Chapter 323: Alchemy Technique Perfected

Even though he knew this, Yang Chun couldn't help his curiosity and asked, "What's the way to win? We agreed beforehand that if it's about refining a Second-grade An Shen Pill, you tell me it's useless; this matter must have the supervisor's approval."

"Brother, rest assured, it's not that."

Jiang Cheng smiled, and confidence shone through his tone.

"I've basically grasped the secret of refining the Spirit Nourishing Pill, but to raise it to a perfect level still takes some time."

Yang Chun let out a slight sigh of relief, but didn't fully relax, and immediately asked, "Then what are you getting at, junior brother?"

"I want to borrow from you, brother, several tens of millions of Top‑grade Awakening Pills; perhaps with them I can double my Spiritual Power, become a Level 3 Spirit Mind Practitioner, and then be able to refine a dozen or twenty furnaces of Supreme Nourishing Spirit Pills per day, also preparing for future refining of the An Shen Pill."

"Tens of millions of Top‑grade Awakening Pills…"

Hearing that, Yang Chun inhaled a gasp of cold air.

Immediately after, he was at a loss between laughing and crying.

"Junior brother, you really dare bring it up. You know, even I can't borrow a batch of pills worth tens of millions all at once for cultivation…"

"Is that so?"

Jiang Cheng wasn't very disappointed.

He was just approaching it with a try‑it‑out mindset.

Yang Chun's agreement would be better; his refusal was also expected.

"Indeed, junior brother, I admit you're making money fast now, and you'll make it even faster in the future, but at present, counting the material costs, you still owe thirty million; if I lend you another several tens of millions, that adds up to nearly a hundred million, doesn't it?"

Yang Chun shook his head, but didn't want to make the statement too final,

"How about this: when you raise your Alchemy Technique to a perfect level, I'll take you to see the supervisor. I believe then he'll definitely support you starting to refine Second‑grade An Shen Pills, and regarding the tens of millions of pills, he might also agree and advance them to you."

"With those words from you, brother, I feel reassured," Jiang Cheng said with a smile.

"It's fine, it's fine."

Yang Chun also gave a smile.

"Our Black Market values talent most; junior brother, your alchemy talent is so high, we will definitely do our utmost to cultivate you. If one day you become a senior alchemist, you could even enter the Inner City District."

"Oh?"

Jiang Cheng heard that and became interested.

"Does our Black Market also operate in the Inner City?"

"Junior brother, you have it backwards."

Yang Chun was both laughing and crying.

"Precisely because we have operations in the Inner City District, we also opened a branch in the Outer City District; on one hand it's for business, on the other it's to select talent for the headquarters and send them over."

"I see."

Jiang Cheng nodded.

However, at present he is only a Level Three Alchemy Practitioner, still a considerable gap from a senior alchemist.

Moreover, with his current strength, entering the Inner City is still out of reach.

"Brother, I understand, I'll work harder."

"Hmm, but you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself; take it slowly, I have confidence in you," Yang Chun said with a smile.

…In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

During these days, the neighborhood was calm and tranquil.

So much so that Jiang Cheng began to wonder: could the Dawn Society truly have given up the hunt on him?

Upon reflection, there was some logic; after all, this is the Black Market's old stronghold in the Outer City District, where masters abound, and being discovered would have unpredictable consequences.

But one cannot be careless; behind this seemingly peaceful front, a storm may be brewing.

The good news is that after several days of refining, his Alchemy Technique successfully reached a perfect level; using five portions of material, it takes one hour to produce ten Supreme Nourishing Spirit Pills.

Because the medicinal potency halved, the effort required increased; previously he could refine twelve furnaces a day, now about nine furnaces suffices.

The remaining material is about 1,400–1,500 portions; at ten portions per batch, that yields roughly 150 furnaces, and at five portions per batch, about 300 furnaces.

At this moment, two options lay before him.

First, immediately tell Yang Chun this news, in exchange for Gu Zhangkong's support for his learning to refine Second‑grade An Shen Pills.

Second, conceal it for a while, using the information advantage to save more capital for future preparation.

Both have their pros and cons.

The first choice can quickly raise his alchemy level, allowing higher‑grade pills to be refined sooner, effectively shortening the time to become a senior Spirit Mind Practitioner.

The downside, of course.

During this period he won't be able to earn money; the debt may even grow, and Gu Zhangkong and Yang Chun, each time they give him material, will likely feel their hearts bleeding.

The second choice is exactly the opposite.

The downside is a delay of about half a month, but from the current view, the Dawn Society is still inactive, the Black Market remains safe, so a half‑month delay isn't much.

The advantage is clear: he can save a lot of money.

Now, using five portions of material, he can refine about nine furnaces a day, which seems most economical, but the quantity is too small; if he takes away one or two furnaces and explains that he saved material, Yang Chun may say he doesn't mind outwardly, but may not truly, and if suspicion arises, it would be disastrous.

Therefore, he doesn't plan to use five portions, but seven or eight; this way, for every three or four furnaces refined, the next furnace's profit belongs to him, and additionally, the medicinal potency rises, consuming less Spiritual Power, while the daily output of finished pills remains unchanged, and Yang Chun won't object.

Although in a day he can only hide two or three bottles of Supreme Nourishing Spirit Pills, each bottle is worth a hundred thousand, so two or three bottles amount to two or three hundred thousand.

After more than ten days, he'd have five or six million; at cost price, that's enough to buy a third‑grade offensive treasure from the Black Market, or an A‑grade alloy weapon.

Spending ten plus days to exchange for a treasure—loss?

Definitely not a loss.

Moreover, this carries no real danger; just follow the alchemy steps.

Jiang Cheng thought it over, looked at the pile of material forming a small hill beside him, and finally made a decision.

He chose, for the long term, the first option.

After all, the price of the Spirit Nourishing Pill is still too low; even the top grade is only ten thousand yuan per piece, a bottle just one hundred thousand yuan.

If he can forge Top Grade An Shen Pill early, at a price of one hundred thousand yuan per piece, hoarding a bottle would be one million yuan! Even if he hides two bottles a day, over time, by then, not to mention a Third-grade treasure, even a Third-grade top-grade treasure, plus A-grade alloy weapons, Psychic Weapons, and so on, buying them wouldn't be too difficult.

What if it's a Top-grade Awakening Pill? Jiang Cheng doesn't dare to imagine.

Because the material cost for one Awakening Pill already runs into several hundred thousand yuan; ten portions would be several million, a single loss of a few million, even if he is Gu Zhangkong, he most likely wouldn't agree.

He took a deep breath, pulled out his phone, and dialed Yang Chun.

(End of chapter)