Qi Gathering Pill

After returning to the sect, Li Mo began preparing for alchemy.

He had no intention of exploring the tomb Jade Fox Wang Ying mentioned anytime soon.

Firstly, according to Wang Ying, the tomb had already been cleared out, leaving only a mysterious altar. It didn't sound like it contained anything he urgently needed. Secondly, he knew nothing about runes; he needed to prepare and at least learn some basic knowledge before going. Thirdly, for his current situation, refining Qi Gathering Pills was undoubtedly more important.

After all, with cultivation, everything else would be manageable.

Moreover, summer thunderstorms and flood season were fast approaching, and he had to prepare for them.

One month later.

Li Mo diligently prepared for alchemy while simultaneously improving his Magical Power cultivation, ensuring no mistakes.

He felt his current cultivation had reached the peak of Qi Refining fourth layer. With a few more days of accumulation, he could attempt to break through to the fifth layer.

In the afternoon, during feeding time, Li Mo met Yang Guang.

"What have you been busy with lately?"

Yang Guang, upon seeing Li Mo, walked over quickly with a pleased expression.

"Those two, Ma Ling and Niu Li, to speed up their commission tasks, I haven't seen them in a while. A few days ago, I heard Ma Ling's family had some trouble. It seems an elder in her family backed the wrong faction during Zhanghe Sect's power transition and was suppressed. As for Niu Li, he got lucky. He saved a wealthy merchant during a mission and reportedly earned a lot of Silver..."

"Ah?"

Li Mo was surprised.

He then explained to Yang Guang that he was in seclusion preparing for alchemy.

Most disciples in their second year at the Advanced Study Hall began undertaking various commission tasks. During these missions, they would have different experiences, even befriending elders from the sect and obtaining more cultivation resources. Simultaneously, their families would do their best to gather Silver to provide a certain level of support. Consequently, disciples in the Advanced Study Hall would see rapid progress in their strength during this period.

Although Li Mo had earned a considerable amount of Silver from Jade Fox Wang Ying and the Black Wind Mountain bandits, he didn't rest on his laurels.

Firstly, he had lived in Eighteen Mountains for a period and knew its dangers well.

The most terrifying aspect of those mountain bandits wasn't their martial prowess but their complete lack of moral constraints. They could use all sorts of underhanded tactics without any psychological burden. Venturing alone into Eighteen Mountains to suppress bandits would be a death sentence even for a cultivator. After all, once a cultivator's Magical Power was depleted, they were no different from mortals. They still needed to eat, drink, and breathe; they hadn't truly transcended the mortal realm.

As for the rewards from suppressing bandits, unless one hunted down the leaders, ordinary small-time thieves weren't worth the effort.

However, doing so might incur heavenly wrath and lead to being besieged, which was secondary. The real problem would be if these bandits were driven to raid nearby villages and towns, causing endless harm and losing sight of the greater good. At that point, he might even become a thorn in the side of the Heaven's Mandate Bureau.

Secondly, as a disciple of Lingmu Sect in the Da Gan Kingdom, Li Mo's cultivation technique, Eye of True Spirit, also contained some ascetic principles.

If his mind was constantly clouded by the desire for wealth through killing, it would be detrimental to long-term cultivation.

A cultivator's state of mind, whether good, bad, or neutral, was most important in having clear thoughts and a clear conscience.

Thus.

The first thing Li Mo did upon returning to the sect was to adjust his mindset and cultivate peacefully.

Over the next few days, Li Mo continued to cultivate diligently.

Seven days passed in a flash, and he finally broke through Qi Refining fourth layer, reaching the fifth layer realm.

"Mmm..."

The rapid increase in Magical Power within his Dantian made him involuntarily let out a long hum, a pleased curve appearing on his lips. He could clearly feel the change in himself. Now, when he cast the advanced beginner spell Summon Thunder Slave, he no longer felt near exhaustion.

However, theoretically, only by reaching Qi Refining seventh layer or above could one truly cast this advanced beginner spell with ease.

Li Mo did not become complacent.

After slightly stabilizing his current Magical Power cultivation, he went to the market at the foot of the mountain and spent Spirit Stones to purchase the various auxiliary spiritual herbs needed for refining Qi Gathering Pills, quickly depleting most of the Spirit Stones he had earned from his previous commission tasks.

"Thirty-year-old Spring Ning Grass, thirty-year-old Warm Sun Flower, thirty-year-old Ding Chun Orchid... All twelve auxiliary spiritual herbs are gathered. With the hundred-year-old Crimson Essence Fungus, I can finally refine Qi Gathering Pills!"

For the sake of caution, Li Mo did not choose to refine the pills in his light-proof secret chamber.

He went to the Alchemy Hall.

There were many refining rooms specifically prepared for alchemists. They were not only quiet and safe but also protected by sect formations, a benefit for disciples of the Alchemy Hall.

"Li Mo, good morning."

Tao Ran, upon seeing Li Mo, greeted him proactively.

The two had met a few more times after the last alchemy assessment and at an alchemy experience sharing session, so they were quite familiar with each other.

Li Mo could sense that Tao Ran had a good temperament. Not only did he not resent Li Mo for the hundred-year-old Crimson Essence Fungus, but he seemed to regard Li Mo as a target to catch up to. This earned Li Mo high praise in his heart.

Currently, their relationship was a mix of half-competition and half-friendship.

"Good morning, Tao Ran. Were you heading to the spiritual fields?"

"Yes, because of my Master, I applied for spiritual fields from the sect in advance and received official approval. After all, my Master isn't very skilled at alchemy; he's good at cultivating spiritual plants, so the sect made an exception for me."

Hearing this, Li Mo couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

Having a Master was truly great; he was already enjoying the treatment of an inner disciple. Unfortunately, he didn't have any special spiritual bodies and could only strive hard or find another opportunity to find a Master.

However, Li Mo wasn't discouraged by this. His ambition was to become an Inspector.

Applying for spiritual fields in the Alchemy Hall would require him to be constantly tending to the fields, which conflicted with his ambition. After all, an Inspector couldn't stay in the sect tending to medicinal fields all the time, so he didn't pay too much attention to it.

After bidding farewell to Tao Ran, Li Mo found an Alchemy Hall disciple named Nie Zhen and successfully applied for a refining room.

This was a spacious secret chamber, surrounded by solid stone.

As Li Mo pressed the mechanism, the massive stone door slowly closed. The chamber instantly fell silent. The forbidden lights illuminated the stone platform, creating an incredibly peaceful atmosphere.

He approached the platform and took out his alchemy furnace from his Storage Pouch, along with a hundred-year-old Crimson Essence Fungus, twelve auxiliary herbs, morning dew water, and water and wood-attribute Spirit Stone. He arranged them in order.

"Time to use the Lightning Refining Method again."

Thinking back, the last time he used the Lightning Refining Method, if he hadn't had the foundation of martial arts in his body, any other lightning-attribute cultivator might have injured their own Magical Power cultivation. That feeling of chaotic qi and blood was truly unpleasant.

After arranging the water and wood-attribute Spirit Stone, Li Mo followed a special qi circulation method and activated the Lightning Refining Method.

Crackling.

As a bolt of lightning appeared, Li Mo placed the alchemy furnace and began methodically adding the spirit herbs into it in order. He occasionally added some morning dew water to neutralize the medicinal properties in the furnace and sometimes reined in the lightning to avoid being too hasty.

Time slowly passed.

About an hour and a half later, the lightning bolts gradually extinguished under Li Mo's control.

Ignoring the discomfort in his body, he smelled the medicinal fragrance rising from the furnace. Knowing that this batch of pills was successful, an undisguised joy spread across his face.

Now, it was just a matter of the pill yield.

He ignored the damage to his body caused by the chaotic qi and blood, and with a mix of trepidation, anticipation, and excitement, he slowly lifted the furnace lid.

"Whoa!"

Li Mo exclaimed, and an irrepressible joy appeared on his face.

On the minimal residue in the alchemy furnace, a whole layer of spirit pills was piled up. Each one was round and full, packed with medicinal potency.

There was almost no excess dregs in the furnace.

This indicated that Li Mo, through the Lightning Refining Method, had fully purified and maximized the medicinal properties, thus refining so many Qi Gathering Pill.

Li Mo then quickly took out the prepared jade bottles from his Storage Pouch, took out the spirit pills from the furnace one by one, and carefully placed them into different jade bottles, ten pills per bottle. At the same time, he checked these spirit pills for any flaws.

"Twenty-two pills!"

Except for three Qi Gathering Pill that had cracks and flaws, whose spiritual energy and medicinal properties would slowly dissipate over time and needed to be consumed promptly to avoid waste, the remaining Qi Gathering Pill were perfectly shaped, lustrous, and exuded a fragrant aroma. They were flawless and could be stored long-term in the jade bottles. He was quite satisfied with this.

The reason these pills were bottled ten per bottle was something Chen Rong had mentioned during her lecture.

Li Mo just habitually followed suit without thinking much about it.

"The cost of each Qi Gathering Pill in this batch is about fourteen to fifteen Spirit Stone. However, in the market below the mountain, one Qi Gathering Pill is priced at thirty-eight Spirit Stone, and even a whole bottle costs three hundred and fifty Spirit Stone. The unit price is more than double. It seems I can try to make a living this way!"

After a moment of excitement, the pain in Li Mo's body surged like a tide.

He endured the various discomforts in his body, tidied up the alchemy furnace and jade bottles on the stone table, and gasped for air. Although he couldn't see his own appearance, he knew he must look quite disheveled.

"Chen Rong Martial Aunt was right. I really need to think carefully about how to resolve the negative effects of the Lightning Refining Method."

Li Mo could think of two solutions.

One was to strengthen his physique and increase his resistance to lightning. The other was to refine pills that regulated qi and blood.

As for strengthening his physique, besides practicing martial arts, he also had an Elixir Recipe for the Creation Pill, which could improve his physique. However, this still ran into the limitation of the ethereal Demon Core.

As for pills that regulated qi and blood...

Just as Li Mo was contemplating whether to pay a price and exchange for a corresponding Elixir Recipe from other alchemists during the next Alchemy Hall experience sharing session, he suddenly remembered something. He forgot his pain and slapped his own head.

"How could I be so stupid? I'm a physician!"

He shook his head, a look of helplessness on his face.

"Whether it's regulating qi and blood with herbal decoctions or acupuncture, I have the ability to do so. I was truly foolish."

This was not Monster's fault, nor Li Mo's.

As his Alchemy skills deepened, he had gradually become accustomed to the mindset of an alchemist, or rather, the way of thinking of a cultivator, gradually deviating from medical practice.

After returning to his room, Li Mo eagerly took out a cracked and flawed Qi Gathering Pill and swallowed it.

Buzz!

Li Mo felt a surge of pure spiritual energy erupting in his abdomen. It first filled the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and then flowed towards the four limbs and hundred meridians.

He quickly circulated the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, converting it into Magical Power with all his might.

The feeling was incredibly wonderful, even dispelling much of the pain in his body.

However, Li Mo also felt some regret.

If he had circulated the Greater Heavenly Cycle, he undoubtedly could have absorbed the spiritual energy of the pill more thoroughly and converted it into his own Magical Power.

But that was too dangerous. Many people in the Enlightenment Hall period suffered Magical Power backlash because of it. He had no intention of taking that risk in his room.

"Right."

Li Mo blinked and slowly opened his eyes.

"Perhaps... I can go to the alchemy room and circulate the Greater Heavenly Cycle to cultivate?"

He was quite confident about the safety of the alchemy room and didn't have to worry about being disturbed by external factors while circulating the Greater Heavenly Cycle inside.

In the following days.

Through the dual treatment of simmering medicinal soup and acupuncture, Li Mo's body rapidly recovered. At the same time, the Qi Gathering Pill he had ingested was also mostly refined. With just a couple more days of refinement, he could ingest a new Qi Gathering Pill.

The effect of the Qi Gathering Pill was indeed extraordinary.

By Li Mo's estimation, the cultivation progress over these past few days was almost equivalent to more than a month's worth before, an increase of at least four to five times.

If this was the case.

At most, after ingesting four more Qi Gathering Pill, he would break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.

And in his hand at this moment, he still had a full twenty-one Qi Gathering Pill. Coupled with the upcoming summer flood season where he could enter the Misty Dreamscape, theoretically, this was enough to support him in raising his cultivation to the eighth, or even ninth level of Qi Refining!

"But something seems a little off."

After a brief moment of excitement, Li Mo felt something was unusual.

If the Qi Gathering Pill was so effective at improving Magical Power cultivation, why weren't the disciples from noble families rapidly increasing their cultivation and still diligently practicing?

He didn't know about others, but at least with Wang Feng's financial standing, it was impossible for him to not be able to afford Qi Gathering Pill.

Even if their spiritual root aptitude was a bit worse, if five Qi Gathering Pill didn't work, then eight, or ten. Why did they all seem so stingy?

"No, I must find an opportunity to ask about this properly."

Two days later.

Li Mo found Wang Feng, and his question was soon answered by Wang Feng.

"That's because after ingesting more than ten pills of a certain medicine, the body will gradually develop a tolerance, and the effect of the medicinal spiritual energy will rapidly decrease. Therefore, unless it's a disciple being cultivated by a sect or family at all costs, with various kinds of pills, and without needing to consider tolerance, it's better to diligently meditate and cultivate. Try to save the opportunity to take pills for when you're breaking through bottlenecks."

Wang Feng said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Not to mention the major bottlenecks at the fourth, seventh, and tenth levels of Qi Refining. After the tenth level of Qi Refining, unless one has exceptional talent, almost every subsequent breakthrough will present a bottleneck. Furthermore, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy needed for accumulating Magical Power will become increasingly immense. The true gap between disciples of noble families and rogue disciples is actually revealed during this period."

After speaking.

Wang Feng looked meaningfully at Li Mo.

"Disciples from noble families, guided by their elders, will almost never carelessly ingest pills in the early stages. This way, they will have more opportunities to break through the layers of bottlenecks at the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth levels of Qi Refining, accumulate the required Magical Power, and ultimately attempt Foundation Establishment, or save more cultivation resources for Foundation Establishment. Rogue disciples, on the other hand, often lack long-term planning. While their cultivation might not differ much in the early stages, after the tenth level of Qi Refining, unless a rogue disciple possesses superior aptitude or encounters a great opportunity, under equal circumstances, disciples from noble families will undoubtedly have a higher probability of Foundation Establishment."

Li Mo was greatly shocked.

He hadn't expected something like this to exist!

However, according to the other party, the fourth level of Qi Refining was already considered a major bottleneck.

Although he had encountered difficulties at that time, he had ultimately broken through independently. From this, it seemed his aptitude was quite good, which could also be seen from his qi sensation in the Enlightenment Hall. Therefore, the difficulty of breaking through bottlenecks should be much lower.

Furthermore.

He had a faint feeling that his comprehension of the lightning tribulation in the Misty Dreamscape seemed to have the miraculous effect of improving aptitude and weakening bottlenecks. This was likely what was called enlightenment.

Additionally, as an alchemist, he had already heard that there were several alchemists in the Alchemy Hall who had mastered exclusive Elixir Recipe that could improve Qi Refining Stage cultivation. If necessary, he could consider refining new pills, although gathering the materials required for these pills would be considerably more difficult, inevitably consuming more energy and Spirit Stone.

The most important point.

According to the convention of past year-end assessments, disciples who ranked in the top three, if they did not have a Master, would be taken as registered disciples by a Golden Core Stage hall master. Once they achieved Foundation Establishment, they would automatically become formal disciples. This hall master would also receive special rewards and compensation from the sect. Therefore, both parties benefited.

In this way.

It couldn't be said that rogue disciples who chose to ingest pills in the early stages were wrong. Their circumstances were different, and their perspectives on matters naturally differed. Many rogue disciples were alone and without backing, belonging to the type who had to fight for a sliver of hope.

"Thank you."

After Li Mo sincerely thanked Wang Feng, he turned and left.