Chapter 104: Bottleneck

How to solve inflation, Lin Bai did not understand, and Xu Longyun did not understand either.

In the end.

Lin Bai persuaded Xu Longyun with one sentence: "Life will always find a way."

Thus.

Xu Longyun agreed to Lin Bai's plan to let the Heavenly Descended advertise wantonly in Jiamu City, on the condition that it must be reported to the City Lord's Mansion.

She was out of options, too.

The twenty-two Jichu Cheng of the Taiyi Kingdom all have communication with each other.

Since the Heavenly Descended entered the world, the living conditions of the commoners in Jiamu City could be said to be the most peaceful and stable.

Xu Longyun knew in her heart that this was all thanks to Lin Bai; he, by his own strength, drew the gaze of all the Heavenly Descended onto himself.

Because of this, the harassment of the commoners by the Heavenly Descended had lessened significantly, which was also the reason why Xu Longyun repeatedly indulged, tolerated, and even protected Lin Bai.

Fighting evil with evil, that was likely the logic behind it.

……

The matter of the advertisements was handled by people from the City Lord's Mansion coordinating with the Beggar Sect; Lin Bai couldn't be bothered with these trivial matters and went to the Alchemy Room on his own.

As "The Collection of Heavenly Flaws" continued to ferment and spread by word of mouth among scholars, the progress of the Residual Value increased at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Lin Bai estimated that in two days at most, he would be able to obtain over seventy years of Internal Energy.

By then, he would truly step into the ranks of first-class experts.

Lin Bai had asked Xu Longyun indirectly about the proportion of Martial Dao and Cultivation in this world, as well as the strength of the two professions.

Below the Golden Core stage.

Given the same amount of cultivation time, if they possessed high-level techniques, martial artists would mostly surpass cultivators.

But once a cultivator formed a Golden Core, they could use magic power to mobilize the power of heaven and earth, and their combat strength would far exceed that of a martial artist.

However, it was extremely difficult for cultivators to form a core, the resources consumed far exceeded those of martial artists, and furthermore, the requirements for talent were extremely high.

Therefore, most people in the world still focused on practicing martial arts; even cultivators, in the early stages, would often practice some Martial Arts to have a certain degree of self-preservation...

Like Daoist Qingfeng, it was precisely because he could not break through to the Golden Core stage for a long time that he was sent by Huilong Temple to Jiamu City to guard the Lingjie Fengxi; in a cultivation sect, someone like him basically belonged to the type that had been abandoned.

It was precisely because of this that Lin Bai was able to persuade him with a few words. Daoist Qingfeng knew very well in his heart that if he died, Huilong Temple might not necessarily help him take revenge.

This did not mean that cultivators were necessarily stronger than martial artists.

There was no lack of brilliant talents in Martial Dao who tempered their bodies into golden physiques, broke through the shackles of Martial Dao with martial strength, could move mountains and overturn seas at will, and with one punch, could terrify ghosts and gods.

Their combat strength was formidable, and even powerful Loose Immortals had to avoid their edge.

Strictly speaking, they could no longer be considered martial artists; it would be more accurate to say they had taken the path of entering the Dao through martial arts.

……

To put it in gaming terms.

Martial artists played the early game, while cultivators played the mid-to-late game.

But in the very late game, the pros and cons of the two professions still depended on Skills and talent...

However.

When it came to the players, the pros and cons of martial artists and cultivators no longer existed; it depended entirely on what profession they wanted to play!

Therefore.

Lin Bai wanted a better life.

The only thing he could do was to keep himself strong at all times and disrupt the professional system of this world—that is, to make the players as unproductive as possible.

This was the path Lin Bai had planned for himself.

But influencing the world required a voice and personal strength.

Therefore.

Lin Bai had to ensure his strength could stay far ahead of the players, and he also had to gradually interact with NPCs through his own influence, subsequently becoming their ally and subtly influencing their decisions.

Come to think of it.

This was a rather difficult road to walk, but currently, Lin Bai was doing well; he had not only opened up a market among the players but also gained a certain amount of influence with the royal family through Xu Longyun.

What remained was to conquer those large cultivation sects.

……

Jiang Qingqin was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, not yet having reached the Golden Core stage.

This time, she took on the mission of escorting the Heavenly Descended to Qian City, firstly to visit Jiamu City to catch up with Xu Longyun, and secondly for training, seeking an opportunity for a breakthrough.

Once she broke through, she would ascend to the ranks of Golden Core True Persons and become a true expert.

By then.

Lin Bai's bit of Internal Energy cultivation would likely not be enough to look at.

And those stationed in Qian City to recruit apprentices for various sects were mostly Golden Core experts, so Lin Bai was urgently wanting to improve his own strength.

Since he could not find a breakthrough for his Internal Energy and Martial Arts in the near future, the only thing Lin Bai hoped for was pills.

He discovered that the pills he had concocted on a whim were all quite wondrous.

Unlike Xu Longyun, what Lin Bai valued was not the main effect of the pills, but the side effects.

If the side effects of those pills were used well, they might achieve miraculous results in future battles.

However.

Perhaps the previous pills had exhausted his accumulated Luck, or perhaps he had been distracted by too many things.

For two days in a row.

No new pills had been researched; even by subtracting from the recipes of the Rejuvenation Pill and the Zhangdu Pill, he could not come up with any new recipes.

Let alone the detox pills and Poison Pills that Lin Bai was looking forward to.

……

"A bottleneck? Are you joking?" Hearing Lin Bai's complaint, Xu Longyun was almost amused to the point of anger. "What more do you want? In less than half a month, you've already tinkered with three new pill formulas. Even the top-tier alchemists of the Medicine King Valley might not be able to perform a Divination for one new formula in a year. Do you really think developing pill formulas is the same as stir-frying?"

"Are the alchemists of the Medicine King Valley that stupid?" Lin Bai asked.

"It's not that they are stupid. Since the birth of the alchemy industry, pills for every aspect have already been researched by our predecessors. Every pill formula has already been perfected; it is not easy to add or subtract anything, let alone create a new pill formula." Xu Longyun shot a glare at Lin Bai and said.

"Is innovating pill formulas that difficult?" Lin Bai asked in surprise.

"What did you think?" Xu Longyun said.

"..." Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun and said sheepishly, "I feel like I sold my pill formulas too cheaply."

【Resentment from Xu Longyun; +1+1】

"What are you thinking about?" Xu Longyun rolled her eyes at him. "If you calculate it carefully, the only one that truly counts as a new pill formula is your fifteen-minute Inedia Pill. The other two Rejuvenation Pill formulas were just additions or subtractions based on existing ones; their practicality isn't high, and I've already paid a premium! If you can't research any more pill formulas, I suggest you go out and manage your Beggar Sect instead of staying here and angering me."

"Oh." Lin Bai smiled, held Xiaobai, and turned to leave.

Having walked only two steps, Xu Longyun's voice came from behind: "If you can't research new pill formulas, it might be due to the medicinal herbs. Jiamu City only has ordinary medicinal herbs. High-grade medicinal herbs need to be grown in a Spirit Field, and Jiamu City doesn't have the conditions for that, while most Spirit Fields are controlled by cultivation sects. If you truly want to walk the path of an alchemist, you must possess your own sect, and the sect must have a Spirit Field specifically for planting medicinal herbs."

"Thanks." Lin Bai looked back with a faint smile, waved at Xu Longyun, and continued walking outward.

Sure enough.

Cultivation resources are all mutually supporting.

What was restricting him was not the medicinal herbs, but Jiamu City, this newbie village.

The Wanwu Youque System, the Peerless Divine Doctor System, the Super Sect Leader System, and even the Emotion System—several powerful systems were all being throttled by the newbie village.

One thing after another was forcing him to head out; wanting to stay in the newbie village and slack off until he reached the top before going out to wander was simply impossible.

But it would still take two days to reach Qian City, so he couldn't just waste the time.

Walking on the street, Lin Bai looked at the rapidly changing Jiamu City, which was filled with advertising slogans everywhere, and pondered what other systems he could develop: "Hundred Flowers Valley, Medicine King Valley, Spirit Tool Pavilion... Spirit Tool Pavilion, that's right! If there are pills, there must be Dharma Treasures. How could I have ignored the profession of Weapon Refinement? Stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one; perhaps I should change my way of thinking."

The money exchange rate in the previous chapter was calculated incorrectly; it has been corrected, but it does not affect reading. Sorry, ￣□￣｜｜

(End of chapter)