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

Chapter 9 Refining Again

By communicating with the Yuan Ding, the azure glow at the mouth of the cauldron dissipated, revealing a golden seed and a crimson seed floating within.

【Original Treasure Seed - First Level】

[Spirit Stealing: 9/100]

……

[Fire Crow Treasure Seed - Level 1]

[Spirit Stealing: 6/100]

……

"Six months have passed, and the [Origin Treasure Seed] has only gained nine points of spiritual energy. Although it is extremely slow, compared to the nearly thirty years it took to accumulate one level of treasure seed, it is incredibly fast!"

"Perhaps it's related to my cultivation advancing to the third level of Qi Refining? The stronger one's cultivation, the richer one's essence blood, and the faster one can seize spiritual energy?"

Lin Changheng looked at the golden treasure and secretly estimated its value.

At this rate, it will take five years to successfully seize the spirit and obtain the second-level primordial treasure seed.

If one's cultivation level increases further, this time can be shortened again.

"But with my mixed spiritual root, it would probably take me five years to break through the bottleneck and enter the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Once my spiritual root is upgraded to a low-grade spiritual root, not only will the bottleneck loosen a bit, but the time to accumulate mana and break through the bottleneck will also be shorter. About four years is a reasonable range."

Generally speaking, in the cultivation world, sixty years old is considered the limit for establishing one's foundation.

Unlike ordinary people, their energy and physical strength begin to decline after the age of forty.

Cultivators have longer lifespans, but not indefinitely. After the age of sixty, they will face various problems such as depletion of qi and blood, loss of their original essence, and physical decline.

Before the age of sixty, if a cultivator is not injured, their appearance and physical condition will not change much.

However, after the age of sixty, they will experience rapid aging that is visible to the naked eye.

Loose skin and flesh, graying hair and beard, hunched back...

For someone with mixed spiritual roots like Lin Changheng, the problem isn't whether they can establish a foundation, but whether they can break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

They can easily get stuck at the bottleneck of the mid-stage of Qi Refining for their entire lives, and once they're stuck, it's for life.

This is also the fate of many low-level independent cultivators and family cultivators.

So why did the sects and families look down on "mixed spiritual roots" at the original Immortal Seed Spirit Testing Conference, and why were the Foundation Establishment families indifferent, while only the Qi Refining families extended an olive branch?

That is the key reason.

It's not that people with mixed spiritual roots can't break through to the Foundation Establishment stage; they can, but the chances are extremely low, ridiculously low.

In the cultivation world, apart from the two universally acknowledged "laws of spiritual roots" which are immutable, anything else can happen, and miracles are not uncommon!

Sects and aristocratic families aren't stupid; they can still distinguish between finding gold in gold and finding gold in sand!

The effort and resources consumed are disproportionate and not worthwhile!
Then let's establish a rule and simply not touch it.

……

"For a long time to come, we will have to focus on cultivating the [Fire Crow Treasure Seed] or other new treasure seeds."

"The [Original Treasure Seed] takes time to mature, but other treasure seeds don't. As soon as you obtain them, you can immediately improve them, and your spiritual root will also benefit."

"Oh, right, there's also alchemy..."

Thinking of this, Lin Changheng's eyes flickered.

For the past six months since his awakening, he has not refined any pills again, and the materials provided by the Xu family have been stored untouched in the shop. Now it's time to give it a try.

Six chances!

Moreover, tomorrow is Master Mo's day off, so the alchemy room will be empty and ready to be used.

……

The next day.

Lin Changheng slept until it was fully light before getting up.

Full of energy and in good condition, I stepped into the Xu family's alchemy shop.

"Good morning, Brother Lin!"

A young mortal girl from the Xu family, who had no spiritual roots, was cleaning. Her cheeks were rosy, and she greeted Lin Changheng politely when she saw him.

"morning."

Lin Changheng was a kind person, so he nodded and smiled in response, then asked, "Is the manager here?" "He's in the warehouse."

Xu Ruolan pointed to the door behind the counter at an angle.

"Thank you."

Without looking at Xu Ruolan's excited expression, Lin Changheng waited directly at the warehouse door.

At the Xu family's alchemy shop, Master Mo is the chief alchemist, overseeing all matters related to alchemy, while the shopkeeper is responsible for ensuring the supply of medicinal materials and selling the finished pills.

In terms of status, Master Mo's word is law, and even if there are objections, the shopkeeper has to nod and comply.

"Hey, Changheng! Were you waiting for me here?"

After Xu Qianyou finished counting the medicinal herbs, locked the door, and turned around, he saw Lin Changheng looking at him with a smile on his face. He immediately asked.

"Exactly!"

"Shopkeeper, it just so happens that Master Mo is on holiday today. I have also made some progress in the art of alchemy, so I came to get some medicine to try it out. Thank you for your trouble!"

Lin Changheng deliberately pretended to be eager to try.

"That's right! Changheng, you're only thirty. You have a long life ahead of you and plenty of time. Why spend all your time looking gloomy and letting yourself be shrouded in melancholy?"

"Even if you fail at alchemy, it won't matter. Just hone your magic skills, like the other members of my Xu family. Once you're done with the 'reclamation,' I'll ask the clan for a beautiful woman for you to marry. Your life won't necessarily be too bad... Don't you think so?"

Xu Qianyou had been the manager of the Xu family shop in Zichuanfang for nearly twenty years. He had known Lin Changheng for ten years and had given him advice on many occasions.

Seeing that he has finally understood, I am very pleased.

"Thank you, shopkeeper."

Lin Changheng wholeheartedly agreed, nodding repeatedly, and continued, "But the dust is not yet settled. We cultivators must not give up easily before the very end!"

"If I truly have no affinity for alchemy, I'll really have to rely on you, shopkeeper, to find me a wife—the kind you can't get rid of no matter what. Don't find it troublesome, shopkeeper..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qianyou stroked his beard, shook his head, and chuckled, "You, you!"

Then they got down to business, "You still have six sets of materials to refine pills. How many do you plan to refine this time?"

Six portions!

Lin Changheng looked directly into the shopkeeper's eyes, his voice firm and resolute.

"Six portions?" Xu Qianyou was taken aback and asked again to confirm.

"Six copies! Please take six copies of the materials."

"Alright! Let's wait."

Xu Qianyou looked him over carefully for a few moments, and seemed to be infected by his determination and enthusiasm, before turning around to get it.

Xu Qianyou solemnly handed the six materials for refining the Crimson Flame Pill to Lin Changheng. Seeing him resolutely turn and head to the alchemy room in the backyard, Xu Qianyou's lips moved, but in the end he said nothing, only letting out a sigh.

As time goes by and the world changes, the word "talent" has blocked countless lofty ambitions and washed away countless scholars who have spent their lives in poverty!

Unfortunately, Changheng's ten years of hard work went down the wrong path.

otherwise……

Ugh!
……

At this moment, Lin Changheng was unaware of the shopkeeper's thoughts; he had already lit a fire in the stove.

The flickering flames in the furnace reflected his face, his eyes tightly closed, devoid of joy or sorrow, and he made no movement.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

He had mentally rehearsed the entire process of refining the Crimson Flame Pill once again, down to the last detail.

"The furnace is heated."

Lin Changheng placed the spiritual herbs one by one into the mixture, and used his magic power to continuously cleanse them, which was called "washing".

At the same time, a unique fire-controlling method is used to create flames at the bottom of the medicinal materials, which is considered a form of "refining".

After more than thirty incantations, an hour had passed.

Inside the furnace, each medicinal herb possessed unparalleled purity, emitting a delicate fragrance under the firelight.

Next came the processes of liquefying, combining medicines, and refining...

(End of this chapter)