Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 199 Taking Stock of the Harvest, The Divine Effect of Crimson Crystal

Lin Changheng calmly returned to his seat.

It's normal for the elderly person in charge to feel the pinch.

Of the six medicinal herbs requested by Lin Changheng, four were derived from normal deductions, while the other two were added by Lin Changheng on the spot.

Both are second-tier auxiliary ingredients for the [Youth Preservation Pill], which is quite rare.

However, the medicinal properties of the two auxiliary medicines are not entirely unrelated to the lost ancient medicine, the [Spiritual Elixir].

It's possible to establish connections, and there's a certain degree of legitimacy to it.

Even if you take it out of the box and weigh it, you still won't get a negative answer.

Lin Chang-heng is confident that he can get support.

As for why he didn't use spirit stones to buy it...

It's not that I'm unwilling to buy, but that the other party won't sell.

He came several times, but the answer was always the same: no stock.

Because of these spiritual materials and medicinal resources, even immortal cities plan to sell them or put them up for auction.

It will not be sold casually.

But things are different now—

Whether Lin Changheng's extraction of medicinal herbs was for the sake of Immortal City or was personally approved by the true disciple, it was related to the interests of the core layer of Immortal City, and his authority was astonishingly great. Naturally, Lin Changheng would take the opportunity to use them.

The old man in charge mentioned that the other two alchemists had come several times, but Lin Changheng guessed that they weren't actually there to collect medicine.

They are very likely thinking the same thing: to fleece the Immortal City.

It was this reminder that prompted Lin Changheng to put it into practice.

The old man in charge's refusal was a sign that he had some idea of ​​what was going on, but that was all. After all, Lin Changheng was in the right, and the items belonged to the Immortal City.

This behavior is merely adding "evidence" to absolve themselves of responsibility in case of future investigations or tracing of medicinal materials!
Lin Changheng realized this and immediately cooperated in the act.

Both got what they wanted, and everyone was happy.

Before long, the elderly man in charge came out carrying a tray:
"These medicinal herbs are quite rare. Master Lin should use them carefully, otherwise the warehouse will not be able to produce any more."

"Mr. Lin will certainly not waste money and will do his best, but we cannot rule out the possibility that 'man proposes, God disposes'!"

Lin Changheng naturally nodded in agreement, but did not make any definitive statements.

Upon hearing this, the old man in charge twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. Although this alchemist Lin looked young, he was actually very shrewd and experienced, and he didn't leave any loopholes in his work.

He could only smile apologetically as he saw Lin Changheng off, and he had to say, "Take care, Alchemist Lin! Please come again..."

"I'll bother you again if I need anything in the future."

Lin Changheng was satisfied. He waved his hand with a faint smile, then piloted his magic boat and disappeared into the sky.

……

Outer lake.

Upon returning to Cave No. 98, Lin Changheng saw that Yan Mingyi had already dug a square pool, about ten feet in size, on the left side of the cave courtyard.

It was filled with water, and a giant, dark blue clam was submerged at the bottom.

They each occupy one side of the mud pit, separated by a path from the black-shelled tortoise.

"Brother Lin is back."

Yan Mingyi was immediately greeted.

"Thank you for your hard work." Lin Changheng replied with a smile, patted the female cultivator's head, and then told her that he would be going into seclusion and that all matters would have to be handled by her for the time being. Only very important matters could be disturbed.

"I understand," Yan Mingyi nodded obediently.

After saying a few more words, Lin Changheng went directly into the secluded meditation chamber. The rumbling sound continued as the Dragon-Slaying Stone was put down.

He gained a lot from the trip, but he didn't look at most of it in detail. This time he needs to digest it carefully.

I'm preparing to go into seclusion for an extended period.

First, there's the storage bag I got from killing that guy in the [Wilderness Village] last time.

This person had only recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, so presumably there weren't many resources in his storage bag. Lin Changheng only intended to take a quick look.

Aside from half a bottle of pills for improving cultivation, there weren't many other valuable items inside, only four high-grade magic artifacts, which showed obvious signs of wear and tear, and together they were worth about 1,400 to 1,500 spirit stones.

However, the storage bag contained an unexpected amount of spirit stones, almost five thousand in total.

With a little more saving, I can buy a low-grade spiritual weapon.

However, the two thousand low-grade spirit stones given by Lin Changheng were also included.

Moreover, this person speaks to everyone in a way that is appropriate for them, and the prices they quote fluctuate flexibly.

If Lin Changheng had persisted a little longer, he could probably have bought the main medicinal herb for a thousand spirit stones, but he would have had to take it all back with interest later.

Lin Changheng also knew that after this person killed someone and stole treasure, he would usually sell the stolen goods and turn them into cash in time. The extra high-grade magic artifacts this time were taken from the newly killed person and had not yet been dealt with.

Of course, this wealth is not bad for a newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator, but it means nothing to him.

As for the other medicinal herbs, none of them were suitable for Lin Changheng. It can be said that he was fortunate enough to obtain a precious herb.

Take out the [Purple Jujube Grass].

Lin Changheng carefully cut off the parts that could be used for medicine and put them away, while the remaining root parts were set aside separately, ready to be planted later.

……

Next, Lin Changheng took out the medicinal herbs he had collected from various places during this period and compared them with the formula for the [Youth Preservation Pill]. He found that he had collected almost all of them.

The only missing ingredients are a main ingredient, an auxiliary ingredient, and a catalyst ingredient that is readily available on the market. Once these are combined, a complete set of ingredients can be prepared and refined into a single batch.

Like the Foundation Building Pill, this pill requires the method of dividing the pills. One set of medicinal materials is used to refine three pills, all of which can achieve the effect of "preserving youth".

Lin Changheng was immediately invigorated, seeing a glimmer of hope.

He carefully put it away and then took out the [crimson transparent crystal] given to him by Huang Jiuyuan, the eldest elder of the Huang family and the ancestor of the branch, and began to examine it.

This crystal was discovered along with the "Jade Void Bright Scripture" cultivation technique by Huang Jiuyuan.

It wasn't placed in a storage bag, and he had searched through countless books over the years without finding any relevant information...

Lin Changheng, with his keen senses, carefully investigated and perceived the situation, and suddenly had a guess.

Why wasn't this crystal stored in the storage bag along with the other items?
Is it possible that it is not an "external object"?
On the contrary, it is an "internal object," something inside the body?

Therefore, when Huang Jiuyuan moved the remains, the crimson transparent crystal fell out of the bone-dissolving cultivator's body...

This conjecture is plausible and is one of the most reasonable explanations in Lin Changheng's speculation.

And since this crystal shares the same origin as the "Jade Void Bright Scripture," does that mean...?

"hiss……"

Lin Changheng immediately sat cross-legged in meditation, put down the crystal, and began to cultivate by circulating his internal energy.

Most of the day later.

Suddenly, Lin Changheng's expression shifted slightly.

He cultivated another [crimson true essence] within his body.

Following his previous method, he would "feed" it to the [Crimson Sky Profound Flame] residing in the center of his dantian. This flame would then send him signals of desire and longing.

But this time, Lin Changheng ignored it and slowly moved it around.

The energy was transported through the meridians and energy channels to his palm, where it moved about erratically. Lin Changheng opened his eyes and looked at this wisp of [crimson true essence]. At the same time, he waved his other hand, and with a whoosh, the [crimson transparent crystal] was drawn into his hand.

The two are close together and contrast each other.

Driven by both his senses and eyesight, his pupils suddenly contracted after a long while!
"really!"

After meticulous comparison, Lin Changheng was able to confirm that the two originated from the same source.

They are similar in the details.

The latter is solid, while the [Crimson True Essence] he cultivated is gaseous.

This difference in form may also reflect a difference in quality.

Lin Changheng naturally thought of the differences in magical power during Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Core Formation, which also have gaseous, liquid, and solid states. Could it be that this [Crimson True Essence] also has multiple forms?
Or is it that the [Crimson True Essence] of cultivators who practice this technique is in a gaseous state while alive, but condenses into a solid state after death?
Both possibilities exist, and Lin Changheng was unable to determine the answer at the moment.

"I wonder if we could make use of this [crimson transparent crystal]?"

Lin Changheng's eyes flickered slightly, his thoughts drifting.

Do it when you think of it.

Lin Changheng acted with full force, immediately grasping the fist-sized crimson crystal with one hand and then began to cultivate.

He was sitting cross-legged on the stone bed, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and even.

At the same time, the [Spirit Gathering Array] was activated, and the dense spiritual energy outside the body surrounded the body. As the [Jade Void Bright Scripture] was operated, it was absorbed into the body, flowing mightily and continuously, like a stream washing over the meridians and energy channels.

As he circulated his cultivation technique, Lin Changheng's mind stirred, and he simultaneously unleashed a suction force from his hand, beginning to draw energy from the [crimson transparent crystal].

Lin Changheng was very careful and cautious this time, proceeding slowly and without being rash.

If any problems are discovered, you can stop immediately!

After an unknown amount of time, the [crimson transparent crystal] changed. With a hiss, a wisp of crimson energy began to loosen and sway, being pulled out with difficulty by the suction force generated by the circulation of the technique.

As the crimson energy flowed into his body through his palm, Lin Changheng immediately stopped extracting it again.

Then, focus your attention entirely on looking inward into your body.

Begin to capture the changes this crimson energy may bring to your body.

Lin Changheng was also confident that as long as he didn't absorb too much of it, even if this wisp of energy was toxic or harmful, he could still quickly suppress it, expel it from his body, and control its effects!
However, his contingency plans for dealing with negative situations did not come in handy.

Although this wisp of crimson energy is not his original energy, it is still of the same origin.

Just like human blood, people with the same blood type can share and transfuse each other.

Lin Changheng merely used his cultivation technique to guide and refine it, and it actually internalized it and made it his own...

The magical power contained within was stripped away and incorporated into Lin Changheng's dantian, becoming exactly the same as the one he had refined himself.

It's extremely fast, much faster than refining spiritual energy through multiple cycles of circulation!

Before he could even feel surprised, Lin Changheng discovered that after the energy was stripped of its magical power, what was revealed was actually a wisp of gaseous [crimson true essence]!
"Good guy!"

Lin Changheng was really excited this time!

The true essence rippled slightly in the dantian, immediately triggering a reaction from the [Crimson Sky Profound Flame].

It was like a baby crying for milk in its swaddling clothes, smelling the scent of milk.

His thirst was so intense that he trembled.

"go with!"

Lin Changheng naturally directed this [Crimson True Essence] to approach the flames.

Upon receiving the command, the [Crimson Sky Profound Flame] instantly unleashed a tongue of fire, like a frog catching an insect, sweeping up the [Crimson True Essence] and drawing it into the flame.

"Zizzizi..."

The moment the crimson true essence was engulfed by the flames, the [Crimson Sky Profound Flame] suddenly expanded several times, and a dazzling golden-red light burst forth from the depths of its core, a sensation no less intense than boiling oil over a raging fire!

The flames were no longer leaping as usual, but throbbing like a heart, as if digesting something.

At the same time, the temperature of the air outside Lin Changheng's body also slowly rose, becoming scorching hot.

But Lin Changheng himself looked calm and composed, as if he had long been used to it.

Indeed, every time I "feed" him with my true essence, he exhibits the same behavior.

After absorbing the Crimson Sky Profound Flame, Lin Changheng fed the wisp of true essence he had just cultivated to Lin Changheng again, allowing it to digest completely before stopping.

……

"It's indeed a good thing!"

Lin Changheng was captivated by the [red transparent crystal].

Its core functions are twofold:

Firstly, it can accelerate one's own magical cultivation, essentially allowing one to directly absorb the achievements of others, requiring only simple refining.

It has a bit of the flavor of "pre-made food" from my past life. It's still cooking, but it's so much more efficient!

It can save a lot of time, or allow you to use the same amount of time to improve your cultivation!

Secondly, it allows one to obtain more crimson true essence.

Feeding the [Crimson Sky Profound Flame] will accelerate the accumulation of this flame and speed up the process of transforming it into a third-tier flame.

The only drawback is that this item is consumable; once it's used up, it's gone.

What if... I could acquire more [Crimson Transparent Crystals]?

Could my cultivation speed receive a significant boost?
But the next instant this thought crossed his mind, "No..."

Lin Changheng's expression became extremely solemn.

He's already thinking about hunting others to get crystals, so what about the others?
Will you also have the same idea?
They're also thinking of hunting me down?!
Lin Changheng suddenly realized that this characteristic of the Jade Void Bright Scripture actually turned this technique into a... technique for raising Gu!

Can the Gu devour each other to cultivate the most powerful and strongest Gu?
"So I was waiting for you here!"

Lin Changheng's face was grim.

Clearly, this is a direct departure from his prudent approach!
He was forced to enter, even if he didn't want to.

Because hunters don't care if you're innocent or not!

"This damned cultivation technique! It's one thing to be slow to cultivate, but why wasn't this mentioned beforehand?"

"Perhaps, I can find an opportunity to switch to a different cultivation method."

Lin Changheng immediately snapped out of his initial excitement and smug satisfaction with his gains and began to think about solutions for the future.

However, he had to admit that this technique was very effective, especially the [Crimson True Essence] he cultivated, which allowed him to acquire second-tier superior skills ahead of schedule!
"Fortunately, I have five layers of [Concealing Breath Technique] to protect me, and the origin of this technique seems to be in the neighboring Jin Kingdom, so I don't need to worry about being targeted as prey for the time being..."

Lin Changheng's tenfold [Original Treasure Seed] worked to enhance his understanding and purify his mind, allowing him to calmly begin to think.

Finally, several feasible guidelines for taking action and avoiding risks were established:
Firstly, he will never reveal the cultivation method he practices to outsiders. Currently, only he and the Huang family know about it, and no cultivators in the other clan practice this method, so as not to attract prying eyes and cause collateral damage.

……

(End of this chapter)