Winds Rise over Blackcloud Ridge

Liu Yuanchen returned to the alchemy room, took out the Crimson Copper Furnace, and casually refined two batches of Grain-Banishing Pills.

He still had over thirty pounds of spirit grain. Cultivating the Blood-and-Qi Tempering Technique consumed Grain-Banishing Pills at an enormous rate, so he simply refined all of it into pills.

After spending two days, he refined all the spirit grain into Grain-Banishing Pills. He produced a total of 102 pills, with an average success rate of less than sixty percent.

More than forty of them were high-quality Grain-Banishing Pills, while the rest were also close to high quality.

Each batch yielded three or four pills, usually three. He could never take things a step further.

Afterward, he began refining Spirit-Restoring Pills.

To improve his success rate, he refined only two batches of pills per day.

After finishing the two batches of Spirit-Restoring Pills, he would review the shortcomings in the refining process and make improvements.

Yet his success rate still showed no obvious improvement.

Twenty portions of Spirit-Restoring Pill ingredients could theoretically produce at most two hundred pills. In reality, he produced 110, for a success rate of less than sixty percent. Twenty of them were high-quality Spirit-Restoring Pills.

Moreover, refining Spirit-Restoring Pills was just like refining Grain-Banishing Pills before.

Each batch yielded five or six pills, and he could never improve any further.

"My ability to refine essences is no worse than those expert alchemists, perhaps even better.

"If my success rate refuses to rise, then my fire control must have reached a bottleneck."

Fire control was the innate weakness of all wood-attributed alchemists.

There were quite a few ways to improve fire control. One could cultivate secret fire-control arts, or increase the strength of one's divine sense.

But neither secret fire-control arts nor secret techniques for strengthening divine sense were things one could obtain casually.

At the very least, the Liu Family possessed no such secret arts.

Even the Azure Elixir Sect regarded such secret arts as extremely important.

As a mere Qi-Nourishing Realm disciple, he truly had no qualifications to learn them.

Even if he obtained such secret arts, improvement would be a gradual process, and it would be difficult to see results in the short term.

Still, there were some special artifacts that could make up for insufficient fire-control ability.

The Crimson Copper Furnace he was currently using had a similar effect, but it was far too weak.

What Liu Yuanchen needed was an artifact specifically designed for fire control, not a pill furnace with some fire-control ability.

However, such artifacts were specialized items. Few people refined them, and it was uncertain whether Qinghe Town even had any for sale.

"Fire-control artifacts are hard to buy, but the Myriad Treasures Trading Association may have something like that.

"Either way, I have to try my luck.

"Even if I can raise my success rate by ten percent, my profits will increase by a great deal."

Having made up his mind, he did not continue refining Qi-Nourishing Pills.

A single portion of Qi-Nourishing Pill ingredients cost ten Spirit Stones, while each Qi-Nourishing Pill sold for three Spirit Stones. It would be far too painful to waste them on failed batches.

He should first get his hands on a fire-control artifact, raise his success rate, and then try refining Qi-Nourishing Pills.

He glanced outside. The sun had already tilted westward, hanging above the western mountains.

In less than half a Shi Chen, the sky would be completely dark.

It truly was not a good time to head to Qinghe Town.

Calculating the days, he had spent over ten days on alchemy. Adding the time he had previously spent cultivating the Blood-and-Qi Tempering Technique in Qingstone Mountain Blessed Land, twenty days had already passed.

The spirit grain in the Blessed Land should have ripened by now.

Xiao Yu could loosen the soil and water spirit plants, but he did not know how to harvest them.

"I'll first go to Qingstone Mountain Blessed Land to harvest the Golden-Thread Rice, then visit the Myriad Treasures Trading Association in Qinghe Town."

Once night had fully fallen, Liu Yuanchen set off for Qingstone Mountain Blessed Land.

Upon arriving in the Blessed Land, he found that the Golden-Thread Rice had indeed ripened. The rice ears had completely turned yellow.

The heavy ears of rice drooped nearly to the ground.

Liu Yuanchen had grown Golden-Thread Rice for many years, yet this was the first time he had seen rice ears over a foot long.

Before he could begin harvesting, Xiao Yu awoke from meditation.

He leaped up from the ground and landed on Liu Yuanchen's shoulder.

"Father, you haven't been hurt while you were outside these past few days, have you?"

Liu Yuanchen rubbed his head. "I'm fine. Whenever I encounter danger, I run."

Xiao Yu then pointed at the spirit grain as though claiming credit. "Father, I haven't been idle while you were gone.

"I watered them, loosened the soil, and even talked to the spirit grain. Whatever they needed, I provided.

"Otherwise, they couldn't have grown so many seeds."

Liu Yuanchen was rather curious. "You can communicate with spirit grain?"

Xiao Yu nodded. "Of course. My true body is White Jade Ginseng, and I'm also a plant, so there's no obstacle to communicating with them.

"It's just that they're too stupid. They don't understand many things, and I have to explain them.

"Talking to them is especially tiring. It's much easier talking to you, Father."

Liu Yuanchen looked at the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling. "Can you communicate with it?"

Xiao Yu shook his head. "It should be able to understand me, but it ignores me, and I don't dare get too close to it."

Liu Yuanchen felt a surge of excitement. The ability to communicate with plants was no small thing.

Whether it was searching for precious spirit plants or avoiding danger while traveling outside, it would be of great use.

Once he became stronger, he could take Xiao Yu out to search for high-grade spirit plants.

That was certainly impossible for now. A Ginseng Doll was immensely valuable.

If word got out, even the Origin Condensation ancestors of the Azure Elixir Sect would likely make a move to seize him.

With his current strength, Liu Yuanchen simply could not protect him.

He took out a sickle from his storage pouch and harvested the Golden-Thread Rice while chatting with Xiao Yu.

After processing it all, he obtained twenty pounds of Golden-Thread Rice.

He was somewhat surprised. The Blessed Land was not large to begin with.

The Golden-Thread Rice occupied only about a third of it, an area roughly one-fortieth of an acre.

Converted into yield per acre, that came to eight hundred pounds.

The spirit fields near the Azure Elixir Sect's mountain gate had once used fourth-rank spirit fields to grow Golden-Thread Rice.

Even after employing every possible method, the yield had only exceeded four hundred pounds.

Here in the Blessed Land, Xiao Yu had handled everything himself, yet the yield had nearly doubled.

The Blessed Land and Xiao Yu had truly given Liu Yuanchen quite a surprise.

From the newly harvested Golden-Thread Rice, he selected the plumpest grains as seeds and planted them again.

During the planting process, he discovered that some empty land had appeared along the edge of the Blessed Land once more.

The entire Blessed Land now had a diameter of three zhang and three cun.

In just over twenty days, the Blessed Land's diameter had increased by another two cun.

Liu Yuanchen was rather puzzled. The last time the Blessed Land expanded, it could be linked to the increase in his cultivation.

But since his last visit, he had only cultivated the Blood-and-Qi Tempering Technique and had not advanced his cultivation.

Why had the Blessed Land expanded again?

Could it be that the Blessed Land continuously grew while absorbing spiritual energy? Or perhaps when he broke through last time, the Blessed Land should have expanded more.

It was just that the process happened slowly, and this latest expansion was simply the lingering effect of his previous breakthrough?

He sighed softly. "The cultivation technique created by Grand Immortal Zhenyuan may be brilliant, but it's a little too detached from reality!

"Especially the content of his teachings. Most of it is extremely profound, and I can only grasp the general idea.

"The only relatively straightforward part is the cultivation technique itself."

"But that makes sense. How could those qualified to listen to Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's teachings be ordinary people?

"With my little bit of talent, I can't compare to them.

"Being able to get a Blessed Land and a cultivation technique for free is already a blessing from heaven."

Although the newly added vacant land was not much, it was all fertile soil.

Liu Yuanchen did not let it go to waste and planted it all with Golden-Thread Rice.

Now that he was cultivating the Blood-and-Qi Tempering Technique, his consumption of Golden-Thread Rice was growing greater and greater.

After tending to the spirit fields, Liu Yuanchen did not remain in the Blessed Land for long.

Before dawn arrived, he swiftly returned to Yujin Mountain.

A faint red glow gradually appeared in the eastern sky, and the Black Mist around Yujin Mountain quickly dispersed.

By the time the rising sun showed half its face, the Black Mist had vanished without a trace.

Liu Yuanchen activated the defensive formation of his cave-dwelling, left Yujin Mountain, and headed for Qinghe Town.

Along the way, he encountered many independent cultivators.

Moreover, most of them were wounded.

Liu Yuanchen found this strange. Life on the Red Wasteland was difficult, and independent cultivators often fought fiercely over resources.

But everyone was fairly rational. Once someone was seriously injured, they would become prey for numerous other independent cultivators.

To recover quickly, they would need to spend Spirit Stones to buy healing pills.

For independent cultivators, every Spirit Stone had to be carefully budgeted.

Without enormous benefits at stake, independent cultivators generally tried to avoid conflict.

After arriving in Qinghe Town, Liu Yuanchen headed straight for the Liu Clan Elixir Shop.

When Liu Qingfeng saw him arrive, his face broke into a deeply wrinkled smile.

"Virtuous Nephew Yuanchen, have you come to sell pills again?"

Liu Yuanchen nodded and took out a cloth bundle containing eighty Spirit-Restoring Pills.

Ten were high-quality Spirit-Restoring Pills, while the other seventy were close to high quality.

The moment he saw the pills, Liu Qingfeng's eyes filled with astonishment. "Virtuous Nephew Yuanchen, your success rate in refining Spirit-Restoring Pills has reached forty percent?

"There are even ten high-quality pills among them, and the rest are all close to high quality."

Liu Yuanchen chuckled. "Back at the Ancestral Grounds by Dongyang Lake, the First Elder gave me the alchemy inheritances gathered by the family, as well as the insights summarized by our clansmen.

"After gaining some understanding from them, my alchemy skills improved slightly."

Liu Qingfeng was full of excitement. "Excellent! It seems you possess extraordinary talent in alchemy.

"Before long, our Liu Family will have a second-rank Alchemy Master.

"Virtuous Nephew Yuanchen, do you need to purchase more spirit herbs?"

"I naturally need to buy more spirit herbs, but I need to purchase an artifact first."

Liu Qingfeng nodded and took out a storage pouch. "There are one hundred Spirit Stones inside. Take them first."

Liu Yuanchen was somewhat surprised. "Sixth Uncle, Spirit-Restoring Pills cost one Spirit Stone each.

"Even if high-quality Spirit-Restoring Pills cost ten percent more, that only comes to eighty-one Spirit Stones. Why are you giving me so much?"

Liu Qingfeng smiled. "You live over at Yujin Mountain, where information is cut off, so you don't know what's happening outside.

"The price of Spirit-Restoring Pills has now risen by twenty percent. Your Spirit-Restoring Pills were already worth over ninety Spirit Stones.

"I'm only giving you a hundred Spirit Stones, just a few more. Consider it support for your alchemy."

Liu Yuanchen was even more confused. "Ever since I began cultivating, the price of Spirit-Restoring Pills has always been very stable. There has never been any fluctuation. What happened this time?"

Liu Qingfeng's face was full of delight. "Speaking of which, this has something to do with the Ancient Cultivator's Cave-Dwelling in Black Wolf Valley."

"That Ancient Cultivator's Cave-Dwelling produced quite a few good things and drew many independent cultivators into conflict.

"How many treasures could one cave-dwelling contain? Many independent cultivators who found nothing were unwilling to accept it, so they searched the surrounding area.

"To the north lies Azure Elixir Sect territory, where they did not dare cause trouble. But the south is unclaimed land, so independent cultivators flooded over there.

"As a result, they discovered that many springs had dried up, and many ponds and lakes had run dry."

"The ponds and lakes in Blackcloud Ridge have existed for who knows how many years, and there are quite a few spirit fish that have reached rank.

"There are also spirit objects that sank beneath the water, as well as Ore Veins deeply hidden underwater, all exposed now.

"These spirit objects sparked fights among countless independent cultivators as well. Over the past month, the independent cultivators in the south haven't had a moment of peace.

"Once they start fighting, how could pills like Spirit-Restoring Pills not become more expensive?"

"Oh, right, Virtuous Nephew Yuanchen. The best-selling items now are healing medicines like Blood-Staunching Powder and Flesh-Regenerating Pellets. Their prices have already risen by fifty percent.

"If you have time, refine more Blood-Staunching Powder and Flesh-Regenerating Pellets. You'll definitely make quite a profit."

Liu Yuanchen nodded slightly, then left the elixir shop.

A storm raged in his heart. The time when the Spirit Spring in Black Wolf Valley dried up matched the time when he opened the Blessed Land.

The major disturbances in Blackcloud Ridge now were very likely caused by his opening of the Blessed Land.

After obtaining the Blessed Land, Liu Yuanchen had only wanted to cultivate in a stable environment.

But now the independent cultivators nearby were in complete chaos. Cultivating peacefully was becoming increasingly difficult.

After leaving the elixir shop, he headed straight for the Myriad Treasures Trading Association.

Before he had taken more than a few steps, he encountered several Azure Elixir Sect disciples walking toward him.

One of them was Zhang Jingcheng, who had previously gone to Yujin Mountain to collect spirit grain.

Liu Yuanchen stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Senior Brother Zhang. Greetings, senior brothers."

Zhang Jingcheng smiled. "Junior Brother Liu, what a coincidence to run into you here."

"I came out to purchase cultivation resources. Senior Brother Zhang rarely comes to Qinghe Town."

Senior Brother Zhang sighed. "Don't mention it. Who knows what trouble has appeared in Blackcloud Ridge? Quite a few ponds and lakes have dried up, exposing some ancient cultivator cave-dwellings and Ore Veins.

"The higher-ups sent people to investigate and found that some of the Ore Veins are quite valuable.

"But traces of Demoncloud Sect disciples have appeared there as well. The higher-ups are worried that they might cause trouble, so they sent people to drive off those Demoncloud Sect demonic cultivators.

"And just like that, this miserable task fell to the few of us."

After chatting for a few moments, the anxiety in Liu Yuanchen's heart grew even stronger.

The appearance of Demoncloud Sect disciples near Azure Elixir Sect territory could trigger a conflict between the two sects, perhaps even a battle between righteous and demonic factions.

Once war broke out, either his father or he himself could be conscripted onto the battlefield.

Previously, he had only been a first-rank mid-grade Spirit Apothecary, and his value to the sect was not particularly high.

Disciples with poor talent and little value were the most likely to become the first wave of cannon fodder. Zhang Jingcheng and the others were cannon fodder.

Once summoned, let alone cultivating in peace, they could lose their lives at any moment.

If he did not want to be cannon fodder, he had to demonstrate his value.

Liu Yuanchen secretly made up his mind. He had to raise his alchemy skills to the upper first tier as soon as possible, then return to the sect and join the Elixir Hall.

As long as the sect had not reached a life-or-death crisis, it would not send Alchemy Masters onto the battlefield.

Once he joined the Elixir Hall, his status would rise greatly, and his father would be safe as well.

After all, he had the potential to become a second-tier Alchemy Master.

His father was the link between him and the family. Once his father went to war and suffered some mishap, he and the family might turn against each other.

The patriarch and the First Elder were both shrewd men. Even if they sacrificed descendants of the main branch, they would not send his father onto the battlefield.

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