Elephant Armor Force, First Layer; Blazing Sun Spirit Essence!
After that little incident, Li Ye abandoned what lingering interest he had in browsing the market.
What if he ran into Li Zongyin again? Wouldn't that be annoying!
Everything that brat had said showed he wasn't thinking of Li Ye at all. He merely wanted to use Li Ye to curry favor with Cai Shiwei, while adding another drudge to his own ranks to order around.
Li Ye wanted nothing to do with Cai Shiwei, much less a hanger-on who clung to Cai Shiwei and followed his every lead!
With a clear purpose in mind, Li Ye bought all the medicinal ingredients, talisman paper, and other supplies he needed for pill refinement and body tempering at several shops, then prepared to leave.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment..."
The shopkeeper of the Herb Pavilion suddenly called out to him, an inoffensive smile on the old man's face.
"I noticed that the many spirit medicines you purchased are ingredients in several Pill Formulas..."
"What? Does your shop interrogate its customers about the ingredients they buy?"
Li Ye asked expressionlessly, a hint of danger entering his eyes.
"You misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. I mean no harm!"
The old shopkeeper hurriedly waved his hands and bowed again. "I merely wished to say that our Herb Pavilion is also looking to purchase a wide variety of pills. If you have any to spare, you're welcome to sell them here. I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the price!"
"If you can maintain a steady supply, you can even receive a discount when purchasing spirit medicines from our shop!"
Hearing this, Li Ye's expression eased slightly.
"A discount... If I have the chance, I'll consider it."
With that, he left the shop and headed straight out of the market.
The old man's attempt to strike up a conversation had reminded Li Ye that in the future, he would be better off buying ingredients and selling pills at multiple shops belonging to different factions.
As long as he kept the total volume within certain limits and controlled his apparent pill success rate, there would be no problem.
That way, even if some change in circumstances caused trouble for one of the shops, he wouldn't have to fear being dragged into it!
At the thought, Li Ye sighed again.
In the end, he needed a spirit field of his own.
Only then could he plant the spirit medicines he needed, become self-sufficient, and maximize his profits.
With nothing more than the harmonizing effect of Jade Sprout Spiritual Essence, the Wood Essence Pill had achieved such a success rate and quality.
If he used the spiritual essence of Jade Heart Grass, its main ingredient, in the refinement, how astonishing would the result be?
"If I get the chance, I can't let it slip by..."
Li Ye murmured.
Trumpet-
As he threw his final punch, Li Ye let out a breath and a cry, faintly echoing the long trumpet of an elephant.
He slowly settled out of his stance, his Qi and Blood still surging and churning without cease. Muscles stood out on his bare torso, and when he exerted his strength, a faint gray showed through his tough skin. Bruises of all sizes covered his body.
Compared to the sickly, consumptive figure he had once been, with his Qi and Blood in decline, he was practically a different person!
He sprang up and leaped into a large wooden tub set over a charcoal fire. It was filled with a thick, dark brown medicinal liquid that continually gave off steam.
Splash!
The liquid sprayed up, and Li Ye gave a low groan of considerable relief.
Striking while the iron was hot, he immediately swallowed two strands of Blood Li Spiritual Essence and circulated his Law Power and Qi and Blood according to the Cultivation Method, absorbing the medicinal liquid.
His Qi and Blood surged. Under the medicinal liquid's effects, the many bruises from blows to his body quickly faded, while his skin, sinews, bones, and muscles grew firmer and tougher bit by bit.
Together with the Blood Li Spiritual Essence being refined within him, the treatment worked from the inside and outside to steadily strengthen Li Ye's Qi and Blood and physique.
Ever since he had made his initial achievements in the Dao of Alchemy, Li Ye's finances had improved at a considerable pace.
Even though the many medicinal ingredients in this soaking broth were costly, he could afford to support his cultivation without depriving himself in the slightest!
"This feeling..."
Li Ye's expression suddenly changed, and he grew somewhat excited.
The Qi and Blood within him seemed to have grown to a certain extent and approached a certain threshold. He felt a faint stirring throughout his body.
He immediately jumped out of the considerably diluted medicinal liquid, assumed his stance in the courtyard, and began practicing his punches and kicks once more.
With each punch and kick, the elephant's trumpet grew clearer and louder. Qi and Blood surged through Li Ye's body, and the faint gray on his skin rapidly deepened.
"Hah!"
Li Ye abruptly let out a low shout.
His Qi and Blood underwent a qualitative change, and all his sinews and bones rang in unison.
His entire frame suddenly grew a size bulkier, and his skin turned thick and dark gray, like the hide of a giant elephant!
The Gray Hide stage of the first layer of Elephant Armor Force!
He gave the ground a light stamp, and the solid earth immediately sank, several cracks bursting across it.
Li Ye gazed in some amazement at his dark-gray-covered hands and feet and couldn't help murmuring,
"I thought I'd have to swallow a Qi and Blood Pill Formula to make it, but I didn't expect to break through just like that..."
With a flick of his hand, the Blackwood Sword appeared in it.
He channeled all his Qi and Blood, pushing the Gray Hide modeled after a giant elephant's skin to its limit, then slashed down with the Blackwood Sword.
He felt tough resistance. Looking at the Gray Hide on his left hand, where a shallow cut had opened and blood was flowing, Li Ye couldn't help nodding.
"Though the Blackwood Sword is damaged, in sharpness alone it still surpasses ordinary low-grade Law Artifacts by quite a bit. Even without using Law Power, it's astonishing that this slash only caused this much damage..."
"Though catching a low-grade Law Artifact barehanded is still a little difficult, it's almost impossible for a mere low-grade Law Artifact to seriously injure me in a single blow!"
The first level of Elephant Armor Force corresponded to Early Qi Refining.
But in Li Ye's view, anyone in Early Qi Refining who encountered such defense and great strength would likely have little power to resist!
Even a mid-stage cultivator without a suitable Law Artifact at hand would likely find him difficult to withstand.
Once he closed the distance, there was a danger of being beaten to death on the spot!
The sense of security that came from his own body growing stronger was truly quite different.
"With power like this, even if it costs a little more, it's truly worth it!"
Li Ye's eyes flickered, and he was filled with excitement.
The days passed one by one. The improvement that farming had brought to his Dao of Alchemy began feeding back into every aspect of Li Ye's cultivation, sending it forward by leaps and bounds.
He became even more absorbed in tending his few mu of spirit fields.
His daily life also followed a three-point routine: traveling between the spirit fields and his residence, and occasionally visiting the market to sell pills and replenish his various supplies.
Along the way, he also established steady sales at several shops in the market.
Every so often, he would also gather briefly with Old Man Luo, Yao, Gu, and Zhang to exchange information and discuss their skills.
As for the various affairs within the sect, they had almost no effect on him.
Aside from vague rumors that the supply of pills in the market seemed to have increased, no one even mentioned anything connected to him.
People like Cai Shiwei and Li Zongyin, on the other hand, were growing increasingly active within the sect. Word even spread that the former had broken through again and begun preparing for Foundation Establishment, prompting a great deal of discussion among the disciples.
And the female disciple with a Wind Spirit Root named Li Qiushuang had also begun to distinguish herself both inside and outside the sect like a rising star. Rumor had it that her favored methods were extremely similar to those of the Golden Core patriarch, High Person Purple Profound!
But no matter how others stirred up wind and rain, Li Ye simply tended his fields in peace.
On this day, Li Ye first tended the four mu of Blood Li Rice as usual, then went to carefully look after each Blazing Sun Flower.
By now, his skills had been acknowledged by Elder Ji. The elder was no longer as cautious as he had been at first, and had entrusted all the usual daily care to Li Ye rather than doing it himself.
And under Li Ye's care, the Blazing Sun Flower seedlings, which had shown no movement for a long time, seemed to grow. Panel messages appeared accordingly.
[You tended the second-tier Spirit Plant [Blazing Sun Flower] with practiced skill, helping it grow strong. Experience +0.5...] [...] [The Vitality of the second-tier Spirit Plant [Blazing Sun Flower] has increased. You obtained [Blazing Sun Spirit Essence] (1%)...]