Hardship Cultivation (Seeking Double Monthly Votes - 3rd Update)

In the following days, Xia Dong utilized the secular channels of the Eagle-Wolf Guard and the He Family to procure another batch of auxiliary ingredients for refining Qi-Gathering Pill, masking these purchases within shipments of ordinary rare herbs.

He then entrusted Qin Wan to source new primary ingredients and spiritual firewood from the Marketplace.

With everything prepared, he began large-scale alchemy within the secret chamber of his Tiger Hill Cave Abode.

The Qi-Gathering Pill he produced each time still had a somewhat dull luster, with quality that could only be described as "mediocre."

Yet, just like his talisman making, the success rate was remarkably high—exactly ninety percent, neither more nor less.

Xia Dong mused to himself that this ten percent failure rate seemed to contain the profound truths of the Heavenly Dao.

On the other hand, this success rate was truly astonishing.

One must realize that even for alchemists in immortal sects who have immersed themselves in the Dao of Alchemy for decades, a success rate of thirty or forty percent when refining such basic pills is enough to be proud of. As for higher-grade pills, a ten percent success rate is considered decent when experience is lacking.

If word of Xia Dong's ninety percent success rate were to spread, he would likely be more sought after by certain factions than those famous alchemists capable of refining more potent pills.

This was because the cost was simply too low.

Furthermore, this high-intensity, non-stop alchemy had an unexpectedly excellent effect on tempering his divine sense.

Xia Dong had previously realized that the Yin Evil Pill refined from low-level ghosts at the Mass Grave had completely lost its effectiveness in boosting his cultivation for the Mysterious Yin Spirit Refining Art.

To continue breaking through in his divine sense cultivation, he would need to seek out more ferocious and powerful ghosts to refine Yin Evil Pill.

However, powerful ghosts often entrenched themselves in places of great danger, or possessed high intelligence and bizarre methods; with his current cultivation, there was no need to take such extreme risks.

After all, what if the Bronze Ancient Bell could not yet handle overly powerful ghosts?

But as the saying goes, "plant flowers intentionally, and they may not bloom; plant a willow unintentionally, and it may grow into shade." The long-term alchemy and talisman making, with their extreme cycles of exhaustion and recovery, had pushed his divine sense to the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining without him even noticing.

Yet, Xia Dong had attempted to break through this bottleneck, which seemed as thin as a cicada's wing, several times, but could not find the right opportunity.

"Forget it, haste makes waste."

Xia Dong was not discouraged.

Although low-level Yin Evil Pill could not be used to force a breakthrough, its most basic utility remained—the ability to rapidly replenish depleted divine sense.

Now that he possessed a Storage Pouch, Xia Dong kept a supply of Yin Evil Pill on his person. Whether his divine sense was drained during a battle or he felt inadequate while refining pills or drawing talismans, consuming enough Yin Evil Pill would allow for a swift recovery.

Half a month later, at the Thousand-Household Office of the Eagle-Wolf Guard in Pingyang County.

Xia Dong pushed a heavy jade box toward Zhao Ting and said calmly, "Brother, this contains a batch of 'waste pills.' See if you can find a way to dispose of them."

"Waste pills?" Zhao Ting's brows lifted, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes as he reached out to open the box.

Inside the jade box, dozens of Qi-Gathering Pill were neatly arranged. Although the luster was slightly dim and the spiritual fluctuations were not entirely pure, Zhao Ting recognized at a glance that these were genuine Qi-Gathering Pill.

How could these be waste pills? At best, they were finished pills of average quality, but for those rogue cultivators who lacked resources year-round or the low-level officers of the Eagle-Wolf Guard, these were spiritual pills they could only dream of!

Zhao Ting's thoughts raced. As he looked up at Xia Dong's calm, enigmatic expression, a grand scenario played out in his mind.

I understand now! Zhao Ting mused. These must be the substandard products refined by the high-and-mighty alchemists in the immortal sect, intercepted and written off as "waste pills" by the faction behind Brother Xia. A brilliant move, truly a brilliant move!

Using "waste pills" for accounting was both safe and discreet.

"Waste pills are fine! Don't worry, brother, I will certainly find a good place for this batch," Zhao Ting said, his smile nearly overflowing as he tapped the jade box with a knowing look.

The value of this batch of Qi-Gathering Pill, combined with the batch of low-level talismans Xia Dong had brought along, was self-evident.

Zhao Ting knew that as long as he offloaded these goods in the Prefecture City and the Black Market, he would not only make a fortune in spirit stones but also solidify his position within the Thousand-Household Office.

After returning from Zhao Ting's place with a full haul, the first thing Xia Dong did was send a message to Qin Wan using a sound-transmission talisman he had recently crafted.

The sound-transmission talisman was a new technique Xia Dong had learned; it required specific incantations to activate, making it far more secure.

"Wan'er, there is no need to rent that alchemy furnace anymore. Let us meet; I will give you the spirit stones, and you can help me buy it outright."

After relaying this instruction via the talisman, Xia Dong returned to the Tiger Hill Cave Abode and looked at the massive bronze alchemy furnace with a sense of satisfaction.

In the world of immortal cultivation, an alchemy furnace is actually a tool prone to wear and tear.

Due to frequent "furnace explosions" and conflicts in medicinal properties during the refining process, violent spiritual energy often causes irreversible damage to the formations and materials inside the furnace. If a low-grade alchemy furnace falls into the hands of an ordinary alchemist, it will be completely scrapped within a few years due to the high number of failed attempts.

But Xia Dong's furnace was an exception.

Because of Xia Dong's terrifying ninety percent success rate, furnace explosions were extremely rare. During every successful pill condensation, the spiritual energy within the furnace completed a perfect cycle.

Under such high-frequency circulation, the spiritual energy did not wear down the furnace; instead, it continuously scoured and refined the inner walls.

Thus, this low-grade alchemy furnace, which was not of high quality to begin with, was not ruined; rather, it was being better maintained day by day through the constant circulation of spiritual energy.

Inside the Tiger Hill Cave Abode.

Xia Dong fired up the furnace once more. Relying on his rock-solid ninety percent success rate, he successfully refined another batch of Qi-Gathering Pill and produced a set of basic talismans on the side.

Counting the days, it was time to meet with Qin Wan again.

Xia Dong packed the supplies into their respective categories, cast the Wind-Riding Technique, and silently headed toward the Pine Slope Pavilion outside the Qixia Mountain Marketplace.

Outside the pavilion, the clouds and mist remained as they were.

When Qin Wan opened the parcel handed to her by Xia Dong, aside from the expected basic talismans, the jade bottles containing Qi-Gathering Pill, once uncorked, released a fragrance that made her breath hitch instantly.

"This is... Qi-Gathering Pill?!" Qin Wan picked up a slightly dull-colored medicinal pill.

Although the pill's luster was not perfectly smooth and the spiritual energy within seemed slightly impure, it was undeniably a Qi-Gathering Pill capable of increasing the cultivation of a practitioner in the Qi Refining Realm.

At this moment, the thoughts in Qin Wan's mind were identical to those of Zhao Ting earlier, perhaps even more profound and far-reaching.

Following a hidden dragon like Brother Xia, what worries could she have about her path to immortality?

Qin Wan solemnly stowed away the jade bottles and talismans, immediately beginning to take action.

From then on, Xia Dong had, on the surface, Zhao Ting—a Hundred-Household of the Eagle-Wolf Guard—distributing goods for him through the channels of the Thousand-Household Office and the Black Market, while he himself held the status of a Flag-Bearer in the Eagle-Wolf Guard to scavenge for supplies; in the shadows, he had Qin Wan, an inner-sect disciple of an immortal sect, assisting him.

These two channels, one overt and one covert, did not interfere with each other.

With an income far exceeding that of ordinary low-level practitioners, Xia Dong was completely free of worries, no longer needing to pinch every spirit stone as he had in the past.

He handed over all the daily trivialities of the Changchun Medical Hall to Xiao Hong, while he himself lived like an ascetic in deep seclusion, lurking for long periods within the Tiger Hill Cave Abode and the Well-Bottom Secret Chamber.

The chaos of the outside world, the unrest caused by the Unborn Cult, and the infighting of officialdom were all shut out by him.

Beyond maintaining his income, he devoted most of his energy to the subsequent cultivation of the Evergreen Qi-Circulation Art.

As the Evergreen Qi-Circulation Art operated day and night, the cyan "Qi" within his body grew stronger by the day, undergoing a transformation to reshape his foundation and reverse his innate state.