Replication

Li Chengjie walked back, his steps several times heavier than when he had come. The Stone Slab Road in East City of Qingshi Market felt cold and hard beneath his feet, jarring his heart with unease.

Alchemist Zhang's words—"Do not waste your time and your already meager Spirit Stones for nothing"—echoed over and over in his mind like a curse.

Could he truly only accept his fate?

Guard these eight Spirit Stones and that once-a-year Replication opportunity he could not use because of poverty, then toil like an ant at the very bottom of Qingshi Market until he died?

His unwillingness was like poisonous vines winding around his heart, tightening ever further.

Just as he wandered along in a daze, about to leave East City and step back into the even more chaotic, dilapidated outskirts, voices drifted from the alley ahead, accompanied by a faint scent of medicinal herbs similar to the one on Alchemist Zhang.

"Master, has Master Zhang... no, Uncle Master Zhang really broken through? First Rank Mid-Grade! Will he look down on the Azure Mist Grass we brought this time?" A young voice rang out, carrying a measure of unease and reverence.

"Hmph, what do you know!" another voice replied, somewhat aged but nowhere near as robust as Alchemist Zhang's, even carrying a shrill edge. "That old fellow Zhang Gui has been stuck at Low-grade for over seventy years. Now that he has finally broken through, this is precisely when he needs to solidify his reputation and make connections with his peers. We have known him for years. We have come with congratulatory gifts to offer our felicitations and exchange alchemy insights. Why would he turn us away?

Besides, he has only just broken through, and his refining of Mid-Grade Pills is still unfamiliar. Does that mean he no longer needs Low-grade pills to maintain his daily expenses and cultivate his connections? This Azure Mist Grass is of decent quality and is one of the Main Ingredients for refining Qi Restoration Powder. He certainly will not refuse it."

Zhang Gui?

Li Chengjie stopped short, concealing himself in the shadows at the mouth of the alley.

So Alchemist Zhang's real name was Zhang Gui.

And that latter voice... He cautiously poked out half his head and saw a gaunt old man in a brown short jacket, with sparse hair, leading a freckle-faced boy of about fifteen or sixteen. They stood in an alley not far from Alchemist Zhang's small courtyard.

A small Medicine Pouch hung at the old man's waist. His Spiritual Power Fluctuation was around Qi Refining Level 5, while the boy appeared to be only at Qi Refining Level 2.

The instant Li Chengjie's gaze fell upon the gaunt old man, he activated detection, and the prompt sounded once more:

[Replicable Target detected: 'Chen Xing' (Qi Refining Level 5). Replicable Items: First Rank Low-Grade Alchemist Experience and Insights (specializing in basic pill formulas such as Qi Condensation Pill and Qi Restoration Powder). Estimated Replication Point cost: 20.]

Twenty points!

Li Chengjie's heart gave a violent leap!

Compared to Zhang Gui's one hundred points, that number instantly became far more endearing!

Though he was only a Low-grade Alchemist, as long as he could refine the most basic pills, such as Qi Condensation Pills, they would still be hard currency to cultivators in the early and middle stages of Qi Refining!

A single Low-grade Qi Condensation Pill could sell for at least three or four Low-grade Spirit Stones in the marketplace!

And the cost?

According to the scattered fragments in Old Man Li's memories concerning pill ingredients, if a furnace of Qi Condensation Pills succeeded, the material cost apportioned to each pill might not even amount to one Spirit Stone!

Profit!

This was precisely the way he urgently needed to earn Spirit Stones quickly!

The flame of hope ignited once more. Though it was not as blazing as when he had faced Zhang Gui, it was more real, as if within reach.

Yet twenty Replication Points were still more than twice all he possessed.

He still could not afford the replication.

As Li Chengjie struggled inwardly, calculating how he could gather twenty Spirit Stones in the shortest possible time, his gaze involuntarily landed on the Qi Refining Level 2 boy beside Chen Xing.

Almost instinctively, the prompt responded:

[Replicable Target detected: 'Li Douzi' (Qi Refining Level 2). Replicable Items: rudimentary application of Basic Fire Control Art and 'Qi Condensation Pill' refining experience (success rate below ten percent). Estimated Replication Point cost: 5.]

Five points!

Li Chengjie's breath caught, his eyes fixed firmly on the somewhat timid-looking boy.

Five Replication Points!

He currently had eight Low-grade Spirit Stones, which could be exchanged for exactly eight Replication Points! Replicating this boy's experience would be more than affordable!

Though that experience sounded pitifully meager—"rudimentary application of Basic Fire Control Art" and "Qi Condensation Pill refining experience," with a success rate so miserably low that it did not even reach ten percent.

But that meant this boy had truly come into contact with alchemy, even if it was only the lowest-grade, most barely passable kind! He

truly possessed experience in refining Qi Condensation Pills... even if it was only experience in failure!

To Li Chengjie, who possessed the Replication Ability, experience itself was the most precious wealth!

Failed experience could likewise tell him which roads led nowhere and which details required attention!

What was more, it included the application of Basic Fire Control Art. For him, with his Fire Element Cultivation Method Mysterious Flame Art cultivated to the point of mastery, it might provide an unexpected supporting effect!

Most importantly, he could afford five Replication Points!

After replicating it, he would still have three Spirit Stones left, as well as one unused Replication Count that required a year-long cooldown!

Now! Li Dong swiftly recharged five Replication Points.

Li Chengjie roared inwardly, his consciousness locking tightly onto the target "Li Douzi" as he gave the command: "Replicate!"

[Target locked: 'Little Bean'. Replicable Item: rudimentary application of Basic Fire Control Art and defective 'Qi Condensation Pill' refining experience. Replication Point cost: 5. Confirm?]

"Confirm!"

In an instant, unlike the torrent that had flooded into his mind when he replicated Old Man Li's century of experience, what flowed into his mind this time was a thin stream—fragmented, chaotic, and filled with failure and confusion.

Li Chengjie "saw" a boy standing before an Alchemical Furnace, awkwardly forming hand seals with Basic Fire Control Art. His Spiritual Energy Output stuttered on and off, and his control over the heat was a complete mess;

Li Chengjie "felt" the frantic confusion of adding herbs, as well as the frustration when unstable fire control instantly scorched the Medicinal liquid; he "experienced" the vexation of falling short at the most crucial step of Core Condensation, time after time, due to insufficient divine sense or inadequate spiritual energy... These experiences were fragmented and riddled with errors, their success rate outrageously low.

But they truly were experiences of alchemy! The most basic, the lowest-level, yet also the most real experiences!

At the same time, the data on the panel changed accordingly:

---

Name: Li Chengjie

Cultivation level: Qi Refining Stage Level 4

Cultivation Method: Mysterious Flame Art (Mastery 87/100)

Available Replication Points: 0

Replication Count: 0 (cooling down, remaining time: 364 days 23 hours 59 minutes)

Replication Point Recharge: one Low-grade Spirit Stone = one Replication Point

---

The Replication Points had fallen from 5 to 0. The Replication Count had become 0, entering a one-year cooldown period.

It had succeeded!

Though he had replicated only the most inferior experience, he had finally taken the first step toward acquiring alchemy ability!