Chapter 129: A Painstaking Plot
Chapter 129: Chapter 129: A Painstaking Plot
Watching Lin Changheng dash off, Elder Fang opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
In this situation, the more he spoke, the more it would seem like he had ulterior motives.
Shaking his head dejectedly, Elder Fang left, looking crestfallen.
...
When Lin Changheng arrived at the Alchemy Room, he didn’t start the furnace immediately. Instead, he took out the Earth Vein Yellow Ginseng Roots he had just put away and began to examine them closely.
Lin Changheng was naturally wary of anyone who wanted him to leave the district.
This meant he had to give the item from Elder Fang some extra scrutiny.
’It looks perfectly normal. These are definitely Earth Vein Yellow Ginseng Roots, no doubt about it. The soil on them, their appearance... it all suggests they were unearthed not long ago.’
There didn’t seem to be any problem.
’Am I just being paranoid?’
Lin Changheng suddenly smiled, but he didn’t think he was overreacting. It was precisely this caution that had allowed him to survive in the Cultivation Realm and get to where he was today.
’Time to start the furnace.’
He immediately drew upon the Earth Fire, activated the Fire Gathering Array, and began heating the furnace for Alchemy.
Although he possessed the Red Sky Demon Fire and had an Upper Grade Pill Furnace, why use his own when he could use the shop’s?
The Demon Fire consumed Magical Power, and the Upper Grade Magical Artifact Pill Furnace would also wear down with use.
Lin Changheng was a man of careful calculation.
...
Two hours later, Lin Changheng opened the door to the Alchemy Room and stepped out.
A Lower Grade Alchemist who had been waiting at the door hurried over and bowed respectfully. "Master Lin."
"Mm. Go on and tend to the elixirs," Lin Changheng instructed with a nod and a smile, glancing at the alchemist who appeared to be in his thirties.
"Yes, sir."
The alchemist immediately obeyed and went inside.
Watching the familiar scene, Lin Changheng felt a wave of emotion.
Thirty years ago, he was the deferential Alchemy Apprentice waiting at the door of an Alchemy Room.
Twenty years ago, there was an Alchemy Apprentice waiting at his door.
Now, someone still waited at his door, but it was an Entry Tier Alchemist.
That’s right. The one tending the furnace and watching the fire for an Upper Grade Alchemist was an Entry Tier Alchemist, someone who already held a respectable status within the clan.
It might seem demeaning to an Entry Tier Alchemist.
But in reality, this position was fiercely fought over.
Even older Middle Grade Alchemists with low potential couldn’t secure this role; only promising young alchemists favored by the clan had a chance.
And even then, they still needed Lin Changheng’s personal approval.
Therefore, these young alchemists would act with great deference, swallow their pride, and focus on observing and learning as much as possible.
This assignment would last no more than five years, but it would provide powerful support for their future advancement in the Alchemy Dao. After all, it was a rare and precious opportunity to get close to an Upper Grade Alchemist and their Upper Grade Alchemy, to learn through osmosis, to witness their techniques, and perhaps even receive personal guidance.
...
Amidst a chorus of respectful greetings, Lin Changheng made his way up to the fourth floor.
He locked the door, cleaned out a Spirit Basin, filled it with Spirit Soil, and once everything was ready, he took out the Earth Vein Yellow Ginseng Roots and attempted to infuse them with the True Intent of his Rongsheng Divine Abilities.
The root wasn’t dead; it still held a spark of life and hadn’t completely fallen into Withered Silence. Therefore, it shouldn’t require an infusion of his Lifespan.
This was Lin Changheng’s reasonable deduction, and it was the one variable missing from his previous experiments.
A lifeless Tier One Spirit Plant in Withered Silence, a living Tier One Spirit Plant, a lifeless Tier Two Spirit Plant in Withered Silence...
The missing piece of the puzzle was a living Tier Two Spirit Plant.
Now was the time to fill that gap and test his theory.
VMMMM—
The Magical Power, imbued with the True Intent of his Divine Abilities, gathered, ready to be infused into the root.
But in the next moment, a faint sensation surfaced in Lin Changheng’s mind.
It came from the True Intent of his Rongsheng Divine Abilities.
’What is this?’
Lin Changheng sensed that something was amiss. He continued probing, and soon a cold sneer appeared on his face. ’So that’s how it is.’
These roots hadn’t been recently harvested; they had been out of the ground for at least several years and carefully preserved.
Their fresh appearance had been faked using clever Spirit Plant techniques, so masterfully done that even Lin Changheng couldn’t tell the difference.
But the true state of its internal life force could not deceive Lin Changheng, who possessed the Rongsheng Divine Abilities.
He saw through the ruse almost instantly.
’So, there really is something fishy going on...’
Lin Changheng’s expression turned icy. His vigilance had not been misplaced.
This meant the Earth Vein Yellow Ginseng was a sham, and the secret cave in the mountain stream must be a lie, too. This could be an elaborate trap designed specifically for him!
’The only question is, is Elder Fang luring me out of the district to rob and kill me, or is he acting on someone else’s orders?’
...
Lin Changheng didn’t stop, continuing to pour his Magical Power into the root.
’The man might be bad, but the item is innocent. Besides, I paid for this with Spirit Stones!’
At first, the Earth Vein Yellow Ginseng Roots showed no reaction. Just as Lin Changheng’s eyes dimmed, thinking his guess was wrong, a slow change finally occurred.
On the surface of the withered root, a few hair-thin green lines finally appeared.
"It’s working!"
Lin Changheng was very patient. He waited until there were enough green lines, and they began to move across the root’s surface like living things, finally converging at the severed end to form a single, tender green sprout.
It grew right out of the root.
’I’ll just have to cultivate it slowly. A shame I still don’t have a medicinal garden.’
With no Cave Abode, he could only live upstairs at the Pill Shop and use a Spirit Basin for temporary planting, which made him daydream about the future.
...
「Another half a year passed.」
Lin Changheng still frequently saw Elder Fang at the Alchemy Shop.
The pattern of their interactions remained unchanged.
Lin Changheng pretended to be completely oblivious, continuing to perform Alchemy for Elder Fang—’only a fool would turn down Spirit Stones’—and in doing so, he obtained two or three excellent Upper Grade Pill Formulas.
During this time, whenever the atmosphere became friendly enough, Elder Fang would take the opportunity to invite Lin Changheng out for some fun. For instance, a new place called the Hundred Charms Tower had opened in the Cyan Spirit District. The Female Demons inside were all specially trained and had mastered seventy-two methods of providing pleasure, making many a Cultivator forget all thoughts of returning home.
Lin Changheng always found a polite excuse to refuse.
Having tried every method without success, Elder Fang was practically at his wit’s end.
...
On this day, the Sun Family’s Xuanlin Residence delivered another batch of Essence Blood, and with it, the Red Sky Crane Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer welcomed a new change.
A True Core spun gently inside the Primordial Cauldron.
[Red Sky Crane Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]
[Metamorphosis: 0/10]
[Utility: A Muddy Evil Demon Beast Bloodline with an Innate Fire Attribute. After achieving Perfect Spirit Stealing and undergoing Life Nurturing Dao, it can be refined into the bloodline’s Ancestor Demon Technique: "Red Sky Profound Flame."]
’Everything is ready; I’m just waiting for the final piece.’
’All I need are forty portions of Fire Element Profound Spirit Essence Blood to successfully metamorphose the Red Sky Profound Flame. I wonder what the difference is between the Red Sky Profound Flame and the Red Sky Demon Fire? Judging by the names, though, the former sounds far more grand and righteous.’
Lin Changheng thought to himself, then turned his gaze to the rosy True Core in the Primordial Cauldron, which came from the Flame-tailed Spirit Fox Essence Blood!
[Flame-tailed Spirit Fox Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]
[Metamorphosis: 0/10]
[Utility: A Muddy Evil Demon Beast Bloodline with an Innate Fire Attribute and a Celestial Gift of Charming. After achieving Perfect Spirit Stealing and undergoing Life Nurturing Dao, it can be refined into the bloodline’s Ancestor Demon Technique: "Illusionary Transformation."]
He had completed the Spirit Stealing for both Ancestor Demon Techniques at nearly the same time. Now, only the final step of Metamorphosis remained.
’Although the Cyan Spirit District is developing rapidly, its foundations are still too shallow. It can no longer meet my needs for Essence Blood, nor can it provide the Spiritual Objects and Foundation Establishment Pill I’ll require for my future Foundation Establishment...’
’I need to start making plans for the future.’