Further Confirmation of Talent

Further Confirmation of Talent

Early autumn, July.

Li Qianqing was sixteen this year.

At this age, one could begin discussing marriage.

Some cultivators with poor Spiritual Root talent chose to marry and have children at this age.

Their own talent was lacking, so they hoped to produce a descendant of astonishing talent.

When a cultivator joined with a mortal, the chances of the next generation possessing a Spiritual Root increased. When two cultivators joined together, those chances became even greater. According to the experience of those before them, once the next generation possessed a Spiritual Root, their Spiritual Root talent had no direct relation to that of the previous generation.

A cultivator with poor Spiritual Root talent could very well produce a descendant with astonishing Spiritual Root talent, while the reverse was equally true for a cultivator with exceptional Spiritual Root talent.

Male cultivators with poor Spiritual Root talent could generally only seek mortals as partners, unless they encountered a female cultivator who shared their views and did not disdain them. Female cultivators were entirely different from male cultivators. Children came from their wombs; unlike male cultivators, they could not find many mortal women to bear children for them.

Once female cultivators considered raising descendants, they would generally seek powerful male cultivators. That way, even if their descendants were mortals, they would have considerable security. If the children possessed Spiritual Roots, that was naturally best—they could have a powerful father. With equal Spiritual Root talent, their starting point would be far higher than cultivators without backing, and obtaining resources would be much easier.

Once male cultivators chose to desperately marry wives and have children, it meant they had already given up the path of cultivation.

Aside from their daily work to earn the Spirit Food needed for cultivation, they spent nearly all their remaining time diligently sowing their fields, leaving them with virtually no time to cultivate.

If they did not eat White Corn and instead chose mortal food, then unless they spent a great deal of time every day expelling Acquired Impurities, those impurities would affect them, and their lifespans would be little different from mortals.

Mortals who suffered neither illness nor disaster and died peacefully of old age had a lifespan of around seventy years. Cultivators in the Qi Refining stage could live at least a hundred years. If they did not leave behind hidden ailments or wounds from battle, living to one hundred and twenty was normal. Cultivating health-preserving techniques could even extend their lives further.

Cultivators with decent Spiritual Root talent married and had children relatively late, and they would not scatter their seeds like mad.

This resulted in people of the same generation varying greatly in age.

There were Xing Generation cultivators older than Li Qianqing, and there were also Li Generation cultivators younger than him. For example, his Nineteenth Uncle was currently the youngest Li Generation cultivator.

Among the Qian Generation, he ranked thirteenth.

After tending the Spiritual Field today, he did not begin cultivating.

He needed to go to Li Ditu's place to refine pills.

Unlike refining Fasting Pill, this time he would be refining Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills.

Among low-level cultivators, Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills sold very well.

Generally speaking, pills that could accelerate cultivation speed never lacked a market.

"Second Grandfather." Li Qianqing soon arrived at Li Ditu's residence.

"You're here. Come in quickly."

Li Ditu was somewhat excited. Refining Qi Gathering Pills would give him a more concrete understanding of Li Qianqing's Alchemy Talent.

The Main Spiritual Medicine for Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, the Small Cloud Spiritual Flower, could grow for a maximum of three years. Three years was also the best time for the Small Cloud Spiritual Flower to be used in pill refinement.

A spiritual medicine's grade was determined by its maximum growth period. The longer it could grow, the higher its grade. For the vast majority of spiritual medicines, the best time to use them in refinement lay between two-thirds of their maximum growth period and their maximum growth period.

Three years had passed since the last refinement of Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills.

For this batch of Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, they decided to leave seventy percent to Li Qianqing, while Li Ditu would handle the remaining thirty percent.

Only a few core members of the lineage knew this. Everyone else believed that roughly twenty percent had been entrusted to Li Qianqing.

Based on Li Ditu's estimation of Li Qianqing, if seventy percent of the Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills were entrusted to him, the difference between the final total number of Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills produced and the amount others believed had been produced would not exceed five percent.

Li Ditu was extremely confident in this junior.

"Qianqing, is there anything you still do not understand about refining Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills?"

"No." Li Qianqing shook his head. "Second Grandfather, over the past few days, I've thoroughly mastered the process of refining Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills."

"Excellent!"

Seeing Li Qianqing's confidence, Li Ditu grew more and more expectant.

He hoped Li Qianqing would produce an even better result, or at least not fall below his estimate.

"Begin. I'll watch over the first furnace, but I won't offer any guidance during the refinement process. Just focus on refining."

The greater the difficulty of the pill being refined, the harder it was to offer guidance.

With Li Ditu's experience, once they reached the refinement of Rank 1 Mid-Grade Pills, all he could do was watch. He could only provide corresponding guidance after Li Qianqing had finished refining. They were still refining Rank 1 Low-Grade Pills now, so guidance during the process was still possible.

"Alright, Second Grandfather. I'll begin."

All the materials had already been laid out. Li Qianqing only needed to take out the Alchemy Furnace to refine the Qi Gathering Pills.

With everything prepared so completely, it almost seemed as though Li Ditu were his alchemy apprentice, having painstakingly laid out all the ingredients for his master before pill refinement.

Aside from the Small Cloud Spiritual Flower, the Main Spiritual Medicine for Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, there were only two auxiliary ingredients: Clear Cry Grass and Open-Air Ginseng. The maximum growth periods of these two auxiliary spiritual medicines were one and a half years and two and a half years respectively. Both were First Order Low-Grade spiritual medicines.

One Small Cloud Spiritual Flower, two stalks of Clear Cry Grass, and three roots of Open-Air Ginseng.

With such ingredients, a single furnace of Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills could yield at most five Qi Gathering Pills. Li Ditu could already refine two portions of ingredients in one furnace while maintaining a fairly good pill formation rate.

Once the furnace temperature reached a certain point, Li Qianqing first added one root of Open-Air Ginseng. The other two roots would be the final ingredients added.

When the Open-Air Ginseng had melted halfway, it was the best time to add the Clear Cry Grass...

As time passed, Li Qianqing's technique in refining Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills appeared increasingly practiced.

He sealed the furnace to prevent the loss of energy, and the final step was compressing and condensing the pills.

Li Ditu nodded in satisfaction. Just as he had expected, Li Qianqing had not disappointed him in the process of refining Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills. Li Qianqing was no fool when it came to medicinal principles—he had not made any major mistakes with the timing of adding the spiritual medicines, and he had also completed the medicinal fusion process well.

Especially when compressing and condensing the pills, the corresponding practice from the earlier Fasting Pill refinement had been applied perfectly to refining Rank 1 Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills.

This was talent! Li Ditu sighed inwardly, while also feeling immensely pleased that he could be Li Qianqing's first teacher.

"Whew, finished." Li Qianqing wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The five pills had already formed and emerged from the furnace. Li Ditu was even more impatient than Li Qianqing to see the final result.

Thank you to Mengxing Yijiu Haihui Meng for the 100 Qidian coin reward! Thank you for your support!