Chapter 282 - 203: The Alchemy Dao Finally Ascends, A Difficult Talent Choice
After all, the bark of this Spirit Wood was also an excellent raw material for making talisman paper, so he might come into contact with it.
Zhu Guangsheng, a Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Master, readily agreed to this. He promised to ask around, keep an eye out, and inform Lin Changheng the moment he had any news.
Zhu Guangsheng was, after all, a Cultivator with a family.
He had a beloved younger relative who was still at the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, which meant he would need favors from Lin Changheng. Therefore, Lin Changheng wasn't worried that Zhu Guangsheng wouldn't put in his best effort.
This... was his soft spot!
This was the fundamental reason why Lin Changheng refused to start a family or leave behind any heirs.
He didn't want any soft spots that would obstruct or weigh down his path of cultivation!
His neighbor, Lü Tong, was also going to great lengths, scheming to get a Foundation Establishment Pill for a younger relative.
Only the Brewer next door, a man surnamed Yue, seemed to be truly alone, with no such weaknesses.
...
HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...
Lin Changheng waited for the Flood Dragon Blood Fruit to transform into medicinal power and disperse throughout his body before beginning his daily cultivation.
The Jade Void Brilliance Scripture rumbled to life at his command. The Spiritual Qi, gathered by the Spirit Gathering Array into a smoke-like mist, was completely drawn into his body and refined.
One circulation followed another, continuously and without pause. Finally, new Liquid Magical Power took shape and flowed into his Dantian.
Notably, Lin Changheng was no longer holding the Red Transparent Crystal Stone, as he had already refined it completely.
Part of it had transformed into the Liquid Magical Power in his Dantian, while the rest became nourishment for the Red Sky Profound Flame's evolution.
Lin Changheng's Magical Power had also progressed significantly. He had accumulated more than half of the Magical Power required for Third Layer Foundation Establishment Perfection, and the goal was now in sight. However, without the boost from the Red Transparent Crystal Stone, his cultivation speed would return to its normal pace. He had to accept this difference and maintain a calm state of mind.
On this point, Lin Changheng was doing quite well.
His expression was solemn and dignified as he continuously operated his Cultivation Technique.
His mastery of the Jade Void Brilliance Scripture had undergone a significant change. In both efficiency and fluency, he had clearly progressed far into the Minor Achievement stage, and was now just a hair's breadth away from Great Success.
All he needed was the right catalyst to break through!
As his cultivation progressed, he produced another wisp of Red True Essence within his body. As always, he fed it to the Red Sky Profound Flame to deepen its power.
Admittedly, the leap from a Tier Two Flame to a Tier Three Flame was a qualitative change, and the amount of accumulation it required was immense.
...
After finishing his daily cultivation, Lin Changheng went straight to the Alchemy Room to refine pills.
At this time, he was already using a new Tier Two Middle Grade Pill Furnace.
The Kanli Cyan Yang Furnace.
The furnace stood about three feet tall, with three legs and two handles. Its body was forged from a mixture of Sinking Silver and Refined Copper, giving it a deep, cyan-black color. Faint streams of red light shimmered across its surface, as if it contained an unceasing, blazing sun within.
Three beast heads, styled after the archaic Chiwen, crouched on the edge of the lid. The belly of the furnace was perfectly rounded, embossed with a Kanli Array that automatically regulated the forces of water and fire within, ensuring an exceptionally even heat distribution and greatly increasing the Pill Success Rate.
The base of the furnace was not solid; instead, it was intricately carved with a complex Gathering Spirit and Fire Attraction Array.
Lin Changheng lightly stroked the warm furnace, feeling the immense yet docile Fire Spirit Power contained within, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes. This Pill Furnace was superior to his previous one by more than just a single measure—whether in terms of materials, fire-gathering capabilities, or auxiliary functions.
Barring any unexpected windfalls, this Pill Furnace would likely accompany him for a long time to come.
After all, it was truly quite expensive.
...
「A few days later.」
Facing the Pill Furnace, Lin Changheng, who had been dual tasking, immediately ceased his contemplation of the Array Dao and focused his full attention on the furnace.
His hand seals shifted, finally forming the Pill Collection Technique, which he sent into the furnace.
HUMMM—
The furnace lid flew open, and five elixirs shot out in a single stream, landing on the jade plate Lin Changheng had prepared. They exuded a pure, medicinal fragrance.
A glance revealed five elixirs, each as round and smooth as a longan.
Each one was plump and perfectly formed—all of them Genuine Pills.
Moreover, their Spiritual Light was clearly stronger than that of a Tier Two Lower Grade Elixir.
These were, without a doubt, Tier Two Middle Grade Elixirs.
They were Fiery Sun Spirit Pills, which could enhance the cultivation of those at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.
The Pill Formula was recorded in the Tier Two Middle Grade Alchemy Inheritance that Lin Changheng possessed.
This also meant that Lin Changheng had officially become a Tier Two Middle Grade Alchemist!
Actually, Lin Changheng had successfully refined a Tier Two Middle Grade Elixir for the first time two years ago.
After first reaching the entry-level of Tier Two Middle Grade alchemy, in two years' time, Lin Changheng had progressed from refining a single Genuine Pill per batch to refining five portions at once, with all of them being Genuine.
This was no small improvement.
Once he could refine ten portions of medicinal materials in a single furnace, his "money-printing machine" would truly be up and running.
A single Tier Two Middle Grade Elixir, suitable for a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, sold for around six hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
After subtracting the fluctuating material costs of 20 to 40 percent, the profits were substantial!
Furthermore, with his deeper understanding of the Alchemy Dao and his mastery of new principles and techniques, when the time came... if he were to refine Foundation Establishment Pills again, producing two Masterpiece-grade pills would be practically guaranteed.
A single batch could earn him a Furnace Opening Fee of 11,000 Spirit Stones.
The only problem was the rarity of the main ingredients; otherwise, Lin Changheng would wish he could refine them every day.
...
Compared to his meteoric progress in the Alchemy Dao, his study of the Array Dao—which he had never abandoned—was far more modest.
He had finally taken a solid step forward in the realm of Tier One Middle Grade Arrays.
He could now also refine Masterpiece-grade Tier One Middle Grade Array Flags and Array Plates.
Although Lin Changheng's talent for the Array Dao was truly terrible, this achievement was undoubtedly a major shot in the arm.
If it weren't for the dual-tasking ability granted by his Tenth-Layer Origin Treasure Seed, Lin Changheng might have truly been forced to give up. The rewards were simply not proportional to the effort, and he couldn't accept wasting his lifespan in vain.