Time flew like a shuttle. Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
The Wilderness was awash in bloodshed, and the outside world was in turmoil. Even the Xu Family was no longer as safe and peaceful as it had once been.
Instead, a grim, oppressive atmosphere had settled over it.
Not even the Xu Family's Land Reclamation team suffering losses in the swamp last time had brought this about.
Everyone coming and going within the clan hurried along with heavy faces, intent on their work. Few had any thought for leisure.
Lin Changheng had no mind to dwell on it. After finishing a batch of the newly requested Miasma-Clearing Pills, he hurried to the General Affairs Hall to collect what he needed for his task, then returned.
He spread open the long wooden box, revealing two kinds of failed and inferior pills. His eyes shone with anticipation as he reached out, connected his mind to the Origin Cauldron, and swept his hand over them.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Every last trace of residual blood essence in the pills was drawn away at once.
In his sea of consciousness, clouds of rosy light surged from the Origin Cauldron's mouth, lending it a hint of an immortal realm.
When the light subsided, two brilliantly glowing treasure seeds, one crimson and one jade-green, appeared before him, both remarkably solid.
[Fire Crow Treasure Seed · Fourth Stage] [Can continue refining the Demon Race's innate talent: Fire Control]
"Another four or five months... Finally! Refine it into me!"
Lin Changheng had waited long enough. Fortunately, he had patience to spare. He muttered the command at once.
The crimson treasure seed drifted down and vanished into his mind.
A molten heat unlike anything he had ever felt spread from his soul through his entire body. It carried a terrifying temperature, yet felt exquisitely soothing.
[Acquired: Fire Control Art · Ascension to Truth] [Effect: Deep control over ordinary flames; greatly enhances fire-type spells]
He immediately went into the courtyard and cast the Fire Bullet Art. The flame in his hand swelled and shrank at will, from the size of an infant's fist to that of a millstone.
He even shaped it into all manner of forms.
A flying bird, a slithering snake, a soaring hawk—it changed without end.
More importantly, the fireball's flames no longer hissed outward and scattered sparks as they usually did. They were perfectly calm.
It hardly resembled unruly fire at all. It looked more like a gentle ball of water.
But only Lin Changheng knew the terror it contained!
Even a cultivator at the fifth or sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, let alone the fourth, would be left battered and soot-streaked by this technique. One careless moment could mean injury or death.
The flame swayed gently in the breeze, illuminating a face bright-eyed with excitement.
Nothing in the world brought greater happiness than progress this steady!
Lin Changheng even felt that he could now refine ten pills in a single batch!
This was the improvement it had brought to his Pill Dao!
And two of those pills could reach Premium Grade!
The proportion of Premium Grade pills might seem unchanged, but in truth, it saved him an enormous amount of time and effort!
Refining ten batches of pills had once taken two days. Now he could finish them in a single batch!
Both his efficiency and his gains had doubled!
"I'll know for sure when I fire up the furnace again!"
Next, he refined the Green Wood Snake Treasure Seed he had successfully obtained through Spirit Snatch into himself.
[Green Wood Snake Treasure Seed · Third Stage] [Poison Neutralization Art · Agility has advanced to Clear Insight.]
Its effect had transformed once more.
[Body's resistance and tolerance to poisons; rapidly refines lower-grade toxins]
"Not bad."
This time, Lin Changheng had no intention of finding a venomous creature or poison to test it. To see any effect, he would probably have to use a mid-grade toxin...
Better safe than sorry...
He dared not try it lightly.
As for the Origin Treasure Seed, the rate of Spirit Snatch had increased, just as Lin Changheng had guessed.
[Spirit Snatch: 62/100]
An increase of eight points.
That was a gratifying pace.
He had fully experienced the benefits of improved comprehension. It made a tremendous difference to cultivation methods, spells, and crafts alike.
After all, it was one of the foundations of humanity's standing as the foremost of all living beings. Naturally, it should be so!
By now, Lin Changheng's Fire and Wood Spirit Roots had transformed again, reaching thirteen strands and nine strands respectively!
Another half month passed before whispers finally emerged from the Xu Family's upper ranks.
They hinted at the cause of the abrupt change in the clan's atmosphere.
The news immediately piqued Lin Changheng's curiosity.
He needed to understand what was happening before he could feel at ease.
It concerned not only the Xu Family, but also the safety of the place where he had long lived. When the nest was overturned, how could any egg remain whole?
Whether the Xu Family could keep standing would determine whether he needed to turn tail and run.
It mattered greatly.
Almost immediately, Lin Changheng heard a vague account from Xu Fugui, but it was enough for him to piece together the general picture.
His mind eased at once.
After its previous losses, the Xu Family's team had adopted a more conservative strategy for its subsequent Land Reclamation efforts.
They advanced steadily, without rushing ahead.
They minimized risks wherever possible and preserved their strength.
Then, half a month ago, a Xu Family member clearing out demonic beasts happened to spot Green Spirit Mugwort seedlings growing near a beast nest.
The observant clansman reported it, and an elder skilled in surveying went to inspect the site. The soil looked ordinary on the surface, but deeper down it was black and red. Further digging showed that this coloration had spread from elsewhere. He therefore reached a preliminary conclusion: a mid-grade or better spiritual land had to be nearby!
When the news reached the clan, its leaders were thrilled.
Green Spirit Mugwort was a first-rank lower-grade spirit herb of limited value. Spiritual land, however, was worth a world apart. The spirit herbs alone, which had grown there for years without being harvested, would fetch a considerable sum of spirit stones.
If they seized and fully developed the land, it could greatly strengthen the Lineage's foundation.
With a little luck, the land might even produce upper-grade spirit herbs!
Its value would rise by far more than another fourfold!
Further exploration went smoothly, confirming that the spiritual land lay in a mountain valley!
But poisonous miasma filled the valley year-round. Cultivators could not enter lightly.
The head of the Xu Family made the decision on his own authority. "Even if it costs us dearly, we must take this spiritual land!"
At the same time, he ordered everyone to keep silent.
He also issued a pill formula and instructed the clan's alchemists to refine large quantities of Miasma-Clearing Pills!
Lin Changheng had his suspicions but could not confirm them, so he simply refined the pills.
Still, he had reserved the task of disposing of the failed and inferior pills early on.
Fortunately, Lin Changheng had spent years making friends and treating others kindly. He had left an excellent impression on Xu Xuzhong, the steward of the General Affairs Hall—
He not only showed a strong sense of belonging and loyalty to the clan, but also handled his tasks meticulously, completed them on time, and never caused any trouble.
Another alchemist, busy refining pills, had missed his deadlines several times and given Xu Xuzhong headaches. Each time, Lin Changheng had stepped in without asking for anything in return, helping him out and sparing him trouble with his clan assessment.
Xu Xuzhong could not strip the other alchemist of his task over such a small matter, but he had hinted repeatedly that when another task came up, Lin Changheng could take his pick—whatever he wanted!
Lin Changheng had also given him several pills that were nearly Premium Grade for his son's cultivation, firmly cementing their relationship.
Thus, the task of handling the new pill's failed and inferior batches could belong to no one but Lin Changheng!
Lin Changheng could hardly wait.
This pill was new to the clan's alchemists, and many lacked Lin Changheng's comprehension and Fire Control. On their first attempts, they would be unfamiliar with it and need to feel their way through. With so many pills required, fatigue would also set in. There were bound to be plenty of failed and inferior pills!
When that happened, he could reap a windfall!
One of the pill's ingredients was the blood essence of the Wood Puppet Fox.
It was a new kind of miscellaneous-grade demonic beast.
What properties might it have?
Before you continue