The Myriad Spirit Sect and Crimson Sun Palace's maneuver left everyone in the Wang Clan dumbfounded, unable to fathom what those people were trying to do.
They learned that the cultivators who had taken part in the battle at Returning Goose Valley were still fighting in Golden Goose City, while Wang Daoyuan had yet to find any trace of the clan head. The clan head was most likely still fighting in Golden Goose City, and everyone was temporarily relieved.
After the meeting, Wang Daoyuan returned to his cave dwelling.
Jade Dragon Spring was the Spirit Eye of Jade Spring Peak's spirit vein, rich in spiritual energy. Jade Dragon Stream originated from Jade Dragon Spring, and its waters also contained considerable spiritual energy. Thus, the cave dwellings of most cultivators stood along Jade Dragon Stream, and Wang Daoyuan's was no exception.
The land beside the cave dwelling had been nourished by the stream for years, and the soil contained a small amount of spiritual energy. Though it could not be considered a Spirit Field, growing some low-grade spirit herbs there was no problem, although they might not grow very well.
However, Wang Daoyuan did not care about that. He casually sowed some Crimson Blood Ginseng, Yellow Cloud Grass, and other herbs on the flat ground near his cave dwelling. He did not expect any harvest; his main purpose was to throw people off the scent.
When he had first discovered the Spirit Pearl Space, he had obtained spirit herb seeds from Twelfth Uncle. Afraid that they would not survive, he had not wasted seeds by planting them near his cave dwelling. Now, the spirit herbs in the space had propagated through several generations, and there were more seeds than he could ever use, so he no longer cared.
The Three Great Sects of Zhao Kingdom were currently locked in a chaotic war, and these were troubled times. In such a turbulent age, the prices of supplies such as pills, magical artifacts, and Talismans were bound to soar. If he did not make more Talismans to sell now, then when would he?
It was not just Talismans. The spirit herbs needed for Spirit Gathering Pills planted in the space had already been harvested several times. It was time to find someone to refine Spirit Gathering Pills.
He had originally wanted Twelfth Uncle to refine them for him, but Twelfth Uncle had met with disaster. He could only turn to the Lineage's best alchemist now—Seventh Uncle Wang Shouhong.
Given Wang Shouhong's skill in alchemy, he was not far from becoming a Second-Tier Alchemist.
The threshold for becoming a Second-Tier Alchemist was refining a second-tier pill with a success rate of no less than thirty percent.
For a first-tier alchemist to cross that threshold, he usually needed to refine high-grade first-order pills with a success rate above fifty percent. Wang Shouhong was only one step away from this standard.
Therefore, Twelfth Uncle had always opposed his refining second-tier pills. After all, the spirit herbs required for second-tier pills were too costly. Forcing the attempt without meeting the standard was simply burning Spirit Stones.
Previously, most of the alchemy materials the Lineage could provide had come from its own Spirit Fields, with only a small portion purchased from outside. The Lineage did not have many Spirit Fields to begin with, and a large portion had to be used for spirit grain. The remaining Spirit Fields were used as much as possible to grow second-tier spirit herbs.
The alchemy materials Wang Shouhong could obtain were extremely limited. Otherwise, he would have become a Second-Tier Alchemist long ago.
He had the skill but lacked materials to practice with. Wang Daoyuan had materials but no skill. The two of them were natural partners.
Wang Daoyuan took out part of the spirit herbs stored in the Spirit Pearl Space, enough for roughly a hundred batches of Spirit Gathering Pills. One batch of alchemy materials could produce at most ten pills. Given Wang Shouhong's skill, he should be able to produce nearly five hundred pills.
Inside his cave dwelling, Wang Shouhong was pondering how to improve his alchemy a little further and reach the minimum standard for refining second-tier pills. He did not hear the knocking at all.
Wang Daoyuan scanned with his divine sense and confirmed that someone was inside and that the cave dwelling's restrictions had not been activated. He used an Earth Escape Talisman and slipped directly into the cave dwelling.
The disturbance from the earth escape startled Wang Shouhong. When he turned around and saw Wang Daoyuan, he jumped in fright and reproached him, "If you needed me, why didn't you knock?"
"Seventh Uncle, I knocked for half an hour, but you didn't hear me. I had no choice but to resort to this."
"I was a little too absorbed in my thoughts. Did the elders need something from me?"
"Not exactly. I need something from you. I want to discuss a business deal with you."
"What business deal? Your Seventh Uncle only has a few Spirit Stones, and I don't know how to do business. Don't go cheating your Seventh Uncle."
"How could I? I have a batch of alchemy materials and want Seventh Uncle to help me refine pills. How about we split the proceeds thirty-seventy?"
"How much material do you have?" Wang Shouhong asked excitedly.
Seeing the excitement on Wang Shouhong's face, Wang Daoyuan thought, This might work. He hurriedly replied, "A hundred batches of Spirit Gathering Pill materials. If you need more, I'll find a way to get some."
Wang Shouhong was overjoyed. "I won't hide it from you, Seventh Uncle is still a little short of becoming a Second-Tier Alchemist. I've been racking my brains over how to make up that last bit.
"You know the Lineage's supply of spirit herbs has never been enough. In the path of alchemy, thirty percent is talent and seventy percent is resources. Without spirit herbs for practice, how could one improve?
"These hundred batches of materials have helped me tremendously. To say something embarrassing, Seventh Uncle has never seen so many alchemy materials at once. I won't ask for a share. I'll refine the pills for you for free."
"Seventh Uncle, please don't say that. I came to you for pill refinement because the situation is unstable and the prices of all kinds of cultivation resources are skyrocketing. I want you to help refine pills so we can profit from them. If you refine them for me for free, how could I ever have the face to come to you again?"
After some back-and-forth, they finally agreed on an eighty-twenty split.
Wang Daoyuan could not remain idle either. He still had several hundred sheets of First-grade High-grade Talisman Paper, and the Spirit Ink he had bought last time was still plentiful.
Wang Daoyuan cultivated only a Water Attribute Cultivation Method. When making Water Attribute Talismans, he simply used his divine sense as a guide while drawing the runes and poured his own spiritual power into them. So long as there were no mistakes in the process, a Talisman was complete.
However, when making Talismans of other attributes, Wang Daoyuan did not possess spiritual power of the corresponding attribute in his body. He had to draw in spiritual energy from the outside world while drawing the runes and inject it into the Talisman.
Drawing spiritual energy from the outside world could not be mentioned in the same breath as providing spiritual power himself. Not only did it add the step of drawing in spiritual energy and lengthen the crafting time, it also increased the chance of mistakes and intensified the consumption of divine sense.
Drawing spiritual power from Spirit Stones consumed far less divine sense and was faster as well, but the cost was no laughing matter. Wang Daoyuan was unwilling to waste Spirit Stones so extravagantly.
When making high-grade first-order Water Attribute Talismans, he could produce at most twenty-five or twenty-six a day without affecting his success rate, and his success rate was no lower than sixty percent. When making Talismans of other attributes, he could make at most twenty a day, with a success rate of only around fifty percent.
However, Water Attribute Talismans were not particularly impressive in either offense or defense, so Wang Daoyuan had no choice but to make large quantities of Talismans of other attributes.
Of course, those were for his own use, so he needed to cover all angles and have Talismans of every attribute. The Talismans he sold did not need such trouble. Water Attribute Talismans could make up the bulk, supplemented by a small number of Talismans of other attributes. It saved both time and effort.
Wang Daoyuan's success rate in making high-grade first-order Talismans was already no lower than that of Ninth Uncle Wang Zhide, and his divine sense was not much weaker either. Yet he was completely incapable of making second-tier Talismans.
Restricted by his cultivation realm, his control over spiritual power was insufficient. The spiritual power Wang Daoyuan could mobilize at once was not enough to make a Tier Two Low-Grade Talisman. Talisman crafting had to be completed in one unbroken flow; insufficient spiritual power would directly result in failure.
Generally speaking, the minimum cultivation required to become a Tier Two Low-Grade Talisman Master was Qi Refining Peak. However, Wang Daoyuan's divine sense was already comparable to that of an ordinary Qi Refining Peak cultivator. The strength of his divine sense could compensate for his lack of realm to a certain extent.
Once he reached Qi Refining Layer Eight, his divine sense would surpass that of most Qi Refining Peak cultivators. Then, he would be able to barely mobilize enough spiritual power to make Tier Two Low-Grade Talismans.
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