Primordial World.
Black Sand Town.
Lu Qingfeng walked out of the Rebirth Pool, feeling both familiar and strange.
Only two months had passed in reality, but a full sixteen years had passed in the Primordial World.
Black Sand Town was still bustling with traffic, yet the subtle changes made Lu Qingfeng feel that things were somehow familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
"Go to the Dustless Alchemy Workshop."
Following his memories, Lu Qingfeng hurried toward the Dustless Alchemy Workshop.
He cultivated the Blazing Sun Scripture and had mastered most of the Elementary Guide to Alchemy. If he went to another alchemy workshop, he might have to start all over again, needlessly wasting time.
It would be better to continue going to the Dustless Alchemy Workshop.
As it happened, he was lucky.
Lu Qingfeng had received cultivation methods and pills from the Dustless Alchemy Workshop, but after his death, contracts unrelated to reincarnation became void. After reincarnating, he could actually claim them once more.
If not for the immense cost of reincarnation, quite a few people would probably exploit this loophole.
He went straight to the Dustless Alchemy Workshop.
Half an hour later.
Lu Qingfeng stood before the "Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop," a thoughtful look in his eyes.
After a long while.
He walked into the Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop.
Quite a few players were selecting pills inside the alchemy workshop.
"Esteemed customer, may I ask whether you're renting an alchemy room or purchasing pills?"
As soon as Lu Qingfeng entered, a gray-robed attendant came forward to greet him, quite warmly.
The alchemy workshops in Black Sand Town had alchemy rooms built for refining pills.
Besides being used by the workshops' own personnel, the alchemy rooms were also rented out to outsiders as a source of income. Of course, their primary source of revenue was still selling pills and wholesaling them externally.
"Neither."
"May I ask if this was formerly the Dustless Alchemy Workshop?"
Lu Qingfeng asked the attendant.
"The Dustless Alchemy Workshop?"
"It went bankrupt seven or eight years ago. Master Luo Sheng bought it and renamed it the Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop. Master Luo Sheng has long been a Master Alchemy Apprentice, and his three disciples and several guest alchemists are all Advanced Alchemy Apprentices. Esteemed customer, if you need any pills that the Dustless Alchemy Workshop could refine, our Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop can refine them all."
After explaining, the attendant took advantage of the opportunity to promote the workshop.
"Thank you."
After hearing this, Lu Qingfeng nodded his thanks and walked out of the Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop.
"Take care, esteemed customer."
The attendant's voice came from behind him.
"Not bad service."
Lu Qingfeng praised him inwardly. When he looked up and saw the words "Luo Sheng," he could not help shaking his head.
After all, sixteen years had passed in the Primordial World. Who could have imagined that the Dustless Alchemy Workshop had gone bankrupt long ago? Lu Qingfeng had thought his memory was mistaken, or that the workshop had merely changed its name.
"Since it went bankrupt, this place will do."
Lu Qingfeng signed a contract with the Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop in front of its notice board.
Having reincarnated once, everything came naturally to him.
Sixteen years might have caused the alchemy workshops to change, but the rules in Black Sand Town had not changed.
"Azure Wood Art."
"Alchemy Analysis."
Five Yellow Dragon Pills.
Five Grain-Repelling Pills.
One Bluestone Talisman.
The last three were unchanged. The cultivation method had changed from the Blazing Sun Scripture to the Azure Wood Art, while the Elementary Guide to Alchemy had been replaced by Alchemy Analysis.
Overall, the differences were minor.
Lu Qingfeng slapped the two booklets together and learned them both.
The Azure Wood Art was the same grade as the Blazing Sun Scripture and could be cultivated up to the Ninth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm at most. The only difference was that one belonged to wood and the other to fire.
When processing medicinal materials, cultivation methods of the wood or fire attribute were naturally more convenient. That was why the basic cultivation methods obtained from alchemy workshops were generally of these two attributes.
As for Alchemy Analysis, it made Lu Qingfeng's eyes light up.
It recorded methods for processing forty-nine medicinal materials, sixteen of which were not included in the Elementary Guide to Alchemy. Among the thirty-three overlapping materials, twelve had different processing methods.
"In one month, I'll raise my level first."
During the two months of waiting, Lu Qingfeng had also formed a rough plan for playing this game. At the very least, he had already planned out the initial stage.
First.
Cultivate the Blazing Sun Scripture!
The Azure Wood Art and the Blazing Sun Scripture were of the same grade, and Lu Qingfeng had already initiated his cultivation of the Blazing Sun Scripture before. Having gone through initiation twice, once in the game and once in reality, he was more familiar with it than anything else. Naturally, it was his first choice.
"Yellow Dragon Pill!"
One pill!
Two pills!
With only two Yellow Dragon Pills entering his stomach, Lu Qingfeng's body surged, and Internal Breath was born!
"The first time, it took four Yellow Dragon Pills to produce Qi Sensation. This time, two pills have already brought me to the First Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm!"
Saving two Yellow Dragon Pills was truly a stroke of good fortune for Lu Qingfeng at this stage.
Having initiated his cultivation, Lu Qingfeng immediately accepted a task from the Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop through the Bluestone Talisman.
The contract he had signed with the alchemy workshop required him to process at least ten portions of basic medicinal materials every day. For any amount beyond that, the alchemy workshop would pay him according to the market price.
Task: Process Atractylodes
Quantity: Fifty portions
Requirement: Submit forty portions
Reward: Remaining Atractylodes
Task: Process Licorice Root
Quantity: Fifty portions
Requirement: Submit forty portions
Reward: Remaining Licorice Root
Task: Process Honeysuckle
Quantity: Fifty portions
Requirement: Submit forty portions
Reward: Remaining Honeysuckle
"As long as beginners are careful, they can achieve at least an eighty percent passing rate when processing these basic medicinal materials. The Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop's task requirements won't leave players at a loss, at least."
"As they gradually become more proficient and their passing rate rises, the rewards players receive for completing each task will also increase."
"Through these rewards, they can exchange for Grain-Repelling Pills and Yellow Dragon Pills at the Luo Sheng Alchemy Workshop!"
Ten portions of basic medicinal materials could be exchanged for one Grain-Repelling Pill.
Fifty portions of basic medicinal materials could be exchanged for one Yellow Dragon Pill.
Based on a beginner's ability to process fifty portions of basic medicinal materials a day, even under the worst circumstances, six days would be enough to accumulate the reward for ten portions of basic medicinal materials and exchange it for one Grain-Repelling Pill!
If they could not even accomplish that, they could consider changing jobs.
"With my current speed, I can process around one hundred portions of basic medicinal materials a day, while keeping my passing rate above eighty-five percent!"
Lu Qingfeng accepted one task each for more than ten medicinal materials he had processed in reality, including Atractylodes, Licorice Root, Honeysuckle, and Solomon's Seal.
Then he began cultivating while processing medicinal materials.
Both tasks consumed time without him realizing it.
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.
Name: Lu Qingfeng Race: Human Faction: None Title: None Cultivation: Later-Heaven Embryonic Breath Realm Second Layer Level: 3 (14/15) Internal Breath: 12/12 (Quality: Basic) Lifespan: 16/68 Root Bone: 1 Merit: Unknown Karmic Power: Unknown Cultivation Methods: Yellow Court Scripture First Layer (Not Initiated) Traits: Evolving Method (First Layer); Dominion over All Arts (First Layer); Karmic Power Erasure (First Layer); Blazing Sun Scripture Second Layer (Minor Accomplishment) Undergoing Deduction; Azure Wood Art First Layer (Not Initiated) Can Be Deduced Arts: None Divine Abilities: None Equipment: None Alchemy: Elementary Guide to Alchemy (Minor Accomplishment) Undergoing Deduction; Alchemy Analysis (Not Initiated)
Lu Qingfeng processed an average of one hundred and twenty portions of basic medicinal materials each day. With an eighty-five percent passing rate, he could exchange them for one Yellow Dragon Pill every eight days.
After a month, he had exchanged for a total of four Yellow Dragon Pills. Adding the three pills he had left before, he refined seven Yellow Dragon Pills in the span of a month, directly raising his level to three and advancing his cultivation to the Second Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
Calculated this way, each Yellow Dragon Pill provided approximately three experience points.
As for the results of Lu Qingfeng's own cultivation, they were practically negligible.
"Almost enough experience has accumulated!"
Lu Qingfeng clicked on the words "Undergoing Deduction" behind the Blazing Sun Scripture.
"Blazing Sun Scripture" undergoing deduction. Required experience: 1/10
At Level 3 (14/15), the total experience in his experience pool had reached thirty points, barely enough for Lu Qingfeng to squander!
He invested nine experience points in one breath, and a system prompt box sprang up—
"Blazing Sun Scripture" undergoing deduction. Required experience: 10/10. Please select a deduction direction: Strengthen / Improve / Fusion
Strengthen: Raise the cultivation method's quality, with a certain chance of gaining a trait
Improve: Increase the number of layers in the cultivation method
Fusion: Fuse with another cultivation method, with a certain chance of raising the cultivation method's quality and a certain chance of gaining a trait
"Strengthen! Improve! Fusion!"
Lu Qingfeng suddenly understood.
Strengthening a cultivation method gave it a chance to gain a cultivation-method trait. After several improvements, it might even be possible to raise the cultivation method's grade from Basic Grade to Refined Grade.
Improving a cultivation method increased its number of layers. For example, the Blazing Sun Scripture had nine layers and could only be cultivated up to the Ninth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm. But if he could deduce a Tenth Layer, he could cultivate to the First Layer of the True Qi Realm!
This raised the cultivation method's upper limit.
As for the final option, fusion, it was exactly as its name suggested: using one cultivation method as the foundation and fusing it with other cultivation methods, with a chance of raising the cultivation method's quality or adding cultivation-method traits.
"This—"
Lu Qingfeng's thoughts raced, and in an instant, immense joy crashed down upon him.
Strengthen!
Improve!
Fusion!
With these three working together, did that not mean that as long as he had enough experience, he would never need to worry about cultivation methods again?
Whether it was Refined-Grade cultivation methods, Unorthodox-Grade Cultivation Methods, or even Orthodox-Grade or Profound-Grade Cultivation Methods, he could simply deduce them himself and become entirely self-sufficient?!
"Hahaha!"
"Heaven is helping me!"
Even Lu Qingfeng could not help laughing aloud.
Although he did not know whether cultivation methods were difficult to obtain in the Primordial World, mastering the ability to deduce cultivation methods would at least free him from many restrictions and remove part of his worries on the path of cultivation!
It was absolutely a heaven-shaking stroke of good fortune!
"Fusion!"
"The Azure Wood Art."
Suppressing the wild joy in his heart, Lu Qingfeng used the operation panel to drag the Azure Wood Art into the deduction bar. Light flashed, and the deduction ended.
"Blazing Sun Scripture" deduction complete. It is now the "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Scripture"!
Cultivation Method: Azure Wood Blazing Sun Scripture
Grade: Basic Grade, nine layers in total
Evolving Method: One fusion
Cultivation Requirements: None
Technique Traits: None Description: Formed by fusing "Azure Wood Art" and "Blazing Sun Scripture."
"No traits appeared, and no enhancements appeared."
"I don't know whether this 'Azure Wood Blazing Sun Scripture' is stronger or weaker than the 'Blazing Sun Scripture.'"
Lu Qingfeng looked toward the technique section, only to see that "Blazing Sun Scripture" and "Azure Wood Art" had vanished, replaced by "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Scripture."
The deduction was complete, yet Lu Qingfeng was once again utterly bewildered.
"Let's try cultivating it!"
Lu Qingfeng sat down cross-legged and circulated the "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Scripture."
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