For the moment, Lin Changheng suppressed the urge to fire off a [Fireball Technique] at the pool in the middle of the night. Instead, he circulated his proficient-level [Flowing Flame Art] and settled into cultivation.
He soon discovered that his efficiency in completing a full circulation had increased by thirty percent!
Absorbing fire spiritual power into his body had become much easier and simpler.
Moreover, when refining it, he no longer found it as difficult to direct or move as before. Following the circulation of his cultivation art, strand after strand was refined into magical power.
This was a tremendous improvement.
Lin Changheng could not help wondering whether, for someone blessed with a heavenly spiritual root, spiritual energy would actively burrow into their body on its own. Would it even shamelessly run along their energy channels and meridians by itself, becoming refined at the slightest touch?
Early the next morning.
Lin Changheng rose early and went into the courtyard.
Facing the morning sun, he formed hand seals and cast his spell. A fist-sized mass of fire immediately took shape in Lin Changheng’s palm, its flames flickering.
The next instant, he directed his gaze toward it. Without any warning, the mass of fire abruptly expanded, stopping only when it reached the size of an infant's head.
Had anyone else witnessed this scene, they would surely have bitten their tongue clean through in astonishment. How had he done that? Could this still be called a "fire bullet"? "Fireball" would have been more like it!
Then the fireball abruptly contracted, returning to the size of a fist. Its power, however, rose by several tenths. Sparks crackled like hot oil as it shot straight toward the pool ahead.
"Hiss!"
The fireball whistled past. With a thunderous boom, scarlet-orange waves of flame devoured their surroundings like the maw of a ferocious beast. The splashing sparks and droplets carried terrifying heat, enough to melt gold and iron!
"Although its speed hasn't increased noticeably, the improvement in its power is plain to see!"
Excitement stirred within Lin Changheng.
What he did not know was that, with the second-tier treasure seed enhancing his fire control, this spell of his already matched-and even surpassed-the power of the [Fireball Technique] at minor mastery!
Meanwhile, next door, Su Shuangjiang, who was still asleep after an exhausting demon hunt, was jolted awake by the disturbance.
She had clearly activated her first-tier low-grade [Soundproofing Array], yet it had still failed to block out the disturbance completely.
After assessing the situation, she traced it to the neighboring courtyard, which was indeed its source.
"Was that Brother Lin? How did he do it...?"
A hint of astonishment appeared in her beautiful eyes as she fell into thought.
Unaware of his female neighbor's astonishment, Lin Changheng had already hurried out, unable to wait any longer, and arrived at the Xu Family's pill shop.
He had just been about to open the furnace and light the fire in the pill room.
"Master Lin."
Hearing activity in the pill room, Xu Liucai hastily bowed respectfully and prepared to wait outside as usual.
"Ah, Liucai. I've gained a little insight into pill refining and need to test it. I won't need you to tend the furnace or watch the fire today. Take the day off and spend it however you like."
Lin Changheng smiled.
"Thank you, Master Lin." Delight crossed Xu Liucai's face. He immediately bowed and left, remembering to close the pill room's door behind him.
By then, Lin Changheng had already gathered his thoughts and focused completely. This time, I’ll try [Fire-Control Art: Spirit Agility]!
Once the furnace was scorching hot, the pills went into it...
By nightfall, the pill room's door remained tightly shut.
Yet no heat escaped.
At that moment, Lin Changheng calmly completed the final set of pill formula hand seals, a faint trace of fatigue between his brows.
"Hum..."
Five pills flew out in a string.
Lin Changheng swept his gaze over them, and his pupils immediately contracted slightly. Among the five, one was distinctly different from the other four.
It was perfectly round, like red jade, with what seemed to be spiritual radiance flowing across it.
His nose twitched. The medicinal scent was crisp and refreshing, seeping into his heart and lungs, its fragrance concentrated rather than dispersing.
"A superior-grade [Crimson Flame Pill]?"
A possibility naturally occurred to Lin Changheng. These two pills were so much higher in quality than the standard-grade [Crimson Flame Pills] he had previously refined that this was the only explanation.
"So it really was a problem with my fire control! I always felt that my refining steps and timing were sound, yet I could never reach the level of Premium Pills. It left me puzzled and troubled."
"Now that my fire control has improved again, I really have refined a Premium Pill!"
"Without the enhancement from the [Second-Tier Fire Crow Treasure Seed], I would have needed to hone my Fire Control skills for at least a dozen years, perhaps even several decades, before I had a chance of succeeding... Master Mo once said outright that he had refined pills for twenty or thirty years before producing his first Premium Pill."
Thoughts raced through Lin Changheng's mind, and a smile emerged on his face.
Refining a Premium Pill was not merely an affirmation of his pill-refining skill. It also meant earning more spirit stones, as well as... another acceleration in his cultivation progress.
At market prices, a standard-grade [Crimson Flame Pill] cost two low-grade spirit stones, while a superior-grade [Crimson Flame Pill] could sell for three to four.
Rogue cultivators with low cultivation rarely bought them. They were not the intended customers.
But mid-Qi Refining cultivators, along with younger members and disciples of cultivation lineages and sects, scrambled to buy them.
For the former, it was because Premium Pills among low-grade medicines remained effective for mid-Qi Refining cultivators, yet were considerably cheaper than mid-grade pills.
For the latter, it was because Premium Pills contained so little pill toxicity that it could be ignored. They did not harm one's Dao path and could rapidly improve cultivation, making them favorites among those who had no shortage of spirit stones.
"From now on, I can take two Premium Pills each month, increasing my cultivation speed by fifty percent!"
"In other words, in roughly another two and a half years, I can perfect my current realm and break through to mid-Qi Refining."
Behind that shortened timeframe lay an expenditure of two to three hundred spirit stones.
"Luckily, I can refine them myself. Otherwise, even with the spirit stones, I wouldn't know where to buy so many Premium Pills!"
Lin Changheng shook his head with a smile.
Pills, artifacts, arrays, and talismans were the four foremost arts among the hundred arts of cultivation, with pill refining tacitly taking first place. Here lay its value and true worth!
Time continued to pass.
Lin Changheng continued quietly refining pills and accumulating superior-grade [Crimson Flame Pills].
He did not reveal the slightest hint of his ability to refine Premium Pills. It would have been far too shocking.
Meanwhile, the changes in Zichuan Market had become impossible for observant people to miss.
Many of the factions operating shops in Zichuan Market were scaling back. In particular, the market's owner, the Foundation Establishment lineage known as the Clearwind Ridge Wang Family, was also slowly withdrawing its forces.
One obvious sign was that the Wang Family's patrols within the market ward had fewer members and were becoming less frequent.
All manner of rumors rose to a deafening clamor in their wake.
Yet the collection of the "reclamation" tax in lieu of service remained unchanged. Under the Wang Family's leadership, it began in full swing.
After all, on the surface, reclamation was an undertaking led by their Upper Sect, the Purple Pole Sect—selfless and impartial, benefiting countless generations!
It was intended to plan for the future of the Zhuang Kingdom's cultivation world and open new horizons for all cultivators beneath heaven. This was a thousand-year undertaking, and every cultivator bore responsibility!
Cultivators had to either participate in reclamation and contribute their strength!
Or pay the reclamation tax and contribute their money!
They had to fulfill one of the two obligations, or be condemned by all beneath heaven and hunted down by their combined forces!
The dangers of reclamation were also obvious. Every "Minor Wilderness Expedition" had a casualty rate of around ten percent, while every "Great Reclamation" saw that rate rise to nearly twenty percent!
But danger often also meant opportunity!
The fiercer the wind and waves, the more valuable the fish!
It was also a chance for rogue cultivators and lineages to leap like carp through the Dragon Gate!