Chapter 98: Accumulation

Early morning.

The vast Merit Bestowal Grounds bustled with disciples, except near the Dao Sermon Stage. Many who had returned from missions exchanged resources here, similar to how Fang Shan obtained ‘Spirit Ginseng Cultivation Technique’ through this marketplace.

Chen Luo circled around and found Huang Ying selling spirit talismans at a corner.

In just a few days, Huang Ying’s cultivation had advanced further, reaching the fifth layer of Qi Refinement. It was evident that assisting Elder Sister Shen in selling paper talismans had been quite profitable for her. However, Fu An, who usually followed her closely, was nowhere to be seen; whether he had fallen or gone on a mission alone remained unclear.

“Elder Brother Chen? You’re back.”

Seeing Chen Luo, surprise lit up Huang Ying’s face.

Having entered the sect together and being fellow natives of the She Nation, their bond was naturally stronger than with others. Additionally, for Huang Ying, Chen Luo served as her source of income, further deepening their connection.

“How did your mission go? I heard from Fu An that you participated in a joint task. Those require at least the fifth layer of Qi Refinement…”

Huang Ying’s voice trailed off, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Y-y-you, the sixth layer of Qi Refinement?! You’ve broken through again!” Huang Ying felt deeply shaken.

With her tier-4 spiritual roots, theoretically, there shouldn’t be such a significant gap between herself and Chen Luo. Just recently, she had used accumulated spirit stones to acquire a Vitality Nurturing Pill, which enabled her to swiftly breakthrough to the fifth layer of Qi Refinement. She thought she had finally caught up with Chen Luo’s realm, only to discover that within days, he had advanced once more.

“I want to purchase a pill furnace. Do you have any connections for that?” Chen Luo, unfazed by Huang Ying’s astonishment, stated his purpose directly.

His current objective was clear:

Learn pill concocting and strive for the Late Stage Qi Refinement.

“A pill furnace? Not a talisman brush?” Huang Ying questioned, thinking she might have misheard.

“Yes, a pill furnace specifically for concocting medicinal pills. I’m planning to learn pill concocting soon. Oh, and if possible, could you also help me obtain materials on pharmacology?” Chen Luo added.

“You want to learn pill concocting too? Aren’t you already a talisman master?”

Huang Ying felt an urge to stand up and grab Chen Luo by his clothes, urging him not to embark on such a reckless endeavor.

Why abandon his exceptional talent as a talisman master to learn pill concocting instead?

Pill concoction wasn’t something just anyone could master! Setting aside the issue of aptitude, consider the resources wasted that could have bought numerous medicinal pills. Not only would it severely hinder his cultivation progress, but there was also a high risk of achieving nothing at all.

“Don’t worry about the spirit stones. I’ve drawn some Dust Removal Talismans to cover for now, and I’ll make up the rest once I learn additional talismans.”

Chen Luo reached into his robe, producing a thick stack of spirit talismans.

He had crafted these last night. Since reaching the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, his speed in drawing talismans significantly improved.

“Oh right, regarding the spirit talisman templates I asked Fu An to mention, did you manage to find them?”

“Ah, yes. Here they are. Apart from the Search Talisman, there are several other types included.” Mentioning the spirit talisman business instantly brought Huang Ying back to her senses.

She handed over the templates she had found earlier. These weren’t particularly valuable; with a simple request to Elder Sister Shen, obtaining them was quite easy.

“How many spirit stones do I owe you?”

“Just five,” Huang Ying replied, quoting the cost price.

“Great.”

Chen Luo took out five spirit stones.

Having earned these from rogue cultivators during his mission, he now spent nearly half of them instantly.

“Shixiong, you must carefully consider pill concocting; it’s like falling into a bottomless pit. I’ve seen too many failures,” Huang Ying couldn’t resist warning as she noticed Chen Luo preparing to leave.

“Don’t worry.”

Chen Luo waved his hand and hurried back to draw more talismans. To gather enough spirit stones for the pill furnace and pharmacology manual, he decided not to rest at all that night.

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Luo arrived once again at the Merit Bestowal Grounds with over thirty talismans he had painstakingly drawn overnight. With the assistance of his external brains, he managed to create thirty-two spirit talismans in one evening.

For most people, such intense drawing would have depleted their mental focus completely. While spiritual energy consumption was part of it, replenishing mental stamina proved far more challenging.

Fortunately, Chen Luo had ample external brains to borrow from, allowing him to sustain his concentration. By rotating several brains adept at drawing talismans, he could maintain productivity throughout the night.

“You’ve learned the Search Talisman already?!” As Huang Ying examined the brand-new spirit talismans Chen Luo presented, she felt utterly astounded.

It was becoming increasingly clear to her that Elder Brother Chen was far from ordinary; one should never attempt to compare with him.

“I also have the other two types of spirit talismans. Take a look and estimate their value.”

Chen Luo separated the paper talismans. On the left side, there were only five sheets, representing ‘Mind Calming Talismans.’ On the right, seven ‘Flame Ignition Talismans’ lay stacked, and the rest were all ‘Search Talismans.’ These were low-level talismans that could be drawn by those in the Qi Refinement stage.

“Even Flame Ignition and Mind Calming Talismans?”

Huang Ying was rendered speechless.

Although the Mind Calming Talisman is considered a low-level talisman, its drawing complexity is extremely high. Even her close friend, Senior Sister Shen, had learned it only recently, taking a full three months!

“Here’s the pill furnace and the overview of pharmacology you requested.”

Huang Ying retrieved the items she had procured yesterday from her bag of holding. She sensed that Elder Brother Chen might genuinely possess aptitude for pill concoction.

“No need for additional compensation?” Chen Luo was somewhat surprised, not expecting this to cover the cost.

“If not for the Mind Calming Talismans, it might have been short. Including them, I actually owe you seven spirit stones.” Huang Ying explained the prices for each type of spirit talisman. To maintain long-term cooperation, honesty was crucial; otherwise, once Chen Luo discovered the true values later, their amicable partnership would falter.

“Hold on, don’t give them to me just yet,” Chen Luo said, gently restraining Huang Ying’s hand as she reached for the spirit stones. “Instead, could you exchange these for a pill formula and some basic spirit materials?”

“A pill formula?” Huang Ying furrowed her brow.

Pill formulas were not ordinary items; they were beyond her ability to obtain. Even at Medicine King Peak, such formulas were considered core secrets, strictly guarded against unauthorized dissemination.

“Is it problematic? If not possible, preparing some basic herbs would also be helpful,” Chen Luo quickly realized.

Acquiring a pill formula was undoubtedly challenging.

Its value differed significantly from that of the pill furnace or the pharmacology overview he already possessed, as it involved the core legacy of an alchemist.

“Alright.”

Huang Ying sighed with relief. As long as it wasn’t a pill formula, everything else should be manageable.

Elder Brother Chen, being a prodigy in talismanry, must be kept close. Whether she could accumulate resources for Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivation largely depended on him.

Over the next few days, whenever Chen Luo wasn’t drawing talismans, he spent his time studying pharmacology.

With the aid of external reference sources, he managed to memorize the properties of over three thousand spirit materials within three days. Following this, he spent another two days at the market down the mountain, identifying actual specimens to ensure accuracy.

Throughout this process, his own spiritual energy cultivation gradually neared perfection.

He had reached the peak of the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.

At this stage, Chen Luo began to feel the limitations imposed by his aptitude.

For those with mid-grade spirit roots, the pace of cultivation slows down from the middle stages of Qi Refinement. Cultivators with high-grade spirit roots typically experience this only in the late stages. Sensing this change, Chen Luo’s urgency for pill concoction grew even more pressing.

His aptitude was synthesized using external brains. Apart from the unstable mummified brain, the strongest were from two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Given that they achieved Foundation Establishment during their lifetimes, their innate talents must have been exceptional. Unfortunately, due to their prolonged death, their brains were severely deteriorated, providing limited enhancement to Chen Luo.

Based on Chen Luo’s estimation, to upgrade to dual spiritual roots, he would need at least ten fragmented Foundation Establishment brains. If any were highly intact, it could potentially take just one.

However, considering Chen Luo’s current realm, obtaining such complete Foundation Establishment brains was not feasible.

The risks far outweighed the benefits.

“Shixiong, here are the spirit materials you requested - twenty basic types in total.”

Huang Ying handed over the acquired spirit materials to Chen Luo.

Over these five days, Chen Luo had purchased spirit materials from her three times, each time increasing the quantity needed.

“Great, keep gathering them for me.”

After receiving the spirit materials, Chen Luo handed over the spirit talismans he had drawn the previous day to Huang Ying.

“Shixiong, wait,” Huang Ying called out as she took the talismans, stopping Chen Luo who was about to leave.

“I’ve collected quite a few spirit talismans these past days. It might be some time before I can accept more.”

In just five short days, she had acquired nearly half a year’s worth of talismans.

The sudden influx of so many spirit talismans into the market caused their prices to significantly drop. Similar to medicinal herbs, there is a specific consumer base for spirit talismans; once the supply exceeds this demand, the prices rapidly decline.

Taken aback, Chen Luo nodded in understanding.

“I see.”

He hadn’t anticipated Wu Dao Peak’s limited purchasing power, reaching its capacity within only five days.

Since Huang Ying could no longer accept more, Chen Luo decided against drawing additional talismans for now. Instead, he planned to use this time to thoroughly study pill concocting.

Without obtaining a pill formula, his process would be considerably more challenging than others’. He could only rely on the intuition from the external brains’ prior lives and experiment gradually. This method may seem crude, but it was the most cost-effective approach for Chen Luo.

Two months later.

At the marketplace below Wu Dao Peak.

“Still three sets of basic spirit materials, all twenty types?”

The pharmacy owner eyed Chen Luo entering and casually yawned.

These shops were part of the sect, located at the foot of the mountain where disciples from all ten main peaks conducted their transactions. It served as an internal marketplace within the sect.

Previously, Chen Luo had relied on Huang Ying to purchase items for him. However, over the past half-month, Huang Ying’s cultivation experienced a breakthrough, leading her to enter secluded cultivation. With no one else to assist him, he had to descend the mountain to buy what he needed himself.

Having made frequent purchases, Chen Luo became acquainted with the pharmacy owner.

“Boss, I need ten portions of Sun-Moon Grass.”

Before Chen Luo could finish speaking, another figure entered the shop.

He turned around, surprise flickering in his eyes.

“Du Jian-shidi?”

To his astonishment, it was Du Jian, who had escaped alongside him from the Yue Tomb. A disciple of Daoist Heartflame, they had joined the Divine Lake Immortal Sect together with his three fellow brothers and sister Xie Shuang. However, after entering the sect, each chose different paths and went to separate main peaks.

After not seeing each other for nearly a year, Du Jian appeared significantly more mature. Dressed in a long azure robe, he wore the typical wooden crown of Medicine King Peak disciples. His cultivation base had reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement, which, for someone with mid-grade spiritual roots, was considered quite decent. Chen Luo, on the other hand, being an anomaly, had already begun to approach Late Stage Qi Refinement within less than a year.

“Elder Brother Chen?”

Du Jian was momentarily taken aback before recognizing him.

It had been less than a year since their escape from the Yue Kingdom’s Great Tomb. Yet within those nine months, they experienced more events than in most of their previous lives combined. Consequently, encountering a familiar face now felt almost surreal.

“Long time no see,” Chen Luo greeted with a smile.

He hadn’t anticipated such a fortunate coincidence of meeting someone he knew. Judging by Du Jian’s appearance, it seemed he had joined Medicine King Peak, but he wondered how his Eldest Apprentice-Brother Doude was faring.

If Chen Luo recalled correctly, Doude’s aptitude wasn’t particularly impressive, possessing low-grade spiritual roots.

“It truly is Elder Brother Chen! I never expected to meet you here.” Du Jian expressed his delight enthusiastically.

Encountering an old friend in an unexpected place is one of life’s great joys—a cause for celebration indeed!

“Come, come, let’s go have a drink today; we must catch up.” Without further ado, Du Jian eagerly pulled Chen Luo out, intent on finding someplace to share a toast.

“You don’t want the Sun-Moon Grass anymore?” The pharmacy owner emerged with the medicine just as he saw Du Jian leading Chen Luo away.

“Yes, I’ll pick it up later.” With a hearty laugh, Du Jian placed the spirit stones on the table and continued guiding Chen Luo outside.

They didn’t head to any extravagant restaurants but chose a small establishment near the apothecary.

“Where’s Du De-shixiong? Why isn’t he joining us? Come to think of it, I’m not even sure which main peaks you all joined.” Once their food and wine were served, Chen Luo inquired curiously.

Since entering Wu Dao Peak, he rarely ventured down the mountain. This unexpected encounter presented a perfect opportunity to catch up.

“Eldest Apprentice-Brother joined Divine Fire Peak, Junior Brothers Du Zhi and another went to Beast Control Peak, Junior Sister Xie Shuang headed to Tianlu Peak, and I am at Medicine King Peak,” Du Jian briefly summarized where each had been assigned.

“After joining the sect, we spent the first three months diligently cultivating. The techniques here differ significantly from those back home; it took considerable effort for me to adapt.” Even now, Du Jian sighed when mentioning the contrasting cultivation methods.

Raised together by Daoist Heartflame since childhood, many of their beliefs were deeply ingrained. Transitioning was undoubtedly more challenging for them than it was for Chen Luo. However, with their decent aptitudes, they persevered through the initial struggles and successfully adapted. Judging by Du Jian’s progress, his cultivation technique seemed stable, reaching the fourth level of Qi Condensation—a pace that wasn’t slow among this batch of disciples.