https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-239-Do-You-Wish-Him-Success-The-Entry-level-Jade-Dew-Pill/12920594/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-241-Duan-Feng-Emerges-Foundation-Establishment-Success-Spirit-Stones-Arrive-All-Crushed-/12920596/
Chapter 240: With a Small Spirit Stone, I'll Help You Make Them!
Chapter 240: With a Small Spirit Stone, I'll Help You Make Them!
At the entrance of the Pill Chamber.
A petite figure squatted on the ground, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the floor.
Yin Qi fluctuated, occasionally forming sharp claws that left deep scratches on the ground.
Her gaze followed the busy figure inside the Pill Chamber.
The Earth Fire blazed fiercely.
Spirit Energy flowed steadily.
Occasionally, a Foundation Establishment True Fire was infused, making the flames even more intense.
Ingredients were added to the massive Alchemy Cauldron in a fixed order.
Some ingredients were not directly placed in the cauldron.
Instead, they required special treatment with Spells before being added.
From time to time, Bai Meiling could hear the figure muttering to itself.
"The Hundred Flowers Dew as the base, wrapping all the liquids—this is the foundation, but also the key step in forming the pill membrane."
"The processing can't be as perfunctory as the third time; both Washed Jade and Transforming Cloud Hands are needed."
"Cold Ginseng, Angelica, He Shou Wu, Motherwort, and Blue Aloe... These auxiliary materials can't be treated as roughly as with Fire Spells alone."
As he muttered, Luo Chen's gaze burned with intensity, fixed on the Alchemy Cauldron.
His outward Spirit Sense constantly monitored the changes in the ingredients within, ensuring that every transformation was recorded in his mind.
The success rate displayed by the system seemed fixed.
However, Luo Chen had long discovered that each attempt required meticulous attention; otherwise, even the guaranteed success rate could fail! The same applied to skill proficiency.
Take the Yimu Medicine King Scripture as an example.
If he simply skimmed through the process, it would take at least forty to fifty attempts to increase proficiency by one point.
But if he gave it his all, he could improve efficiency to the point where twenty attempts would suffice for a single proficiency increase.
Now, as he refined the Jade Dew Pill.
Luo Chen did the same.
Moreover, unlike Qi Condensation Stage pill refinement, he could better observe the post-extraction ingredients and the intricate changes during pill formation with the aid of his outward Spirit Sense.
As a result, each refinement provided far more feedback than before.
Even proficiency, despite unsuccessful pill formation, showed a slight improvement.
Indeed, the Jade Dew Pill, a Second Rank Pill, lived up to its reputation.
The refining technique was far more complex than that of First Rank Pills like the Jade Marrow Pill and the All Wonders Pill.
In many steps, both Water and Fire Refining Techniques were required simultaneously.
However, this approach had a significant advantage.
The proficiency in "Pill Techniques" was visibly skyrocketing.
If this continued.
Soon, all these techniques would be mastered.
"It's time for Lingting Fragrant Grass!"
Luo Chen's heart stirred, and his gaze fell on the bottom shelf, where small green grasses, thriving in pots, emitted a vibrant aura.
As one of the three primary ingredients of the Jade Dew Pill.
Lingting Fragrant Grass, a Second Rank Spirit Grass, cost twenty Spirit Stones per plant.
Most importantly, this herb couldn't be pre-processed.
It had to be freshly picked and added to the pill immediately.
In such cases, a specific Pill Technique was required—the Pure Heart Technique!
Moreover, it demanded an exceptionally high level of mastery in the Pure Heart Technique to handle this herb that required on-the-spot processing.
Luo Chen remained calm and composed.
His Pure Heart Technique had reached the Grandmaster level, making the handling of Lingting Fragrant Grass relatively straightforward.
A sprig of fragrant grass was plucked, and several strands of Spirit Energy intertwined to form a fine net, sealing the cut end.
The Lingting Fragrant Grass was then teleported to the Alchemy Cauldron.
The net extended upward, cutting the grass into a "well" shape, allowing only the central stem to fall into the cauldron.
The stem was the desired part!
Ordinary techniques, no matter how carefully executed, would contaminate the Lingting Fragrant Grass, leading to impure medicine power in the stem.
Only the Pure Heart Technique's Spirit Energy net could achieve the balance of purity without harming the essence, leaving only a pure heart.
Luo Chen withdrew his Spirit Energy.
Taking a deep breath, he prepared for the next step: extracting the Jade Mist from the Blue Smoke Jade and infusing it into the pill.
Finally, the Hundred Flowers Dew would seal the pill, forming the pill membrane.
After a day and night of cold storage, the pill would be complete.
Most of the steps had been completed.
At this point, he couldn't afford to waste his previous efforts.
Processing Blue Smoke Jade required the Jade Breaking Hand Pill Technique.
This was Luo Chen's forte!
During his refinement of the Jade Marrow Pill, he had mastered the Jade Breaking Hand Technique by repeatedly processing Washed Jade, the primary ingredient.
Now, handling Blue Smoke Jade was a mere test of his skills!
In fact, this was one reason Luo Chen chose to start with the Jade Dew Pill instead of the Blood Malevolence Pill.
He had an incredibly solid foundation in this area!
One by one, the steps were executed.
If an outsider witnessed the intricate Pill Techniques Luo Chen displayed during this day's refinement, they might be left bewildered and amazed.
Was pill refinement worth all this effort?
A true high-level Alchemist would disdain even responding to such a question!
Why did Pill Masters rank among the top in the Hundred Cultivation Arts?
Profit was one aspect, cultivation another, and entry requirements and advancement difficulty yet another.
In other cultivation arts, a bit of talent might be enough to delve deeper.
However, his alchemy skills were lacking.
Talent, effort, resources, perseverance, and comprehension... all were indispensable.
Alchemy had no shortcuts.
What was needed was for each pill to take shape under one's hands, and with time, one's skills would reach perfection, allowing them to casually utter the phrase, "No secret, just practice makes perfect!"
Luo Chen possessed all of these conditions, except for talent, which the system had granted him.
But that wasn't entirely accurate; he had compensated for his lack of talent by improving his proficiency in other skills.
So!
Luo Chen could confidently say without guilt, "My current alchemy prowess is entirely due to my own efforts!"
"Meiling!"
"Coming!"
A graceful figure suddenly appeared beside Luo Chen, holding a round plate as white as the moon.
Thin strands of cold air were rising from the plate.
White Jade Ice Plate!
A low-grade treasure!
Crafted in Tian Fan City and sold in Ten Thousand Treasure Tower, it was specifically designed to hold drinks and fruits that needed to be frozen.
Now, it was perfect for freezing and solidifying the Jade Dew Pills.
Luo Chen made a gesture, and his signature pill-collecting technique appeared.
Ten round, icy pills flew towards him like swallows returning to their nest, not stirring up a single speck of dust, and landed in the White Jade Ice Plate.
Holding the ice plate, Bai Meiling asked curiously, "Did it succeed?"
"It did!"
According to common sense, it would take a day for four cloud patterns to appear on the pills, indicating success.
But Luo Chen, as if he had the gift of foresight, answered confidently.
No secret!
On the system panel, the Jade Dew Pill had increased by ten points in proficiency.
This meant he had finally refined his first batch of Jade Dew Pills.
With the alchemy completed, Luo Chen, for once, felt a hint of fatigue.
It wasn't that the pill refinement was too difficult.
Rather, the process was overly complex and tedious.
Refining a batch of Jade Dew Pills took an entire day.
During that time, he couldn't afford to be distracted, which was truly exhausting.
However, there was a benefit.
His control over spirit energy and spirit sense became increasingly delicate and precise.
Luo Chen was confident that in this aspect, he was among the best of the loose cultivators.
Even when facing those from prestigious sects, he wouldn't be outdone.
After a quick clean-up of the pill chamber, Luo Chen headed to the living room and roughly calculated the cost of refining the Jade Dew Pills.
Due to the war, the cost of raw materials had risen to around one hundred spirit stones.
And it wasn't stable yet.
At ten portions, that would be a thousand spirit stones!
At the entry-level stage, the success rate was only ten percent.
Ten portions would yield one inferior-grade Jade Dew Pill.
"It seems that without improving the success rate, the inferior-grade Jade Dew Pill won't even cover the costs!"
The market price of second-stage low-grade pills had long been stable in the cultivation world.
They usually started at three hundred spirit stones, and those related to cultivation were around five hundred.
But if they were related to breaking through realms, the price was hard to predict.
Generally, they were in a state of high demand and limited supply.
For example, the Foundation Establishment Pill! In reality, the Foundation Establishment Pill is also a second-stage pill, but the starting bid at auctions is usually two thousand spirit stones.
The transaction prices are often four or five thousand, and they can even soar to ten thousand.
The Jade Dew Pill couldn't compare to the Foundation Establishment Pill.
The pills it should be compared to are the Ascending Dragon Pill and Harmonious Qi Pill.
Considering that these pills have additional benefits for female cultivators, their value can be slightly increased.
In other words, setting the price at six hundred spirit stones wouldn't be excessive.
Given the impact of the war and the expected price hikes for various materials, setting the price at seven hundred spirit stones would be reasonable.
If calculated this way, when Luo Chen increases the success rate to twenty, thirty, or even fifty percent, the profits will be terrifying.
"Unfortunately, I can't do that."
"An innocent man is guilty of possessing a treasure!"
"The Jade Dew Pill isn't my primary means of acquiring wealth and resources. It should be a stepping stone!"
Luo Chen's eyes sparkled; before refining the Jade Dew Pill, he had already planned for what would come next.
Now that the pill was successfully refined, it was time to put the next steps into action.
"Meiling, what are you doing leaning over there?"
Suddenly, Luo Chen's eyes caught sight of Bai Meiling leaning against the White Jade Ice Plate with a charming and innocent expression.
Bai Meiling lifted her head in a daze.
"I'm not doing anything..."
"What about you?"
"I just think the scent of this pill is really pleasant."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, "Can you take the Jade Dew Pill?"
Bai Meiling shook her head quickly, "No, I don't have a physical body, so how can I take it? But the pill's aura has allowed me to circulate my accumulated Yin energy a bit faster."
After hearing this, Luo Chen seemed to be deep in thought.
He didn't chase Bai Meiling away but let her stay near the Jade Dew Pills.
He cast a cleansing spell on himself.
Feeling slightly refreshed, Luo Chen slowly walked out of the cave mansion.
It had been almost a month, and Duan Feng still hadn't emerged from seclusion.
Perhaps...
"Haha, is that Fellow Daoist Luo Chen?"
A bold voice suddenly came from above.
Luo Chen was surprised and looked up at the speaker.
A figure stood high in the sky, smiling down at Luo Chen.
Luo Chen's face showed a hint of surprise, "Is it Fellow Daoist Chu Kui?"
Previously, Luo Chen had achieved a minor success in his cultivation of the Qingyuan Miracle Pill and obtained several telecommunication talismans.
However, besides Sima Huiwang, the other two owners of the telecommunication talismans had not responded for a long time.
It seemed like Li Yixian was busy with something and hadn't returned to his cave mansion for a while.
The owner of the other talisman was a powerful loose cultivator named Chu Kui.
Luo Chen thought it was just a polite gesture, but he didn't expect Chu Kui to take the initiative to greet him today.
"It's indeed me!"
Luo Chen pursed his lips and glanced in the direction of Duan Feng's cave mansion before extending his hand in invitation.
"Why don't you come down for a chat?"
Chu Kui didn't hesitate and immediately landed on the platform.
With a wave of Luo Chen's hand, a simple wine cup and wine pot appeared on the stone table on the terrace.
"You mentioned drinking wine before, so why not do it today!"
Chu Kui took the wine pot and sniffed it.
"Your wine is not good enough, let's drink mine!"
He flipped his wrist, and a delicate wine pot appeared in his hand.
"This is the second-stage Tai Bai Spirit Wine, a specialty of Tai Bai Wine Shop. It's incredibly wonderful, why don't you give it a try, Fellow Daoist?"
Luo Chen looked at him deeply.
This person was surprisingly familiar!
He didn't have any reservations and picked up the wine cup filled with rich spiritual energy and drank it in one gulp.
The wine flowed down his throat.
Although the taste was rich and mellow, it was also ordinary.
Was this worthy of being a second-stage spirit wine?
Just as Luo Chen was wondering, his expression suddenly changed slightly.
Chu Kui across from him smiled and held the wine cup, "How is it? The taste is pretty good, right?"
Luo Chen nodded slowly.
"As expected of a second-stage spirit wine, what's its name?"
"It's named after the shop, Tai Bai Wine."
"Good wine! Good wine!"
Luo Chen praised twice, without any insincerity.
He could feel the wine's energy entering his Qi Sea, and the hot wine energy rose straight up like a blue cloud.
Stimulated by the wine, the spiritual energy cloud clusters he had accumulated before were accelerating their purification, transforming into drops of spiritual essence that dripped into his Qi Sea.
The cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Preliminary Stage was not complicated.
It was just the process of transforming spiritual energy into liquid during the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, which had become a daily cycle.
Usually, Luo Chen would cultivate his technique, absorbing the spiritual energy from the spirit vein beneath his cave mansion and drawing it into his body.
The spiritual energy at this moment had only undergone the first purification of the technique.
Inside his body, it was still in a gaseous state.
In the form of spiritual energy clouds, they hung above the Qi Sea.
Only through repeated cultivation of the technique, which also purified the spiritual energy, could it be transformed into spiritual essence that fell into the depths of the Qi Sea.
The Sprite Pill could accelerate this process.
Unexpectedly, this second-stage Tai Bai Spirit Wine also had this effect.
It was only slightly weaker than the Sprite Pill.
Luo Chen's heart stirred, and he already had the idea of buying it in large quantities.
However, Chu Kui laughed.
"Fellow Daoist, don't look at me like that. The production of Tai Bai Spirit Wine is indeed scarce, and this is just one of the rewards I received for being in the top ten on the Debate Platform last year."
Luo Chen asked in confusion, "But you said this is a specialty spirit wine of Tai Bai Wine Shop?"
"Yes, it's a specialty. But it's only exclusively supplied to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!"
So that was the case.
No wonder the Debate Platform could offer such a reward.
Luo Chen felt it was a pity.
Whether it was the Sprite Pill or Tai Bai Spirit Wine, resources that could purify spiritual energy were always scarce.
Even in the Spirit Herb Pavilion of Heavenly Wave Immortal City, they were rarely sold.
When they occasionally appeared, they would be snatched up by others in an instant.
Unless one stayed there all the time, it would be hard to encounter them even once in a lifetime.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, where are you from? I heard that you also have a sect under your command?"
Luo Chen briefly recounted his past.
As for Luo Tianhui, he only mentioned it in passing.
Unexpectedly, Chu Kui became very interested.
"It's quite troublesome to manage a sect in Heavenly Wave Immortal City."
"I heard that when you first settled in Crimson Peak, you encountered some trouble. Was it the Divine Craft Sect? And the Geng Family!"
"They are not easy to deal with. Although things seem calm now, who knows what they are plotting behind the scenes."
"Fellow Daoist, your methods are extraordinary. I heard that you defeated three Foundation Establishment Cultivators with just one move. You even intimidated two major forces to retreat, how impressive!"
"However, there's a saying that goes, 'It's easier to be a thief for a thousand days than to guard against one for a thousand days.'"
"Don't you want to completely get rid of these two troubles?"
Listening to Chu Kui's overly familiar words, Luo Chen always felt that something was amiss.
Especially the last few sentences.
His face showed a look of confusion.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, if you have something to say, please speak frankly."
"Ahem!"
Chu Kui cleared his throat, and his overly familiar demeanor disappeared. Instead, he revealed the demeanor of a master with profound skills.
He said calmly, "I am Chu Kui, a frequent participant in the Debate Platform, ranking in the top ten on the Heavenly Talents List. Among Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators, I am considered the best."
"Thanks to the Immortal City Fellow Daoist's praise, I was given the title of Heavenly Tyrant."
"I am always eager to do good deeds and uphold justice."
"For those who take advantage of others' misfortunes, like the Divine Craft Sect and other petty villains, everyone should punish them."
Luo Chen's eyebrows furrowed.
"Speak frankly!"
Chu Kui waved his hand.
"With just a small amount of spirit stones, I can take care of them for you!"
(End of Chapter)
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