorded numerous things: foundational alchemy principles, refining techniques, and several minor medicinal recipes tailored for alchemists.
They couldn't be called true pill recipes, but with long-term use, their effects were on par with Tier 1 pills.
The Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid was one of them.
Absorbed through a medicated bath, it granted alchemists a massive influx of vitality while sharpening their sensitivity to medicinal properties.
The author, Qing Yuanzi, had intended for alchemists to benefit from the latter effect, allowing them to better perceive the subtle shifts of medicinal energy during pill refinement.
Right now, however, Luo Chen was interested in the former.
A massive influx of vitality—wasn't that precisely the nutrition his physical body craved?
Of course, there were other ways to supplement nutrition as well.
Luo Chen walked into the kitchen, set up a large pot, and dumped in all the vegetables, bones, and monster beast meat he had purchased.
"Tonight, we're having a big hotpot stew!"
"We just need a handful of noodles. These large sinews will do nicely instead!"
Tossing in a washed bundle of monster beast sinews, Luo Chen clapped his hands.
Now, he just had to wait for the feast to finish cooking!
***
Night fell.
The married couple returned home together.
Qin Liangchen walked down the lane, Murong Qinglian holding his arm.
"Last month's dividends came in. The Medicine Hall yielded three hundred spirit stones, and the Pill Hall provided one hundred. The bulk still came from our spiritual fish business: besides supplying Zhongding House, another cultivation clan agreed to regular shipments, bringing in over five hundred spirit stones.
"Husband, what about you?"
Qin Liangchen's face flushed as he muttered a number: "Three hundred!"
As the pillar of the household, earning less than half of what his wife made left him feeling both embarrassed and frustrated.
Murong Qinglian said with a gentle smile, "Don't be upset. You're the one who conquered the Spirit Fish Lake in the first place; I'm only managing it for you."
Even so, Qin Liangchen still felt uncomfortable.
Serving as an elder without any real authority earned far less than he had imagined.
Still, there was another way to look at it: had he not taken that elder post, Murong Qinglian wouldn't have secured the position of master of the Medicine Hall.
"Once we save up spirit stones for a few more months, let's find someone to deliver them to Xiaohu," Qin Liangchen said suddenly.
Looking down the dark alley ahead, a hint of yearning surfaced in his eyes.
"I wonder how Xiaohu is doing at the Luoyun Sect. Has he finished the pills we left him? How is he getting along with his fellow disciples?"
Murong Qinglian listened quietly.
Their household was peculiar. Though Qin Liangchen was the pillar, Murong Qinglian handled most external affairs.
Nor was Qin Liangchen like typical stern fathers or stoic husbands; he was accustomed to wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Even when their son was around, despite Xiaohu's embarrassment, Qin Liangchen had hoisted him over his head every day, running around as if he were flying.
"Old Qin, I heard the gang recently acquired a high-grade gold-attribute artifact—a greatsword that matches your fighting style perfectly.
"Why don't we buy it?"
Qin Liangchen was surprised. "Aren't we saving spirit stones for Xiaohu?"
Murong Qinglian shook her head. "We still will, just not right now. He's only in the early stage of Qi Refining; he doesn't need that many resources.
"You're different. You still have a chance at Foundation Establishment, and you need a suitable artifact.
"If you advance to Foundation Establishment one day, Xiaohu will be able to hold his head higher in the sect!"
Hearing this, Qin Liangchen pondered seriously.
After a long pause, he gave a firm nod.
"True. I still have a Foundation Establishment Pill reserved with Mi Shuhua; I can't let that go to waste."
With that, seeing no one around, he planted a quick kiss on Murong Qinglian's cheek.
"You're wonderful, wife. When you approach the Great Perfection, I'll definitely help you establish your foundation!"
Murong Qinglian wiped the saliva from her face, swatting him away in embarrassed irritation.
"Shameless old man!"
Laughing and scolding, they entered the courtyard, only to be greeted by a rich aroma.
It was sharp and pungent, enough to make one sneeze, yet the fragrance stimulated their mouths to water instantly.
"Brother Qin, Sister Murong, you're back!"
"Come eat some hotpot! We've already set out bowls and chopsticks for you."
Luo Chen called out warmly, giving Bai Meiling a gentle nudge with his foot.
Gnawing on a bone, Bai Meiling shuffled over to make room.
Beside them, Gu Caiyi set down two pairs of chopsticks and thoughtfully poured a cup of wine.
Murong Qinglian said in surprise, "Did you strike it rich? This is quite a feast."
A stove had been set up in the courtyard, topped with a massive iron pot overflowing with ingredients.
Simmering with bubbling red broth, it looked exceptionally tempting.
Gu Caiyi chuckled. "Didn't our little Hall Master Luo come into some wealth? He's treating everyone to a good meal."
It truly was a good meal.
More than half the ingredients were monster beast meat, and some of the vegetables were infused with spiritual energy.
The cost of this single pot was at least five spirit stones.
If served at Zhongding House, selling it for fifty or a hundred wouldn't be an exaggeration!
Crucially, on top of the stew, Luo Chen had added an abundance of spices, crafting a numbing, spicy Sichuan-Chongqing flavor profile.
When Qin Liangchen and his wife sat down and began feasting, they quickly fell into pure enjoyment.
The spicy, numbing flavor was remarkably appetizing!
Though they weren't used to spicy food, a cultivator's robust constitution easily handled it as an occasional treat.
Monster beast meat was notoriously tough, but Luo Chen had accumulated handling experience while refining Fasting Pills.
Only because of that was he able to pull off this cultivation-world version of a sinewy hotpot stew.
Watching everyone eat so happily, the slight ache Luo Chen had felt over the five spirit stones vanished completely.
He was a stingy man, but when it came to cultivation, he was generous.
Toward true friends, if he lacked the means, that was one thing; but when he had room to spare, he never hesitated to share the benefits.
These neighbors had gradually become his genuine friends.
During his humblest days, Gu Caiyi had answered many of his questions about cultivation, helped him acquire a cauldron, shared fruit with him, and today hadn't hesitated to gift him a martial arts manual.
Because Bai Meiling and Feng Xia worked fixed shifts, he interacted with them less frequently.
Even so, whenever he visited Hundred Herbs Hall to buy raw ingredients, they would quietly select prime-grade herbs for him.
As for Qin Liangchen and his wife, they had treated him even better.
They had guided Luo Chen in spellcasting, gifted him a puppet, and shared a bowl of the Tier 2 tiger bone broth they had brewed, enabling him to successfully break through to the fifth layer of Qi Refining.
Now, they offered plenty of support within the Mountain Breaker Gang as well.
Luo Chen remembered all these small gestures.
In the past, he hadn't possessed the means, so he had mostly been on the receiving end.
Now, his circumstances were no longer so dire.
Treating everyone to a fine meal was well within his abilities.
"Refining pills?"
"Haha! Once I become a Tier 2 alchemist, I'll definitely help you all refine Foundation Establishment Pills!"
"Though you'll have to cover the material costs yourselves. I hear the core ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills are absurdly expensive."
Luo Chen bragged without shame.
Everyone listened with smiles and laughter.
True to his role as Luo Chen's good older brother, Qin Liangchen backed him up, claiming that Foundation Establishment Pills were nothing special—if he was going to refine, he should refine Crimson Cloud Pills for Core Formation.
Luo Chen naturally wouldn't let the momentum drop, casually tossing around talk of the Nascent Soul and Soul Formation realms.
For a time, the courtyard was filled with cheerful laughter.
***
After the merriment came the time for bitter cultivation.
Everyone returned to their rooms. Though they called it resting, each was secretly training with ferocious intensity.
Luo Chen was the fiercest of all!
He plopped himself directly into the Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace he used for alchemy.
In short: stewing himself in the pot!
"*Hiss*... it's not hot!"
Luo Chen's facial features twisted through a vivid sequence of grimaces.
Having simmered for a full afternoon and half the night, the medicinal properties of the Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid were completely unleashed.
Right now was the ideal moment to absorb its essence.
Luo Chen sat quietly within, allowing the surging essence of flesh and blood vitality to seep through his skin and into his internal organs.
The Eternal Spring Art began to circulate.
After soaking for about an hour, Luo Chen retrieved a Qi-Nourishing Pill and swallowed it.
He circulated the Eternal Spring Art once more.
Another hour passed, and he lit a stick of Spirit Calming Incense.
Luo Chen's weary spirit, like a parched creek suddenly nourished by a rushing river, became invigorated once again.
"One more!"
Thus, the night slipped by in the blink of an eye.
When Luo Chen climbed out of the Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace, the pot of Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid had turned clear and transparent.
Its vitality had been entirely absorbed and refined by him.
Looking at the clear liquid, Luo Chen fell into contemplation.
*The world categorizes realms by Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul.*
*Yet in ancient times, the doctrine of Qi refiners was to refine essence into Qi, and refine Qi into spirit.*
*This pot of flesh and blood essence not only supported my five extra circulations of the Eternal Spring Art, but also strengthened my physique and added a bit more spiritual power.*
Feeling the brimming fullness within his body, Luo Chen stretched lazily.
What a wonderful night!
He called up his status panel:
[Lifespan: 27/75]
[Spiritual Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Realm: Qi Refining Layer 6: 5/100]
[Cultivation Method: Eternal Spring Art (Grandmaster: 627/1000)]
[Spells: Great Perfection Fireball Art, Carefree Wandering (Grandmaster: 870/1000), Wind Riding Technique (Grandmaster: 600/1000), Attraction Art (Grandmaster: 721/1000), Entangling Art (Perfection: 430/500), Spiritual Eye Art (Perfection: 490/500), Cleansing Art (Perfection: 350/500), Healing Art (Novice: 15/100), Breath Concealment Spiritual Art (Novice: 78/100), Mountain-Cleaving Monument-Breaking Palm (Novice: 1/100)]
[Skills: Tier 1 Alchemist: Fasting Powder (Grandmaster: 910/1000), Myriad Wonders Pill (Grandmaster: 600/1000), Jade Marrow Pill (Novice: 20/100)]
[Achievement Points: 13]
Scanning the panel, Luo Chen gained a crystal-clear understanding of his current state.
On the spell front, there were no major changes, aside from the entry-level addition of the Mountain-Cleaving Monument-Breaking Palm.
Under skills, the Jade Marrow Pill had been added. A successful batch yielded twenty pills, earning him twenty points of proficiency.
All of this was expected.
What truly caught Luo Chen's attention was the realm progress bar!
He remembered clearly that before practicing last night, the progress bar read [4/100].
That had been the result of taking a Qi-Nourishing Pill every day alongside the Eternal Spring Art, cultivating diligently for ten full days after breaking through to the sixth layer.
Only under those conditions had it risen from 1 to 4.
Yet last night alone, it had surged by a full point!
*Last night's consumption: two Qi-Nourishing Pills, one stick of Spirit Calming Incense, and one portion of Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid. Combined, that cost around forty spirit stones.*
Calculating this, Luo Chen couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
That amount of spirit stones was enough to support any mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator for an entire month.
Yet he had burned through it in a single night!
Although the rate of progress was astonishing—if he kept this up, he would reach the seventh layer of Qi Refining in three months at most.
Advancing an entire minor realm in three months—what kind of cultivation prodigy would that make him?
However, it was purely fueled by burning through spirit stones!
*This won't do. This body of mine consumes far too many cultivation resources.*
*Yet the precise advantages remain unclear to me.*
*I need to find a way to test it, or compare myself against others.*
Chapter 94