When it comes to cultivating immortality, it naturally starts with upgrading the herb garden.

Even the best foundation-building spells are still spells at their core, and no matter how much you increase the foundation-building probability, you can't change their nature.

The higher the level of a spell, the more difficult it becomes to cultivate.

Song Chen's comprehension is roughly limited to high-grade spells. Beyond that, relying solely on his own comprehension to master top-grade spells is as difficult as Jingwei trying to fill the sea.

Just one week later.

The progress of cultivating top-grade spells began to slow down.

However, judging from the overall nature of the spells, Song Chen has only mastered less than a third of them.

This means that if Song Chen were to seek out a cultivator to expound on the Dao, he would practically have to give them the entire book of spells, teach them the spells, and then teach them back.

It's not only difficult, but nobody's willing to do it.

Think differently.

Your colleague got the project and worked on it for a week.

A week later, a colleague asked you how the project was going, and it turned out you'd only completed less than a third of it, and didn't know how to do the rest...

This is tantamount to asking for trouble.

Thus, two more possibilities emerged in front of Song Chen.

Firstly, it is more appropriate to find fellow cultivators who practice the same method, as it is more suitable to exchange ideas with like-minded people.

Secondly, take the old path you previously considered, but you must solve more than two-thirds of the spell's problems on your own, and the remaining one-third of the problems must be unrelated to other parts of the spell and can be asked separately.

The first option is clearly impossible.

This method comes from the Zhang family's treasure vault. The Zhang family is gone, and there are very few cultivators left. There are absolutely no cultivators who know or practice this method.

Not to mention that the Zhang family doesn't have any cultivators at the peak of Qi Refining, they don't even have one at the tenth level of Qi Refining. How could they possibly skip two levels to learn the Foundation Establishment Technique?

Therefore, there is only the second option left for Song Chen.

However, it might take Song Chen over a hundred years to solve the problem on his own. He must find another way, or take a roundabout approach.

For example, improving Song Chen's own comprehension, or obtaining magical artifacts related to comprehension, or something else.

"Enlightenment Pill".

Song Chen recalled the pills he had found in the system interface.

The name of this pill gives one the feeling that it can enhance one's comprehension. If one could obtain this pill, it would surely solve the current problem.

However, Song Chen did not know the whereabouts of the Enlightenment Pill, nor even its formula.

How can anyone find or refine a pill that seems to have appeared out of nowhere?

"It's still stuck."

Song Chen was annoyed.

Although the weight of the foundation is increasing every day, and the body-condensing technique I've been practicing is working well, I'm stuck on the most crucial foundation-building stage.

This is really annoying.

"This is so annoying... I should go out and look for resources related to comprehension!"

Just before he was about to lose control of his emotions, Song Chen gave himself an instruction.

Then, filled with worries, he went out.

Thinking only leads to problems; doing leads to answers.

......

The streets are the same as always, Fengye City is the same as always, and Old Qin is the same as always.

"Old Qin!"

Song Chen greeted him subconsciously.

Old Qin was stunned for a moment, then asked nervously, "Senior, may I ask who you are...?"

Upon hearing this, Song Chen looked completely bewildered.

Only then did he realize that he had shed his original skin and returned to his original appearance.

"Old Qin doesn't recognize me now."

Song Chen's feelings were complicated. He didn't explain, but simply asked:

"Elder Qin, I've heard of your reputation; you're known as a kind person. Could you recommend a place around here that sells medicinal pills?"

In the past, Song Chen sold his pills at the Pill Pavilion and never went to other shops.

Dan Pavilion is a pill-making force in Fengye City backed by a Golden Core True Monarch. It specializes in collecting and selling pills and herbs from rogue cultivators. The prices are fair, but the only drawback is the high handling fees. However, it is perfect as a gray area for demonic cultivators and those who rob cultivators.

Song Chen's trip this time was almost entirely for the Enlightenment Pill, so he definitely wanted to visit several places to check things out.

"Yes, we do, but what kind of pills or spiritual herbs are you looking for?"

Old Qin blushed upon being praised like that and replied enthusiastically.

After a moment's thought, Song Chen confessed:

"Yes and no. I have poor comprehension and want to find pills or spiritual herbs to improve it, or other resources related to comprehension."

Old Qin suddenly realized: "Your idea is indeed good, but there are very few pills that can improve comprehension. They were sold out as soon as the news came out. At this time, you will only be disappointed no matter which store you go to. It is better to focus on other resources related to comprehension, which may yield higher returns."

Old Qin is indeed a bold and rational person. He can still speak so frankly in front of Song Chen, who is a stranger and has a higher cultivation level. He has a good way of dealing with people.

This is also why Song Chen enjoys communicating with Old Qin.

There aren't many twists and turns, and no scheming.

Song Chen cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me, Elder Qin."

Old Qin was slightly taken aback. The action looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was.

"Resources related to enlightenment are all precious, such as Bodhi seeds and enlightenment knives. Don't even think about getting these outside of auctions."

"However, there's always a silver lining in the universe. You can try to pick up the scraps. The results might be less than ideal, but you'll still gain something."

Upon hearing this, Song Chen's eyes lit up: "Then where should I look for bargains?"

If Qin Lao has said this much, it basically means there's more to come; otherwise, why would he keep people in suspense?

as predicted.

Old Qin smiled and stretched out his hand, rubbing his fingertips together a few times.

Song Chen understood immediately, handed over a few spirit stones, only five in total, and said, "This is just a small token of my appreciation."

Old Qin took it and, without keeping anyone in suspense, said:

"The westernmost street in Fengye City is less crowded and has fewer shops. The items sold there are mostly old and secondhand. Although the quality is poor, it's precisely because no one goes there that there's a chance of finding treasure. You can give it a try. Whether you find it or not depends on your luck, not on me."

Song Chen nodded, bowed in thanks, and left first.

Upon seeing this action, Qin Lao's memories flooded back, and a dark-skinned figure seemed to appear before his eyes.

By the time Old Qin came to his senses, Song Chen was already gone, and he immediately looked displeased and said:

"This person! So reckless, he didn't even tell me his name. Oh well! I see him as nothing more than a hopeless, mid-level Qi Refining cultivator at the peak of the intermediate stage!"

......

Song Chen moved swiftly through the crowd, heading towards the west side of Fengye City.

As you get closer to the west side, the surrounding buildings gradually age, from brand-new high-rises to dilapidated buildings.

Song Chen seemed to step into a torrent of time, witnessing the decline and rise of Fengye City.

The number of pedestrians gradually decreased, until only a few scattered monks were walking on the street.

Song Chen slowed down; he had now fully entered the street where old and used goods were sold.

"Let's choose one first and see how it goes?"

Song Chen turned into one of the shops.

This is a genuine old shop. There is an old clock on the counter that swings back and forth. The owner wears a single pair of glasses, sits in a rattan recliner, and behind him is a knife in a black scabbard with a dusty handle.

The shop owner was a thin, middle-aged man. Seeing Song Chen enter the shop, he adjusted his glasses and looked up, saying:

"What do you want?"

"Old items, just browsing."

Song Chen didn't say it explicitly, but instead said it this way.

Upon hearing this, the boss waved his hand, indicating that he could go straight in without any hesitation.

Having received instructions, Song Chen immediately stepped into the shop and began to explore.

The items are very old; many old knives and swords are rusted, and many items seem to be broken, yet they are still placed on the shelves to make up the numbers.

"Jingle bells."

Song Chen touched a bell, which made a loud clanging sound when he struck it.

The boss glanced at the newspaper for a moment, then quickly looked away.

"This bell seems to have a refreshing effect? ​​I wonder if it also improves comprehension?" Song Chen wondered to himself.

"That's not what you're looking for, don't bother looking," the shopkeeper said casually.

Song Chen stopped fiddling with his hands, looking puzzled.

Does the boss even know how to predict the future? How could he say something like that?

"Why do you say that?" Song Chen asked, puzzled.

"That bell has been sitting there for years and no one has bought it. It's just an ordinary bell, useless."

The boss, his gaze fixed on the newspaper, said calmly:

"Everyone who comes into my store is like you. They see the bell as soon as they enter, buy it, and then come back to return it because they're not satisfied. I don't want to cause any trouble. If you insist on buying it, I will not accept returns."

Upon hearing this, Song Chen felt relieved.

"If that's all the boss is worried about, then it's fine. How much could a piece of junk cost anyway? We've already bought it."

Thinking of this, Song Chen asked, "How many spirit stones does this bell cost?"

"One thousand spirit stones."

Song Chen's lips twitched, his gaze fixed on the boss, a look of disbelief on his face: "How much?"

"One thousand spirit stones, no bargaining."

How can this old man extort money from people without batting an eye?

"This bell, worth a thousand spirit stones?"

After receiving confirmation, Song Chen's desire to purchase dropped significantly.

Exchanging a thousand spirit stones for a piece of junk is simply not worth it.

He thought for a moment, and then realized that perhaps this thing really was a treasure, otherwise why would the boss price it so high?

and many more!

Perhaps Song Chen had the same idea as the first few people who came into the store, but they bought the goods and couldn't get them, so they came back to return them.

This is the boss's way of motivating people to make money!

In this remote shop, there is no foot traffic, so frequent business is not possible; the only option is to increase the profit from each individual transaction.

Having considered this, Song Chen abandoned the idea of ​​buying the bell and instead looked at other items.

Seeing this, the boss's lips curled up slightly, but he remained expressionless.

The other items were nothing special, just scrap metal.

Song Chen was helpless.

Having no better option, I decided to leave the shop and return to buy a bell to try my luck.

The other shops were in similar situations, all giving the impression of being in dire need of rebuilding, and probably hadn't even stocked up on much inventory.

After going around in circles, the bell turned out to be the only somewhat useful item.

This forced Song Chen to consider it.

Is it worth exchanging a thousand spirit stones for junk?

A thousand spirit stones is not much for Song Chen; he can earn it back with just one pill. But that doesn't mean he's willing to throw away a thousand spirit stones.

There were many billionaires in my past life, but I never saw one of them casually throwing away a few thousand dollars!

As Song Chen thought this, he began to evaluate the bell in his mind.

Finally, he made up his mind: "I'll buy it! At worst, I'll just refine more pills!"

Back at the shop, Song Chen strode straight towards the bell.

The boss's smile widened when he saw Song Chen.

The moment Song Chen touched the bell, the boss's voice rang out:

"Two thousand spirit stones."

......