Chapter 41: Tier One Upper Grade Musician
Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Tier One Upper Grade Musician
Cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage had to rely on external flames for both Alchemy and Artifact Refining.
Those with the means would channel Earth Fire, which was stable and made it easy to control the temperature.
Those without the means could only use spiritual charcoal to start a fire, supplemented by Arrays for temperature control.
Some Cultivators would also raise Fire Attribute Demon Beasts, using their Demon Fire for Alchemy and Artifact Refining.
For Foundation Establishment Cultivators, however, things weren’t so troublesome.
Foundation Establishment Cultivators generated an Innate True Flame within their bodies. While its power and control were still inferior to Earth Fire, it far surpassed the likes of Demon Fire.
Immortal Peach Mountain had no supply of Earth Fire, so Master Hu used his Innate True Flame for Alchemy.
As he began to purify the medicinal ingredients with his True Flame, the temperature inside the Alchemy Room quickly started to rise.
The Wang family’s Ancestor sat cross-legged several yards away, his eyes fixed on Master Hu’s movements, revealing his inner tension.
The ingredients vanished one by one, and a rich medicinal aroma gradually filled the Alchemy Room as the Alchemy Furnace began to tremble slightly.
Ten days passed in what seemed like an instant.
Suddenly, Master Hu’s expression turned solemn. He formed a hand seal and let out a soft cry, "Rise!"
WHOOSH!
The lid of the Pill Furnace flew open. Two rays of rosy light shot out and landed before Master Hu, causing the temperature in the Alchemy Room to spike once more.
The rosy light dissipated, revealing two Pills the size of pigeon eggs. Master Hu didn’t reach out for them; instead, he used his Magical Power to float the two Pills over to the Wang family’s Ancestor.
Master Hu wiped the sweat from his brow and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Wang, I was fortunate not to fail my mission. Two Pills were formed!"
"Only two." The Wang family’s Ancestor was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly put on a smile. "Thank you for your hard work, Master Hu."
Theoretically, using a seven-hundred-year-old Golden Marrow Jade Ginseng as the main ingredient, one could refine up to three Foundation Establishment Pills under ideal conditions.
But failure, resulting in not a single Pill, was also a very common outcome.
Successfully refining two Pills had already met his expectations. The junior he favored most had a Dual Spirit Root aptitude; with the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, their chance of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment was very high.
At this thought, the weight on the Wang family Ancestor’s heart was finally lifted.
’As long as the family can produce another Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it will all have been worth it.’
...
Thirty days later, at Li Ping’s immortal-estate.
A Female Cultivator from the Meng family said respectfully, "Elder Li, this is the amount of Spirit Stones you’ve earned from selling Spirit Talismans. The cost of the materials you purchased has already been deducted. Please check them."
Li Ping’s Divine Sense swept over the pile of Spirit Stones on the table, as well as the considerable quantity of Tier Two talisman-crafting materials.
After confirming the amount was correct, he nodded with a smile. "Yes, the count is correct."
Hearing Li Ping’s words, the Meng family’s Female Cultivator couldn’t help but sigh in relief. "In that case, this junior won’t disturb your cultivation any longer, Elder."
’She had actually been very anxious before coming here.’
’After all, many of the Foundation Establishment Elders on the mountain had strange tempers.’
’Their strange tempers were one thing, but they also all held high status. Even her own family’s ancestor cared deeply about their opinions.’
’As the Cultivator sent by the Meng family to interact with the Foundation Establishment Elders on the mountain, she was meticulous with every transaction, terrified of making a mistake and incurring their wrath.’
’If that ever happened, she was certain the family would, without a doubt, transfer her away from Immortal Peach Mountain just to appease these Foundation Establishment Cultivators.’
’The annual income for a Steward on Immortal Peach Mountain was far higher than that of other Stewards in the family, and she had no desire to be transferred away.’
’She’d heard that some of the Foundation Establishment Elders here loved to split hairs, often flying into a rage over a discrepancy of just one or two Spirit Stones.’
’That was considered relatively normal. There were even some Foundation Establishment Elders who liked to get handsy with Low-tier Cultivators like her during transactions, saying strange things like, "You wouldn’t want to lose this job, would you?"’
As the Meng family’s Female Cultivator respectfully withdrew, she thought to herself, ’Thankfully, Elder Li isn’t one of those strange ones. He’s easy to get along with and doesn’t go out of his way to make things difficult for Low-tier Cultivators like us.’
...
Watching the Meng family’s Female Cultivator leave, Li Ping waved his sleeve, sweeping the Spirit Stones and various talisman-crafting materials from the table into his Storage Bag.
Today was New Year’s Eve, the day of the Friends Association’s annual gathering. Zhang Tie, Gumu Sheng, and the others would be arriving soon.
Li Ping had already informed the stewards of Immortal Peach Mountain to grant passage to Zhang Tie, Gumu Sheng, and the others.
Sitting in the pavilion, a hint of a smile touched Li Ping’s eyes.
’Over the past month, I’ve not only completely converted the Magical Power in my body to Nourishing Life Skill Power, but I’ve also begun cultivating the first layer of the Nourishing Life Skill.’
’Of course, since I haven’t absorbed the "Innate Qi" from a Pill, my Nourishing Life Skill Power currently shows no special properties and is no different from ordinary Magical Power.’
’The Tier Two Upper Grade Alchemist legacy from Master Hu won’t be easy to obtain for now. I plan to wait until after the New Year, then go to the market in the Immortal City, or ask the Meng family for help, to see if I can buy a Tier One Alchemist legacy to start practicing with.’
’With my current wealth, buying a Tier One Upper Grade Alchemist legacy should be easy enough.’
...
As Li Ping was lost in thought, Zhang Tie’s voice reached his ears. "Big Brother, this place of yours is magnificent!"
Li Ping looked up to see Zhang Tie wandering in from the courtyard, looking around curiously. He seemed rather restrained and uncomfortable.
Because his six sworn siblings were coming today, Li Ping hadn’t completely sealed the Array. He had deliberately left an opening in the courtyard’s Array, which was why Zhang Tie could walk right in.
Li Ping smiled and waved him over. "Second Brother, come and sit!"
...
That evening, the seven Cultivators of the Friends Association gathered in the main hall of Li Ping’s immortal-estate. Li Ping could clearly see the envy in the others’ eyes.
Compared to Li Ping’s luxurious, thousand-acre immortal-estate, the Outer City where they lived was practically a latrine.
But at the same time, this only strengthened their resolve to reach Foundation Establishment.
’If they became Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they could also ascend to the heavens in a single leap, just like their Big Brother.’
The seven of them first discussed their cultivation progress. However, they had already gathered a few months prior for Li Ping’s Foundation Establishment, and too little time had passed since.
As a result, the cultivation levels of the Friends Association members hadn’t changed much.
Only Third Brother, Gumu Sheng, had managed to advance to become a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator, thanks to a Qi Condensing Pill he got from Master Hu’s eldest disciple, Feng Qufeng.
Then there was Fifth Brother, Qi Hanmo. According to him, he had made progress in his Musician skills during this time and had now become a Tier One Upper Grade Musician.
At his words, everyone, including Li Ping, looked at him in astonishment.
It was true that being a Musician was considered a low-to-mid-tier profession among the hundred arts of cultivation. It was easy to get into and, unlike professions like Alchemy or Artifact Refining, didn’t require a massive investment of resources to study.
But they couldn’t forget that Qi Hanmo’s cultivation was only at the initial Middle-stage Qi Refining, and after the New Year, he would only be twenty-seven years old.
To become a Tier One Upper Grade Musician at such a young age was still quite astonishing to everyone.
Clearly, Qi Hanmo’s talent as a Musician was immense!
Of course, his rapid progress was likely also inseparable from his love for music.