"White Jade True Art"

"White Jade True Art"

For more than three years, Lu Qingfeng had never once slackened.

First came the "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra"!

Four consecutive enhancements had consumed a total of 150 Experience Points, directly raising the "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra" to the Exquisite Level.

An Exquisite Level Cultivation Method was fundamentally different from a Beginner Level Cultivation Method.

First.

A Beginner Level Cultivation Method could at most be cultivated to the Foundation Building Level, while an Exquisite Level Cultivation Method was a powerful method that pointed directly to the Golden Core Realm. Across the entire Myriad Phenomena City region, even among the Eight Hundred Peaks and Twelve Hundred Cities under the Seven Swords Mountain Range, such methods were exceedingly rare!

Second.

The Inner Breath cultivated at every layer of an Exquisite Level Cultivation Method was likewise beyond comparison with that of a Beginner Level Cultivation Method.

When Lu Qingfeng had cultivated the earliest version of the "Blazing Sun Scripture," upon reaching the peak of the Fetal Respiration Realm First Layer, his total Inner Breath had only been 10 points.

But after switching to the four-times-enhanced Exquisite Level "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra," at the same peak of the Fetal Respiration Realm First Layer, his total Inner Breath had reached 20 points—twice what it had been before, equivalent to his total Inner Breath when he had cultivated the "Blazing Sun Scripture" to the peak of the Fetal Respiration Second Level!

When the Inner Breath accumulated at every layer doubled, the increase in strength was far more than merely doubling.

Endurance and explosive force had both increased!

Beyond that, the quality of his Inner Breath had risen from Beginner Level to Exquisite Level. It had also developed the Blazing Sun Power Trait, lifting his Combat Power another notch!

"At the same Fetal Respiration Realm First Layer, even without using martial arts or Spells, with twice the Inner Breath, Exquisite Level Inner Breath quality, and the Blazing Sun Power Trait, I could defeat three to five versions of myself cultivating the 'Blazing Sun Scripture'!"

Lu Qingfeng's Level appeared to have stagnated, but in truth, he had never stopped building his foundations for even a moment!

Blazing Sun Power sounded ordinary enough, but its effects were especially pronounced.

Inner Breath containing Blazing Sun Power carried greater might and stronger explosive force. It also greatly enhanced fire-attribute Spells and martial arts such as Fireball Art and Heart Burning Palm.

With Fireball Art and Heart Burning Palm working together, supplemented by the might of an Exquisite Level Cultivation Method, Lu Qingfeng could even fight several Levels above himself within the Fetal Respiration Realm!

"With Fireball Art, Nether Smoke Step, and Heart Burning Palm, these three Spells cover both long-range attacks and close combat. What I lack now is only a defensive Spell."

Lu Qingfeng sat before the stall, contemplating how to combine his Spells.

Though he possessed the Hundredfold Time Difference, he still treasured every moment and was unwilling to waste time lightly.

More than three years was not long for trash with Root Bone: 1 like Lu Qingfeng. Excluding the time delayed in reality, he had only been able to make use of two years.

During those two years, he had needed to handle medicinal herbs in exchange for Fasting Pills and Yellow Dragon Pills in order to survive and cultivate. He also had to cultivate his methods and study pill refining, leaving him little time to practice Spells.

Therefore, he could not cast a net across the heavens. He could only choose with purpose.

Among the Low Tier Spells that could be mastered in the Fetal Respiration Realm, Fireball Art was one of the more powerful ones. After two enhancements and the boost from Blazing Sun Power, it had become even more extraordinary, making it suitable for long-range attacks.

Heart Burning Palm was a fire-attribute palm technique. Enhanced twice and bolstered by Blazing Sun Power, it possessed considerable close-combat might. One palm strike was like a red-hot branding iron, able to crush the heart and rend the lungs!

Nether Smoke Step was a lightness technique and movement art. In battle, it was agile and ever-changing. If he encountered an enemy he could not defeat, he could also use it to withdraw calmly.

As for the final Heavenly Eye Art, it was a Spell every cultivator had to learn. It could observe a cultivator's Cultivation. Only by knowing oneself and knowing the enemy could one remain undefeated!

Being able to master four Spells in such a short time was already the limit of what Lu Qingfeng could accomplish. Even then, the Nether Smoke Step and Heart Burning Palm he had learned last were still unpracticed and required much more time to drill.

"Brother Lu, two bottles of Fasting Pills."

Just as he was pondering, a middle-aged Daoist stopped in front of the stall.

Lu Qingfeng gathered his thoughts and looked over.

"So it's Big Brother Fang. Did your trip to Silver Radiance Mountain go smoothly this time?"

This Big Brother Fang was an old player Lu Qingfeng had met half a year ago. His name was Fang Jiu. He had a rough appearance, was already over forty, and had been stuck at the True Qi Stage Third Layer for a full ten years.

Now, he searched everywhere for opportunities in hopes of improving his Cultivation.

"It was passable. I found a Blood Spirit Grass, so the trip wasn't wasted." Fang Jiu spoke as though he did not care, but his face had long since blossomed into a grin.

"Blood Spirit Grass?"

"That's excellent stuff. Congratulations, Big Brother Fang!"

Blood Spirit Grass was a Spirit Herb resembling the ordinary medicinal herb Red Oil Flower. Yet the gap between the two was anything but small.

Ordinary medicinal herbs could at most be refined into Low Grade Pills like Fasting Pills and Yellow Dragon Pills, or Intermediate Pills like Gold Marrow Pills.

But Spirit Herbs and Spirit Medicines, even merely the lowest First Grade Spirit Herbs, could serve as the main ingredient for Advanced Pills and top-grade pills. They were extraordinarily precious.

With just one Blood Spirit Grass, Fang Jiu's journey to Silver Radiance Mountain could already be considered a full harvest.

Seeing his glowing face, Lu Qingfeng knew that aside from the Blood Spirit Grass, he had likely made other gains as well.

"Haha!"

Fang Jiu laughed heartily at that.

His harvest from this trip had been substantial, so he truly was in a good mood.

After taking the two bottles of Fasting Pills Lu Qingfeng handed over, Fang Jiu pulled a cloth sack from his waist and gave it to Lu Qingfeng. "There are three hundred portions of basic medicinal herbs in here. Want to count them, Brother Lu?"

"You must be joking, Brother Fang."

"But next time, please treat these medicinal herbs a little better. Stuffing them wholesale into one sack like this really is—"

Lu Qingfeng opened the mouth of the sack and looked inside. Several hundred portions of medicinal herbs, still smeared with fresh soil, were all mixed together. Their appearance truly left much to be desired.

"Your old brother here licks blood from the blade's edge. Demon Beasts and Fierce Beasts cover every inch of Silver Radiance Mountain. I pull up these herbs and leave—where would I find the time to sort them?" Fang Jiu laughed loudly. Raising the two bottles of Fasting Pills in his hand, he said, "I'm off. I still have some things to sell."

Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng hurriedly said, "Big Brother Fang, aren't you going to stock up on some talismans?"

"Talismans?"

"Fine, then I'll give Old Huang's business some patronage for Brother Lu's sake!"

Fang Jiu stopped. He actually bought a stack of Blazing Flame Talismans, a stack of Hundred Ice Talismans, and a stack of Golden Light Talismans from Lu Qingfeng's stall before leaving.

Though calling it Lu Qingfeng's stall was somewhat inappropriate.

This stall belonged to Huang Luo, the man Lu Qingfeng had encountered when he first came to the Market three years ago.

Since then, every few months of game time, Lu Qingfeng would come stroll through the Market as a diversion from cultivation. Over time, he and Huang Luo had become acquainted.

Lu Qingfeng had devoted himself to studying pill refining, and after all this time, he had roughly mastered the refinement of Fasting Pills.

As for the more complex and precious Yellow Dragon Pills, when luck favored him, he could occasionally refine one or two inferior pills. When luck failed him, an entire furnace of ingredients would be ruined, and losing everything was a common occurrence.

Setting Yellow Dragon Pills aside.

Fasting Pills were used to practice and hone his skills, and Lu Qingfeng could not use so many himself. So he took the surplus to the Market to sell.

The rental fee for a stall in the Market was steep, and Lu Qingfeng lacked the capital to secure one. Fortunately, Huang Luo was kindhearted. After learning of his situation, he agreed to let Lu Qingfeng use his stall whenever he secluded himself to draw talismans.

Daoist Huangluo did not charge Lu Qingfeng rent. He only asked that while selling Fasting Pills, Lu Qingfeng also help call out and sell his talismans.

Lu Qingfeng was naturally overjoyed and gladly accepted.

Daoist Huangluo's talismans were of decent quality, while Lu Qingfeng's Fasting Pills had earned a modest reputation.

"Medicine Refining Analysis" had been enhanced twice, and the pill formulas it produced were three parts more exquisite than those circulated by the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop and Black Sand Town.

Ordinary Fasting Pills could stave off hunger for six days, but the Fasting Pills Lu Qingfeng refined using "Medicine Refining Analysis" could stave off hunger for eight days, while their price was only twenty percent higher.

The price was fair, naturally retaining quite a few returning customers. Fang Jiu was one of them.

Thus.

Lu Qingfeng's Fasting Pills being sold alongside Daoist Huangluo's talismans had actually produced quite good results.

"The standard price for ordinary Fasting Pills is ten portions of processed basic medicinal herbs. An Alchemy Apprentice proficient in refining Fasting Pills spends no more than five portions of basic medicinal herbs to refine one pill, including the failure rate. The profit is more than double."

"The Fasting Pills I refine come twelve to a bottle and sell for one hundred and fifty portions of basic medicinal herbs. On average, each Fasting Pill sells for 12.5 portions of basic medicinal herbs, while the total cost is only four portions."

"That's a full threefold profit!"

Whether pill refining, artifact refining, or talisman drawing, all were arts that burned through money at a terrifying rate.

Take Lu Qingfeng, for instance. Although he had now mastered the refinement of Fasting Pills and even earned a threefold profit,

before this, the medicinal herbs he had ruined numbered in the thousands!

Even now, because he was researching the refinement of Yellow Dragon Pills, he ruined even more medicinal herbs. The basic medicinal herbs earned from selling Fasting Pills were not enough to fill this bottomless pit.

Alchemy Apprentices and alchemists, aside from those blessed with exceptional talent, nearly all endured through such hardship. Those without a sufficiently deep family foundation simply could not afford to play this game.

This was why, in Black Sand Town, despite a population of five hundred thousand and over two hundred thousand cultivators, the number of Alchemy Apprentices did not exceed one hundred!

Among those hundred, more than half were only low-level or intermediate Alchemy Apprentices. Only a tiny few could reach the Advanced or top level!

"My talent for pill refining is ordinary. Fortunately, I have the Deriving Methods function to enhance pill formulas, so I won't end up spending more than I earn."

Lu Qingfeng sighed, then closed his eyes and contemplated the "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra."

In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.

"Qingfeng, I found the body-tempering martial art you wanted." Daoist Huangluo arrived, bringing Lu Qingfeng good news the moment he appeared.

"You found it?"

"Thank you, Big Brother Huang!"

Joy appeared on Lu Qingfeng's face.

He now possessed long-range attacks, close-combat techniques, and lightness and movement arts. The only thing he lacked was a defensive method. Daoist Huangluo was an Advanced Talisman Apprentice with extensive connections.

Thus, Lu Qingfeng had asked him to search on his behalf.

He had not expected there to be news after only a few days.

Lu Qingfeng stared eagerly at Daoist Huangluo. Seeing this, Daoist Huangluo shook his head and smiled. "You've only just entered the 'Primordial Wilderness.' You should still focus on cultivation. Spells and pill refining can be put off for later. You must know that cultivation cannot tolerate the slightest slackness. Fall one step behind, and you fall behind at every step. When you..."

As he spoke, Daoist Huangluo could not help becoming long-winded.

Then he raised his head, saw Lu Qingfeng wearing an expression of earnest instruction, and casually tossed out a secret manual. "Enough. No matter how much I say, you won't listen. This 'White Jade True Art' belongs to a friend of mine. At its limit, it can ignore attacks at the Fetal Respiration Realm, and it causes no change in one's physique. It meets your requirements, doesn't it?"

Spell: White Jade True Art

Grade: Low Tier, three layers total

Description: A body-tempering martial art. Cultivate it to the extreme, and the body becomes like white jade, invulnerable to all methods within the Fetal Respiration Realm!

"It does, it does!"

Lu Qingfeng hurriedly accepted the "White Jade True Art."

With this martial art, his final weakness would be made up for.

"Big Brother Huang, how much did this 'White Jade True Art' cost?" Lu Qingfeng asked Daoist Huangluo.

"Martial arts at the Fetal Respiration Realm are not worth much, but the 'White Jade True Art' is a top-tier martial art at that Realm. After reaching the True Qi Stage, it can still improve one's strength somewhat. Five Spirit Stone Shards in total." Daoist Huangluo's lips curled slightly as he replied blandly.

"Five Spirit Stone Shards?!"

Lu Qingfeng's expression froze.

Just as Daoist Huangluo had said, ordinary Spells and martial arts at the Fetal Respiration Realm were not valuable. Things like Nether Smoke Step and Heart Burning Palm had not cost more than one Spirit Stone Shard.

Yet this "White Jade True Art" cost more than five times as much as either of them!

A single Spirit Stone Shard had immense purchasing power. It could buy a full hundred Yellow Dragon Pills, or ten Gold Marrow Pills.

"White Jade True Art"!

Five hundred Yellow Dragon Pills?!

"Enough, don't make that face."

"I've already advanced the five Spirit Stone Shards for you. You can pay me back later. I can see that you do have talent in pill refining, but you still need to hurry with your cultivation. After three or four years, you're still wandering around the Fetal Respiration Realm First Layer. I truly don't know how you cultivate, brat!"

Daoist Huangluo shook his head, his face full of helplessness.

"Thank you, Big Brother Huang!"

"Qingfeng will definitely repay you as soon as possible!"

Lu Qingfeng hurriedly thanked him. He truly was short on funds at the moment.

The failure rate for refining Yellow Dragon Pills was as high as ninety-five percent, and he had poured his entire fortune into it. At present, he possessed only a little over twenty Yellow Dragon Pills, still far short of five Spirit Stone Shards—five hundred Yellow Dragon Pills.

"Go on, go on!"

"Stop wandering around in front of me. You're an eyesore!"

Daoist Huangluo waved his hand.

Lu Qingfeng smiled. He kept Daoist Huangluo company for a while before finally getting up and leaving.

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