Five Years in a Flash

After finishing his lesson.

Chen Sheng did not leave immediately.

Instead, he took a stroll around the Pill Alliance.

He had already become familiar with everyone here.

Whenever they saw him, they all smiled respectfully, addressing him as "Mr. Chen" or "Alchemist Chen."

Chen Sheng smiled and nodded in return.

Before long.

He arrived at the center of the Main Hall, where a massive crystal jade wall shimmered with flowing light.

Lines of information continuously scrolled across it, like an endless river of information.

Pill formulas for sale, requests to purchase spiritual materials, pill delivery requests...

Most were paid in Spirit Stones.

A small number offered sect Contribution Points as rewards.

Chen Sheng ran his fingertips over the jade wall as his spiritual sense swept across it, filtering for suitable tasks.

Before long.

He accepted several alchemy tasks that could earn sect Contribution Points.

The rewards were only twenty or thirty points.

They were not worth much, yet the requirements were quite demanding.

Clearly, they were tough jobs everyone else had passed over!

Chen Sheng figured that even a fly was still meat, so he accepted them.

With his alchemy skills, they were hardly troublesome.

With a light tap of his finger against the jade wall, the task runes were imprinted onto his identity jade token. They were expected to take three days of his time.

Without stopping.

Chen Sheng strolled to an open-air Spirit Spring teahouse outside the Pill Alliance, sat in a corner, and ordered a pot of Jade Spirit Tea.

He silently calculated his income.

"Contribution Points... I accepted quite a few alchemy tasks this year. Altogether, they should add up to a thousand points."

"Next year should be even better. I have to save them up and exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"As a disciple of the Alchemy Hall, it is convenient for me to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills. If I save for over ten years, I can exchange for one."

"If I can get two before the age limit of sixty, my chances of reaching Foundation Establishment will increase greatly."

Thinking this, Chen Sheng was quite pleased.

Having joined the Qinghua Sect, the Dao path of this life was finally in sight.

"As for Spirit Stones, the sect's annual stipend of three hundred and sixty barely covers the basics of Qi Condensation cultivation."

"I cannot even afford better Body Refining treasures."

"I cannot just sit around and drain my savings. I still need to make money!"

Chen Sheng shook his head.

During this period.

He had also learned about the income sources and circumstances of the various alchemists in the Pill Alliance.

"Most alchemists primarily take Pill Alliance tasks, while also cooperating with shops in the workshop."

"An ordinary First-grade High-grade Alchemist should earn eight or nine hundred Spirit Stones a year."

"For simple hired work, that income is not low. It is enough to buy a high-grade Dharma Artifact and maintain daily cultivation."

However.

Chen Sheng did not think much of that figure.

Having run a Pill Workshop in his previous life.

Chen Sheng knew perfectly well that working for others alone would never make one rich.

Take the Huang Clan Pill Workshop, for example.

Before they developed the Yi Fa Pill, when Huang Yueyang was only a Mid-grade Alchemist.

Steady operations alone brought in more than a thousand Spirit Stones a year.

Not to mention later, after developing their exclusive Yi Fa Pill and gaining access to the Qingmu Merchant Association's channels, the Pill Workshop had essentially become the family's pillar, earning several thousand Spirit Stones annually.

"I finally became a disciple of the Qinghua Sect's Alchemy Hall and got to know so many senior brothers and Senior Sisters."

"Fenghua is also my base of operations. With my status as a sect disciple, it will be easy to establish supply channels."

"Such an advantage cannot be wasted for nothing."

As Chen Sheng pondered, he quickly began conducting a detailed investigation to understand the current market.

He searched for a suitable point of entry.

Time slowly passed, and another five years went by.

Circulating Heaven Melting Star Furnace

After opening his Hidden Meridians and planting the Fire Lotus.

The first layer had been nothing more than a natural progression.

The second layer—the Way of Form Control.

With the foundation of the Thousand Silk Myriad Strands Incantation, along with the annotations left by predecessors for this layer, Chen Sheng progressed at a rapid pace.

By the fourth year, he had successfully cultivated it to perfection.

His control over fire had become exquisitely precise!

His alchemy skills rose to another level as well.

He could even steadily refine Top-grade pills with three Pill Patterns and Nine-Nine Perfection.

At the same time.

Chen Sheng's preparations were complete.

Before the New Year.

A shop named Fine-grade Pill Hall officially opened in Jiuhua Workshop.

It was said that the shop had been opened by a First-grade Top Alchemist from the Qinghua Sect's Alchemy Hall, giving it considerable prestige.

On the day it opened.

Many managers from the Immortal City came to offer congratulations.

They were all Chen Sheng's senior brothers and Senior Sisters who had come with him to take their shifts!

As for managing the Pill Workshop.

Chen Sheng did not currently possess any exclusive pill formulas.

He adopted the business model of his father-in-law from his previous life.

He specifically selected two popular First-grade Mid-grade pills.

Then, through repeated adjustments to the pill formulas, even increasing the difficulty of refinement, all to enhance their efficacy.

After his talent in the Way of Alchemy had improved.

This sort of pill formula deduction work.

Came easily to Chen Sheng.

In just a few years, he had developed two improved pill formulas with three great moats!

Extremely low cost!

Exceptional effects!

Extremely high refinement difficulty!

The two Improved Version signature pills were basically the most effective among pills of the same price range, even far ahead of the competition.

Furthermore, every pill was a Fine-grade pill with Pill Patterns.

The Pill Hall proclaimed that everything it produced was Fine-grade!

Even those who could not refine pills recognized Pill Patterns.

They were the clearest guarantee of quality.

As soon as the two signature pills were released, they received widespread praise.

Qi Condensation cultivators frequently consumed such popular pills, making it easy for them to distinguish good from bad.

Chen Sheng crushed his competitors with quality, leaving them reeling in a short time.

It was an instant success.

A tiny Alchemy Shop.

Ultimately maintained annual profits of around five thousand Spirit Stones.

At that point.

Chen Sheng knew when to stop and did not expand further.

With his status and strength, keeping this business was not much of a problem.

But if he dared to wipe everyone out and continue expanding, he would provoke public outrage.

As for the two pills Chen Sheng had introduced.

The other Alchemy Shops could not compete, so they eventually gave up and focused on other pills.

In this way, the two pills essentially achieved a regional monopoly, with wealth pouring in like a flood!

Heart-Seeking Hall.

Inside the Quiet Room.

The cold had long since been driven away by rolling waves of heat.

Chen Sheng sat bare-chested in meditation, his bronze muscles knotted like steel cast in iron, while a faint Green Jade glow shone beneath his skin.

It was clearly the phenomenon of the Xuanshuang Body Refining Art breaking through to the third layer and achieving Ice Skin Jade Bone.

Bzz!

The Sound of Rivers Rushing came from within his body.

Within the qi sea of his Dantian, pure Li Fire Mana surged through broad and resilient meridians.

The torrent swept through, and everything fell naturally into place.

His aura abruptly rose by another level.

Qi Condensation Eighth Layer!

Chen Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, amusement hidden within them.

"Thirty-four years old, Qi Condensation Eighth Layer."

"The feedback from Body Refining has actually made my cultivation speed faster and faster!"

Over these five years.

Chen Sheng had not used a single Mana-Increasing Pill.

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation, carefully tempering his mana, and his cultivation speed steadily increased.

He smiled softly and murmured inwardly.

"I had underestimated my talent in Body Refining."

"In just a few years, relying only on basic secret medicines, I reached the third layer of Body Refining, comparable to Qi Condensation Late-stage."

"At this rate, perhaps before my Qi Condensation cultivation attempts Foundation Establishment, I will already achieve Body Refining Foundation Establishment."

Pill Alliance.

That day, Chen Sheng came to teach as usual.

But an elderly man with fish-like eyes and a stiff expression stopped him.

Chen Sheng asked helplessly.

"Old Brother He, what is it this time?"

He Manlou grabbed him and whispered mysteriously into his ear.

"Brother Chen, lend me one of your seeds!"

Thank you to all the readers for your monthly votes and tips. I'm having cold noodles tonight, so there will be an extra chapter.