Chapter 119: Guild Master, give me some Earth Fire!

Luo Chen was in no rush to find Wang Yuan.

If he went to find him alone, Wang Yuan would certainly have bodyguards in tow; if there were no specific reason, it would be far too suspicious.

Although many in the Po Shan Gang knew Luo Chen was Wang Yuan’s former underling, Wang Yuan had a cold and detached personality and rarely associated with anyone.

Even between Luo Chen and him, their interactions within the gang were actually quite few.

If there was no business, the two would not meet.

To go and see him alone would definitely imply there was something going on.

Mi Shuhua would certainly try every possible way to find out.

Luo Chen decided to schedule the meeting for the gang gathering at the beginning of next month.

Meeting at the main altar then would be very natural.

Time slipped by in a flash.

Or rather, from collecting the materials for the Blood-Burning Elixir to refining it, and then to the first test, a month had already passed.

Just two days later, Luo Chen slowly awoke from his meditation.

He habitually opened his attribute panel.

【Lifespan: 28/75】

【Spirit Root: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth】

【Realm: Qi Refining Stage 7: 67/100】

【Cultivation Method: Changchun Gong (Grandmaster): 927/1000】

【Spells: Fireball Technique (Perfected), Wind Control Technique (Grandmaster 870/1000), Traction Technique (Grandmaster 900/1000), Entanglement Technique (Grandmaster 610/1000), Spirit Eye Technique (Grandmaster 780/1000), Cleaning Technique (Grandmaster 512/1000), Breath Concealment Technique (Grandmaster 570/1000), Healing Technique (Proficient 230/300).】

【Alchemy Arts: Jade-Folding Hand (Proficient 275/300), Pure Heart Hand (Skilled 180/200)】

【Wu Gong: Carefree Travel (Perfected), Mountain-Breaking Tablet-Shattering Palm (Grandmaster 580/1000), Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers (Skilled 125/200)】

【Skills: First-Rank Alchemist: Grain Grain Bigu Powder (Perfected), Myriad Wonders Pill (Grandmaster 700/1000), Jade Marrow Pill (Grandmaster 600/1000), Blood-Burning Elixir (Novice 6/100)】

【Achievement Points: 23】

He scanned through it at a glance.

He didn't pay much attention to the spells, alchemy arts, Wu Gong, or skills.

He had looked at them enough during ordinary times.

The last time he had cared was when the Cleaning Technique reached Grandmaster level and the Blood-Burning Elixir reached Novice level.

His gaze stopped on the first few columns.

His age had increased by one, but the lifespan limit remained unchanged.

He estimated it was still because he was a transmigrator, which caused his limit to remain fixed no matter how he cultivated.

However, Luo Chen was no longer anxious.

As long as the external environment didn't change too drastically, he would eventually cultivate to the perfection of Qi Refining.

Only then would it be time for him to worry.

By comparison, the change in his realm made him slightly happy.

In about another month, he would be able to advance to Qi Refining Stage 8.

Although he knew that the further he went, the slower his cultivation speed would be, advancing earlier was always a good thing.

And there was Changchun Gong!

With the assistance of Calming Incense and Moonlight Grass, he could circulate it at full power seven times a day.

A few months had passed, and now the proficiency had reached 927; it would only take about ten more days to reach perfection.

He didn't know what special changes would occur when a cultivation method reached perfection.

But the perfection of Fireball Technique and Carefree Travel had both brought qualitative changes to the spells themselves.

This made him look forward to the perfection of Changchun Gong immensely.

After browsing the attribute panel, Luo Chen left the spirit vein cave.

Arriving at the Alchemy Hall, he saw the administrative cultivators arriving one by one, but he didn't move.

He lay there, leisurely reading "Qingyuan Alchemy Interpretation"; alchemy books were things that felt new every time one read them.

Today was the beginning of the month, which counted as a rare day off.

The work in the Alchemy Hall was mainly replenishing large quantities of raw materials and taking stock of the previous month's consumption and output.

Usually at this time, Mi Junping would also send someone to deliver Luo Chen’s share of the profits from the previous month and his salary pills for the current month.

But today, Luo Chen didn't need her to send them.

After Gu Caiyi and Sikong Shoujia arrived, Luo Chen put away his book, waved his large sleeves, and took the two of them straight to the main altar.

As the success rate of the Jade Marrow Pill increased and profits gradually rose, Luo Chen’s status in the gang became higher and higher.

Even though his seat was still arranged in the very last row.

But when he sat down, everyone’s gaze was on him.

For no other reason than that the profits from the Jade Marrow Pill last month had once again broken the 8,000 spirit stone mark.

Even after deducting raw material costs and labor costs, the hall masters present had all received one or two hundred spirit stones more or less.

It wasn't much, and it even looked a bit meager.

After all, the lion’s share was taken by Mi Shuhua, and Luo Chen also held a twenty percent share of the profits.

But frankly speaking, these hall masters hadn't put in much effort.

Picking up a few hundred spirit stones a month for nothing, who wouldn't be happy?

Moreover, the profits of the Alchemy Hall were visibly growing.

From the initial loss-making operation to slowly breaking even, it now gradually had some small profits.

In the future, it would likely only rise further.

Therefore, everyone held a very friendly attitude toward Luo Chen.

After sitting down, Luo Chen listened casually to them chatting about gang matters.

It is nothing more than territory, fighting, cultivators, demonic beasts, business, and other miscellaneous things.

In the end, it all boiled down to cultivation resources.

And this time, no one came to trouble him; instead, they asked him from time to time what support the Alchemy Hall needed, and they were all willing to help out a little.

Luo Chen naturally smiled and declined.

The Alchemy Hall already had enough manpower; if more people were brought in, it would just be splitting the cake.

What a joke, his own cake wasn't even enough to eat.

When the meeting ended, Luo Chen received his items from Mi Junping.

Four bottles of Dust-Transforming Pills, one box of Calming Incense, and 1,200 spirit stones in profit sharing.

With the spirit stones in his pocket, Luo Chen felt a sense of relief.

His expenses last month had been a bit high; purchasing extra Dust-Transforming Pills, Calming Incense, and Essence-Nurturing Spirit Liquid had cost him over 800 spirit stones.

Later, purchasing raw materials for the Blood-Burning Elixir and a Wave-Swallowing Sea-Gathering Pot had taken another 300-plus.

If it hadn't been for the Chenyue snack stall and the milk tea shop supplementing him with nearly a thousand,

his savings would have dropped directly below 3,000.

Now with an extra share of profits, his savings jumped to 4,000 spirit stones!

It could be said that this was a massive fortune he had never possessed before.

But Luo Chen was still not satisfied!

He had attended auctions and seen many grand scenes.

Those good items easily cost hundreds or thousands, and if they involved magic treasures or Core Formation spirit medicines, they would break the ten-thousand mark.

By comparison, a mere 4,000 spirit stones really didn't count for much.

Not to mention anything else, if someone brought out a Foundation Establishment Pill at an auction right now, Luo Chen would definitely bid for it.

But did he have a chance to win it?

The answer is obviously no.

After all, the last time five Foundation Establishment Pills were sold, the one belonging to the rogue cultivator had sold for the astronomical price of 6,000 spirit stones.

And Luo Chen’s aptitude couldn't guarantee that he would successfully establish his foundation with just one pill.

Therefore, the more spirit stones, the better!

After getting his items, Luo Chen intended to leave, not caring about Mi Junping’s somewhat awkward expression.

However, Mi Shuhua called him to a halt.

"How was that Qi Refining insight?"

Luo Chen’s face stiffened, and he tactfully took out the jade slip.

"It’s all memorized in my mind."

"Thank you, Guild Master; it truly answered many of my doubts regarding cultivation."

Not to mention anything else, the Qi Refining insight recorded a lot of common knowledge about various stages of the Qi Refining period, and even vaguely mentioned things related to Foundation Establishment after reaching the perfection of Qi Refining.

Mi Shuhua took back the jade slip and smiled: "As long as it’s useful. However, I only recorded this one jade slip, and there are others in the clan waiting to use it."

In the clan?

Luo Chen now roughly knew a thing or two about the Mi family’s situation.

Mi Shuhua had a total of two daughters and one son: Mi Junping, Mi Commandery Prince, and his youngest daughter, Mi Junpei.

Among these three, Mi Junping had the best talent, but due to some events in her early years, she would likely stop at Qi Refining Stage 9 for the rest of her life.

As for the other son and daughter, they were even more hopeless.

Mi Commandery Prince had five-spirit-root aptitude, which Mi Shuhua had given up on long ago.

The youngest daughter was currently only at Qi Refining Stage 6, with no hope for the Dao path.

It was precisely because of this that rumors circulated in the gang that the second generation of the Mi family was not worth much.

However, although their aptitude wasn't great, Mi Shuhua had arranged the future for his three children.

Mi Junping sat in the Po Shan Gang, managing many trivial matters for him.

Mi Commandery Prince was responsible for enjoying life!

Yes, just enjoying life!

Marrying wives and having children, marrying wives and having children, marrying wives and having children...

It could be said that the dozens of people in the third generation of the Mi family, as well as the newly born fourth generation, were basically Mi Commandery Prince’s direct bloodline.

The third generation did produce some talent, such as Mi Zifan, who had just stepped into Qi Refining Stage 9, and Mi Zihao, who was somewhat famous outside.

But these people should have already read that "Qi Refining Insight"!

Suddenly, Luo Chen thought of a rumor.

It was said that Sikong Shoujia’s only son was about to marry into the Mi family and tie the knot with Mi Shuhua’s youngest daughter, Mi Junpei.

Could it be that both parties had already discussed it?

Then this "Qi Refining Insight" must have been requested for Sikong Shoujia’s son, Sikong Yuanhong.

Thinking of Mi Shuhua having to worry about so many clan members, Luo Chen felt his head ache like hemp.

Descendants and such were really too troublesome.

Unless he meets a woman he particularly likes in the future, it is better to be free and unfettered on his own.

"I heard you bought some Earth Fire Sha?"

A voice came to his ear; Luo Chen was startled, then nodded naturally.

"Yes, I bought ten wisps."

"What are you buying that for?" Mi Shuhua asked with a smile.

Luo Chen shrugged, "What else for? 'Qingyuan Alchemy Interpretation' mentions Earth Fire alchemy, which involves the use of Earth Fire Sha, so I wanted to buy some to try."

Mi Shuhua nodded; he had also read that book in its entirety and knew about the content in that regard.

However, he was still somewhat suspicious.

Luo Chen smacked his lips, "I suspect that the reason I can't refine high-grade Jade Marrow Pills might not be my problem, but the problem of the alchemy fire."

Mi Shuhua was stunned.

"I can't find Earth Fire, but if Earth Fire Sha is used well and added to the alchemy fire, it can have the same miraculous effect, so I’m just trying it out."

Hearing that it was related to the Jade Marrow Pill, and high-grade Jade Marrow Pill at that,

Mi Shuhua was immediately intrigued.

"What were the experimental results?"

"What results could there be? When the Sha energy enters the fire, the alchemy fire produced by ordinary firewood goes straight out of control." Luo Chen revealed a bitter smile, looking quite unwilling to give up.

Mi Shuhua also sighed, "Earth Fire Sha is of higher quality than ordinary Earth Fire, but it is extremely violent; it is indeed not that easy to integrate into ordinary fire."

Seeing him like this, the stone in Luo Chen’s heart fell.

It should count as having fooled him!

He knew that Mi Shuhua might be monitoring him very closely, and that his own purchases would more or less be noticed.

Tianyang Fruit and the like were fine; ordinary cultivators would buy them to eat.

But Earth Fire Sha was definitely not something ordinary rogue cultivators would buy.

Luo Chen suddenly grinned, "Guild Master, you are a Foundation Establishment cultivator; can't you get a territory with Earth Fire? Let me tell you, if there were Earth Fire, my alchemy..."