Chapter 92: I, the Foundation Establishment cultivator, Hearing Mi Shuhua

Rogue cultivator, lackey, wage earner, tool, partner!

Luo Chen's status, through his own efforts, was vaguely and constantly changing.

The changes in the Pill Hall were also visible to the naked eye day by day.

That group of medicine apprentices, fire-tenders, and pill-nurturers (pill administrators) were also becoming familiar with their roles day by day.

A month's time passed in the blink of an eye.

At the end of the month, Luo Chen took time out to attend a small internal meeting of the Broken Mountain Gang.

There were not many people at the meeting: him, Hearing Mi Shuhua, Mi Junping, and the three hall masters of the combat halls—Zeng Wen, Luo Wudi, and Yang Wei.

And, the two deacons of the Pill Hall, Sikong Shoujia and Gu Caiyi.

At the meeting, it was decided that each of the three combat halls would provide ten people, with one late-stage Qi Refining and nine mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators among them.

Thus, three small teams were formed.

These three teams would henceforth serve the Pill Hall with all their might.

Protection work, transport work, and some procurement work.

At the meeting, Luo Wudi brought up a matter.

"I have a lead over at the Snow Lotus Market; the risk is a bit high, but if we can open it up, the profit will definitely be very high."

"Since wealth is sought in danger, why not give it a try?"

Regarding this, the others were all eager to try.

However, upon learning of Luo Chen's current pill production, Hearing Mi Shuhua temporarily suppressed this proposal.

"This month, the Pill Hall produced a total of 980 Myriad Wonder Pills."

"This quantity can only barely satisfy the demand of the Dahe Market; even if we open up the route to Snow Lotus Market, we don't have the pills to stock it."

"Moreover, Snow Lotus Market is a bitter, cold place, not even half as prosperous as Dahe Market, so there is no need to waste effort."

These were Hearing Mi Shuhua's exact words.

Luo Wudi felt it was a pity; he had wanted to use this to help one of his brothers rise up and stand on his own like Wang Yuan.

The insufficient pill production limited this idea of his.

Regarding this, he could only encourage Luo Chen to refine more pills.

Luo Chen chuckled, indicating he would work hard.

Then, when the meeting dispersed, Luo Chen, right in front of them, received four Qi-Nurturing Pills from the pained-looking Mi Junping.

Luo Wudi, Yang Wei, and those few others all widened their eyes.

Wasn't it said that only two bottles would be given per month?

Since when did that kid get a raise!

Are they sure Luo Chen isn't Hearing Mi Shuhua's illegitimate son?

As for these thoughts of theirs, the person involved didn't care at all.

Let them be envious; this is what I deserve!

Nearly a thousand Myriad Wonder Pills in a month—that is four or five thousand low-grade spirit stones!

What does this mean? It can buy forty or fifty bottles of Qi-Nurturing Pills, or two high-grade magic tools, or even a dozen low-grade magic tools.

And this is just for one month.

The lifespan of a Qi Refining cultivator is at least a hundred years.

Looking at it in the long run, as long as Luo Chen continues to produce pills, what he brings to the Broken Mountain Gang will be stable and high returns.

Therefore, no matter how unwilling Hearing Mi Shuhua and Mi Junping were, they had to pay this salary.

……

Under the pitch-black night sky, Luo Chen sat alone on his bed.

The Grandmaster-level Everlasting Art circulated continuously; the Qi-Nurturing Pills in his body melted away, and the massive spiritual power was continuously absorbed by him.

Finally, it merged into one with his own spiritual power.

This process of transformation and absorption lasted for a long time.

The feeling of fullness and abundance persisted throughout.

Until Luo Chen gritted his teeth and swallowed another Qi-Nurturing Pill.

"Breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, it shall be today; let's break through in one go!"

As thoughts flashed, he continued to repeat the previous actions.

Due to the influx of new spiritual power, that feeling of fullness and abundance became even more intense, even giving the illusion of bloating.

Unknowingly, when Luo Chen finished his cultivation and opened his eyes.

His body was already permeated with the spiritual power fluctuations of the sixth level of Qi Refining.

"It's done!"

After years of effort, he had finally reached the level of Old Daoist Chen.

Now, among mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, he was also among the most powerful.

He glanced at the attribute panel.

【Sixth level of Qi Refining 1/100】

Luo Chen's originally happy mood suddenly became heavy.

The effect of the Qi-Nurturing Pills seemed to be getting worse and worse.

At the third level of Qi Refining, one Qi-Nurturing Pill could increase the progress bar by two points.

At the fourth level, one Qi-Nurturing Pill corresponded to one point.

At the fifth level, it took almost two Qi-Nurturing Pills to increase the progress bar by one point.

And this time, after breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, Luo Chen had already calculated it through the system.

He needed at least five pills to increase by one point.

A bottle of Qi-Nurturing Pills only had ten pills.

In other words, if he wanted to advance to the seventh level of Qi Refining, he needed at least fifty bottles of Qi-Nurturing Pills.

That is a full five thousand low-grade spirit stones!

Moreover, there is a limit to the number of pills that can be refined in a day.

"Grass! It's a type of plant!"

"This isn't cultivation; it's clearly eating spirit stones!"

The pack rat Luo Chen had turned into the gold-swallowing beast Luo Chen.

On his handsome face, his expression was uncertain; he always felt something was wrong.

Other low-level cultivators didn't waste spirit stones like him!

Is it because of his five-element spiritual root aptitude?

Or is it because the Grandmaster-level Everlasting Art opened up all his meridians, causing his body to require more spiritual power to break through realms?

Or are there other factors?

For a moment, Luo Chen couldn't find the source of the problem.

He only knew that he had to get as many cultivation resources as possible, and he also had to find a way to refine more pills in a day.

Oh, there is one more point.

The effect of the Qi-Nurturing Pills is getting worse; it seems there is a growing dilemma of drug resistance.

He still needs to find a new pill that can replace the Qi-Nurturing Pill.

A thousand thoughts rushed into his mind.

Yet Luo Chen seemed to have gotten used to it.

Planning one by one, Luo Chen finally got out of bed.

"No matter what, breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining today is a happy event."

"Let's drink a big cup of wine!"

Holding the green gourd, he walked into the courtyard while drinking yellow pear wine.

At this moment, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

In the small courtyard, it was silent, yet there was a figure sitting on the swing, swaying back and forth.

"Caiyi, you haven't slept yet?"

From the moment Luo Chen came out, Gu Caiyi had already discovered him.

She just nodded lightly, still swaying on the small swing.

Suddenly, she blinked.

"You've broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining?"

"Discovered by you, haha, sure enough, even if a genius is low-key, even in this dark night, they are like the bright moon, attracting attention."

Luo Chen chuckled.

Thinking for a moment, he pinched a hand seal, and his spiritual power circulated along a special route.

The leaking spiritual power fluctuations slowly retracted, entering the spiritual power seed specially condensed in his body.

In the blink of an eye, his leaking spiritual energy fluctuations became the level they should be for the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Breath-Concealing Spirit Technique!

"Caiyi, look again, what realm am I at!"

Gu Caiyi took a look, her eyes brightened for a moment, and then she said faintly: "Fifth level of Qi Refining."

Sure enough, the Breath-Concealing Spirit Technique was effective.

Especially in this month, he practiced it from time to time and had already entered the proficient level, able to barely restrain his spiritual energy fluctuations.

Luo Chen retracted and released, his spiritual energy fluctuations sometimes big and sometimes small, playing with it happily.

After playing for a while, he felt that the atmosphere was as cold as the moonlight.

"Caiyi, what's wrong with you? Are you in a bad mood?"

Gu Caiyi sighed, "Don't mind me; it's just that seeing you join the Broken Mountain Gang and your realm rising so fast, while my income has greatly decreased, I'm a bit worried for a moment."

Luo Chen was startled.

Income?

That's right, Gu Caiyi's monthly spirit stone income at the Long Long Tianxiang Tower used to be quite good.

Especially at the opening ceremony of the Dao-Discussion Platform, her dance was stunning, and she had enough of the limelight.

In the month that followed, she earned even more.

But what about after leaving the Long Long Tianxiang Tower?

Even though she is now a deacon of the Pill Hall, her monthly salary is only a little over a hundred spirit stones.

Sikong Shoujia also gets this salary, but don't forget, that old man also has the title of Elder and will have other extra income.

A monthly income of one hundred is already considered quite good.

Placed in the inner city, it is about the level of a deacon of a small shop or a lead clerk of a large shop.

However, this simply cannot satisfy the cultivation needs of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator.

Relying on this income, in what year and month will she be able to cultivate from the ninth level of Qi Refining to the Great Perfection?

How much time will it take to earn spirit stones and buy Foundation Establishment Pills to break through to Foundation Establishment from the Great Perfection?

"I am already thirty-nine years old."

"Although I have always longed for Foundation Establishment, I know it is a fantasy."

"But the Dust-Transforming Pill that Fei Bowen gave me back then allowed me to luckily advance to the ninth level of Qi Refining. Now, I am only one step away, but I am trapped here because of insufficient cultivation resources."

"I am not reconciled!"

"Luo Chen, leaving the Long Long Tianxiang Tower, was I right or wrong?"

Listening to these mutterings, Luo Chen was speechless for a moment.

He had jokingly said "keep" her back then, and then let Gu Caiyi join the Broken Mountain Gang to become the current Pill Hall deacon.

But until this moment, he realized.

The salary of a mere Pill Hall deacon simply cannot support her cultivation.

Of course, this was not his responsibility in the first place; introducing a livelihood to someone is always a kind and good deed.

Regarding Gu Caiyi's confusion, Luo Chen could only say:

"Although I can't say it's right, it's definitely not wrong. That Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Hua at the Long Long Tianxiang Tower, only a month or two after arriving, I heard that two or three female cultivators died in the building."

Luo Chen casually mentioned these things he had heard, and Gu Caiyi was silent for a moment.

Seeing this, Luo Chen didn't know how to comfort her.

He and Gu Caiyi were different.

Besides his monthly salary, he actually had a share of the pill profits.

Thinking of this, Luo Chen suddenly realized one thing.

The investment of Hearing Mi Shuhua and even the Broken Mountain Gang in the Pill Hall was basically getting bigger and bigger.

Apart from a few high-level members, there were dozens of mid-to-late-stage cultivators counting on the Pill Hall for food.

If his own income couldn't be raised, he was afraid that this group of people eating with him would have problems.

Job hopping?

Finding side jobs?

Gradually becoming indifferent to the Pill Hall's affairs?

"It seems that the matter of the Jade Marrow Pill cannot be delayed any longer!"

This thought flashed through Luo Chen's mind.

For the sake of others, and even more for himself!

The profit ceiling of the Myriad Wonder Pill was ultimately too low.

Only pills like the Jade Marrow Pill that are beneficial to cultivation are the real money-making tools!

……

……

Today was another day of opening the furnace to refine pills.

However, before opening the furnace, Luo Chen first met with the two deacons to see three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

They were the experts drawn from the three combat halls.

They were specially assigned to lead teams, responsible for transporting the Pill Hall's pills and sending them to designated places for sale.

A team of thirty cultivators, yet they were only escorting one thousand Myriad Wonder Pills.

To be honest, it was a bit like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken.

However, this was the gang leader's hard order, and no one expressed any objection.

Luo Chen knew very well that this personnel framework was not for the Myriad Wonder Pill, but for the future Jade Marrow Pill.

After handing this batch of Myriad Wonder Pills to the three, Luo Chen also casually asked about the places they were to be sent.

It turned out that the Broken Mountain Gang had already rented a small shop in the inner city, usually used to sell some scattered resources from the Ancient Origin Mountains.

Most of those resources were things that the big sects didn't look down on, and the Lianyun Business Alliance didn't look down on much either.

The Broken Mountain Gang couldn't digest them themselves, so they simply put them in the shop to sell.

There would always be rogue cultivators interested.

Now, Luo Chen's Myriad Wonder Pills would also become a special product in the shop.

Besides the shop, the rogue cultivator market in the south of the city and a small shop in the outer city were also destinations for the Myriad Wonder Pills.

After sending these people away, Luo Chen entered the pill room unhurriedly.

Gu Caiyi directed a large group of medicine apprentices to move all kinds of processed raw materials into the pill room.

Those fire-tenders were also in place one after another.

Luo Chen waved his hand, and pill refining began today!

Looking at his high-spirited appearance, a group of odd-job cultivators couldn't help but show envious expressions.

The work of this month had truly made them a bit numb.

Every day, they were repeating the same things.

Even as cultivators, they felt it was very boring.

They didn't know that if they were in modern society, they would be assembly line workers, only able to repeat the monotony day after day.

As for the future?

Becoming a noble alchemist?

Luo Chen had never heard of any assembly line worker who was promoted to CEO all the way.

Here with him, it was obviously impossible.

Luo Chen didn't care about these; Miss Xiangxiang from the Long Long Tianxiang Tower back then had also been a fire-tending child in the sect for three years.

He just focused on refining pills.

Beside him, Sister Mi Li was also busy, wiping sweat for Luo Chen from time to time and handing over the wine gourd.

It was agreed that she would just watch the pill refining, so why did she feel like she had become a maid taking care of people?

Sister Mi Li was also a bit confused.

When did this situation start?

It seemed to have started when Luo Chen asked her to buy cucumbers once?

Although she was grumbling in her heart, Sister Mi Li knew what she had to do.

She was trying her best to learn and imitate, but unfortunately, a month had passed, and there had been no progress.

When the pill refining ended again, she knew she hadn't learned anything again.

Just as she was disappointed, the pill furnace opened.

A rich fragrance of medicine, intense to the extreme, instantly attracted her attention.

"This is?"

A pill the size of a longan, red to the point of being almost purple, was shining brightly at Luo Chen's fingertips!

"High-grade Myriad Wonder Pill!!!"

Sister Mi Li's expression was shocked, and she exclaimed.

The cultivators responsible for watching the fire also all looked over.

Luo Chen looked at the high-grade pill in his hand, his face showing wild joy, but in reality, his heart was calm.

After refining thousands of Myriad Wonder Pills last month, his proficiency had long reached the Grandmaster level.

The reason it hadn't been shown before was just because he felt the timing wasn't right.

After all, having just joined the Broken Mountain Gang and refining a high-grade pill was truly shocking.

But now, there was no need to hide his clumsiness.

For the sake of cultivation resources, sometimes, one must be a bit reckless.

Throwing that high-grade Myriad Wonder Pill to Sister Mi Li.

After the woman caught it in a flurry, she saw Luo Chen floating into the stone house specially built for him.

"Today's pill refining, I have gained something, I need to go into seclusion for three days, do not disturb!"

After speaking, the stone door slammed shut.

A layer of rippling light waves spread out.

That was a first-grade formation that Hearing Mi Shuhua had specially left for the Pill Hall.

Sister Mi Li stared blankly at this scene, and then remembered something.

Without stopping, she left the Pill Hall directly and flew towards the Mi family's territory.

In the stone house, Luo Chen looked through the mountain wall window, his eyes deep, quietly watching this scene.

……

"Come in, why are you looking for me so urgently?"

Hearing Mi Shuhua woke up from his seclusion state.

There were too many things in the family and the gang, which had already begun to delay his cultivation.

Recently, he had finally managed to build the framework of the Pill Hall, so he took time to start a small seclusion.

But only two days had passed, and he was woken up by a sound-transmission talisman.

Therefore, his face was quite unhappy at the moment.

Sister Mi Li didn't know her grandfather's displeasure, holding that purple-red Myriad Wonder Pill, kneeling in front of him.

"High-grade pill!"

"Refined by Hall Master Luo, just today!"

With a beckon, the pill was in his hand.

Looking at those three purple-red pill patterns, Hearing Mi Shuhua was greatly shocked.

How long had that kid been in contact with the pill path?

Counting it up, it was only ten or twenty years, and he had actually refined a high-grade pill!

This child's pill path talent is actually so terrifying!

"Hall Master Luo said he had some insights into the pill path, so he decided to go into seclusion for three days." Sister Mi Li said again.

Hearing Mi Shuhua couldn't sit still at all now.

"Pill path insights!"

"Seclusion for three days!"

"Maybe after he comes out of seclusion, he can refine the Jade Marrow Pill!"

"Yes, it must be possible. Both are first-grade pills; if he can refine a high-grade Myriad Wonder Pill, there is no reason he can't refine a low-grade Jade Marrow Pill."

Hearing Mi Shuhua paced back and forth in the quiet room, muttering to himself.

His old face was changing expressions due to excitement.

"Low-grade is enough, no need for too high a price; set it at a dozen spirit stones, and it will definitely trigger a pill-buying craze among early-to-mid-stage cultivators."

"A bottle of Qi-Nurturing Pills is one hundred spirit stones; ordinary people simply can't afford it."

"As long as he can refine the Jade Marrow Pill, my Great Dao is promising!"

Suddenly, he stopped pacing.

"Let's go, to the Pill Hall!"

"During these three days of seclusion, I will not allow anyone to disturb Luo Chen!"

"I will protect his Dao!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his escape light unfolded, wrapping Sister Mi Li and flying out of the Mi family territory.

……

How to pass the three days?

Luo Chen stayed in the stone house, feeling a bit regretful.

The thought of being stuck in this room for three days made him a bit restless.

Heaven pity, although it is said that cultivators go into seclusion for thousands of years.

But in reality, since crossing over, he seemed to have never gone into seclusion for more than a full day.

It wasn't that he wasn't working hard.

It was just that low-level cultivators, because of their physique and spiritual sense, had a limit to the number of times they could circulate their cultivation techniques every day.

If they did more, they would be exhausted, and even cause various sequelae.

This predicament would only change after at least Foundation Establishment.

"Forget it, with the formation covering it, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator's spiritual sense won't be able to detect what I'm doing inside."

"Find something else to do!"

Luo Chen took out a piece of animal skin from his storage bag.

It was actually the second-grade pill recipe for the Blood Fiend Pill that Wang Yuan gave him.

He had had this thing for many days and would occasionally flip through it, but unfortunately, the progress was very low.

After all, it was a second-grade pill recipe.

"The main ingredients must be replaced, otherwise, as long as I start refining, I will definitely die if I am found out."

"Then, what raw materials should I use?"

"Cultivator essence blood? I don't know if monster beast blood will work."

"Yellow Spring Yin Fiend, this thing is not easy to find. And I don't have the method to collect fiend energy either. I still have to ponder it..."

For a moment, Luo Chen was addicted to the work of researching the second-grade pill recipe.

Occasionally waking up, he would eat a Grain-Bigu Pill.

When tired, he would change his way.

Either reading the "Green Origin Pill Explanation" (Green Origin's detailed explanation of the pill path), or practicing the Breath-Concealing Spirit Technique.

Occasionally, he would also self-mutilate!

Cutting a small opening on his hand or something, and then healing it with the Healing Technique, just to brush up the proficiency of the spell.

As for the "Jade Marrow Pill" that Hearing Mi Shuhua cared about most?

Luo Chen didn't care at all.

That was a first-grade pill recipe; he could use achievement points to get started at any time!

He even planned to get started on the day he came out of seclusion.

Just like that, three days passed in a flash.

When the formation disappeared, Luo Chen stepped out of the door slowly.

Looking at the old man waiting quietly outside, Luo Chen actually had a feeling of things being different and time passing like a white horse passing a crack.

Is this what a cultivator's seclusion is?

It was only three days, but it gave him a feeling that a long time had passed.

If his realm gets higher in the future and he truly goes into seclusion, will it be like the sea turning into mulberry fields?

While he was in a trance, an old voice came to his ears.

"Three days of separation, look at each other with new eyes."

"Little friend, you have actually broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining."

Before Luo Chen could say anything polite, the other party asked impatiently:

"Jade Marrow Pill, can it be refined?"

Luo Chen's face froze!

Old man, give me some face, don't be so direct.

And I broke through my realm, shouldn't you give me a congratulatory gift?

Magic tools, pills, or something, I wouldn't mind either. ===== CHAPTER 93 =====