Immortality Cultivation: I Farm in the System Space
Lin Jing had transmigrated. And he had unlocked a System Space with its own Spirit Field. Thus… While others sought out the Secret Realm, he was farming. While others fought over resources, he was practicing Alchemy.
Immortality Cultivation: I Farm in the System Space #Chapter 1 - 1: Expelled from the Sect - Read Immortality Cultivation: I Farm in the System Space Chapter 1 - 1: Expelled from the Sect Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 1: Expelled from the Sect
Translator: 549690339
"
Nanming Domain, Qingyuan Sword Sect
July
The summer sun blazed overhead.
It was just past noon, and the sun was at its most venomous. Lin Jing pushed a handcart along a dirt road beside the fields, moving at a slow pace.
Laden with several bulging sacks, the cart seemed to groan under their weight.
Before long, upon reaching a spot shaded by trees, Lin Jing stopped.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then took out a gourd from his waist, uncorked it, and started gulping down its contents.
He drank almost half of the gourd in one breath before reluctantly putting the vessel away.
He couldn't afford to drink it all at once, not when there was still a long way to go.
After finishing his drink, Lin Jing sat on the edge of the handcart to rest. In the sweltering heat of high summer, even the breeze was warm; only under the shade of these trees could one find a hint of coolness.
Looking up, he saw fields of golden Spirit Rice, ripe and ready for harvest in a few days.
Gazing at the scene, Lin Jing felt a sense of haziness, memories of his childhood on Blue Star flooding back.
His hometown had looked just like this, where he had played in the fields with friends and toiled alongside his grandparents.
Now, thinking back, life then seemed so nostalgically wonderful…
But everyone has to grow up.
Later, as his studies became more demanding and his life busier, he too became like everyone else.
Studying, taking exams, graduating, working…
Until he was so overwhelmed by life that he gradually forgot that small mountain village where he had experienced the happiest moments of his life.
Yet, a sudden car accident transported him to this world.
At first, aside from being a bit stunned, he was quite excited.
The Cultivation World, flying with swords.
He had read plenty about it in novels in his previous life.
But upon actually arriving here, he realized that the Cultivation World was far less wondrous than he had imagined.
In a world where martial power reigned supreme, the Cultivation World.
Weakness was the original sin.
Especially when he had first arrived, with only the first level of Qi Refinement cultivation.
And with both parents deceased and no one to rely on, if not for the protection provided by his status as a Qingyuan Sword Sect's Spirit Farmer, he might have long since perished.
"There's no going back now…"
Lin Jing couldn't help but sigh.
……
At this moment, a voice came from behind him.
"Yo! Isn't that Brother Lin?"
"Why is Brother Lin sitting here alone? Could it be that you don't have enough Spirit Rice for this year's submission? Scared to meet Manager Li?"
Lin Jing turned to see a young man around twenty-three or twenty-four sitting atop a bullock cart, looking in his direction with undisguised contempt in his eyes,
"Yuan Bo."
Lin Jing's expression remained calm, "That seems to have nothing to do with you."
The youth named Yuan Bo didn't get angry. Instead, he spoke languidly, "Looks like someone is about to be expelled from the Qingyuan Sword Sect…"
The mockery in his voice was evident, and he didn't bother to hide it.
As the bullock cart trundled past Lin Jing, Yuan Bo sneered, "Hope you can be this tough when you're in front of Manager Li."
Then he continued on down the road, without looking back.
Yuan Bo and he were neighbors. Due to a previous generation issue, their relationship had always been poor, even hostile, which explained their immediate tension upon meeting each other.
Lin Jing watched the bullock cart disappear into the distance, its sacks twice as numerous as his own.
Then, looking back at the sacks on his own cart, these were the Spirit Rice he had to submit to the Qingyuan Sword Sect this year.
But it was nowhere near enough, simply because someone had destroyed half of his Spirit Field just before the harvest.
Lin Jing had reason to believe that Yuan Bo was responsible for this.
Because he was the first to appear at the scene after it happened.
But he had no proof and even though Manager Li was called in to investigate, no conclusion was reached, and the matter was ultimately dropped.
With no results, the responsibility naturally fell upon him. The amount of Spirit Rice due was insufficient, and unless something unexpected happened, it was very likely he would be expelled from the Qingyuan Sword Sect.
Now, there was nothing to do but take one step at a time. First, he needed to submit these bags of Spirit Rice and then see what Manager Li would say.
……
After resting, Lin Jing continued on his journey.
It took another hour before Lin Jing arrived inside Spirit Farmer Village, a place where only those who cultivated Superior Spirit Fields were qualified to reside.
As for Lin Jing and others who grew Low Grade Spirit Fields, they could only live in thatched cottages by the edge of their fields.
At the front of a large courtyard with black-tiled roofs and blue-brick walls in the village, many Spirit Farmers were lined up, some pushing handcarts and others driving bullock carts, waiting to enter and submit their Spirit Rice.
"
This courtyard is the residence of the steward.
Lin Jing glanced at the long queue; the amount of Spirit Rice these people had was clearly far more than what he had on his cart.
Seeing so little Spirit Rice on Lin Jing's cart, astonished glances were cast from nearby.
People began whispering:
"Busy for a whole year and harvesting only this little Spirit Rice? He must have been slacking off."
"Indeed."
"That's not nearly enough to fulfill the quota; he's likely to face punishment."
Just then, Yuan Bo, who was standing in front, spoke up in defense:
"I know he hasn't been slacking."
"Not slacking?"
"How could there be so little Spirit Rice if he hasn't been slacking?"
"He must have met with some disaster."
"Everything was growing well, but just when the Spirit Rice was about to mature, half of his Spirit Field was outright destroyed by someone, leading to the loss of a year's worth of labor."
"His Spirit Field is not far from mine; I even made a point to go take a look—the sight was simply too horrendous to bear."
"Someone meddling with the Spirit Field, and the steward doesn't know about it?"
"Lee, the steward, is in charge of this area; of course he knows. He went to investigate on the day it happened, but I heard that up to now, no results have been found."
"Now that he has so little Spirit Rice, nowhere near enough to meet the quota, I'm afraid he's going to take the blame."
"Indeed!"
"If nothing unexpected happens, I bet he'll be expelled from the Sect."
When this was said, the voice rose slightly, and the surrounding crowd turned to look at Lin Jing.
After Yuan Bo finished speaking, he cast a provoking glance at Lin Jing.
Many around them had heard and couldn't help but sigh.
"What a pity…!"
"Outside the Sect, you won't find such favorable treatment, to be so careless."
"You speak the truth," Yuan Bo agreed.
"Outside the Sect, you won't find such favorable treatment."
Having said that, he just stared at Lin Jing, with schadenfreude glinting unmistakably in his eyes.
Ignoring Yuan Bo's challenge, Lin Jing remained silent, took his place at the end of the line, waiting to turn in his Spirit Rice, and also awaiting the final outcome of the event.
The line moved quickly, and in just half an hour, it was Lin Jing's turn.
Entering the courtyard, he immediately felt refreshed—the Spiritual Energy inside was much denser than outside, suggesting there was likely a minor Spirit Gathering Formation here.
Lin Jing looked ahead; Steward Lee was standing there, all smiles, chatting with a young man at his side.
From the young man's attire, he must be the Inner Sect Disciple sent by the Sect to supervise this Spirit Rice handover.
Judging by his age, he was probably around thirty.
An Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingyuan Sword Sect must possess at least the Cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and such a young man was already an Inner Sect Disciple, indicating that his cultivation talent must be quite extraordinary.
In contrast, Steward Lee beside him, already over fifty years old, had only the Qi Refinement of the fifth level.
Lin Jing had often heard people say the disparity between humans is greater than that between humans and dogs; ever since coming here, he had deeply understood that saying.
However, compared to Lin Jing, Steward Lee could even be considered a genius for his cultivation talent.
Because Lin Jing's Spiritual Root…
Was the so-called useless Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root.
The previous occupant of his body had managed to reach the first level of Qi Refinement, only thanks to more than a decade of relentless cultivation day and night, along with his father's assistance, barely achieving success.
If it had been someone else with this kind of Spiritual Root, they would probably have given up on cultivation long ago and settled for living an ordinary life.
……
Pushing his cart to a weighing area, Lin Jing unloaded the Spirit Rice, and immediately someone came up, picked up a sack, and began weighing it.
"Five hundred thirty jin, insufficient."
Upon hearing this voice, Steward Lee's brows furrowed, and he turned his head to look this way.
When he saw it was Lin Jing, the tight furrow of his brow relaxed somewhat, but his expression remained grave.
"It's you," Steward Lee spoke, "the matter has been investigated and clarified. It was the doing of vagrants from outside the mountains. I have already meted out the rightful punishment."
"However…"
At this point, Steward Lee became more solemn.
"You are culpable for negligence of duty, leading to the destruction of the Spirit Field."
"I have already reported the matter to the Sect."
"The Sect has decided."
"Effective immediately, you are to be expelled from the Qingyuan Sword Sect."
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Chapter 2 Senior Han
Translator: 549690339
"Regarding this, do you have any doubts?"
Lin Jing had anticipated this outcome and thus did not offer any defense.
"No, I comply with the Sect's decision," Lin Jing bowed and said.
Manager Li nodded, waved his hand, and said, "You go back and pack up. You'll depart the mountain tomorrow."
Lin Jing bowed, "Manager Li, I take my leave."
Having said that, he prepared to leave.
"Wait."
Just then, a voice came.
Lin Jing looked up and saw that it was that Inner Sect Disciple, responsible for overseeing the Spirit Rice confiscation, who had spoken.
Manager Li looked at him in surprise, not understanding why he would speak up at this moment, and hastily reminded him,
"Senior Han, he has been expelled from the Sect, this is the decision of the Sect Elders, the matter is settled, you mustn't be confused."
The Inner Sect Disciple's expression remained indifferent as he spoke to Manager Li, "Junior Brother Li, you worry too much."
Then, he turned his head, staring intently at Lin Jing, as if carefully observing him.
Made uncomfortable by his gaze, Lin Jing thought carefully and realized he did not know this Senior Han, and he did not understand why the other was staring at him.
After a long while, Senior Han finally asked,
"Your name is Lin Jing?"
Lin Jing bowed in response, "Yes, Senior Brother."
Lin Jing's earlier status was just as a spiritual farmer, but he was still a menial Disciple of the Qingyuan Sword Sect, so addressing the Inner Sect Disciple as 'Senior Brother' was not inappropriate.
Although he had now been expelled from the Qingyuan Sword Sect, he had no better address at the moment, so he still chose to call him Senior Brother.
Senior Han did not object, and continued to ask, "Do you recognize Lin Yue?"
Lin Jing was taken aback and hastily replied, "Returning to Senior Brother, Lin Yue is indeed my father."
Senior Han nodded and then said,
"The road down the mountain is often frequented by Demonic Beasts, which is very dangerous. It happens that I need to go down the mountain tomorrow. Come here early in the morning tomorrow, and you can go down with me."
Hearing this, Manager Li hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "Senior Han, he is just a Disciple who has been expelled from the Sect. Just letting him go down the mountain is enough, why would you bother to personally escort him?"
Senior Han, looking at Lin Jing, said softly, "I had an old connection with his father. As the son of an acquaintance, naturally I cannot allow anything to happen to him right under my nose."
"So it is, Senior Han is indeed a man of great loyalty and sentiment."
Manager Li said with a smile,
"Why would Senior Han need to concern himself with such a matter?"
"In that case, I shall personally take him down the mountain tomorrow. I know some people in the Fang Market at the foot of the mountain. I can ask someone to help him with a place to stay, and incidentally find him some work."
"This would also fulfill Senior Han's sentiment, would it not be wonderful?"
Senior Han listened but did not reply; instead, he turned his head, his gaze intense, staring fiercely at Manager Li.
Manager Li, made extremely uncomfortable by his gaze, forced a couple of dry laughs and said,
"Senior Han, is there something inappropriate?"
Only then did Senior Han speak, "Junior Brother Li, you work so hard, there's no need to trouble yourself. The Demonic Beasts at the foot of the mountain are ferocious, I fear you might not be able to fend them off."
"I would not want the son of an old friend to come to harm."
"Junior Brother Li."
"Do you…understand?"
Staring into Senior Han's pressing gaze, a flicker of panic passed through Manager Li's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
He then bowed to Senior Han, saying,
"Such sentiment from Senior Han truly commands my admiration."
After speaking, Manager Li turned his head and said to Lin Jing,
"Lin Jing, as Senior Han will take you down the mountain tomorrow, you should thank Senior Han now."
"Thank you, Senior Han."
Lin Jing, though unaware of why Senior Han was behaving this way, still bowed and thanked him.
"Remember to come here early in the morning tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you here; don't be late."
"Senior Han, rest assured."
After that, Lin Jing bid farewell to Senior Han and Steward Li, and then pulled his cart away.
……
By the time he got back to his residence, the sky had already turned pitch black, and Lin Jing had no desire to start a fire to cook. He simply ate some dry food and considered it a meal.
Bathed in the dim moonlight, he surveyed the thatched cottage he had lived in for a year. Having to leave it tomorrow, he felt a twinge of reluctance.
After all, this was the first home he had in this world after transmigration, even if he was alone.
The mother of his predecessor had died early, and his father had passed away a year before, leaving very little behind. It didn't take long for Lin Jing to finish packing.
Once he had finished, Lin Jing sat cross-legged on the bed, reflecting on the events of the day.
He naturally did not believe what Steward Li had said about the refugees from outside the mountains.
This was Qingyuan Sword Sect, where not just refugees, but even cultivators from outside would not dare to create trouble here.
Given this, there was only one possibility: the destruction of the Spirit Field was very likely related to Steward Li.
"Listening to the conversation between Senior Han and Steward Li today, it seemed there was more to it." Lin Jing pondered in the dark.
"Could Steward Li be plotting against me?"
"If the destruction of the Spirit Field was carried out by Steward Li, what was his purpose?"
"Is it just to drive me out of the Sect, or does he want to kill me on my way down the mountain?"
Lin Jing felt he was getting close to the truth of the matter.
"I haven't even crossed paths with him."
"If it's for wealth, that's even less likely. I'm so poor that it rings, the only possessions I have are two Low Grade Spirit Stones, belonging to one of the poorest among the spirit farmers."
This was the most perplexing part for Lin Jing.
And Senior Han, Lin Jing could feel that he bore no malice towards him.
Senior Han should be a trustworthy person…
As for being expelled from the Sect, Lin Jing didn't care at all.
He was even slightly pleased.
Because the status of a spirit farmer in Qingyuan Sword Sect was not free at all; they were not even allowed to leave the mountain, nor could they gain access to other cultivation resources.
With his talents, if he continued to stay here, his entire life might not see a change for the better.
As a transmigrator, how could he be content with just being a spirit farmer?
Of course, he was not content, so leaving Qingyuan Sword Sect was also in his plans, it just happened a bit earlier than expected.
After all, he was a man with a System…
Even though his System couldn't directly enhance his combat strength, it could ensure he never worried about food and clothing…
Each time he thought of this System, Lin Jing wanted to gripe.
But upon further thought, being able to live a second life was probably a sign that his ancestral graves were sprouting green smoke.
He should be content with that, what more could he need…
……
"The most important thing right now is to improve my strength. Let's not think about that anymore. As of now, I am only one step away from reaching the second level of Qi Refinement. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to advance to the second level tonight."
Afterwards, Lin Jing began to meditate seriously.
The Spiritual Energy here was much thinner than in Steward Li's courtyard. After meditating for a long time, Lin Jing could feel a slight amount of Spiritual Energy slowly entering his body and then circulating through his meridians.
He continued to meditate into the night, and when Zi Time was more than half over, a voice sounded in Lin Jing's mind.
"System Space time has refreshed, remaining time to enter: 2 hours."
Lin Jing suddenly opened his eyes and the corners of his mouth lifted, revealing a slight smile.
"I've been waiting for you."
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Chapter 3 System Space
Translator: 549690339
"Enter the System Space,"
Lin Jing silently recited in his heart.
Soon, the world before his eyes began to blur, and his body seemed to be enveloped by something.
Moments later, when he opened his eyes again, Lin Jing had arrived within the System Space.
"Master, welcome back,"
a mechanical voice devoid of any emotion rang out, as if it were right beside his ear.
"System, check the panel."
"Certainly, master."
No sooner had Lin Jing spoken, than a projection appeared in front of him.
System Space (Level 1)
Remaining Time: 1 hour 59 minutes
Host: Lin Jing
Spirit Field Range: 10 mu
Spiritual Energy Density: 1
Time Flow Speed: 1
Daily Entry Time: 2 hours
Required for Upgrade: (0/100 Harvest Points)
Special Function: Vigilance (Upon the host's entry into the System Space, the immediate vicinity of the host in reality is brought under surveillance, with an instant alert for the host in case of any emergencies.)
Observation: (The host may observe the real world from within the System Space.) (Note: When observing, the host's view will synchronize with the external world's time.)
Lin Jing stretched out his hand and tapped on the area with his name, and his information immediately appeared before him.
Lin Jing (23/90)
Spiritual Root: Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root (Low Grade)
Cultivation: Qi Refinement First Layer (99%)
Cultivation Technique: Qingyuan Dao Method (First Layer), Qingyuan Sword Control Technique (Beginner)
Secondary Occupation: None
"Indeed, it's already at 99%."
Seeing the Cultivation section, Lin Jing smiled knowingly; after such a long time of cultivating, he was finally about to make a breakthrough.
The first layer of Qi Refinement, the very first threshold of cultivation, may seem trivial to others.
But for someone with a Low Grade Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root like him, it was a chasm as vast as the heavens.
So it was for his predecessor.
Having started cultivating since childhood, with his father's guidance no less, he still hovered around the first layer of Qi Refinement after all these years.
Such aptitude would be rejected by any sect.
However, fortunately, his predecessor's father had once made contributions to the Qingyuan Sword Sect, and that was the only reason he had been exceptionally accepted.
But now, he was finally about to cross this threshold, and it would be a lie to say he was not excited.
Who wouldn't feel exhilarated at the brink of their own success?
Especially since Lin Jing had inherited the memories of his predecessor and felt an intense resentment towards this fact.
Taking a deep breath, a surge of rich Spiritual Energy immediately hit his face.
Although the density of Spiritual Energy in the System Space couldn't compare to that of the small courtyard owned by Steward Li, it wasn't much different. Cultivating here was much faster than outside.
Unfortunately, the only downside was that the time he could spend in the System Space each day was limited to just one hour—a mere two hours.
Therefore, Lin Jing dared not waste a single moment every time he entered, either planting Spirit Rice or meditating and cultivating.
In this System Space, there were 10 mu of Spirit Field, and the Harvest Points required to upgrade the space could be obtained by planting crops and harvesting them upon maturity.
The swath of golden Spirit Rice in front of Lin Jing was what he had previously planted, and now the earliest batch was nearing maturity.
Lin Jing skillfully brought up the panel, which clearly displayed that the mu of Spirit Rice before him was three days from maturity.
With these, even if he were expelled from the Qingyuan Sword Sect, he wouldn't worry.
However, while these could enable him to survive in the Fang Market below the mountain, strength was still essential for survival.
After all, this was the Cultivation World, a place where survival of the fittest reigned supreme, and danger lurked everywhere.
Lin Jing sat down cross-legged and began running his cultivation technique, as Spiritual Energy converged towards him.
……
"Warning, warning, someone has breached the surveillance perimeter. Please, host, respond promptly."
At the critical moment of his breakthrough, a system alert rang out, causing Lin Jing's eyebrows to furrow tightly. He had no choice but to stop cultivating.
"Who would come to me at this time?"
Despite that, Lin Jing did not leave the System Space immediately, knowing that anyone who came to him so late had to be guarded against.
"Let's see who it is first," Lin Jing murmured to himself.
"System, activate Observation Mode."
"Understood, Master."
Subsequently, Lin Jing felt as if he had activated a god-like perspective, looking down from above at his residence.
With a thought, the viewpoint shifted to the front of the cottage. He saw two people concealing their aura, walking towards the cottage. However, due to the darkness, Lin Jing couldn't make out their faces.
Under Observation Mode, as long as it was within the alert area, Lin Jing could observe the external situation from various angles, and he could also freely zoom in or out.
Lin Jing zoomed in the view and finally recognized the two people.
"It's them," Lin Jing gasped in surprise. "Why would they be together?"
Lin Jing recognized both of them. One was Manager Li, and the other turned out to be his own 'neighbor', Yuan Bo.
Them coming here so late at night definitely meant no good. Lin Jing decided to stay put for now and see what their real intentions were.
As they reached the door, they seemed to sense something and leaned close, listening at the door.
"Eh? There's no one here."
Manager Li applied a bit of force.
"Creak…"
The door opened in response, and then the two peered inside, only to see the bed inside was empty and there was no one there.
"Didn't you say he's been inside the whole time and hadn't gone out?" Manager Li asked Yuan Bo, his face clearly not looking too good.
"I did see him enter the room and didn't see him leave."
"Then how do you explain the situation now?"
"This…"
Watching the empty room, Yuan Bo was at a loss for words.
Suddenly, Yuan Bo seemed to think of something and turned to Manager Li:
"Uncle, you barely managed to get Lin Jing out of the Sect, and that Han guy steps in."
"Could it be Han Jing this time? Secretly taking him away?"
Hearing their conversation, Lin Jing understood that Yuan Bo was indeed involved with the destruction of the Spirit Field, but what he hadn't anticipated was that Manager Li was the mastermind.
"The 'Han Jing' they're talking about must be Senior Han," Lin Jing deduced.
"Impossible."
"Han Jing has always been upright and would never engage in sneaky activities. If he were to act, he would do it openly and honorably."
As he spoke, Manager Li walked over to the table and noticed the luggage on it.
"His luggage is still here. He probably hasn't left."
"Uncle, what do we do now? Do we wait here for him to return?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jing's heart clenched tight, his heart rising to his throat. He had limited time in the System Space, only two hours.
If the two hours passed and he had not exited, the system would directly throw him out.
By then, if he faced the two men directly, he would have no way out.
Manager Li pondered for a moment, then spoke up.
"Let's search around first. If we don't find anything, then we'll see."
"I can't stay here too long, or that Han guy might notice."
After finishing, the two started rummaging around the house together.
"What are they looking for?"
Lin Jing frowned in contemplation.
Recalling the memories of his predecessor, apart from a few words of advice, his father hadn't left him anything before dying.
Being as poor as he was, Lin Jing truly didn't know what could be so valuable that it was worth their attention.
"Warning, warning, someone has breached the alert perimeter. Please respond promptly, Host."
"Someone else is coming."
Lin Jing switched the perspective of Observation Mode and saw someone flying on a sword, swiftly arriving above the cottage.
"Li Yeming, do you think that just because you have Elders backing you, I wouldn't dare to kill you?"
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Chapter 4: Breakthrough, Space Upgrade
Translator: 549690339
Yuan Bo trembled in fear upon hearing the voice.
He hastily stopped what he was doing, his eyes frantic as he looked towards Manager Li.
Manager Li, however, was not the least bit flustered, and he gestured to Yuan Bo to follow, before taking the lead and walking outside.
Yuan Bo remained silent, quickly following behind Manager Li.
Outside the house, Senior Han had already descended from mid-air, his face gloomy, and his eyes icy as he watched Manager Li.
Upon coming out, Manager Li glared at Han Jing and was the first to speak, questioning him:
"Han Jing, what did you mean by your words just now?"
"I came to visit my subordinates, what does it have to do with you?"
Han Jing let out a cold snort upon hearing this.
"Hmph…"
"Is that really so?"
Manager Li continued, "Lin Jing was one of my subordinates after all. Now that he has been expelled from the sect due to an accident, I am heartbroken."
"I wanted to see if he needed anything, as is proper among sect members. Is that not allowed?"
Han Jing did not answer but coldly said, "Where is he?"
Han Jing had just arrived and noticed that Lin Jing was not in the house, and there was no scent of blood around, indicating that they had not yet taken action against Lin Jing.
"When we arrived, he wasn't in the house, but his luggage is still here. It seems like he must have had something come up and went out temporarily."
Han Jing looked directly at Manager Li. Seeing that the latter's expression was calm and not indicative of lying, his expression softened slightly.
He then said to Manager Li:
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Isn't it the Foundation Building Elixir that Lin Yue got that you're after?"
"So it's because of the Foundation Building Elixir." Lin Jing, who was observing secretly, suddenly realized.
It turns out Manager Li believed he owned a Foundation Building Elixir, which is why he acted this way.
"It's probably why I was expelled from the sect as well."
"As long as I'm out of the sect, he could follow me and then kill me to take the elixir."
However, Lin Jing was very clear that when his predecessor's father died, he only left a few last words and nothing else.
It was unknown from where Manager Li had received such information.
"How did he know?" thought Manager Li, his heart skipping a beat.
But on the surface, he still pretended as if he knew nothing.
"What Foundation Building Elixir? Senior Han, you must be mistaken. I just wanted to see if Lin Jing needed anything before he leaves."
Han Jing ignored Manager Li, who kept feigning ignorance, and continued:
"Whether it is true or not, let me tell you, you'd better not think about it anymore."
"Lin Yue gave me that Foundation Building Elixir a long time ago. How else do you think I achieved Foundation Establishment?"
"Since I owe Lin Yue a favor, it's only natural that I have the duty to take care of his son. I did not interfere when you managed to have him expelled from the sect, but if you intend to harm him, I can't stand by and do nothing."
Manager Li couldn't help but feel bitter inside, not expecting that all his long planning had been in vain.
The Foundation Building Elixir had been gone long ago.
However, he did not show it, pretending as if he truly knew nothing about the elixir.
"I've made myself clear to you. If you lay hands on Lin Jing again, don't blame me for being rude."
Manager Li continued to play dumb, asserting with righteousness:
"Senior Han, we are fellow sect members after all. I've always treated him as a junior brother, how could I wish him harm?"
When seeing Manager Li's acting skills, Lin Jing couldn't help but admire him. If an uninformed person were here, they likely would have been deceived by now.
However, what Han Jing said next made Lin Jing's entire body go numb.
"In that case, let's wait here for his return."
"Fine."
Seeing Han Jing so resolute, Manager Li found it difficult to object.
They went into the house together, and Yuan Bo hurried over to light the oil lamp on the table.
And so, the three of them sat silently, waiting together inside Lin Jing's thatched cottage for Lin Jing to return.
…
"They are here, so it's even more difficult to leave now. As soon as I leave, the existence of the System Space will certainly be exposed."
Lin Jing, who had been observing, couldn't help but smile wryly:
"This really is the worst of luck, to be caught like a rat in a trap."
Lin Jing hurriedly exited Observation Mode and asked the system.
"System, is there any way to appear in a different location when I go out?"
"Master, you can use Fixed Point Teleportation. Fixed Point Teleportation can transport you to the outside world, and the range of teleportation is the same size as the Spirit Field within the System Space."
"Your current System Space is level 1, with a Spirit Field range of 10 acres, and the teleportation range is also 10 acres. The cost for teleportation is 1 Harvest Point."
"There's a fee?" Lin Jing was too tired to even ridicule the situation; his Harvest Points were still at zero.
Before Lin Jing had a chance to ask further, another prompt from the system appeared.
"The system has detected that the host's current Harvest Points are 0, and suggests that the host should first break through to the second level of Qi Refinement." (Note: Breaking through within the System Space will grant the host Harvest Points.)
"It's really forcing me to break through."
Looking at the remaining time, there was just over an hour left.
Lin Jing didn't dare to delay, and he relaxed his body and mind, adjusting his state, and started preparing to break through.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but Lin Jing could feel that his breath had reached its peak, yet it seemed as though something was impeding him from going further.
He focused his mind, fully operating his cultivation technique and absorbing spiritual energy into his body. As time went by, his internal spiritual power increased, and soon, the spiritual power in his meridians was overflowing.
He continued to run the cultivation technique.
"Buzz"
Lin Jing felt a sudden change, as if he had become a different person and the world around him had become more real.
He had broken through to the second level of Qi Refinement.
"Congratulations to the host for a successful breakthrough, you have gained 10 Harvest Points."
"Ding"
"System prompt: As this is the first time the host has obtained Harvest Points, an additional reward of 100 Harvest Points has been granted."
The unexpected reward took Lin Jing by surprise; he hadn't anticipated this bonus. Could this be considered a newcomer's benefit?
With the 10 Harvest Points from the breakthrough and the additional reward of 100 Harvest Points, he now had 110 Harvest Points.
Lin Jing remembered that upgrading the System Space only required 100 Harvest Points.
"System, open the panel."
Then the panel appeared before him, and as Lin Jing looked up, indeed, he was now able to upgrade.
System Space (Level 1) (Upgradable)
Remaining Time: 17 minutes
Host: Lin Jing
Spirit Field Range: 10 acres
Spiritual Energy Density: 1
Time Flow Rate: 1
Daily Enter Time: 2 hours
Upgrade Requirement: (110/100 Harvest Points)
Special Feature: Alert (When the host enters the System Space, the immediate surroundings of the host's reality are included in the alert radius, and the host will be immediately notified of any emergencies.)
Observation: (The host can observe the real world from within the System Space.) (Note: When the host is in Observation Mode, the point of view will sync with the external world's time.)
"System, upgrade." Lin Jing didn't hesitate at all and immediately chose to upgrade.
"Boom rumble…"
Following Lin Jing's command, the System Space began to change, with the most noticeable being the space's obvious expansion outward, increasing in size.
And the spiritual energy within the space grew denser.
The entire upgrading process lasted for ten minutes.
After ten minutes, a system notification sounded.
"Ding"
"Upgrade complete; the current System Space level is 2."
"New feature unlocked: Accumulated Time."
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Chapter 5: Fixed Point Teleportation
Translator: 549690339
"
"Huh, another new function has unlocked."
Lin Jing summoned the system panel once again to check.
System Space (Level 2)
Remaining Time: 2 hours 16 minutes (Accumulable: 200 hours)
Host: Lin Jing
Spirit Field Range: 20 acres
Spiritual Energy Concentration: 2
Time Flow Speed: 2
Daily Entry Time: 4 hours
Required for Upgrade: (10/500 Harvest Points)
Special Feature: Alert (When the host enters System Space, the immediate surroundings of the host's actual location are put under an alert state, ready to remind the host of any sudden situations.)
Observation: (Host can observe the real world within System Space.) (Note: During observation, the host's perspective will synchronize with the external world's time.)
Time Accumulation: (Remaining daily entry time will not be reset to zero, and can be accumulated.)
"Hmm… The entry time has increased again, now I can enter for 4 hours a day, plus the time flow speed is doubled."
"From now on, I'll be able to stay in the System Space for 8 hours each day, and when I go out, only 4 hours will have passed in the outside world."
"If I calculate this, haven't I made a huge profit?"
Just the thought excited Lin Jing—every day he would have 4 more hours than others. With this, how could he worry about his cultivation not progressing?
Besides, this was just the beginning; as the System Space upgraded, both the daily entry time and the time flow speed would increase.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Jing felt the dense spiritual energy around him and was immediately filled with confidence.
The concentration of spiritual energy at level 2 was much denser than in the yard of Manager Li, which housed a small Spirit Gathering Array.
With such dense spiritual energy, wouldn't his cultivation in the System Space be doubly effective?
He suddenly felt assured—so what if he had a Five Elements Pseudo Spiritual Root? If his Spiritual Root wasn't sufficient, he could make up for it with time.
With the System Space, even if he had to pile up his cultivation, he could do it.
"System, activate Fixed Point Teleportation."
Although Lin Jing was excited, he did not forget what he needed to do next.
In the outer world, inside his hut, there were still three people waiting for him.
Then, Lin Jing's perspective began to rise like he was accessing a godlike view, with his thatched hut as the center. His field of vision expanded more and more.
"Ding, vision extension complete. Please select a teleportation location, Host."
It wasn't until the system's prompt sounded that the field of vision stopped increasing, but this area matched the size of the Spirit Field exactly, which was 20 acres.
"Right here will do."
Lin Jing chose a spot some distance from the thatched hut.
"Initiate teleportation."
No sooner had Lin Jing spoken than the scenery before him began to blur, and then he felt a dizzying sensation of weightlessness.
Immediately afterward, he staggered, nearly falling over, but he quickly stabilized his body. The solid touch beneath his feet returned, and the sense of weightlessness vanished.
Looking ahead, everything was pitch black. Lin Jing looked up to see a sky full of stars, the moon now hidden by clouds.
Fortunately, his night vision had significantly improved since he began his cultivation, and such darkness was hardly an inconvenience for him.
After looking around to get his bearings, Lin Jing headed towards his thatched hut.
He was far from panicked; he had already thought of explanations for the three people before coming out.
…
At this time, inside Lin Jing's hut, Han Jing and Manager Li were sitting on either side of the table while Yuan Bo stood beside Manager Li, extremely cautious.
All three were simultaneously looking towards the door, waiting for Lin Jing's return.
While Manager Li intended to say something, he refrained upon seeing the displeasure on Han Jing's face.
As time passed, Lin Jing had still not returned, and the atmosphere in the hut grew increasingly tense.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Han Jing was the first to inquire.
"Are you sure he wasn't in the house when you arrived?"
"
Senior Han's sudden questioning startled Yuan Bo, who was already on edge, causing him to jolt in fear.
He didn't dare to lift his head now, completely devoid of his daytime arrogance. He spent all evening in fear, dreading that Senior Han would suddenly lash out and slay him and his uncle right there.
After all, Senior Han was a high-level cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and the two of them combined were no match for him.
He had never before so desperately hoped for Lin Jing to show up.
Yet he wasn't the only one harboring such thoughts.
Steward Li felt the same.
Although Steward Li was working for an elder and had an elder's backing, if he truly angered Senior Han and was killed as a result, it would still be for nothing.
The other party was an Inner Sect Disciple with a much deeper background than his; even if he was really killed, the sect would probably not do much to Senior Han.
At most, they might impose some punishment and then have him reflect on his actions in seclusion.
After all, an Inner Sect Disciple was of much greater use to the sect than he was; how could the sect discard him so easily? Moreover, with the disappearance of Lin Jing and his inexplicable presence here.
If the matter were to be reported to the sect, he wouldn't be able to explain this incident.
Therefore, Steward Li was also very nervous. Hearing Senior Han's question, Steward Li also showed some anxiety, frowning as he said:
"When we arrived, he indeed wasn't in the house. If Senior Han doesn't believe me, I can swear on my Dao heart."
This statement made Senior Han, who wanted to say more, stop speaking.
Since the other party had even mentioned swearing on his Dao heart, it seemed he really wasn't lying.
A little while later, Senior Han turned his head and looked at Steward Li:
"Since he's not here, it doesn't make sense for us to just wait around. Perhaps we should go out and look for him."
"Steward Li, what do you think?"
"That's fine."
Steward Li nodded in agreement.
Having said that, the two of them got up and walked out together.
Just then, Senior Han suddenly stopped, and Steward Li, with a puzzled face, looked at Senior Han.
"Senior Han, what's wrong?"
Senior Han spoke up, "No need to search, he has returned."
……
After Lin Jing emerged, he pretended to know nothing and headed towards his thatched cottage.
To avoid detection, he quickly ran to the cottage upon seeing the light inside his home.
Approaching the cottage and seeing the three people standing at the door, Lin Jing paused, then hurried forward and bowed in salute to the two men ahead.
"Senior Han, Steward Li, what brings you here?"
Steward Li displayed a stern demeanor as he reprimanded: "Where have you been running around in the middle of the night? Don't you know that it's forbidden to wander aimlessly within the sect?"
Observing Steward Li, who now looked solemn and imposing, Lin Jing couldn't help but think he was the very image of an authoritative leader.
If he hadn't been watching all along, he might have been deceived himself.
Lin Jing had to admire his acting skills; if this were on Earth, his former world, he surely would have earned an Oscar for Best Actor.
Lin Jing lowered his stance and replied:
"Responding to Steward Li, I felt that I was on the verge of a breakthrough earlier. To avoid any disturbances, which could ruin everything, I went out to find a secluded place to attempt the breakthrough."
"Steward Li, please rest assured, I am aware of the sect's rules. I was not far from here, and I didn't wander off."
"You broke through?"
Upon hearing Lin Jing's words, Senior Han next to him extended his Divine Sense to check.
Lin Jing bowed and said, "Replying to Senior Han, I was fortunate enough to achieve a breakthrough just now."
"Indeed."
Senior Han, after a thorough check, confirmed that Lin Jing had indeed made a breakthrough.
He then turned to Steward Li and said:
"Didn't you just say that if Lin Jing was expelled from the sect, you would also bear responsibility, and you wanted to wait for him to return so you could give him some travel expenses?"
"Well, now he's back."
Chapter 6: The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Fierceness
Translator: 549690339
Steward Li was somewhat dazed. When had he said he would give him travel expenses?
However, under the circumstances, he had no choice. It was better to lose some money than to invite a disaster.
It was his own carelessness that had allowed Han Jing to find a clue, even though he had managed to bluff his way through it.
But from the looks of it, Han Jing clearly did not believe him.
"Cough…"
Steward Li cleared his throat to ease the awkwardness.
"Lin Jing…"
"Your negligence has caused our sect to suffer losses. It is against my wishes to expel you from the sect. Do you understand?"
Watching Steward Li's heartbroken expression, Lin Jing really wanted to punch him.
He was just too good at pretending.
However, Lin Jing could only pretend as if he knew nothing and said with a cupped fist salute,
"Steward Li, this matter was due to my own negligence; I can't blame others. I certainly won't bear a grudge against anyone."
Steward Li nodded and said,
"Hmm, it's good that you understand."
"Although you have been expelled from the sect, still, we should show the kindness one would expect from fellow disciples."
"Right now, the mountain's foot is in chaos, with Demonic Beasts rampant; only the Nanshan Market down the mountain can be considered safe."
"I have some Spirit Stones here. Take them. With these Spirit Stones, you will have enough to live in the market for a while after you go down the mountain."
As he spoke, Steward Li took out a small package and handed it to Lin Jing.
"How can I accept this? You really shouldn't have gone to the expense, Steward Li."
Lin Jing said as he took the package.
"He's not even pretending to be modest?"
Seeing Lin Jing's action, Steward Li was dumbfounded and couldn't help but murmur to himself,
"Wasn't Lin Jing a very honest person before? How did he change his nature so suddenly today?"
If Lin Jing knew what Steward Li was thinking, he would definitely laugh out loud.
"The previous Lin Jing was indeed very honest, but what does that have to do with me?"
Moreover,
Steward Li had even wanted to take his life before. Why should he be polite to him?
Right now, though, Lin Jing's attention was fully captured by the package of Spirit Stones; he didn't even notice the expression on Steward Li's face.
Opening the package, inside were no fewer than ten Spirit Stones. To think, Lin Jing, while working as a spiritual farmer for Qingyuan Sword Sect, could only get two Spirit Stones as a reward for the whole year.
Steward Li's offering of ten stones equated to five years of his income.
However, just as Lin Jing was excited, Han Jing, who had been silent all the while, spoke up at this moment.
"Junior Brother Li, how long has it been since you last went down the mountain?"
"I presume you do not know that, due to the recent uprising of Demonic Beasts, prices in Nanshan Market have skyrocketed, and these few Spirit Stones might not be enough."
Han Jing's tone was calm as he looked towards Steward Li, but his eyes revealed a sharpness, and the threat was clearly evident.
Steward Li's heart skipped a beat: "He wants me to bleed money."
"Forget it, under the current situation, Han Jing certainly won't let things go…"
Steward Li gritted his teeth and made a silent decision.
"Take it."
"Oh? It's been indeed quite some time since I've been down the mountain. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Han."
After saying that, he took out a Storage Bag and pulled out forty more Spirit Stones from it, handing them to Lin Jing.
"These are some savings I've held on to, this amount is all there is. I think this should be enough for him to live a while in Nanshan Market."
"Don't you agree, Senior Han?"
The last 'Senior Han' was said with a clearly elevated tone, showing that this was indeed his bottom line.
"Hmm, I think it should be enough too," Han Jing nodded and said.
"Thank you, Steward Li. I will forever remember the kindness of Steward Li, never to forget it for as long as I live."
Lin Jing didn't feel embarrassed at all and directly pocketed the Spirit Stones,
Steward Li watched with a pang of distress, as it had taken him quite some time to accumulate these Spirit Stones, and now he had given them all away.
Yet, even so, he still pretended to be carefree and nonchalant.
"Hmm, after you go down the mountain, you must live well, and it would be best if you learn a skill, so as not to disappoint the expectations I have for you."
"Steward Li, rest assured, I will definitely live well and certainly not let down your expectations."
It was a joke, how could he possibly not live well with the system by his side?
Having said that, Lin Jing looked toward Yuan Bo, who had been hiding behind Steward Li.
"Brother Yuan, I didn't expect even you to come to see me off; I am truly overwhelmed by your gesture."
"I never thought Brother Yuan would be so sentimental and righteous. I really didn't know any better before and opposed you in every way. Now that I think about it, I am deeply ashamed."
Yuan Bo glanced at Senior Han, who was looking their way, and hastily spoke:
"Yes… yes…"
"I'm also here to see you off. What happened in the past doesn't matter; it's all behind us now."
With that, he took out five Spirit Stones from his person and handed them to Lin Jing.
"This is all my savings. Now I'm giving them to Brother Lin as travel expenses, and I hope you don't find them too little."
After finishing his words, he glanced at Senior Han to see if there was any reaction, and only then did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
"If I were to refuse Brother Yuan's kindness, I might hurt your feelings. Since that's the case, I must graciously accept."
With those words, he also pocketed the five Spirit Stones.
And Yuan Bo could only look on eagerly, though feeling reluctant, he dared not make any move.
"Lin Jing, you've broken through to the second level of Qi Refinement; it seems you've been working hard regularly. Once you're down the mountain, you must not slack off, understand?"
"Steward Li, don't worry, I will definitely practice diligently after I go down the mountain."
"Good, that's good."
"I have something else to do tomorrow, so I won't be able to see you off. Remember not to cause any trouble for Senior Han on the way."
"Yuan Bo, let's go."
After saying that, he was ready to take Yuan Bo and leave this place, a place he didn't want to stay a moment longer.
"Steward Li, please wait a moment."
Just as the two men were about to walk out the door, Senior Han suddenly spoke up, stopping them from leaving.
"What now?"
At this point, Steward Li couldn't hold back his frustration anymore. He had already bled enough today; did Senior Han still not intend to let him off?
"Don't be hasty, Steward Li. It's like this, I've heard that you, Steward Li, had previously copied and sold many copies of your family's Alchemy."
"Now that Lin Jing is going down the mountain, he needs a skill. Why not give him a copy? That way, when he's at the base of the mountain, he'll have something to rely on, right?"
After hearing Senior Han's words, Steward Li calmed down a bit. Although this matter was not a big deal for him, he still felt extremely annoyed.
Steward Li furrowed his brows, pondering for a moment.
"It's extremely difficult to master Alchemy, and the expenditures for a beginner are substantial; often, they spend more than they earn. I'm afraid it may not be suitable for him."
"Whether he can learn it or not depends on his own ability; we needn't worry about that."
"Don't you agree, Steward Li?"
Seeing that Senior Han was determined, Steward Li didn't dawdle and directly handed the basic copied manuals to Lin Jing.
"This is the 'Outline of Alchemy,' this is 'Spiritual Herb Identification,' and this book, it introduces various Elixir Medicines."
"The most important is this book." Steward Li said, picking up a book with a deep red cover.
Lin Jing looked up and saw the three big black characters 'Controlling Fire Technique' starkly before his eyes.
"The first step in Alchemy is being able to control fire, so the Controlling Fire Technique is very important. Do you understand?"
"Mm-hmm." Lin Jing nodded vigorously.
Steward Li then continued, "Of course, there are no elixir formulas inside. If you want formulas, you can only find them yourself."
"I sell this set for a hundred Spirit Stones normally; you're getting quite the bargain today."
"Lin Jing, aren't you going to thank Steward Li?"
"Thank you, Steward Li."
Chapter 7: Descending the Mountain
Translator: 549690339
After handing over the Alchemy Technique to Lin Jing, Steward Li directly said farewell to Han Jing.
"Senior Han, I take my leave."
Having said that, Steward Li left with Yuan Luo, this time Han Jing did not stop them.
After the two had gone, Han Jing looked at Lin Jing with a strange expression in his eyes.
"Your father used to say that you were an honest person, but now it seems there must have been some misunderstanding about you."
Lin Jing immediately felt embarrassed, having just gotten a little too proud of himself, hardly the image of an honest man, so he quickly defended himself:
"Senior Han, my father passed away suddenly, and for a living, I had to act this way."
Han Jing nodded and did not harbor any doubts.
"I was worried earlier that you were too honest, that you might be bullied after coming down the mountain, but now it seems I was overthinking."
"Senior Han, you knew my father, how come I never heard him mention you?"
"Naturally, it's because of you."
"Forget it, it's already late today, you get some rest early, I will tell you when you descend the mountain tomorrow."
This conversation was cut in mid-sentence, leaving Lin Jing momentarily unable to react.
"Uh… Okay, then."
Seeing that Han Jing had no intention of continuing, Lin Jing had no choice but to let it be.
"Get some rest early."
After saying this, Han Jing left the thatched cottage and flew away on his sword.
Leaving Lin Jing standing there, watching enviously as he left on the sword.
"Just you wait, once I've learned to fly with the sword, I'll fly non-stop for three days and nights."
……
The next morning, Lin Jing woke up early.
Ever since he began cultivating, he needed less sleep, and despite the many events of the previous night that had kept him up late, he was still full of energy now.
After washing up and grabbing the package he had packed earlier, he stepped out of the thatched cottage. Perhaps it was the remnants of his original consciousness, but leaving this time made Lin Jing feel somewhat reluctant.
He took one last look inside the house, then Lin Jing closed the cottage door, turned, and strode away.
"One must look forward."
He might have been saying this to himself or perhaps to the original occupant of the body.
……
When he arrived at the village, Han Jing was already waiting for him.
"Let's go."
Han Jing called out and then immediately started walking forward, with Lin Jing quickly following behind.
The Qingyuan Sword Sect was located on Qingyuan Mountain, and the several surrounding peaks were also under the jurisdiction of the Qingyuan Sword Sect.
The place where Lin Jing had stayed was Qingtian Peak on the southern side of Qingyuan Mountain. Going down Qingtian Peak and about two hundred miles further south was Lin Jing's current destination—Nanshan Market.
However, traversing the mountain forest was not easy as various wild animals roamed and even Demonic Beasts would occasionally appear.
It was only a large power like the Qingyuan Sword Sect that could remain unafraid of these Demonic Beasts; Lin Jing had been on Qingtian Peak for so long and had never heard of an attack by beasts or Demonic Beasts.
That was because the Qingyuan Sword Sect had early on set up Formations on Qingtian Peak, and additionally, they had arranged for Disciples to patrol.
Other smaller Sects and cultivator families did not enjoy such luxuries; being attacked by wild animals was common,
and they would even occasionally suffer from Demonic Beast attacks, which often resulted in heavy losses for them.
Leaving Qingtian Peak, the two entered the mountain forest, and Han Jing handed Lin Jing a Godspeed Talisman, saying:
"My Flying Sword cannot carry two people at once, and we have to make our way through the forest. You are too slow, use this Godspeed Talisman if you want to keep up with me."
"Alright."
Lin Jing did not say anything more, took the Godspeed Talisman, activated it, and stuck it onto his leg.
By then, Han Jing had already moved quite a distance ahead.
With the Godspeed Talisman attached, Lin Jing quickly caught up. Han Jing was indeed very fast, and with the boost from the Godspeed Talisman, Lin Jing could barely keep up.
"Your father, he actually joined the Qingyuan Sword Sect quite early, and he had a small reputation among the Outer Sect Disciples,"
Han Jing walked and began to talk about Lin Jing's father's history.
Lin Jing followed closely behind Han Jing, listening intently.
"However, later, a mission from the Sect led him to suffer severe injuries, and his Cultivation plummeted."
"It was during that mission that he acquired a Foundation Building Elixir."
Han Jing, not waiting for Lin Jing's response, continued to speak:
"He knew he had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, so he gave the Foundation Building Elixir to me and entrusted me to take care of you,"
"So, you don't owe me anything."
Lin Jing frowned. He knew nothing about this, from his predecessor's memories, his father was just a spiritual farmer and had a good relationship with the previous steward.
"But why would father keep it from me?"
Turning his head to look at Lin Jing, Han Jing spoke,
"Because you have a Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root."
"With a Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root, the path of cultivation is bound to be short, and you don't even qualify to become an outer sect disciple."
"If you can't cultivate, it's better to hide it from you from the start, let you be a spiritual farmer, and lead a stable life."
"Moreover, your father had quite a few enemies when he was young, and by doing this, he was also protecting you."
After saying this, Han Jing sighed.
"It's a pity, even so, there are those who wouldn't let you off."
"Your expulsion from the sect this time was due to one of your father's old enemies, who secretly informed Steward Li that your father possessed a Foundation Building Elixir."
"In the sect, it's forbidden to kill fellow disciples."
"That's why Steward Li tried to find a way to expel you from the sect."
"He couldn't do it openly while you were inside the sect."
"Your father's enemy is too vengeful, obviously unwilling to let you go, and the person is also an inner sect disciple, so even I can't do much about him."
"So, I simply went with the flow and let you sever ties with Qingyuan Sword Sect. Although life may be hard in the future, at least you can save your life."
"So that's how it is, thank you, Senior Han, for your help."
From then on, Lin Jing finally understood that there were still people in Qingyuan Sword Sect who wanted his life.
If it weren't for Senior Han's help, even if he could avoid this time, he might not be able to escape the next.
And according to what Senior Han just said, the other party was also an inner sect disciple, which means they are at least at the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation.
Being targeted by a Foundation Establishment cultivator is terrifying, and leaving Qingyuan Sword Sect was the best choice.
"I've said that you don't owe me, you don't need to thank me."
"Without your father's Foundation Building Elixir, I might have rushed the Foundation Establishment stage and it's likely I would have exploded and died."
Thinking about his own attempt at the Foundation Establishment stage, Han Jing was still frightened by the close call. Thankfully, the Foundation Building Elixir had allowed him to succeed in breaking through.
"Also, the Alchemy Technique Steward Li sold you is incomplete. You should be able to concoct First Rank elixir medicines without a problem, but from the Second Rank onward, your failure rate will drastically increase."
"Of course, that's what I've heard from others. As for how it really is, you'll have to verify it yourself. If it really doesn't work, just throw it away."
"If that fails, you could join a small sect, becoming a spiritual farmer is also an option."
"Ah… incomplete?"
Lin Jing was dumbstruck.
"Otherwise, why do you think he would sell it?"
"If you manage to cultivate it by luck, you should still look for other Alchemy Techniques later on."
"If it doesn't work out, it's better to give up early and find another path."
"Senior Han, I understand."
Lin Jing nodded in acknowledgment.
In fact, Han Jing had left some words unsaid; he didn't believe Lin Jing could become a Second Rank Pill Master, even First Rank seemed a bit of a stretch.
Without a skill down the mountain, it was difficult to survive, so there was no harm in letting him try.
"However, that Controlling Fire Technique is a good thing; you should cultivate it diligently."
"Yes, don't worry, Senior Han."
Afterward, the two of them walked silently, as if they each had their own concerns.
It wasn't until the afternoon that they emerged from the forest and reached the main road.
Han Jing said his goodbyes to Lin Jing.
"Alright, I'll see you off here. Just follow this road straight, and you'll soon see Nanshan Market."
He then handed Lin Jing a Storage Bag.
"There are some Spirit Stones inside, enough for you to use for some time. If you run out of the Spirit Stones inside before reaching the status of a First Rank Pill Master, it means you don't have the talent for alchemy, and you should give up by then."
"Take care."
After finishing, Han Jing rode his flying sword into the air and headed toward Qingyuan Mountain.
"Senior Han, take care."
Chapter 8 Renting a House
Translator: 549690339
After parting from Han Jing, and walking for more than an hour, Lin Jing finally arrived at Nanshan Market.
The Fang Market was huge, almost the size of a city, and it contained not only cultivators but also many ordinary people.
Walking on the street, the crowd bustled with life, and the sound of hawkers never ceased. Shops lined both sides of the streets, dazzling the onlookers.
Now, the most important thing was to find a place to live, so Lin Jing did not wander around.
Through the bustling streets, Lin Jing arrived at the management office of the Fang Market.
"Steward, I would like to reside in the Fang Market on a permanent basis. May I inquire if there are any houses for rent or sale?"
Inside the office, an old man with white hair was playing with a jade pendant. Hearing the question, he glanced at Lin Jing and asked,
"Do you have a certificate?"
"Certificate?" Lin Jing asked, puzzled.
"You need a certificate to rent a house within the Fang Market. If you don't have one, go find a place to live on the outskirts of the market."
Having said that, the steward lowered his head and continued playing with the jade pendant, paying Lin Jing no further attention.
Lin Jing bowed and said, "Steward, my senior brother once said that residing in the Fang Market does not require a certificate. I'm not sure when the rules changed; I hope you can inform me."
Seeing that Lin Jing's attitude was quite good, the steward put away the jade pendant and looked up at Lin Jing.
"Recently, the demonic beasts have been rioting, often appearing to attack people. Many want to move within the Fang Market to seek shelter."
"There is limited space inside the Fang Market, and it cannot accommodate so many people."
"Therefore, the Fang Market has set conditions."
"Only those with a certificate issued by the Fang Market's management office can rent a house inside."
"To obtain a certificate, one either needs someone to recommend them, or they must be someone who has made contributions to the Fang Market."
"Do you understand now?"
"So that's how it is. I thank the steward for informing me."
Lin Jing expressed his thanks with another bow.
"You've arrived relatively early. If it were a few days later, even the outskirts of the Fang Market might be fully occupied. Take advantage of the current situation and rent a place quickly while it's not too tight."
"Otherwise, in a few days, there might be nothing left to rent."
The steward said.
Perhaps because he took a liking to Lin Jing, he additionally reminded him before leaving,
"Remember to rent a house as close to the center of the Fang Market as possible. The closer you are to the edge, the less safe it becomes."
"Thank you, Steward, for the warning. I will take my leave now."
Lin Jing bowed again and departed from the market management office, heading straight for the outskirts.
After asking around extensively, Lin Jing took quite a while before finally arriving at the outer management office.
After explaining his purpose, a steward immediately took him to view a house.
The courtyards in the outer region were crowded and the alleys narrow. Following the steward through twists and turns, Lin Jing arrived in front of a small courtyard.
"Here… This small courtyard fits your requirement and isn't expensive, just five low-grade Spirit Stones per year."
Lin Jing frowned, not expecting the rent in the outskirts of the Fang Market to be so expensive.
To know, when he was cultivating Spirit Rice in the Qingyuan Sword Sect, he only earned two low-grade Spirit Stones per year.
Lin Jing pondered for a moment.
"Do you want to rent it or not? If you don't, you'll have to go to the market edges near the Night Mist Mountain Range."
"They ask for less there, only one Spirit Stone per year."
"But as for safety, I can't guarantee that."
Seeing Lin Jing's hesitation, the steward thought Lin Jing didn't have enough Spirit Stones, and his face fell, his tone becoming less polite than before.
"I'll rent it."
With that, Lin Jing took out five low-grade Spirit Stones from his chest and handed them to the steward.
Upon receiving the Spirit Stones, the steward immediately brightened with a smile.
"That's more like it."
"Rest assured, this place is much safer than those perimeter areas. Soon, you'll find that these five Spirit Stones are well spent."
"Right then, this house is yours now. Whether it's for paying the rent or any other matter, I will come to notify you."
After finishing, the steward greeted Lin Jing and then left directly.
Upon opening the courtyard gate, he saw a small tree in the middle of the yard, with a circular stone table underneath. Inside, there was a room made from green bricks and tiles, and a kitchen.
Perhaps it was because no one had lived there, but the courtyard was somewhat cluttered, with leaves and branches everywhere, even blanketing the stone tables.
"Creak…"
Lin Jing pushed open the door, and a musty stench hit him, mixed with dust visible to the naked eye.
"Cough…cough, cough…"
Lin Jing stepped back and fanned the air with his hand.
"The previous owner of this house must have been incredibly slovenly,"
Lin Jing complained.
However, with the sun about to set and darkness approaching, if he didn't clean up now, he'd have to sleep in the courtyard.
Lin Jing sighed and began to clean up.
He was busy until well into the night.
After cleaning up, the house was essentially empty, and now it truly was no place to live.
He would have to wait until tomorrow to purchase the necessities for life.
"Enter System Space."
As Lin Jing's words fell, darkness abruptly dissipated, replaced by blinding sunlight that made it hard for him even to keep his eyes open.
"It would be good if I could adjust the weather and time here."
Lin Jing thought, then he proceeded forward.
Ahead lay the Spirit Field Lin Jing had planted, which he checked and found would mature in one more day; yet when he had looked yesterday, there were still three days left.
In System Space, time flowed at twice the rate of the outside world.
Exactly one day had passed since yesterday, so it seemed the harvest would be ready by tomorrow noon.
"It's perfect that Senior Han gave me a Storage Bag, once the Spirit Rice matures, I can directly pack it into the Storage Bag to sell; this will make things much more convenient."
"First, let's see how large the space in that Storage Bag is to properly prepare."
Lin Jing took out the Storage Bag, input Spiritual Power into it to open it, and then sent his Divine Sense inside.
Immediately after, Lin Jing was stunned.
Five hundred.
There were fully five hundred Spirit Stones.
"I didn't expect Senior Han to give me so much."
Looking at the pile of Spirit Stones, Lin Jing breathed heavily, as it was his first time seeing so many Spirit Stones.
And that wasn't all; there were also several talismans next to the Spirit Stones.
Lin Jing sent his Divine Sense over.
Fireball Talisman, Cleansing Talisman, Godspeed Talisman, Invisibility Talisman…
Several kinds of talisman, adding up to over twenty.
And the last two crimson talismans, which bore the words 'Five Thunder Talisman'.
The Five Thunder Technique was a spell that only a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could cultivate.
And these Five Thunder Talismans were equivalent to the full-force strike of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
This was something that could save his life at a critical moment.
Lin Jing was overwhelmed with emotions, not expecting that such precious items would be given to him by Senior Han.
He made a mental note of Senior Han's kindness.
And upon further investigation, Lin Jing found the Storage Bag to be quite large, a full ten cubic meters, more than enough to fit all ten acres of his Spirit Rice.
Lin Jing estimated that just this Storage Bag alone was worth a lot.
After being moved, Lin Jing focused his mind, ready to start cultivating.
The Spiritual Energy was rich within the System Space, Lin Jing sat down cross-legged, and it didn't take long for him to enter a state of cultivation…
……
On the second day, Lin Jing left early to purchase some necessities for life, and after returning, he also took the opportunity to clean up the courtyard again.
By the time he was done, it was already afternoon.
Looking at the completely refreshed courtyard, Lin Jing smiled contentedly, now it really looked like a home.
After tidying up the house, Lin Jing had another task to do: the Spirit Rice in the System Space was ready for harvest.
Next, he planned to look around for an appropriate merchant to sell the Spirit Rice to.
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Chapter 9: Host, please keep going
Translator: 549690339
Lin Jing had just walked out.
The door to the courtyard opposite his also happened to open.
Two very similar-looking young men stepped out, and the two parties faced each other.
To avoid awkwardness, Lin Jing nodded in greeting, intending to leave afterward.
However, just then, a voice came from behind him.
"This fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."
Lin Jing stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the two men.
The one on the left, smiling, said:
"You must be new here, right?"
"I am Zhang Sen," he said, pointing to the person next to him, "This is my twin brother, Zhang Lin,"
"May I know your esteemed name?"
"Lin Jing."
Lin Jing spoke, then asked Zhang Sen with a puzzled look:
"May I ask what it is you need, Fellow Daoist Zhang?"
Lin Jing, being new, was not familiar with those around him and had no plans to interact with others for now, so he came across as rather cold.
Zhang Sen, however, did not mind and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Lin. Since you're new to this place, you must be unfamiliar with everything here."
"We'll all be neighbors on this street in the future, so we should look out for each other."
"If there's any difficulty where you could use the help of us brothers, feel free to speak up."
Lin Jing was somewhat surprised; they were just meeting for the first time, and their enthusiasm was unexpected.
"Thank you for your kind offer, Fellow Daoist Zhang, but it's getting late now, and I still need to purchase some furniture, so I'll not chat with the two of you,"
"Let's talk another time when there's a chance."
However, Lin Jing didn't want to get too involved with them for the time being, so he made an excuse to leave.
"You're too polite, Fellow Daoist Lin," Zhang Sen said.
"My brother and I have matters to attend to as well, so we won't delay you. Let's talk another day."
After saying this, the two of them left directly.
Watching them go, Lin Jing also turned to leave.
……
After browsing the Fang Market, it was dark by the time he returned.
Back at the courtyard, Lin Jing had gained a preliminary understanding of several merchant houses in the market that bought Spirit Rice.
He had planted ten mu of Spirit Rice in the System Space, and each mu could yield one thousand catties, adding up to a total of ten thousand catties.
Ten thousand catties was not a small amount; he obviously could not sell it all to just one merchant as that would raise suspicions, and he needed to change up the stores he dealt with.
Yet, as a mere Qi Condensation Stage Level 2 cultivator, even if he sold the rice separately, it was still likely to attract attention.
"If only I had a magic artifact to change my appearance and aura, that would be perfect," Lin Jing thought.
"The maturity period for Spirit Rice is one year, but with the boost from the System Space, it only takes half a year. With twenty mu of Spirit Field in the System Space, if fully planted with Spirit Rice, it would yield forty thousand catties a year."
"That's equivalent to the annual yield of a small family."
"No, that won't do," Lin Jing shook his head.
"Forty thousand catties of unexplained Spirit Rice flooding the market would definitely attract the attention of interested parties."
"I cannot plant solely Spirit Rice; in the following days, I must also find out if there are other crops that I can grow."
"Moreover, I must arrange for a magic artifact that can change my appearance and aura as soon as possible."
Naturally, he couldn't neglect his cultivation either.
Since Lin Jing had used up his time in the System Space the previous night, he could only cultivate in the courtyard for now.
But it wasn't long before Lin Jing frowned and ceased his cultivation.
"The spiritual energy of this place is so scarce, even poorer than when I was at Qingyuan Peak."
Lin Jing's frown was because the spiritual energy was too thin here, and with his Spiritual Root talent, cultivating in this place was utterly ineffective.
"I don't know how the others cultivate. Do they have to use Spirit Stones?"
He quickly dismissed the idea.
First of all, his talent for cultivation was too poor. Even if he cultivated with Spirit Stones, the effect wouldn't be significant unless he managed to obtain a Spirit Gathering Array. With the enhancement of a Spirit Gathering Array, it would be somewhat better.
Moreover, he may seem to have plenty of Spirit Stones now, over five hundred, but he still needs to learn Alchemy, not to mention purchasing alchemy recipes, Alchemy Ingredients…
And also, he needs to buy a Magic Artifact that can change his appearance and aura.
Once he factored all that in, those Spirit Stones were far from enough. Not to speak of other expenses, just a Magic Artifact that can alter his appearance and aura would probably cost a significant amount of Spirit Stones.
After all, what he needs to buy is not an ordinary Magic Artifact. At the very least, it has to be capable of withstanding the Divine Sense of a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert, to facilitate dealing with others in the future.
In this world, weakness is the original sin. He certainly doesn't want to be devoured during a trade, not even leaving behind a trace of his bones.
Therefore, concealing his identity is of the utmost importance right now.
……
Unable to cultivate, Lin Jing started to read the alchemy manual.
He read until late at night when the System's prompt arrived.
"System Space time refreshed, remaining time: 4 hours."
Lin Jing entered the house and took out the scythe that he had bought along with the furniture.
"Enter the System Space," Lin Jing silently recited in his mind.
The Spirit Rice was ripe, he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Subsequently, Lin Jing began to get busy.
Until one hour later, soaked in sweat, Lin Jing collapsed at the edge of the field.
"System notification: Harvesting one mu of Medium Grade Spirit Rice, reward: 1 Harvest Point."
Seeing the floating system notification, Lin Jing couldn't help but ridicule.
"The System is really stingy!!!"
"System notification: Since the host is harvesting a Spirit Plant for the first time, you are rewarded: 10 Harvest Points."
"Is this another achievement reward?"
Only one Harvest Point for a mu of Spirit Rice—if he wanted to upgrade to the next level, wouldn't it take an absurdly long time?
"System, come out and explain this."
"Host, the Harvest Points earned from planting Spirit Plants are determined by the grade of the planted Spirit Plants. The higher the grade of the Spirit Plant, the more Spiritual Power it contains, and the more Harvest Points you will get."
"To obtain more Harvest Points, you need to find and plant higher-level Spirit Plants."
"Host, please try your best."
After listening to the system's explanation, Lin Jing felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Heh… hehe…"
It seems he can't blame the system; after all, what he planted was Spirit Rice.
It's his own low Cultivation that prevents him from accessing higher-level Spirit Plants.
……
Although the Harvest Points given are few, the yield is quite good.
In this mu of land, Lin Jing estimated that the yield should be over a thousand catties, and this is Medium Grade Spirit Rice, much more valuable than Low Grade Spirit Rice.
Based on the price he inquired about today, fifty catties of Medium Grade Spirit Rice could be exchanged for one Lower Grade Spirit Stone—reaping one thousand catties would net him twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
"Indeed, being a landlord oneself is more comfortable."
With his previous experiences at the Qingyuan Sword Sect for comparison, Lin Jing smiled contentedly.
After reaping the rice, he now had to spread the Spirit Rice out to dry and husk it before it could become genuine Spirit Rice.
Recalling the several mu of Spirit Fields yet to be harvested, Lin Jing did not linger any longer. After spreading out the Spirit Rice to dry, he left the System Space.
That night, Lin Jing did not cultivate but instead slept soundly.
In the days that followed, Lin Jing left early and returned late every day, wandering around the market.
He gained a fairly good understanding of the entire market.
Nanshan Market was established and managed by several Sects nearby to facilitate trading among various powers.
The largest of these forces, of course, is the Qingyuan Sword Sect.
Due to their considerable renown in the Nanming Domain and their proximity to the Night Mist Mountain Range with its abundant resources, many Loose Cultivators came seeking their fortune.
Some smaller clans even moved their entire families here to seek development, and over time, Nanshan Market grew to its current size.
Of course, Lin Jing didn't need to concern himself with these details; what he was more interested in were the various trade firms in the market.
Because he would inevitably deal with these firms in the future.
So.
It was essential to get to know them in advance.
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Chapter 10 Selling Spirit Rice
Translator: 549690339
"Shopkeeper Cheng."
Lin Jing walked into a store named Yu Ming Commerce.
After inquiring for several days, Lin Jing had learned that this store held a good reputation in Fang Market,
so for the first time selling his Spirit Rice, he chose Yu Ming Commerce.
Upon hearing the voice, a middle-aged man playing with an abacus behind the counter looked up.
Seeing Lin Jing approaching, Shopkeeper Cheng smiled.
"So it's young master Lin. Have the Spirit Rice of your family matured and you wish to sell it?"
Lin Jing had visited this place two days ago and had a conversation with Shopkeeper Cheng, mentioning that his family wanted to sell some Spirit Rice.
Since it was the harvesting season for Spirit Rice, during this time, members from various families often came to sell their Spirit Rice.
However, seeing that Lin Jing came by himself, Shopkeeper Cheng assumed he was one of the significant people in charge of his family's finances.
Therefore, Shopkeeper Cheng had no suspicions.
And, with the vast amount Lin Jing mentioned, the two had discussed it further and finally agreed on a price: one Spirit Stone for fifty jin of Spirit Rice.
This ratio was quite generous already.
"I've brought the Spirit Rice with me, where would Shopkeeper Cheng like to inspect the goods?"
"You've brought it?" Shopkeeper Cheng was surprised.
Seeing Lin Jing alone, he peered outside, but the street was empty with no ox-cart transporting Spirit Rice in sight.
"Right here," Lin Jing said, shaking the Storage Bag at his waist.
"Oh…"
Shopkeeper Cheng suddenly realized.
"It seems I was right, young master Lin does hold an extraordinary position in the family."
"Not only are you in charge of selling Spirit Rice, but the family has even provided you with a Storage Bag."
After saying that, Shopkeeper Cheng immediately added a word of caution:
"Young master Lin, it's best to be more careful in the future. It's safe here in Fang Market, but outside it can be quite dangerous."
"Especially since you're carrying so much wealth. If someone targets you, at best they would rob you, but at worst, they could take your life."
Shopkeeper Cheng knew Lin Jing's cultivation wasn't high and attributed his daring to come to Fang Market alone to his extraordinary courage and skill.
"Thank you for the reminder, Shopkeeper Cheng."
"But you worry too much," Lin Jing responded.
"I naturally came out with the elders of my family. It's just that the elders have other matters to attend to, and they also intended to train my abilities."
"Hence, only I came by myself."
After Lin Jing finished speaking, Shopkeeper Cheng slapped his forehead.
"I was wondering…"
"That's the reason."
Shopkeeper Cheng then laughed.
"Hahaha, indeed, I worried too much."
"Young master Lin, let's go to the back courtyard. We have a grain storehouse there."
Afterward, Shopkeeper Cheng called a clerk to mind the store.
"Young master Lin, please."
Leading the way, Shopkeeper Cheng guided Lin Jing towards the back courtyard.
Arriving at the storehouse in the back courtyard, Lin Jing opened the Storage Bag and took out all the Spirit Rice inside.
"This is a total of two thousand jin. Please see what you think of the quality, Shopkeeper Cheng."
"Young master Lin, please wait a moment," said Shopkeeper Cheng.
Then he opened one of the sacks, reached in, and grabbed a handful of Spirit Rice.
He first inspected it closely, then smelled it, and finally picked a few grains to taste carefully in his mouth.
"Not bad, the quality is excellent."
Having said that, Shopkeeper Cheng randomly chose several bags of Spirit Rice and inspected them one by one.
"We always have to inspect the Spirit Rice carefully with each purchase. I hope young master Lin won't take offense."
"That's how it should be, I understand," Lin Jing said.
"Shopkeeper Cheng, how is this Spirit Rice?"
Shopkeeper Cheng's eyes narrowed into slits with his smile:
"This Spirit Rice is of good quality. I'll take it all. We'll go with the price we agreed on before. What do you think, young man?"
"Good," Lin Jing nodded in response.
Then, Shopkeeper Cheng continued:
"Previously, Young Master Lin mentioned that this is just the first batch and that there will be much more coming."
"I just don't know how much more you're talking about. I want to buy it all."
Seeing Shopkeeper Cheng like this, Lin Jing began to ponder:
"I had originally planned to sell the Spirit Rice in separate batches, but seeing Shopkeeper Cheng's eagerness…"
"I must have underestimated the Spirit Rice market at Fang Market before."
After musing for a moment, Lin Jing decided to tell the truth.
"Eight thousand jin," Lin Jing said, making a hand gesture at the same time.
"Good."
Shopkeeper Cheng's eyes lit up.
"Young Master Lin, then it's settled. I will take all eight thousand jin."
"The remaining eight thousand jin, how many days until it can be harvested? After a few days, once it's harvested, I'll bring it to you."
"Alright, then I'll be waiting for Young Master Lin."
Afterward, the two walked out of the storeroom.
As they walked, Lin Jing asked, "Shopkeeper Cheng, do you have seeds here?"
"Of course, what kind of seeds is Young Master Lin looking for?"
"Superior grade Spirit Rice seeds, a hundred jin."
"Then I'll take some Seven-Star Grass seeds as well, fifty jin should do."
"Seven-Star Grass seeds? Does Young Master Lin's family have a Talisman Maker?" Shopkeeper Cheng turned his head to look at Lin Jing and asked.
Seven-Star Grass is a kind of Spirit Grass that is specifically used to make talismans, and it requires more Spiritual Energy to cultivate than Spirit Rice does.
Of course, the price is also higher.
But with the density of Spiritual Energy in the System Space right now, growing Seven-Star Grass should be no problem at all.
"You misunderstand, Shopkeeper Cheng. I've heard that Demonic Beasts have been causing trouble often lately and the price of Seven-Star Grass has been steadily rising, so I thought about growing some to sell next year."
"Hehe…"
"It seems like young brother has done his research indeed. The price of Seven-Star Grass has skyrocketed, nearly doubling."
Shopkeeper Cheng stated seriously:
"I just want to remind you, ordinary Spirit Fields cannot grow Seven-Star Grass. If the Spiritual Energy is insufficient, the Seven-Star Grass will not survive."
Lin Jing nodded, "I'm well aware of that."
……
When Lin Jing left Yu Ming Trading Company, not only had his stock of Spirit Stones not increased, he had even spent some.
The price of Seven-Star Grass had soared, and the seeds were no exception, outrageously expensive. Fifteen jin of Seven-Star Grass seeds cost him fifty Spirit Stones.
Add that to the hundred jin of Superior grade Spirit Rice seeds, he spent a total of sixty Spirit Stones, whereas Lin Jing's two thousand jin of Medium Grade Spirit Rice had only sold for forty Spirit Stones.
So, in the end, Lin Jing still owed Shopkeeper Cheng twenty Spirit Stones.
Once back in his own courtyard, Lin Jing had no time to rest before entering the System Space.
DiLon Space, there was still a lot of land lying fallow. Having land and not using it—that was a waste.
So, adhering to the principle that waste is shameful, the first thing Lin Jing did upon returning was to till the land.
By the time Lin Jing was transported out of the System Space, it was already the next day's early morning hours.
Because the time flow in the System Space was different from the outside world, although it seemed like he had disappeared for just a few hours, he had actually been busy for over ten hours inside the space.
Even so, more than half of the land in the System Space was still empty.
After being transported out, Lin Jing fell asleep immediately. He had been too busy lately, so busy that he didn't even have time to practice Alchemy or the Controlling Fire Technique.
"After these next few days, I need to study Alchemy properly, and also the Controlling Fire Technique. It's essential for Alchemy, and Senior Han has said that it needs serious cultivation," Lin Jing thought to himself as he slowly drifted into sleep.
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Chapter 11 The Spirit Stones just earned are gone again
Translator: 549690339
A few days later.
All the Spirit Rice in the System Space had matured; Lin Jing harvested it all.
Yet the system remained as miserly as ever, still giving just one Harvest Point per acre of land.
After harvesting, Lin Jing sun-dried and threshed the Spirit Rice before sending it all to Yu Ming Trading House.
Shopkeeper Cheng happily accepted everything and even negotiated with Lin Jing to reserve next year's Spirit Rice.
Since he had a buyer, he agreed readily, and after finalizing their agreement, Lin Jing left Yu Ming Trading House with the 160 Lower Grade Spirit Stones he had earned from selling the Spirit Rice.
……
In the following two months, Lin Jing spent most of his time at home, studying Alchemy and the Controlling Fire Technique, and would only go out once every few days.
Sometimes when he went out, he would run into the brothers Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin. Zhang Sen was quite talkative, and every time they met, he would strike up a conversation with Lin Jing.
Lin Jing wasn't too comfortable with this and typically responded with a few words before taking his leave.
Among Lin Jing's two neighbors, he had met one of the households twice—a young woman who seemed about his age.
However, she was not alone but accompanied by a five or six-year-old girl, who was very cute.
Zhang Sen mentioned that the young woman used to live with her husband, but he had unfortunately suffered an accident while hunting Demonic Beasts.
This left only the mother and daughter behind.
As for the other neighbor, Lin Jing had not yet seen them.
Today, Lin Jing was preparing to go out again.
After studying Alchemy for two months, Lin Jing felt he had understood the basics and was ready to start practicing alchemy.
Alchemy required the purchase of a Pill Furnace, formulas, and materials, which would cost a significant amount of Spirit Stones,
Including in the future, Lin Jing also planned to grow Spirit Grass in the System Space, to cultivate, harvest, and then refine it into Elixir Medicine for sale.
Wouldn't this entire vertical integration earn more than selling Spirit Rice?
"Tsk tsk… Perfect!"
Since he planned to collaborate long-term, it was natural to select a reputable trading house.
And now, he was preparing to visit the most famous one in the Fang Market.
"Yuebaolou."
Yuebaolou had a mysterious background and had branches in many places.
What always made it commendable was its good reputation and fair pricing, never using its large size to bully customers and always keeping client privacy secure.
As long as you were willing to sell something, they never asked where it came from and would accept it accordingly.
Of course, whatever you bought from Yuebaolou, you needn't worry because they absolutely forbade revealing any customer information.
Upon arriving at Yuebaolou, Lin Jing looked up.
The seven-story pagoda was unique in the entire Nanshan Market.
The area it covered was indeed substantial, and there was also a not-so-small square in front of the building, where Cultivators set up their stalls all over the square, creating a lively scene.
It was said that to set up a stall here, one simply needed to pay Spirit Stones to Yuebaolou.
Lin Jing did not stop there and walked directly through the square to Yuebaolou.
Yuebaolou was vast, with Magic Artifacts, Elixir Medicines, and Cultivation Techniques available in abundance.
As soon as Lin Jing entered, a maid approached to attend to him.
"Welcome to Yuebaolou, Immortal," she said. "May I ask what you need?"
"Immortal?"
Lin Jing was quite unfamiliar with this title and looked at her.
"So it turns out to be a mortal; no wonder."
"I need to buy a Pill Furnace, and then some Alchemy Ingredients."
"So the Immortal is an Alchemist; please follow me."
Envy filled the maid's eyes.
Then, she led Lin Jing to the second floor and directed him to a counter.
"Elder Yu, this Immortal wishes to purchase a Pill Furnace and Alchemy Ingredients."
After conveying the message to Elder Yu behind the counter, the maidservant promptly left.
"May I ask, what kind of Pill Furnace would you like?" Elder Yu asked.
"I have recently learned the Alchemy Technique and wish to try Alchemy on my own. I wonder if Elder Yu has any Pill Furnace to recommend?"
"The entrance to the art of Alchemy is not easy, especially for beginners, the failure rate is extremely high, and it's particularly easy to cause an explosion in the furnace."
"Therefore…"
"When beginners choose a Pill Furnace, they should prioritize quality and durability. Use this furnace for initial practice, and diligently work on mastering the Controlling Fire Technique daily."
"Although at first, due to the qualities of the furnace, it might be difficult to control the temperature, once you are completely proficient, there will be no further issues."
"At that time, if you switch to another Pill Furnace, the success rate of crafting Elixir Medicine will significantly increase."
Having said that,
Elder Yu turned around, took down a cyan Pill Furnace from the display shelf behind him, and placed it in front of Lin Jing.
"This Three-legged Copper Furnace is an extremely rare six-refinement furnace, with the body naturally radiating a treasure light and is extremely durable. Even if it explodes multiple times, it will remain intact, making it especially suitable for beginners to practice."
"Additionally, it's reasonably priced, only costing one hundred and twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
Lin Jing picked up the Three-legged Copper Furnace and examined it closely. He could see a faint glow emanating from the body of the furnace, indeed as Elder Yu had described, with a natural treasure light.
"One hundred and twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones for a six-refinement furnace is indeed a fair price."
During the past few days while Lin Jing was strolling around Fang Market, he had gathered quite a bit of information, including about this Pill Furnace.
Generally, the cheaper Pill Furnaces would cost around fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones, but those furnaces were of abysmal quality; a slight mishap could cause an explosion and sometimes even harm the person doing Alchemy.
On the other hand, the good ones could cost upwards of a thousand Spirit Stones, which Lin Jing could not afford at the moment, but this Three-legged Copper Furnace was just right.
Right there and then, Lin Jing made up his mind.
"I'll take this copper furnace."
"Elder Yu, may I know the price of the ingredients to craft the Fasting Pill here?"
"Also, I would like to purchase some elixir recipes."
Many Alchemists, when they first start learning the art of Alchemy, begin by crafting the Fasting Pill.
There's no special reason, other than the fact that the ingredients required to craft the Fasting Pill are fairly common and quite cheap.
Lin Jing was no exception; he planned to start learning from the Fasting Pill.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."
After speaking, Elder Yu took out a booklet from under the counter and handed it to Lin Jing.
"Seeing that Fellow Daoist might need a lot of items, here's the price list. Please take a look."
"Whatever you want, just let me know."
Lin Jing nodded, took the booklet, and started to flip through it.
"Energy Gathering Pill recipe (First Rank): 10 Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
"Energy Restoration Elixir recipe (First Rank): 10 Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
"Fasting Pill recipe (First Rank): 5 Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
"Poison Avoidance Elixir recipe (First Rank): 5 Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
……
"Energy Gathering Pill ingredients, 1 Lower Grade Spirit Stone per portion; Energy Restoration Elixir ingredients, 1 Lower Grade Spirit Stone per portion; Fasting Pill ingredients, 1 Lower Grade Spirit Stone for 5 portions…"
……
Subsequently, he bought several First Rank elixir recipes and one hundred portions of Fasting Pill ingredients.
For ingredients like those for Energy Gathering Pills, Energy Restoration Elixirs, and Blood Coagulation Pills, he requested ten portions of each, planning to practice with them when he returned.
Soon, he had finished his purchases.
This trip directly cost him over two hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
The Spirit Stones he had just earned were gone again…
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Chapter 12 Got Trapped?
Translator: 549690339
Having left Yuebaolou, Lin Jing did not linger outside and hurried home instead.
"Ning Daoyou, my brother and I have been a bit tight on money recently, I apologize for the inconvenience. Could you give us a few more days? We will pay you back after that," someone spoke.
Just as he turned into the alley, Lin Jing heard the conversation.
Lin Jing looked up and saw Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin, two brothers, talking with his young female neighbor.
And behind the neighbor, a cute little girl was timidly hiding.
The young woman's brows were furrowed as she looked at the two men coldly.
At that moment, Zhang Sen, seeing Lin Jing approaching, hurriedly greeted him.
"Brother Lin."
Zhang Sen's face lit up with a smile as he walked towards Lin Jing.
"Brother Zhang."
Since the other party had already come over, it was not good for Lin Jing to avoid him.
"Brother Lin might not be acquainted with Ning Daoyou yet. We will be neighbors from now on, and we'll inevitably need to help each other. Let me introduce you."
Saying this, he led Lin Jing over to the young woman.
"This is Ning Yue, Ning Daoyou."
After finishing, he turned to Ning Yue and introduced:
"Ning Daoyou, this is Lin Jing, Lin Daoyou."
"He lives right next to you and moved in over two months ago. He doesn't often go out; I presume you haven't met before."
As Zhang Sen introduced Lin Jing, the little girl poked her head out from behind and glanced at Lin Jing.
Feeling her gaze, Lin Jing also looked back, and like a startled rabbit, the little girl quickly hid behind her mother again.
"Brother Lin," Zhang Sen said with a beaming smile: "It's an act of mercy to help those in urgent need."
"We previously borrowed some Spirit Stones from Ning Daoyou, and now she suddenly needs them for an emergency. But my hands are tied these few days; I can't gather enough."
"I would like to ask Brother Lin to lend me some Spirit Stones, so I can repay Ning Daoyou first."
"Not much, just five Spirit Stones will do."
"Rest assured, Brother Lin, as soon as my finances are better in a few days, I will definitely repay you."
Lin Jing frowned.
"Brother Lin, please help," Zhang Sen spoke again.
"Please be at ease, Brother Lin. Once I've earned some Spirit Stones in a few days, I will pay you back immediately."
Seeing how earnest Zhang Sen was, Lin Jing decided to trust him for once.
"Alright then."
Saying this, Lin Jing took out five Spirit Stones from his bosom and handed them over.
When outside, Lin Jing always hid his Storage Bag and only carried a few Spirit Stones on him.
For someone at the Second Rank of Qi Refinement like him, possessing a Storage Bag was not ordinary. If seen by others, it may evoke malicious intentions.
After all…
A Storage Bag costs at least a few hundred Spirit Stones, not something a minor Cultivator at the Second Rank of Qi Refinement could afford.
In short, with his current low strength, it was still best to be cautious.
"Thank you very much, Brother Lin," Zhang Sen couldn't hide his joy.
Taking the Spirit Stones, Zhang Sen handed them straight to Ning Yue.
"Ning Daoyou, we are even now."
"Hmm."
Ning Yue took the Spirit Stones and nodded slightly.
"Ning Daoyou, Brother Lin, we brothers have matters to attend to and will take our leave now."
With their business concluded, Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin prepared to leave.
"Rest assured, Brother Lin, I will return the Spirit Stones to you in a few days."
Zhang Sen continued:
"Also, I forgot to mention, Ning Daoyou here is an alchemist. If you need Elixir Medicine crafted in the future, you can seek her assistance."
"Ning Daoyou, Brother Lin, we bid you farewell."
After speaking, the two turned and left.
"Alchemist."
Lin Jing looked at Ning Yue. She had a graceful figure but wasn't very pretty, her complexion sallow as if she had been malnourished for a long time, and there was a brown patch on her cheek.
"Uncle, you've been deceived," a timid voice came.
It was the little girl, holding onto Ning Yue's skirt and peering out with her head, her voice trembling.
"Mother said, those two are bad people who often borrow money and don't pay back. You've been tricked by them."
"Luo Luo, don't talk nonsense," Ning Yue chided.
The little girl upon hearing this, quickly shrank her head back.
"Lin Daoyou, I will take my leave now," she said.
Having said that, without waiting for Lin Jing to react, she took the little girl and returned to her own courtyard.
Then, with a loud "bang," the courtyard door closed behind them, leaving only Lin Jing behind.
Lin Jing understood that, clearly, she still didn't trust him and was wary of him, not wanting to get involved with him.
Afterward, he let it go, thinking how he wasn't any different, as he also disliked trouble.
Having thought it through, he headed towards his own house.
Once back in his room, Lin Jing took out the Pill Furnace from his Storage Bag, ready to begin Alchemy.
First, he studied the pill recipe, familiarized himself with the production process, and then Lin Jing took out the materials.
"Let's start with the simplest Fasting Pill."
After processing the spirit materials needed for the Fasting Pill, he placed them into the furnace in order and began to light the fire.
The flames surged, and after a while, the Pill Furnace began to react.
"Controlling Fire Technique."
Lin Jing carefully used the Controlling Fire Technique to manipulate the flames, regulating the temperature to ensure it wasn't too fierce.
At the same time, he extended his Divine Sense into the furnace to monitor the condition of the Elixir Medicine inside.
However, with the strength of Lin Jing's Divine Sense at the moment, it barely lasted for long, and soon Lin Jing couldn't hold on and withdrew it.
After an incense stick's time.
"Boom."
A muffled sound came from within the Pill Furnace.
"Did it explode?"
Lin Jing frowned and went to check.
He lifted the lid of the furnace and looked inside to see black shards filling it—there was no sign of Elixir Medicine.
Then he checked the body of the furnace, which was undamaged.
"That's good," Lin Jing was relieved.
Lin Jing recalled the alchemy steps he had just performed and after pondering for a while, started preparing materials again to continue Alchemy.
He knew that Alchemy could not possibly go smoothly from the start; it was bound to fail a few times at the beginning, so Lin Jing was not discouraged at all.
During the second attempt at Alchemy, he took the lessons from the last time to heart, being even more careful with controlling the flame.
As expected, with another "boom," the second batch of Elixir Medicine was declared a failure.
"Again."
This time Lin Jing started without any pause.
"Boom."
This time, the duration of the alchemy process was a bit longer than the previous two attempts.
Lin Jing had some insight, but felt as if he was always grasping at something just out of reach.
"Boom"
"Boom"
……
Lin Jing continued the Alchemy process, but the results were far from satisfactory, repeatedly ending in explosions.
However, Lin Jing did not give up but persisted in Alchemy.
Finally, on the eighth attempt, there was no "boom" sound.
"Did it succeed?"
Just as a smile began to form on Lin Jing's face, a foul odor escaped from the furnace.
"This smell…"
His brow furrowed, he stepped forward and lifted the furnace lid, with the stench assaulting his nostrils.
"Ugh…"
The intense foul odor almost made him vomit last night's dinner.
Afterward, Lin Jing ran out of the room, taking deep breaths of fresh air.
A long while passed before the smell in the room had mostly dissipated, and Lin Jing dared to go back inside.
Returning to the room, Lin Jing first cleared out the source of the foul smell in the Pill Furnace, a pool of viscous liquid, and then along with the previous alchemy failures, he cleaned out all the residue.
Only then did Lin Jing begin to reflect.
The Alchemy Technique he got from Manager Li obviously had problems.
It wasn't until Lin Jing started to engage in Alchemy himself that he realized that the Alchemy Technique was full of errors and omissions, and even some parts were glossed over.
This led him to a continuous cycle of trial and error.
"It seems that Senior Han probably didn't really understand either that this Alchemy Technique, starting from the First Rank Elixir Medicines, has a much higher failure rate than other alchemy techniques."
"Could it be that Manager Li has tricked me?"
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Chapter 13: Successful Alchemy, Opening the Alchemy Room
Translator: 549690339
"Since it won't work here."
"I'll wait until tonight and try in the System Space, where the spiritual energy is dense, maybe that will do the trick."
With that in mind, Lin Jing first cleaned the Three-legged Copper Furnace, packed it away, and then opened both the windows and the door to air out the scent from the room.
He himself took an elixir book and went out into the courtyard to continue his research.
It wasn't until the sun hung over the mountain and the sky gradually darkened that Lin Jing lifted his head.
By that time, smoke was rising from many courtyards nearby, and the fragrance of various dishes also began to waft through the air.
A sense of worldly liveliness unique to mortals permeated this cultivator-inhabited Fang Market.
Indeed, cultivators also need to eat.
This place was inhabited by the lower echelons of the cultivation world, mostly those at the early and middle stages of Qi Refinement.
They were not yet capable of fasting and could hardly afford Fasting Pills, so they had to cook their own meals.
Moreover, most people here, just like mortals, ate very ordinary rice.
For them, Spirit Rice was far too expensive.
Of course, there were a very few who were in the Late Stage Qi Refining, with stronger cultivation and hence more Spirit Stones to their names, and could afford Spirit Rice.
For example, Lin Jing's neighbor, Ning Daoyou with her child, was at the Late Stage Qi Refining.
When meal times came around, the aroma of steamed Spirit Rice always emerged from her house.
Seeing that the day had turned dark, Lin Jing also prepared to start a fire and cook.
Previously, with the Spirit Rice he had sold, aside from what he sold to Shopkeeper Cheng, he still had a few hundred jin left, enough to last him until the Spirit Rice in the System Space matured again.
For this period, Lin Jing had been eating this kind of Spirit Rice.
Whether it was his imagination or not, Lin Jing felt that the Spirit Rice he grown was somewhat sweeter than other Spirit Rice out there.
For this reason, he had specifically purchased some Medium Grade Spirit Rice for comparison.
And indeed, it was the case.
No wonder Shopkeeper Cheng had been so anxious back then, desperate to reserve the next year's supply of Spirit Rice.
Starting a fire, cooking rice, stir-frying dishes, all done in one go…
Then, by the last light of dusk, Lin Jing sat down to enjoy his dinner.
After eating and tidying up, Lin Jing returned to the room and continued perusing elixir books.
Night deepened, and soon it was the wee hours of the next day.
"System Space time refresh, time remaining to enter: 4 hours."
The system prompt sounded again.
A smile crossed Lin Jing's face.
"Enter the System Space."
Once in the System Space, Lin Jing called up the familiar panel and directly checked his own information.
Lin Jing (23/90)
Spiritual Root: Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root (Low Grade)
Cultivation: Qi Refinement Second Layer (8%)
Cultivation Technique: Qingyuan Dao Method (Level One), Qingyuan Sword Control Technique (Entry Level), Controlling Fire Technique (Entry Level)
Secondary Profession: None
The Secondary Profession column still displayed none.
Time was precious inside the System Space, so Lin Jing dared not waste a moment.
He took out the Three-legged Copper Furnace from the Storage Bag, then prepared the materials, and Lin Jingshen took a deep breath to relax.
In alchemy, the most important thing is the state of mind.
Once everything was ready, Lin Jing began to ignite the fire, added various spiritual materials into the Pill Furnace, and started alchemy…
"Boom"
As expected, the first furnace blew up.
After contemplating for a moment, Lin Jing continued.
The second furnace did not explode but produced elixirs of irregular shapes without any fragrance.
Lin Jing pinched one with his hand, and the irregular elixir crumbled immediately, revealing it was full of dregs, clearly a failed product.
However, this was still a great improvement over the first attempt.
After a couple more trials, he finally stumbled upon some tricks of the trade.
Alchemy in the System Space was indeed much more successful than in the outside world; it seems that the density of spiritual energy is extremely important for alchemy.
This point was not mentioned in the alchemy book given by Manager Li.
Immediately after, Lin Jing prepared the materials and started crafting the fifth batch of elixir medicine.
He still deposited the spiritual materials into the furnace in the correct order, and when the flames rose, he quickly and carefully controlled them to avoid an excessively high temperature that could cause an explosion.
Meanwhile, his Divine Sense frequently reached out to check the situation inside the pill furnace.
Everything was carried out in an orderly manner.
After a stick of incense burned down, a faint aroma wafted out from the pill furnace.
"Success!"
Lin Jing's eyes sparkled and his heart thumped rapidly.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Jing hurriedly calmed his emotions.
So as not to throw all his efforts away at the last moment.
As time slowly passed, the aroma from inside the pill furnace grew stronger and stronger.
By now, Lin Jing's forehead was covered in sweat as he carefully controlled the flames.
However, his eyes shone brightly, and he appeared extremely excited.
"Ding"
"System notification: Congratulations to the host for successfully crafting a batch of elixir medicine and unlocking the secondary profession: Alchemist."
"Elixir crafting success, Alchemy proficiency 3"
"System notification: As this is the host's first successful elixir crafting, you are rewarded with 10 Harvest Points."
"System notification: Secondary profession Alchemist identity activated, Alchemy Room now available to open."
"Opening the Alchemy Room requires 10 Harvest Points, does the host wish to proceed?"
A series of system notifications left Lin Jing stunned.
"Alchemy Room? What is this?"
Trusting the system to produce only the best, Lin Jing did not hesitate and chose to open the Alchemy Room immediately.
"System, open the Alchemy Room."
"System notification: Alchemy Room opening successful, 10 Harvest Points deducted, remaining balance: 29 Harvest Points."
Next, a small room sprouted next to the Spirit Field as if growing out of the ground, taking no more than moments to take shape.
Now that the elixir medicine was ready, Lin Jing had no time to marvel at the system's miraculous work and quickly extinguished the fire.
After waiting for a short while for the temperature of the furnace to drop slightly, Lin Jing lifted the lid and was immediately greeted by a burst of fragrance that spread throughout the area.
He reached into the pill furnace and took out the elixir medicine. There were three pills in this batch, and Lin Jing examined them closely in front of his eyes.
The elixir pills were not smooth and shiny, and even their shapes varied somewhat.
Clearly, these were three low-grade elixir medicines.
But, Lin Jing was still very happy.
In his elation, Lin Jing looked up and saw the Alchemy Room standing proudly to the side.
Immediately intrigued, he walked toward the Alchemy Room to see what it looked like inside.
The Alchemy Room wasn't big, about the size of a single room, with black bricks and green tiles in a circular shape.
If it were a bit larger, it would resemble a round palace.
Lin Jing pushed open the door and walked into the Alchemy Room. Inside, a huge Tai Chi and Eight Trigrams symbol covered the entire floor of the room.
There was nothing else.
"Is this it…?"
Looking at the empty Alchemy Room, Lin Jing didn't really know what to say.
"System, what functions does the Alchemy Room have?"
"The Alchemy Room panel has been opened for the host."
Alchemy Room: Level 1
Divine Sense strength increase: 10%
Elixir crafting success rate increase: (Tier 1 10%)
Elixir quality improvement: (Tier 1 10%)
Chance of producing Pure Elixir Medicine: (Tier 1 10%)
Required for upgrade: (29/100 Harvest Points)
That it actually increased the chances of successful elixir crafting, Lin Jing couldn't contain his excitement.
"I'm going to make a fortune in the future."
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Chapter 14 Revisiting Yuebaolou
Translator: 549690339
Then something felt off.
"Pah!"
"What riches!"
"I almost forgot this is the Cultivation World, where the law of the jungle prevails, and might makes right. What's the use of having wealth when you're just seen as prey in the eyes of others?"
"I need to consume it myself, to enhance my strength."
"Given my talent for cultivation, if I rely solely on myself, I'm afraid it will be difficult to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage in this lifetime."
"So, I still have to rely on popping pills… no, I mean taking elixirs."
Having realized this, Lin Jing no longer hesitated and decided to try it out himself first.
He picked up a Fasting Pill and put it in his mouth. The elixir immediately dissolved, sliding down his throat and into his stomach.
Instantly, a sensation of fullness came over him, while a sweet aftertaste lingered in his mouth.
"The introduction said that after taking a Fasting Pill, you can go without food for at least three days. I wonder how effective this pill I concocted is?"
It was time to test its effects.
After finishing this round of alchemy, Lin Jing didn't stay in the System Space any longer and chose to leave first.
Since he had decided to rely on taking elixirs to enhance his abilities, the most important thing right now was to get a complete Alchemy Technique.
The Alchemy Technique he was currently studying was terrible, with a too high rate of failure. If he continued to concoct pills this way, he feared it wouldn't be long before his expenses outpaced his income.
"It seems I must visit Yuebaolou tomorrow."
……
The next day, only when the sun was three poles high did Lin Jing finally get up.
Perhaps because alchemy had exhausted him yesterday, he slept particularly well last night.
Even after sleeping for so long, he still felt groggy when he woke up.
Having taken a Fasting Pill last night, he wasn't hungry at all right now.
After getting up and freshening up, Lin Jing left his home and headed straight for Yuebaolou.
Upon arriving at Yuebaolou, he was greeted by a different maid this time. Lin Jing explained his intention, and the maid led him straight to Elder Yu.
"Elder Yu," Lin Jing greeted when he saw Elder Yu.
"Fellow Daoist, you've come again today. Is there something else you would like?" Elder Yu asked with a smile.
Lin Jing leaned in and whispered, "Elder Yu, do you have any Alchemy Techniques here?"
Elder Yu was taken aback for a moment, then replied:
"Did Fellow Daoist fail at alchemy yesterday? Every beginner goes through failure. It's very normal for beginners, and you don't have to blame the Alchemy Technique."
"Moreover, the Alchemy Technique is very rare. It's hardly ever seen, so I don't have it here."
"No…" Lin Jing replied, somewhat disheartened.
"Don't be in a hurry, Fellow Daoist. I only said I don't have it, not that Yuebaolou doesn't have it," Elder Yu reassured.
Lin Jing's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"There's hope."
Elder Yu continued, "Yuebaolou holds a large exchange meeting every month. There are all kinds of good items on these meetings, and as long as you have the money, you can buy anything."
"Of course, this includes Alchemy Techniques."
"Two years ago, somebody did purchase an Alchemy Technique from the exchange meeting, which was said to be for their family's disciples to cultivate with."
"Elder Yu, how many Spirit Stones did that Alchemy Technique sell for? Do you know?" Lin Jing asked.
"Of course, I remember it very clearly," Elder Yu replied.
"That Alchemy Technique sold for thirty thousand Spirit Stones."
"The seller was a third-grade Alchemist, and the deal also included the Alchemist's own experiences in alchemy."
"If it hadn't been for that Alchemist's urgent need for Spirit Stones, it wouldn't have sold so cheap. It should have cost at least twenty to thirty percent more."
"The person certainly got a great deal."
Elder Yu was filled with emotion, thinking that if he had not been short of Spirit Stones at the time, he would have wanted to acquire it himself.
Especially the Alchemy experience of a third-grade Alchemist, the temptation for an Alchemist is not small.
"If a fellow Daoist wants to buy an Alchemy book, you'd need to prepare tens of thousands of Spirit Stones at least."
"Tens of thousands…"
Upon hearing this number, Lin Jing's eyes widened in shock, and his eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
It took a while for Lin Jing to regain his composure.
"Hehe…"
Lin Jing felt somewhat embarrassed.
"I still think my Alchemy book is quite adequate, I won't change it for now."
Seeing Lin Jing's reaction, Elder Yu knew he didn't have that much money.
He quickly started to give guidance: "In Alchemy, the most important thing is the mindset. As long as one's mindset is stable, the success rate will naturally be high."
"Of course, besides mindset, other factors are also crucial, not just the Alchemy book."
"For instance, the cultivator's own cultivation level, strength of Divine Sense, Alchemy experience, and control of flames are all extremely important."
"Besides these, there are also some external factors, like the Pill Furnace, environment, and Spiritual Energy, which are all essential."
"So, an Alchemist must first control their own mindset, then improve their own abilities and experience, and finally address the external environmental factors."
"Once you have achieved these, your Alchemy success rate will definitely increase substantially."
"Lastly, one more thing, if possible, try to find a prestigious teacher to instruct you."
"It is said that listening to a wise person's words is better than reading books for ten years. Sometimes, a single sentence from a teacher is worth years of your own research."
"Elder Yu, I have learned much."
Lin Jing clasped his hands together and gave Elder Yu a salute.
Elder Yu's words were like enlightening Lin Jing.
"Right, he is just a Qi Refinement Level Two minor cultivator, having just studied for a little while and he thinks he knows it all?"
"Though the Alchemy book from Manager Li has some flaws, the overall direction is correct. I can start practicing with that, then summarizing my experience and filling in the mistakes."
"In any case, I have the System Space, and I won't lack money. I don't need to run around tirelessly like other cultivators."
"So, I should first improve myself. As for changing the Alchemy book, that can wait until later."
Elder Yu hurriedly helped Lin Jing up: "Fellow Daoist, there's no need for such formalities. I'm merely offering some advice as a senior."
"My name is Lin Jing. Elder Yu can call me by my name. 'To the capable goes the teaching.' You are a senior, I dare not presume to be called a fellow Daoist," Lin Jing said humbly.
The term 'senior' deeply touched Elder Yu's heart, and he no longer insisted on formality: "Then, as you wish, I will call you Lin Xiaozi (young Lin)."
"Lin Xiaozi, how many times did you fail at Alchemy yesterday?" Elder Yu was intent on giving guidance, hence the question.
"Elder Yu, after I returned yesterday, out of thirteen attempts at Alchemy, I succeeded in making Elixir Medicine in one batch."
While speaking, Lin Jing took out a small porcelain bottle from his person and handed it over.
"However, it's just Low Grade Fasting Pills, a total of three. I consumed one, and the remaining two are all here."
"I didn't expect you would actually succeed," Elder Yu said in surprise.
"It's rare for someone to succeed on their first attempt at Alchemy. When you came to ask about the Alchemy Technique before, I thought all of your attempts had failed."
"It was purely luck," Lin Jing spoke.
He knew that if it were not for the existence of the System Space, he would not have had any chance of success.
Elder Yu looked at Lin Jing as if seeing him for the first time, examining him carefully.
"There is no such thing as luck in Alchemy."
"Lin Xiaozi, your talent in Alchemy is perhaps not low," he said.
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Chapter 15 Pure Elixir
Translator: 549690339
"Do you know how others start practicing alchemy?"
Lin Jing shook his head. He didn't know any other Alchemists and was completely self-taught.
"Generally, they would refine two to three furnaces a day, and at most four to five furnaces."
"After each furnace, they would stop to rest and reflect."
"Once the reflection was complete and their state fully recovered, they would then start making the next furnace and continue accumulating experience."
"Your thirteen furnaces in one day must have been refined consecutively, right?"
Lin Jing hadn't expected that one needed to rest after refining an Elixir Furnace. Embarrassed, he said,
"Indeed, that's the case."
"That's why I said that your talent in alchemy isn't bad, managing to refine successfully even under such conditions."
"……"
Lin Jing was somewhat speechless. It seemed that he had indeed benefitted from the System Space.
"However, even if your alchemy talent is high, you can't become complacent. You still need to do as I've advised, honing your abilities and taking it step by step."
"I understand. Thank you for your instruction, Elder Yu," Lin Jing said as he clasped his hands in gratitude.
At that moment, Lin Jing suddenly remembered something. When the System Space initiated the Alchemy Room, there was an increased chance of producing a Pure Elixir.
This 'Pure Elixir' was something he had not heard of before, and he didn't know what it was. He took the opportunity to ask Elder Yu about it.
"Elder Yu, I've heard by chance of an Elixir Medicine called the Pure Elixir. Could you tell me what a Pure Elixir is?"
After hearing Lin Jing's question, Elder Yu frowned and asked,
"It's not recorded in your alchemy book?"
"Elder Yu, the alchemy book that I've been studying does not have such record," Lin Jing replied.
"It seems that your alchemy book is indeed somewhat flawed."
"Since that is the case, I will introduce it to you."
Elder Yu started speaking, and Lin Jing pricked up his ears to listen attentively.
"Actually, this has to start with the components of the Elixir Medicine. You should know that impurities are present in Elixir Medicine, and even Supreme Elixirs are no exception."
"These impurities can't be completely expelled from the body. Over time, with long-term use, they will result in Elixir Toxins."
"Moreover, the lower the quality of the Elixir Medicine, the more impurities it has, and the more severe the Elixir Toxin will be."
"Yes, I have seen this on the alchemy book," Lin Jing nodded.
Elder Yu continued, "Long-term use of Elixir Medicine leads to the accumulation of Elixir Toxin in the body, which decreases the effectiveness of Elixirs and eventually renders them ineffective."
"Even worse, Elixir Toxin can even affect cultivation, making breakthroughs difficult."
"To clear the Elixir Toxin from the body, one would have to take a Clear Accumulation Elixir to remove some of the toxicity,"
"But the Clear Accumulation Elixir is also an Elixir, with limited effectiveness, and it's virtually useless for cultivators in the Nascent Soul Stage or those even more powerful in the Divinity Transformation Stage."
"However…"
"Pure Elixirs are different."
"Because, the reason Pure Elixirs are called 'pure' is that they have no Elixir Toxins at all, can be taken freely, and their effectiveness doesn't diminish with use."
"Pure Elixirs are actually that powerful!" Lin Jing was shocked.
To Lin Jing's shock, Elder Yu remained quite indifferent, with not much of a reaction.
Because when he was young and first heard of Pure Elixirs, he had a similar reaction.
"You must know that the chance of a Pure Elixir appearing is very low, and there's a prerequisite condition, which is that a furnace must simultaneously produce two or more Supreme Elixirs."
"During the refining process, these two Supreme Elixirs will expel their own impurities and fuse together to form a Pure Elixir."
"For a furnace to produce two Supreme Elixirs, how could an ordinary Alchemist manage that?"
"And that precisely serves as a testament to an Alchemist's strength."
"Any Alchemist capable of refining a Pure Elixir will be revered as an exalted guest in any faction they join, and naturally, their treatment will not be lacking."
Lin Jing thought to himself, "A furnace of Elixir Medicine generally yields 3-6 Elixirs; indeed, it is not something an ordinary Alchemist could do to refine two Supreme Elixirs in the same furnace."
"Furthermore, Pure Elixirs differ from ordinary Elixir Medicine; the moment they come out of the furnace, they need to be stored in a Pure Jade Box, and only taken out when it's time to consume them."
"Otherwise, if they come into contact with the outside world for too long, Pure Elixirs will be eroded by the ambient Qi and develop Elixir Toxin, degrading into Supreme Elixirs."
"
"Now you know."
"So this is what a Pure Elixir is." After marveling, Lin Jing continued to ask:
"Elder Yu, you said the chance of a Pure Elixir appearing is very low, but just how low is it?"
"Let me put it this way," said Elder Yu, "once, a very famous Pill Master tried to refine a Pure Elixir. He refined a hundred elixir furnaces in a row."
"All of them were his specialty elixirs, and each furnace produced at least two Supreme Elixirs."
"But, in the end, only one Pure Elixir appeared."
"Ah…?"
That low.
Then he remembered the attribute on the Alchemy Room panel, the one that increases the chance of a Pure Elixir appearing by 10%.
That rate would absolutely outclass that Pill Master.
Elder Yu continued, "Of course, Pure Elixirs depend entirely on luck, and there's no pattern to them, so there's no need to deliberately pursue them."
"Some people get one in just over a dozen furnaces, while others might not see a single Pure Elixir even after several hundred furnaces."
"So, you can't force the appearance of a Pure Elixir."
After listening, Lin Jing continued to inquire, "Elder Yu, Yuebaolou should have Pure Elixirs for sale, right?"
"Of course." Elder Yu was quite confident.
"And I have refined a Pure Elixir myself."
"Elder Yu, you…"
Lin Jing looked at the Elder Yu before him and bowed respectfully.
"Forgive my short-sightedness, it turns out Elder Yu is actually an Alchemy Master."
Elder Yu waved his hand dismissively: "Master is too strong a word, I just refined a lot, and the quality of my elixirs has some assurance. Over time, it's normal to produce Pure Elixirs."
"Young man, you must know, even among Pure Elixirs, the value can differ immensely."
"For example, the elixirs I frequently refine are those that increase cultivation or heal injuries and restore spiritual power. These, even if Pure, don't command an outrageous price."
"Basically, they're just twenty or thirty times the price of a regular Supreme Elixir."
"But…"
At this point, Elder Yu paused, then spoke with a hint of longing:
"If one were to refine elixirs for breakthroughs in cultivation stages or extending lifespan, then the value would be completely different."
"Especially the Pure Elixirs for extending lifespan. They're not limited by other elixirs of the same kind, and no matter how many you consume, their effects don't diminish."
"Such Pure Elixirs, whenever they appear, incite countless people to compete fiercely, causing a storm of bloodshed."
Lin Jing's eyes immediately lit up, and his heart began to race.
"With my own Alchemy Room, if I refine lifespan extension elixirs myself and the appearance rate of Pure Elixirs is increased, doesn't that mean I could potentially extend my life indefinitely through consuming Pure Elixirs, achieving immortality?"
"And as the System Space grows, the Spiritual Energy will surely be denser. By then, transplanting Spirit Plants for Lifespan Extension Pills would be even better, right?"
With this thought, Lin Jing became even more excited.
After that, Lin Jing discussed some more questions with Elder Yu before leaving Yuebaolou.
He had gained much from this visit.
……
Over the next month, Lin Jing didn't refine pills as frantically as on the first day, instead reducing the number of times he practiced alchemy daily.
Yet, even when following Elder Yu's instructions to the letter, his success rate was still not high.
In his view, this must be due to his own lack of a pill recipe book.
But since recipe books were too expensive and he couldn't afford them, he was left to fumble his way through and try to improve his success rate.
One day, Lin Jing went to Yuebaolou again, buying more materials for refining Fasting Pills.
On his way back, Lin Jing pondered over future arrangements.
Suddenly, a commotion up ahead disrupted his thoughts.
"Whose little girl is this?"
"Why is she all alone here? How pitiful."
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Chapter 16 Luo Luo
Translator: 549690339
Lin Jing looked up, following the direction of the voice.
He saw a familiar figure.
"Isn't that the little girl from the neighbor's house? I remember her name is Luo Luo."
"How come she is here?"
At this moment, Luo Luo stood helplessly by the street, her head lowered, and her little hands tightly pinching the corners of her clothes.
Meanwhile, a crowd of people had gathered around her.
Among them, a middle-aged woman stepped forward to ask, "Little girl, why are you here all by yourself? Where is your family?"
The middle-aged woman's voice was very soft, for fear of scaring her.
But Luo Luo did not dare to look up, remaining rooted to the spot, and the little hands that pinched the corner of her clothes turned white, seeming even more nervous.
Seeing this, Lin Jing walked over.
"Luo Luo."
Lin Jing called out.
The little girl, hearing her name being called, hurriedly looked up.
"Uncle Lin."
The little girl said, then tears began to pour out immediately.
Lin Jing quickened his pace towards her, and the watching crowd made way.
Upon reaching the little girl, Lin Jing asked,
"Why are you here all by yourself? Where is your mother?"
"Uncle, I got lost and can't find my home."
"Can you take me home?"
Luo Luo said between sobs, tears flowing down profusely.
"Of course."
Lin Jing said while gently patting the little girl's head.
"Alright, don't cry now, Uncle is going to take you home."
"Mm-hmm…"
Luo Luo nodded, then gradually stopped sobbing.
At this point, the kind-hearted woman from earlier spoke.
"Are you a member of her family?"
"I'm her neighbor; this little girl lives next to my house."
"Oh … well, hurry up and take her back to her family. It's a good thing this is in Fang Market; it would be terrible if it were somewhere else."
"Her family is too careless, letting a child wander about outside all alone. Such a lovely child—if she was lost, what would they do?"
Seeing that the middle-aged woman meant well, Lin Jing expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, big sister. Rest assured, I'll take her home now, back to her family."
Then he took Luo Luo by the hand, ready to head back.
This time, probably because someone familiar was with her, she didn't seem so nervous.
Luo Luo waved her little hand, thanking the middle-aged woman.
"Thank you, Auntie, Luo Luo won't run off again."
"Good girl, go home with Uncle, and make sure a family member is with you next time you come out."
"Luo Luo remembers, goodbye Auntie."
……
Walking on the road, Lin Jing asked again.
"Luo Luo, where is your mother?"
Luo Luo replied, "My mother has gone to help someone with Alchemy."
"Why are you by yourself on the street?" Lin Jing was somewhat puzzled.
"Didn't your mother take you with her?"
"No."
The little girl sounded a bit dejected.
"It's not convenient for my mother when she goes out, so she left me at the inn, saying someone would bring me food."
"I was really bored staying at the inn, and when I saw lots of kids playing together in the street, I followed them."
"Playing around, I somehow ended up here, and then they all disappeared, and I couldn't find my way back."
As she spoke, she seemed to remember the incident again, and tears started falling to the ground pitter-patter.
"Uncle, I won't run around anymore."
"Don't cry, Luo Luo, Uncle will take you home."
Lin Jing did not have experience in comforting children and felt somewhat at a loss for a moment, only able to offer verbal consolation.
And just then, a hawker's cry on the street caught Lin Jing's attention.
"Candied hawthorn sticks…"
"Deliciously sweet and sour candied hawthorn sticks…"
Lin Jing immediately got an idea.
"Luo Luo, would you like some candied hawthorn sticks? Uncle will treat you to some."
The little girl's gaze immediately shifted to the hawthorn stick seller, forgetting to cry.
"Luo Luo doesn't want candied hawthorn sticks."
Although she said that, her gaze toward the candied hawthorn and the bobbing of her throat had already betrayed her.
Lin Jing smiled.
"Although children aren't easy to soothe, they sure are easy to deceive…"
Then he led Luo Luo toward the candied hawthorn vendor.
"Candied hawthorn seller, give me two skewers."
"Alright."
"Uncle wants to eat some—how about we each have one, and you can keep Uncle company while eating, is that okay?"
The little girl looked up at Lin Jing, saw his serious face, and then nodded.
"Okay."
Lin Jing took the candied hawthorn and handed one skewer straight to Luo Luo.
No longer hiding her desire, she took a bite, and it was sour and sweet.
"Uncle, the candied hawthorn is really tasty."
Lin Jing also took a bite, and memories suddenly flooded his mind.
"Yeah, it's still the same flavor, unchanged."
This might be the taste closest to home.
Alone in a foreign land, I stand as a stranger.
Many times, Lin Jing would unconsciously think of the past, wondering what he would be like now had he not transcended time…
"Uncle."
A voice interrupted his reverie.
"Luo Luo, what's the matter?"
"Uncle, are you missing home too?"
Lin Jing looked surprised, turning to the little girl.
"How did Luo Luo know?"
"Because when my mother misses home, she looks just like Uncle does."
Lin Jing asked, "Then why doesn't she go home?"
The little girl frowned.
"Every time I ask her, she won't tell me."
"Perhaps she also has her difficulties," Lin Jing said.
Then there was a silence between them, not knowing if the little girl understood…
After a while…
"Luo Luo, is the candied hawthorn tasty?"
"It's tasty."
"Then will you join Uncle again next time to eat some more, okay?"
"Okay…"
……
Returning to the alley and arriving in front of Luo Luo's house, the courtyard door was locked.
It seemed Luo Luo's mother hadn't come back yet.
So, Lin Jing took Luo Luo back to his own house first.
He told the little girl to play in the yard while he started browsing through the alchemy book, gaining a new understanding of the Alchemy path after today's conversation with Elder Yu.
Time flew swiftly, and soon the sun set in the west.
Smoke from cooking fires began to rise outside, and Lin Jing looked up. Perhaps because of the day's events, the little girl was very quiet, playing by herself.
And Luo Luo's mother still hadn't returned.
"It's time to cook."
Lin Jing said to himself as he watched the crimson sunset on the horizon.
"Luo Luo, you keep playing. Uncle will cook some food for you."
"Thank you, Uncle."
The little girl must have been hungry a while ago but was too shy to disturb him.
As the cooking smoke rose, Lin Jing busied himself in the kitchen.
Before long, a delicious meal was served on the table.
Of course, Lin Jing didn't possess such culinary skills—it was his predecessor's, and now that he had inherited everything from his predecessor, it naturally became his own.
"Uncle, your rice is really fragrant, even more so than the rice at my house."
"Fragrant, is it? Then eat a little more," Lin Jing said with a smile.
This was Medium Grade Spirit Rice; in the outskirts of Fang Market, there weren't many families that could afford Medium Grade Spirit Rice.
"And…" the little girl continued to speak.
"The food you make tastes much better than my mother's. Even though my mother is very pretty, her cooking is not tasty at all."
"By the way, Uncle, my mother is really beautiful, not at all like what you saw. She also told me not to tell anyone."
Lin Jing was shocked.
"I didn't expect to hear this secret."
"Uncle, you must not tell my mother, okay?"
"Don't worry, Luo Luo. I definitely won't tell anyone," he assured.
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Chapter 17 Ning Yue's Unwilling Request
Translator: 549690339
Not long after dinner, Luo Luo became sleepy.
Lin Jing carried her to bed, tucked in the blankets, and soon, faint snoring sounds began.
Lin Jing continued to the courtyard, waiting for Luo Luo's mother to return, ready to hand Luo Luo over to her.
Having lost her daughter, she must be anxious as well.
It was deep into the night when Lin Jing finally heard some noise from outside.
Lin Jing stood up and walked outside.
When he opened the courtyard door, he saw Luo Luo's mother, looking dispirited as if all her energy had been drained, slowly shuffling her feet forward.
"Ning Daoyou."
Lin Jing called out to her.
However, she seemed not to hear and continued walking.
"Ning Daoyou."
Lin Jing called out again, this time louder.
Only then did Luo Luo's mother react.
She turned back, with a blank expression and no light in her eyes, and said vaguely,
"I'm not in the mood right now, don't bother me."
After speaking, she turned back and walked toward her own house.
"Ning Daoyou, Luo Luo is at my place resting, please come and take her home."
"What did you say?"
Luo Luo's mother's voice suddenly rose, and then she appeared right in front of Lin Jing, her expression frantic, staring intently at him.
"Today I came across Luo Luo who had gotten lost on the streets, so I brought her back to my house, and she is now asleep there."
Before he finished speaking, Luo Luo's mother had vanished, reappearing within her own courtyard.
"That speed, even with a Godspeed Talisman, I couldn't match it."
Lin Jing felt a bit awkward, touched his nose, and then walked back to his own house.
Entering the room, he saw Luo Luo's mother, her eyes moist, caressing Luo Luo's little face with a look full of tenderness.
Lin Jing didn't disturb them; he just quietly watched.
After a long while,
She finally came to her senses and came before Lin Jing to give a bow.
"Ning Yue is very grateful to Daoyou for helping my daughter."
Lin Jing replied, "Ning Daoyou is too polite, it was just a small effort, nothing worth mentioning."
Ning Yue shook her head.
"Now, it's just Luo Luo and me left, her life is my life."
"Daoyou's great kindness, Ning Yue will surely repay."
"We are neighbors, it was but a small effort. Now that it's late, Daoyou should take Luo Luo home to rest as soon as possible."
Upon Lin Jing's reminder, Ning Yue came back to her senses.
She was in the home of a strange man.
At this thought, her cheeks turned slightly red.
"Daoyou, I've disturbed you. Tomorrow, I will bring Luo Luo over to thank you."
Having said this, she gently picked up the sleeping Luo Luo.
Then she walked outside, and upon reaching the door, Ning Yue turned around, gave Lin Jing a deep bow, and then disappeared into the night.
……
After Ning Yue left, Lin Jing closed the courtyard door and then returned to his room.
"Enter System Space."
Even before, Lin Jing had set the alarm range of System Space to the size of his courtyard; as long as anyone entered the courtyard, Lin Jing would be promptly alerted.
That's why he could enter System Space with peace of mind.
In System Space, Lin Jing didn't plan on cultivating for the time being.
The Alchemy Room was already open, and he hadn't tried it yet. This time, he intended to see what the Alchemy Room was like.
With his Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root's cultivation talent, advancing was undoubtedly much more difficult compared to others.
And so it was.
Even with such preferable conditions in System Space, with its rich spiritual energy, he had been cultivating for over three months now.
Over three months…
His cultivation had only increased by 8%.
He must consume Elixir Medicines…
Otherwise, when would he ever advance?
"Of course, if there were Elixir Medicines that could change the Spiritual Root, that'd be even better."
Lin Jing couldn't help but daydream.
Arriving at the Alchemy Room, Lin Jing steadied his emotions.
Afterward, he prepared all the necessary materials for Alchemy.
Then he began to practice alchemy.
Time flew by.
"Bang"
An explosion resonated throughout the entire Alchemy Room.
Unsurprisingly, Lin Jingshen had failed once again.
This time, he didn't rush to start the second batch; instead, he bowed his head, pondering the alchemy process he had just undergone.
Just like that, until an hour later, when his Spiritual Power had recovered, and his Divine Sense had fully returned.
Lin Jingshen began the second batch of Elixir Medicine.
This time, his luck seemed to be much better.
He succeeded.
Upon opening the lid of the furnace, there were still three Fasting Pills, all of Low Grade.
And his proficiency in Alchemy had increased by three points.
Perhaps this was a good sign.
Then, he continued to rest and prepare for the third batch.
However, the third batch was still not up to expectations.
It was another explosion.
Luckily, Lin Jingshen's Three-legged Copper Furnace was durable enough to remain intact despite so many explosions.
After three attempts at alchemy, Lin Jingshen left the System Space.
The next day
Ning Yue came to express her gratitude, bringing Luo Luo along with her.
"Uncle."
As soon as Luo Luo arrived, she ran over to grab Lin Jingshen's hand, swinging it back and forth.
Perhaps after yesterday's events, she felt particularly close to Lin Jingshen.
Ning Yue bent down, looked at Luo Luo, and said:
"Luo Luo, you stay here and play."
"Your Uncle Lin and I are going to discuss some matters inside the house."
"Remember, you must not run around again, alright?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Luo said, "Mother, don't worry. I'll just stay in this yard and won't go anywhere else."
Lin Jingshen was somewhat puzzled, what could it be that they needed to hide from Luo Luo?
……
Then the two of them entered the house, where Ning Yue got straight to the point.
"Lin Daoyou, you've been learning the Art of Alchemy recently, haven't you?"
She had often been practicing alchemy in her own room lately, causing quite a commotion. As an Alchemist herself, Ning Yue would certainly not be fooled.
"To be honest with my fellow Daoist Ning, indeed, I am studying the Art of Alchemy," Lin Jingshen replied.
"The path of learning alchemy is fraught with difficulties. Especially for beginners, who often fail to grasp the essence and take many detours, resulting in success in perhaps one in ten attempts."
"However, with guidance from others, it could equate to countless painstaking efforts on your own. You probably already know that," she suggested.
"Of course, I am aware of it."
Lin Jingshen nodded, recalling his conversation with Elder Yu on the matter.
"How about I teach you the Art of Alchemy?"
"I am now a Second-Grade Alchemist. With me guiding you, you could avoid many pitfalls."
"Are you serious, fellow Daoist?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jingshen's heart skipped a beat, his eyes locked on Ning Yue.
Alchemists often pride themselves on their aloofness and would not easily teach others, except their own disciples.
Moreover, the Art of Alchemy is not something that can be simply pointed out for someone to learn; tutoring someone else requires a lot of effort.
Seeing her serious expression and earnest gaze, she didn't seem to be joking.
"Is there actually such good fortune? Lin Jingshen found it hard to believe."
"Is it because I helped Luo Luo?" he asked.
"That's part of it."
"In addition to that, I have a somewhat presumptuous request," Ning Yue continued, her cheeks blushing slightly, embarrassed as if she felt she was trying to repay kindness with a favor.
"I thought so, how could there be pies falling from the sky for no reason?" Lin Jingshen mused internally.
"Please go ahead, fellow Daoist Ning."
"It's like this. I have to go to someone's abode to help with alchemy during this period, and I will only return at night."
"Thus, I would like to ask Lin Daoyou to take care of Luo Luo during the day."
"You're aware of what happened yesterday…"
"I really can't rest assured leaving Luo Luo alone in the inn."
Having said that, Ning Yue looked at Lin Jingshen with hopeful eyes, waiting for his response.
"And here I thought it was something serious."
"Just this?"
"It's a small matter, no problem at all."
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Chapter 18 Wei Zhengqing
Translator: 549690339
"
"Thank you, Lin Daoyou."
Ning Yue curtsied in gratitude.
"There is no need for such courtesy," Lin Jing said, wanting to reach out and raise her, but suddenly recalling the difference in their genders, his hand halted midair.
He then quickly recovered.
"Ning Daoyou, I also have a matter to request."
Ning Yue stood up and replied, "Please speak, Daoyou."
Lin Jing took out the Alchemy manual he had obtained from Manager Li and handed it to Ning Yue, saying,
"Ning Daoyou, this manual on pill concoction was acquired by chance, but during the process of making Elixir Medicine, I discovered that this manual is not complete; it contains many errors and omissions."
"Could you please help me see if this manual can still be pursued for study?"
"Is this the manual you are currently studying?" Ning Yue took the manual but did not open it to look through.
"Yes," Lin Jing answered.
"The manual is the foundation that each Alchemist relies upon. Do you trust me so much?" Ning Yue looked at Lin Jing earnestly.
"Naturally, since Ning Daoyou has decided to teach me the Alchemy Technique, what use is there for me to keep this incomplete manual?"
On hearing this, Ning Yue found the reasoning sound and without further words, she started to flip through the manual.
As she turned the pages faster, her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
In just the time it took to finish a cup of tea, she had looked through it completely.
"Lin Daoyou," Ning Yue said with her brows knitted tightly.
"Please speak, Ning Daoyou. Can this manual be continued?"
Lin Jing looked at Ning Yue, waiting for her response.
"I just had a quick look, and there are countless mistakes in this Alchemy manual of Lin Daoyou's."
"The failure rate of your Alchemy must be quite high, I presume."
Lin Jing nodded and said,
"Just as Ning Daoyou has said, my success rate in Alchemy is indeed low, barely one in ten."
"In that case, Daoyou should stop practicing Alchemy for the time being. I will find time to correct this manual for you, and once you study the new manual, then you can resume Alchemy."
"Thank you, Ning Daoyou."
Lin Jing had been worrying about the manual, and now that Ning Yue had offered to correct it, it exactly matched his wishes; how could he possibly refuse?
So, Lin Jing quickly expressed his gratitude.
Afterward, the two walked out of the house.
Seeing them come out, Luo Luo quickly went up to greet them.
"Mother, Uncle Lin."
Ning Yue walked over and then crouched down to straighten Luo Luo's clothes, after which she touched Luo Luo's head and said,
"Luo Luo, your mother will be busy for a while, so during the daytime, I'll leave you with Uncle Lin to take care of, alright?"
Luo Luo first looked at Ning Yue, then turned to look at Lin Jing, who was smiling.
"Okay…"
"I know Mother is busy, and I will be very good staying with Uncle Lin. I definitely won't cause any trouble for Mother."
Luo Luo's understanding nearly brought tears to Ning Yue's eyes.
But if she did not go to help others with Alchemy, what else could she and her daughter rely on to survive?
Ning Yue stood up, took out a stack of books from her Storage Bag, and handed them to Lin Jing.
"Lin Daoyou, these books I have collected are some Spirit Grass and Demonic Beasts pictorials, along with various anecdotes. Luo Luo loves these books; she becomes completely engrossed in them and won't disturb you."
"Among them, there are also a few of my own notes on Alchemy insights. You may look at them first. When I have some free time, I will help you repair the manual."
"Alchemy insights?"
Aren't Alchemy insights incredibly precious to every Alchemist?
She was even willing to give her Alchemy insights; it seemed that Ning Yue truly intended to teach him.
Thereafter, Ning Yue departed.
The courtyard was left with only Lin Jing and Luo Luo.
"Now that I can't practice Alchemy, and it's impossible to cultivate in this place where the Spiritual Energy is so scarce…"
"Luo Luo."
"What is it, Uncle?"
Luo Luo lifted her little face, looking up at Lin Jing.
"
"Do you want to go out and play?" Lin Jing rubbed her little head.
"I do…"
It seemed as if she remembered the incident from yesterday, and Luo Luo hesitated.
"But I can't worry my mother."
"It's fine, follow Uncle, Uncle will protect you, so naturally you won't be afraid."
"When we get to the street, I'll also buy you some sugar-coated hawthorns, how does that sound?"
Now that he thought about it, since coming here, apart from exploring to understand the commerce chamber, he hadn't really taken a good stroll through Fang Market.
With nothing pressing at the moment, it was the perfect time to go out and truly experience the customs of this different world.
"Good."
Luo Luo happily agreed.
After all, children are naturally active and don't like to stay in one place for a long time.
The two of them left the house together, and just as they stepped out of the courtyard, they saw the neighbor's door across from them wide open.
Luo Luo ran over with a 'thud thud thud'.
"Uncle Wei."
Lin Jing quickly followed.
As they reached the entrance, the little girl peeked inside.
"Uncle Wei, are you at home?"
A moment later, a young man dressed in black clothes came out.
His eyes were icy, his expression cold; he didn't seem very approachable.
Seeing this person emerge, Luo Luo approached and said:
"Uncle Wei, I haven't seen you in such a long time, where have you been these days?"
"Uncle Wei had some matters to attend to and left for a while."
The black-clothed young man looked at Luo Luo, his icy gaze tinged with a hint of gentleness.
Then he raised his head, and when he looked at Lin Jing again, his eyes were sharp and cold, as if he was appraising prey.
"Uncle Wei, this is Uncle Lin, he moved here some time ago."
"Why are you with him?" the black-clothed young man asked, looking at Luo Luo.
"My mother has been quite busy recently, so she temporarily entrusted me to Uncle Lin's care," said Luo Luo.
"Uncle Lin is a really good person, he even saved Luo Luo yesterday."
"Uncle Wei, you don't know, but yesterday, I was in the inn…"
The little girl recounted the previous day's events in detail to the black-clothed young man.
After listening to her story, the black-clothed young man's gaze softened slightly as he turned back to Lin Jing.
"Wei Zhengqing, a friend of Luo Luo's father."
The black-clothed young man introduced himself, clearly having given his approval to the young man before him.
"Lin Jing."
Wei Zhengqing nodded.
"Uncle Wei, we are going to browse around Fang Market, do you want to come with us?"
Wei Zhengqing shook his head and said to Luo Luo.
"Luo Luo, Uncle Wei still has things to do. You two go ahead and have fun, just remember not to be out too late, you can't make your mother worry."
"Mhmm, Luo Luo remembers, I won't let Mother worry."
Afterward, Wei Zhengqing spoke to Lin Jing.
"Brother Lin, it's fine to wander in Fang Market, but make sure not to leave it. The Demonic Beasts' rampage has been getting more severe, even starting to attack the outskirts of Fang Market."
"The Demonic Beasts' rampage hasn't subsided yet?"
Lin Jing was surprised, having heard about the Demonic Beasts' rampage when he first moved here.
He had thought things had been so quiet lately that the rampage had already settled down.
"Not yet, Fang Market has now started to dispatch more patrols, so for the time being there isn't much of a problem."
"This rampage has indeed lasted a bit longer than usual, hopefully, it will subside in a while."
Although Wei Zhengqing said this, he wasn't certain himself; this rampage of the Demonic Beasts was indeed peculiar.
As Wei Zhengqing still had matters to handle, the two did not stay much longer and left.
Walking on the street, it was still bustling with crowds, continuous shouts from sellers filled the air, and everyone seemed oblivious to the Demonic Beasts' rampage—as if it had become part of their usual life.
After all, Fang Market was located right next to the Night Mist Mountain Range.
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Chapter 19: Encountering Zhang Sen
Translator: 549690339
The Night Mist Mountain Range was extremely famous.
It was due to its wealth of resources, with rumors saying that even an average Spirit Grass from deep within the Night Mist Mountain Range could sell for tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.
Although there were many Demonic Beasts inside, it still couldn't stop people from dreaming of overnight riches.
Most people still had some self-awareness.
How easy was it to enter the deep regions of the Night Mist Mountain Range?
Of course, on the outskirts of the Night Mist Mountain Range, many adventurers chose to make their living.
Occasionally harvesting some Spirit Grass or hunting Demonic Beasts to sell their Demonic Beast Inner Cores could provide a decent living.
If it weren't for the abundance of resources near the Night Mist Mountain Range, Nanshan Market would not be of its current scale.
Therefore, the beast tides of the Night Mist Mountain Range had become something everyone was accustomed to.
After all, the Night Mist Mountain Range was huge, and with hordes of Demonic Beasts inside, it was only natural for groups of them to emerge in search of food, leading to beast tides now and then.
On average, Nanshan Market faced a beast tide every few years, so they were no longer surprised by them.
This time, they hadn't walked far before running into the same vendor selling candied hawthorns as last time.
So, each holding a skewer, the two strolled down the street.
They kept wandering until noon when Lin Jing took Luo Luo to a restaurant for lunch.
Afterwards, they wandered around aimlessly for a while and, finding it uninteresting, decided to head home.
Walking along, Lin Jing suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"My luck is truly bad today; I've lost everything."
"Brother, you really shouldn't have bet on that last one."
"What's the use of saying that now? Why didn't you dissuade me back then?"
"Sigh…"
A heavy sigh followed.
The two people in this conversation turned out to be the brothers Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin.
"Listening to them, they must have gone gambling," Lin Jing said with a frown. He had previously had a good impression of Zhang Sen but hadn't expected him to gamble.
If that were the case, it was very likely that everything Luo Luo had said before was true.
At this moment, Zhang Sen also noticed them, his eyes lit up, and he walked over.
"Brother Lin," he called out from a distance.
Luo Luo, hearing the voice, frowned and quickly hid behind Lin Jing, attempting to avoid someone she disliked.
Unfortunately, Zhang Sen had already seen her,
"Luo Luo is here too. Why don't you say hello to your uncle?" he asked.
However, the young girl ignored him.
Zhang Sen didn't mind.
"Brother Lin, when did Luo Luo become so close to you? It seems the neighborhood relationship between your two families has developed quite nicely," he said, winking at Lin Jing insinuatingly.
"Brother Zhang, you're thinking too much. Ning Yue had something to attend to temporarily, so I'm just looking after Luo Luo," Lin Jing clarified.
"I understand, I understand."
"Ning Yue really trusts you to take care of Luo Luo. It seems the relationship between Brother Lin and Ning Yue has become quite extraordinary," Zhang Sen continued, apparently misunderstanding Lin Jing's words.
"Although Ning Yue might not be very good-looking, she's thrifty and a fine woman."
"Brother Lin, when you hold the wedding banquet, let me know. I'll definitely come to offer my congratulations," Zhang Sen said.
"You bad person, you're talking nonsense…" Luo Luo, who had been hiding behind Lin Jing, now stood out, her face flushed red with indignation at the rebuttal.
She was clearly angered, aware of what a wedding banquet implied.
"Okay, okay…"
"I'm the bad person; I'm talking nonsense. Luo Luo, don't be angry," Zhang Sen quickly tried to appease her.
He certainly didn't dare to upset the little Miss. If she got angry and complained to Ning Yue, he wouldn't be able to handle the consequences.
"Brother Zhang, is there anything else? If not, we'll be heading back," Lin Jing said, clearly unhappy.
But Zhang Sen seemed not to hear the displeasure.
"Brother Lin, it's an emergency in the jianghu…" he said.
"Could you lend me a few more Spirit Stones? I'll pay back the one I borrowed last time in a few days."
Lin Jing was extremely displeased, having agreed to lend the stones for only a few days, yet at this point, they had still not been returned, and now another loan was being requested. He frowned and said,
"Brother Zhang, I'm sorry, but I'm not in a position to lend you any Spirit Stones right now."
"Is that so," Zhang Sen scratched his head.
"Well, alright then. Sorry to trouble you, Brother Lin. We'll think of some other way."
Zhang Sen did not persist, mindful that he had yet to repay the previously borrowed Spirit Stones.
"Brother Lin, I'll take my leave."
Having said that, he left with Zhang Lin.
"Big brother, I've heard that the Demonic Beasts are in an uproar. Occasionally, some of them are found alone near the Fang Market. How about we go hunt some? They're quite valuable. If we can kill just one, we wouldn't have to worry anymore."
"Hunting Demonic Beasts, huh? Let me think about it…"
As they talked, the two brothers gradually walked away, but Lin Jing had already stopped paying attention to them.
"Let's go, we're heading home."
Lin Jing held Luo Luo's small hand.
"Humph…"
Luo Luo looked at the departing duo and huffed, clearly still upset.
When they got home, Lin Jing gave Luo Luo a book to read while he himself started reading Ning Yue's Alchemy insights.
It was now October, the deep autumn weather was perfect for them.
They didn't go inside the house; instead, they sat under the shade of a tree by a stone table in the courtyard—the two of them, young and old, each engrossed in a book…
The withering autumn wind had no effect on them.
Sometimes, time seemed to slip away stealthily. When Lin Jing looked up again, it was already time to make dinner.
Seeing Luo Luo, who had fallen asleep on the table at some point, Lin Jing couldn't help but chuckle.
He then picked her up, laid her on the bed inside the house, and went on to start a fire for cooking.
As soon as the meal was ready, Luo Luo came out, her eyes still groggy.
"Uncle, is dinner ready?" she asked.
The little foodie had woken up without him noticing, but judging by her sleepy eyes, it must have been recent.
"Luo Luo, you're awake. Come wash your face; it's time to eat."
"Okay."
Just then,
"Knock, knock, knock." Someone was at the door.
"Daoist Ning."
Lin Jing opened the door to find Ning Yue returning.
"You're back just in time; dinner's ready. Come join us."
"Mother!" Luo Luo ran over and threw herself into Ning Yue's arms.
"Did you fall asleep here at Uncle Lin's again?" Ning Yue's face sterned as she scolded, seeing Luo Luo's drowsy face.
"I was reading in the afternoon and somehow fell asleep. Mother, Uncle Lin has cooked dinner; let's eat here together."
"How could we impose on your Uncle Lin again? Let's go back home, and I'll cook for you."
Luo Luo's face immediately fell; ever since tasting Lin Jing's cooking, the thought of her mother's…
She decided she had to find a way to keep her mother here.
"Mother…"
Luo Luo acted coquettishly, swaying Ning Yue's hand back and forth.
"Uncle Lin's cooking is delicious; just try it."
"Daoist Ning, Luo Luo didn't eat much at noon. She must be hungry by now. If you go back and start cooking now, it will be late by the time you finish."
"Besides, I made enough food for you as well. Didn't you say you wanted to teach me the Alchemy Technique? We can talk while we eat."
"Otherwise, it would be a waste of time. By the time I learn it, who knows when it will be."
"Yes, Mother, see, I'm hungry."
Saying this, Luo Luo patted her own stomach.
Ning Yue, unwilling to be a burden to Lin Jing and already feeling it was hard to ask such favor of him to look after Luo Luo, hesitated…
She finally sighed and agreed.
"Alright."
Chapter 20 Repair of the Alchemy Book Completed
Translator: 549690339
You all sit first, I'll go get the dishes out.
Lin Jing said, walking toward the kitchen, and soon came out with the dishes in hand.
Immediately after, the three of them sat around the stone table. Lin Jing served the rice, and Luo Luo sensibly placed the first bowl in front of Ning Yue.
"Mother, here."
Ning Yue, with a smile on her face, took the bowl.
"Mom, the food Uncle Lin makes is really delicious. Try it and see."
"Okay."
Ning Yue nodded and picked up a piece of green vegetable to taste.
Instantly, the delicious flavor filled her mouth. Ning Yue's eyes lit up, and she took another piece of egg, silky and tender, still incredibly tasty…
"Mom, how is it? Uncle Lin's cooking is much better than yours, right…"
Luo Luo, unintentionally, spoke her mind.
Upon realizing what she said, she quickly covered her mouth and then buried her head in her bowl.
Ning Yue shot her a glance.
However, she didn't say anything, as it was evident that her own cooking skills were worlds apart from Lin Jing's.
She knew herself well and naturally didn't blame Luo Luo.
"Lin Daoyou, I didn't expect your cooking skills to be so good."
Ning Yue praised him during the meal.
"My mother passed away when I was young and my father was always busy, so I had to develop these cooking skills."
Ning Yue hadn't anticipated that this would touch upon Lin Jing's family history, and she quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, Lin Daoyou."
"It's fine, it's all in the past."
Afterward, there was a pause of silence…
"Ning Daoyou, why do you need to go to someone else's home to practice alchemy?"
Lin Jing broke the silence first in an attempt to change the subject.
"That family is rather special. They grow their own Spirit Grass and want to turn all the harvested Spirit Grass into Elixir Medicine in response to the recent beast tide."
"They don't want to cooperate with other powers and share the benefits, so they decided to hire Alchemists to come and process the Spirit Grass into Elixir Medicine."
"I see." said Lin Jing.
"Daoyou, I looked at your alchemy book during my free time today and made some amendments, though due to time constraints, I haven't made many changes."
"I estimate that it will take over half a month to complete all the revisions."
"You have worked hard, Ning Daoyou." Lin Jing expressed his gratitude.
"Mom, are you going to teach Uncle Lin alchemy? Didn't you say Grandfather's Alchemy Technique should not be readily passed on to others?"
At this, Ning Yue glared at Luo Luo.
"Eat your meal, don't interrupt adults when they are talking."
"Oh…"
Under Ning Yue's stern gaze, Luo Luo bowed her head and shoveled rice into her mouth, seemingly channeling her dissatisfaction into the food.
Then, Ning Yue resumed discussing alchemy with Lin Jing…
The sunset painted the sky, and beneath the trees, two adults and one child sat at the table, enjoying their dinner.
If a stranger were to see this, they would certainly envy this seemingly blissful family…
Perhaps because Lin Jing's cooking was too delicious, Ning Yue ate two more bowls today than usual.
After dinner, as the evening darkened, Ning Yue did not leave but instead began to explain the Alchemy Technique to Lin Jing.
Luo Luo was also there, but soon found it boring and ran off to count stars.
The two continued talking until it was nearly Zi Time, with Luo Luo nearly unable to keep her eyes open, before they both left.
And Lin Jing, after their departure, did not go to the System Space either.
The System Space was different from the outside world; the Spirit Rice and Seven-Star Grass inside didn't require any care from him.
And now, Ning Yue was helping repair the pill book for Lin Jing, so alchemy could wait until the book was fully restored.
Therefore, there was no need to waste entry time into the System Space; it was entirely possible to accumulate the time instead.
……
The following days continued in this fashion.
In the mornings, Ning Yue would bring Luo Luo over and then go practice alchemy.
In the evenings, she would return to explain alchemy knowledge to Lin Jing, each time staying until late at night before leaving.
And the restoration of the pill book was nearing completion.
Lin Jing and Luo Luo spent most of their time at home, though of course, they occasionally went out for a stroll.
During this time, they only saw Wei Zhengqing twice; he seemed to be quite busy as well and often went out.
As for the Zhang siblings, who knew what they were up to during this period—they were frequently seen heading out.
Though they occasionally crossed paths and exchanged greetings, the twins always excused themselves, claiming to be busy and never brought up the matter of returning the Spirit Stones.
However, it was only five Spirit Stones; Lin Jing didn't really care about it.
If this had been a few months earlier, tsk tsk…
Five Spirit Stones would have been unimaginable.
People really do change…
Apart from them, Ning Yue had been eating at Lin Jing's place every day during this period and had visibly filled out a bit, giving her a more charming appearance.
Nevertheless, Ning Yue mentioned that she should be able to finish repairing the pill book by tomorrow, and by then, 70 hours had already accumulated in the System Space.
Next, they just had to wait for the restoration of the pill book…
That day, Ning Yue came back with good news: the pill book was finally repaired.
At the dinner table, Ning Yue handed the repaired pill book to Lin Jing.
"I've made some revisions to the contents and supplemented some of the missing parts; it should be fine now," she said.
"If you encounter any problems while practicing alchemy, tell me in time, and I will offer you solutions," she added.
"Sure," Lin Jing answered.
Today, they wrapped up quite early. After more than half a month of instruction, most of what needed to be conveyed had been covered.
The most critical element of alchemy was still experimentation; only through continuous experimentation could one gradually correct mistakes.
In the evening, Lin Jing, alone, perused the newly repaired pill book. Areas that were previously obscure were now clear to him.
Even some of his previous thoughts were mentioned in the book.
That night, he still didn't practice alchemy but went to bed early instead.
He needed to reread the pill book and understand its contents.
Perhaps because of the time spent listening to Ning Yue's explanations, it only took three days for Lin Jing to memorize the content of the pill book and reach a level of thorough understanding.
Only on this evening did Lin Jing enter the System Space again.
Arriving at the Alchemy Room, Lin Jing prepared the materials and began his first attempt at refinement.
Lighting the fire, he added the Spirit Grass in batches and covered the Pill Furnace.
Lin Jing's movements were fluid and executed in one smooth motion.
He then carefully controlled the flame…
After half an hour, the fragrance wafted through the air, and Lin Jing was certain the pill would be a success.
Indeed
Before long, a system prompt appeared.
"Elixir Medicine refinement successful, Alchemy proficiency 6"
He lifted the lid of the furnace and took out the Elixir, inspecting it in his hand.
The Medium Grade Fasting Pill looked smoother than the previous ones.
Indeed
The problems with the previous pill book had indeed been significant. Now, after the pill book had been repaired, the first refinement yielded a Medium Grade Elixir, and there were three of them.
Then, the Pure Elixir would certainly be within reach soon.
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Chapter 21: The Pure Emerge from the Furnace
Translator: 549690339
"
After a short rest, Lin Jing continued his alchemy practice.
This time was even better than before, as he managed to produce a Superior Elixir Medicine and three Low Grade Elixir Medicines in a single furnace.
Moreover, his proficiency in alchemy had increased by 9 points.
Lin Jing realized that the higher the quality of the Elixir Medicine, the more proficiency points he would gain.
Then came the third furnace.
The fourth furnace.
The fifth furnace.
Throughout the night, Lin Jing refined five furnaces of elixir medicines and succeeded with two of them.
The success rate had indeed improved a lot.
Most importantly, the quality of the Elixir Medicines had greatly increased.
From these two successful furnaces, he obtained a total of eight Elixir Medicines, two being Superior, four Medium Grade, and two Low Grade Fasting Pills.
Lin Jing divided the produced Elixir Medicines into batches and placed them into porcelain bottles, preparing to sell them once he had accumulated a certain amount.
This was a good start.
The next day
Everything was as usual; after sending Luo Luo off, Ning Yue went to practice alchemy again.
This reminded him of a term from his previous life: "company livestock."
These two words were especially fitting to describe the current situation.
He then wondered, if Ning Yue was "company livestock", what would that make himself?
A nanny?
Or a househusband?
On reflection, he felt even the term "company livestock" might be better.
It wasn't suitable to enter the System Space with Luo Luo around during the day.
So Lin Jing practiced alchemy in his own room.
By the afternoon, he had refined three furnaces, but the results were not very satisfactory.
Two of the furnaces were failures, and the last one was barely a success, producing only one Medium Grade and two Low Grade Fasting Pills.
It seemed that the success rate of the Alchemy Room was not just talk.
It was possibly due to the Pill Manual that Lin Jing discovered the wondrous use of the 10% increase in Divine Sense strength only during this alchemy session.
With that 10% increase in Divine Sense, Lin Jing felt a much stronger control over the Elixir Medicines during the alchemy process.
In the evening, after Ning Yue returned, the three of them sat around the table and ate dinner as usual.
"Fellow Daoist Ning, I heard from Elder Yu at Yuebaolou that a person's cultivation and the strength of their Divine Sense have a significant impact on the outcome of alchemy, is that true?"
Lin Jing asked.
"That's correct," Ning Yue answered.
"For example, you currently only have a Qi Refinement Second Rank cultivation, and your Divine Sense is too weak, leading to insufficient control over the Elixir Medicines. At the same time, your cultivation is limited, and your control over the flames might not be very good."
"And that will affect the final result of the alchemy."
"If you break through to a Qi Refinement Third Rank or even mid Qi Refinement stage, it will naturally be different."
"Have you ever experienced feeling very tired and unable to concentrate during alchemy?"
Ning Yue asked Lin Jing.
"Sometimes I do feel that way, but I usually force myself to stay focused until the alchemy is completed."
"Is that not the correct approach?"
Lin Jing asked doubtfully.
"That's not incorrect, but…"
"At that time, the quality of your Elixir Medicines begins to decline. You could have produced a furnace of Superior Elixir Medicines."
"But, the moment your attention falters, the quality drops immediately, and sometimes you don't even realize it yourself."
"You might even think it's a mistake somewhere and ponder over it for a long time, but actually, it's because your cultivation is too low and your Divine Sense isn't strong enough."
"As soon as you reach the mid Qi Refinement stage, this won't happen anymore when you refine First Rank Elixir Furnace Medicines."
"But even at the mid Qi Refinement stage, you can't continuously refine without breaks, as that could also lead to fatigue, affecting the Elixir Medicine's quality."
"Between every two alchemy sessions, you need to rest for a while. Only by doing so, will it be possible."
"I am aware of that, Elder Yu once mentioned it," Lin Jing said.
"
"Hmm."
"Next, aside from alchemy, you must not neglect your cultivation either. You also need to improve it."
"I see you've been eating Medium Grade Spirit Rice every day, so you must have had some savings before, but even so, you can't be too wasteful."
"It's still best to learn alchemy quickly. Once you're good at alchemy, it can be very profitable. Then you won't have to worry about eating Medium Grade Spirit Rice every day, even eating Superior Grade Spirit Rice every day will be no problem."
Ning Yue instructed Lin Jing, looking very much like a senior.
Lin Jing felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Medium Grade Spirit Rice?"
"In a little while, when the Superior Grade Spirit Rice in the System Space is ripe, I'll be eating Superior Grade Spirit Rice every day."
"What then should I say?"
"Hmm, it seems I'll need to find an excuse when the time comes."
After finishing their meal, the two of them went back, and Lin Jing began his grand alchemy career.
For half a month like this, Lin Jing refined several furnaces every day, and gradually, his success rate in alchemy increased manyfold.
These past few days, Lin Jing had already produced three Supreme Elixirs, but he hadn't managed to create a Pure Elixir.
Of course, it might also be because he hadn't produced two Supreme Elixirs in the same furnace.
After all, the most basic condition for creating a Pure Elixir is to have two Supreme Elixirs in the same furnace.
Otherwise, even if the Alchemy Room had the attribute of a 10% chance for a Pure Elixir, without meeting the most basic condition, how could he produce a Pure Elixir?
A few days later, the materials for Fasting Pills he had bought were used up, and his alchemy skills were almost there.
Next, he planned to start refining other types of elixirs.
The first time he bought a Pill Furnace, Lin Jing also purchased materials for several other elixirs. Since his alchemy skills hadn't been up to par before, he hadn't used them.
This time, Lin Jing was prepared; it was time to start refining, especially the Energy Gathering Pills used to increase one's cultivation. His own cultivation progress depended on them.
He entered the System Space and came to the Alchemy Room.
This time, as usual, he started the fire, opened the furnace…
For the first refinement, he put in the materials for an Energy Restoration Elixir.
He began the refinement process.
"Elixir refinement successful, Alchemy proficiency 15."
The appearance of the system prompt made Lin Jing's eyes light up.
"15 Alchemy proficiency points."
"A Supreme quality elixir on the first attempt to refine an Energy Restoration Elixir?"
The Energy Restoration Elixir is for quickly restoring one's Spiritual Power when it's depleted, and in terms of price, it isn't much different from Energy Gathering Pills, but much more expensive than Fasting Pills.
This Supreme Energy Restoration Elixir would typically fetch around 20 Lower Grade Spirit Stones on the market.
It was certainly not cheap.
Lin Jing opened the Pill Furnace and took out the elixirs inside.
In this furnace, he had refined one Supreme, two Superior, and two Medium Grade Energy Restoration Elixirs.
A Supreme Elixir provided 5 Alchemy proficiency points, while a Superior was 3, a Medium Grade 2, and a Low Grade only increased proficiency by one point.
As for the Pure Elixir, Lin Jing had not made one before, so he wasn't sure.
The Elixir Furnace Medicine added up to exactly 15 Alchemy proficiency points.
"Next up, it's time to refine Energy Gathering Pills," Lin Jing murmured to himself.
After resting for a while, Lin Jing once again began preparations.
This time, he remained steady, without any hint of panic, not sparing a moment of excitement for having just produced a Supreme Elixir.
Such a mindset was perfect for alchemy.
Half an hour later.
The Alchemy Room was filled with swirling smoke and lingering elixir fragrance, which was different from before, not dissipating for a long time and gathering continuously inside the Alchemy Room.
Lin Jing, as if oblivious, focused intently, staring at the Pill Furnace, carefully controlling the temperature of the flame.
"Ding"
"System prompt: Congratulations, Host has refined a Pure Elixir and received the reward: 5 Harvest Points."
"System prompt: As the Host has refined a Pure Elixir for the first time, receive a reward: 10 Harvest Points."
"Elixir refinement successful, Alchemy proficiency 27."
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Chapter 22 Ning Yue's Shock
Translator: 549690339
"
"Pure"
Lin Jing shouted out in excitement.
Unfortunately, this was within the System Space, where no one could hear him and no one could share in the joy with Lin Jing.
His expression was excited, and his heart was racing uncontrollably. Because he was so excited, his hands were trembling nonstop.
"Whew…"
He exhaled a breath of turbid air, trying to stabilize his emotions.
However, from the look of his constantly trembling hands, it seemed to have little effect.
Carefully, he approached the Pill Furnace and reached out to lift the lid.
A brightly shining Elixir Medicine came into view, and the fragrant aroma filling the Alchemy Room originated from this very elixir.
Lin Jing picked up the Elixir Medicine and held it in his hand.
This Pure Energy Gathering Pill was significantly larger than the other pills from the same batch, as it was the fusion of two Supreme Elixirs.
The surface of the Elixir Medicine gleamed, translucent, allowing a clear view of the misty energy moving incessantly within it.
This Pure Elixir Medicine could sell for hundreds of Spirit Stones. It was worth hundreds of times more than the ordinary pills, and even dozens of times more than Supreme Elixirs.
A dream for many Alchemists.
"If Elder Yu and Ning Yue were to know that I have refined a Pure Elixir Medicine in such a short time…"
"They would be so shocked they'd pop their eyes out."
Lin Jing couldn't help but think to himself in joy.
He decided to consume this Elixir Medicine directly.
Even though it was extremely valuable, it wasn't suitable to reveal it now. If he did, it might bring him endless trouble, or perhaps even disaster.
With this thought, it was better for him to use it himself.
First, he collected the one Superior and two Medium Grade Energy Gathering Pills from the same batch.
Lin Jing took the Pure Energy Gathering Pill and placed it directly into his mouth.
As soon as it entered his mouth, the Elixir Medicine immediately dissolved, giving him a sensation of floating as if immortal, which nearly made him lose control of his soul spirit.
Lin Jing immediately became alert and hurried to operate his cultivation technique to assimilate the medicine's power.
……
After an unknown period of time, the vast Spiritual Power inside Lin Jing had been fully absorbed and incorporated into his cultivation.
Feeling the increase in his cultivation, it was far more robust than before.
"System."
Lin Jing called up the system to check his current status.
"Open the system panel."
System Space (Level 2)
Remaining Time: 32 hours 33 minutes (Accumulable: 200 hours)
Host: Lin Jing
Spirit Field Range: 20 acres
Spiritual Energy Concentration: 2
Time Flow Rate: 2
Daily Entry Time: 4 hours
Upgrade Requirement: (34/500 Harvest Points)
Special Feature: Alert (When the host enters the System Space, the host's real-world surroundings are included in the alert range, with immediate notification of any emergencies.)
Observation: (The host can observe the real world while inside the System Space.) (Note: The host's point of view will synchronize with the outside world in terms of time when observing.)
Time Accumulation: (The remaining daily entry time is not reset to zero, it can be accumulated.)
Seeing that he only had 32 hours left of accumulated time, Lin Jing was stunned for a moment.
He had previously accumulated almost 80 hours, and it was unexpected that he had used so much during this period.
He had been so focused on Alchemy that he hadn't noticed the passage of time.
After thinking about it, Lin Jing then felt relieved. None of that time was wasted. The Pure Elixir Medicine alone could make up for his losses during this period.
Moreover, with his Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root, what other ways were there to increase his power?
Apart from consuming elixirs, there was no other method.
Afterward, Lin Jing opened up his own panel information.
Lin Jing (23/90)
Spiritual Root: Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root (Low Grade)
"
"
Cultivation: Qi Refinement Second Layer (32%)
Cultivation Technique: Qingyuan Dao Method (Level 1), Qingyuan Sword Control Technique (Beginner), Controlling Fire Technique (Proficient)
Secondary Profession: First-Grade Alchemist (382/3000)
Lin Jing remembered that his previous cultivation should have been at 12%, and a single Pure Energy Gathering Pill had directly increased his cultivation by 20%.
A single Energy Gathering Pill had proved to be worth several months of his arduous practice.
Lin Jing couldn't help but laugh and cry at the irony that the effort he had put in over the months was surpassed by a single elixir.
However, when he thought about it, it made sense, for this was a Pure Energy Gathering Pill, a fusion of the essences of two Supreme Energy Gathering Pills. How could it not be effective?
Moreover,
Lin Jing also noticed that his Controlling Fire Technique had reached the proficient level.
These were the fruits of his recent alchemy efforts.
"Whew…"
"Next, let's continue. If another Pure Elixir could come out, that would be even better," Lin Jing mused as he continued with alchemy.
One furnace
Two furnaces
Three furnaces
……
That night, Lin Jing refined a total of five furnaces of elixirs.
Unfortunately, another Pure Elixir didn't emerge. Only one Supreme Elixir appeared; the rest were Medium and Superior grades.
Lin Jing planned to sell a portion of these elixirs.
However, to make the sale of his elixirs go smoothly and not seem too abrupt,
Lin Jing decided to slowly start displaying some 'talents in the path of alchemy'.
After all, it's not common for someone to be able to produce Supreme Elixir medicines right from the start of their alchemy practice; this just defies logic.
Moreover, he had already produced a Pure Elixir.
If such out-of-the-ordinary events kept occurring, one could only say that the System Space was too incredible.
Therefore, the Supreme Elixirs needed to be concealed for a while, and couldn't be sold yet.
If he was going to 'reveal his talent',
Then he should start with Ning Yue.
The next day, upon Ning Yue's return,
After the three of them finished eating, Lin Jing brought out the elixirs.
"Lin Daoyou, these were refined by me yesterday. Take a look, how are they?"
This time, Lin Jing took out one Superior, two Medium, and two Low Grade Energy Gathering Pills.
"Superior Energy Gathering Pill!!!"
Ning Yue exclaimed in surprise.
It hadn't been very long and Lin Jing was already producing Superior Energy Gathering Pills.
"Were these refined last night?"
Ning Yue could hardly believe it; she was quite clear about Lin Jing's capabilities when he started.
But, seeing the Energy Gathering Pills in her hand, she had no choice but to believe them. As an alchemist, she could clearly detect the state of these Energy Gathering Pills.
They had indeed been refined not too long ago.
"It was just a fluke that I managed to refine one, I tried three furnaces yesterday and only produced this one Superior one," Lin Jing responded.
"Just one Superior, and yet you say just…"
Ning Yue couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Born into a family of Pill Masters and having studied alchemy from a young age, it took her several years of learning alchemy before she produced her first Superior Elixir.
"I also have to thank you, Lin Daoyou, for sharing your knowledge so generously. Otherwise, I might still be blowing up furnaces every day," Lin Jing said with utter sincerity, which was, indeed, the case.
"The previous failures were due to the alchemy manual, not your fault," she replied.
"Honestly, your talent for alchemy is indeed remarkable. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're the strongest I've ever encountered,"
As Ning Yue spoke, her eyes fixed seriously on Lin Jing. She advised,
"Lin Daoyou, you must remember not to reveal too much of your talent, especially in front of people you are not familiar with."
"
Chapter 23 Selling the Elixir
Translator: 549690339
Lin Jing was stunned for a moment, then nodded seriously.
"Yes, I understand."
Afterwards, Ning Yue handed the elixir medicine to Lin Jing and then left with Luo Luo.
Lin Jing was left alone, standing there in a daze.
"Ning Yue values it so highly, could it be that I've revealed too much?"
Lin Jing carefully thought back, how long had it been since Ning Yue started to repair the pill book for him?
And right off the bat, I brought out a superior elixir; did I really scare her?
On further thought, it seemed likely; Ning Yue, who had been teaching me all along, knew exactly what level I was at.
Lin Jing vaguely remembered it had only been a little over half a month since Ning Yue completed the repairs on the pill book and handed it over to him.
And in just over half a month, I had managed to produce a superior elixir.
"Sigh!"
"I've been muddled with alchemy; I should have known not to bring out that superior Energy Gathering Pill."
But, at least she's a good person.
Evening
As usual, he came to the Alchemy Room to begin alchemy.
He planned to refine all the materials he had on hand. After that, Lin Jing was not going to buy Fasting Pill materials to practice with anymore.
Instead, he would directly purchase Energy Gathering Pill materials. He needed to improve his cultivation, and also, he should buy a few more Pure Jade Boxes. Who knows, he might be able to refine Pure Elixir Medicine.
Another night of alchemy passed without the creation of Pure Elixir Medicine, but he did produce one Supreme Elixir.
Time flew by in this way for several days.
Lin Jing had refined all the materials he had into elixir medicine.
In these few days, he produced two Pure Elixir Medicines, one of which was an Energy Gathering Pill, and he had already swallowed it.
The other one was an Energy Restoration Elixir, used for rapid recovery of spiritual power during combat, which he did not need right now.
Having created two Pure Elixir Medicines, I had gained another 10 Harvest Points, and my cultivation had increased by another 20%.
I have to say, the system really is stingy. Only when you create Pure Elixir Medicine does it add 5 Harvest Points.
Creating any other elixir medicine doesn't earn a single point, even if it's a Supreme Elixir.
Lin Jing decided to sell them for some Spirit Stones.
All this time, aside from the Spirit Rice he sold, he had been spending money.
Now, he did not have many Spirit Stones left.
The next day
After Ning Yue left, Lin Jing took Luo Luo to Yuebaolou.
"Elder Yu."
"Grandpa Yu, hello."
Luo Luo also greeted him; she had been to Yuebaolou once before with Lin Jing.
As a result, Luo Luo knew Elder Yu.
When Elder Yu saw Luo Luo, he was very fond of her and smilingly said:
"Ah…"
"It's Luo Luo, eh? Why aren't you staying at home today? Did you think of visiting Grandpa Yu?"
"I came with Uncle Lin today to sell elixir medicine."
Luo Luo was very honest.
After hearing this, Elder Yu turned his head to look at Lin Jing.
"Lin lad, your progress isn't bad, to have refined them so quickly."
"Come."
"Let me see the elixir medicine you've refined."
Lin Jing took out several small porcelain bottles from his chest, handed them to Elder Yu, and spoke:
"Elder Yu, I'm just starting out, so my success rate is quite low. Please don't laugh at me."
"Inside there are 50 Low Grade Fasting Pills and 8 Medium Grade."
"Energy Gathering Pills, Energy Restoration Pills, and Blood Coagulation Pills together total 13 pills, and fortunately, there's one Medium Grade Energy Gathering Pill."
"They're all here."
Elder Yu nodded.
"It's indeed like this when you start out with alchemy; the success rate is low, and that's normal. The fact that you were able to produce a few Medium Grade pills is already quite good."
Elder Yu opened the porcelain bottle and poured out the elixir medicines to inspect them.
He quickly finished the inspection.
Elder Yu raised his head and said to Lin Jing,
"All these together, I'll give you 10 Spirit Stones, don't think it's too little."
Lin Jing knew that the elixirs he handed over were definitely not worth 10 Spirit Stones.
Obviously, Elder Yu had overestimated their value for him.
However, compared to the Spirit Stones he had spent on buying materials, it was a huge loss.
Elder Yu continued,
"It's always like this for an alchemist at the beginning, often spending more than one earns, but you're already doing not too bad."
"It will get better with more practice."
"Thank you, Elder Yu, for the 10 Spirit Stones, I am already content," replied Lin Jing.
After that, he chatted with Elder Yu for a while longer.
Before leaving, Lin Jing bought materials for fifty batches of Energy Gathering Pills.
This trip, he did not make a single Spirit Stone.
However, just before leaving, Elder Yu specifically reminded Lin Jing.
Due to the recent rampage of Demonic Beasts, the price of Blood Coagulation Pills had risen, and Lin Jing could try making them.
Nevertheless, Lin Jing found an excuse to decline.
After all, it was more important for him to increase his strength now.
In the evening, after dinner.
Ning Yue left with Luo Luo.
Not long after their departure, Lin Jing went out.
He seldom went out at night, although there was no curfew in the Fang Market at night.
But as the saying goes, "A dark and windy night is the time for murder."
In the cover of darkness, it is the perfect time to do those things that cannot bear the light.
However, he must go out this time.
Because he still had a large quantity of Medium Grade and above elixirs that he hadn't sold.
Since he had known Elder Yu for some time, it wasn't suitable to sell them at his place.
And with Luo Luo in tow, it was also not very convenient.
Could there be shops in the Fang Market that operated at night?
Yes…
Of course, there were…
And not just a few, but most closed around Zi Time. Of course, there were a very few that operated all night.
After all, this is the Fang Market, and most of the people here are cultivators.
Lin Jing dressed up carefully, making himself look much older. Although not as effective as a disguise technique, it was almost as good.
Besides, cultivators all have Divine Sense, and disguise techniques might not necessarily work. Sometimes the truth mixed with falsehoods could deceive others more easily than pure deceit.
To thoroughly deceive others, one would need a magic artifact that could avoid detection by Divine Sense, or some cultivation techniques that, once practiced, could also elude Divine Sense.
This was also why Lin Jing was eager to find an artifact that could conceal Divine Sense.
It was already dark, and the streets were not crowded.
Especially for someone at the early stages of Qi Refinement like Lin Jing, they were even less common.
It was now November, and the night had grown very cold. Lin Jing, draped in a large cloak, tucked his hands inside to shield them from the cold.
However, in his hand, he was constantly gripping a Five Thunder Talisman.
Although the Fang Market seemed safe, he couldn't afford to be unprepared.
"Shopkeeper."
Lin Jing entered a trading establishment, one he had noticed before while walking around with Luo Luo.
The shopkeeper's cultivation was not high, like him, at the second layer of Qi Refinement, specializing in buying and selling various elixir medicines and spiritual materials.
"Ah… honored guest, out so late, are you planning to buy some elixir medicines?" the shopkeeper said with a smile, perhaps because of the cold weather, he immediately rubbed his hands together.
I'd like to sell some elixir medicines, do you accept them here?
"Of course, we do," he replied.
"May I know how many elixir medicines the guest has to sell?"
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Chapter 24 Cultivating Qi Level 3
Translator: 549690339
"It's all here, shopkeeper, please take a look."
As Lin Jing finished speaking, he took out several porcelain bottles from his storage bag and placed them on the counter.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, sensing a big transaction was at hand.
He picked up a porcelain bottle from the counter, poured out the elixir medicine inside it, and carefully examined it in his hands.
After a while, he nodded and said with a smile,
"Customer, these elixir medicines are of good quality, you must already be a Second-Grade Alchemist."
The shopkeeper continued to speak, but his hands didn't stop working.
He opened the next bottle and continued with the inspection.
"The shopkeeper is joking. The path of a pill master is filled with difficulties in advancing; it's not so easy to be promoted to a Second-Grade Alchemist," Lin Jing chimed in.
"What the customer says is true; the road of an alchemist is indeed difficult to ascend. Currently, in the entire Nanshan Market, there are only a handful of Second-Grade Alchemists."
"However, I believe."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper looked up at Lin Jing with a confident gaze.
"Considering the quality of the elixir medicines you brought out today, you're not far from becoming a Second-Grade Alchemist."
"Then I'll take your auspicious words," Lin Jing replied with a smile.
It didn't take long for the batch of elixir medicines to be thoroughly inspected.
"Customer."
The shopkeeper busily manipulated his abacus with clicking sounds and began to speak,
"This batch of elixir medicines has a total of 145 Medium Grade pills, 61 Superior pills, and 4 Supreme Elixirs."
"Among them, there are Fasting Pills, Energy Gathering Pills, Energy Restoration Elixirs, and even Blood Coagulation Pills, and these elixirs have different prices."
At this point, the sound of the abacus abruptly stopped.
He clearly had calculated the result.
"I've just tallied it all up for you; these elixir medicines are worth a total of 320 Spirit Stones."
"I wonder if the customer is satisfied with this price?"
"Hmm, it's acceptable."
This price was nearly identical to Lin Jing's own calculations.
"Shopkeeper." Lin Jing suddenly spoke up.
The shopkeeper raised his head, looking at Lin Jing.
"Does the customer have any other matters?"
"I wonder if you accept Pure Elixirs here?"
"Pure Elixirs!"
The shopkeeper was shocked and then quickly replied.
"Of course, we accept it."
"Do you have any Pure Elixirs you wish to sell?"
"Indeed." Lin Jing nodded.
"May I have a look at them?"
The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together, eagerness apparent in his demeanor as he fixed his gaze on Lin Jing.
Pure Elixirs had not been sold for a long time; even those alchemists who managed to refine them rarely sold them.
It was the best proof of one's alchemical prowess. Carrying one's own Pure Elixirs to serve as an offering priest for smaller clans would ensure even family heads treat you with utmost respect.
If one was in dire straits and needed to sell them, they would typically be sold to major trading companies like Yuebaolou.
For smaller businesses like theirs, it was incredibly difficult to get a hold of Pure Elixirs.
It might be years before they even saw one.
"Of course."
Having said that, Lin Jing took out a Pure Jade Box from his storage bag and handed it to the shopkeeper.
The Pure Jade Box was transparent, allowing a clear view of the elixir inside.
The shopkeeper held the Pure Jade Box but did not open it.
He knew that as soon as it was opened, the Pure Elixir inside would start to be tarnished by external airs.
If tarnished for too long, the Pure Elixir would degrade into a Supreme Elixir.
Watching the brilliance flowing above the elixir, the shopkeeper was ecstatic.
"Is this a freshly made Pure Elixir? Are you really planning to sell it?"
"I've encountered some difficulties lately and have been somewhat financially stretched. Please make me an offer, shopkeeper," Lin Jing said, making up a reason to avoid suspicion.
The shopkeeper pondered for a moment, then said,
"This Energy Restoration Elixir, being in the middle tier among First-Grade elixirs, is not too shabby. If you are to sell it at Yuebaolou, it should be worth around 500 Spirit Stones."
"So let's value it at 500 Spirit Stones. What do you think?"
"That'll do."
Lin Jing nodded slightly, the price was already not low.
"Then, fellow daoist, if you are certain you want to make the deal, we must open the Pure Jade Box for the final step of verification."
"Alright, open it."
Lin Jing nodded again.
To verify the Pure Elixir, it was natural to open the Pure Jade Box; there was no fault in that.
The shopkeeper carefully and gently opened a crack in the Pure Jade Box.
In an instant, the fragrance of the elixir wafted out.
"Snap"
It was just a moment, and the Pure Jade Box was closed again.
This unique scent of the medicine could definitely not be faked.
"The check is correct, it is indeed the Pure Energy Restoration Elixir."
The smile on the shopkeeper's face was clearly visible, and then he put away the Pure Jade Box.
"Honored guest, please wait a moment, I will get your Spirit Stones."
After a while, the shopkeeper counted the Spirit Stones and handed them to Lin Jing.
"A total of 820 Lower Grade Spirit Stones, please count them."
"Hmm."
Lin Jing received the Spirit Stones, which had already been sorted—eight small bags with 100 Spirit Stones each, plus an extra twenty, making exactly 820.
"Honored guest, if you have more elixir medicines to sell in the future, you can still come to our shop; the prices are absolutely fair."
"Rest assured, shopkeeper."
With the transaction complete, Lin Jing bid farewell to the shopkeeper and left the place.
With over 800 Spirit Stones in hand, he didn't have to worry about Spirit Stones for the time being.
In the following period, he was going to start alchemy and strive to improve his cultivation.
……
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
In these two months, Lin Jing rarely left the house.
He spent the days with Luo Luo and the nights practicing alchemy in the System Space.
During this time, Lin Jing's alchemy skills also improved by leaps and bounds.
Lin Jing could now say that crafting elixirs had become a matter of ease for him.
Perhaps it was because he often practiced alchemy in the System Space, with the strengthening of his Divine Sense and accumulating successful experience.
Even when alchemizing in the outside world, his success rate was higher than that of an average Alchemist.
Of course, Ning Yue's contribution was far from small.
The knowledge he had learned from Ning Yue was almost all mastered by now.
In these two months, as of last night, he had produced a total of 10 Pure Energy Gathering Pills.
And without a doubt, he had swallowed all these Pure Energy Gathering Pills; he was now at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement.
Opening his panel, his cultivation status was displayed prominently.
Lin Jing (23/90)
Spiritual Root: Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root (Low Grade)
Cultivation: Third Layer of Qi Refinement (82%)
Cultivation Techniques: Qingyuan Dao Method (First Level), Qingyuan Sword Control Technique (Beginner), Controlling Fire Technique (Proficient)
Secondary Occupation: First-Grade Alchemist (1806/3000)
The Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement was not far off, and his proficiency as an Alchemist was already more than half achieved. It wouldn't be long before Lin Jing would advance to Second-Grade Alchemist.
……
"Thump thump thump"
There was a knock at the door.
Lin Jing put on his cotton-padded jacket and stepped out of the house. It was January, and everything outside was blanketed in white, as if covered with a layer of white quilt.
Stepping outside onto the thick snow, it made a creaking sound beneath his feet.
"Creak…"
The door opened, and Ning Yue stood outside, dressed in a red jacket.
"Ning Daoyou, you're back."
"Mm, where's Luo Luo?"
Ning Yue asked.
"Luo Luo is in her room, reading the storybook you bought her," Lin Jing replied.
Then he added, "She's quite engrossed."
"Lin Daoyou, I'm really grateful for your help during this time."
"What? Ning Daoyou, have you finished your alchemy?"
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Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Mr. Jiang Arrives
Translator: 549690339
The two of them entered the house, and when Luo Luo saw Ning Yue come in, she ran straight over.
"Mom."
At this moment, the brazier inside the house was burning vigorously, making the whole room incredibly warm, and Luo Luo's little face was a bit rosy. "Good girl, Luo Luo. Mom will be able to stay at home with Luo Luo tomorrow."
Ning Yue reached out to brush away the bangs from Luo Luo's forehead and spoke softly. "Mom doesn't have to go out anymore?"
"That's great!"
Luo Luo cheered.
"Uncle Lin said that there are more and more demonic beasts outside, and every time Mom goes out, Luo Luo is very worried."
"Mom is fine. Starting from tomorrow, Mom will be at home with Luo Luo every day."
As she spoke, Ning Yue rubbed Luo Luo's head.
"Yay…"
Luo Luo cheered, a child's innocence is always so straightforward.
Since a month ago, the beast tide had intensified, with demonic beasts continuously attacking human settlements, and many families had suffered severe damage.
Some families' Spirit Fields were even destroyed by demonic beasts.
Many families also reduced their external businesses to resist the beast tide with all their might, while the smaller ones grouped together to resist.
Moreover, even the outskirts of the Fang Market had suffered attacks from demonic beasts.
Although in the end, they were slain by the Guard Team patrolling the Fang Market.
However, several cultivators who lived on the edges of the Fang Market perished to the jaws of the beasts.
So, during this time, people within the Fang Market were panic-stricken, fearful of demonic beast attacks, especially for those like Lin Jing who lived on the periphery of the market.
Fortunately, Lin Jingzhi had heeded the advice of the Outer Area Manager before, renting this courtyard which is quite close to the inner part of the market.
Therefore, they had been relatively safe during this period, without any demonic beast attacks.
After the three of them had dinner, the other two left.
Tonight, he had more work to do, because the Spirit Rice and Seven-Star Grass in the Spirit Field space had matured and were ready to be harvested.
Upon entering the System Space, Lin Jing immediately opened the Alchemy Room panel.
Alchemy Room: Level 1
Divine Sense Strengthening: 10%
Alchemy Success Rate Increase: (First Grade 10%) Elixir Medicine Quality Enhancement: (First Grade 10%)
Pure Elixir Appearance Chance: (First Grade 10%)
Upgrade Requirement: (94/100 Harvest Points)
Looking at the system panel, Lin Jing murmured to himself,
"After this harvest of Spirit Plants is complete, the Alchemy Room can be upgraded."
Then, Lin Jing picked up the sickle and started to get busy.
With improved cultivation, Lin Jing's speed of harvesting Spirit Plants had also increased significantly.
In a short while, an acre of Spirit Rice was harvested by Lin Jing.
"System Notification: Congratulations to the host for harvesting an acre of Superior Spirit Rice, reward obtained: 2 Harvest Points."
"It really is true; the higher the level of the Spirit Plant, the more Harvest Points awarded.'
Without pausing, Lin Jing continued to harvest.
This time, he chose an acre of Seven-Star Grass.
Soon, the Seven-Star Grass was also harvested, earning a reward of 3 Harvest Points.
It seems that the quality of the Seven-Star Grass is a bit higher than that of the Superior Spirit Rice.
Lin Jing took almost twenty hours to finish harvesting the twenty acres of Spirit Field,
After the harvesting was complete, 10 acres of Superior Spirit Rice and 10 acres of Seven-Star Grass amounted to a total of 50 Harvest Points credited to the account.
Lin Jing sat at the edge of the field and opened the panel again. Upgrade Requirement: (144/100 Harvest Points) (Upgrade Available)
The Harvest Points were sufficient, and the option to upgrade was now available.
Lin Jing didn't hesitate and chose to upgrade immediately.
Shortly after, the system interface changed.
Alchemy Room: Level 2
Divine Sense Strengthening: 20%
Alchemy Success Rate Increase: (First Grade 20%), (Second Grade 10%) Elixir Medicine Quality Enhancement: (First Grade 20%), (Second Grade 10%)
Pure Elixir Medicine appearance probability: (First Grade 20%), (Second Grade
10%)
Required for upgrade: (44/500 Harvest Points)
Looking at the panel, Lin Jing smiled with satisfaction.
"The success rate of alchemy has increased again."
By the time he came out of the System Space, it was already dawn of the next day.
After a busy day, he didn't care about anything else and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
"Thump thump thump"
An urgent knocking sound came from the door outside.
Lin Jing, who was sound asleep, was awoken by this sudden knocking.
Lin Jing got up and walked out of the house.
"Who could it be at this time?"
"The sound doesn't seem like Ning Yue. Her knocks are always very light, but this knocking is urgent."
Lin Jing pondered and then opened the door, when a familiar face came into view.
It was the manager who had shown Lin Jing to this place when he rented the room.
"Manager Jiang."
Lin Jing had learned from Zhang Sen that this man's surname was Jiang.
"Lin Daoyou."
Manager Jiang's eyes lit up when he saw Lin Jing.
"I've been knocking for a long time just now, I thought you weren't home,
Daoyou."
"I was a bit exhausted from affairs yesterday, so I slept more deeply."
"My apologies."
"It's no trouble," said Manager Jiang with a wave of his hand.
"What brings Manager Jiang here at this time?"
Lin Jing looked at Manager Jiang. This was only the second time he had seen him since he moved here. Presumably, if it was not for something important, Manager Jiang would not have come.
"Lin Daoyou, you must have heard about some of the things that have happened recently."
Manager Jiang began.
"Yes, I've heard that there have been several Demonic Beast attacks recently, all around the outskirts of Fang Market, causing a lot of panic."
"It's about that," said Manager Jiang with a sigh.
"Sigh…'
"This Demonic Beast upheaval has had a huge impact, causing panic within the
Fang Market."
"I came here about that very issue."
Lin Jing then asked, "Does Fang Market have a strategy to deal with it, Manager Jiang?
"Fang Market has issued an announcement to recruit personnel to join the Guard Team to maintain peace in the market."
"However, given the current difficult situation and the need for a large number of Spirit Stones to recruit personnel…"
"So… Fang Market has decided that each household must contribute ten Spirit Stones as a fund to recruit the Guard Team."
"I see," said Lin Jing.
"Hold on a moment, Manager Jiang. I'll go get them for you."
Since he came out in a hurry, Lin Jing did not carry Spirit Stones with him. After responding to Manager Jiang, he headed back inside the house.
Shortly after, he came out of the house and handed ten Spirit Stones to Manager Jiang.
Manager Jiang took the Spirit Stones and then spoke again:
"Lin Daoyou, as you can see the situation, next year's rent… will not be the same price, and I think you can understand that." "I'm informing you in advance so you can prepare."
"Naturally," replied Lin Jing.
"Well, then I'll go to the next house."
"Lin Daoyou, a word of advice. If possible, you should stock up on some necessities. We don't know how long this Demonic Beast turmoil will last."
"Lin Daoyou, farewell."
After reminding Lin Jing, Manager Jiang took his leave.
Following Manager Jiang's departure, Lin Jing closed the door and returned inside. He did not continue to rest but instead contemplated Manager Jiang's words.
"Stock up on necessities?"
It seemed he might know something..
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Chapter 26: Chapter 26 The Man in Black
Translator: 549690339
Lin Jing, upon awakening, initially felt a hint of sleepiness, but that sensation had now vanished after this matter.
After washing up, Lin Jing left the house.
In this period, he had concocted quite a few elixir medicines, and now it was time to sell them.
Arriving at Yuebaolou, Elder Yu was not present, instead, a slightly portly middle-aged man stood behind the counter.
Lin Jing couldn't help but inwardly sigh with disappointment.
He had intended to ask Elder Yu some questions, but now he had no choice but to let it go.
Approaching the counter, Lin Jing handed over all the lower-grade elixir medicines he had previously selected to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man tapped away rapidly on an abacus, eventually quoting a purchase price of 60 Spirit Stones.
After selling the elixir medicines, Lin Jing bought materials for 100 Energy Gathering Pills. Due to severe demonic beast chaos, both elixir medicine prices and material costs had risen.
In addition to the Spirit Stones earned from selling the elixirs, Lin Jing had to pay an extra 60 Spirit Stones to purchase the materials needed to concoct these 100 Energy Gathering Pills.
Afterward, Lin Jing left Yuebaolou directly.
Once he had finished concocting these 100 Energy Gathering Pills, he should be able to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refinement.
Next, Lin Jing didn't return home but instead started wandering around Fang Market.
He did so until the sky had completely darkened.
It was only after disguising himself that Lin Jing headed towards the business that had sold Pure Elixir Medicine before.
His skills in disguise were not proficient, and during the day, it was easy for someone to see through him.
Therefore, Lin Jing had chosen to sell elixir medicine at night.
Upon arriving at the business, the shopkeeper and a man in black, the two of them were engaged in conversation.
The man in black frowned at the shopkeeper, complaining,
"Shopkeeper, isn't the price of this single elixir medicine a bit too expensive?
It's more than half as much again as usual."
The shopkeeper, with a placating smile, began,
"Esteemed guest, you are surely aware of the current situation."
"With the fierce unrest of demonic beasts, there is a scarcity of elixir medicine, and the current price is very fair."
"Fair?" exclaimed the man in black.
"Even on the black market, the price is nearly the same as it is now, right?" The shopkeeper gave the man in black a meaningful glance and then said,
"Guest, it seems you haven't been to the black market for quite some time! Nowadays, not just elixir medicine but nearly everything has nearly doubled in price there."
The man in black looked astonished and then nodded in agreement. "Yes, I've been rather busy and haven't been there for a long time."
After saying this, he wisely stopped talking to avoid giving himself away.
In truth, he had never been to the black market, because to enter, one not only needs a Token but also someone to lead the way. Without a guide, it's impossible to find the entrance to the black market.
He had simply come across a Black Market Token by chance and often showed it off for bragging rights.
After all, gaining entry to the black market was not something ordinary people could manage.
But the shopkeeper was different; it was clear he was a person who frequented the black market.
At that moment, Lin Jing walked in.
The shopkeeper immediately recognized Lin Jing as the person who had sold him Pure Elixir Medicine the other day.
"Esteemed guest, welcome," greeted the shopkeeper with a beaming smile, coming forward and leaving the man in black standing where he was.
"Do you have any elixir medicine to sell today, guest?"
"Hmm," Lin Jing nodded.
He then took out a bunch of small porcelain bottles filled with elixir medicine from his Storage Bag.
"Shopkeeper, could you give me an estimate of how much these are worth?"
"Certainly, please wait a moment," replied the shopkeeper, as he opened the bottles, examining each one in turn.
This time, Lin Jing did not take out all of the elixir medicines he had concocted.
Instead, he only brought out a part of them.
Having sold elixir medicines here not long ago, Lin Jing thought that bringing out too many again might arouse suspicion.
Watching Lin Jing take out so many elixirs at once, the man in black was also shocked and leaned forward to look at the porcelain bottles in the shopkeeper's hands.
It wasn't long before the shopkeeper had finished checking the elixirs.
"Dear customer, the quality of your elixirs is impeccable, and this time the quantity is even more than the last," the shopkeeper said.
"Not to hide it from you, due to the recent rampages by the Demonic Beasts, the prices of elixirs have risen sharply. Therefore, our purchasing price has also risen, about a twenty percent increase compared to before." "Your elixirs, after my calculations, are worth a total of 530 Spirit Stones."
"Are you satisfied with this price?"
"Hmm, satisfied," Lin Jing nodded.
"Good, customer, please wait a moment. I'll fetch the Spirit Stones for you." As he spoke, the shopkeeper collected the elixirs.
The man in black, having overheard the shopkeeper's words, was already dumbfounded.
530 Spirit Stones, that was the fruit of his labor for several years.
Before long, the shopkeeper had prepared the Spirit Stones and handed them to Lin Jing.
Having completed the transaction, Lin Jing took his leave from the shopkeeper.
"Fellow Daoist, please hold on a moment."
However, not long after he stepped out, someone called out to him.
Lin Jing turned around, only to see that it was the man in black from the shop.
"Fellow Daoist, may I inquire what you need?" Lin Jing asked.
The man in black sized up Lin Jing and then spoke:
"Seeing how you handled so many elixirs at once, I presume you are an alchemist, correct?"
"Yes," Lin Jing answered simply, without any concealment.
"I would like to propose a transaction with you, Fellow Daoist. What do you think?"
"A transaction?" Lin Jing frowned.
"That's right," the man in black said, taking out a black token from his person.
"I have here a Black Market Token, which allows anyone holding it to enter the black market."
"As an alchemist, Fellow Daoist, by holding this token and entering the black market, you can sell the elixirs you produce for more than fifty percent extra." "And I am not asking much for this token – just 500 Spirit Stones, and it's yours. It can be said to be quite a bargain."
"You might want to think about it. Based on the amount of elixirs you sold today, you could make back your investment and even earn quite a bit more after just a few transactions."
"You should consider it, that's over fifty percent profit…"
At this point, the man in black became somewhat excited.
After his excitement, the man in black looked straight at Lin Jing, awaiting his response.
In his mind, such a profitable deal was one that Lin Jing had no reason to reject.
However, Lin Jing's next words shattered his illusion.
"Sorry, I'm not interested."
With that, he prepared to leave.
The man in black had evidently seen Lin Jing earn the Spirit Stones, which was why he had proposed this transaction.
Who knew if the token was real or fake. Moreover, even if it was real, the black market was probably not as simple as the man in black had described, allowing one to enter and exit at will.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait."
The man in black again blocked Lin Jing's path.
"You must think my token is fake, right?"
"If you don't trust me, we can go back and ask the shopkeeper we spoke with just now. He can verify that this token is genuinely authentic."
"Please step aside, I'm going back," Lin Jing replied, without any hint of uncertainty, and continued forward.
Leaving the man in black standing alone on the spot.
"Ptui…!" the man in black spat.
"Ungrateful. I'll remember you, just you wait," he said venomously, watching Lin Jing's retreating figure..
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Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Zhang Sen Borrows Spirit Stone Again
Translator: 549690339
Now that night had just fallen, there were still many people on the streets, and Lin Jing felt no fear from the man in black doing him any harm.
Because in Fang Market, there were rules that no one could attack at will, otherwise, the penalty would be light in some cases, such as the abolition of one's cultivation, followed by expulsion from Fang Market.
In severe cases, the offender would be killed on the spot.
However, even so, there were still people who caused trouble at midnight, especially on the outskirts of Fang Market, where monitoring was not so strict, and people often disappeared.
As for the Fang Market itself, they turned a blind eye, as long as there was no trouble within the market itself.
The outskirts were just home to some Loose Cultivators who depended on Fang Market, and were not considered that important.
After leaving, Lin Jing strolled around for a bit before selling some elixir medicines in small quantities at other shops, and then he returned home.
Once home, Lin Jing poured out all his Spirit Stones and counted them.
With those sold today, Lin Jing now had nearly 1,800 Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
These Spirit Stones should be enough to buy a decent Magic Artifact, but he was unsure if he could afford a Magical Treasure that was a bit cheaper.
"Hmm, I'll go to Yuebaolou tomorrow to see if there are any Magical Treasures that are a bit cheaper,"
Lin Jing contemplated.
At night, Lin Jing entered the System Space, neatly putting away the harvested Spirit Rice and Seven-Star Grass.
After a few more days, he could sell the Spirit Rice and Seven-Star Grass.
Once everything was in order, Lin Jing commenced his alchemy work.
Perhaps due to bad luck, he didn't produce a single Pure Elixir that evening.
The next day, at Yuebaolou.
"Lin Daoyou, this Concealment Artifact can block the Divine Sense probes of late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Its effects could be said to be quite remarkable, and it's priced at only 1,200 Spirit Stones."
Lin Jing looked at the black cloak-like artifact. Wearing it on the head would be so conspicuous, what good would it do if it could defend against Divine Sense probes?
He couldn't help shaking his head.
The artifact was too conspicuous, and it could only guard against the Divine Sense probes of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, which did not meet his requirements.
However, with his finances, this was probably the best level of Concealment Artifact he could buy.
Magic Artifacts crafted by cultivators below the Golden Core Stage were called
'Magic Artifacts.'
Only Magical Treasures created by Golden Core Stage and above Cultivators were termed as Magical Treasures.
The Concealment Magical Treasure of the Golden Core Stage that Lin Jing wanted was too expensive, with the cheapest starting at tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.
As for why Lin Jing didn't directly buy a Foundation Establishment Concealment Artifact,
it was because in the future he needed to frequently sell elixir medicines, and he needed to change his identity often to avoid attracting attention.
Moreover, most of the backers behind the various shops were Golden Core Stage Cultivators. In the future, Lin Jing would unavoidably sell a large quantity of Pure Elixir Medicines and have to interact with them; the Concealment function of a Foundation Establishment Artifact was practically nonexistent against Golden Core Stage Cultivators.
Buying one might as well be the same as not buying at all.
Feeling helpless, he could only put the idea aside for now. At present, it was still fine, as he had always been very careful and had not attracted anyone's attention. For the time being, there was no harm.
Then, Lin Jing returned home. Just as he arrived at the gate, stepping into the courtyard, someone called out to him.
"Brother Lin."
Lin Jing turned around to see that it was the brothers Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin.
"Brother Zhang, what is it?" Lin Jing asked.
Ever since he found out that the two were addicted to gambling, Lin Jing's impression of them had not been very good.
However, remembering that Zhang Sen had been of help when he had first arrived, Lin Jing did not show it too obviously.
"Brother Lin," Zhang Sen appeared somewhat uneasy, then continued to speak. "This time we're troubling Brother Lin to save us brothers. Please lend us 10 Spirit Stones so we can pay the management fee for this period at the Fang Market. We beg you, Brother Lin."
"Management fee?" Lin Jing pondered for a moment, then remembered.
Wasn't that what he paid yesterday? What was the matter with these two?
Logically speaking, it shouldn't be difficult for the two mid-stage Qi Practitioners to earn ten Spirit Stones, yet now they could not even produce that amount.
"Could it be that they gambled again?" Lin Jing thought subsequently.
"Sorry, I just paid the management fee, and I'm not very well-off lately," Lin Jing said, declining directly.
"Lin Brother, we've really run into some trouble this time. In consideration of us being neighbors, please help us out just this once,"
"Otherwise, I'll be chased out of here. There are demonic beasts everywhere outside now, and if I get chased out, we'll have no chance of survival,"
"I promise, after this time, I will quickly pay back the spirit stones I owe you."
Lin Jing had heard these words countless times already, and he found it hard to believe Zhang Sen anymore.
Lin Jing spoke coldly:
"Sorry, I truly don't have any spirit stones to lend you."
Zhang Sen became somewhat anxious and blurted out:
"That's impossible, how can you not have spirit stones? I just saw you leaving
Yuebaolou yesterday."
Upon hearing this, Lin Jing's expression collapsed:
"What I do doesn't require an explanation to you."
"Lin Brother, sorry, my brother spoke out of turn. Please, help us one more time, just this time,"
Zhang Sen's face now bore a pleading expression, while Zhang Lin beside him was keeping his head down, shivering.
Lin Jing looked at the two brothers, Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin, with a cold expression:
"Gentlemen, out of neighborly consideration, I already did my duty by lending you spirit stones last time."
"Now, you haven't yet returned what you borrowed last time, and you're here to borrow again. Do you think I'm easy to bully?"
"Furthermore…"
"Shouldn't you be returning the spirit stones you borrowed last time…"
Just then, Ning Yue walked over with Luo Luo. Luo Luo ran up, grabbed Lin Jing's arm, looked up at him, and said:
"Uncle Lin, are those two trying to borrow your spirit stones again?"
"You must not lend it to them, they're bad people, and they just know how to cheat Uncle Lin of his spirit stones."
"Yesterday, my mother and I saw them coming out of… that place, what's it called, Qianjinfang."
"Mother said they lost all their money again, and they're definitely going to cheat people next. Uncle Lin, you must not fall for their tricks."
At this time, Ning Yue also spoke up:
"Lin Daoyou, you can't trust what they say."
Lin Jing nodded.
He looked at Zhang Sen again, whose complexion had darkened, knowing he definitely wouldn't be able to borrow this time.
"About the spirit stones borrowed last time, please give me a few more days,
Lin Brother. We'll return it as soon as possible," "Lin Brother, I'll take my leave."
With that, Zhang Sen bade farewell to Lin Jing and left.
However, the view of his back as he turned around seemed somewhat forlorn.
"Hmph…!"
Luo Luo snorted, then wore a triumphant face, as if she had won a great battle.
After Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin had walked far away, Luo Luo turned back around and put on a bitter face.
"Uncle Lin, save me," Luo Luo said with a cry.
"This little girl," Lin Jing said with a laugh yet not quite able to laugh.
"What's wrong with Luo Luo now? Who has bullied you? Tell your uncle."
"Mother is bullying me! She wouldn't let me come over to Uncle Lin's to mooch a meal yesterday."
"And Mom tried to cook like Uncle Lin. She's too clumsy, after following Uncle Lin for so long she still hasn't learned. The food isn't tasty at all, and she still insists I eat it."
"I really have it tough-"
Saying this, Luo Luo wiped away non-existent tears, feigning sadness. "Luo Luo, are you asking for it again?"
Luo Luo's voice wasn't quiet, Ning Yue heard every word clearly.
At this moment, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and with a lioness' roar, she startled Luo Luo into quickly running behind Lin Jing for cover.
Fearing a spanking..
Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Ning Yue's Cooking Skills
Translator: 549690339
Looking at the two, Lin Jing couldn't help chuckling and crying at the same time.
"Alright, alright…"
Lin Jing quickly intervened, worried that Luo Luo's bottom might soon get smacked if this continued.
"Yesterday, I sold some elixir medicine and bought some Superior Spirit Rice, so today we can try it together."
"Yay!"
"Thank you, Uncle Lin."
After speaking, Luo Luo immediately ran into the courtyard.
"Lin Daoyou, the price of Superior Spirit Rice is so high nowadays, isn't that a bit wasteful?"
Ning Yue was somewhat worried, fearing that Lin Jing was being extravagant, especially since alchemists tend to spend a lot of Spirit Stones in the early days.
Lin Jing was well-prepared for such concerns.
"Ning Daoyou, take a look inside."
With that, Lin Jing took out a porcelain bottle and handed it over.
Ning Yue took the bottle, and as soon as she opened the stopper, a distinct fragrance unique to elixir medicines assaulted her senses, a scent she was very familiar with.
"Supreme Elixir Medicine!! ! "
Ning Yue's pupils dilated as she cried out in surprise.
She hadn't expected that Lin Jing would be able to produce Supreme Elixir Medicine so quickly.
Afterward, Ning Yue poured the elixirs into her hand and started to examine them closely.
The elixir medicine was smooth and free of any impurities, all the while emitting bursts of fragrance.
It was undoubtedly a Supreme Elixir.
Lin Jing scratched his head:
"Yesterday, I had the good fortune to concoct a Supreme Elixir, and I thought I'd reward myself, so I bought this Superior Spirit Rice."
"I also have to thank Ning Daoyou. If it weren't for your help, I would have probably given up on alchemy a long time ago."
"You're too modest, my friend."
Ning Yue put the elixirs back in the bottle and handed it to Lin Jing.
Thinking about how she had spent several years in alchemy yet hadn't achieved the results that Lin Jing had in just a few months, Ning Yue couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Your talent in alchemy is truly remarkable. I didn't really help you much; it's all down to your own efforts."
"Besides, you've been taking care of Luo Luo for so long. It's only right that I do these little things."
Lin Jing shook his head and said, "You're being too humble."
"Without the help of Ning Daoyou, I would probably still be failing every day and have run out of Spirit Stones by now, let alone treat myself."
"All of this is thanks to your contributions."
"Mommy, Uncle Lin…"
Ning Yue was about to say more when a sudden shout interrupted her.
Seeing the two just standing at the doorway and not entering, Luo Luo quickly asked:
"What are you two doing? I'm getting hungry."
"Mommy, didn't you say you wanted to learn cooking from Uncle Lin?"
Luo Luo's words made Ning Yue's face turn slightly red, causing her to give Luo Luo a glare.
This little girl was becoming more and more cheeky.
"Lin Daoyou, look…"
"It's no big deal, sure."
Lin Jing agreed before Ning Yue could finish her sentence. "It's just about lunchtime now. Ning Daoyou, let's go together." Saying this, Lin Jing led Ning Yue towards the kitchen.
When it comes to cooking versus alchemy,
Lin Jing felt that the difference wasn't significant; both required control over the heat and mastery of ingredient proportions.
Compared to alchemy, in fact, cooking seemed somewhat simpler.
The reason Ning Yue couldn't cook was because she had never focused on cooking.
Lin Jing had some understanding of Ning Yue's background.
Ning Yue herself was the treasured pearl of an Alchemy Dao family, where she never had to worry about her basic needs.
That is until she met Luo Luo's father and they fell in love at first sight. However, her family did not approve of their relationship.
But by that time, Ning Yue was already pregnant, so the two of them eloped to Nanshan Market together.
Things were alright before, with Luo Luo's father around to take care of most matters, and naturally, the cooking fell on his shoulders as well.
But after an accident befell Luo Luo's father, all the household responsibilities fell squarely on Ning Yue's shoulders.
Not only did she have to take care of Luo Luo, but she also had to find ways to earn Spirit Stones, leaving her no time to specifically learn how to cook.
After all, in Fang Market, one could hardly move an inch without Spirit Stones.
But now things were okay, as she had earned quite a few Spirit Stones from alchemy a while ago, and she didn't have to worry about Spirit Stones for the time being.
Moreover, ever since she had tasted the food made by Lin Jing, eating her own cooking…
Was like eating chalk and cheese, simply too hard to swallow.
No wonder even Luo Luo would come over to air her grievances.
Both of them busied themselves with the cooking, and indeed, it was much faster than when Lin Jing worked alone; in less than half an hour, the meal had already been served.
And Luo Luo had already been sitting at the table, unable to contain her impatience.
Once the three of them were seated, Luo Luo quickly picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth.
"So delicious…" Luo Luo mumbled unclearly.
"Luo Luo, try this one."
Lin Jing pointed to a plate of green vegetables as he spoke.
Ning Yue felt somewhat nervous beside him because she was the one who had cooked this dish.
"Okay, Uncle Lin's cooking is always delicious."
As she spoke, Luo Luo picked up a piece of the vegetable and put it in her mouth.
After chewing twice, she seemed to sense something wrong; her small face scrunched up, and then with a "wah," she spat the vegetable out. "Uncle, this isn't made by you, is it?"
Luo Luo asked with a pained expression, looking at Lin Jing and simultaneously giving Ning Yue a sidelong glance that could not have been more obvious.
Initially, he hadn't planned on letting Ning Yue try her hand at cooking, but after watching for a while, she wanted to give it a try.
So, Lin Jing agreed to it.
Turning to Ning Yue, her face was already beet red to the tips of her ears at this moment.
Lin Jing also felt curious; was it really that bad?
With that thought, he reached out with his chopsticks, picked up a piece of green vegetable, and put it into his mouth.
This taste…
Salty mixed with sour, and after chewing twice more, a bitter taste spread throughout his mouth, which was no wonder Luo Luo had spat it out directly.
Lin Jing looked at Ning Yue with a strange look in his eyes.
Ning Yue, feeling embarrassed, lowered her head.
Lin Jing swallowed the green vegetable in his mouth with difficulty and chuckled.
"Hehe…"
"Not bad, keep trying next time."
"Let's hurry up and eat before the dishes get cold."
It seemed teaching Ning Yue how to cook was going to be quite the long and arduous journey…
After the meal, with nothing much to do, Lin Jing started discussing alchemy with Ning Yue.
Time flowed like water and slipped away in an instant.
When the two of them snapped back to reality, it was already time to have dinner.
This time, under Lin Jing's guidance, Ning Yue stir-fried another dish, which, after being tasted by their little taste tester Luo Luo…
Received a verdict of 'edible'.
Ning Yue rolled her eyes, but her joy was evident in her expression.
In the following days, the two of them came over often.
Each time they arrived, they would bring some chicken, fish, meat, and vegetables, clearly showing Ning Yue's determination to learn cooking well.
During these evenings, besides practicing alchemy, Lin Jing also went out once or twice, selling some elixir medicines.
Until this day.
Lin Jing had just finished selling some Elixir Medicine and bid farewell to the Shopkeeper.
As he walked down the street, Lin Jing consistently felt something was off—he had the sense that someone was following him.
He stealthily looked back but saw nothing.
Lin Jing's brow furrowed tightly; during this time, he had been very careful, selling Elixir Medicines in different shops every time.
Plus, the quantity sold was not large, so certainly, he should not have drawn any tailing from anyone.
As he pondered with his brows knitted, a plan suddenly sprang up in his mind.
Lin Jing's lips curved into a smile:
"Let's see whether it's just my imagination or if someone is indeed following
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Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Destruction of the Man in Black
Translator: 549690339
Afterward, Lin Jing walked forward as if he had noticed nothing.
The feeling of being followed persisted throughout the journey, at times fading in and out of perception.
Not until he had left the Fang Market and entered the outskirts did this sensation suddenly intensify.
Lin Jing could even feel his heartbeat quickening beyond its normal pace.
"Ding"
The sudden sound of the system alert left Lin Jing momentarily stunned.
"System alert: Host detected in danger, alert function automatically upgrading."
"Alert function upgrade requires the deduction of 10 Harvest Points. Detecting that the host currently has 49 Harvest Points, deduction will proceed automatically." "Current remaining Harvest Points: 39."
"System upgrading…"
"Ding"
"Alert function upgrade complete, this function can now be used externally."
"Warning!"
"Within alert range, someone harbors lethal intent towards the host, please respond promptly."
Seeing the system notification, Lin Jing finally realized.
"Indeed, my feelings were correct. There really is someone tracking me, and they bear ill intent.'
Someone wanted to kill him.
It was obvious that after leaving the Fang Market, this person could no longer hold back.
As if oblivious, Lin Jing continued on until he reached an alleyway. With a turn, he entered the alley. "System."
"Enter System Space."
Upon stepping into the alley, Lin Jing silently called out to the system and entered the System Space.
"System, activate Observation Mode."
Just after entering the System Space, Lin Jing activated the Observation Mode.
His perspective shifted and Lin Jing began to surveil, with an unobstructed view of the outside world.
He saw a person clad in black clothing hurriedly approaching after Lin Jing's disappearance.
"Eh? Where's the person?"
The individual looked around but did not see Lin Jing, then expressed doubt.
While under Observation Mode, Lin Jing could see this person's appearance clearly.
It was the same man dressed in black who had tried to sell him the Black Market Token that day.
Lin Jing frowned in contemplation:
"Could this person have been eyeing me for some time?"
However, the man in black soon provided Lin Jing with the answer.
After searching around and seeing no one, the man in black started to doubt. "Where could he have gone, how could he just vanish all of a sudden?"
"Impossible, a mere Qi Refinement initial stage cultivator couldn't possibly have noticed me. Was I exposed already?"
"Does that mean I've been waiting here for days in vain?
The man in black was quite frustrated as he muttered to himself.
Ever since that incident, he had been lying in wait at the Fang Market for several days, just to catch Lin Jing making another appearance.
He had waited until today, finally seeing Lin Jing, only to lose him. The man in black felt unspeakably upset.
In his opinion, Lin Jing was merely a Qi Refinement third layer cultivator, while he was at the seventh layer, there was no reason for him to lose track of Lin Jing.
After all, he had been monitoring that fellow with his Divine Sense, yet he had disappeared suddenly.
After listening to the man in black's words, Lin Jing now understood that since the Black Market Token incident, this person had been waiting for him.
It was probably not just for revenge, it was very likely he also had plots of robbery and murder.
Thinking back to that day, after he had sold his Elixir Medicine and the behavior of the man in black, Lin Jing felt even more certain of his conclusion.
"It seems this person must be eliminated."
This man had memorized the way he looked in disguise, and Lin Jing had no skill in altering his appearance. No matter how he might disguise himself, it would be in vain and eventually, a flaw would be exposed.
And he didn't possess a magical treasure to change his appearance now; being targeted by this person meant he would likely never know peace in the future.
Therefore, this person had to be eliminated.
Having decided to dispose of this person, Lin Jing immediately took out his Storage Bag and fetched two talismans from within.
The two Five Thunder Talismans previously given by Senior Han.
This was Lin Jing's assurance.
At this moment, the man in black who had been searching outside for a while still hadn't found Lin Jing and was hanging his head, preparing to leave.
Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"You've been following me for so long, do you want to make a deal with me?"
The man in black was startled by this sudden voice, swiftly turned around, and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Lin Jing standing there.
"It's you! How did you appear?"
The man in black stared at Lin Jing, confusion in his voice.
"You need not worry about that."
"You've followed me all this way, could it be you want to trade your so-called Black Market Token with me again?" The man in black suddenly laughed.
"A trade?"
He finished speaking, took out a Black Market Token, and toyed with it in his hand.
"Are you talking about this?"
"This is a great item, but what a pity, you don't know its worth."
After saying this, the corners of the man in black's mouth curved into a cruel arc.
"Die you shall."
The man in black erupted into action, conjuring a Flying Sword magic artifact, and charged towards Lin Jing.
The person before him was too strange, and to avoid prolonging the night and more dreams, he decided not to delay and to kill him outright.
Lin Jing, however, was far from panicked, his eyes blazing as he intently watched the man in black approaching.
When the man in black was still about a dozen meters away from Lin Jing—
Lin Jing let out a light shout and quickly threw the Five Thunder Talisman he was clutching behind his back.
By the time the man in black noticed and saw it clearly, the Five Thunder Talisman was already in front of him.
"Five Thunder Talisman!!
The man in black was immediately scared witless, his arrogance gone, and he hurriedly halted his charge, trying to retreat backward.
However, it was too late to retreat now.
"Explode!"
With Lin Jing's command, the violent energy contained within the Five Thunder Talisman instantly tore the talisman to pieces, with dozens of bolts of lightning appearing out of thin air, brigh tening the sky and continual thunder rumbling, instantly engulfing the man in black.
"Ahhh…"
The man in black tumbled uncontrollably, emitting pitiful screams…
However, the screams did not last long before they vanished.
As for the man in black, he no longer made a sound.
It was no joke, this was a Five Thunder Talisman that only a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could create, and the spell it released was equivalent to a full-strength attack from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
And what was the man in black's cultivation? Naturally, he couldn't withstand the attack from the Five Thunder Talisman.
A moment later, the lightning dissipated, the energy in the Five Thunder Talisman had been fully unleashed.
Only then did Lin Jing move forward to see the man in black's tragic state; half of his body had already disappeared, and most of the remaining torso was charred.
Clearly, he was dead beyond any doubt.
Lin Jing sighed in relief, then put away the second Five Thunder Talisman.
Picking up the broken Flying Sword from the ground, Lin Jing started rummaging through the man in black's corpse. It didn't take long for a Storage Bag to come into view.
"Good thing the Storage Bag is intact."
Having said that, Lin Jing picked the Storage Bag off the corpse, then reached out to catch it and put it away.
"With such a commotion having taken place here, it won't be long before someone comes to investigate. If discovered, he would be in a lot of trouble."
Considering this, Lin Jing applied a Godspeed Talisman and an Invisibility Talisman to himself, then looked around, finding no other people nearby. Empowered by the Godspeed Talisman, Lin Jing swiftly left the area.
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Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Black Market Token
Translator: 549690339
After returning, Lin Jing took out the storage bag belonging to the man in black and probed into it with his divine sense.
Inside, there weren't many items: only a few dozen spirit stones, two common cultivation techniques, several low-level talismans, and the black market token.
The two cultivation techniques were of the sort found everywhere, one being the Qingmu Skill and the other the Sword Control Technique, which could be bought at the first floor of Yuebaolou for just a few dozen spirit stones, so they were not considered valuable.
Lin Jing naturally had no interest in flipping through them.
However, the black market token did pique his interest.
Lin Jing took the token out of the storage bag and started to examine it carefully.
The token was black all over, made from an unknown material that resembled metal—you could feel its cold touch, yet it was very light.
Considering the behavior of the man in black earlier, this token was most likely genuine.
Lin Jing examined the token in his hands, filled with questions.
"With this token, one can enter the black market? But where is the entrance to the black market?"
Just a token in hand, he couldn't figure it out no matter how much he investigated, and before long, Lin Jing put the token away.
He then recalled the battle that had taken place that day.
It must be said that the Foundation Establishment Stage Five Thunder Talisman is formidable. Beneath the enveloping lightning, the man in black had no chance to escape before he was dead.
"It seems I should buy a few more to have on hand for the future," Lin Jing thought to himself.
"Enter the System Space."
After putting away the storage bag of the man in black, Lin Jing entered the System Space once more.
Having harvested the Spirit Rice and the Seven-Star Grass a few days ago, he
had yet to start the new planting.
Just today, he had bought some seeds.
These seeds were precisely the Spirit Plants required for concocting the Energy Gathering Pills.
With the constant upheaval caused by Demonic Beasts, the prices of elixir materials in the Fang Market were getting more and more expensive. In this large environment, Lin Jing decided to become self-sufficient.
Having his own fields, he naturally felt more secure.
As for the spiritual energy needed to cultivate these Spirit Plants, that was even less of a concern; the ample spiritual energy in the System Space was enough to nourish them.
After a busy night, Lin Jing was thoroughly exhausted.
However, even so, half of the Spirit Field within the System Space was still not planted.
Another day should be enough to finish it.
During the day, Ning Yue came over again with Luo Luo.
As the two entered, Lin Jing quickly took the ingredients and headed to the kitchen.
Ning Yue followed Lin Jing into the kitchen.
"Lin Daoyou, there was a fight last night in Green Smoke Alley; have you heard about it?" Ning Yue asked.
"Where is Green Smoke Alley?"
Lin Jing thought for a moment; he had never heard of this alley.
"I don't mean to conceal anything from Ning Daoyou, but I have just woken up and have not heard any news."
Ning Yue quickly explained:
"Green Smoke Alley is some distance away from here and is also close to the inner part of the Fang Market."
"Last night, there was a fight in the alley, where a Late Stage Qi Refining cultivator was struck dead with a thunder technique, seemingly at the hands of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator."
Hearing Ning Yue say this, Lin Jing instantly realized that this must be about the man in black he had killed last night being discovered.
It turned out that the scene of last night's killing was in Green Smoke Alley.
At the time, Lin Jing had chosen the location at random without much thought.
"Did the Fang Market get involved? What did they say?" Lin Jing hurriedly asked Ning Yue, wanting to know the attitude of the Fang Market.
Ning Yue replied:
"The Fang Market is already overwhelmed with dealing with Demonic Beasts, they can't manage these matters. As long as the fights don't occur within the Fang Market itself, they always turn a blind eye to the outside conflicts."
"The Fang Market has simply said it was a case of murder and robbery, and then there was no further investigation. They just told us to be more careful in the future."
Lin Jing thought to himself, "As expected, the Fang Market didn't probe any deeper. "
Before getting involved in this matter, Lin Jing had already anticipated the current situation, as the multitude of cultivators living on the periphery was not important to the Fang Market.
That was also why the man in black revealed his killing intent only after he left the inner parts of the Fang Market.
Because…
Inside the Fang Market, he would not dare to make a move.
After finishing, Ning Yue continued to caution Lin Jing:
"I know you sometimes go out at night, but it's better to go out less these days.
The Fang Market is becoming more and more unsafe.
"You never know when you could be ambushed like that Late Stage Qi Refining cultivator. "
After speaking, Ning Yue sighed.
"It's not only unsafe here, but the outskirts near the border areas are even worse. It's said that every few days, people are attacked by Demonic Beasts."
"Who knows how long this surge of Demonic Beasts will last."
"I just hope it doesn't spread here."
Upon hearing this, Lin Jing also fell silent for a while.
It seemed he would have to make some preparations in advance.
In the following days, Ning Yue continued to learn cooking with Lin Jing.
Over these few days, her culinary skills had improved greatly, to the extent that even Luo Luo was impressed.
After eating, with nothing else to do, Lin Jing looked at Luo Luo playing around in the room and suddenly spoke:
"Ning Daoyou."
"Luo Luo isn't young anymore, why haven't you let her start cultivation yet?"
This question had been on Lin Jing's mind for a long time. Other children Luo Luo's age had already started cultivating.
Ning Yue looked at Luo Luo and then spoke with a somber tone:
"When Luo Luo was born, her father and I tested her."
"Luo Luo… she has no Spiritual Root, and she can only be a mortal all her life." "But aren't both of you cultivators?" Lin Jing was full of confusion.
Offspring born to cultivators often had a high chance of possessing Spiritual Roots, and although the quality of the Spiritual Roots might not always be high, it was very rare for them to have none at all.
Moreover, Ning Yue had reached the Late Stage Qi Refining at her age, clearly indicating she had a very good Spiritual Root.
Lin Jing estimated that she must have at least a tri-attribute Spiritual Root.
It was said that Luo Luo's father's cultivation was not much different from Ning Yue's, so his Spiritual Root could not be poor either.
For Luo Luo, being the product of their love yet not having a Spiritual Root, was an extraordinary occurrence.
"We also checked many times…" Ning Yue said softly.
"I see…"
Lin Jing then looked down at Luo Luo, who was playing, and did not say more.
It was such a pity that Luo Luo couldn't cultivate. "Lin Daoyou."
Ning Yue suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence.
Lin Jing looked up at Ning Yue.
"Ning Daoyou, what's the matter?"
"In two days, it's New Year's Eve. In the past, we would gather with Wei Daoyou on this day. Would you like to join us?"
Before Lin Jing could respond, Luo Luo ran over, tugging at Lin Jing's hand and coquettishly said:
"Uncle Lin, come join us-I'
Lin Jing looked down at Luo Luo, her eyes full of anticipation.
Having been close to Lin Jing over this period of time, Luo Luo naturally did not want to be apart from him on such an important day.
"Alright."
He answered, gently ruffling Luo Luo's hair.
After speaking, Lin Jing's thoughts drifted away…
"So it's almost New Year's already…"
"I wonder how my family in that other world is doing?"
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