Immortality Begins With The Alchemical Master Chapter 100: Qi Refinement Insights and the Auction - Novel Cool

Chapter 100: Qi Refinement Insights and the Auction

Chapter 100: Qi Refinement Insights and the Auction

"Qi surging to the heavens, mind guarding the heart. What does this mean?"

"The Qi Nourishing Pill's effects are getting worse. Should I switch to the Dust Transformation Pill?"

"Tsk, tsk, the other day I encountered that monkey. It could actually speak human language, even though it was only a first-stage beast. It must have eaten a Tongue-Granting Grass. That plant is worth five hundred spirit stones, and it’s a real waste on that beast."

In the Bright Moon Hall, a group of cultivators were seated around the room.

Before everyone had arrived, they chatted among themselves.

Some discussed cultivation techniques, while others shared their recent experiences.

Such an atmosphere was rare for wandering cultivators.

It was usually found only within sects and clans. Now, after a hundred years of operation, the Broken Mountain Gang had gradually developed this kind of camaraderie.

As they were conversing, a hearty laugh echoed from outside the door.

"Friends, I haven’t come late, have I!"

With a cheerful laugh, a tall and handsome man strode in.

Perhaps because he had been reading books recently or due to his long-term alchemy practice, his face, framed by a white Daoist robe, exuded a transcendent and ethereal aura.

Behind him, Sima Shoujia and Gu Caiyi followed closely, like attendants, and entered the Bright Moon Hall.

Uncle Mi Shuhua, seated at the head of the table, opened his eyes and nodded at him.

Luo Chen returned the nod and took the seat closest to the door, which was also the last seat.

Gu Caiyi stood obediently behind him.

Sima Shoujia, however, sat at the front, just behind Uncle Mi Shuhua.

Luo Chen glanced at Wang Yuan, who was seated among others like Luo Wudi, Zeng Wen, and Zhang Shicong, and winked at him.

"Since everyone is here, let’s start this month’s meeting!"

Uncle Mi Shuhua said, then looked in Luo Wudi’s direction.

As the head of the three combat halls, Luo Wudi had the authority to speak on behalf of Zeng Wen and Yang Wei.

"Last month’s losses have been recorded by the Merit Hall, so I won’t go into detail. I only have one thing to say!"

"A new gang has appeared in the Great River Market, and they are starting to infringe on our interests."

"What should our stance be towards this gang? I leave it to the Gang Leader to decide."

Uncle Mi Shuhua pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "You’re talking about the Mystic Unity, right?"

"Gang Leader knows?" Luo Wudi raised an eyebrow.

Uncle Mi Shuhua nodded, "This gang was established by the Duan family, the Nan Gong family, and three other Foundation Establishment families."

Five Foundation Establishment families!

Upon hearing this, everyone lifted their heads.

"The Mystic Unity doesn’t recruit many wandering cultivators. It mainly consists of the descendants of the five Foundation Establishment families. They formed the gang to give these descendants a chance to train and fight in the mountains."

"As for other mountains, it’s fine. If we encounter them in the Ancient Plain Mountain Range, try to avoid conflict."

"On the contrary, if they hunt down any beasts, you can buy them at a low price. If they refuse, that’s fine too."

With these words, everyone felt reassured.

Family descendants were different from wandering cultivators. While they also valued resources, they were not as aggressive in pursuing every small benefit.

Sometimes, they simply hunted beasts to practice their combat skills.

As for Luo Wudi’s mention of infringing on their interests, it was actually just minor friction.

To Uncle Mi Shuhua, it was negligible as long as it didn’t escalate.

Moreover, the presence of other gangs outside would make the Broken Mountain Gang’s cultivators more cohesive and cooperative.

"Beast Hall’s revenue this month is lower than last month, Ke Yuelin. What happened on your end?"

It wasn’t Uncle Mi Shuhua who asked, but Mi Junping.

Ke Yuelin’s face darkened, "A demonic eagle flew in from somewhere, snatched a few white sheep, and broke a hole in the beast field, causing a batch of untrained black shu pigs to escape."

The Broken Mountain Gang’s beast field was established in a large canyon near the Ancient Plain Mountain Range. It primarily raised white sheep and black shu pigs, along with some smaller numbers of yellow cattle, green mountain foxes, and fu zhu deer.

Whenever the Broken Mountain Gang’s cultivators captured live beasts while hunting, if they had any training value, they would be placed in the beast field.

For example, Qin Liangchen’s couple’s Spirit Fish Lake was also managed by the beast field.

In terms of revenue, the beast field ranked just below the three combat halls and the Medicine Hall.

It was much stronger than the Mining Hall and the newly established Dragon Hall and Alchemy Hall.

Moreover, places like this could accommodate many low-rank, non-combatant wandering cultivators.

Hearing this, Uncle Mi Shuhua couldn’t blame him.

After inquiring, he learned that it was just a first-stage demonic eagle and said he would find a time to set up some defenses.

Next, the Mining Hall, Medicine Hall, and even Wang Yuan’s Dragon Hall reported their respective situations.

The Mining Hall suffered significant casualties.

The reason was that a nest of demonic snakes was unearthed in one of the mine tunnels, resulting in the death of most of the cultivators on the spot.

It seemed that mining had always been a dangerous endeavor!

Finally, it was the Alchemy Hall’s turn.

Under everyone’s gaze, Luo Chen shrugged his shoulders.

"Why are you looking at me? I’m only responsible for refining elixirs. The procurement of raw materials and the sale of elixirs are handled by Elder Sikong and the Xun Hall."

With that, everyone turned their attention to the other two.

Elder Sikong Shoujia’s face was grim. "I’ll be blunt—thirty people in the elixir protection team is too many. The Alchemy Hall can’t afford their salaries right now."

What he meant was that he didn’t want to be responsible for feeding and housing those people.

Uncle Mi Shuhua shook his head. "We don’t need to reduce the number. They can do their previous jobs during their free time. But the number can’t decrease; it might even need to increase in the future."

Elder Sikong Shoujia was helpless. With these people around, he received far fewer spirit stones every month.

"Luochen, the Alchemy Hall lost over a thousand spirit stones last month. As the head of the Alchemy Hall, you need to give us an explanation!"

Mi Junping stared at Luochen, her face cold.

Luochen looked bewildered. "What explanation? I’ve been diligently refining elixirs, and all the ones I’ve made have been sold. If there’s a loss, why are you asking me?"

"By the way, you haven’t given me my share of the profits from last month."

Mi Junping gritted her teeth. "We lost so much, and you still have the nerve to ask for your share?"

Luochen put aside his carefree demeanor and said seriously, "We agreed from the beginning that my share would be the profit from each individual elixir, after deducting the cost of raw materials and the monthly salaries of some cultivators. Last month’s loss wasn’t from the Wondrous Pill, but from the Jade Marrow Pill."

"If you have a problem with it, I can stop refining the Jade Marrow Pill and focus only on the Wondrous Pill."

Mi Junping hesitated.

The Wondrous Pill did earn some spirit stones, though not much. But before she could respond, Uncle Mi Shuhua’s voice cut in, calm yet firm.

"No!"

"The Jade Marrow Pill must be refined, and we need to increase investment to produce more and of higher quality!"

He looked at Luochen steadily. "In the future, we might even stop refining the Wondrous Pill and focus entirely on the Jade Marrow Pill. The sect will give you the maximum support!"

"Father, but—"

"Shut up!"

He glared at Mi Junping and then forced a smile.

"Luochen, give me a straight answer. How long will it take to stabilize the success rate and refine mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills?"

After a month of observation, Mi Shuhua had determined that low-grade Jade Marrow Pills barely earned any spirit stones.

In fact, the low success rate had significantly increased costs.

Last month, the Jade Marrow Pills Luochen refined and sold actually resulted in a loss!

A batch of raw materials cost five spirit stones, and a bottle of Jade Marrow Pills sold for ten spirit stones.

However, it took ten batches to produce just a little over one bottle. Anyone could do the math.

The Mountain Breaker Sect was losing a lot of money!

To avoid losses, they needed to improve the success rate and the quality of the elixirs.

If they could refine mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills, a bottle could sell for forty to fifty spirit stones.

Even if solo cultivators couldn’t afford a whole bottle, they could sell them individually!

Even low-grade Jade Marrow Pills would be manageable if Luochen could increase the success rate to over fifty percent.

Under Mi Shuhua’s gaze, a subtle pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator lingered.

Luochen felt a bit uncomfortable but, having spent more time in this world of deception and profit, he was getting used to his role.

He controlled his facial muscles and forced a helpless smile.

"Leader, it’s not that I’m not trying. Refining elixirs is something that can’t be forced; it requires a lot of experience."

"I understand that, which is why I’ve never blamed you for your previous failures."

"Moreover, my cultivation level is too low to handle long-term elixir refinement."

"From now on, I’ll give you an additional bottle of Qi Nourishing Pill every month."

Really?

Such a good deal?

Luochen’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged.

He shook his head bitterly. "It’s not about the elixirs, but about some cultivation dilemmas. I’m just a solo cultivator with no guidance!"

Everyone understood immediately.

They were all solo cultivators, and the path of cultivation was fraught with confusion.

Apart from occasional gatherings, few could provide guidance.

Even when cultivators discussed and exchanged ideas, they often held back.

Luochen probed, "I wonder if the Leader has any insights in this area. Any guidance would be extremely helpful for refining the Jade Marrow Pill."

Mi Shuhua hesitated for a moment, then his gaze fell on Mi Junping.

"Ping, give Luochen that jade scroll!"

Mi Junping was taken aback but knew she couldn’t defy her father.

Reluctantly, she took a jade scroll from her storage bag and tossed it to Luochen.

As soon as Luochen received the jade scroll, he tried to read it, but it didn’t respond to his spiritual energy.

"This is a jade scroll that can only be created by Foundation Establishment cultivators. You need to use your spiritual sense to view it. Since your spiritual sense can’t yet extend outward, place it on your forehead to browse."

Uncle Mi Hua's voice echoed in Luo Chen's ears.

Luo Chen suddenly realized what he needed to do and hurriedly pressed the jade slip to his forehead.

Refining Qi Insights, authored by Mi Hua.

This small jade slip contained Mi Hua's cultivation insights from the early stages of Qi Refinement all the way to the later stages, a lifetime of knowledge.

And it was almost entirely unreserved; even just the notes on the early stages of Qi Refinement left Luo Chen with a profound sense of enlightenment.

Since he was in a meeting, Luo Chen only briefly skimmed through it before carefully putting it away.

The others who saw this were envious to no end.

Some even whispered to themselves, "Is Luo Chen really not Mi Hua's illegitimate child? He's being treated so well!"

If Luo Chen knew about these thoughts, he would only sneer.

I, Luo Piaoling, have wandered through life without encountering a wise master.

If Mi Hua doesn't mind, he wouldn't mind recognizing an adoptive father.

Then, he could ruthlessly fleece him!

As the meeting was about to end, Mi Hua dropped a piece of news.

"During the winter, the Great River Market will hold its usual large auction."

"I have a few spots available. If anyone is interested, let me know."

An auction!

That's a place where countless treasures appear, and many Qi Refinement cultivators might never get to attend a large auction in their entire lives.

With these words, many people were tempted.

Luo Chen's eyes also lit up!

...

...

After the meeting, Luo Chen approached Mi Junping.

From her, he received five bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills, a box of Tranquility Incense, and a dividend of 750 spirit stones.

At the time, Mi Junping's face was not pleasant.

Even she, during her cultivation, never enjoyed such treatment. Her father was treating Luo Chen better than her, his own biological daughter.

She even suspected that Luo Chen might be her half-brother.

Luo Chen didn't care about these thoughts.

He had bled for the Mountain Breaking Gang (the skin on his hands had broken from the alchemy furnace during his refining), and he had exerted himself for Mi Hua. All of this was what he deserved!

With a satisfied smile, he put the items into his storage bag and then called for Gu Caiyi to return to the inner city for a major shopping spree.

A new month had begun, and he needed to purchase the herbs for the Cultivating Essence Spirit Liquid.

A box of Tranquility Incense would only last twelve days, so he had to spend more money to buy additional supplies.

After a round of shopping, the money he had managed to save up quickly dwindled.

He was left with only 700 spirit stones in his savings.

But it was all worth it. Only by increasing his efforts could he make rapid progress on the path of cultivation.

With resources now gathered, Luo Chen was eagerly looking forward to the scenery of the later stages of Qi Refinement in a month!

...

...

In the open courtyard, a copper pot was bubbling over the stove.

Today, Luo Chen was the host again.

For some reason, after Fu Xiuxiu left, Luo Chen took over the task of uniting the neighbors.

Every month, he would invite everyone to a meal to promote neighborly harmony!

This time, however, others contributed some ingredients as well.

Qin Liangchen was the most generous, bringing a piece of Unicorn meat.

This type of beast was different from ordinary green mountain sheep; it was temperamental and powerful.

Its strength was determined by the horns on its head: a single horn for the first stage, and two horns for the second stage.

When it had four horns, it could become a genuine Beast King, the Unicorn King.

Under Luo Chen's skilled knife work, everyone enjoyed a warm pot of hotpot on this cool autumn night.

"Now, the Great River Market is really different. In the past, who would dare to hunt Unicorns? They are powerful among the first-stage beasts."

"Who can argue with that? The few famous figures on the Great River Talent List not only battle human cultivators on the Dao Discussion Platform but also frequently enter the mountains to hone themselves."

"I wonder if they are doing it for immortality or because they enjoy fighting."

"Perhaps each has their own reasons!"

The neighbors chatted, and Luo Chen learned about some of the recent changes in the Great River Market from their conversations.

For instance, the most famous figures on the Great River Talent List were mostly descendants of nearby Foundation Establishment families.

Their matches on the platform were not just about their personal paths but also represented the prestige of their families.

If someone maintained an unbeaten record for a long time, their family could gain more fame and have an advantage in various collaborations, business disputes, or territorial conflicts.

Luo Chen curiously asked about the aftermath of the death of the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Mount Ailao.

But no one could provide a definite answer.

Qin Liangchen and his wife said that the matter was left unresolved.

Gu Caiyi, through some friends at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, learned that the Golden Core Elder from Mount Ailao had returned to his sect in a rage.

However, Bai Meiling mentioned that the Grand Elder of Mount Ailao had gone to the Jade Peak Sword Sect to demand justice.

This last piece of information was the most credible, but also the most absurd.

Seeking justice from the Jade Peak Sword Sect was reasonable, but Mount Ailao, being just a Golden Core sect, would never dare to provoke a Nascent Core sect.

Thus, Luo Chen didn't receive any accurate news.

He didn't mind, as matters concerning the formation of foundation elixirs, let alone those related to the Inner Elixir and Nascent Soul stages, had nothing to do with his life.

While they were chatting, the gate to the courtyard opened.

A man with sharp, sword-like features walked straight into the yard.

Perhaps he had never seen such a scene of people gathered around a fire, cooking mutton, and he hesitated for a moment.

Had he entered the wrong courtyard?

Was this not a place for cultivators but a secular farmer's home?

The others looked at Duan Feng, unsure of how to greet him, but Luo Chen had already stood up.

"Duan Daoist, you're back so late!"

"Come, come, sit down and have a bite. Get to know the other neighbors!"

Luo Chen didn't just say it; he grabbed Duan Feng and forced him to sit down.

Duan Feng felt a bit uncomfortable, and his usual cold demeanor made him feel like sitting on pins and needles.

With Luo Chen's introduction, the others got to know Duan Feng, who didn't act aloof and simply stated his background.

"Try this mutton. It's from a unicorn ram, which Brother Qin specially bought."

"I know, I was the one who killed it."

"Uh?"

Everyone's chopsticks paused, but Duan Feng didn't seem to notice.

"If you bought it from the meat shop in the western part of the city, it should be the one I killed."

Qin Liangchen nodded; he had indeed bought it from the western meat shop.

The atmosphere cooled for a moment but quickly warmed up again under Luo Chen's encouragement.

"Duan brother, you're very strong, able to kill a unicorn ram."

"The last time I checked, you were ranked nineteenth on the Young Talent List. Your combat prowess is truly formidable!"

"I'm now ranked fifteenth."

"Hmm?"

Luo Chen was taken aback for a moment but then continued chatting casually.

Through a few interactions, he realized that this new neighbor, Duan Feng, only appeared aloof and cold on the surface.

In reality, he was a warm-hearted person who would say "thank you" and wouldn't refuse others' kindness. Once familiar, he could even chat a bit, though he often had a sharp tongue.

Such a person was actually a good friend to have.

Usually, he seemed cold and distant, but when it mattered, he wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand.

Of course, judging someone's character couldn't be done in just two or three interactions.

However, after freeloaders a bit of the mutton, Duan Feng started feeling a bit embarrassed.

He went into his house and brought out a few white eggs.

Even as he closed the door, everyone heard a rooster crow.

"This is?" Qin Liangchen asked, half-doubting, "Yangwu Eggs?"

Duan Feng nodded, washed the eggs, and dropped them into the copper pot.

Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian exchanged a glance and smacked their lips.

"That's a good thing. They say a spirit stone for one egg, you've really gone to the trouble."

"It's fine. The Yangwu Chicken is a legacy from my mother. I can only eat one egg a day myself."

Duan Feng's tone was casual, but Luo Chen was a bit surprised.

Isn't that chicken a rooster?

It crows every morning!

How can my rooster brother lay eggs?

However, Luo Chen still appreciated Duan Feng's generosity.

When he first joined the gathering, he had freeloaded and contributed nothing.

Indeed, honest people have thin skins.

So, when he ate the Yangwu Eggs, they tasted even more delicious, knowing they came from his rooster brother.

After the gathering, Murong Qinglian and Feng Xia took care of the cleanup, with Gu Caiyi helping out. Her gaze fell on the three men drinking and chatting, and she sighed softly.

"I thought the courtyard gathering tradition would end when Fu Xiuxiu left."

"Turns out, Luo Chen kept it going."

Murong Qinglian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled gently.

"That's just how Luo is. He seems carefree, but he's actually very sensitive. He must like the simple and pure atmosphere of the courtyard and doesn't want it to become a place like the Broken Mountain Gang, where everything is about interests."

Recalling the scene at the Bright Moon Hall earlier, Gu Caiyi remained silent.

The interactions among cultivators were indeed too complex.

Interests, power, cultivation resources, and opportunities—no one was willing to give them up easily, always haggling over every detail.

Thus, they appeared cold, naked, and even heartless.

In comparison, their courtyard, though the neighbors came from all over, had a much simpler and purer atmosphere.

In his room, Luo Chen emerged from the copper furnace.

He casually put on his clothes, his wet hair contrasting with his cold, sharp eyes.

The cultivation environment at home was still inferior to the spiritual vein caves under the Slanted Moon Valley.

Even with the Cultivation Essence Liquid and the Tranquility Incense, his progress in one night of cultivation was far less than in the caves.

"Looks like I need to find more excuses to stay in the Alchemy Hall."

(End of Chapter)

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