Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

Half an hour later.

Li Xiuyuan bid farewell to Pang Dehai and left Lingbao Pavilion, heading towards his own little nest.

I had just gotten home when there was a knock on the door!

"Wang Daniu?"

"Big Niu, you're a rare guest!"

Li Xiuyuan opened the door and greeted the person outside with a smile.

"Brother Li."

Wang Daniu stood outside the door with a big smile on his face, carrying two jugs of spirit wine.

As soon as I entered the house, I saw the fragrant monster meat stewing in the iron pot and several rare spiritual fruits in the vegetable basket.

Having experienced more than a decade of trials and tribulations in the cultivation world, Wang Daniu was no longer the ignorant farm boy he once was.

This was Li Xiuyuan's celebration of his promotion to a low-grade alchemist, and he just happened to be there!

"Brother Li, I heard you can refine the Mind-Clearing Pill now!"

Turning his head, the honest and simple-minded Wang Daniu scratched his head and grinned foolishly.

"Yes, I was fortunate enough to break through thanks to the guidance of Lord Du Wuxin some time ago."

Li Xiuyuan responded with a smile, and there was no need for him to hide it.

Da Niu was also aware of his relationship with Du Wuxin.

"Brother Li, this is wonderful! We can cultivate immortality in the market for the rest of our lives!"

Wang Daniu excitedly stepped forward, put his arm around Li Xiuyuan, and slapped Li Xiuyuan's buttocks twice.

Time flies, but Da Niu is still the same honest and simple farmer in front of Li Xiuyuan.

Wang Daniu placed the spirit wine on the table, his face beaming with excitement.

"These two jugs of spirit wine are for Brother Li to celebrate!"

In the world of cultivation, good friends are easy to find, but true confidants are hard to come by.

Li Xiuyuan skillfully served the monster meat and spirit fruit to the table, while Da Niu set out the bowls and chopsticks.

The spirit wine filled the cups, the two smiled at each other, and began to drink heartily, one cup after another, until they had satisfied their craving for alcohol, before finally eating meat with gusto.

"Brother Li, first you broke through to the third level of Qi Refining, and then you became a first-level alchemist. Your future is bright, congratulations!"

Li Xiuyuan nodded with a smile. He was worried that he had nowhere to share his joy, but with his close friend Da Niu in front of him, he didn't pretend anymore.

For cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining, or even those in the Foundation Establishment stage, this improvement is negligible.

But for these lowly, independent cultivators, every step forward is the result of immense hard work and is worth celebrating.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the tipsy Wang Daniu became more talkative.

"If you ask me, Brother Li's ability to refine the Heart-Clearing Pill proves that he has reached the level of a first-grade low-level alchemist. He should start planning for his future as soon as possible."

"I understand!"

Li Xiuyuan nodded solemnly.

The Dan Ding Sect places great importance on the lineage of cultivators; those who are not from a family of cultivators cannot access the core inheritance.

Those recruited into the sect, whether they are rogue cultivators or disciples from ordinary backgrounds, are subject to suppression and constraints from aristocratic families.

Take him for example. He has a mid-grade spiritual root, and after entering the Pill Cauldron Sect, he still spent nearly twenty years as a fire-tending boy.

Without a background or connections, these people have no chance of getting ahead in the Dan Ding Sect.

He was able to refine the Heart-Clearing Pill, but it was only infinitely close to a mid-grade first-level pill.

He can't be considered a true mid-grade alchemist; the most obvious difference between the two is the price of the pills!

The price difference between Qingxin Dan and second-grade medium-grade pills is two to three times.

Furthermore, most alchemy inheritances in the cultivation world are of the lower and middle grades of the first rank, while those of the upper grade and above are monopolized by powerful families and sects.

Unless you are fortunate enough to inherit the legacy of your predecessors or the cave dwelling of an ancient powerful being.

After all, elixirs are like accelerators for cultivation; how can they be used to give a rogue cultivator a cheat code to surpass a senior cultivator?

Wang Daniu may seem simple and honest, but he is actually quite shrewd despite his rough exterior.

The two had known each other for many years, and he could easily tell that the man was trying to recruit them.

"Da Niu's words were loaded with meaning. It's not surprising that the Zhou family, which has a centuries-old tradition of cultivating spiritual plants, also has a lineage of alchemy."

Looking out the window at the hazy moonlight, it seemed as if the dangers ahead were unclear.

Li Xiuyuan sighed deeply and turned to go back into the house.

"It's hard to be a person, and it's even harder to be a live-in son-in-law. I don't blame Da Niu for acting as a go-between, but joining the Zhou family is not what I wanted."

"It's not that there are no alchemy inheritances outside, but they are all mastered by a very small number of cultivators, and they often appear in auctions."

"The downside of joining a cultivation family is the lack of freedom, even less than that of a sect. I imagine that with the sects expanding their territory during this period, things will likely remain peaceful for the next four or five years. At that time, the offers from the various families will be more generous."

Li Xiuyuan analyzed to himself, his hands still busy, "None of this concerns me. Pang Dehai's offer is much more generous. As expected, he comes from a superior sect. His original sect is good, his vision is broad, and he's very generous!"

The green bamboo sword kept slashing at the wooden stakes that were half a person's height, as if venting its frustration.

With his frustration dissipated, Li Xiuyuan decided to cook.

"Knock knock knock!"

Just then, a rapid knocking on the door interrupted his actions.

Li Xiuyuan cautiously opened the door.

Upon seeing that the visitor was Huang Dali, he leaned against the wooden door with his hunched back.

He looked much older than when he last visited, and his coarse hunting clothes had a tear in them.

Several claw marks of varying depths were visible on his arms, and his trouser legs were stained with mud and dark red blood.

It's obvious that he's fought a real battle with monsters.

He was clutching a black cloth bag tightly in his arms, his hands protecting it fiercely, as if it were more important than his own life.

Upon seeing Li Xiuyuan, his cloudy eyes lit up.

"Greetings, Master Li!" His tone was full of humility and deference.

Li Xiuyuan glanced at his trouser leg and immediately recognized it as a scratch from a first-tier Azure Wind Wolf, carrying a trace of beast venom. If left untreated, the venom could be life-threatening.

He said in an equal tone, "Fellow Daoist Huang, if you don't treat this beast venom immediately, this leg will probably be crippled!"

Huang Dali waved his hand, a relieved smile appearing on his aged face: "Congratulations, Alchemist Li, on becoming a low-grade alchemist! This old man has come to offer my congratulations!"

"Thank you for your kind invitation, Daoist Huang. Please come into my humble abode for a chat and have a cup of hot tea before we continue our conversation."

Li Xiuyuan opened the protective barrier that came with the courtyard and invited Huang Dali inside.

"Thank you very much, Master Li!"

A smile appeared on Huang Dali's dark face.

Inside the room, Li Xiuyuan asked Huang Dali to sit for a while, while he brewed a cup of spiritual tea.

Huang Dali watched Li Xiuyuan's busy figure and then looked around.

The room contained only a table and chairs, and some daily necessities; it was extremely simple and sparsely furnished.

Even after becoming a master alchemist, Fellow Daoist Li still lives a simple life; he truly is a diligent cultivator!

"Fellow Daoist Huang, please have some tea!"

Li Xiuyuan moved with practiced ease, serving the spirit tea and sitting down to the side.

"Master Li, this is a humble token of my appreciation; I hope you will accept it!"

Huang Dali carefully untied the black cloth bundle, revealing a herb with pale blue leaves and a silvery sheen covering its top and bottom.

Abundant in spiritual energy and with a slight herbal fragrance, it is the main ingredient of the Spirit Awakening Pill, a mid-grade elixir.

Qi-Boosting Pill, Qi-Nourishing Pill, and Qi-Gathering Pill are collectively known as the Three Heroes of Qi Refining!

These are all the most common elixirs used in Shanyangfang City to help improve cultivation.

The Spirit Awakening Pill is most effective at improving the cultivation level of mid-stage cultivators!

A mature Qingling Grass costs about two to three spirit stones, and with the recent price increase, it won't be cheap at all.

"This is too valuable, Fellow Daoist Huang, I cannot accept it."

Li Xiuyuan glanced at them and firmly refused.

He knew that Huang Dali was already struggling financially, and that he also needed to buy medicine for his grandson during this time.

Every single penny of it was the money he earned by killing demons.

"If it weren't for Master Li giving me the Bigu Pill last time, I would have been surrounded and killed by demon wolves in Qingfeng Valley. Master Li saved my life twice. I, Huang Dali, will remember this for the rest of my life!"

Huang Dali looked at Li Xiuyuan and said in an extremely firm tone, "Besides, I also have a favor to ask of you this time, Master Li, please don't refuse!"

Huang Dali was about to kneel down when Li Xiuyuan was startled and quickly got up to help him up.

"No need for that, Fellow Daoist Huang's kindness is appreciated!"

Li Xiuyuan nodded helplessly, accepted the Qingling Grass, and said, "I don't have any other skills, but I know a little about alchemy. If Fellow Daoist Huang needs any pills in the future... perhaps I can be of help!"

Li Xiuyuan limited his assistance to pills, meaning that he was powerless to help in any other way!

The situation is now extremely volatile. Countless rogue cultivators have flooded into the market, causing chaos, while hordes of demonic beasts have risen up and wreaked havoc, creating a perilous situation.

Li Xiuyuan was barely able to protect himself, so how could he possibly care about others?

Upon hearing this, Huang Dali was overjoyed and wept, asking, "Does Fellow Daoist Li still have any Qingxin Pills?"

"Yes, we do have some, but most of them are of low quality. Would Fellow Daoist Huang be able to use them?"

"It's useful, it's useful to this old man!"

Huang Dali nodded excitedly, as if afraid that Li Xiuyuan would change his mind.

Seeing the strange look on Li Xiuyuan's face and the slight movement of his chapped lips, he gave a detailed explanation.

Among these demon hunters, they are not a monolithic group; each has their own small faction. When they go out, they will help each other to some extent due to their agreement, and occasionally they will join forces when they go to the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains and the front lines of the Wilderness.

With the Upper Sect about to begin its expansion, more strength means more chances of survival, so their demand for consumables such as pills and talismans is extremely high.

But their spirit stones were all obtained by risking their lives, like licking blood from the edge of a knife or digging them out of the mouths of demons. They valued spirit stones extremely much, even to the point of being stingy.

Therefore, instead of buying expensive pills from major shops, they privately sought out alchemists and purchased pills at low prices by exchanging resources brought from the wilderness and demon races.

Many demon hunters, burdened with families and strapped for cash, resorted to buying even inferior or useless pills.

They have a saying: "Die early and your eggs will face the sky; die late and you'll live for ten thousand years; the poison in your body won't need treatment, you'll eat those demon beasts to death!"

"I only have six."

Li Xiuyuan didn't sell them all at once, keeping some as a precaution.

"That's enough!"

A smile squeezed out of Huang Dali's old, bark-like face.

"I wonder how much the price is?"

"What do you think is a suitable amount, Fellow Daoist Huang?"

Li Xiuyuan countered with a question.

"How about eight...eight spirit crystals?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Huang Dali's rough, dark face. He felt a little embarrassed to have reduced the price by 20% in one go.

However, he didn't have many spirit stones to begin with, and he was willing to abandon his pride in order to save some spirit stones. This was the helplessness of the life of a rogue cultivator.

Li Xiuyuan took a sip of tea, pondered, and remained silent.

After a long while, he shook his head again.

Huang Dali blushed, sighed inwardly, and was about to raise the price.

"I can sell it to you for a starting price of seven spirit crystals, but you'll need to help me collect alchemy materials?"

"A 30% discount? Is that really true!"

Huang Dali was startled upon hearing this, seemingly unable to believe it.

He quickly pressed on, "Fellow Daoist Li, are you really offering it at a 30% discount?"

"Great, 30% off."

"Even Qi-Nourishing Pills and Spirit-Awakening Pills, which enhance cultivation, can be sold to you at a 30% discount."

"I will provide the funds to purchase the elixir!"

Li Xiuyuan took out a bottle of Qingxin Pills and the spiritual materials for refining Yangqi Pills and Qiling Pills that he had copied from "Detailed Explanation of Alchemy" and handed them to Huang Dali.

Huang Dali was already stunned by Li Xiuyuan's promise, and subconsciously opened it to check as instructed.

Each pill was plump and round, with a fragrant aroma and exquisite patterns; truly a low-grade Heart-Cleansing Pill!

From the description in the booklet, he could roughly tell that it was some kind of elixir to enhance cultivation.

Huang Dali sincerely thanked him, saying, "Fellow Daoist Li, you're new to alchemy, yet your alchemy skills are already so superb. I admire you greatly. Thank you for the discounted price."

"Rest assured, fellow Daoist, I'll put in a good word for you with the demon hunters. Leave this to me!"

Huang Dali looked solemn and immediately made a vow in the name of Heaven in the name of himself and his grandson.

If a cultivator breaks such an oath, he will be punished by Heaven, and his body and soul will perish.

Li Xiuyuan didn't say it, but the smile on his lips betrayed him.

Opening up a channel for purchasing low-level alchemy materials would reduce his costs and free him from dependence on others.

Even if he sells the pills at a 30% discount, the market demand from demon hunters is huge, so he can still make a profit even if he sells them at a 50% discount!

Huang Dali then took out four spirit stones and two spirit crystals and handed them to Li Xiuyuan, thus concluding the transaction.

The two chatted over tea, and before they knew it, they had grown closer.