Chapter 63 - 47-57

Chapter 47: Explosion of the Furnace

First, the materials needed for crafting the Foundation Building Elixir, Clear Accumulation Elixir, and Gathering Yuan Pill had to be procured.

Previously at the black market, he had taken a fancy to someone's Hidden Dragon Pendant of the Azure Moon, and the trade they had agreed upon was not yet complete.

He needed a large quantity of materials to craft the elixir medicines that person required.

In addition, he also needed to stock up on materials for crafting the Wound Healing Elixir and Restorative Elixir.

The Wound Healing Elixir was used for healing injuries.

And the Restorative Elixir was for quickly restoring spiritual power after battle.

With the Demonic Beasts attack, these two types of elixir medicines were also very important.

He surmised their prices would skyrocket.

Later, Lin Jing remembered that the spirit plants for crafting Energy Gathering Pills in his System Space had also matured.

Originally, he had planned to craft a large quantity of Energy Gathering Pills to enhance his cultivation.

However, it was only during a recent failed breakthrough that he realized he couldn't rely solely on elixir medicines to advance and needed to meditate to improve his Divine Sense Realm.

So, he wouldn't be able to advance for the time being.

Therefore, Lin Jing planned to sell most of these materials, keeping only a small part for his own cultivation use.

However, even if he wanted to sell, it wasn't the right time now, naturally; he would wait until the prices rose in the future before selling them off. As for what spirit plants to grow in the System Space afterwards, he hadn't decided yet.

He could only wait to visit the Fang Market in a few days to decide then.

Besides this.

Lin Jing felt that even the Fang Market wasn't too safe nowadays; a single Flame Poison Centipede had caused such great casualties.

This incident made Lin Jing aware of the dangers of the outside world.

If the beast tide happened again someday and a few more Demonic Beasts broke in, with his current strength, wouldn't he be dead for sure?

Therefore, he needed to earn more Spirit Stones to prepare in advance.

Next time he encountered Demonic Beasts, he would try to crush them with talismans, or if that didn't work, buy a Forbidden Artifact directly.

A Forbidden Artifact was equivalent to a one-time Magical Treasure, with tremendous power.

Lin Jing had heard that some Forbidden Artifacts' power was comparable to an attack from a Golden Core Cultivator.

Only, those Forbidden Artifacts weren't cheap.

But, as long as one had enough Spirit Stones, one would definitely be able to buy them.

By noon, Luo Luo awoke.

Not long after, Ning Yue also woke up.

Lin Jing told Ning Yue about the earlier events, and although Ning Yue wanted to return the Spirit Stones to Lin Jing, he refused.

Since it was noon and their house had collapsed, they naturally couldn't cook for themselves, so the two of them took Luo Luo to the Fang Market restaurant to have a meal.

After eating, the three of them walked around the Fang Market again, and because their house had collapsed, some of the previous items were no longer usable, and they bought some daily necessities.

Not until dusk did the three of them return.

When they reached the outskirts of the Fang Market, their house was already fully repaired and looked like a new build.

Manager Jiang was right after all.

Indeed, those professionals were fast.

At night, Lin Jing entered the System Space and started to get busy.

"System Notification: Congratulations to the host for harvesting one acre of

Spirit Plant, reward received: 5 Harvest Points."

"System Notification: Congratulations to the host for harvesting one acre of

Spirit Plant, reward received: 8 Harvest Points."

"System Notification: Congratulations to the host for harvesting one acre of

Spirit Plant, reward received: 5 Harvest Points."

In one night, Lin Jing harvested eighteen acres of the Spirit Field.

He also planted two acres of Three-Leaf Spirit Grass, which Lin Jing specially left to continue growing, waiting for the day they would transform into Five-Leaf Spirit Grass.

From these eighteen acres of Spirit Fields, Lin Jing had obtained a total of 99 Harvest Points.

Adding to his previous total, he now had 232 Harvest Points, bringing him one step closer to the next level upgrade of his System Space.

And these harvested Spirit Plants, Lin Jing estimated that if he sold them all, they would be worth roughly 4000 Spirit Stones.

Of course, that was the current price.

If he waited a few more days, once the price of alchemy ingredients rose, he reckoned it would be even more expensive.

Moreover, these Spirit Plants needed to be dried for a period before they could be used as Alchemy Ingredients.

And the System Space was the best place for that.

The next day, Lin Jing went alone to the Fang Market, browsed through a few shops, and incidentally purchased some Alchemy Ingredients.

And then the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day.

Lin Jing visited the Fang Market daily, and without realizing it, he had spent most of his Spirit Stones.

He only kept a few hundred Spirit Stones as a reserve.

Since the ingredients for second-grade elixir medicines were quite expensive, Lin Jing actually didn't buy much; all the alchemy ingredients he acquired totaled just over 500 portions.

There were roughly 100 portions for each type of elixir ingredient.

After buying the elixir medicines, Lin Jing didn't rest. That very night, he entered the System Space, ready to begin Alchemy.

As usual, he sat cross-legged in the Alchemy Room. Lin Jing first stilled his mind, calming himself down.

A stable state of mind was of great help to Alchemy.

Lin Jing first processed all these Spirit Plants, then lit the fire, sequentially adding the Alchemy Ingredients into the Pill Furnace.

Finally, he sealed the furnace, carefully manipulating the flame.

The time it took to refine a batch of second-grade elixirs was much longer than that of first-grade elixirs, with one batch generally taking about an hour.

Therefore, the requirements for an alchemist's Divine Sense were very high. Other alchemists wouldn't dare to attempt the refinement of second-grade elixirs until they were in the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

Lin Jing was different, however. With a 20% increase in Divine Sense strength from the Alchemy Room, even though he was only at the Mid Stage of Qi Refining, refining second-grade elixirs was no problem for him.

During Alchemy, one must concentrate fully and thus does not sense the passage of time.

Quickly, more than half an hour passed.

At this point, Lin Jing's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. Perhaps because it was his first time refining a second-grade elixir and he wasn't proficient enough, this Alchemy session seemed particularly taxing.

Lin Jing felt he was reaching his limit.

Nevertheless, he clenched his teeth and bore the pain.

Just as the elixir was about to be completed, Lin Jing suddenly became lightheaded, followed by…

"Boom"

A loud explosion as the Pill Furnace burst open.

Lin Jing was caught in the blast and sent flying, slamming heavily into the wall.

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, then collapsed to the ground.

After a long while…

Lin Jing finally regained a bit of strength, barely propping himself up to sit.

Looking at the mess before him, Lin Jing silently pondered:

"Is a second-grade elixir this difficult? Is it really impossible to refine at the Mid Stage of Qi Refining?"

When he previously discussed this with Elder Yu and Ning Yue, both had said that one needed to be at least at the Late Stage of Qi Refining to refine a second-grade elixir.

When Lin Jing asked why, both gave the same answer: because of the strength of Divine Sense. Alchemy greatly depleted it, and without sufficient Divine Sense strength, one could not perform Alchemy.

Lin Jing hadn't taken their words seriously before, especially after the Alchemy Room was upgraded to level two.

The 20% enhancement to Divine Sense strength had made his Alchemy practice feels invincible, even to the point of being quite effortless.

That was why, back at the black market, he had so arrogantly claimed he could gather all the elixir medicines within a year.

But now, with the situation at hand…

Chapter 48: The Four-Pattern Meteoric Fire Furnace

Lin Jing frowned and looked on.

The Alchemy Room was in a complete mess.

The Three-legged Copper Furnace had been blown to pieces, scattered in several chunks across the floor.

The remnants of Elixir Medicine were splattered everywhere, with quite a bit even sticking to Lin Jing's clothes.

Waves of fragrance from the Elixir Medicine remnants wafted up, drilling straight into Lin Jing's nostrils.

The fragrance was overwhelming, suggesting that the process had been successful.

However, the explosion at the end puzzled Lin Jing.

"It seems I'll have to wait until my injuries have healed before seeking advice from Ning Yue."

With that thought, Lin Jing did not delay any further.

He endured the intense pain coming from his internal organs.

He directly took out a Pure Jade Box from his Storage Bag, opened it, and placed the Elixir Medicine into his mouth.

Lin Jing's injuries from the explosion were quite serious, especially in his internal organs, where the pain was unbearable, almost as if they had been cracked by the shock.

In order to recover as quickly as possible, he had no choice but to take out a flawless level Blood Coagulation Pill and consume it.

Upon entering the mouth, the Elixir Medicine instantly turned into pure spiritual power, flowing tnrougn tne meridians Into every nmt) ancl Done.

Eventually, it reached the internal organs , slowly healing the wounds.

The moment he consumed the Elixir Medicine, Lin Jing felt much better.

He immediately closed his eyes and circulated his cultivation technique to speed up the recovery.

An hour later, Lin Jing got up, moved his body, and felt completely healed, even the internal organs that had been injured by the shock were now fully recovered.

At this time, he had fully recuperated.

The effects of the flawless level Blood Coagulation Pill were indeed extraordinary; he had recovered so quickly.

"This Blood Coagulation Pill, if sold at the Fang Market, would be worth at least 600 Spirit Stones given the current prices."

Only at this moment did Lin Jing feel a twinge of heartache.

"What a pity, due to my carelessness, I've lost 600 Spirit Stones. Next time I do

Alchemy, I must be more careful."

Early the next day, Lin Jing found Ning Yue.

"Ning Daoyou, I wish to inquire about some matters."

Ning Yue opened her mouth in confusion, "May I know what this is about? Lin

Daoyou, please speak."

"Ning Daoyou, you have mentioned before that one needs to be at least at the Late Stage Qi Refining to concoct second-grade Elixir Medicine. Is there any way to achieve this ahead of time?"

"I want to try refining a few furnaces of second-grade Elixir Medicine."

Upon hearing this, Ning Yue cautioned, "That's too dangerous for you to attempt right now."

"Haven't I told you before? Alchemy requires a high level of Divine Sense strength. The strength of a mid-Qi Refinement Divine Sense simply isn't sufficient."

"Unless you have an exceptional gift and your Divine Sense is naturally powerful, then you can disregard this requirement."

After hearing Ning Yue's words, Lin Jing nodded.

"Hmm, not just you, Elder Yu from Yuebaolou also mentioned this."

Having said that, Lin Jing paused for a moment.

"But…"

"A couple of days ago, when I was in the Fang Market, I overheard that someone with a mid-Qi Refinement Cultivation had tried to concoct second-grade Elixir Medicine, and at the crucial moment, due to a lapse in mental focus, the furnace exploded."

"However, among the splintered remains of the Elixir Medicine, there was still the scent of the Elixir. I wonder what that could imply about his situation?"

"Such a case occurred?" Ning Yue frowned in thought.

After a moment, Ning Yue spoke again.

"If there was a fragrance, it means the concoction was successful. But the explosion at the end could mean that he had already reached his limit and his Divine Sense wasn't stable, leading to a mistake during the crucial moment of formation."

"Another possibility is that his Pill Furnace wasn't up to the task; it had reached its limit during the Elixir Medicine concoction."

"So, it exploded at the critical moment of successful concoction."

"You should know, concocting second-grade Elixir Medicine is different from first-grade. It's not only longer and more difficult to concoct, but the power contained within the Elixir Medicine is not something a first-grade can compare to — a regular Pill Furnace naturally cannot withstand it." After Ning Yue finished, Lin Jing suddenly had a moment of realization.

"So that's how it is."

At this moment, he understood the reason for the explosion of his pill furnace.

His own cultivation was not sufficient, and his divine sense could barely manage to concoct second-grade elixir medicines with the boost provided by the alchemy room.

Furthermore, his three-legged copper furnace was also something he had bought when he first started learning alchemy, and what Elder Yu had recommended was indeed not bad.

But, it was only suitable for concocting first-grade elixir medicines, anything beyond that was beyond the bearing capacity of the three-legged copper furnace.

"It looks like I need to buy a new pill furnace,"

Lin Jing pondered.

In the afternoon, Lin Jing went to Fang Market and headed straight to Yuebaolou.

When Lin Jing arrived, there were not many customers in Yuebaolou.

Elder Yu was somewhat drowsy behind the counter.

"Elder Yu, wake up…"

"Look what I've brought you?"

As he spoke, he took out a jug of Qinghua Zui and swung it in front of Elder Yu.

"Kid, hand it over to me."

Before he finished his sentence, the jug of wine disappeared from Lin Jing's hand and appeared in Elder Yu's.

Looking at Elder Yu now, he was full of energy, no longer showing any sign of drowsiness.

Elder Yu took a gulp of the wine and let out a long, satisfied sigh.

Then, squinting, he looked at Lin Jing.

"No one visits a temple without a cause, tell me, what is it this time?"

"I remember you've just bought alchemy ingredients not long ago, you shouldn't be in need now." Lin Jing laughed with a "hehe" sound:

"Hehe…"

"Elder Yu, here's the thing. I want to buy a pill furnace."

Elder Yu asked, "What, the three-legged copper furnace you had before is no good?"

After he spoke, he suddenly realized something and corrected himself:

"Right, your alchemy skills are about there now, it's indeed time to replace that old three-legged copper furnace."

Lin Jing lowered his head, a bit embarrassed:

"It's not that… Elder Yu, that three-legged copper furnace, I accidentally caused an explosion while concocting and it's broken."

"Broken?"

Elder Yu opened his mouth in surprise, then stroked his chin.

"I wonder how you've been practicing, kid. Not only do you concoct elixirs quickly, but fiercely too. You actually managed to ruin a six-timed furnace like the three-legged copper furnace."

"Anyway, you do need a new pill furnace now. Wait here for a moment, I'll go fetch you one."

Having said that, without waiting for Lin Jing to speak again, he left the counter and went towards the back of the shelves.

Soon after, Elder Yu came back out.

At the same time, he was holding a fiery red pill furnace in his hand, and the body of the furnace was entwined with cloud patterns, looking quite extraordinary.

Only…

This pill furnace seemed not very large, even a bit smaller than the three-legged copper furnace.

Elder Yu walked over, placed the pill furnace on the counter with a "thud," demonstrating that despite its size, it was not light in weight.

"This pill furnace, named the Fire Meteor Four-Pattern Furnace, is forged from Fire Meteor Iron."

"Moreover, there are four patterns engraved on the body of the furnace, which can make alchemy much more effortless for the alchemist, an exceptional magic artifact. Whether it's concocting first-grade or second-grade elixir medicines, it's incredibly easy."

"Even when concocting third-grade elixir medicines, there won't be any problems."

"Moreover, this pill furnace is a magic artifact which contains some stardust sands. After it's refined, it can change size at will."

"Magic artifact…"

Lin Jing looked at the Fire Meteor Four-Pattern Furnace and swallowed. "This pill furnace must cost quite a number of Spirit Stones.."

Chapter 49: Elder Yu Presents a Stove

Lin Jing soon came to his senses, and said to Elder Yu:

"Elder Yu, please stop joking with me. This Pill Furnace is a Magical Treasure; I can't afford it."

Elder Yu's mouth quirked up as he said, "Who said I was selling it to you? This is a gift for you."

"Ah…?"

"A gift for me?"

Lin Jing was dumbfounded and then said:

"This Pill Furnace isn't cheap at all, how can you just give it to me? How would you explain this to Yuebaolou?"

After speaking, Lin Jing waved his hand: "Forget it, forget it, keep the Pill

Furnace for yourself. I'll just buy one that's good enough."

Elder Yu pursed his lips and said, "This Pill Furnace isn't Yuebaolou's; it's my own."

"It's your own Pill Furnace?" Lin Jing asked, surprised.

"Yes," replied Elder Yu matter-of-factly.

"If you give me this Elixir Furnace, what will you do?" Lin Jing asked.

Elder Yu said with a smile:

"It's just that a few days ago, a descendant of a Golden Core Cultivator came to me with a severe poison, seeking a Detoxification Elixir. So I went."

"I was lucky that day, and I actually managed to refine a Pure Detoxification Elixir on the spot, saving that person's life."

"Pure Elixir Medicine!" Lin Jing exclaimed.

"Just luck, young man. No need to be so surprised." Elder Yu smiled, his eyes crinkling with pride.

He was obviously very pleased with himself.

"And to thank me, that Golden Core Cultivator, in addition to the deserved reward, also gave me an Elixir Furnace. That Elixir Furnace is much better than this one."

"But, with that Elixir Furnace, I should be able to increase my success rate in refining Third Rank Elixirs significantly, so I accepted it." "Golden Core Cultivator, descendant poisoned…"

Lin Jing pondered quietly to himself.

"Could it be that person…"

Lin Jing leaned in closer, and asked quietly, "May I know who the person you saved is, Elder Yu?"

"Of course, if it's not convenient to say so, nevermind. I'm just rather curious." "There's really nothing inconvenient about it." Elder Yu began. "It's the descendant of Wu Cai Immortal, seems to be called Liu Yiyuan."

Lin Jing's thoughts raced.

Cåi…"

"Liu Yiyuan…"

"That's right, the Magical Treasure of that Golden Core Cultivator that day was colored in five hues, and before the Foundation Establishment Cultivator was poisoned, he indeed yelled out 'Yiyuan, be careful'."

"It was indeed them…"

"That Foundation Establishment Cultivator called Liu Yiyuan actually made it out alive, he's really lucky."

"It seems I need to be extra cautious from now on, keep a low profile as much as possible to avoid encountering him."

While Lin Jing was deep in thought, Elder Yu suddenly asked a question, interrupting his contemplation.

"What are you thinking about now?"

"Elder Yu, you just said you could refine Third Rank Elixirs. Could it be that you are a Third Rank Pill Master?"

"I've only just realized it now," Lin Jing replied, explaining.

"That's right," said Elder Yu, his lips curling up proudly.

"Otherwise, how could I guarantee that you would become an Offering Priest for Yuebaolou?"

After he spoke, Elder Yu handed the Pill Furnace to Lin Jing.

"All right, stop beating around the bush and take the Pill Furnace," he said.

Lin Jing received the Pill Furnace, smiling, and said:

"Alright, since Elder Yu, you've said so, I won't stand on ceremony."

"Young man, I have a requirement for giving you the Pill Furnace," Elder Yu said with a teasing smile.

"Please speak, Elder Yu," Lin Jing said earnestly.

"That is, you need to refine a Supreme Elixir as soon as possible and join

Yuebaolou as an Offering Pill Master. I am looking forward to it." "Alright, Elder Yu, rest assured."

After returning home, Lin Jing took out the Pill Furnace and began the refinement process.

As Lin Jing's cultivation was not high, refining this Magic Artifact Pill Furnace was no easy task.

After several days of continuous refining effort, Lin Jing finally succeeded in refining it and fully mastered the Pill Furnace.

Following the successful refinement, Lin Jing was extremely excited and could hardly wait to enter the System Space to attempt alchemy again.

However, after several days of non-stop refinement, he was actually in a very poor condition and needed to rest and adjust his state.

So, Lin Jing eventually held back.

Not until the next day.

With his condition restored and full of energy, Lin Jing entered the System Space.

Arriving at the Alchemy Room, Lin Jing took out the Pill Furnace.

Then, with a thought, the Pill Furnace slowly grew in size.

He stopped once it became slightly larger than the previous Three-legged Copper Furnace he had used, thinking this size was just right.

Next, Lin Jing took out a set of materials for the Gathering Yuan Pill from the Storage Bag. He had made the Gathering Yuan Pill last time and planned to start from it this time as well.

After all, with the experience from last time, it should be a bit easier this time around.

Lin Jing first processed the materials and then lit the fire. When the timing was almost right, he put the materials into the Pill Furnace one by one.

Finally, he sealed the furnace.

After sealing the furnace, he carefully controlled the flames while his Divine Sense observed the movements inside the Pill Furnace.

He was cautious and dared not be careless.

As time passed little by little, Lin Jing focused intently on the Pill Furnace.

This time, he seemed much more at ease than before, most notably because the fine beads of sweat that had previously appeared on his forehead were now absent.

Soon, the fragrance of the Elixir Medicine began to diffuse, signaling the final steps of the alchemy process.

Lin Jing perked up, keeping a close watch on the Pill Furnace and carefully controlling the flame. He had failed at this point last time, and he absolutely could not allow the same situation to happen again.

"Ding"

"System notification: Congratulations to the host for successfully crafting a

Second Rank Elixir Medicine for the first time, reward: 20 Harvest Points." "Elixir Medicine refinement successful, Alchemy proficiency +16."

"Success!"

Lin Jing let out a breath and then smiled knowingly.

He then opened the Pill Furnace and took out the Elixir Medicines.

One Superior grade, two Medium grade, and one Low Grade – for the first successful refinement, the quality was already quite impressive.

Afterward, Lin Jing stored away the Elixir Medicines.

The energy spent in crafting Second Rank Elixir Medicines was not comparable to that of first-rate ones. Following this, he did not have the energy to continue crafting a second batch.

After putting away the Pill Furnace, Lin Jing left the System Space.

Once out of the System Space, Lin Jing immediately sat cross-legged and started restoring his energy.

After an indeterminate length of time, Lin Jing awoke.

By then, he felt that his condition had fully recovered and he could engage in Alchemy once more.

Lin Jing opened his eyes and turned to look out the window; it was already broad daylight outside.

Lin Jing frowned, thinking to himself:

"Has it already been that long?"

He then began to calculate, and his calculation was significant.

It had taken Lin Jing three six-hour cycles to restore his state.

In other words, after refining a batch of Elixir Medicine, if he wanted to refine a second batch, he would need another six hours.

Lin Jing lay on the bed, frowning in thought.

"The refinement of Second Rank Elixir Medicine generally takes one cycle to refine a batch, which is two hours."

"And the entry time for the System Space is now 4 hours per day. With a different flow of time in the System Space, that doubles to 8 hours." After crafting one batch, he would also need to rest for three cycles, which is six hours. By that calculation, if he did nothing but alchemy every day, he could at most refine three batches of Second Rank Elixir Medicine.

"This won't do, is there really no solution?"

Chapter 50: Return to the Black Market

Moreover, Lin Jing couldn't possibly do nothing.

He still needed to cultivate and also needed to refine the Energy Gathering Pills required for his advancement.

This too would require a considerable amount of time.

Otherwise, with his Spiritual Root aptitude, who knows how long it would take him to break through.

"It seems I still have to ask around."

The next day, Lin Jing sought out Ning Yue once again.

From her, he learned the information he desired.

Indeed, there was a way to resolve the issue of alchemy taking too long and being too energy-consuming.

The various Alchemy Dao families, through countless years of development, all had their own heritages, and among these were their unique methods of alchemy.

The methods of alchemy can help alchemists increase alchemy efficiency and reduce the energy consumed during the process.

Moreover, those ancient Alchemy Dao families had continually improved upon their methods over countless generations, making their methods even more formidable.

Not only could they increase alchemy efficiency, but they could also raise the success rate of alchemy. Even the quality of the Elixir Medicines they produced was much better than those conjured by other pill masters.

Even in the distant ancient times, there were alchemy methods that could increase the success rate of refining Pure Elixirs.

However, it was said that these alchemy methods had been lost, only known in bits and pieces from ancient texts.

Therefore, this is the biggest difference between the disciples of Alchemy Dao families and ordinary alchemists.

However, the alchemy method is a cornerstone of an Alchemy Dao family, not easily spread outside.

If an alchemy method from an Alchemy Dao family heritage were to appear in Fang Market, the market would immediately burst into a frenzy.

Especially those alchemists in the market would certainly try everything to obtain the alchemy method.

Because many Second-Grade, and even Third-Grade Alchemists in the market do not possess these alchemy methods.

Take Elder Yu, for example; he was a freelance alchemist who ascended to the rank of Third-Grade Alchemist through his own efforts, coupled with some innate talent in the Alchemy Dao.

Just like Elder Yu, there were two other pill masters like him in the market, not to mention the numerous Second-Grade Alchemists.

Alchemy methods being rare, Lin Jing could only sigh helplessly after listening to what Ning Yue had said.

In the following month.

Lin Jing refined pills daily, sometimes one furnace a day, sometimes two. The rest of the time, he devoted to cultivation, seldom going out.

As the steward Jiang had said, prices had indeed soared this month, and not just for Elixir Medicine materials, but also for Spirit Rice, and Seven-Star Grass for making talismans, which had also seen a significant increase.

Since the Zhang Family brothers were killed by Lin Jing, their courtyard, lacking anyone to pay the rent, had been reclaimed by the market.

The newcomer was a middle-aged Talisman Master who had encountered Lin Jing several times; he was very talkative, always striking up a conversation with Lin Jing whenever they met.

This was not all…

A couple of days ago, Lin Jing ran into him again, and he complained to Lin Jing that the price of Seven-Star Grass kept rising, and along with the market's rent, his life was becoming increasingly difficult.

He even expressed how envious he was of Lin Jing's status as a Pill Master.

Lin Jing merely smiled and said nothing.

But this also reminded Lin Jing that he seemed to have a batch of Seven-Star Grass yet to be sold; it was time to deal with it.

Lin Jing decided to head to the black market tonight to dispose of that batch of Seven-Star Grass, along with the Elixir Medicines he had refined this past month.

Night.

Lin Jing left his house, walking towards the edge of Fang Market.

There were many teleportation arrays leading to the black market, most of them very secretive, and the one Lin Jing was heading to was near the edge of Fang Market.

Reaching the edge of Fang Market, Lin Jing entered an unnamed street. It was already late into the night, the street was exceptionally quiet, completely deserted.

Lin Jing arrived at a shop at the end of the street and knocked three times on the door.

After a moment, the shop door opened, and a man invited Lin Jing inside.

Once inside, he found the space surprisingly spacious and brightly lit, with many cultivators gathered there, their laughter and cursing mingling in a bustling atmosphere.

It turned out to be a gambling den.

Lin Jing did not linger in the gambling den but walked through it to the backyard.

In the backyard of the gambling den was a three-story building, splendid and magnificent, with two large red lanterns hanging at the front.

From outside, one could see several cultivators, each with a fair-looking young woman in their arms.

It seemed that behind this gambling house was a courtesan house.

Lin Jing did not enter the courtesan house but turned into a deserted side path.

About quarter of an hour later, Lin Jing arrived at the end of the path. Other than a rockery and a bamboo forest, there was nothing else.

Walking deep into the bamboo forest behind the rockery, Lin Jing stopped and carelessly swept aside the weeds and fallen leaves on the ground, revealing a corner of a formation.

Lin Jing took out a black market token from his storage bag and placed it directly on the exposed part of the formation. Subsequently, a light shone, and the formation began to activate.

Lin Jing put away the black market token and then covered the exposed formation with fallen leaves once more, waiting for the teleportation to end.

Soon, the light from the formation faded, and Lin Jing disappeared from the spot, as darkness once again enveloped the bamboo forest.

When he opened his eyes again, Lin Jing found himself deep within a forest, shrouded in darkness. He could only navigate through it by memory.

Less than half an hour later, Lin Jing saw a bright light up ahead; he had arrived at the black market.

The exact location of the black market was unknown. Such a vast area, all cloaked by a formation, remained unaffected by the beast tides, operating as usual.

This indicated the forces behind the black market were far from simple.

Taking a conical hat out of his storage bag, Lin Jing put it on his head and proceeded towards the black market.

After paying twenty lower grade spirit stones, Lin Jing entered the black market.

Indeed, the entry fee to the black market had increased, but of course, twenty spirit stones were not much for those who could enter the black market.

The black market had rules. Sellers had to rent stalls and were not allowed to trade privately; otherwise, their black market tokens would be confiscated, and they would be expelled from the market.

Lin Jing was there to sell elixir medicines and Seven-Star Grass, which meant he first needed to rent a stall to start selling.

Next, Lin Jing spent 50 spirit stones to rent a very small stall and wrote on the sign in front: Elixir medicines and Seven-Star Grass for sale (Note: Pure Elixirs available).

Then, he took out a pure jade box from his storage bag. Inside the box was a Pure Energy Gathering Pill, which he placed on the stall as a display.

After that, he sat down and waited for customers to approach.

Although there were many people coming and going in the black market, Lin Jing's stall was not large, and its location was somewhat remote, so not many people came to inquire.

But he was not in a hurry; it was still early.

About an hour passed, and Lin Jing had already made a sale, selling three Superior Gathering Yuan Pills at 70 spirit stones each, earning a total of 210 spirit stones from these three pills alone.

As expected, second rank elixir medicines were incomparable to first rank, fetching so many spirit stones with just three pills.

If he could sell more excellent quality, or even Pure grade elixir medicines.

He would undoubtedly become wealthy..

Chapter 51: The Man in Black [New]

The cultivator who bought the Superior Energy Gathering Pill had not left for long before a slightly portly middle-aged man arrived at the stall and inquired:

"Do you have Seven-Star Grass for sale?"

"Yes, how much would you like?" Lin Jing replied. The middle-aged man did not respond, but instead asked: "How much do you have?"

"In total, 2000 pounds." Lin Jing answered truthfully.

"2000 pounds…"

The middle-aged man thought for a moment, then said:

"I'll take it all. Name your price."

Lin Jing was startled. The man was so generous to directly take it all.

But this was also good, as selling in one go would save him the trouble.

Lin Jing then said:

"You must be aware of the black market prices, which are generally twenty percent higher than those outside in the Fang Market. Let's go by the black market rates."

"For these 2000 pounds of Seven-Star Grass, how about 3600 Spirit Stones?"

The middle-aged man nodded and said, "That's fair."

"However…"

"Trading with Lower Grade Spirit Stones is too troublesome; let's use Medium

Grade Spirit Stones instead. What do you think?"

"Medium Grade Spirit Stones? Of course, that's fine." Lin Jing nodded.

"The current exchange rate is 1 Medium Grade Spirit Stone to 110 Lower Grade

Spirit Stones. So, 3600 Lower Grade Spirit Stones would equal a little over 32

Medium Grade Spirit Stones."

"You can just give me 32 Medium Grade Spirit Stones."

Having said that, Lin Jing took out a Storage Bag and began transferring the Seven-Star Grass out of it.

The middle-aged man inspected the transfer, and once satisfied, transferred the Seven-Star Grass into his own Storage Bag.

It took a while for all 2000 pounds of the Seven-Star Grass to be transferred.

After receiving the Seven-Star Grass, perhaps because the quality was good, the middle-aged man was in a good mood and spoke magnanimously:

"Friend, I won't take advantage of you. Look, the Elixir Medicine on your stall is quite decent."

"I'll buy that as well. How about Seven-Star Grass and that Elixir together for

40 Medium Grade Spirit Stones?"

"Fine. "

Lin Jing was happy with that and nodded in agreement.

The Pure Energy Gathering Pill was worth about 800 Lower Grade Spirit

Stones, and together with the Seven-Star Grass, it made a total of 4400 Lower Grade Spirit Stones, which equaled exactly 40 Medium Grade Spirit Stones when converted. So everyone came out even.

The middle-aged man then took out 40 Medium Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them to Lin Jing.

And Lin Jing, in turn, handed over the Pure Energy Gathering Pill to the middle-aged man, completing the transaction.

Afterward, the middle-aged man took his leave.

Lin Jing then picked up a Medium Grade Spirit Stone and observed it carefully.

It was his first time seeing a Medium Grade Spirit Stone. Compared to Lower Grade Spirit Stones, it was somewhat larger and appeared to be more pure.

When held in his hand, he could clearly feel the immense Spiritual Power within it.

It was said that many Formations or Array Plates could now be activated with Medium Grade Spirit Stones, whereas Lower Grade Spirit Stones, which contained too little Spiritual Power, would not suffice at all.

After the slightly portly middle-aged man left, Lin Jing's stall was left barren.

Since it looked rather unappealing, Lin Jing took another Pure Elixir out of his Storage Bag and placed it on the stall.

This time, it was a Pure Blood Coagulation Pill.

Some time passed.

A man dressed in black, wearing a conical hat, stopped in front of Lin Jing's stall and stared at the sign, hesitant and undecided.

"May I know what you're looking for?" Lin Jing asked.

The man stepped forward, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"Fellow Daoist, do you have any Pure Elixir Wound Healing Elixirs here?"

The Wound Healing Elixir is an advanced version of the Blood Coagulation Pill.

Both are used for healing injuries, but while the Blood Coagulation Pill is a First Rank Elixir Medicine, the Wound Healing Elixir is a Second Rank.

Apparently, the man in black had noticed the Blood Coagulation Pills on Lin Jing's stall, which was why he had stopped here.

"A Pure-grade Wound Healing Elixir?" Lin Jing repeated.

"Yes," the man replied.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have that at the moment."

After hearing Lin Jing's response, the man in black bowed his head and turned to leave.

"However…"

Suddenly, Lin Jing changed his tone and said: "If you can afford to wait for a while, I might be able to help you acquire one." Lin Jing didn't make promises too casually.

Upon hearing Lin Jing's words, the man in black turned around sharply, looking directly at Lin Jing even though the see-through black veil of his hat obscured his vision, Lin Jing could feel his anxious gaze.

The man in black asked eagerly, "How soon do you think you can get it?"

Looking at the man in blacks eager demeanor, Lin Jing pondered to himself:

"This man in black seems quite anxious. If I'm not mistaken, he must need the Pure Body Restoration Pill to save someone in his family."

After some thought, Lin Jing replied:

"It won't take very long. If everything goes well, I'll be able to get a Pure Body Restoration Pill within six months."

Six months wasn't considered long.

Creating a Pure Elixir was immensely difficult; it largely depended on luck, and nobody could guarantee producing one within half a year, which is why the market experienced such a shortage.

But Lin Jing was different, as he had access to the System Space. Inside the Alchemy Room of the System Space, he had an increased success rate for producing Elixir Medicines, so creating a Pure Elixir wasn't very difficult for him.

Nevertheless, even so, he still needed time. According to Lin Jing's estimate, if nothing went wrong, he would be able to produce at least one batch of Pure Elixirs within two months.

The black-clad man required a Second Rank Elixir Medicine, and Lin Jing wasn't very proficient at crafting those yet, so he still needed some time to practice.

Additionally, crafting Second Rank Elixirs was extremely draining. Lin Jing had to spend a great deal of time recuperating and could at most produce only three batches a day.

It was these factors, along with his reluctance to reveal too much, that led him to quote a six-month timeframe.

After hearing Lin Jing's words, the man in black lowered his head again:

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, but I don't have the luxury to wait that long; at most, I only have one month."

"I must take my leave to continue my search elsewhere," the man said.

Having said that, the man in black made to depart.

Just then, a voice came through.

"I think, aside from him, no one else in the entire black market will be able to provide the Elixir Medicine you're looking for." "And that includes the whole Nanshan Market as well."

Lin Jing looked up.

The opulently-dressed youth moved with a calm and steady pace, exuding a unique aura from within, and appeared to be the young master of a major family.

Furthermore, he was exceptionally handsome and wore a slight smile on his lips while he looked at Lin Jing and walked toward him.

However, what Lin Jing found more noteworthy was that this person moved about the black market without any concealment at all, indicating the sheer power of his family and their fearlessness towards any petty criminals..

Chapter 52: Li Tangyu [New]

"Young Master Li."

The man in black greeted the finely dressed youth with a clasped-hands salute.

It seemed that the man in black recognized him.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need for such formalities," the finely dressed youth said with a gentle smile.

Then he turned his attention to Lin Jing:

"I've been paying attention to you for some time now…"

"Since you took out that Pure Energy Gathering Pill."

Lin Jing was completely clueless, unsure why this finely dressed youth would take an interest in him.

After finishing his thought, the finely dressed young man continued:

"Let me introduce myself."

"My name is Li Tangyu, from the alchemical Li Family, a prestigious family of the Alchemy Dao. I take the greatest pleasure in discussing alchemy with others. "

"The alchemical Li Family?"

Lin Jing suddenly remembered—Elder Yu had mentioned that the Li Family was the only alchemy family in Fang Market.

And the Li Family's patriarch was the only Fourth-Grade Alchemist in the entire Nanshan Market.

"So, it's Fellow Daoist Li," Lin Jing greeted with a clasped -hands salute. "May I know why Fellow Daoist Li is interested in me?" he said, puzzled.

"Because of the elixir medicine!" Li Tangyu began.

"Previously, at your stall, you displayed a Pure Energy Gathering Pill, which someone has just traded away."

"However, what surprised me was that right after that, you directly presented the Pure Blood Coagulation Pill you have out now."

"Of course, anybody with a bit of capability could produce two Pure Elixir

Medicines; that's not particularly noteworthy."

"The main point is…"

"If I'm not mistaken, both of these elixir medicines were recently created, and the time between producing both pills didn't exceed one month."

"Fellow Daoist, am I right?" Li Tangyu asked, with a smile on his lips, looking at Lin Jing.

The man in black, upon hearing Li Tangyu's words, suddenly widened his eyes and turned his gaze to Lin Jing.

One month, two Pure Elixir Medicines…

This rekindled the once dormant excitement in his heart.

He knew Li Tangyu very well; he was from the prestigious Li Family of the Alchemy Dao and also the family's Young Master.

Besides, Li Tangyu had an extraordinary alchemy talent and was a Second -Grade Alchemist.

There were also rumors that his accumulation was already sufficient and that it wouldn't be long before he advanced to a Third-Grade Alchemist.

Saying nothing else, when it came to understanding of elixir medicines, probably no more than five people in the market could surpass him.

If he said that it didn't exceed a month, then it certainly didn't exceed a month.

"Correct," Lin Jing admitted with a nod.

Upon receiving Lin Jing's affirmation, Li Tangyu smiled:

"Just as I thought."

Then, fearing Lin Jing might overthink it, he hurriedly explained:

"Please don't take offense, Fellow Daoist. I have a deep obsession with the Alchemy Dao and can't help but to observe when I come across elixir medicines. It's not that I'm singling you out," he assured.

After hearing this, Lin Jing pointed to the man in black and said with a frown:

"But…"

"What did Fellow Daoist Li mean when he mentioned earlier that I was the only one who could present the elixir medicine he needed?"

"Because, Fellow Daoist, if you can produce two Pure Elixir Medicines within just a single month, or perhaps even more than two…"

"Then there's only one possibility…"

"That is, you are able to improve the success rate of crafting Pure Elixir Medicines."

Li Tangyu's gaze was intense as he stared at Lin Jing, his tone very confident.

Lin Jing's heart skipped a beat, and he was suddenly taken aback.

"Could that really be discerned?"

"The Pure Elixir Medicines I've crafted were enhanced by the system; there shouldn't be any flaws, right?"

Li Tangyu's certainty made Lin Jing feel a wave of insecurity inside.

Equally startled was the man in black.

He was also familiar with the Alchemy Technique, and the ability to increase the success rate of alchemy indeed seemed exaggerated.

However, unlike Lin Jing's reaction, his heart grew increasingly fervent.

"If that's the case, then the Pure Body Restoration Pill he needs would have a place to go."

Thinking of this, the man in black grew excited.

Next, Li Tangyu continued to speak:

"If I'm not mistaken, fellow Daoist must be an inheritor of the Ancient Alchemy

Path, "

"Before this, I wasn't sure whether the Ancient Alchemy Path had been lost, but after meeting you, I'm certain that you're definitely an inheritor."

"Because only the Alchemy Techniques from the Ancient Era could increase the success rate of Pure Elixir Medicine.'

Hearing this, Lin Jing finally let out a sigh of relief. "So he thinks I'm an inheritor of the Ancient Alchemy Path. "

Lin Jing didn't affirm or deny it, but was instead thinking.

Was it possible to use the identity of an inheritor of the Ancient Alchemy Path to create Pure Elixir Medicine so that in the future, no one would suspect him when he produced more of it?

But then, this meant that his own identity would require even more secrecy. If he carelessly exposed his true identity, it would put him in great danger.

Seeing that Lin Jing did not retort, the man in black bowed to him and said:

"Please assist me in crafting a Pure Body Restoration Pill. On the day of its completion, I will surely give you a heavy reward."

Nonetheless, Lin Jing still did not respond, and the two remained motionless, waiting for Lin Jing's answer.

After a while, Lin Jing spoke:

"I'm not very confident about one month."

The man in black immediately became overjoyed and hastily said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. '

"Don't worry about it. If it's really not successful, it can only be said that it is fate, and I won't blame anyone."

"Rest assured, if you can craft the Pure Body Restoration Pill, I will gift you 10,000 Spirit Stones. If you fail, I will also give you 2,000 Spirit Stones as compensation."

Li Tangyu also spoke up at this time:

"How about including me as well?"

"I'd like to wager with you, fellow Daoist. I will also begin crafting Elixir

Medicine when I return, also aiming to produce the Rejuvenation Elixir."

"Likewise, within one month, I'd like to see how the inheritance Alchemy

Techniques of the Li Family compare to the Ancient Alchemy Path"

"Fellow Daoist, what do you think?"

Li Tangyu's eyes were earnest as he looked at Lin Jing, and by his demeanor, he did not appear to be joking.

Lin Jing frowned, he was not very keen on competing in alchemy techniques.

"Fellow Daoist Li, let's not gamble on the Elixir Medicine."

Lin Jing said.

Li Tangyu was initially taken aback, then pondered for a moment:

"I presume that, as an inheritor of the Ancient Alchemy Path, you've come to this black market to avoid exposing your identity."

"Rest assured, fellow Daoist, this matter will only be known to the three of us, and it will not be divulged to outsiders. Additionally, you can rest assured about your identity; the black market is very safe and will not reveal it carelessly. "

"I, too, couldn't help but want to witness an Ancient Alchemy practitioner's skills, so I hope fellow Daoist can indulge me."

Seeing Li Tangyu's sincere gaze and knowing his obsession with the Alchemy Dao, Lin Jing believed he could be trusted, so he agreed.

"Alright then."

Li Tangyu's eyes clearly lit up with excitement.

"Thank you for obliging, fellow Daoist.'

"Since it is a wager, I shall add a bonus to it."

As he spoke, Li Tangyu took out a wooden box from his Storage Bag and immediately opened it.

Lin Jing looked inside and saw a pit that resembled a peach kernel.

This was the core of a Stay-Young Fruit, which, given the right conditions, could grow into a Stay-Young Fruit tree. However, the tree required harsh conditions to grow and was almost impossible to cultivate successfully.

Even so, the value of this Stay-Young Fruit core was not low, and it could fetch around 20,000 to 30,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

"Fellow Daoist, if you win, this Stay-Young Fruit core is yours."

"If it happens that I win by a small margin, fellow Daoist need not contribute anything, and I will give you 1,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones as gratitude."

An offer like this, where he wouldn't lose out regardless of the outcome, was too good to pass up.

Lin Jing didn't quite know what to say at the moment..

Chapter 53: Misunderstanding

Soon, the two had settled their arrangement.

One month later, they would meet here again.

Lin Jing and Li Tangyu brought out the Elixir Medicines they each had refined, and whoever could produce a Pure Elixir would be considered the victor.

If neither could produce a Pure Elixir, then the quality of their Elixir Medicines would determine the winner.

Of course, winning or losing didn't have much impact on Lin Jing, and he wouldn't suffer any loss either.

The man in black was extremely excited and thanked the two profusely.

Now that there was an additional person to help with refining, and this person was also the Young Master of an Alchemy Dao family, the chances of successfully producing a Pure Elixir Medicine would also increase greatly.

Before long, after bidding farewell to each other, they each went their separate ways.

And Lin Jing no longer continued his stall and left the black market.

In the following days, Lin Jing refined two batches of Elixir Medicine every day, and after each Alchemy session, he would not only recuperate but also constantly review the mistakes he made while refining.

His main priority now was to keep practicing and then summarizing is lessons until he could proficiently refine second-grade Elixir Medicines, and then he could try to refine Pure Body Restoration Pills.

And becoming familiar with the refining process happened quickly.

You see…

That day, Lin Jing's batch of Elixir Medicine already included a Supreme Elixir.

Lin Jing also sighed with regret, thinking that if there had been two Supreme Elixirs, perhaps the Pure Body Restoration Pill would have already been produced.

Indeed, the Elixir Medicine Lin Jing used for practice was a Rejuvenation Elixir.

After completing the refining, he came out from the System Space.

Lin Jing was about to meditate to recover his state when he heard a commotion outside, which completely distracted him from settling down.

Helplessly, Lin Jing went out to see what was going on.

However, just as he stepped out, he saw the Talisman Master from across the street.

The Talisman Master approached Lin Jing and greeted him.

"Lin Daoyou," Lin Jing nodded, then asked, "Do you know what has caused such a big commotion?

"Lin Daoyou, you don't know?" asked the Talisman Master in confusion.

Lin Jing replied, "I've been cultivating until now and was just interrupted by the noise, so I came out to check. I hope you can enlighten me." "Oh, I see, no wonder…'

"It's said that news just came in—the beast tide is coming again."

"After the last beast tide, didn't some Cultivators join the Guard Team because they couldn't pay the Spirit Stones and became members of the temporary Guard Team?"

"The noise outside is the Fang Market Guard Squad assembling manpower, preparing to go and resist the beast tide."

"The beast tide is coming again?" Lin Jing frowned.

This Fang Market is becoming increasingly unsafe, yet it seems everyvvhere else is even more dangerous.

Of course, there is one place that must also be very safe, which is the Qingyuan Sword Sect. Unfortunately, Lin Jing had been expelled from the Sect and couldn't return anymore.

"Lin Daoyou, I must leave now to prepare early. You should also prepare yourself," said the Talisman Master.

"After this beast tide is over, next time you go to the Yichun Building, don't forget to bring me along, Brother Lin."

"Yichun Building?"

"What do you mean, Daoyou?" Lin Jing was completely puzzled.

Yichun Building, just by its name, one could tell what kind of place it was.

Lin Jing had no recollection of ever going to this Yichun Building.

"Lin Daoyou, hogging all the fun isn't a good habit…" teased the Talisman Master.

"Daoyou, don't talk nonsense; I have never been to this Yichun Building," Lin Jing stated straightforwardly.

"Could you have forgotten?"

The Talisman Master asked doubtfully?

"Just a few nights ago, at the Shengyuan Gambling House…"

"I saw with my own eyes that you left from the back door of the gambling house. What else is there except for the Yichun Building?"

Lin Jing was ashamed as he instantly understood.

It turned out to be about that gambling house he passed by on his way to the black market last time.

Lin Jing quickly tried to explain: "Daoyou misunderstood; I went there because I had something to do."

The corners of the Talisman Master's mouth twitched:

"We are all fellow daoists."

"Fellow daoist, that's not very righteous of you. Who goes there without any business to attend to?"

After speaking, he looked at Lin Jing with a strange gleam in his eyes:

"You were in such a hurry. I saw it very clearly at the time, you entered the gambling house but didn't even stay, directly leaving through the back door."

"Just a few days have passed and you're already denying it?" At this point, he spoke with righteous indignation:

"As one of us, one must not cower in fear…

"Having gone means having gone, one should boldly admit it." "Fine, if you say so, then so be it."

Lin Jing, feeling helpless, could only respond in that way.

As for the issue with the entrance to the black market, it was not wise to reveal it to this man, and he didn't want to explain any further.

The talisman master chuckled with a sneer:

"Heh heh… that's more like it…

"Lin Daoyou, next time you 'have business' at the Yichun House, don't forget to call me along."

Seeing his suggestive winking, Lin Jing really wanted to rush up and punch him.

But on second thought, he decided against it.

"Alright, I can't talk with you any longer, I need to go back and prepare. Lin Daoyou bids farewell."

Having said that, the talisman master returned to his own courtyard.

Lin Jing then sighed and thought to himself:

"It seems I should try to avoid contact with this person in the future."

Having thought this, Lin Jing decided to head home and make some preparations in advance.

However, as soon as Lin Jing turned around, he caught sight of two figures, one tall and one short, out of the corner of his eye.

Lin Jing quickly turned his head and saw the two figures were Ning Yue and her daughter Luo Luo; he just didn't know when they had appeared.

Lin Jing's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

"They didn't overhear something, did they? I hope they've just arrived and didn't hear anything."

Lin Jing silently prayed.

Then, he walked up to them to greet the two.

"Fellow Ning. "

"Luo Luo."

"Uncle Lin," Luo Luo greeted Lin Jing happily.

But then, the next thing Luo Luo said made Lin Jing instantly die of embarrassment on the spot.

"Uncle Lin, what kind of place is Yichun House? Is it fun inside?"

After Luo Luo spoke, Lin Jing was momentarily stunned and did not know how to answer.

"Children shouldn't be nosing about in adults' affairs."

Ning Yue admonished Luo Luo.

"Oh…

Luo Luo's previously cheerful face instantly fell.

Hanging her head low, she kicked the fallen leaves on the ground in dispirited silence.

She felt wronged for having been scolded by her mother for no reason, just for asking a question.

Fortunately, this also indirectly extricated Lin Jing from the awkward situation.

However, Lin Jing felt even more embarrassed now; clearly, they had overheard everything.

"Fellow Ning…"

Lin Jing wanted to explain, but Ning Yue cut him off outright.

"Fellow Lin, it's chaotic outside now, don't go wandering off. We're also heading back. "

Then, as if to avoid Lin Jing, or maybe for another reason,

As soon as Ning Yue finished speaking, she took Luo Luo with her and left.

Leaving Lin Jing alone in his disarray to face the wind. "Forget it, I can only wait until the next time we meet to explain things clearly."

With a silent sigh, Lin Jing also returned to his own home..

Chapter 54: Fang Market Mission

The beast tide this time lasted a full two days.

However, thanks to the defensive array, they managed to keep the beast tide outside the Fang Market, preventing any impact on the market itself.

But still, many people were unable to survive the beast tide, dying at the mouths of the demonic beasts.

After the beast tide, many empty courtyards appeared on the outskirts of the market. Those people had, without exception, all died on the battlefield fighting against the beast tide.

Even the alley where Lin Jing resided saw three households change owners.

Of course.

Some people, because of their brave performance during the fight against the beast tide, received handsome rewards.

These individuals, all smiles, swaggered about, forming a stark contrast with the bereaved families of those who had perished.

It wasn't until this day that an announcement was once again issued by the Fang Market.

The beast tide hadn't ceased, and investigations into the Night Mist Mountain Range showed signs of demonic beasts gathering once more.

To resist the next beast tide, starting from today, all cultivators within the Fang Market were to contribute their effort in the fight.

As soon as the announcement went out, there was an uproar, many people started to worry about being drafted to fight against the demonic beasts.

But now, other than the Fang Market, there probably wasn't a safer place within thousands of miles.

Of course, some would say that the Qingyuan Sword Sect was safer, but the Qingyuan Sword Sect was not about to take in these people.

Therefore, they could only stand united at the back of the Fang Market, to resist the beast tide together.

In the afternoon, Manager Jiang came here.

"Lin Daoyou," Manager Jiang said with a smile as he greeted Lin Jing.

Lin Jing spoke directly, "Manager Jiang, I've seen the announcement. What do I need to do this time? Please speak frankly."

Since Lin Daoyou is so straightforward, I'll get to the point," he said.

"The beast tide that's gathering now is expected to be even more ferocious. It's no longer enough to just pay Spirit Stones; every person has to exert effort." As he said this, Manager Jiang leaned in closer, lowering his voice a bit:

"I know Lin Daoyou is an alchemist, so I have registered you as a Pill Master with the management of the Fang Market."

"From now on, Lin Daoyou only needs to focus on alchemy, there's no need for you to go to the frontline to fight against the demonic beasts."

"Thank you, Manager Jiang," Lin Jing said as he bowed in gratitude.

Fighting on the frontline was extremely perilous, and with Lin Jing's level of cultivation, he likely wouldn't survive even the first day.

In such a chaotic battlefield, even having the System Space would be of no help, after all, he couldn't just stay hidden within the System Space, could he?

Besides, entering the System Space had a limited duration, once the time was up, he would be transported out, and by then, he would certainly be doomed.

This Manager Jiang, although Lin Jing didn't have a very good impression of him when they first met, he found him to be not so bad after several encounters.

"Then, Manager Jiang, are there any restrictions on the elixir-making?" inquired Lin Jing.

Of course, there are," Manager Jiang nodded.

"You are a First-Grade Alchemist, so the market has set a requirement for you to submit 150 First Rank Elixir Medicines each month, of course, you won't have to provide the alchemy ingredients."

"The market will prepare 200 portions of alchemy ingredients for you every month for your use. If you've used up all 200 portions of alchemy ingredients and still haven't met the requirement, you will be sent to the frontline to fight the demonic beasts."

Additionally, the Elixir Medicines you produce must be at least of Medium

Grade or higher in quality; Low Grade elixir medicines won't be counted."

150 Elixir Medicines a month was certainly a lot, and with the added restriction on the quality of the Elixir Medicines, probably only those veteran alchemists could fulfill the demand.

Those novice alchemists with only a year or two of experience usually had a success rate of only about thirty percent. With 200 portions of ingredients used up, it would likely be very difficult to meet the requirement.

Not to mention the restriction on the quality of the Elixir Medicines.

"Lin Daoyou, is there a problem?"

After speaking, Manager Jiang stepped forward again, approaching and speaking in a low voice:

"If you find that you can't complete the task during your alchemy process, you can go to the shops within the Fang Market to buy some. As long as you have enough Spirit Stones, you should definitely be able to complete the task." "Thank you for the reminder, Manager Jiang."

"Manager Jiang, rest assured, I am still quite confident in my own alchemy skills."

Manager Jiang nodded, "Good, then it's settled."

Having said that, Manager Jiang turned and spoke to one of the people behind him.

Then, someone stepped forward and took out a large bundle from a Storage Bag, which contained those 200 portions of alchemy ingredients.

Another person, holding a booklet, registered Lin Jing's name in it, and with that, the matter was considered settled.

From now on, Lin Jing merely needed to submit 150 First Rank Elixir Medicines each month on time, without needing to fight the Demonic Beasts like the others.

Once everything was handled properly, Steward Jiang took his leave.

Before departing, Lin Jing gave several small gifts to Steward Jiang.

Apart from this matter, the words Steward Jiang said last time had saved Lin Jing a considerable amount of Spirit Stones. He felt he needed to show some appreciation.

Steward Jiang initially declined, but after persisting without success, he accepted the gifts and left with the two men.

After Steward Jiang left, Lin Jing returned to his room.

He took out the 200 sets of Alchemy Ingredients to organize them.

"Knock, knock, knock"

It wasn't long before someone knocked on Lin Jing's door.

Lin Jing placed the yet-to-be-organized medicinal herbs on the table and walked over to the door.

Upon opening the courtyard door, he saw Ning Yue standing at the entrance.

"It turns out to be Ning Daoyou, please come in."

Ning Yue didn't stand on ceremony and walked straight in.

Seeing Ning Yue enter without Luo Luo by her side, Lin Jing asked:

"Where's Luo Luo? Why didn't she come with you?"

Ning Yue replied, "Luo Luo is tired from playing; she's asleep at home right now. "

"Oh… I see," Lin Jing nodded, then continued to ask, "May I inquire as to why

Ning Daoyou has come?"

Ning Yue turned her head, looked at Lin Jing, and asked,

"I heard from Steward Jiang that you were assigned Alchemy tasks?" "Yes," Lin Jing nodded.

"I heard that in Fang Market, they are giving quite a lot of tasks to you First

Rank Alchemists, as many as 150 Medium Grade or higher Elixir Medicines." "What do you think? Is this difficult for you?"

"If you find the task volume too large, I can help you refine some to lessen your burden."

Lin Jing was taken aback, not expecting her to come for this reason. "Thank you for your concern, Ning Daoyou, but there's no need," he said.

"150 First Rank Elixir Medicines are not a problem for me."

After saying this, Lin Jing looked at Ning Yue and asked,

"Ning Daoyou, may I ask what tasks are given to Second -Grade Alchemists like you?"

"We're doing okay; we just need to provide 20 Medium Grade or higher Second Rank Elixir Medicines each month, and they've given us 50 sets of ingredients, which is quite sufficient."

Because the main force resisting the beast tide consists of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and the Elixir Medicines they use are all Second Rank.

The refining of Second-Grade Elixir Medicines is mainly dependent on these Second-Grade Alchemists; the Fang Market naturally wouldn't dare to press them too hard.

"That's good to hear," said Lin Jing.

Having said this, Lin Jing didn't know what else to say.

Ning Yue felt the same, and for a moment, the two fell into silence…

"Ning Daoyou…"

"Lin Daoyou…"

Both spoke simultaneously, then abruptly stopped. "Ning Daoyou, you go first…"

A moment later, Lin Jing broke the silence..

Chapter 55: Misunderstandings Resolved

Ning Yue hesitated for a long while before she finally spoke again.

"Lin Daoyou, there is something I don't know whether I should say."

"Ning Daoyou, you need not have any concerns, just speak freely," Lin Jing replied.

As if she had made up her mind, Ning Yue lifted her head and said seriously:

"Lin Daoyou."

"We cultivators should prioritize our cultivation, aiming to pursue the great Dao of immortality. One must never fall into the trap of mortal desires, or else one's vital essence will scatter and all will have been cultivated in vain."

After saying this, Ning Yue added another sentence.

"Of course, I am not trying to interfere with your private life."

She then continued, "It's just that, Lin Daoyou, your talent in the Alchemy Dao is unparalleled in this world, and you have the potential to travel even further on the path of cultivation. Even ascending to immortality is not an impossible feat."

"If you were to sink into depravity and waste your cultivation, that would truly be a pity."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jing knew immediately what the matter was about – the same misunderstanding from last time.

"Ning Daoyou, you are mistaken," Lin Jing quickly explained.

Ning Yue, puzzled, asked, "Then why did that Talisman Master say what he said that day? Could it be he mistook someone else for you? That wasn't you?" "The person he saw was indeed me, that's not wrong."

As soon as Lin Jing finished speaking, he saw Ning Yue's expression darken, presumably thinking Lin Jing was making a fool of her.

Lin Jing hurriedly added:

"Ning Daoyou, please let me finish."

Ning Yue nodded, then looked directly at Lin Jing, waiting for him to speak.

"Do you remember, previously I had asked Brother Wei about the secret market?"

After thinking for a while, Ning Yue nodded and said, "I remember. It was on New Year's Eve when we were together at the gathering, right?"

"Correct, it was that day," Lin Jing continued.

"Not long after that day, Brother Wei took me to the secret market. Since then, I've come to understand the secret market, and after Brother Wei left, I would sometimes go there on my own."

"However…"

"The entrance to the secret market is always hidden, often in places beyond anyone's imagination. Indeed, the reason I went there that day was because there was an entrance to the secret market."

"I was merely using that place to pass through into the secret market."

After Lin Jing finished explaining, Ning Yue's face flushed red, and she suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Lin Daoyou, I'm sorry, I thought…"

Lin Jing waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared up."

"Ning Daoyou was concerned about me, how could I blame you for that?"

Although the misunderstanding was resolved, Ning Yue still felt extremely embarrassed. Initially, she was seeming to meddle in someone else's private life, but it turned out to be a big misunderstanding.

After hastily exchanging a few words with Lin Jing, Ning Yue left with a flushed face.

After Ning Yue left, Lin Jing returned to his room and continued to sort through those materials.

The next day, just as Lin Jing awakened from meditation, he heard some news.

Moreover, it was a market announcement.

The content of the announcement was:

As of today, the Nanshan Market will be divided into the Inner Fang Market and the Outer Fang Market. The Inner Fang Market refers to the previous interior of the Fang Market, while the Outer Fang Market is the outer perimeter of the Fang Market.

At the same time, all members of the Nanshan Market must apply for Identity Tokens.

Starting tomorrow, the defense formation of the Inner Fang Market will be activated. Those from the Outer Fang Market wishing to enter the Inner Fang Market will need to present an Identity Token to gain entry.

The entrance to the Inner Fang Market will open every day at Chen Time and close at Xu Time. Those from the Outer Fang Market must leave the Inner Fang Market before Xu Time and are not allowed to stay overnight.

Otherwise, the Identity Token will be confiscated, and you will be expelled from the Fang Market.

Furthermore, anyone who renders great service during the beast tide will be rewarded by the Fang Market with 10,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones, in addition to a top-grade Magic Artifact.

If the meritorious person is from the Outer Fang Market, an additional Inner Fang Market Identity Token will be gifted, for them and their family, along with a set of Inner Fang Market quarters, so they can reside together with their family.

This announcement, once issued, elicited different reactions from the people within the Fang Market.

Some people frowned and worried, feeling that with the imminent arrival of the beast tide, the Fang Market intended to abandon them, the outer ring cultivators.

Others were extremely excited, fantasizing about making a great contribution themselves and receiving the rewards, thus leading a carefree life thereafter.

10,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones, a number many have not seen in their lifetimes, and to top it off, a top-grade Magic Artifact—something they did not even dare to dream of.

Lin Jing was different; he lowered his head and pondered the purpose behind the Fang Market's actions.

Because Elder Yu once mentioned, in passing, that the defense array of the Inner Fang Market was constructed with the help of an Array Master from the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

Its defensive capability was astonishing, proclaimed to be unbreakable by anyone under the Nascent Soul Stage, and even if a Nascent Soul Cultivator should come, it could hold for a few days.

Now, the activation of this defense array, could it mean that the Fang Market had really received some news?

The actions of the Fang Market made Lin Jing think more deeply.

"Could it be that the large array on the outskirts of the Fang Market won't be able to withstand the upcoming beast tide attacks, and the Fang Market is preparing to abandon those cultivators in the outer ring to hold the Inner Fang Market alone?"

Lin Jing decided that he needed to ask Elder Yu for clarity, as he surely would have some information, given that he was well-informed.

Acting on his thoughts, Lin Jing stopped his alchemy work and stepped out the door.

He first went to the Fang Market management office, spent a Spirit Stone to obtain an Identity Token, and then headed straight to the Inner Fang Market.

Upon entering the Inner Fang Market, Lin Jing made his way directly to Yuebaolou. As soon as he saw Elder Yu, Lin Jing spoke up: "Elder Yu, there's something I want to ask you."

"Is it about the announcement?" Elder Yu looked up at Lin Jing.

"Yes," Lin Jing replied, and then continued, "Is this beast tide particularly dangerous? Why has the Inner Fang Market's formation been activated?"

"Didn't you say that even the Inner Fang Market's formation could withstand a Nascent Soul Cultivator? Could there be Nascent Soul Stage Demonic Beasts in the upcoming beast tide?"

Elder Yu interrupted Lin Jing:

"Don't let your imagination run wild, boy. If there were Nascent Soul Stage Demonic Beasts, I'm afraid the entire Fang Market wouldn't survive."

"Then why activate the large formation?" Lin Jing asked with confusion.

Elder Yu sighed and said:

"Alas…"

"This beast uprising is too abnormal, lasting a long time and already causing two beast tides, with a third on its way."

"The Fang Market couldn't just sit around and wait, so they decided to convene the Golden Core Cultivators from the various family clans within the market and send them deep into the Night Mist Mountain Range to investigate."

"These Golden Core Cultivators, fearing for the safety of their clans should a beast tide hit while they were gone, put forth a request."

"To activate the Fang Market's defense array, and in order to prevent disturbances during the beast tide, they also want to isolate those cultivators from the Outer Fang Market."

"That's why this announcement was made."

"So, it was at the behest of those family clans," Lin Jing suddenly realized.

"Don't be too optimistic just yet," Elder Yu warned Lin Jing.

"Although the activation of the defense array is due to the various clans, this beast tide seems even more ferocious than the previous two; the outer defense array may not hold."

"The Inner Fang Market has its defense array and will naturally be safe, but that doesn't mean the Outer Fang Market will be equally unharmed."

After speaking, Elder Yu sighed again.

"Alas…"

"It's a pity, under normal circumstances, I could have arranged for you to come to the Inner Fang Market earlier.."

Chapter 56: The Talking Medicine Cauldron

Yang Xiaotian arrived in front of the eleventh Stone Sword.

Soon, the Sword Qi soared to the sky.

After two days, the people of Divine Sword City once again witnessed the long-missed Sword Qi.

Seeing the Sword Qi reappear between Heaven and Earth, Gu Zhigang, the City

Lord of Divine Sword City, was full of expectation, "I wonder how many Stone Swords this young fellow will comprehend this time."

The experts of Divine Sword City, standing behind Peng Zhigang, struggled to remain composed as they looked at the soaring Sword Qi.

Two days ago, Yang Xiaotian had comprehended seven great Stone Swords in one day, and the scene with the ten million strands of Sword Qi lingering in the Nine Heavens was still shaking everyone's hearts.

A few days earlier, their City Lord said that in ten years, Yang Xiaotian would become the number one expert in Divine Sea Country. They didn't believe it, but now, no one doubted it any longer.

Inside the Sword Hall, upon hearing the news, Elder Chen Changqing, He Le, and the other three elders all came out from the depths of the Sword Hall and stood at the entrance, looking at the soaring Sword Qi.

"This child has finally begun comprehending the Stone Swords again," He Le said with a mix of surprise and emotion as he watched the soaring Sword Qi, "If Lord Guo Jia were still here, seeing Xiaotian, I wonder what he would think."

In the past, Guo Jia comprehended seventy-seven Stone Swords but always failed to comprehend the seventy-eighth. He eventually left the Divine Sword Academy, saying he would return later to comprehend the seventy-eighth

Stone Sword.

But once he left, he never returned.

"Xiaotian might surpass Lord Guo Jia within three years," Chen Changqing said with satisfaction, "In five years, he might even finish comprehending all one hundred Stone Swords."

The inheritance of Sword Dao at the Hundred Swords Plaza actually involved the most profound secret of Divine Sword Academy.

Thinking about Yang Xiaotian eventually comprehending all one hundred Stone Swords, Chen Changqing and the others felt their hearts tremble.

According to the academy's rules, comprehending thirty Stone Swords would qualify one to become a Sword Hall Elder, but what others did not know was that if a student could comprehend all one hundred Stone Swords, they would become the Master of the Sword Hall!

And then they would receive the inheritance of the Sword Hall!

"However, what if Xiaotian really manages to comprehend the thirtieth Stone Sword within a month?" asked Elder Ren Feixue, the third Elder and the only female among them.

Chen Changqing shook his head, "Starting from the eleventh Stone Sword, the difficulty of comprehension doubles. It's possible that Yang Xiaotian could reach the twentieth Stone Sword within a month, but comprehending the thirtieth within a month is almost impossible."

Just as Chen Changqing had said, starting from the eleventh Stone Sword, the difficulty of comprehension significantly increased. Compared to before, Yang Xiaotian's comprehension of the eleventh Stone Sword was much slower.

However, even so, Yang Xiaotian still managed to comprehend the eleventh Stone Sword after two hours.

Next, Yang Xiaotian began to comprehend the twelfth Stone Sword. The thirteenth, the fourteenth, the fifteenth!

In less than a day, Yang Xiaotian had comprehended the twentieth Stone Sword.

Seeing this result, Chen Changqing, He Le, Ren Feixue, and the others were dumbfounded.

This outcome far exceeded everyone's initial judgment and speculation.

"I have greatly underestimated Xiaotian's Sword Dao talent," Chen Changqing said with a wry smile.

At this rate, Yang Xiaotian didn't even need a month to fully comprehend thirty Stone Swords.

Thinking of the Divine Flame, Chen Changqing's brow furrowed.

From the twenty-first Stone Sword onward, the difficulty of comprehension doubled once again.

Nevertheless, within less than two days, Yang Xiaotian still managed to comprehend the thirtieth Stone Sword.

After comprehending thirty Stone Swords, Yang Xiaotian relaxed his entire being.

Without taking the time to rest, he proceeded to the Sword Hall.

Seeing Yang Xiaotian's arrival, Chen Changqing gave a wry smile.

"Elder Chen, I have comprehended thirty Stone Swords, and I hope you can tell me the location of the Divine Flame," Yang Xiaotian said politely with a salute.

Chen Changqing hesitated for a while before finally sighing, "Well, since you're so persistent about the Divine Flame, I will tell you." Then he said, "I know that the Thunder Tribulation Divine Flame is in the Red Moon Forest."

"Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire!" Yang Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise.

Currently, more than thirty kinds of Divine Flames are known.

The Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire ranks very high among them, at fourteenth.

"That's right, the Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire!" Chen Changqing said, "Back in the day when I was traveling in Red Moon Forest, I entered the Heavenly Tribulation Cave and saw the Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire."

"Heavenly Tribulation Cave!" Yang Xiaotian seemed to have read about the Heavenly Tribulation Cave in some books.

"Yes, the Heavenly Tribulation Cave." Chen Changqing spoke with a complex expression, "Legend has it that a supreme warrior was breaking through to the Martial God Realm in the Red Moon Forest when the heavenly tribulation descended, blasting a bottomless pit into the ground, which over long years, formed the Heavenly Tribulation Cave."

"Despite the passage of time, for some reason, the force of the heavenly tribulation persists within the cave."

"The Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire is located somewhere inside the Heavenly Tribulation Cave."

Chen Changqing cautioned Yang Xiaotian, "Xiaotian, though your Sword Dao talent is exceptional, your strength is too weak. You simply can't enter the Heavenly Tribulation Cave, and even if you could, you definitely wouldn't be able to tame the Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire."

Then he shook his head and said, "You shouldn't go!"

But Yang Xiaotian asked, "Elder Chen, is there really no one in the world who can tame a Divine Flame?"

Chen Changqing nodded, his face very grave, "Divine Flames can burn everything in heaven and earth, even warriors as powerful as Martial Gods cannot tame them."

A heaviness settled in Yang Xiaotian's heart.

Even Martial Gods can't tame them?

It seemed that his previous thoughts had been too naive.

After a while, Yang Xiaotian left the Sword Hall and returned to his residence, but he was still thinking about the Divine Flame.

Now that he knew where the Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire was located, but couldn't tame it, he felt truly unwilling to accept it.

"Actually, it's not impossible for you to tame the Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire," suddenly, a voice sounded from within Yang Xiaotian's mind.

The voice was abrupt, and Yang Xiaotian was startled, "Who?!" He sprang to his feet and searched the courtyard, but he saw no one.

"Hehe." At that moment, the voice continued in Yang Xiaotian's mind, "You don't need to look; I am in your hand."

In my hand?!

Yang Xiaotian was taken aback, then looked at the Medicine Cauldron on his finger.

Could it be?

"Is it you?!" Yang Xiaotian was incredulous.

"That's right, it's me," the voice of the Medicine Cauldron continued to resonate.

Yang Xiaotian found it unbelievable.

He had never imagined that a Medicine Cauldron could actually speak.

"When things of heaven and earth reach a certain realm, they all have spirit intelligence. It's not strange that I can speak," the Medicine Cauldron said.

Yang Xiaotian was still struggling to come to terms with it; the Medicine Cauldron had been obtained by Hong Feng in a perilous place, and even Hong Feng didn't know its origin. Until now, aside from using it for alchemy and storage, Yang Xiaotian had never considered that the Medicine Cauldron might possess spirit intelligence.

Is it a Divine Artifact?

"A Divine Artifact?" the Medicine Cauldron made a scoffing sound, "You're really underestimating Master Ding, how could something as lowly as a Divine

Artifact compare to my standing."

Yang Xiaotian's heart pounded furiously.

This Medicine Cauldron was even more powerful than a Divine Artifact?

"If you want to tame the Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire, I can help you." At this point, the Medicine Cauldron spoke in a very imposing manner, "As long as I take action, the mere Thunder Tribulation Divine Fire is nothing to fuss over."

Yang Xiaotian's heart surged with joy.

"However," the Medicine Cauldron paused, then continued, "in return, you will need to help me find some things."

Chapter 57: Sword Rain Profusion

This day, just after refining a batch of Rejuvenation Elixirs,

Lin Jing transported out of the System Space and pondered for a moment.

He was already extremely adept at refining Rejuvenation Elixirs; the lack of a Pure Elixir should not be an issue of his technique.

Sure enough, in the batch he had just refined, he managed to produce two Supreme Elixirs.

It seemed that the absence of a Pure Elixir could only be chalked up to luck.

However, a 10% chance was not really high, so he couldn't be too demanding.

Afterward, Lin Jing didn't dwell on it any further.

Next, he prepared to try refining a batch of Foundation Building Elixirs.

Two and a half hours later, Lin Jing opened his eyes, ending his meditation. His energy was fully replenished, and he was ready to continue with alchemy.

"Enter System Space."

Lin Jing summoned the system again, and as the scenery before his eyes changed, he arrived inside the System Space.

He didn't pause, but went straight to the Alchemy Room, where the Fire Meteor Four-Pattern Furnace was placed right in the center.

Lin Jing approached the Pill Furnace, first calming his mind and spirit, then took out the materials and processed them.

This time, he brought out the spiritual materials required for refining

Foundation Building Elixirs, because that was what he planned to refine next.

He wanted to see how his current skill level would fare when trying to refine a different type of Elixir Medicine.

However, Lin Jing felt that while he should succeed in refining the Foundation Building Elixirs, the chances of producing a Supreme Elixir were slim.

That was because it was his first time attempting to refine Foundation Building Elixirs.

But even if he didn't produce a Supreme Elixir, it didn't matter; after all, it was his first attempt, and even if the refinement failed, Lin Jing could accept it.

Once he had processed the spiritual materials, he lit the fire, placing the materials into the Pill Furnace in turn…

Then came the long wait…

Of course, he couldn't just idle around; he had to constantly monitor the state of the Elixir Medicine inside and control the flame properly.

Time stealthily slipped by, and before he knew it, an hour had passed.

The flames under the Pill Furnace burned fiercely, reddening its base, indicating that the Elixir Medicine was close to completion—it was the critical moment for collecting the elixirs.

The Alchemy Room was filled with the fragrance of the elixirs, lingering without dispersing…

Lin Jing knew that the Elixir Medicine was ready, but the system prompt hadn't come yet.

"What's going on today? The fragrance has spread; the Elixir Medicine should be ready. Could the system have crashed?"

As he was thinking this, the system prompt suddenly rang out.

"Ding"

"System prompt: Congratulations to the host for refining a Pure Elixir, reward granted: 10 Harvest Points."

"Elixir refining successful, Alchemy proficiency + 50."

"Pure Elixir."

Lin Jing was shocked, then his mouth curled into a smile, and he laughed.

"Haha…"

"The first time refining the Foundation Building Elixirs and it produced a Pure Elixir—my luck is really not bad."

"Elder Yu previously said that among second-grade Elixir Medicines,

Foundation Building Elixirs are the hardest to refine." Lin Jing then recalled what Elder Yu had mentioned before.

"Among second-grade Elixir Medicines, the easiest to refine are the

Rejuvenation Elixirs used for repairing injuries, while the hardest are the

Foundation Building Elixirs used for breaking through to the Foundation

Establishment Stage."

These were Elder Yu's exact words, but it seemed to be the other way around for Lin Jing.

After half a month of continuous refining, he hadn't managed to produce a Pure Elixir in any batches of Rejuvenation Elixirs, yet he achieved a Pure Elixir on his first attempt at refining Foundation Building Elixirs.

After the excitement, Lin Jing didn't forget the important task at hand, taking out the prepared Pure Jade Box and approaching the Pill Furnace.

Opening the Pill Furnace, a stream of white smoke rose gently from within. Lin Jing reached in and scooped out the Elixir Medicine. The transparent elixir, enveloped in cloud patterns, shone with a dazzling brilliance in his hand, beautiful to behold.

Inside the Elixir Medicine, the liquid flowed slowly as if it were alive, making it hard to bring oneself to swallow it.

Pure Elixirs shouldn't be in contact with the outside world for too long. Lin Jing snapped back to his senses and placed the Elixir Medicine into the Pure Jade Box, securing it inside.

After completing all this, Lin Jing gathered the remaining Elixirs—two of Medium Grade and one of Low Grade.

Because Pure Elixirs were so overbearing, the moment they formed, the grades of other Elixirs within the same Pill Furnace would decrease.

If elixir medicines had souls, they would surely weep and wail, for not only had their spiritual power been siphoned away by their own kind, leading to a decrease in quality, but they were also subjected to discriminatory treatment by their master.

Alas, an elixir is just an elixir, devoid of any concept of right and wrong.

After finishing alchemy, Lin Jing emerged from the System Space.

Today's harvest was quite bountiful, and a Pure Foundation Building Elixir left Lin Jing unable to calm his emotions for a long time. Helplessly, he opened the door and walked out.

It was already the dead of night, and the outside world was extremely quiet.

With a gentle leap, Lin Jing jumped onto the roof and lay there, gazing at the profound night sky.

The night sky overhead, dotted with stars, appeared no different from that of his hometown.

But upon closer inspection, there were differences.

Lin Jing looked up to see a night sky exceptionally pure, much like the one he saw in the mountain village during his childhood.

It's just that the memories of his childhood had already grown blurry.

In his previous life, once he entered the big city, every day was a struggle for survival.

Back then, he was so busy with the daily grind that life had bent his back.

He had forgotten to look up, forgotten even the appearance of the night sky.

In this moment…

As he watched the night sky, his memories gradually became clearer, and scenes from his childhood played out in his mind.

He suddenly felt like drinking, yearning for the alcohol from his previous life, the liquor his grandfather used to secretly stash away…

And so, gazing at the night sky, Lin Jing slowly drifted off to sleep…

Since entering the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, he had not slept for a long time; most of it was spent in meditation.

But today was just right…

It wasn't until the next day's early morning light shone on Lin Jing's face that he slowly woke up.

This sleep was incredibly comfortable, and the tiredness from last night's alchemy practice had vanished without a trace.

Stretching his arms, Lin Jing yawned and then moved his somewhat stiff muscles and bones before leaping down from the roof.

Today was yet another day for alchemy.

Lin Jing planned to make use of his good spirits right now to concoct another batch.

Afterward, he returned to the room and once again entered the System Space.

An hour within the System Space later, Lin Jing emerged dejected.

This batch had unexpectedly yielded four Supreme Rejuvenation Elixirs.

It was the most Supreme Elixirs he had ever produced in a single batch since he started making elixir medicines.

Unfortunately, none of these Supreme Rejuvenation Elixirs were Pure Elixirs, and for this Lin Jing could only blame his own bad luck.

After coming out of the System Space, Lin Jing immediately began meditating to recover.

The day was still young, and there was time to concoct another batch.

By evening, the results of the second batch were ready.

With just one Medium Grade and two Low Grade, Lin Jing helplessly chuckled. How was it that his alchemy seemed to be regressing?

The following days continued in this vein.

The next day, one batch was successful, one failed, no Pure Elixirs…

The third day, two batches failed, one succeeded, no Pure Elixirs…

The fourth day, two batches succeeded, no Pure Elixirs…

The fifth day…

The sixth day…

Until the tenth day, Lin Jing still had not produced a Pure Body Restoration Pill.

At this moment.

There were only five days left until the deadline of the bet with Li Tangyu.