Returning to the Primordial Wilderness

Primordial Wilderness.

Black Sand Town.

Lu Qingfeng stepped out of the Reincarnation Pool, feeling both familiar and strange.

Only two months had passed in reality, but a full sixteen years had gone by in the Primordial Wilderness.

Black Sand Town was still bustling with traffic, yet the subtle changes everywhere left Lu Qingfeng with a sense that things were both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop."

Relying on his memories, Lu Qingfeng hurried toward the Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop.

He cultivated the Blazing Sun Scripture and had already mastered most of the Alchemy Primer. If he went to another Pill Refinement Workshop, he might have to start over from scratch, wasting time for nothing.

He might as well continue at the Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop.

He had been lucky, really.

Lu Qingfeng had received cultivation methods and pills from the Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop, but after death, contracts unrelated to reincarnation were automatically voided. Now that he had returned through reincarnation, he could claim them again.

If the price of reincarnation had not been so steep, plenty of people would probably exploit this loophole.

He headed straight for the Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop.

Half an hour later.

Lu Qingfeng stood before the doors of the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

After a long while.

He stepped into the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop.

Quite a few players were selecting and purchasing pills inside.

"Sir, may I ask whether you wish to rent a pill refining room or purchase pills?"

The moment Lu Qingfeng entered, a gray-robed clerk came up to him with great enthusiasm.

The Pill Refinement Workshops in Black Sand Town had pill refining rooms built specifically for pill refinement.

Aside from being used by the workshop's own personnel, the pill refining rooms were also rented out for extra income. Of course, their main source of income was still selling and wholesaling pills.

"Neither."

"Was this place originally the Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop?"

Lu Qingfeng asked the clerk.

"The Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop?"

"It went out of business seven or eight years ago. Master Luo Sheng took it over and renamed it the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop. Master Luo Sheng has long been a top-tier Alchemy Apprentice, while his three disciples and several guest elders are all advanced Alchemy Apprentices. If there are any pills you need, anything the Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop could refine, our Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop has as well."

After explaining, the clerk took the opportunity to make a sales pitch.

"Thank you."

Lu Qingfeng nodded his thanks and walked out of the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop.

"Take care, sir."

The clerk's voice came from behind him.

Their service attitude is pretty good.

Lu Qingfeng silently praised him, then looked up at the words "Luo Sheng" and could not help shaking his head.

Sixteen years had passed in the Primordial Wilderness, after all. Who would have thought the Forget Dust Pill Refinement Workshop had gone out of business long ago? Lu Qingfeng had even thought his memories were faulty, or that the workshop had merely changed its name.

"Since it went out of business, then this one will do."

Lu Qingfeng signed a contract with the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop before its notice board.

Having been reborn once, everything came easily to him.

Sixteen years might have brought changes among the Pill Refinement Workshops, but the rules of Black Sand Town had not changed.

"Azure Wood Art."

"Medicine Refining Analysis."

Five Yellow Dragon Pills.

Five Fasting Pills.

One Blue Stone Talisman.

The latter three had not changed. The Blazing Sun Scripture had become the Azure Wood Art, while the Alchemy Primer had been replaced with Medicine Refining Analysis.

Overall, there was not much difference.

Lu Qingfeng slapped both booklets and learned them all.

The Azure Wood Art was of the same grade as the Blazing Sun Scripture and could be cultivated up to the Ninth Layer of Fetal Respiration Realm. The only difference was that one was Wood Attribute, while the other was Fire Attribute.

When it came to processing medicinal ingredients, Wood Attribute and Fire Attribute cultivation methods naturally made things much easier. Thus, the Elementary Grade Cultivation Methods obtained from Pill Refinement Workshops were basically all of these two attributes.

Medicine Refining Analysis, however, made Lu Qingfeng's eyes light up.

It recorded methods for processing forty-nine medicinal ingredients. Sixteen of them were absent from the Alchemy Primer. Among the thirty-three ingredients shared by both, twelve had different processing methods.

"For the next month, I'll raise my level first."

During these two months of waiting, Lu Qingfeng had formed a rough plan for how to play this game. At the very least, he had mapped out his initial stage.

First.

Cultivate the Blazing Sun Scripture!

The Azure Wood Art and the Blazing Sun Scripture were of the same grade, but Lu Qingfeng had already been initiated into the Blazing Sun Scripture before. He had entered it twice, once in the game and once in reality, and knew it inside out. Naturally, it was his first choice.

"Yellow Dragon Pills!"

One pill!

Two pills!

After only two Yellow Dragon Pills entered his stomach, a surging force rose within Lu Qingfeng, and Inner Breath was born!

"The first time, it took four Yellow Dragon Pills just to produce Qi Sense. This time, two pills have already brought me to the Fetal Respiration Realm First Layer!"

Saving two Yellow Dragon Pills was truly a joyous matter for Lu Qingfeng at his current stage.

Having entered cultivation, Lu Qingfeng immediately used the Blue Stone Talisman to accept missions from the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop.

His contract with the Pill Refinement Workshop required him to process at least ten portions of basic medicinal ingredients each day. For any excess, the workshop would pay him according to market rates.

Mission: Process Atractylodes Macrocephala

Quantity: Fifty portions

Requirement: Submit forty portions

Reward: Remaining Atractylodes Macrocephala

Mission: Process Licorice Root

Quantity: Fifty portions

Requirement: Submit forty portions

Reward: Remaining Licorice Root

Mission: Process Honeysuckle

Quantity: Fifty portions

Requirement: Submit forty portions

Reward: Remaining Honeysuckle

"As long as beginners are careful, their passing rate for these basic medicinal ingredients should be at least eighty percent. The Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop's mission requirements will at least ensure players do not suffer losses."

"As they gradually become more proficient and their passing rate rises, the rewards players receive for each completed mission will also increase."

"These rewards can be exchanged at the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop for Fasting Pills and Yellow Dragon Pills!"

Ten portions of basic medicinal ingredients could be exchanged for one Fasting Pill.

Fifty portions of basic medicinal ingredients could be exchanged for one Yellow Dragon Pill.

Based on a beginner being able to process fifty portions of basic medicinal ingredients per day, even in the worst-case scenario, six days would be enough to save up the rewards from ten portions of basic medicinal ingredients and exchange them for one Fasting Pill!

If one could not even manage that, it was time to consider finding another job.

"At my current speed, I can process around a hundred portions of basic medicinal ingredients every day, while maintaining a passing rate above eighty-five percent!"

Lu Qingfeng accepted one mission each for more than ten medicinal ingredients he had processed in reality, including Atractylodes Macrocephala, Licorice Root, Honeysuckle, and Polygonatum.

Then he began cultivating while processing medicinal ingredients.

Neither of them made one conscious of the passage of time.

Time flowed on.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

Name: Lu Qingfeng

Race: Human

Faction: None

Title: None

Cultivation: Postnatal Fetal Respiration Realm Second Layer

Level: Level 3 (14/15)

Inner Breath: 12/12 (Quality: Basic)

Lifespan: 16/68

Root Bone: 1

Merit: Unknown

Karma: Unknown

Cultivation Methods: Yellow Court Scripture First Layer (Not Yet Initiated) Trait: Deriving Methods (First Layer); Govern All Arts (First Layer); Karma Elimination (First Layer); Blazing Sun Scripture Second Layer (Small Success) Deriving; Azure Wood Art First Layer (Not Yet Initiated) Derivable

Spells: None

Divine Power: None

Equipment: None

Alchemy: "Alchemy Primer" (Small Success) Deriving; "Medicine Refining Analysis" (Not Yet Initiated)

Lu Qingfeng processed an average of one hundred and twenty portions of basic medicinal ingredients per day, with an eighty-five percent passing rate. Every eight days, he could exchange for one Yellow Dragon Pill.

Over the course of a month, he had exchanged for four Yellow Dragon Pills. Together with the three pills left over from before, he refined seven Yellow Dragon Pills in a single month, directly raising his level to Level 3 and advancing his cultivation to the Fetal Respiration Second Level.

By his calculations, one Yellow Dragon Pill was worth around three Experience Points.

As for the results Lu Qingfeng gained from cultivating on his own, they were almost negligible.

"I've accumulated almost enough Experience Points!"

Lu Qingfeng tapped the word Deriving after the Blazing Sun Scripture.

Blazing Sun Scripture Deriving, Required Experience Points: 1/10

At Level 3 (14/15), the Experience Pool held a total of thirty Experience Points, barely enough for Lu Qingfeng to spend freely!

He invested nine Experience Points in one go, and a system notification box popped up—

Blazing Sun Scripture Deriving, Required Experience Points: 10/10. Please select a derivation direction: Strengthen/Advance/Fuse

Strengthen: Increase Cultivation Method Quality, with a certain chance of gaining a Trait

Advance: Increase Cultivation Method Layers

Fuse: Fuse with other Cultivation Methods, with a certain chance of increasing Cultivation Method Quality and a certain chance of gaining Traits

"Strengthen! Advance! Fuse!"

Understanding dawned on Lu Qingfeng at once.

Strengthening a cultivation method gave it a chance to gain cultivation method traits. After several upgrades, it might even raise a cultivation method from Elementary Grade to Exquisite Level.

Advancing a cultivation method increased its layers. For example, the Blazing Sun Scripture had nine layers and could only be cultivated up to the Ninth Layer of Fetal Respiration Realm. But if a tenth layer could be derived, it could then be cultivated to the First Layer of True Qi Realm!

This raised the upper limit of cultivation.

As for the final option, Fuse, its meaning was clear from the name. One cultivation method would serve as the foundation and fuse with other cultivation methods, with a chance to improve its quality or add cultivation method traits.

"This—"

Lu Qingfeng's thoughts raced, and in an instant, overwhelming joy struck him like a blow.

Strengthen!

Advance!

Fuse!

With all three working together, did that not mean that as long as he had enough Experience Points, he would never need to worry about cultivation methods again?

Whether Exquisite Level cultivation methods, Side Gate Level cultivation methods, or even Orthodox Level and Profound Level cultivation methods, could he not derive them himself and be entirely self-sufficient?!

"Haha!"

"Heaven is helping me!"

Even Lu Qingfeng could not help laughing aloud.

Though he did not know whether cultivation methods were difficult to obtain in the Primordial Wilderness, possessing the ability to derive cultivation methods would free him from many restrictions and leave him with fewer worries on the road of cultivation!

It was an absolutely tremendous stroke of fortune!

"Fuse!"

"The Azure Wood Art."

Suppressing the wild joy in his heart, Lu Qingfeng dragged the Azure Wood Art into the derivation slot through the Operation Panel. A flash of light passed, and the derivation ended.

Blazing Sun Scripture derivation complete. It is now the Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra!

Cultivation Method: Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra

Level: Elementary Grade, nine layers total

Deriving Methods: One fusion

Cultivation Requirement: None

Cultivation Method Trait: None

Description: Fused from "Azure Wood Art" and "Blazing Sun Scripture"

"No Trait appeared, nor did any enhancement."

"I wonder whether this 'Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra' is stronger than the 'Blazing Sun Scripture,' or weaker."

Lu Qingfeng looked at the cultivation method section. The "Blazing Sun Scripture" and "Azure Wood Art" had vanished, replaced by the "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra."

The derivation was complete, yet Lu Qingfeng was more bewildered than ever.

"Let's cultivate it and see!"

Lu Qingfeng sat cross-legged and began circulating the "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Sutra."