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Chapter 8: Do You Know Harmony Center?
Chapter 8: Do You Know Harmony Center?
"Why have the Frost Wolves been running to the outskirts lately?"
"Such bad luck. We managed to hunt down two first-stage beasts, but we didn’t even get a chance to cut them up and store them in our bags."
"Maybe it’s because the Wolf King battle is happening again in the Howling Moon Mountains. It’s said that hundreds of years ago, many wolf packs fled to the outskirts to avoid disaster."
"Forget it. Let’s head back to the market and rest for a while. We’ve been exhausted lately."
"Agreed. As long as everyone is safe."
A few words, filled with frustration and the relief of surviving a crisis, were exchanged as a group of cultivators walked from the plains toward the center of the market. They paused briefly as they passed by Lucas Chen’s house.
Then a clear and straightforward female voice rang out.
"Fellow Daoist, things around here aren’t safe these days. If you can, move closer to the inner city!"
Lucas Chen didn’t respond.
If he had the means, he would have moved already. And the areas near the inner city weren’t exactly safe either. Those wandering cultivators lived on the edge, and ambushes in the dark were far too common. He had more than once seen bloodstains and bones on his way into the city.
Though the area was dangerous, the plain had a protective barrier set up by cultivators every year to keep low-level beasts away. Stronger second-stage beasts dared not approach human settlements. Relatively speaking, his current residence was still safe.
Moreover, he appeared poor and struggled to earn a few spirit stones each month. Not many cultivators paid him any attention.
"Why are you worrying about that kid, Hui?"
"Probably a newcomer to the Dahexi Market, taking a bath in the stream during broad daylight."
"Come on, let’s go home."
Perhaps not hearing a response, the group grumbled and left.
Hearing them depart, Lucas Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He feared human cultivators more than beasts. However, Hui’s advice was reasonable. If there were any disturbances in the Howling Moon Mountains, the southwestern region, being the closest, would indeed be very dangerous.
"Feeling pretty good, not too tense. I’ll start refining the pills tomorrow!"
"This time, it will definitely succeed!"
After a day and night of rest, both his body and mind were in optimal condition. At dawn, after running through the Everlasting Technique, Lucas Chen put on a dusty apron and walked to the kitchen window.
A long-bearded clay figure stood there, holding a wooden knife. He had phoenix eyes, silkworm eyebrows, and red cheeks.
"Lord Guan, bless me with success!"
With a calm mind, he started the stove, added water, and used the Fireball Spell to ignite the fire. First, he simmered the auxiliary materials, then roasted the mineral ingredients, and added broth to boil. He sequentially added ingredients like He Shou Wu, yam, and Fire Dog Whips.
After about three hours, he added the final water-based spirit herb, Jade Column, to balance the yin and yang.
Throughout the process, he adjusted the heat, alternating between high and low flames.
Two hours later, he opened the pot.
A pale red, gel-like substance sat in the pot. He poked it with a new wooden spoon, and it jiggled like jelly.
Quite bouncy!
However, it was still a failure.
According to the pill formula, the finished product should be a deep red, and only then would the Multitude Elixir have its maximum yang-enhancing effects.
Though he failed, Lucas Chen wasn’t overly disheartened.
Clearly, this batch was very close to success.
At least it had solidified well, with a bouncy texture.
For cultivators, if someone dared to consume the entire pot, it might still have some effect.
Of course, the side effects would be significant.
So Lucas Chen didn’t plan to sell it, as that would likely lead to a beating.
He tasted a tiny bit to gauge the potency, reviewed the process, and nodded. Then he dumped the dregs into the stream across from his house.
In the evening, he practiced and slept.
The next day, he paid respects to Lord Guan and then refined the pills.
Failure!
The third day, he paid respects to Lord Guan and then refined the pills.
Success!
Yes, success!
Lucas Chen looked at the large pot of red jelly, feeling a sense of relief and joy, with tears welling up in his eyes.
"Eight batches of materials failed, costing me about forty spirit stones. If I deduct the forty bottles of Grain-Rejecting Powder I could have refined in these eight days, I’ve lost another eight spirit stones."
"Sniff, I nearly lost everything."
Lucas Chen quickly removed all the gel, ignoring the heat, and cut it into chunks with a bamboo knife, then shaped them into small spheres.
After drying them overnight, his task would be complete!
He had one batch of materials left, so he could try again the next day.
The next morning, Luo Chen couldn't wait to head to the kitchen where he had set up his alchemy workstation.
Sure enough, the ten small orbs had shrunk to the size of longans.
All the moisture had evaporated, leaving behind only the essence.
Even a single pill would be enough to make any man soar to new heights!
Carefully placing the small red pills into a jade bottle, Luo Chen bowed to Guan Er.
"Second Lord, you have a heart. Even though I've crossed over, you still protect me. When I make it big, I'll build you a temple and cast a golden statue for you!"
After bowing, Luo Chen put on his apron and clenched his fists tightly.
"Indeed, I am a genius in alchemy, born to refine elixirs!"
"I will become famous one day. I've even thought of a nickname for myself: the Dan God of the Eastern Wasteland, just as prestigious as the Dan Saint of Central Continent!"
After a moment of self-encouragement, Luo Chen got back to work.
The kitchen, filled with smoke and the smell of fire, was hot and lively.
However, when the bright sunlight streamed in, it revealed a face devoid of expression.
"Hehe, everyone makes mistakes. Even the Dan Saint messed up his first-stage elixirs when he was young."
"Next time, it will definitely succeed, it will definitely succeed!"
Despite his words, Luo Chen still felt a sting in his heart.
The cost of the raw materials was five spirit stones!
He was utterly bankrupt!
"No, this one bottle of Wondrous Elixir must be sold at a high price, or I won't even recoup my costs!"
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
It seemed as if the entire world was shrouded in a white mist, and the vast mountains appeared like a gaping abyss, waiting to swallow the bustling market town.
A young man, dressed in a faded lower-grade robe, ran through the muddy shantytown of wandering cultivators like a gust of wind.
A female cultivator, who was out early to empty her chamber pot, couldn't help but laugh and scold him.
"Little guy, you're running pretty fast! Is a dog chasing you?"
He was indeed running fast.
Luo Chen seemed to have a natural affinity for martial arts. He had spent just a few days practicing the Xiaoyao You technique, advancing from novice to proficient.
Not only did it grant him an achievement point, but it also doubled his speed.
Before, he could run a hundred meters in nine seconds at most.
Now, with a few leaps, he could cover more than a hundred meters.
A journey that usually took an hour and a half on foot would now take no more than thirty to forty minutes!
Today, he reached the city gate in just twenty minutes!
Luo Chen hadn't experienced the effects of the Wind Riding Technique, but he felt that Xiaoyao You was just as good, and this was only at the proficient level. There were still advanced, perfect, and grandmaster levels to look forward to.
There was great potential to be explored!
By the time he arrived at the southwestern area for wandering cultivators, it was still dark. This time, Daoist Chen Xiuping was not as early as he was.
In the vast area for setting up stalls, only a few people were already there.
Luo Chen glanced around but didn't immediately display his elixirs. Instead, he wandered over to a nearby stall.
"Brother Wang, you're here pretty early!"
Wang Yuan glanced at him but didn't say a word.
Luo Chen chuckled and, undeterred, squatted down to flip through a few books.
"Leave Five Essential Techniques for the Qi Condensation Stage alone. It costs money."
"How much?"
"Two mid-grade spirit stones."
"Why don't you just rob people!"
"I did rob them!"
"Uh, never mind."
Wang Yuan, at the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer, was someone Luo Chen often referred to as a bloodthirsty predator, who had no shortage of brawls at the village entrance and highway robberies.
Luo Chen couldn't afford to offend him, and Wang Yuan didn't think much of him. They only chatted occasionally while setting up their stalls.
Oh, back when Wang Yuan was down on his luck and forced to hunt in the Ancient Plains, Luo Chen had lent him a few bottles of Abstinence Pills on credit.
So, the two of them did have some connection.
"Leave this one alone too. It contains a nefarious evil technique."
"Hehe, you brat, you have a dirty mind. Watch out, I'll rob you outside the inner city!"
"Here, you can look at this one freely. If you want to buy it, I'll give you a fifty percent discount, just five spirit stones."
Why buy when you can get it for free?
Even if he had money, he wouldn't waste it like that!
Luo Chen eagerly picked up the Six Regions Chronicles and read it with great interest.
He was so engrossed that he didn't put the book down for an entire hour.
When the market began to fill with people, Luo Chen reluctantly set the book aside.
"Brother Wang, I'm off. Here, take this bag of spicy beef jerky to satisfy your hunger."
Wang Yuan glared at him. "Get lost!"
He glanced at the bag of beef jerky, swallowed hard, and then adjusted his seat.
Back at his stone slab stall, Daoist Chen was already setting up his talismans and runes.
"Uncle Chen, do you know Yun Zhonghe?"
(End of Chapter)
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