Having reached an agreement, Guan Sheng handed Han Yi the Pill Formula for the Evil-Repelling Pill and enough Spirit Medicine to refine twenty batches. Han Yi was deeply grateful for this trust.
Next, he left twenty Spirit Stones with Guan Sheng and used the remaining twenty to purchase raw materials for refining Qi Nourishing Pills and some Spirit Sand. He then departed the Profound Fire Pill Shop and hurried back to his residence.
Fifteen minutes after Han Yi's departure, Jiang De descended from the upper floor of the Profound Fire Pill Shop, his gaze fixed on Guan Sheng with a hint of gloom.
"Old Guan, what scheme are you hatching?" he demanded. "Aren't you worried this kid will run off with the money? The Pill Formula aside, those twenty batches of materials alone are worth a fortune."
Jiang De's face betrayed barely concealed anger, fueled by Guan Sheng's unilateral decision-making without consulting him.
Guan Sheng's usual jovial expression vanished as he met Jiang De's gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I told you," he said, "this kid is the scapegoat."
"As for how things will proceed from here, you needn't interfere. I'll handle everything."
Guan Sheng's tone betrayed little emotion, yet Jiang De felt a chill run down his spine, though his anger remained undiminished.
"Very well," Jiang De said. "Since Old Guan insists, I'll stay out of it."
"However, I will report this matter truthfully to the Hall Master. You'd best prepare your own explanation."
With that, Jiang De flicked his sleeve and turned on his heel, striding back to the second floor.
Behind him, Guan Sheng stared at Jiang De's retreating figure, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.
"Fool," he muttered. "Does he really think having a backer grants him free rein to scheme behind my back?"
The sinister smile vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
"Still, for Han Yi to successfully refine three batches of Qi Nourishing Pills in such a short time... his Alchemy Technique has truly advanced by leaps and bounds."
"All the better," Guan Sheng mused. "Someone like that will make a far more convincing scapegoat."
"The plan remains viable."
Meanwhile, back in his courtyard, Han Yi activated the Formation Plate, locking the gate before laying out all his supplies.
He began taking inventory:
Materials for Qi Nourishing Pills, materials for Evil-Repelling Pills, the Evil-Repelling Pill Formula, Spirit Stones, Spirit Sand, and other miscellaneous items.
He didn't immediately start refining Evil-Repelling Pills, nor did he continue refining Qi Nourishing Pills. Instead, he picked up a Spirit Stone and began cultivating.
His Cultivation Realm was the foundation. Improving it would enhance both the quality and quantity of his Mana, serving as the bedrock for Pill Refinement and other skills. Han Yi understood this clearly.
Before his breakthrough in Alchemy Technique, he had rarely possessed more than ten Spirit Stones and Spirit Sand combined. Weighed down by Points Missions, he rarely had the luxury of using Spirit Stones directly for cultivation, instead sparingly using them only to replenish his Mana.
Now, things were different.
With his breakthrough in Alchemy Technique and the Proficiency Panel at his disposal, Han Yi was brimming with anticipation for the future.
He envisioned a cycle: continuously refining Medicinal Pills, selling them for Spirit Stones, allocating half to cultivation and half to purchasing more materials for Pill Refinement, then repeating the process endlessly.
With this cycle, the Immortal Path seemed within reach.
Han Yi closed his eyes and activated the Fire Pill Profound Art. Instantly, every pore on his body opened, drawing in the surrounding Spirit Qi.
But without a Spirit Vein nearby, the Spirit Qi in the air was pitifully scarce. No matter how hard he tried, he could barely sense any.
Without Spirit Stones, this cultivation session would take forever to yield any noticeable progress.
Under normal circumstances, a cultivator's progress depends on two core factors: their constitution and their environment.
Constitution, simply put, refers to their Spirit Root. A cultivator with a Heavenly Spirit Root can absorb Spirit Qi over ten times faster than one with a Mixed Spirit Root.
Different constitutions mean varying affinities for Spirit Qi, resulting in different rates of absorption. This naturally leads to vast differences in cultivation progress.
Environment refers to the concentration of Spirit Qi in the cultivation area. For example, the Spirit Veins on the Inner Peak of the Profound Pill Sect are at least third-grade, with more than twice the Spirit Qi density compared to the first- or second-grade veins on the Outer Peak.
To illustrate the extreme: if you placed a pig in an Immortal Vein above ninth-grade, it might even achieve immortality simply by eating and sleeping.
The cultivation environment included not only Spirit Veins but also Spirit Stones to aid in practice.
At that moment, although there was no Spirit Vein in the area, the Spirit Stone in Han Yi's palm, guided by his body's natural pull, released a faint, hair-thin stream of warmth that flowed into him. Nourished by this Spirit Qi, his internal Mana surged with renewed vigor, circulating faster and more powerfully than before.
Days turned into nights.
Crack!
The crisp sound reached Han Yi's ears, prompting him to slowly open his eyes.
He lowered his gaze to his palm. The once grayish-white Spirit Stone had crumbled into fine powder. A gentle squeeze reduced it to dust, which slipped away between his fingers.
Turning his attention inward, Han Yi focused on his Mana. He sensed only a subtle difference.
Then, he checked the Proficiency Panel:
[Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining Second Layer (24/100) ]
"Excellent! One Spirit Stone boosted my progress by five points—a significant leap forward!"
Only now did a genuine smile spread across his face.
For the past seven days, without Spirit Stones, his progress had stagnated at 19/100. This time, cultivating directly with a Spirit Stone, the improvement was undeniable.
Lacking talent? Spirit Stones will compensate.
This method worked.
Next, Han Yi entered a frenzied cultivation mode. After consuming ten Spirit Stones, he began refining pills while simultaneously replenishing his Mana with Spirit Stones, carefully balancing cultivation with alchemy.
As his Alchemy Technique improved, his success rate for refining Qi Nourishing Pills reached sixty percent.
The ten sets of Qi Nourishing Pill materials he had purchased yielded six batches, with one batch even producing twelve pills—an exceptional yield.
In total, he refined fifty-eight Qi Nourishing Pills, more than double his previous output.
Han Yi was ecstatic.
Looking at the Qi Nourishing Pills stored in jade bottles, he felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
Next, he attempted to refine Evil-Repelling Pills.
Refining Evil-Repelling Pills was several times more difficult than refining Qi Nourishing Pills, especially on his first attempt.
After wasting five batches, he finally succeeded on the sixth try.
In the end, twenty sets of materials produced only three batches of pills, a success rate of just fifteen percent.
Even within the Profound Pill Sect, such a success rate was typically achieved only by the most skilled pill refiners on the Outer Peak, already considered a modest profit.
Inner Sect Disciples, on the other hand, typically achieved a success rate of twenty to thirty percent or higher when refining Evil-Repelling Pills.
It had been a full two months since Han Yi's last venture outside.
"Time truly flies when one is immersed in cultivation," Han Yi sighed, his gaze falling upon the semi-transparent panel before him.
[Name: Han Yi ]
[Lifespan: 21/87 ]
[Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining Second Layer (87/100) ]
[Method: Fire Pill Profound Art (Entry Level 59/100) ]
[Skills: ]
[ - Alchemy Technique (Initial Glimpse of the Dao 89/100) ]
[ - Spirit Void Finger (Beginner 70/100) ]
"As expected, hard work truly pays off," Han Yi mused. "Twenty Spirit Stones directly boosted my cultivation progress to 87/100. My Method has also improved, and my Alchemy Technique is on the verge of breaking through. Even at the Initial Glimpse of the Dao stage, my pill refinement success rate is this high. What will it be like when I reach the next level? I can't wait to find out."
After reviewing the panel, Han Yi was thoroughly pleased with his progress.
As long as I continue to diligently grind, steadily improve, and advance step by step, the Immortal Path is surely within reach.
How delightful.
Next, his gaze shifted to the array of jade bottles before him. After some deliberation, he selected two refined Evil-Repelling Pills and transferred them to a fresh container.
This was preparation for his upcoming breakthrough to the Qi Refining Third Layer.
With the refined pills sorted and verified, he decided to depart for the Profound Fire Pill Shop. Although the shop required quarterly submissions, Han Yi preferred not to wait and planned to go a month early, which was permissible.