Chapter 4: Introduction to the Marvel Pill
Chapter 4: Introduction to the Marvel Pill
Raozhu is relatively easy to come by. It has a unique taste and is often bought to make soups.
However, the Fire Dog Whip has a rather limited use.
How could such a young man need something like this?
Hehe.
"Please don't call me Senior; you can just call me Shopkeeper Liu. What should I call you, young friend?" the fat shopkeeper asked with a warm smile.
"Shopkeeper Liu, I am surnamed Luo. You can just call me Little Luo."
Luo Chen couldn't help but feel humble. The friendly and chubby shopkeeper exuded an aura that made him very uneasy.
He had felt this kind of aura before, always from high-level cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage who naturally radiated it.
In front of such experts, he naturally had to show the utmost respect.
Shopkeeper Liu smiled slightly, "So you are Daoist Luo. The two herbs you mentioned, I do have them, but the quantities are not very large."
Luo Chen had expected as much.
The Great River Market was located on the frontier near the Eastern Wastelands, a vast inland region.
One of the herbs he was asking for, Raozhu, was a marine spirit herb that often had to be transported from far away.
It was expected that the quantity would be limited, but as long as there was some!
"Can you gather a hundred Raozhu? And I need ten Fire Dog Whips."
"I do have that much, but the price won't be cheap," Shopkeeper Liu said with a chuckle.
When he said "not cheap," it wasn't that the price was exorbitant, but rather it was expensive relative to Luo Chen's cultivation level at the third stage of Qi Condensation.
Moreover, the other party's attire didn't suggest he was particularly wealthy.
"What's the price?"
"A hundred Raozhu for ten low-grade spirit stones, and ten Fire Dog Whips for another ten low-grade spirit stones."
Luo Chen's eyelids twitched.
He even suspected that this fat shopkeeper might have X-ray vision, seeing that he had exactly twenty spirit stones left in his pocket.
"Is it really that expensive?"
"Do you want them?"
"I will be a regular customer. Can you give me a discount?"
"Herb Hall, a five-hundred-year-old store, with branches in all four regions. Our prices are fair, and we do not haggle!"
"Fine, wrap them up. Here are twenty spirit stones."
Gritting his teeth, Luo Chen reluctantly took out twenty spirit stones from his pocket.
The fat shopkeeper snatched the bag of spirit stones from his hand at a speed that was invisible to the naked eye.
"Xiao Ling, get a hundred Raozhu and ten Fire Dog Whips!"
With the items in hand, Luo Chen shouldered the large bag of herbs and left the Herb Hall with the shopkeeper's knowing smile.
While it was still daylight and there were no wandering cultivators on the road, Luo Chen hurriedly returned home.
Looking at the pile of items on the ground, Luo Chen sighed.
Years of savings, all gone in one day.
After a careful calculation, he had saved up fifty spirit stones over the years, and today he had spent them all.
Especially the last two main ingredients, which had cost him twenty spirit stones.
"Five-hundred-year-old store, more like a rip-off shop. I wish you go out of business soon!"
After cursing the unscrupulous merchant, Luo Chen tried to cheer himself up.
"It will come back, it will all come back!"
"The spirit stones I earn in the future will only be more!"
With that, he took off his low-grade magical robe, carefully folded it, and jumped into the nearby stream in his shorts.
This place was relatively remote, though it was close to the Eastern Wastelands and the vast mountains, most people returning from the mountains would take the eastern route, making the area sparsely populated.
He didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him, let alone being forced into a marriage.
After a refreshing bath, he washed away all the odors from the day.
Although he knew a cleaning spell, it was more like using spiritual energy to blast the dirt off his body, which wasn't as pleasant as a proper bath.
He only used it to clean his magical robe from time to time.
Back in his wooden hut, Luo Chen changed into a pair of shorts and casually threw on a gray linen shirt.
With his wet hair hanging down his back, he retrieved a leather-wrapped package from under the floorboards in the corner of the room.
Opening the package, he found a yellowed bamboo scroll, a thin book, and a piece of parchment.
The content of the bamboo scroll was simple, titled "Eternal Spring Technique," which was Luo Chen's main cultivation method, reaching up to the ninth stage of Qi Condensation.
He had heard that this technique was the introductory method of the Medicine King Sect, and the higher-level "Yi Wood Medicine King Scripture" was also part of it.
This technique came from a young man's fortuitous discovery in the remains of a cave in the wilderness.
Luo Chen had never stopped practicing this technique. Apart from his nightly cultivation, he spent most of his non-alchemy days on this method.
However, the results were very minimal.
He was still at the third stage of Qi Condensation, with the breakthrough to the fourth stage seeming far away.
The proficiency in this cultivation technique is increasing quite rapidly, already reaching the proficient level.
It won't be long before I can break through to the perfect level, and the grandmaster level is within reach!
He is eager to find out if reaching the grandmaster level of the Eternal Spring Technique will significantly enhance his cultivation realm.
The parchment records the incomplete formula for the Jade Dew Pill, which his predecessor had discovered.
Luo Chen isn't particularly interested. Not only is the formula incomplete, but even if it were complete, he doesn't plan to delve into it.
After all, this is a second-tier pill used by Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the various ingredients are far beyond what he can currently afford.
The original owner had exhausted his savings to barely gather the necessary materials, even resorting to using substitutes, hoping to achieve a quick breakthrough.
He must have been desperate from poverty.
Luo Chen's attention is entirely focused on the thin booklet.
Flipping through the booklet, the first two pages detail the formula for the Fasting Powder.
Unlike typical formulas that only list the required ingredients, this booklet is filled with precise measurements, processing methods for various herbs, and even instructions for controlling the heat.
This is why the original owner could easily get started and successfully refine the first batch of Fasting Powder after only a few failures.
From then on, he had the means to stay in the Great River Market.
Luo Chen has already worn out these pages from repeated reading.
Next, he plans to focus on the following five pages.
"Universal Marvel Pill: harmonizes water and fire, balances yin and yang, stimulates yang energy without harming the kidneys, and enhances sexual performance."
Sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone; the interplay of yin and yang is truly wondrous!
Thus, this pill is named the Universal Marvel.
In simpler terms, this is the blue pill of the cultivation world.
Of course, according to the description, it should be red.
If he can successfully refine this pill, there will definitely be a market for it.
Everyone has needs in that area, even cultivators.
Even in the Great River Market, one of the six top-tier shops is the Heavenly Fragrance Tower.
In this place, female cultivators are rare, and a group of men who frequently hunt demonic beasts and gather herbs in the mountains have even greater needs in this area.
As for why the original owner never attempted to refine this pill, Luo Chen can only guess.
Was he afraid of the embarrassment of selling such a pill?
Ha, in cultivation, there's no shame in it!
Focusing his mind, he carefully read through the five pages of the Universal Marvel Pill formula once again.
Every step of processing the materials, the order of addition, the timing, the precise measurements, and the control of the heat—all of it was memorized.
With everything etched in his mind, Luo Chen opened the panel in his mind.
Name: Luo Chen
Lifespan: 27/75
Spirit Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth
Realm: Qi Refinement Level 3: 75/100
Cultivation Technique: Eternal Spring Technique Proficient: 235/300
Spells: Cleaning Spell Novice 49/100, Entanglement Spell Proficient 176/200, Fireball Spell Proficient 268/300
Skills: First-Class Alchemist: Fasting Powder Grandmaster 501/1000
Achievement Points: 10 points (can be used to learn any corresponding realm technique, spell, or skill at the novice level)
His gaze lingered on his lifespan for a moment before settling on the last line.
Achievement Points!
For every cultivation technique, skill, or spell, breaking through a proficiency level grants one achievement point.
Collect ten achievement points, and you can use them to learn any corresponding realm technique, spell, or skill at the novice level.
The Cleaning Spell was recently acquired, so it's only at the novice level, and there hasn't been enough time to increase its proficiency.
Moreover, any spell is quite draining on spirit energy.
With the pressure of survival, he has invested most of his effort into alchemy.
In the end, his efforts paid off, and his proficiency in refining Fasting Powder reached the grandmaster level, earning him five achievement points.
Adding the two points from the Eternal Spring Technique, one point from the Entanglement Spell, and two points from the Fireball Spell, he has accumulated exactly ten points!
And his savings are just enough to gather the materials for ten batches of the Universal Marvel Pill.
Success or failure will be determined tomorrow!
And now, time to allocate the points!
Oh, wait, it should be the Universal Marvel Pill refining skill, novice level!
With a thought, the ten achievement points disappeared.
In their place, a new entry appeared on the attribute panel.
First-Class Alchemist, Fasting Powder Grandmaster 501/1000, Universal Marvel Pill Novice 1/100
(End of Chapter)
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