Inside the cramped cavern, a young man sat cross-legged with his eyes lightly closed.
His moon-white Daoist robe rose and fell with the distinct rhythm of his breathing.
He possessed handsome features, and the faint curl at the corner of his lips held a touch of cynicism, yet his demeanor was forged with unyielding perseverance, as though no matter how many hardships lay on the road ahead, he would press onward with optimism.
Suddenly, his eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.
A thoughtful gleam shone in his clear gaze.
"The concentration of spiritual energy here far exceeds that of the courtyard house, and it even slightly surpasses Tianxiang Pavilion.
"It might not even be inferior to the main branch of the first-rank spirit vein where the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion resides.
"Cultivating under such spiritual energy concentration brings me an extraordinary boost!"
With just a rough estimate, he knew that on top of his fourfold baseline for a five-spiritual-root aptitude, his cultivation efficiency had increased by another multiplier.
A fivefold cultivation efficiency completely surpassed that of a cultivator with three spiritual roots. He wondered how it compared to someone with dual spiritual roots.
Luo Chen had no idea what the cultivation rate of a dual-spiritual-root cultivator was like, simply because he had no point of reference.
Dahe Market was mostly inhabited by rogue cultivators, and most of them had three or four spiritual roots.
Consequently, he had no friends in that category, nor did he even know anyone...
"Actually, there is one, though I've never met him."
Xiaohu—Qin Yuanjiang.
He was the son of Qin Liangchen and his wife, possessing dual metal and water spiritual roots.
A child whose name Luo Chen had heard many times, yet whom he had never once laid eyes upon.
By now, he was already an esteemed disciple of the Luoyun Sect, with bright prospects for Foundation Establishment in the future.
Luo Chen had never inquired about the child's exact cultivation level.
Moreover, because it involved sect recruitment and aptitude checks, Qin Liangchen and his wife had never given him medicinal pills since childhood. At most, they bolstered his foundation through medicinal baths and nourishing diets.
However, these were harmless trifles.
All Luo Chen needed to know was that cultivating in this place was immensely beneficial to him.
"Looks like I'll need to find more excuses to stay at the Pill Hall from now on.
"There's no need to terminate the lease on the courtyard house either. After all, it's in the inner city, so safety is guaranteed."
Nowadays, a monthly rent of ten spirit stones was no longer a burden to him.
At most, it was merely the cost of a single Qi-Nourishing Pill!
At the thought of Qi-Nourishing Pills, Luo Chen smiled.
"With such a wonderful place and opportunity, I can't let it go to waste."
He took out a stick of Spirit Calming Incense and a Qi-Nourishing Pill.
He lit the incense, swallowed the pill, and began refining qi.
***
Early the next morning, Luo Chen woke from his meditative state.
Rising to his feet, he stretched languidly, unable to suppress a groan of pleasure.
So comfortable!
This was the most comfortable cultivation session he had experienced since transmigrating.
Abundant spiritual energy flooded from the outside, the medicinal potency of the Qi-Nourishing Pill steadily transformed into spiritual power from within, and the Master-level Eternal Spring Art circulated continuously, harmonizing perfectly with his body.
The fragrance of the Spirit Calming Incense allowed his soul, which had survived the heart tribulation, to become strong and resilient for a short duration.
Coupled with the recent replenishment from the Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid, the vitality stored in his physique was exceptionally vast.
With so many conditions compounding together, he felt like a starving beggar who had finally sat down to an imperial feast.
He had feasted until his lips glistened with grease!
"In just one night of cultivation, the progress bar jumped straight from 6 to 8—a full surge of two points!"
If he calculated based on this rate, his previous estimate of three months to break through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining could now be cut down to two months at most.
Terrifying indeed!
No wonder those great sects constantly produced young prodigies.
Living day in and day out on first-rank, or even second-rank and third-rank spirit veins,
their internal spiritual power would soar even without consuming any medicinal pills.
Especially during the early and mid stages of Qi Refining, the faster one advanced, the more time one would have in the late stage of Qi Refining to prepare for Foundation Establishment.
There was no need to worry about a dwindling lifespan like rogue cultivators did.
"Sister Xiuxiu once said that the optimal age for a cultivator to attempt Foundation Establishment is before sixty. After sixty, a cultivator's vitality and blood begin to decline, drastically increasing the chances of failure.
"That single condition alone has blocked countless rogue cultivators who spent their entire lives just to reach the ninth layer of Qi Refining."
Luo Chen felt a twinge of sorrow for those rogue cultivators.
After struggling so hard to reach the perfection of Qi Refining, they were forced to face the harsh reality of a failing lifespan and deteriorating vitality.
Even if they managed to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, it would likely end in failure.
"I must never end up in that situation!"
The joy he had felt from discovering the spirit vein cavern was dampened considerably.
Even if he could break through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining in two months, the spiritual energy required for each subsequent realm would only grow greater!
Especially the ninth layer of Qi Refining, where countless rogue cultivators were trapped until their deaths.
Wasn't his Brother Qin facing the exact same predicament right now?
He clearly possessed a Foundation Establishment Pill, and though it was kept in Mi Shuhua's custody, he had no justification to ask for it back.
The reason was simple: Qin Liangchen had not yet reached the perfection of Qi Refining, so he was not qualified to attempt Foundation Establishment.
"Besides, this cultivation speed isn't something I can sustain as a norm!"
"I don't have enough Spirit Calming Incense!"
Mi Shuhua had promised him one box of Spirit Calming Incense per month.
And a single box contained only twelve sticks.
Without Spirit Calming Incense, he could circulate the Eternal Spring Art two or three times a day at most; anything more would leave his spirit drained and his soul exhausted.
Apart from the Spirit Calming Incense, his supply of Qi-Nourishing Pills was also slightly lacking. Four bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills would only last him twenty days.
While Luo Chen pondered these matters, his hands were busy with other tasks.
He sealed the spirit vein cavern with a large, solid boulder to ensure that too much spiritual energy wouldn't leak out.
On his way out, he continuously blocked the narrow mining tunnel with rocks.
Even though he knew this method couldn't entirely prevent spiritual energy from seeping through, every bit blocked was better than nothing.
"I probably won't be able to fleece Mi Shuhua for more pills and Spirit Calming Incense easily.
"Even if my excuses are different every time, repeatedly asking for the same things will eventually breed annoyance.
"Still, I have a modest fortune now, so I can simply buy them myself.
"There's one more thing I need to consider!"
Luo Chen's eyes flashed as a sense of caution welled up in his heart.
Once he completely solved all the issues regarding cultivation resources, advancing with a five-spiritual-root aptitude at a speed that defied common sense would easily invite trouble.
Neither the system nor this spirit vein cavern could ever be exposed!
"I'll need to dedicate more effort to the Qi Concealment Incantation!"
***
"Good morning!"
"Good morning, Hall Master Luo!"
"Greetings, Hall Master Luo!"
This was the first time Luo Chen had arrived so early for work.
Evidently, however, plenty of people were earlier than him.
The Medicine Hall cultivators stationed here were already bustling about.
Before dawn had fully broken, they were already hovering low in the sky atop their Dharma artifacts.
They were "summoning clouds and raining down moisture" over the dozen-odd medicinal herb plots in the valley.
Calling it summoning clouds and rain was a bit of an exaggeration, but the scene truly resembled it.
"Is that the Lesser Cloud and Rain Art?"
Squatting on an earthen ridge between the fields, Luo Chen curiously watched them form hand seals to summon rain.
A cultivator descended, wiped his sweat, and offered a faint smile.
"Hall Master Luo has sharp eyes. This is indeed the Lesser Cloud and Rain Art, a spell passed down by the Merit Hall that is well-suited for nurturing water-attribute medicinal herbs."
Under his explanation, Luo Chen learned why they cast the spell so early in the morning.
Crescent Moon Valley was a mining area located far from the Lancang River, so ambient moisture was scarce.
Normally, these water-attribute herbs required an abundant supply of water-attribute spiritual energy.
Thus, they had to cast the spell while the temperature was still cool.
"Unfortunately, the spiritual fields here are of too low a rank to cultivate better herbs."
Curious, Luo Chen asked, "Are there no spells to raise the grade of a spiritual field?"
The cultivator gave a bitter smile. "There are, but we don't know them, nor does the gang have any."
"Oh?"
"It is said that the Five Elements Divine Sect is exceptionally skilled in cultivating spiritual flora, and they've developed an entire host of spells related to spiritual plants and fields."
"Such as?"
"Take raising the grade of spiritual fields, for instance! They possess a second-rank spell known as the Bing Fire Land-Clearing Art. It burns various spiritual woods and ores into ash, which is then blended into the spiritual field. Doing this once or twice a year in an area with a spirit vein will steadily increase the field's grade."
Luo Chen paused. The Bing Fire Land-Clearing Art?
"It's said that the Five Elements Divine Sect alone possesses dozens of fourth-rank spiritual fields, all upgraded this way, and they even supposedly have an enormous fifth-rank spiritual field."
The cultivator shook his head, yearning evident in his eyes.
"And that Bing Fire Land-Clearing Art is merely the tip of the iceberg. Spells like the Taiyin Yimu Swamp Gas Art, the Guishui Composting Art, and the Gengjin Grass-Mowing Sword Art were all modified from higher-rank spells.
"If I could master just one second-rank spiritual farming spell, even a simplified version, I could become a second-rank spiritual farmer."
Spiritual farmers were the most common profession among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.
Virtually every faction had spiritual farmers to some degree.
Unless it was a demonic sect that engaged in no production whatsoever, factions would always train or hire spiritual farmers.
The cultivator standing before Luo Chen was named Yuan Dongsheng, one of the three spiritual farmers in the Medicine Hall, and he personally managed several spiritual fields.
"Hall Master Luo, are you interested in nurturing spiritual flora? Would you like me to teach you a trick or two?"
Luo Chen quickly scrambled to his feet. What a joke!
Alchemy was exhausting enough as it was, and now someone wanted him to farm?
"No, let's discuss it next time we have an opportunity."
With that, he beat a hasty retreat.
Watching him leave, Yuan Dongsheng felt a pang of regret. It was rare to find a fellow Daoist willing to converse with him about spiritual farming.
Then again, there was truly no need for someone of his status to learn such things. How noble was the identity of an alchemist?
A hundred first-rank spiritual farmers couldn't compare to the prestige of a single alchemist.
After all, alchemy was one of the four mainstream arts among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, standing proudly at the very top of pills, formations, talismans, and artifacts.
*If only I could become an alchemist... Alas, I have no choice!*
Meanwhile, the noble master alchemist Luo Chen was circling the Xuanyun Cauldron inside the largest refinement chamber, lost in thought.
"Today, I'll use this mid-grade cauldron to refine Jade Marrow Pills. It should help grind proficiency faster."
***
Now that he had decided to put in the effort and achieve tangible results,
he couldn't keep dabbling on a small scale like before.
The Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace was ultimately only a first-rank low-grade Dharma artifact; the heat and raw ingredients it could handle in a single session had their limits.
In comparison, the Xuanyun Cauldron, a first-rank mid-grade Dharma artifact, was of vastly superior quality.
When refining Myriad Wonders Pills, it could easily accommodate two sets of raw ingredients at once, with room to spare.
After two successes and more than a dozen failures, Luo Chen had a reasonable grasp of the refinement process for Jade Marrow Pills.
Now was the time to put the Xuanyun Cauldron to use.
As the herb apprentices arrived one after another, Luo Chen directed them to carry the corresponding herbs into the main refinement chamber.
"Starting today, all our mornings will be dedicated to refining Jade Marrow Pills.
"Considering that none of you are familiar with refining Jade Marrow Pills yet, I will be the only one handling the refinement. Therefore, in the extra time you have, aside from processing medicinal ingredients, you must thoroughly study the Illustrated Compendium of a Hundred Herbs."
Luo Chen handed Gu Caiyi the copy of the Illustrated Compendium of a Hundred Herbs that he had shamelessly borrowed from Mi Junping.
She was a deacon of the Pill Hall, in charge of its internal affairs.
At present, she managed the herb apprentices, fire tenders, and the pill-curing attendants responsible for storing and retrieving pills.
Whenever Luo Chen needed his subordinates to learn something, he couldn't personally teach every single one, so he usually had her supervise them on his behalf.
"Make twenty transcriptions and have them study it closely. Make sure they understand the properties of various spiritual herbs."
Gu Caiyi took the compendium with some hesitation. "This is a book from the Merit Hall. Is it appropriate for us to let them study it directly?"
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. If there's an issue, I'll deal with Mi Junping."
Luo Chen's mindset had shifted once more.
While he couldn't teach the crew beneath him his true secrets, there was no need to hide every little detail either.
If they could grasp some foundational, widespread knowledge, it would make them far more helpful to his future alchemy endeavors.
"Additionally, Elder Sikong, please pay a visit to the Merit Hall and borrow that copy of the Flame Manipulation Incantation for our Pill Hall."
Standing nearby, Sikong Shoujia frowned. "That is considered an exceptional spell among first-rank arts, not some common knowledge. What do you need it for?"
"So what if it's exceptional? In the end, it's neither an offensive nor a defensive spell, but merely a technique for controlling spiritual power."
Luo Chen waved his hand and turned toward the fire tenders.
"These fire tenders are far too crude in their fire manipulation techniques. It's adequate for refining Fasting Pills or Myriad Wonders Pills, but when it comes to refining Jade Marrow Pills, they can offer me no help at all.
"Having them learn the Flame Manipulation Incantation will benefit you, me, and the entire Mountain Breaker Gang immensely."
*Is that so?*
Sikong Shoujia was half-skeptical.
Even so, he did not refuse the request, immediately departing Crescent Moon Valley for the headquarters where the Merit Hall was located.
As for the merit points required to exchange for the spell from the Merit Hall?
He wasn't particularly worried about that.
When the Pill Hall was established, Mi Shuhua had opened all doors of convenience, declaring that any spell deemed beneficial to the Pill Hall could be granted.
Otherwise, Luo Chen would never have had a reason to borrow the Illustrated Compendium of a Hundred Herbs in the first place.
It was just that the old man might have to waste some breath dealing with Mi Junping.
Watching his departing figure, Luo Chen let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The extra work assigned to the herb apprentices and fire tenders was indeed as he had described.
In truth, however, the deeper reason was that his proficiency in refining Jade Marrow Pills was still too low.
He remained at the Beginner stage.
Proficiency at this level could only support his own solitary refining.
Expecting others to assist him in the refining process as they did with Fasting Pills and Myriad Wonders Pills was entirely out of the question for now.
*In fact, even if most alchemists in this world have assistants, they probably can't achieve what I do, right?*
Luo Chen thought to himself.
He even had a feeling that if he grew stronger, he could expand his operation even further.
He could have more people assist him while simultaneously refining far more pills.
The confidence behind this feeling stemmed from the monstrous efficiency of consistently producing high-grade quality once his proficiency with a pill reached the Master level.
*Speaking of which, what kind of change occurs when a pill reaches the Great Perfection proficiency?*
*Supreme-grade pills?*
Luo Chen glanced at his attribute panel. The one closest to Great Perfection was none other than Fasting Powder.
***
Only two cauldrons were opened during the morning alchemy session.
One was the Jade Marrow Pills refined personally by Luo Chen using the Xuanyun Cauldron. He had used two sets of ingredients and ended up harvesting forty failed pills.
*Heh, forty more disposable consumables to practice the Hunyuan Bead with.*
The other cauldron was refined after he finished the Jade Marrow Pills; during his break, he guided Mi Li along with several herb apprentices and fire tenders to refine it together.
"These Fasting Pills are called pills, but they are actually unranked Fasting Powder.
"Compared to first-rank pills, the refinement process is relatively simple, making it ideal for your introduction.
"The key lies not in intricate gestures or techniques, but in blending the medicinal herbs with the demon beast yellow beef.
"Remember, you must achieve harmony between herb and meat, bringing the scattered elements together into a cohesive paste."
Under Luo Chen's guidance, the herb apprentices, who had recently been tormented to exhaustion by processing herbs, grew energized and full of vigor.
Glancing across the room, Luo Chen pulled one of the youths aside.
"Tang Quan, right?
"Here are five high-grade Myriad Wonders Pills. Take them home to your uncle."
Accepting the five pills, Tang Quan looked slightly awkward.
His uncle was, naturally, Sick Tiger Zeng Wen.
Lately, Fellow Daoist Zeng had remarked multiple times that the allocation of high-grade Myriad Wonders Pills was too meager, leaving him unable to fully enjoy himself.
Remembering this, Luo Chen held back a few pills during the regular collection to gift to this regular customer.
It didn't cost him anything anyway, and since he needed to obscure his true Master-level alchemy skills, he simply rewarded his old customer with the surplus high-grade Myriad Wonders Pills.
"Alright, it's time to collect the pills.
"I'll handle the retrieval this time. Later on, I'll gradually let you handle the refinement of Fasting Powder on your own."
Saying this, Luo Chen channeled the Attraction Art and lifted the cauldron lid.
A subtle, delicate fragrance slowly drifted out.
Catching the scent, Mi Li, Tang Quan, and the others felt their spirits lift, as if their stomachs were already filled to repletion.
Luo Chen's expression stirred as he gently manipulated his Master-level Attraction Art.
Soon, a large mass of medicinal paste flew out.
"See that? This is what Fasting Powder actually looks like.
"The rounded pill shape you usually see is kneaded midair inside the cauldron with spiritual power right as the pills are extracted.
"Back when I first refined Fasting Powder, I obtained the paste first and rolled it into pills by hand.
"This large mass of paste should yield fifty Fasting Pills.
"Take it, and roll it into pills while it's still warm. Remember not to touch it directly with your bare hands—use bamboo slips to wrap it!"
Guided by Luo Chen's attraction, the massive clump of medicinal paste flew smoothly toward Mi Li.
Mi Li quickly caught it with a prepared vessel, then led the group out of the refinement chamber.
Soon, clamoring shouts could be heard from outside.
Exclamations like "So hot!" and "This is fun!" echoed in the air.
Inside the refinement chamber, unnoticed by anyone, Luo Chen beckoned with his hand.
The cauldron lid flipped over, revealing a golden-hued pill clinging firmly to the underside.
"Is this the result of Great Perfection Fasting Powder?"
Chapter 97