Chapter 234: Just a small amount of spirit stones, and I'll do them for you!

At the entrance of the alchemy room.

A petite figure squatted on the ground, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the floor.

As yin energy flickered in and out, it occasionally formed sharp claws, carving sharp marks into the ground.

Her gaze remained fixed on the busy figure inside the alchemy room.

The Earth Fire roared.

Spiritual power flowed steadily.

Occasionally, a stream of Foundation Establishment True Fire was injected, making the fire even more vigorous.

Piece after piece of medicinal herbs entered the huge alchemy cauldron in a fixed order.

Some herbs were not put directly into the cauldron.

Instead, they had to be specially processed with spells before entering.

From time to time, Bai Meiling could hear the figure muttering to himself.

"Using Hundred Flower Dew as a base to wrap all the medicinal liquid is the foundation, but it is also the key step to forming the pill membrane."

"The processing cannot be perfunctory like the third time; I must use both the Huanxi Hand and the Huayun Hand."

"Cold Ginseng, Angelica, Fleeceflower Root, Motherwort, Sky Blue Aloe... these auxiliary materials are not just roughly processed with fire methods. The pill formula didn't write it, but if I use water-based alchemy to process them beforehand..."

While muttering to himself, Luo Chen stared burningly at the alchemy cauldron.

His released spiritual sense was checking the changes in the herbs inside at every moment, ensuring every change was recorded in his heart.

The success rate brought by the system seemed fixed.

But Luo Chen had long since figured out that every time, he had to treat it with meticulous care, otherwise even the guaranteed success rate would fail!

Brushing proficiency was the same.

Take the current "Yi Mu Medicine King Sutra" as an example.

If he only operated it briefly, it would take at least forty or fifty times to increase his proficiency by one point.

And if he went all out, he could increase the efficiency to twenty times to increase proficiency by one point.

Now refining Jade Dew Pills.

Luo Chen was the same.

Moreover, unlike refining pills in the Qi Refining stage.

With the assistance of released spiritual sense, he could better observe the various subtle changes in the extracted herbs during the pill formation process.

In this way, the feedback obtained from each refining was far beyond the past.

Even the proficiency, even if the pill wasn't successfully produced, had a slight increase.

Now this Jade Dew Pill was worthy of being a second-grade pill.

The complexity of the refining technique was far superior to first-grade pills like Jade Marrow Pills and Myriad Wonder Pills.

In many places, it even required both water and fire alchemy techniques to be performed in parallel.

However, doing so also had great benefits.

That was that the proficiency of "Alchemy Technique" was increasing crazily at a speed visible to the naked eye.

If this continued.

He believed it wouldn't be long before all these alchemy techniques were maxed out.

"Time for the Lingting Fragrant Grass!"

Luo Chen's heart stirred, and his gaze fell to the bottom shelf, those small green grasses planted in pots, exuding vibrant life.

As one of the three main ingredients of the Jade Dew Pill.

Lingting Fragrant Grass was a precious second-grade spiritual herb, costing 20 spirit stones per stalk.

Most importantly, this kind of medicinal herb could not be processed in advance.

It had to be picked on the spot and put into the medicine immediately.

In this situation, one had to use an alchemy technique—the Su Xin Hand!

And it had to be a Su Xin Hand with very profound attainments to solve the problem of this spiritual herb that needed on-site processing.

Luo Chen was unhurried.

His Su Xin Hand had already reached the grandmaster level, so processing Lingting Fragrant Grass wasn't difficult.

A stalk of fragrant grass was picked, and several strands of spiritual power intertwined to weave a fine net, sealing the cut.

The Lingting Fragrant Grass was moved above the alchemy cauldron.

The fine net suddenly extended upward, cutting it into a "well" shape, and only the grass core in the middle slid into the cauldron.

What was needed was this section of the grass core!

With ordinary methods, no matter how it was picked, the Lingting Fragrant Grass would be contaminated, leading to impure medicinal power in the grass core.

Only the spiritual power fine net formed by the Su Xin Hand could achieve the effect of being clean without being tainted, leaving only a pure heart!

Withdrawing the spiritual power.

Luo Chen took a deep breath.

Next, he had to extract the "Jade Smoke" from the Blue Smoke Jade and integrate it into the pill.

Finally, seal it with Hundred Flower Dew to form the pill membrane.

After letting the pill sit in a frozen environment for a day and a night, the work would be considered complete.

The previous steps had all gone smoothly.

At this point, he couldn't afford to fall short of success.

Processing the Blue Smoke Jade required the alchemy technique, the Zhe Yu Hand.

In this aspect, it was even more of Luo Chen's strength!

When he refined Jade Marrow Pills, he processed the main ingredient, Huan Yu, every day, and he had long since brushed the Zhe Yu Hand to the Great Perfection level.

Now, using it to process Blue Smoke Jade was just a small test of his skills!

In fact, this was also one of the reasons why Luo Chen chose to start with Jade Dew Pills instead of Blood Fiend Pills.

In this aspect, he had an incomparably solid foundation!

Step after step, they were carried out one after another.

If there were an outsider here, seeing the complex alchemy techniques Luo Chen displayed during this day of refining, they would likely be dazzled and dumbfounded.

Is it really necessary for refining a pill?

A true high-level alchemist would disdain to answer him!

Why can alchemists become one of the top existences among the hundred arts of immortal cultivation?

Profit is one aspect, cultivation is another, and the entry threshold and difficulty of climbing are yet another.

For other arts of immortal cultivation, with a little talent, one might be able to delve deep into them.

But alchemy is not like that.

Talent, effort, resources, persistence, comprehension... none can be missing.

In alchemy, there are never any shortcuts.

What is needed is for pill after pill to take shape under one's hands, until finally, one reaches perfection, and can lightly say—"Nothing else, just hand familiarity!"

Luo Chen possessed all the conditions above, except for talent!

And the system bestowed him with talent.

That's not quite right either; that talent was something he made up for himself using the proficiency of other skills.

Therefore!

Luo Chen could rightfully say with a clear conscience, "I have today's alchemy attainments all because of my own efforts!"

"Xiao Ling!"

"Coming, coming!"

A beautiful figure suddenly appeared beside Luo Chen, holding a round plate that looked like a white moon.

Wisps of cold air were rising from the plate.

White Jade Ice Plate!

A low-grade magic tool!

Refined in Tianfan City and sold by the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, it was specifically used to hold wine and melons that needed to be frozen.

Now, it was just right for freezing and letting the Jade Dew Pills set.

Luo Chen beckoned with his hand, and his signature pill-collecting technique appeared.

Ten round, icy-smooth pills flew toward him like swallows returning to their nest, and finally, without attracting a speck of dust, they landed in the White Jade Ice Plate.

Holding the ice plate, Bai Meiling asked curiously: "Did you succeed?"

"Succeeded!"

According to common sense, it needed to sit for a day until four cloud patterns appeared to be considered a success.

But Luo Chen, as if he knew beforehand, gave the answer full of confidence.

Nothing else!

On the system panel, the Jade Dew Pill had already increased by ten points of proficiency.

This meant that he had finally refined the first furnace of Jade Dew Pills.

With the alchemy work complete, Luo Chen rarely felt a trace of fatigue.

It wasn't that the pill refining was too difficult.

It was that the process was too complex and trivial.

Refining one furnace of Jade Dew Pills took a full day.

During this day, he couldn't be distracted, which was truly torturous.

But there were benefits too.

His control over spiritual power and spiritual sense was becoming more and more meticulous.

Luo Chen had the confidence that in this aspect, he could be a leader among rogue cultivators.

Even against the high-ranking disciples of sects, he would not be inferior to anyone.

Simply cleaning up the alchemy room.

Luo Chen came to the living room and simply estimated the refining cost of the Jade Dew Pill.

The cost of one portion of raw materials, because of the war, had risen to about 100 spirit stones.

And it wasn't very stable.

Calculated by ten portions, that would be 1, 00 spirit stones!

Currently in the entry stage, the success rate was 10%.

Ten portions, to produce one low-grade Jade Dew Pill.

"It seems that without increasing the success rate, low-grade Jade Dew Pills still can't recover the cost!"

The market price of second-grade low-grade pills had long since stabilized in the immortal cultivation world.

Generally starting at 300, and those involving cultivation were around 500.

And if it was related to breaking through realms, the price was hard to say.

Basically, they were in a state of having a price but no market.

For example, the Foundation Establishment Pill!

Actually, the Foundation Establishment Pill was also a second-grade pill, but at auctions, the starting price was basically 2, 00 spirit stones.

The transaction price often jumped to 4, 00 or 5, 00, and it wasn't unheard of for it to soar to 10, 00.

The Jade Dew Pill couldn't compare to the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The pills it was benchmarked against should be existences like the Rising Dragon Pill and the Harmonious Qi Pill.

Considering that this kind of pill had an extra bonus for female cultivators, its value could be slightly increased.

That is to say, pricing it at 600, which is over 500, was not excessive.

Considering the influence of the war, where various materials had risen sharply in price, marking it at 700 was also reasonable.

If calculated this way.

When Luo Chen increased the success rate to 20%, 30%, or even 50%, the returns would be terrifying.

"It's a pity, I can't do that."

"An innocent man is guilty of his own treasure!"

"This Jade Dew Pill is not the main means for me to obtain wealth and resources; its role should be a stepping stone!"

Luo Chen's eyes flickered; before refining the Jade Dew Pill, he had already made calculations in his heart.

Now that the pill was refined, the subsequent matters should also be put on the agenda.

"Xiao Ling, why are you leaning over there?"

Suddenly, Luo Chen caught a glimpse of Bai Meiling's naive appearance lying in front of the White Jade Ice Plate.

Bai Meiling raised her head in a daze.

"I'm not doing anything..."

"Then you?"

"I just think the smell this pill gives off is very good."

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, "Can you take the Jade Dew Pill?"

Bai Meiling shook her head hurriedly, "No, I don't have a physical body, how could I take it. However, the pill energy emitted by this pill, after I inhaled a few mouthfuls, actually made the yin energy I accumulated circulate a few times faster."

After hearing this, Luo Chen was thoughtful.

He didn't drive Bai Meiling away, letting her lean near the Jade Dew Pills.

Casting a cleansing spell on himself.

Luo Chen, feeling slightly refreshed, walked out of the cave dwelling.

Counting the time, it was almost a month, and Duan Feng still hadn't come out of seclusion.

I'm afraid...

"Haha, is that Fellow Daoist Luo Chen?"

A heroic voice came abruptly from above.

Luo Chen was surprised and looked up at the person coming.

A figure was high above, looking at Luo Chen with a smile.

A look of surprise appeared on Luo Chen's face, "Is it Fellow Daoist Chu Kui?"

Before, when Luo Chen came out of seclusion after his Qingyuan Wonderful Pill Method reached small success, he had obtained a few sound transmission talismans.

However, except for Sima Huiniang, the owners of the other two sound transmission talismans had not been seen.

Li Yixian seemed to be busy with something and hadn't returned to the cave dwelling for a long time.

And the owner of the other one was a powerful rogue cultivator named Chu Kui.

He thought it was just a polite gesture, but he didn't expect the other party to take the initiative to greet him today.

"It is indeed me!"

Luo Chen pursed his lips, glanced at the direction of Duan Feng's cave dwelling, and then gestured an invitation.

"Why not come down and talk?"

Chu Kui didn't stand on ceremony at all and landed in front of the platform immediately.

Luo Chen waved his hand, and simple wine cups and a wine pot appeared on the stone table on the cliff balcony.

"We said we would drink before, why not today!"

Chu Kui took the wine pot and smelled it.

"Your wine is no good, drink mine!"

With a flick of his wrist, an exquisite wine pot appeared in his hand.

"This is a second-grade spiritual wine specialty of Taibai Bazaar, truly wonderful, would you like to try it, Fellow Daoist?"

Luo Chen took a deep look at the other party.

This person was truly very familiar!

He had no taboos, picked up the wine cup filled with spiritual energy, and drank it in one gulp.

The wine liquid went down his throat.

Although the taste was mellow, it was also plain.

Is this worthy of being called second-grade spiritual wine?

Just as Luo Chen was wondering, his expression changed slightly.

Opposite him, Chu Kui held his wine cup with a smile, "How is it, the taste is not bad, right!"

Luo Chen nodded slowly.

"Worthy of being second-grade spiritual wine, what is the name of this wine?"

"It's just the name of the bazaar, Taibai Wine."

"Good wine! Good wine!"

Luo Chen praised twice without any insincerity.

He could feel the wine energy surging into his Qi Sea, and the hot wine energy rising straight up.

Stimulated by it, part of the spiritual energy cloud he had accumulated was accelerating its purification, turning into drops of spiritual liquid, falling into the Qi Sea like drizzle.

Cultivation in the early stage of Foundation Establishment is not complicated.

It is just turning the process of spiritual power turning into liquid when breaking through Foundation Establishment into a recurring daily routine.

Normally, Luo Chen operates his cultivation method, absorbing the spiritual energy diffused from the spiritual vein under the cave dwelling into his body.

At this moment, the spiritual power has only undergone the first purification of the cultivation method.

In the body, it is still in a gaseous state.

In the form of a spiritual energy cloud, hanging high above the Qi Sea.

Only through daily, repeated operation of the cultivation method, accompanied by purification, can it turn into spiritual liquid and fall to the bottom of the sea.

Spirit Essence Pills can accelerate this process.

Unexpectedly, this second-grade Taibai Wine also had this effect.

It was only slightly weaker than the Spirit Essence Pill.

With a stir in his heart, Luo Chen already had the intention to buy it in large quantities.

But unexpectedly, Chu Kui laughed out loud.

"Fellow Daoist, don't look at me like that; the production of Taibai Wine is truly scarce, and this was just one of the rewards for being in the top ten of the Dao Discussion Platform last year."

Luo Chen asked curiously: "But you said this is a specialty spiritual wine of Taibai Bazaar?"

"Yes, it is a specialty. But it is only specially supplied to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!"

So that's how it was.

No wonder the Dao Discussion Platform could give such a reward.

Luo Chen felt it was quite a pity.

Whether it was Spirit Essence Pills or Taibai Wine, resources that could purify spiritual power were always scarce.

Even in the Spirit Medicine Pavilion of Tianlan Immortal City, they were rarely sold.

If one appeared occasionally, it would be snatched up immediately.

Unless you guard there every day, I'm afraid you won't encounter it once in a lifetime.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, where are you from? I heard you have a gang under your command?"

Luo Chen briefly explained his background.

As for the Luo Tian Society, he also skipped over it in a few words.

Unexpectedly, Chu Kui was very interested.

"Operating a gang in Tianlan Immortal City, the trouble is quite a lot."

"I heard that when you first moved into Danxia Peak, you encountered quite a bit of trouble. It was the Divine Art Sect, right! By the way, there's also the Geng family!"

"They are not easy to deal with; now it seems calm, but who knows where they are holding back evil intentions."

"Fellow Daoist, your methods are extraordinary; I heard you defeated three Foundation Establishment cultivators in one move. You even forced two major factions to retreat voluntarily, how majestic!"

"However, there is no such thing as a thousand days of being a thief, let alone a thousand days of guarding against a thief."

"Don't you want to completely resolve these two troubles?"

Listening to Chu Kui's familiar words, Luo Chen always felt something was wrong.

Especially those last few sentences.

A look of confusion appeared on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, if you have something to say, you might as well speak directly."

"Cough, cough!"

Chu Kui cleared his throat, losing that familiar look, and instead revealed the demeanor of an expert standing like an abyss.

He said calmly: "I am Chu Kui, a regular at the Dao Discussion Platform, in the top ten of the Heaven's Pride List; among Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators, I am a leader."

"Thanks to the praise of fellow daoists in the Immortal City, I was given the Dao title of Heaven's Leader."

"I am most righteous and love to fight against injustice."

"Like the Divine Art Sect, those who take advantage of others' danger, those petty people, deserve to be killed by everyone."

Luo Chen's brows furrowed tightly.

"Might as well! Speak directly!"

Chu Kui waved his large hand.

"Just a small amount of spirit stones, and I'll do them for you!"