Eternal Life: I Can Harvest Demon Beast Talents

Chapter 153: Chapter 145: Rising to Fame, Profound Spirit Essence Blood

The letter also revealed that the Xu Family’s strength and foundation were steadily growing, thanks to the Cyan Spirit District and other resources. The number of their Late Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators had more than doubled.

They had also added three at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

This was all thanks to having a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in charge. Otherwise, with predators lurking outside, they would have been unable to defend their assets.

My neighbor stockpiles food, so I stockpile weapons. My neighbor is my granary. That’s the logic.

Secondly, Xu Fugui’s fifth son, who possessed a Middle Grade Spirit Root, was now over thirty and had reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

He had a high chance of breaking through to the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation before forty, meaning he had significant potential to one day reach Foundation Establishment.

According to the letter, Xu Wufang had already begun the assessments to join the clan’s core circle, putting him on the fast track to becoming a successor.

Lin Changheng’s expression turned odd. ’It seems Fugui’s old joke about "swapping the bird in the cage" and "replacing one Xu with another" might actually come true...’

Furthermore, his seventh son, Xu Qi’an, who had studied Alchemy under him for a long time, had officially reached the Entry Tier and become a Pill Master.

...

The fourth letter was from Xu Hanji.

The last time he sent mail, Lin Changheng had decided to add a letter to her on a whim.

Just seeing Xu Hanji’s elegant, neat script made Lin Changheng feel a wave of cool detachment wash over him.

The script truly reflected its writer.

Xu Hanji expressed her well wishes and expectations for Lin Changheng’s journey on the path of cultivation. She also mentioned that she might soon venture out to seek her own opportunity for Foundation Establishment.

The last time they had met, she had hidden her Cultivation level, but Lin Changheng could still sense that she had already reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

She had likely built up a sufficient foundation by now.

In Lin Changheng’s eyes, whether in terms of talent, direct lineage, or status within the clan, Xu Hanji was the top candidate for Foundation Establishment.

The problem, however, was that the Xu Family didn’t have a Foundation Establishment Pill.

’And could they even get their hands on another one?’

’After all, you can’t give what you don’t have.’

She also made a point of mentioning that the auctions in the Cyan Spirit District were now bustling with activity. The associated developments were complete, drawing in massive crowds.

Lin Changheng had contributed a great deal to establishing those auctions in the first place.

A clear sense of nostalgia for their shared past was woven between her words.

...

Lin Changheng had just finished replying to Feiyue’s letter.

Just as he set down his brush, a sudden knock came from the courtyard gate.

He deactivated the Restriction and opened the gate to find a cultivator in gold robes grinning at him. "Alchemist Lin, I’m here to pick up my Pills."

"Ah, it’s Mr. Deng. Please, come in."

Lin Changheng smiled and ushered the man inside.

The man was one of his regular clients, a Ninth Layer Qi Cultivation cultivator who practiced an Earth Element Technique.

He had originally been introduced by his neighbor, Sound Master Cui.

Lin Changheng had offered him a friendly discount—a slightly lower Furnace Opening Fee than other alchemists and a commission of only thirty percent—which had finally convinced the skeptical man to reluctantly agree.

The subsequent Alchemy session went exceptionally well, yielding three Masterpiece Pills. These fell within his thirty percent commission, so Lin Changheng could have simply taken them and delivered seven Genuine Pills to the client.

This was a common, unspoken rule of the trade.

But after a moment of thought, Lin Changheng decided to deliver six Genuine Pills and one Masterpiece Pill instead.

He did this deliberately to build his reputation.

There were many alchemists in the Immortal City and competition was fierce. Upper Grade Alchemists were few and far between, and those who could refine Masterpiece Pills were even rarer. As for those willing to share one or two of those masterpieces? They were virtually nonexistent.

An Upper Grade Elixir sold for around twenty Spirit Stones, but a Masterpiece version could fetch as much as thirty.

Consuming them long-term would drain anyone’s Storage Bag dry.

Therefore, these Late Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators would prepare their own Medicinal Materials and Pill Formulas, then hire an Alchemist to open the furnace.

By cutting out the shop as a middleman, the Spirit Stones saved were a win-win for both the Alchemist and the cultivator.

Early and Middle Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators had less ability to gather materials, and the prices at Pill Shops weren’t prohibitively expensive for them, so they usually bought their elixirs there. Late Stage Cultivators were a different story, which was why this alternative, more popular model had emerged.

A large population of Late Stage Cultivators with this exact need existed within the Immortal City.

If Lin Changheng could attract them, he had no doubt he could earn several times more than he had in the Cyan Spirit District.

When Deng Changsheng saw the elixirs Lin Changheng handed over—each one perfectly round and plump, its Medicinal Power subtly contained within—he was first stunned, then utterly overjoyed.

The quality and Medicinal Power of these elixirs far surpassed the Genuine Pills he had received from other Pill Masters.

And there was even a Masterpiece Pill!

"Alchemist Lin, your skills are astounding! I was in the wrong before. Please accept my sincerest apologies."

Deng Changsheng apologized immediately, fearing that the proud alchemist might hold a grudge.

He knew that Alchemist Lin was only willing to offer a discount and overlook his prior disrespect because he was new to the city and lacked name recognition.

But with such exquisite skills, there were likely few Tier One Alchemists in the Immortal City who could surpass him. It was only a matter of time before he made a name for himself. When that happened, Pill Seekers would be flocking to his door, and he would surely never get another chance to commission a refinement.

So he groveled with zero hesitation.

’There’s no shame in it when elixirs are on the line!’

"Don’t worry about it. Neither of us is the petty sort."

Lin Changheng smiled faintly. Deng Changsheng let out a quiet sigh of relief, but Lin Changheng immediately continued with a grin, "However, I’ll have to ask you to help spread my name, Mr. Deng. If you do, we might just be able to keep this price going."

"Alchemist Lin, do you really mean that? I will certainly do my best."

Deng Changsheng promised, patting his chest with a solemn voice.

In the time that followed, Deng Changsheng truly did bring a steady stream of clients to his door, and Lin Changheng kept his promise.

Soon, word spread like wildfire. Half a year passed, and Alchemist Lin’s name became quite well-known throughout the Inner City of the Immortal City.

Consequently, his once-empty Storage Bag began to rapidly fill up again.

...

「Back to the present.」

At a stone table in the courtyard of the Qingyuan Small Building, two men sat facing each other.

"Mr. Deng, the elixirs are all in here. Please, inspect them."

Lin Changheng took out a small wooden box and, with a flick of his sleeve, pushed it across the table.

"When it comes from Alchemist Lin, what’s there to doubt?"

Deng Changsheng chuckled and accepted the wooden box without even a glance inside.

"You..."

Lin Changheng shook his head with a smile, a clear sign of the good relationship between them.

"If Alchemist Lin didn’t remember our old friendship, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even be able to get a spot in line to request a refinement."

Deng Changsheng said with a sigh of emotion. "And you’re still giving me the old price."

His words were filled with gratitude.

Now that Lin Changheng had a crowd of clients at his door and the quality of his elixirs was absurdly high, his prices for alchemy had naturally risen to match.

He now charged a top rate of fifty percent commission, with a Furnace Opening Fee comparable to other alchemists of his tier.

Pricing himself too low would not only earn him less, but it would also attract the jealousy and resentment of his peers and cheapen his own brand.

Lin Changheng had discovered that after he raised his prices, the quality of his clientele had also improved.

The cultivators at the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation had all but disappeared, replaced by a majority of clients at the Eighth and Ninth Layers.

And he earned more, too.

"It’s a small thing."

Lin Changheng chuckled dismissively. Seeing his cup was empty, he reached for the teapot, but Deng Changsheng snatched it first. "Allow me," he said eagerly.

Watching Deng Changsheng, a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation, leap up to refill his cup gave Lin Changheng a newfound appreciation for the perks of being an alchemist.

Then, Deng Changsheng brought up another matter.

"Alchemist Lin, I actually managed to get my hands on some of that Profound Spirit Essence Blood you wanted."

"Oh?"

Lin Changheng, who had been calm and unruffled until now, was suddenly interested. "Let me see it."

"Of course."

Deng Changsheng grinned and took out eight vials. Flecks of dark gold glittered within, dazzling in the sunlight.

Lin Changheng took one and sniffed it, then nodded. "Not bad. This will do nicely."

"That’s good to hear."

Deng Changsheng didn’t know what Lin Changheng wanted it for, but it was either for Alchemy or for Body Refining. There wasn’t much point in speculating further.

"Do you know if there’s any more?"

"There is."

Deng Changsheng nodded after a moment’s thought.

"Oh?" Lin Changheng looked at Deng Changsheng, waiting for him to continue.

Deng Changsheng’s expression turned a little strange. He chose his words carefully. "Ahem. A good friend of mine is a bit tight on cash. He extracted it from the Spirit Beasts he’s raising... drew just a little bit from each one, and ended up with this..."

"As for the specifics... it’s better not to go into detail."

"That’s also an option?" Lin Changheng was taken aback.

He had never even considered such a method.

His gaze subconsciously flickered to the Black Armored Earth Turtle lying in its mud pit.

"SQUEAK—"

The sleeping Black Armored Earth Turtle suddenly felt a chill run through its body. Its head and limbs instantly retracted into its shell, and it still felt a bone-deep cold.

"That’s right. He’s an expert at this and only takes a small amount, so it doesn’t cause any major problems. As long as he continues to be strapped for cash, there should be more to come."