The next day, Lin Changheng went straight to the General Affairs Hall and submitted his choice of a "profit share," then examined the enormous panel of light at the center of the hall.
Lines of mission information scrolled across it.
It was a Projection Artifact, which could be powered with a small amount of spiritual energy to record information.
The postings were all routine tasks.
They included sowing spiritual plants, tending them with spells, raising spirit fish, harvesting them on schedule, watching over herb gardens, turning the soil, and planting seeds. None required much specialized expertise; anyone who learned one or two particular spells could do them. They were intended for ordinary clan members.
Tasks with skill requirements, such as pill refining and talisman crafting, were not displayed.
Looking thoughtful, Lin Changheng went straight to the steward here to ask.
"A newly ranked Pill Master?"
When Lin Changheng nodded, the steward took out a thick ledger and told him to come directly to him for any pill-related tasks in the future.
"Are there any other pill-related tasks besides refining?"
Lin Changheng acknowledged this, then asked carefully, "Such as disposing of Inferior Pills?"
"Oh?"
Steward Xu Xuzhong gave him a slightly surprised look. Then, seeing Lin Changheng's face brimming with enthusiasm and recalling the age recorded in his file, he understood at once.
Early thirties-the prime age for striving, a first-rate beast of burden.
With a wife and children, the added weight of offspring would make him even easier to drive. He could practically be called a born sacred physique of drudgery.
What a pity...
He muttered inwardly, then moistened a finger against his lips and lowered his head to search the ledger.
Lin Changheng had no idea what the man before him was thinking. He simply waited.
A short while later, Xu Xuzhong finally looked up. "There are no tasks for disposing of low-grade Inferior Pills available at the moment. An elderly Pill Master has taken them on long-term. Other Pill Masters are also waiting in line."
An elderly Pill Master?
This time, it was Lin Changheng's turn to be puzzled.
But Xu Xuzhong soon added a brief explanation. "He has a grandson at home who has just come of age, with a low-grade spiritual root."
So that was it.
Another tale of a candle burning itself to ashes, hoping its grandson would become a dragon.
Even the cultivation world could not escape it.
Nodding, Lin Changheng earnestly requested, "When new pill-disposal tasks come in, please reserve one for me, Steward. It will add fuel to the fire of my Dao Path and let me contribute more of my humble self to the clan's rise."
These ringing words immediately raised Lin Changheng in Xu Xuzhong's estimation. "Rest assured, I will save one for you."
"Thank you."
Lin Changheng departed, leaving Xu Xuzhong with the sight of a back as straight as a pine.
Two years flew by.
It was late at night, and the private courtyard at the Tide Listening Dojo was utterly silent.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A faint fluctuation suddenly emanated from the room, growing stronger and stronger.
The spiritual energy gathered by the low-grade [Spirit Gathering Array] formed small vortices that streamed into the figure sitting cross-legged in the center, his hands forming a seal.
Inside his body, the commotion was no less intense.
A faint glow lit his dantian. The [Flowing Flame Art] circulated through its full cycle, continually refining spiritual energy into his body and turning it into trickles of magical power that suffused his dantian.
Lin Changheng could feel that the bottleneck blocking his cultivation from advancing had finally been worn smooth and was beginning to loosen.
Without hesitation, he crushed both low-grade crimson Spirit Stones in his hands. Pure spiritual energy surged into his qi channels like a rushing torrent.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Crack-
Something seemed to shatter inside him.
An indescribable sense of comfort instantly swept through his entire body.
"It worked."
Lin Changheng was thrilled, delight spreading across his face. Yet he did not interrupt his cultivation. He continued until he had absorbed all the remaining spiritual energy, then slowly brought his practice to a close.
At this moment, he had advanced to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, becoming a mid-Qi Refining cultivator.
"I've cultivated for over sixteen years, and I'm already thirty-four. At last, I've broken through to mid-Qi Refining... It was a little slow, but progress is all that matters. Besides, once I improve my spiritual root, my speed will increase accordingly."
Lin Changheng cast a Cleansing Spell on himself to wash away his sweat, then went out into the courtyard and poured himself some wine beneath the brilliant moonlight.
He raised his cup to invite the bright moon; with his shadow, they made three.
It suited this scene perfectly.
"If I hadn't decisively spent eighty Spirit Stones at the Hundred Treasures Hall on the formation flags and disc for this first-tier low-grade [Spirit Gathering Array] and set it up, this breakthrough probably wouldn't have come so easily."
After draining a cup, Lin Changheng could not help shaking his head as he thought back on it.
Heaven was unfeeling, and all cultivators suffered.
He had still underestimated the stubbornness of this mid-stage bottleneck.
Had his spiritual root not already reached low grade, and had he not had the help of a first-tier low-grade [Spirit Gathering Array], there was no telling how much time breaking through this bottleneck would have taken.
It might even have taken twice his original estimate of two and a half years.
A mixed spiritual root imposed far too many limitations...
"Fortunately, from now on, I only need to cultivate step by step, accumulate magical power, and press forward with courage. I won't encounter another bottleneck until I reach the peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining."
Lin Changheng chuckled, suddenly feeling much more relaxed.
"I wonder whether I can improve my spiritual root to middle grade before that bottleneck arrives. That would greatly reduce the pressure of breaking through."
"I still need to work hard!"
Only after pouring the entire flask of spirit wine into his belly did Lin Changheng stagger drunkenly back into the room and lie down.
He fell into a deep, snoring sleep.
Lately, he had been refining pills without pause and facing considerable pressure in his cultivation. It had been a long time since he had rested properly.
The next day.
The sun was already high when Lin Changheng slowly woke, feeling refreshed and clearheaded.
The cultivation world's spirit wine truly was extraordinary. It was extremely potent, yet caused none of the headaches or other unpleasant effects of a hangover.
Today, he was letting the furnace rest and taking a break from pill refining. After enjoying a proper breakfast in the courtyard, Lin Changheng stared at his Storage Bag, deep in thought.
He had accumulated far too many pills by now.
It was not just [Crimson Flame Pills]. He had also become extremely proficient at refining [Wood Origin Pills], producing five pills per batch, including one Premium Pill.
His Storage Bag held over three hundred Premium Pills alone!
After the profit split, he had originally received a hundred and eighty Standard Pills, all of which he had sold to the Hundred Treasures Hall.
At seventy percent of market price, they had earned him two hundred and fifty-two low-grade Spirit Stones.
As for the Premium Pills, he did not dare sell a single one. He kept them all in his hands, only daring to take two a month himself.
In reality, however, the "Great Reclamation" was raging like a wildfire, with heavy casualties. Pill prices outside had therefore soared by at least twenty percent, yet the so-called "market price" at the Hundred Treasures Hall remained two Spirit Stones.
The Xu Family profited at both ends, earning a substantial sum.
But for safety's sake, Lin Changheng had no choice. It was the best option. After all, it spared him the risks of going outside, which made it worthwhile.
For two years, he had stayed holed up with the Xu Family, never venturing out at all. The bloody storms of the outside world had nothing to do with him, and he was happy that way.
But letting ever more Premium Pills pile up in his hands was no solution. Sooner or later, he would have to make a trip outside, though only once he had enough means to preserve his life.
To that end, he was also planning carefully.
Once he sold these pills, his Spirit Stones would surge to nearly a thousand!
It was an extremely considerable fortune.
As for the treasure seed.
The [Origin Treasure Seed] had accumulated over halfway...