Immortality Begins With The Alchemical Master Chapter 332: Ink Lotus Garden Confrontation, the Future of Purple Chrysanthemum Pill - Novel Cool

Chapter 332: Ink Lotus Garden Confrontation, the Future of Purple Chrysanthemum Pill

Chapter 332: Ink Lotus Garden Confrontation, the Future of Purple Chrysanthemum Pill

Luo Chen took the box from Tao Yisheng's hands and immediately opened it for a look.

Ten middle-grade, three high-grade, and even one top-tier Purple Chrysanthemum Pill with six and a half cloud patterns!

Luo Chen was utterly astonished.

"Could it be so complete?"

Tao Yisheng sat down opposite him and poured tea as if they were old friends.

He rubbed his temples and said, "These are from the legacy of our Southern Mountain Ancestor of the Tao Family. After all, he personally developed this pill formula and once pushed it to the top-tier level. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of raw materials, its potency could never be enhanced, far inferior to our sect's Ascending Dragon Pill."

"I couldn't find them in the family treasure vault, so my sister went to the Clan Leader to seek them out."

As Luo Chen listened to his introduction, he carefully examined the pills in his hand.

His gaze was intensely focused.

This thing was crucial for his future cultivation progress.

He had already anticipated that its potency would be inferior to the Ascending Dragon Pill.

Now, he wanted to know if a higher-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill could surpass an ordinary Ascending Dragon Pill in potency.

"That old geezer had many demands, but for just a few pills, he set conditions."

"Annoyingly, my sister actually agreed to the proposed marriage alliance..."

"Huh?"

Luo Chen looked up, shocked.

"Just for these few pills? A marriage alliance?"

Realizing he had said too much, Tao Yisheng quickly waved his hands.

"It's not really related to this. Tao Daonan just found an excuse. I didn't expect my sister to actually agree."

Luo Chen frowned, staring at him, waiting for more.

Tao Yisheng sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking dejected.

"The marriage alliance is with the Fu Family's Fu Li."

"After the Dao Seed Competition, if my sister wins the Dao Seed Position, the marriage proposal will be nullified, and instead, a Fu Family woman will become my Dao Companion."

"If Fu Li succeeds, or even if he fails, the marriage will proceed, and my sister will marry into the Fu Family."

A complicated marriage proposal.

Luo Chen pondered the implications, analyzed the situation, and came to a conclusion.

"This must be a result of your sister and the Clan Leader's joint deliberation. From what I know, the Fu Family has a Golden Core Elder as a backing, but his lifespan is nearly depleted."

"Regardless of who succeeds or fails, this marriage alliance benefits both sides."

Tao Yisheng nodded dejectedly.

"Indeed, that's true."

"To compete for the Dao Seed, my sister offended many people in the Qingdan Valley. To prevent retaliation, this marriage alliance was proposed."

"Of course, that's all for the future. For now, we have the full support of the Clan Leader's lineage. In the future, his descendants will assist me in managing the family. Additionally, during the first Sword Duel, the Clan Leader will personally intervene to help my sister secure one of the nine Direct Disciple positions."

Hearing this, Luo Chen couldn't help but click his tongue.

It seemed that navigating the world of cultivation families wasn't easy!

Everywhere was a place of interest exchange and compromise.

Both sides made compromises, and both sides spoke for their own interests.

But the ultimate goal was for the benefit of the entire family.

Despite the heated arguments and red faces a short while ago, they were now tightly bound together.

Even Tao Daonan, who was nearly in his grave, would personally intervene for Tao Wan.

"Brother Luo, I've only taken over the Tao Family for a month, yet I find it difficult to make any progress, feeling inadequate and lacking energy."

"I can't imagine how you managed to build the Celestial Assembly from nothing."

"Do you have any experience to share with me?"

Tao Yisheng looked at Luo Chen with a burning gaze, his eyes full of confusion and hope.

Luo Chen casually replied, "It's like this at the beginning. Once you familiarize yourself with the family's internal operations, it will get better."

To this, Tao Yisheng bitterly bit his lower lip and shook his head with difficulty.

"Some things don't get better just because you're familiar with them."

"This is just internal family matters, and I can't handle them smoothly. I needed my sister to compromise with the Clan Leader to secure their full support."

"What should I do if future conflicts involve external family matters?"

His words were filled with confusion and fear about the future.

Only then did Luo Chen realize that in just a month, Tao Yisheng had become much more "weathered."

Or rather, not weathered, but mature.

He had shed his youthful naivety and become more responsible.

As the head of the family, he was now worried about the management of a cultivation family.

Previously carefree, he now bore the weight of responsibility.

Luo Chen, who had initially been casual with Tao Yisheng, found it hard to be dismissive now.

Tao Yisheng's way of addressing him had always been changing.

From the respectful "Dao Friend Luo" in the Radiant Sun Kingdom, to the slightly more respectful "Dan Chenzi," and then to the now respectful and affectionate "Brother Luo" after guiding him in alchemy for a year.

Now, it was a habit to call him "Brother Luo."

The constant change in his address indicated that his trust in Luo Chen had been steadily increasing.

It was not right to be perfunctory.

Luo Chen sighed and looked at the troubled Tao Yisheng, speaking earnestly, "The specifics depend on the situation at hand. How to act should be analyzed accordingly."

"The experience I can offer is to broaden your perspective and not limit yourself to personal matters."

Tao Yisheng furrowed his brows and listened attentively.

"Brother Luo, could you elaborate?"

Luo Chen adjusted his clothes, sitting upright with a solemn expression.

"An individual's strength, before reaching a sufficiently high realm, is extremely limited compared to the power of a clan or sect."

"You are merely at the early Foundation Establishment Stage, and it's natural to feel inadequate when handling internal and external affairs."

"But if you broaden your perspective, you are the descendant of a Golden Core Cultivator. Your clan has over a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators, including powerful late-stage cultivators like your sister and Tao Daonan. You even have the status of a direct disciple of Qingdan Valley!"

"In many situations, these external factors can provide you with support."

"When dealing with enemies, you don't always have to act personally. You can borrow strength from others or form alliances and collaborations."

"This is the general direction. On a smaller scale, you should consider the interests of various parties. What can you fulfill, what can others offer, and how can you leverage their strengths while making up for your weaknesses, even taking advantage of others to gain benefits."

"To put it simply, you are the one who divides the spoils. Others target not you but the resources you control."

"And..."

This "Ink Lotus" meeting lasted an entire afternoon.

Luo Chen imparted not profound insights but relatively basic theories.

He himself had not received systematic instruction in this area.

Much of it was based on his knowledge from his previous life and his experiences in this life, gradually pieced together.

It was all firsthand experience!

The specifics of implementation would depend on the situation at hand.

Luo Chen specifically reminded him not to blindly copy but to carefully analyze and then make a decision.

But at the very least, after an afternoon of guidance, Tao Yisheng had some idea in his mind.

As he gradually took on more family affairs, these concepts would gradually become instinctive to him.

This was how the cultivation world worked.

For those with exceptional talent, their upbringing focused on cultivation and the hundred arts of cultivation.

The skills of interpersonal relationships and management were rarely specifically taught.

Once one reached a high realm, they could naturally suppress all challenges.

However, it was evident that not everyone could reach the highest realm.

Now, from an outsider's perspective, Luo Chen instilled some conceptual ideas into Tao Yisheng.

With his intelligence, he would surely benefit from this in the future!

The only regret was that his exceptional talent for alchemy might be buried under the burden of mundane affairs.

In life, one's energy was limited.

It was impossible to be proficient in everything and become a jack-of-all-trades in the cultivation world.

Even Luo Chen had learned to delegate authority during the Qi Condensation Stage.

He only made major decisions, while the implementation was left to his subordinates.

Tao Yisheng left, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts and hopes for the future, as he departed from Ink Lotus Garden.

After a simple yet sumptuous dinner, Luo Chen entered his cultivation room.

He took out a medium-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill and consumed it.

Since advancing to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, the amount of spiritual energy required to break through this realm had increased significantly.

Compared to the fourth level, it was more than double.

Before connecting the hundred meridians, he only used second-rank low-grade pills as an aid.

If he wanted to break through, it would take at least a decade or more.

Now, with the help of the Blood Killing Pill, he had connected his hundred meridians and possessed the master-level cultivation technique, "Immortal Longevity Scripture."

With the addition of a high-grade cave mansion, he was confident that he could advance to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment within six years!

This was the confidence that came with the explosive increase in cultivation speed after connecting the hundred meridians.

However.

Luo Chen would not be satisfied with just this!

The vast Qingdan Valley had over a hundred late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Many of them were stuck at the seventh or eighth level, or like Tao Daonan, they had reached the ninth level but were already in their twilight years.

Did they not desire to achieve Foundation Establishment Grand Completion?

No!

It was simply because cultivation progress slowed down significantly in the later stages, and even minor realms felt like insurmountable chasms.

It took Luo Chen five to six years to reach the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.

He could only imagine how much longer it would take once he reached the late stage.

Fifty years? A hundred years?

He had no intention of waiting until he was over two hundred years old like Tao Daonan to strive for the Golden Core stage.

His goal was the likes of Tao Wan and Shangguan Yan, the top talents of the Great Sects.

At the age of one hundred and fifty, he would reach the ninth level of Foundation Establishment.

With plenty of time, he could perfect his Foundation Establishment stage and strive for the Golden Core stage.

"My goal is no longer limited to an ordinary sect disciple."

"Only the top talents are the ones I should pursue!"

His mind gradually calmed.

Luo Chen focused on refining the effects of the Medium-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill.

His current cultivation realm was insufficient, and a Third Rank Spirit Land was even harder to come by.

To speed up his cultivation, he could only rely on pills.

And Alchemy, happened to be his most confident skill.

...

Three days later.

Luo Chen, with a fluctuating expression, walked out of his cultivation room.

He had experimented with the effects of the Purple Chrysanthemum Pill at various grades.

The Low-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill was only half as effective as the Low-grade Ascending Dragon Pill.

The Medium-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill was barely comparable to the Low-grade Ascending Dragon Pill.

The High-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill surpassed the Low-grade Ascending Dragon Pill but was still inferior to the Medium-grade Ascending Dragon Pill.

Only the High-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill slightly exceeded the Medium-grade Ascending Dragon Pill.

If this level of improvement had occurred during Luo Chen's early Foundation Establishment stage, he would have been overjoyed.

After all, the effects of the Medium-grade Ascending Dragon Pill, once digested, were almost half as effective as a High-grade Cave Mansion cultivation technique.

One pill was equivalent to half a day of bitter cultivation.

It was undoubtedly excellent.

But!

Luo Chen was already at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.

What he craved was a High-grade Ascending Dragon Pill-level elixir! A Medium-grade one was merely passable.

However, Luo Chen had studied the formula of the Purple Chrysanthemum Pill.

Although he didn't know the difficulty of refining it, he could estimate the cost of the raw materials with his extensive knowledge.

One batch required a cost of one hundred spirit stones, comparable to the Jade Dew Pill!

If Luo Chen wanted to refine the High-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill.

Even without considering the initial cost of gaining proficiency, the success rate of High-grade pills was only ten percent.

This meant that for every High-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill he obtained, he would need to spend one thousand spirit stones!

One thousand spirit stones for a bottle of Second Rank Medium-grade pills was reasonable! But what was unreasonable was that the number of pills produced per batch of Purple Chrysanthemum Pills was likely not high.

Tao Yisheng had only produced three pills.

If Luo Chen were to do it, he might be able to double or even produce seven or eight pills.

However, it was still not as cost-effective as directly purchasing Second Rank Medium-grade pills.

Luo Chen wasn't stupid; he knew how to calculate.

Just by doing this calculation, he realized that refining the High-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill was a losing proposition once his cultivation realm improved.

Self-sufficiency would only result in twice the effort for half the gain. "That's right, if the cultivation pill formula is not weaker than the Ascending Dragon Pill, the Tao family wouldn't have given it to me."

"I should have expected this."

"Just like how the Jade Marrow Pill, a trash pill formula, can circulate outside, the Great Sects can control the better cultivation pill formulas and completely suppress the ordinary cultivation pills refined by loose cultivators in terms of cost-effectiveness, thus occupying the majority of the market!"

After realizing this, Luo Chen could only smile wryly.

The pill formula of the Purple Chrysanthemum Pill in his hand suddenly became useless.

It was useful, but not very helpful to Luo Chen.

Was it useless?

Not necessarily. If Luo Chen developed resistance to the Ascending Dragon Pill and couldn't find other alternatives, then the High-grade Purple Chrysanthemum Pill, which was comparable to the Medium-grade Ascending Dragon Pill, could serve as a backup.

But this backup was a bit weak.

With a bitter smile, Luo Chen walked out of the Ink Lotus Garden.

He looked towards the direction of the Tao family's residence and fell silent for a moment.

Perhaps even Tao Wan hadn't anticipated that his demand for pills was so high! For an ordinary loose cultivator, being able to refine pills for personal use would already be a great fortune.

But Luo Chen's requirements far exceeded those of an average loose cultivator.

"Forget it, maybe I'm being too greedy."

"The current situation has already exceeded my initial expectations. How can I expect to achieve everything at once?"

Shaking his head, Luo Chen flew away from the Ink Lotus Garden.

He decided to take a break.

Tao Yisheng had mentioned the sect's market in Qingdan Valley, which was bustling recently.

With the upcoming Dao Seed Competition, many Foundation Establishment Cultivators had returned to the sect, along with numerous hired helpers and even Foundation Establishment disciples from other sects.

With so many people gathered in a short time, it was natural for transactions to occur.

"If I'm unsuccessful in the Alchemy Path, perhaps I can make up for it with good luck in other areas."

With high hopes, Luo Chen flew into the Jade Pill Market.

(End of Chapter)

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