"Master, Master?"
Xie Linghua gently reminded Wei Zhong, noticing his sudden daze.
Wei Zhong refocused his thoughts. These matters required careful consideration and couldn't be settled in a moment.
He instructed Xie Linghua to receive the incoming Spirit Farmers and oversee the allocation of spirit ground on Black Lake Island.
Decades ago, as the Li Family's Second-Tier Spiritual Island, Black Lake Island served not only as a cultivation ground for the clan's elite members but also boasted vast, high-quality Spirit Fields. These fields were reserved exclusively for clan members, closed off to Loose Cultivator Spirit Farmers.
Now, Wei Zhong intended to fully utilize these Spirit Fields for cultivating various Spiritual Plants.
After delegating these tasks to the newly appointed Spirit Island steward, Wei Zhong returned to his Immortal's Cave. The dim, somewhat oppressive atmosphere of the cave made him uneasy.
Having grown accustomed to the small courtyard of his Spirit Farmer's residence, he found it difficult to adjust to this confined space.
I should build a small pavilion outside later.
Wei Zhong stepped into the Grotto-Heaven, inhaling the dense spiritual energy. He let out a contented sigh.
"This is truly the ideal place for cultivation."
Returning to the Cultivation Chamber, Wei Zhong retrieved the Second-Tier spirit wine brewing technique he had obtained from Daoist Hu Yang and began studying it in earnest.
As he browsed the knowledge recorded in the jade slip, Wei Zhong was completely engrossed.
Compared to First-Tier spirit wines, Second-Tier spirit wines required not only higher-quality ingredients but also slightly different techniques. The most crucial aspect was preventing spiritual energy conflicts between the various spiritual treasures used in the brewing process. The methods detailed within the jade slip truly broadened Wei Zhong's horizons.
Having already achieved considerable skill in spirit wine brewing, Wei Zhong gained further insights after reviewing the jade slip's contents.
Perhaps by replacing a few ingredients in Azure Vine Intoxication, I could upgrade it to a Second-Tier spirit wine, Wei Zhong thought, his face beaming with delight.
As he flipped to the final three Wine Recipes, a hint of surprise appeared on Wei Zhong's face.
The first recipe was named Warm Human Tears, and its description stated that the spirit wine possessed a mild nourishing effect on the Divine Soul.
As a Loose Cultivator for many years, Wei Zhong understood how rare such Divine Soul-nourishing spiritual treasures were.
In fact, he had never seen one in person, only encountering fleeting mentions of such precious items in dubious anecdotes and biographies written by other Cultivators.
After carefully examining the entire Wine Recipe with excitement, Wei Zhong sighed in resignation.
No wonder Daoist Hu Yang sold this inheritance to me.
The spirit wine "Warm Human Tears" was classified as First-Tier, offering only a slight enhancement to the spiritual sense of Qi Refining cultivators.
The improvement was minimal. Consuming one or two taels of the spirit wine daily for ten consecutive years would barely elevate a cultivator's divine sense from the early to mid-stage of Qi Refining.
To reach the late-stage, thirty years of continuous consumption would be required.
While this might seem reasonable at first glance, the production costs were exorbitant. A single batch of ingredients, costing at least a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, would yield only enough spirit wine for a cultivator's annual consumption. This estimate didn't even account for losses due to brewing failures.
Such a costly investment was simply unaffordable for most cultivators.
Wei Zhong, already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, viewed this Wine Recipe merely as a temporary asset. Its only value lay in serving as a reference for future attempts to refine and elevate it to Second-Tier status.
Let's use this to practice and familiarize myself with the principles. That way, I'll be better prepared to improve it later.
Moreover, this wine still had a market among Qi Refining cultivators, especially those stuck at their current cultivation stage. Enhancing their spiritual sense could significantly aid in breaking through bottlenecks.
The second wine recipe, Jade Forest Green, was unremarkable—a spirit wine with a unique flavor derived from spiritual fruits.
To Wei Zhong, it resembled the fruit-flavored beverages of his previous life. Its only redeeming quality was its pleasant taste; otherwise, it was utterly ordinary.
The third recipe, Azure Ganoderma Intoxication, bore a name strikingly similar to his own Azure Vine Intoxication.
This spirit wine used Lingzhi mushrooms as its primary ingredient, providing cultivators with spiritual energy and enhancing their cultivation base—similar to the effects of the Qi Harmonizing Pill.
The recipe lacked specific tiers; the rarer the ingredients used, the higher the spirit wine's quality.
As for managing the spiritual energy conflicts between ingredients, that was left to the brewer's discretion.
"This..."
Wei Zhong's mind drifted to the Jade Marrow Mushroom growing on the withered Spirit Wood outside his courtyard.
A three-hundred-year-old Jade Marrow Mushroom was the main ingredient for the Second-Tier Foundation Establishment Pill. If he used such a mushroom to brew wine, wouldn't it automatically become a Second-Tier spirit wine?
Moreover, the Jade Marrow Mushrooms growing on the Spirit Wood weren't limited to three hundred years in age; some were even five hundred years old.
Excited by this realization, Wei Zhong thought, I can completely replace the Qi Harmonizing Pill with this Azure Mushroom Spirit Wine for my daily cultivation needs.
As long as I use high-quality ingredients, I won't have to worry about the spirit wine lacking sufficient spiritual energy. Isn't this even better than the Qi Harmonizing Pills sold by the Azurewood Sect?
Without having learned Alchemy, this Azure Ganoderma Intoxication is undoubtedly the best choice.
Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Shen from the Azurewood Sect still owes me a favor. It wouldn't be unreasonable to ask him for an Alchemy Inheritance now, would it?
Wei Zhong knew that Fellow Daoist Shen had earned a considerable number of spirit stones over the years thanks to the Azure Vine Intoxication Wine Recipe.
With these thoughts in mind, Wei Zhong set down the jade slip. Someone was approaching the Immortal's Cave.
In a flash, Wei Zhong returned to the cave. Using his divine sense, he detected Xie Linghua's arrival and commanded the Blood-Feeding Bat King to let her in.
Standing at the cave entrance, Xie Linghua felt a chill as she gazed at the crimson glow emanating from within. She didn't know what kind of demon beasts lurked inside, but she understood that with her meager strength, she would have no chance of survival if they swarmed her.
"Come in," Wei Zhong's voice echoed from within.
Wei Zhong's voice snapped Xie Linghua out of her daze. With a nervous breath, she stepped into the Immortal's Cave.
The journey through the swarm of Blood-Eating Bats had sent shivers down her spine, and the sight of the half-human-sized, ferocious Blood-Feeding Bat King had nearly stopped her heart.
Relief washed over her as she entered the cave and saw its interior illuminated by multiple Night-Illuminating Pearls, revealing a pavilion-like structure.
Wei Zhong stood at the entrance, watching her with a warm smile.
"Master!" Xie Linghua greeted him, and Wei Zhong gestured for her to enter the room. He had already cleaned the space and furnished it with some of his old belongings, giving it a surprisingly homely feel.
Xie Linghua began by reporting on her arrangements for the maids and Spirit Farmers.
"The Spirit Fields have been allocated. Most of the Spirit Farmers are veterans who previously cultivated this island, so they adapted quickly. As for the sisters, I've assigned them light tasks for now and encouraged them to learn simple skills that might prove useful to you in the future, Master..."
Wei Zhong nodded. "Excellent. Your arrangements are more than satisfactory. As for compensation, don't skimp on them. Maintain the Li Family's previous standards, and offer bonuses to exceptional performers."
After finalizing the operational details for Spirit Island, they turned to more personal matters.
Wei Zhong gently wrapped his arm around Xie Linghua's slender waist, a delicate blush blooming on her cheeks...