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

Chapter 154 A Powerful Combination: Gathering the Medicinal Herbs

【Illusory Appearance and Teleportation Demonic Technique】is also the fifth demonic technique that Lin Changheng possesses!

Following the [Poison-Dispelling Demon Technique], [Fire-Repelling Demon Technique], [Earth Escape Demon Technique], and [Crimson Sky Profound Flame], this technique leans towards a supportive nature.

But it's also extremely important, because how can you survive in the world of cultivation without multiple aliases? It's just too unsafe!

Lin Changheng was satisfied and put away the remaining forty-eight portions of [Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon] essence blood.

The quantity of this essence blood is still far short of the required two hundred portions, and it is unknown when it will be collected in time, so the spirit-stealing will be temporarily put on hold.

If the sect elder's [Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon] were to advance to the second tier, one unit of essence blood would be equivalent to two units now, making the collection potentially faster.

Looking again at the large amount of yellowish-brown [Mountain Moving Ape] essence blood remaining in the box, Lin Changheng communicated with the Yuan Cauldron without saying a word to seize the spirit.

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

【Mountain-Moving Ape Treasure Seed - Double Layer】

……

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

【Mountain-Moving Ape Treasure Seed - Triple Form】

……

Having successfully seized the spiritual essences one after another, the precious seeds solidified one after another. With a thought, Lin Changheng extracted the two precious seeds into his body.

[Can continue refining the demon race's innate talent: immense strength]

Lin Changheng naturally chose to refine it!

……

【Great Strength and Extraordinary Power - Agility】

……

【Great Strength and Extraordinary Techniques - Clarity】

Having experienced the previous scene where the [Great Strength] talent was enhanced, Lin Changheng was well prepared, his legs slightly bent and his feet firmly gripping the ground.

"boom!"

A mysterious change suddenly occurred; his muscles tightened like steel cables, and the veins under his skin bulged out like coiled dragons, and the rushing blood even brought with it the sound of wind and thunder.

Then a muffled thud exploded inside his body, as if a mountain had collapsed, and his bones creaked under the strain.

You should know that he was weak before, but now he has a second-tier physique, comparable to a demon beast of the same tier!

I even felt like I was being crushed by a mountain and couldn't breathe.

An unbelievable thought suddenly surfaced in his mind: "Could it be that the enhancement of this [Great Strength Technique] is a proportional increase to the current strength of my body?"

"Only in this way can the enhancement be so great, making my second-tier body feel such pressure!"

Lin Changheng was not surprised but rather pleased.

Just now, he was worried that the blessing from this treasure seed would be based on the power gained from the first successful spirit-seizing.

If that's the case, then it's especially useless!

Fortunately, it's not static, but rather dynamic and real-time!
Lin Changheng looked down at his palm, his five fingers slightly curled up—

"Crack!" A sonic boom was easily created by squeezing the air, and the gust of wind bursting out between his fingers scraped several shallow marks on the ground. He tried to lift his foot, but before he could exert any force, the blue brick under his foot shattered into dust with a "crack," as if he were stepping on soft sand.

"Not enough testing..."

Lin Changheng was not satisfied. His gaze swept to a piece of black mystic stone in the corner of the courtyard. The material was extremely hard and was often used as a test stone. He wondered which previous owner had left it there. At this moment, he simply walked over, spread his five fingers, placed them on the stone, and pressed down with concentrated power—

"boom!"

The entire piece of black nephrite suddenly shattered, sending fragments flying like rain. Yet his hand remained completely unharmed, as if it were not flesh and blood, but a divine weapon forged through countless trials.

[Effect: Moderately enhances power by 60%, and enables mastery of power manipulation techniques]

[Effect: Greatly enhances power by 90%, and grants profound mastery of the art of power manipulation]

"After refining the [Great Strength Technique - Clarity], the total power boost has almost doubled! It truly lives up to its name of Great Strength! Coupled with my profound mastery of power manipulation techniques, I can better utilize and precisely control my strength, without worrying about feeling uncomfortable with the surge in power..."

Lin Changheng quickly realized what was going on.

As the saying goes, one force can overcome ten techniques, and for him, who is at the second level of body refinement, the talent of the Mountain Moving Ape is just right!

……

Six months later.

Lin Changheng helped six Foundation Establishment cultivators refine second-tier pills again. After deliberately promoting the process, he felt that his reputation and word-of-mouth had been accumulated enough.

Then, through Deng Changsheng, a message was disseminated:
"A cultivator is planning to find someone to help gather enough ingredients for a Foundation Establishment Pill, and then seek out Alchemist Lin to refine it. After initial contact, Alchemist Lin seems interested..."

Often, without any news, many people wouldn't even think about it, but once someone brings it up, they can no longer suppress the related thoughts.

This news caused quite a stir.

Some people think this person is really bold. Although Master Lin's alchemy skills are excellent and he can refining second-grade pills reliably, and is even highly praised by many Foundation Establishment cultivators, he has only been in the second stage for such a short time that he must not have refined Foundation Establishment pills before. Isn't this just giving him practice?!
Moreover, the ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill are so precious, and it was not easy to collect them. It would be a bit reckless.

This view is very popular and has been endorsed by most diners and drinkers at Ling Restaurant.

"Well said."

"That's right!"

"If I had the materials for Foundation Establishment Pills, I would definitely choose to have an old alchemist who has been immersed in the second stage for many years refine them, just for peace of mind."

……

For several days, those who held this view spoke enthusiastically, but the reality was quite different. They were just loudmouths; they didn't actually have any foundation-building materials.

It's just creating noise and distractions; it's completely worthless.

Those who actually possess the foundation materials are already carefully considering their feasibility.

Some people have even come to visit Lin Changheng.

The reason is that refining Foundation Establishment Pills requires maintaining the medicinal properties while breaking down the complete medicinal power into three parts so that it can be perfectly absorbed by Qi Refining cultivators. This greatly increases the requirements for the alchemist's skill level and ability to coordinate.

In addition, some second-tier alchemists deliberately abandon two pills to focus on refining one in order to ensure the quality of the pills, which damages their reputation and makes material holders more cautious and pay more attention to the reputation of alchemists.

Furthermore, Foundation Establishment Pills are precious and the materials are scarce. No alchemist has the opportunity to practice multiple times, thus failing to accumulate experience and improve the success rate...

More importantly, for Qi Refining cultivators, they have no way of contacting highly skilled second-tier alchemists, and they can't even get into the door if they want to obtain pills.

Because these alchemists associate with Foundation Establishment cultivators, or even pseudo-alchemy cultivators, the status and level of Qi Refining rogue cultivators are not high enough, and the prices they can afford cannot sway them.

For various reasons, the Immortal City is extremely eager for second-tier alchemists who can refine two genuine Foundation Establishment Pills and are willing to interact with Qi Refining cultivators.

It's acceptable to refine one genuine product and one defective product.

Therefore, it's hard not to have ideas when a second-tier alchemist with superb skills, excellent reputation, and easy-to-reach taste appears.

Moreover, the deadline for Foundation Establishment is still looming. Delaying Foundation Establishment by one year means a lower chance of success, and we really can't wait any longer.

……

The first person to come to Lin Changheng was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator who had previously refined pills for him.

To be honest, Lin Changheng didn't expect this either; he thought they had come to ask for ordinary second-tier pills.

To everyone's surprise, the first thing the greeter mentioned upon entering was the Foundation Establishment Pill. "I've heard that some rogue cultivators are planning to gather the materials to have Alchemist Lin refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, but Alchemist Lin is still considering it. So I came specifically to inquire whether this is true?"

"It is true." Lin Changheng nodded.

"Hehe, I happen to have a main ingredient, the Seven-Star Spirit Moon Grass, and some auxiliary materials on hand. I also need Foundation Establishment Pills. I wonder if I could add them to make up the materials?"

"As for the spirit stone reward, it will be in accordance with the agreement between the other fellow Daoists and Alchemist Lin, which will definitely satisfy Alchemist Lin."

The cultivator surnamed Qian chuckled, waved his hand, took out four boxes, and asked.

Lin Changheng's mind raced; he hadn't expected that someone would come knocking so soon after he'd only spread the word. The pills he'd refined for him were of good quality and had satisfied him, suggesting they'd played a significant role.

"The medicinal materials are fine, and they don't overlap with the materials we found earlier, so they're fine."

He checked all three main ingredients and auxiliary materials, and found them to be genuine and suitable for medicinal use. Moreover, they did not conflict with the [Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma] he possessed. So he said.

As for the "fellow Daoist who arrived earlier," there is no such person; he was fabricated by Lin Changheng. If one insists on saying there is one, it is Lin Changheng himself, who does indeed possess a main medicinal herb and a rare auxiliary material.

As for the payment, Lin Changheng quoted a price that was neither too high nor too low: one thousand spirit stones per person.

The three of them working together would produce three thousand pieces.

The total reward was nearly twice as high as the profit from refining ordinary second-tier pills.

However, the difficulty in refining Foundation Establishment Pills and their scarcity mean they are destined to be expensive.

If you quote too low a price, it will make those seeking pills suspicious that your alchemy skills are inadequate and that you are trying to lure customers with a low price to hone your skills, while they become cannon fodder.

"no problem."

The cultivator surnamed Qian chuckled and readily agreed.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, a thousand spirit stones are really nothing.

If one goes a step further and becomes a Core Formation cultivator, obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill for future generations becomes much simpler; this is the difference brought about by different levels.

Having finalized the cooperation, the cultivator surnamed Qian retrieved the four boxes, leaving behind a communication jade talisman and the location of his cave dwelling, before taking his leave.

Throughout the process, Lin Changheng did not mention the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill, because this item was not scarce in the Immortal City and was widely known. The biggest difficulty in refining the Foundation Establishment Pill was that the materials were hard to find and the alchemists were hard to come by.

He had purchased three different Foundation Establishment Pill formulas from reputable large shops selling knowledge and classic texts in the Immortal City, carefully compared them, and used logical reasoning to verify the results—

All of them are original copies.

Now only the last main ingredient, called [Heavenly Crystal Lotus Root], and seven or eight common auxiliary ingredients remain to be gathered before the furnace can be opened for refining.

However, Lin Changheng's "Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma" is still not quite ready, so there's no rush.

……

half a month later.

That day, there was another knock on the door.

Lin Changheng opened the door and saw a beautiful woman in palace attire, who was none other than Cui Jianshui, the female cultivator next door and the "Sound Lawyer," and a slightly thin man in black robes. His cultivation was full but had not undergone qualitative change, so he should be at the peak of Qi Refining.

"Fairy Cui".

"Master Lin, I've brought another client to introduce to you."

Cui Jianshui's black hair was tied up high, revealing her long neck. She covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Thank you, Fairy Cui. Please come in quickly."

Lin Changheng stepped aside and invited the two inside.

Cui Jianshui was telling the truth. His first client was Deng Changsheng, recommended by this woman, and they still keep in touch and he does things for him.

Later, several Qi Refining cultivators were introduced, and later a Foundation Establishment cultivator was introduced to refine pills.

It can be said that they really put in a lot of effort and helped a great deal.

But Lin Changheng never treated her badly, often giving her pills and even refining pills for her for free, which is why she was so happy to do so.

Lin Changheng knew that the strongest connection between people was based on mutual benefit. If this woman had initially introduced a customer and he hadn't provided positive feedback, there would likely have been no further recommendations.

The newly introduced, thin male cultivator was named Gu Chang'an.

Although he often wore a faint smile, Lin Changheng keenly sensed a hidden, menacing aura emanating from him.

However, it is worth mentioning that baleful aura is not too common in the Floating Life Immortal City. After all, most rogue cultivators fight outside and wander in the wilderness, so it would be strange if there were no baleful aura.

Peaceful cultivators like Lin Changheng, who rarely leave their homes, are kind to others, and abhor truth and conflict, are extremely rare, as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Of all the cultivators from the immortal city he could interact with, only this person gave Lin Changheng this feeling. Unable to figure it out for the moment, Lin Changheng put it aside and stopped thinking about it, but he still kept a wary eye on him.

"Master Lin, Fellow Daoist Gu heard that you plan to refine Foundation Establishment Pills and happens to have some medicinal materials on hand, so he came to see if we can crowdfund the process."

Cui Jianshui glanced at Gu Chang'an, then turned to Lin Changheng and spoke with slightly pursed red lips.

"Oh?"

Several people have inquired about Lin Changheng in the past two weeks, but the medicinal materials overlap, so he has to refuse. He can only agree to come back after the next batch is ready, or contact other cultivators who also have the medicinal materials to gather enough for another batch to start a new batch.

Lin Chang did not respond directly, but instead asked, "I wonder what kind of main ingredient Fellow Daoist Gu has in his possession for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

After all, the Foundation Establishment Pill can only be divided into three, at most three pills, and there are exactly three main ingredients. Therefore, if you want to divide the pill, you must provide one main ingredient.

If a cultivator can provide two portions of the main ingredient, the two can refine it together and receive a share of two Foundation Establishment Pills.

"The main ingredient in Mr. Gu's possession is [Heavenly Crystal Lotus Root], and he also has two other auxiliary ingredients."

Gu Chang'an smiled faintly and asked, "I wonder if this will be suitable?"

Lin Changheng smiled immediately: "What we lack right now is this medicine."

"That's perfect for combining them into one furnace!"

A look of joy immediately appeared on Gu Chang'an's face.

Cui Jianshui watched with a smile from the side, remaining silent.

"Not bad." Lin Changheng nodded.

"When will Master Lin be able to start the furnace?"

"I'm busy refining pills, so I need to wait in line. It will be about six months from now."

Lin Changheng thought for a moment and then suggested a specific time.

By then, his [Nine-Leaf Purple Ganoderma] will also be ready for use.

"Six months? That's fine!"

Gu Chang'an had no choice but to follow the alchemist's arrangements. Besides, half a year wasn't too long, and he could wait.

The two then confirmed the details of alchemy, including the cost of starting the furnace, and the discussion went smoothly.

After leaving behind a communication jade talisman and his address, Gu Chang'an took his leave.

Cui Jianshui did not leave immediately, but sat for a while at Qingyuan Xiaozhu and chatted with Lin Changheng for a long time before smiling and bidding farewell.

Looking at the female cultivator's graceful back, Lin Changheng couldn't help but shake his head.

The woman was noticeably more affectionate and close to him than before, when they were just nodding acquaintances with a subtle distance between them.

(End of this chapter)