Brewing Spirit Wine

Wang Hong had inspected every corner of the Mysterious Space a few times. More than a hundred thousand Spirit Stones that he had scattered earlier had been absorbed by the land, leaving only a small portion. The area of the Mysterious Space finally reached over an acre.

Carrying a large bag of Spirit Rice, he exited the Mysterious Space. First, he soaked the Spirit Rice thoroughly in Spirit Spring Water, then steamed it. After letting it cool to room temperature, he mixed in the Spirit Wine starter and stirred evenly.

After mixing in the starter, he put it into a large vat and placed it in a place with dense spiritual energy to ferment for three days. Wang Hong then put it back into the Mysterious Space, timing it carefully.

Wang Hong estimated that a little over two days had passed in the Mysterious Space, so he entered it.

As soon as he approached the wine vat, he could smell a sweet aroma of alcohol, which clearly indicated that it had fermented and matured.

He took the wine vat out of the Mysterious Space, scooped up some of the lees, and ate them. They were sweet, soft, and fragrant with the scent of wine.

Wang Hong was puzzled. The time shouldn't have been up yet; how could it have fermented and matured so quickly?

Wang Hong poured Spirit Spring Water into the wine vat, mixed it in easily, sealed the vat, and placed it back into the Mysterious Space. It would need to absorb spiritual energy and ferment again for half a year.

He found two hourglasses to keep time, starting both simultaneously. One was placed in the Mysterious Space, and the other was kept in the outside world.

After repeated testing, Wang Hong finally confirmed that the time flow within the Mysterious Space was thirty-one times faster than in the outside world. This meant that one day outside was equivalent to thirty-one days inside the Mysterious Space.

Wang Hong guessed that perhaps as the Mysterious Space absorbed Spirit Stones and its land expanded, the passage of time had also accelerated.

However, this was just a guess, and he could only verify it the next time he acquired more Spirit Stones.

Six days later, Wang Hong moved the wine vat out of the Mysterious Space again and filtered out the lees.

Only a milky white liquid remained in the wine vat. Wang Hong cast dozens of spiritual spells on the vat, causing wisps of white mist to rise from the liquid.

This was a purification spell specifically used by vintners to remove excess water and impurities from the wine. After the white mist dissipated, the original vat of wine had been reduced to two-thirds of its volume.

He then transferred the remaining wine into small sealed jars. The next step was aging. Generally, after Spirit Wine was brewed, it needed to be stored in a place with dense spiritual energy for at least ten years. The higher the grade of Spirit Wine, the longer the aging process required.

Wang Hong instructed Zhang Chunfeng to use all the Spirit Stones earned from street vending and the small shop during this period to purchase Spirit Rice for brewing Spirit Wine. They only needed to ferment the Spirit Wine until the initial fermentation stage and then hand it over to Wang Hong.

One day, Wang Hong sat in a secret chamber, holding a small green peach. The peach was not large, not even as big as an adult's fist. It was entirely emerald green with fine fuzz on its surface. Wang Hong felt that the peach was likely not yet ripe.

Wang Hong took a gentle bite. The texture was crisp, with a slight sweetness and a hint of tartness. After a few chews, there was also a touch of bitterness. Without savoring it further, he finished the peach in two or three bites.

A few moments later, Wang Hong felt his spiritual power surge. He quickly circulated his cultivation technique to guide the spiritual energy. Streams of spiritual energy flowed through his internal organs, limbs, and bones, as if his entire body was being massaged by spiritual energy, enhancing everything.

The spiritual energy circulating in his meridians continuously grew stronger, eventually breaking through a limit and entering the fifth level of Qi Refining.

After the spiritual energy in his body gradually calmed down, it slowly flowed into his dantian, converging into the spiritual energy vortex.

Wang Hong looked at the peach pit remaining in his hand and felt that the twelve thousand Spirit Stones spent were absolutely worth it. Not only had his cultivation level increased by one tier, but he had also obtained a Jade Spirit Peach Tree.

Others might not be able to grow a peach pit even if they obtained one, and even if they could, they might not live long enough to see it bloom and bear fruit.

But he was different. He could plant any branch in the land of his Mysterious Space, and it would sprout and grow into a small tree. As for the long growth period, it was even less of a problem for him.

Wang Hong entered the Mysterious Space and specifically designated a small plot of land to plant the peach pit.

At this time, the Mysterious Space had expanded to two acres, with one acre already planted with the spiritual herbs needed for Qi Gathering Pills.

Qi Gathering Pills were a hard currency among Qi Refining cultivators. Hundreds of thousands of Qi Refining cultivators in Qingxu City all needed them, so there was no shortage of buyers.

Wang Hong planned to refine all the spiritual herbs into Qi Gathering Pills for sale once they matured. As Qi Gathering Pills were low-level elixirs with high circulation, selling them in large quantities wouldn't attract undue attention.

This way, he could earn Spirit Stones while also honing his alchemy skills, a win-win situation.

Several months later, on a relatively prosperous street, a shop named "Immortal Wine Pavilion" officially opened its doors.

The entrance was adorned with flowers, and Thunderclap Talismans were set off, creating continuous booming sounds.

There was also a large sign at the entrance advertising a 20% discount for the first three days of opening.

A long queue had already formed at the entrance.

Skinny Monkey, dressed in a brocade robe, beamed with pride as he stood at the entrance welcoming guests. Although his aptitude was poor, with the assistance of a large number of elixirs, he had now reached the peak of the third level of Qi Refining.

Wang Hong had earned a lot of Spirit Stones over the years, but he had never mistreated the group of people under him. Otherwise, given Skinny Monkey's aptitude, he would probably still be struggling at the first level of Qi Refining.

Wang Hong had handed over the management of this newly opened shop to Skinny Monkey. It would specialize in the Spirit Wine business from now on.

The old small shop was still open, but its location was too poor, with a monthly turnover of only a few hundred Spirit Stones. However, the rent there was cheap, and it was also convenient for living.

The newly opened shop now cost a thousand Spirit Stones in rent each month alone.

Wang Hong really wanted to buy a building himself, but the cost was too high, at least hundreds of thousands, which he couldn't afford at the moment.

Even if he could scrape together the Spirit Stones, he didn't plan to buy one now. With those Spirit Stones, it would be better to let the Mysterious Space absorb them and increase its area by a few more acres.

Over the years they had spent in Qingxu City, Wang Hong and his companions had naturally made some acquaintances among the cultivators, who had all come to offer their congratulations today.

Gao Yue approached with a smile and playfully remarked to Skinny Monkey, "As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and a saddle adorns a horse. Brother Skinny Monkey, now that you're the head manager, you're truly a different person."

"Ah, Brother Gao, you could have just sent your congratulatory gift with someone else; why trouble yourself to come in person?" Skinny Monkey replied.

Gao Yue said with a roguish grin, "Isn't it just because I missed you guys?"

"I don't have any special preferences."

After exchanging a few playful jabs, the two slung their arms around each other and walked towards the back hall.

The back hall was set up with over twenty small square tables. On each table was a large plate of fist-sized raspberries, dark and plump, very appealing.

There was also a plate of Three Sun Seeds, finger-sized and an inch long. These seeds were somewhat similar to worldly sunflower seeds, but larger and rich in spiritual energy. They required three years to mature, hence the name Three Sun Seeds.

These were also products from Wang Hong's Mysterious Space. He had planted a few plants in the Mysterious Space some time ago. The plants grew over ten feet tall, and their flower heads were larger than millstones.

Additionally, each table had a bottle of Spirit Wine. The three spiritual items on each table alone were worth tens of Spirit Stones. If any ignorant cultivator saw this, they might mistake it for a banquet hosted by a Foundation Establishment senior.

There were already a few guests in the back hall, and Zhang Chunfeng was entertaining them.

As soon as they entered the back hall, they saw Skinny Stick waving. Skinny Monkey then escorted Gao Yue to a seat behind a table next to Skinny Stick. These three, perhaps due to similar tastes, had become quite familiar with each other over the past few years.

After settling Gao Yue, Skinny Monkey returned to the main entrance to greet more guests.