First Pot of Gold

While Qin Huaian's Mirror Body deduced the Qi Recovery Pill, his true body began circulating the Azure Splendor Art in meditation. He knew full well that cultivation was the foundation. Pills, artifacts, talismans, and formations all existed to obtain cultivation resources and thereby raise one's cultivation.

He did not cultivate the newly acquired Everlasting Spring Art. The Azure Splendor Art had already been deduced to perfection, and the Everlasting Spring Art was not some top-tier technique. Even if deduced to perfection, it might not absorb spiritual energy much faster than the Azure Splendor Art. Once he reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, if he still lacked the subsequent portions of the Azure Splendor Art, he would consider switching to the Everlasting Spring Art.

Early the next morning, Qin Huaian woke Wang Baole. After having a hearty breakfast at the inn, the two headed toward Cloudfield Market.

This place was only several hundred li from Cloudfield Market, and the entire route was a flat main road. The two used Skystride Hundred Transformations and raced toward the market.

Not long after setting out, waves of alchemy insights regarding the Qi Recovery Pill flooded into Qin Huaian's mind. They included every sort of realization—how to process the medicinal herbs, when to add them, how to control the heat—making it seem as though he had refined the pill hundreds or thousands of times already.

Qin Huaian knew that he had gained entry into refining Qi Recovery Pills. At the entry level, the success rate for alchemy was fifty percent.

The raw medicinal ingredients for one batch of Qi Recovery Pills cost a little over twenty spirit stones and could yield ten pills. A bottle of ten Qi Recovery Pills sold for one hundred spirit stones. Even at only a fifty percent success rate, the profit margin reached one hundred percent. It was clear that pills were a wildly profitable trade. If the success rate rose, the profits would be even greater.

Of course, the early investment required to nurture an alchemist was extremely high. Every alchemist was piled up from heaps of spiritual herbs. Unless one possessed exceptional talent, it was generally difficult for an independent cultivator to become an alchemist through their own efforts.

By the time they reached the market's gate, it was already afternoon.

"Fatty, where are you staying?"

"Brother Qin, I don't have a place to stay yet."

"I went mining not long after arriving at the market, so I'm not very familiar with Cloudfield Market. Brother Qin, could you help me see where would be better to stay?"

"Come with me first. Let's see if there are any vacant cave dwellings for rent near my place." Before heading to the mining area, Qin Huaian had already paid another sixty spirit stones for half a year's rent. There were still several months left before it expired.

Qin Huaian brought Wang Baole to the management office for the area where he rented his dwelling. The room next door, which Su Yichen had occupied, had already been rented out. There happened to be a vacant room two doors away, so Wang Baole rented it.

"Minimum lease is three months. Ten spirit stones per month," the cultivator at the management office said indifferently.

"Alright, alright. Sorry to trouble you." Wang Baole handed over thirty spirit stones.

After leaving the management office, Qin Huaian asked Wang Baole, "Fatty, what are your plans from here on? Will you cultivate alone while waiting for the sects to recruit disciples, or find work to earn spirit stones?"

"I only have less than two hundred spirit stones left. I don't know if they'll last until the sects begin recruiting. Brother Qin, what do you think I can do to earn spirit stones?"

"Take Fundamentals of Alchemy and the Everlasting Spring Art. I copied out a set while we were at the inn." As he spoke, he handed the two books to Wang Baole.

"You can try learning to identify medicinal herbs. Once you're familiar with them, you can take on work processing herbs. If you don't use spirit stones directly for cultivation, it should cover your daily expenses."

"Alright, Brother Qin. I'll give it a try." Wang Baole accepted the two books.

After reaching the residential district, the two returned to their respective rooms. Though the rooms were not large, each had an activation formation and a soundproofing formation. Naturally, they were both rather low-grade formations.

Qin Huaian returned to his room, sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, and opened his panel:

Cultivation: Qi Refining (Fifth Level, 2/100)

Cultivation Technique: Azure Splendor Art (Perfection)

Fireball Technique (Perfection)

Spirit Eye Technique (Great Mastery, can be optimized)

Skystride Hundred Transformations (Great Mastery, can be optimized)

Skills: First-Rank Alchemist (Qi Recovery Pill: Entry Level, can be deduced)

After reaching the fifth level of Qi Refining, although his rate of absorbing spiritual energy had increased, his cultivation progress had slowed considerably. Over the past few days, the Mirror Body had been cultivating with spirit stones nonstop. In three days, it had consumed more than a hundred spirit stones, yet his cultivation had increased by only two percent.

There were not many spirit stones left. Without using spirit stones to cultivate, his speed would be less than half as fast.

He could now refine Qi Recovery Pills. Though he was only a First-Rank Alchemist, that was already extremely rare in Cloudfield Market. He should be able to earn spirit stones through it.

Tomorrow, he would first sell the ore. He could no longer keep mining in the future. As his strength rose in the later stages, he would need more and more spirit stones. Mining made it too easy to expose his Seed Space. It could only serve as the first pot of gold for his initial accumulation.

Early the next morning, Qin Huaian set off for the Hall of Myriad Treasures in the inner city. He intended to sell the ore for cash.

"Hello, Fellow Daoist. What would you like to purchase?" As soon as Qin Huaian entered the Hall of Myriad Treasures, a Qi Refining Stage third-level cultivator dressed as an attendant came forward to greet him.

"I'm selling some ore." Qin Huaian made his way with practiced ease to a small private room nearby.

The prices were still the same as last time. After appraisal and weighing, he had one piece of Red Copper Essence weighing thirty-three jin and 9,573 jin of Red Copper Ore, for a total of 11,024 low-grade spirit stones.

The attendant gave Qin Huaian 110 mid-grade spirit stones and 24 low-grade spirit stones. The commonly used spirit stones in Cloudfield Market were low-grade and mid-grade spirit stones. High-grade spirit stones were extremely rare here and seldom used in transactions.

Qin Huaian put away the spirit stones. "Do you have alchemy furnaces here?"

"Yes, yes! This way, please." The moment the attendant heard that Qin Huaian wanted to buy an alchemy furnace, he immediately became more enthusiastic. Even the way he looked at Qin Huaian gained a trace of respect.

Alchemists were highly respected in Cloudfield Market. On one hand, alchemists were generally rather wealthy. On the other, one never knew when they might need to ask an alchemist for help.

"This pill furnace is a mid-grade Dharma Artifact, priced at 4,200 low-grade spirit stones." The attendant pointed at a pill furnace around one chi tall.

In the Cultivation World, magical treasures were divided into Dharma Artifacts, Spirit Artifacts, and True Artifacts. Each grade was further divided into four subgrades: low, mid, high, and supreme. A mid-grade Dharma Artifact was already quite good for an ordinary Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

"This larger pill furnace is a high-grade Dharma Artifact, priced at ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. This alchemy furnace offers both a better pill formation rate and higher-quality pills." The attendant introduced it in an unending stream.

"That's only one hundred mid-grade spirit stones," the attendant added.

Alchemy furnaces were actually this expensive? Qin Huaian asked, "Do you have a cheaper alchemy furnace?"

The attendant paused slightly, then smiled as he pointed to another furnace somewhat smaller than the mid-grade Dharma Artifact furnace.

"This pill furnace is a low-grade Dharma Artifact, priced at 1,600 low-grade spirit stones. If used to refine second-rank pills, its pill formation rate will drop greatly, and the furnace may even explode. Which one would Fellow Daoist like?"

Qi Refining Stage cultivators could generally only refine first-rank pills. Refining second-rank pills required the assistance of divine sense, which generally only emerged upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm. Only then could one use divine sense to assist in alchemy.

However, ever since obtaining the Seed Space, Qin Huaian's confidence in reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm had soared. He felt that he would still refine second-rank pills in the future.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Huaian said, "Then I'll take that mid-grade Dharma Artifact pill furnace."

After paying the spirit stones, the attendant took out the pill furnace and handed it to Qin Huaian. "Please keep it safe, customer."

After leaving the Hall of Myriad Treasures, Qin Huaian headed toward Rosy Cloud Pavilion. He was going to buy some of the spiritual herbs needed to refine Qi Recovery Pills.