Chapter 42: Sending Back Information

Now was the time to test the Karma Cauldron’s automatic pill-concocting feature.

The eighty-one spaces within the cauldron required a minimum of four for refining each batch of Foundation Establishment Pills.

Qin Shu planned out his strategy: he could simultaneously refine two hundred batches, yielding two thousand pills in total.

However, he currently only had materials for several dozen batches—far from enough.

“For now, this will suffice,” he thought. He poured all the remaining Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients into the cauldron, then input his Karma True Yuan.

In an instant, the Karma Cauldron was enveloped by Karma True Fire. It began to rotate, absorbing surrounding spiritual energy as fuel.

Qin Shu sensed the conditions inside the cauldron—the medicinal herbs were being perfectly extracted, the internal space automatically pressurized, and the medicinal liquid blended flawlessly before coalescing into individual Foundation Establishment Pills.

In less than a day, Qin Shu found himself with nine hundred thirty perfect-grade Foundation Establishment Pills.

This represented an income of 251,100 spirit soul coins. If he could manage two hundred batches per day, that would equate to 540,000 spirit soul coins daily.

The goal of nine hundred million spirit soul coins no longer seemed so distant—just about five years away.

He smiled; the day of his return was drawing near.

Qin Shu immediately set out, selling nine hundred Foundation Establishment Pills at the Money God Shopping Mall. Then, he procured six thousand standard batches’ worth of materials and retreated into secluded cultivation.

As for pill concocting, that was the domain of the Karma Cauldron.

Xiao Yan, on the other hand, consumed three perfect-grade Foundation Establishment Pills daily. With the catalytic effect of these pills, combined with the substantial amount of karma he had absorbed in the Abyss Fragment realm, it took less than a month for him to break through from second rank to third rank.

His progression was even faster than Qin Shu’s.

However, upon reaching third rank, Xiao Yan’s cultivation speed began to slow down. The potency of the Foundation Establishment Pills was geared towards second rank, making them less effective for third-rank beings.

Thus, Qin Shu stopped wasting Foundation Establishment Pills on Xiao Yan. Instead, after depleting his supplies of the necessary ingredients, he prepared to concoct medicinal pills suitable for the Core Formation stage.

Pills like the Yin-Yang Pill were highly sought after by cultivators at this stage, as they could significantly accelerate their progress.

Qin Shu released 60,000 Foundation Establishment Pills into the market.

This time, he bypassed the Money God Shopping Mall.

Selling one thousand pills, even if they were all perfect grade, wasn’t nearly as impactful. But sixty thousand pills were a different matter entirely. Qin Shu headed to the awakened being free market, using dozens of different identities and spending over a month before finally offloading the entire batch of Foundation Establishment Pills.

Thanks to his mastery of the Stellar Transformation great divine ability, he managed to avoid drawing attention throughout the process.

In just three months, his income soared to over sixteen million spiritual soul coins.

Qin Shu pondered for a moment before arriving at the Money God Shopping Mall. He decided to spend ten million spiritual soul coins through the mall’s special channel to convey the news that he was still alive back home.

As Zhao Gongqian observed Qin Shu standing before him, he asked incredulously, “Have you truly decided to spend sixteen million spiritual soul coins?”

“That’s correct,” Qin Shu nodded. “Ten million for the message is fine, right? And transferring six million to my family shouldn’t be too much, should it?”

“Not at all.” Zhao Gongqian shook his head. “The transfer will just be an add-on. When the time comes, we’ll provide your family with a Golden Spiritual Soul Card.”

He desperately wanted to ask Qin Shu where all this money had come from; accumulating such wealth in mere months seemed implausibly swift. However, adhering to the rules of the Money God Shopping Mall, he refrained from asking.

“Then I’ll leave it to you,” Qin Shu said, completing the transaction by swiping his card.

After deducting sixteen million, his card still held over eight million spiritual soul coins.

Next came a massive shopping spree at the Money God Shopping Mall. He purchased substantial amounts of third-rank monster meat, a storage ring capable of holding one hundred thousand cubic meters, and ingredients for one hundred batches of Yin-Yang Pills along with their pill formula, spending well over three hundred thousand spiritual soul coins in total.

Specifically, the storage ring cost one hundred thousand, the Yin-Yang Pill formula ten thousand, and the medicinal ingredients two hundred thousand.

Nine Provinces Holy Court, Yangzhou City.

The third day since the abyssal eruption in the Kui Mountain Range.

At Qin Shu’s home, upon hearing this news, Wang Yurou fainted on the spot. When she came to, she remained disoriented for several days.

Qin Wei also fell into a deep self-reproach over losing his eldest son, casting a heavy gloom over their household.

But what could they do?

Hundreds of millions of square kilometers of land had plunged into the Abyss. More than half the members of the God of War Academy’s 179th branch were stranded there, including some of this year’s new students.

In an instant, the entire city of Yangzhou was shaken to its core.

As for the Kui Mountain Range, after its descent into the Abyss, it seemed as if a piece of the earth had been excised. The void’s power twisted and distorted, forcing the land to heal itself.

After much struggle, the concentration of spiritual energy in this patch of earth dropped significantly. It would likely take many years to recover fully.

Even Yangzhou City’s spiritual energy levels decreased, making it uncertain whether any God-tier souls would awaken during this year’s ceremony.

Fortunately, Qin Qing wasn’t scheduled to awaken until next year, so she should be unaffected.

Months passed—three since New Year’s Day—and the atmosphere at Qin Shu’s home gradually began to improve.

They still clung to a sliver of hope: that Qin Shu might yet be alive.

Especially Wang Yurou.

She had invested the most heart and effort in her firstborn son.

Partly because Qin Shu had always been such a well-behaved child from infancy—he never cried or caused trouble, and even knew how to cry when hungry—which made him particularly easy to raise.

After all, he had lived two lifetimes.

That moment was when Wang Yurou experienced the strongest feeling of motherhood since giving birth to him.

As Qin Shu grew slightly older, he even helped take care of his younger siblings. With such maturity, how could any normal mother like Wang Yurou not favor him a little more?

However, Qin Shu passed on this favoritism to his brothers and sisters.

Thus, among three elder sisters, one younger sister, and two younger brothers, the family became very close-knit.

Sometimes, Qin Shu acted more like an eldest brother rather than being ranked fourth in age.

On the third day after Qin Shu returned from the Money God Shopping Mall to resume cultivation—Saturday—he sent news back to Yangzhou City.

In the Immortal District of Yangzhou City, a Primordial Infant stage staff member flew up on a sword and arrived precisely at dinnertime in front of Qin Shu’s house.

“Are Qin Shu’s family members home?”

Inside, eight family members were having dinner. Upon hearing the voice outside, everyone except Qin Hao froze in shock.

For these past few months, they had silently recited Qin Shu’s name within their hearts. Only Qin Hao asked every day where Fourth Brother had gone and when he would return.

Now, suddenly hearing someone inquire about Qin Shu’s family, how could they not be stunned?

Qin Hao’s eyes lit up. “Is Fourth Brother coming back?” he asked.

The others snapped out of their shock, and Wang Yurou rushed out first. “Yes, I’m Qin Shu’s mother,” she said. “Do you have news about him?”

“Hello, Mrs. Qin Shu, I’m Wang Datong from the Money God Shopping Mall. May I come in and discuss something with you?”

“Please do!” Wang Yurou hastily invited Wang Datong inside.

In the living room, eight pairs of eyes focused intently on Wang Datong.

Aware of their urgency, Wang Datong immediately produced a Gold Spiritual Soul Card and handed it to Qin Wei. “Mr. Qin Shu, your son entrusted us at the Money God Shopping Mall to deliver this to you. It contains six million spiritual soul coins, intended as startup capital for his younger siblings after their spiritual soul awakenings. He feared he might not return in time.”

“He also brought back a message. He’s currently at the Donghua Immortal Court. During the Abyssal energy surge, he entered the Infinite Abyss and was teleported there upon exit. He assures you that he’s safe and should be able to return within a few years.”

Upon hearing this news, Wang Yurou was most visibly moved, letting out a sob as she buried her face in Qin Wei’s shoulder, her grief-stricken wails echoing through the room.

“Little Shu is alive! I knew Little Shu wasn’t dead,” she wept.

Except for Qin Hao, everyone else, including Qin Wei, couldn’t hold back their tears of joy.

“Mum, Dad, why are you all crying?” Qin Hao asked innocently before joining in, his young heart overwhelmed by the emotional atmosphere.

This left Wang Datong feeling somewhat awkward, holding the unclaimed Gold Spiritual Soul Card in his hand.