Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

A month later.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged in a makeshift cave deep inside the mine, with three things laid out in front of him:

One medium-grade spirit stone, three high-grade fasting pills, and one piece of refined iron.

"The efficiency is alright." He nodded in satisfaction, "but the source of materials is too limited."

In the past month, he used the Spirit Gathering Cauldron to upgrade a mid-grade spirit stone, three Abstinence Pills, and a piece of refined iron. The spirit stone was his own, the Abstinence Pills were provided by the outer sect, and the iron ore was something he picked up while mining.

He didn't rush to use these upgraded items.

Mid-grade spirit stones are too conspicuous. Given his Qi Refining Level 4 status, if he frequently exchanged them, it would be blatantly telling others, "I have a problem." He could consume high-grade fasting pills himself, but they only fill his stomach and don't offer much help in cultivation. Refined iron could be sold, but a piece of refined iron wouldn't fetch many spirit stones.

"We need to find a way to convert the materials into cash and exchange them for pills."

Lin Feng pondered for a moment and then came up with an idea.

He went to the Hundred Machines Hall exchange counter and exchanged the mid-grade spirit stones for contribution points.

"Outer disciple Lin Feng, hand over one mid-grade spirit stone, in exchange for 90 contribution points." The steward in charge of the exchange registered the transaction in a businesslike manner, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Mid-grade spirit stones are not common among outer disciples.

Lin Feng explained, "These spirit stones were left to me by my family, and I've always been reluctant to use them. Now that I want to learn weapon crafting, I need to contribute some points to exchange for materials, so I had no choice but to use them."

The deacon nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

With 90 contribution points in hand, Lin Feng went to the second floor of the Hundred Machines Hall to exchange for the last nine lectures on the basics of weapon crafting, spending 100 points in one go. He then spent another 50 points to exchange for a jade slip of "Introduction to Weapon Crafting Materials Science" and a low-level magic weapon crafting manual.

He exchanged the remaining 57 points for Peiyuan Pills.

The Qi Cultivation Pill is a pill used by disciples in the Qi Refining stage. It is one grade lower than the Qi Gathering Powder, but it is cheaper. Five contribution points can be exchanged for one pill, and 57 points were exchanged for 11 pills.

Back in the mine, Lin Feng took out a Qi-Nourishing Pill and threw it into the Spirit Gathering Cauldron.

Three days later, the premium Peiyuan Pill was produced.

The medicinal potency is increased by 30%, and all impurities are eliminated. After ingestion, the medicinal power gently circulates in the meridians, converting into spiritual energy at a much higher efficiency than ordinary Qi-Nourishing Pills.

Having tasted success, Lin Feng began mass upgrades.

Each upgrade of one Qi Cultivation Pill takes three days, and ten pills can be upgraded in a month. In addition, the contribution points he earns from mining every day can be exchanged for new Qi Cultivation Pills, forming a small cycle.

At the same time, he practiced continuously by using the Spirit Gathering Cauldron to upgrade refining materials, and his refining skills were slowly improving.

After listening to the ten lectures on the basics of weapon crafting, Lin Feng began to try crafting the simplest low-grade magic weapon—a flying sword.

The structure of a flying sword is simple. It only requires a piece of refined iron, a few auxiliary materials, and is smelted, shaped, engraved with magic arrays, and quenched in a refining furnace. Once the process is completed, it is finished.

Lin Feng's first attempt at refining ended in failure.

The temperature of the refined iron smelting was not well controlled, and it was burned directly into waste slag.

The second attempt at shaping failed.

The third time, the magic circle was drawn crookedly.

The fourth time...

The fifth time...

Lin Feng couldn't remember how many times he had failed. But after each failure, he would analyze the reasons and improve for the next time.

This cycle of "failure-review-improvement" is exactly the same as debugging in programming.

Two months later, he finally succeeded in forging his first flying sword.

It is a low-grade ritual implement, of average condition, but still usable.

Holding the flying sword, Lin Feng felt a surge of accomplishment.

"It's done."

He put away his flying sword and continued practicing.

Two more months passed, and Lin Feng's weapon-refining skills steadily improved. He could now reliably refine low-grade magic weapons with a success rate of 30%. Although it couldn't compare to Master Wang's ability to casually refine mid-grade magic weapons, it was already considered quite good among the outer disciples.

One day, while Lin Feng was refining a low-grade magic weapon spear, he looked at a piece of ironwood that had been stored for decades in his hand and had a sudden inspiration. The Spirit Gathering Cauldron could upgrade refining materials, so could this kind of wood-type spiritual material also be upgraded, thus indirectly possessing the Little Green Bottle?

Without hesitation, he returned to the depths of the mine, summoned the small cauldron, threw the piece of ironwood into it, and waited expectantly.

A few days later, looking at the unchanging ironwood in the cauldron, Lin Feng showed a hint of disappointment. It seemed that his dream of becoming a wholesaler of Golden Thunder Bamboo had been shattered.

Then he remembered that materials from demonic beasts could also be used to refine weapons, as well as demonic cores. Unfortunately, he didn't have these materials on hand at the moment, so he could only wait until later to test them.

For a period of time afterward, he began to take on tasks such as refining low-level magical artifacts like flying needles and flying swords, which he then sold to the Hundred Machines Hall in exchange for contribution points, which he then used to exchange for Qi Cultivation Pills, thus forming a complete cycle.

The monthly contribution points have increased from the initial dozen or so to more than fifty.

His cultivation level was also steadily improving. With the help of high-quality Qi-Nourishing Pills and the spiritual energy deep within the mine, his cultivation speed was more than twice as fast as that of ordinary disciples with four spiritual roots. In four months, he progressed from the early stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining to the peak of the fourth level.

He's just one step away from reaching the fifth level of Qi Refining.

That day, Lin Feng finished handing in his weapon-refining task at the Hundred Machines Hall and ran into Wang Tiezhu at the entrance.

"Lin Feng!" Wang Tiezhu grabbed him. "Long time no see! What have you been up to lately?"

"Weapon crafting, cultivation, mining," Lin Feng said succinctly.

"You're pretty good, kid." Wang Tiezhu patted him on the shoulder. "I heard you can now forge flying swords?"

"I was lucky, I won a few rounds."

"Don't be modest." Wang Tiezhu chuckled. "Hey, could you help me forge a sword? A mid-grade magic weapon will do. I'll provide the materials, and I'll treat you to a drink in return."

Lin Feng thought for a moment: "I can't refine mid-grade magic weapons yet, I need to practice more. Low-grade ones, though, are possible."

"Even a low-grade one will do! It's better than this broken knife I have now." Wang Tiezhu drew a rusty iron knife from his waist, with several nicks on the blade.

Lin Feng glanced at it and said speechlessly, "Did you pick this knife out of a garbage dump?"

"That's right." Wang Tiezhu said with a bitter face, "This is the treatment for outer disciples. They're lucky to even have a magic weapon. How dare they be picky?"

"Alright, I'll give it a try." Lin Feng nodded. "But let's make it clear first, don't blame me if I mess it up."

"If it gets ruined, it's on me!"

The two agreed to deliver the goods three days later, and Wang Tiezhu left happily.

Lin Feng stood there, watching Wang Tiezhu's retreating figure, and suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

This is the daily life of an outer sect disciple. They treasure even a low-grade magic weapon and work themselves to the bone for a few Qi-Nourishing Pills. But he, relying on the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, has quietly widened the gap between himself and his peers.

"Don't get carried away." Lin Feng shook his head. "This is nothing. At the fourth level of Qi Refining, you're just an ant among ants in the cultivation world."

Life goes on.

Lin Feng continues to live a simple, routine life.

One day, while Lin Feng was cultivating in the mine, a sudden inspiration struck him.

"Spirit Gathering Array"

The Spirit Gathering Array can gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, increasing cultivation speed. If he could set up a Spirit Gathering Array, coupled with the mid-grade spirit stones and high-quality pills needed to upgrade the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, wouldn't his cultivation speed reach another level?

Just do it.

Lin Feng spent twenty contribution points to exchange for a jade slip titled "Elementary Spirit Gathering Array Diagram," and another ten contribution points to exchange for the materials needed to set up the Spirit Gathering Array.

Back in the mine, he followed the instructions of the array diagram and carved array patterns on the ground and walls of his temporary cave dwelling, embedding four mid-grade spirit stones into the array's core.

The formation is complete.

The concentration of spiritual energy inside the cave has increased significantly, nearly 50% higher than before.

"Not bad." Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction. "It solves the problem of having mid-grade spirit stones but not being able to spend them."

He sat cross-legged in the center of the Spirit Gathering Array, took out a high-quality Qi Nourishing Pill, swallowed it, and began to cultivate.

The medicinal power of the elixir dissolved in his body, and the spiritual energy gathered by the spirit-gathering array seeped into his pores. With the internal and external forces combined, his cultivation speed increased once again.

Three years later.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged in the spirit-gathering array, surrounded by spiritual energy, his breath releasing rich spiritual power.

He was no longer the sallow-faced, thin boy he had been three years ago. At fifteen, he had grown taller and his features had become more refined. Years of mining and crafting had given him strong, powerful arms, making him a completely different person from the unhealthy programmer he had been in his previous life.

Cultivation level: Peak of Qi Refining Level 6.

In just three years, he went from the fourth level of Qi Refining to the peak of the sixth level. This speed is terrifying among disciples with four spiritual roots. It would be impossible for an ordinary disciple with four spiritual roots to go from the fourth level to the sixth level in less than five or six years.

Lin Feng, however, managed to halve the time by using high-quality pills and a spirit-gathering array.

He had also tried using the Spirit Gathering Cauldron to upgrade mid-grade spirit stones to high-grade ones.

The mid-grade spirit stones remained almost unchanged after being placed inside the cauldron for several days. He secretly calculated: one high-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for one hundred mid-grade ones, and it took five days for the cauldron to upgrade to one mid-grade one. If he wanted to upgrade to high-grade, wouldn't it take five hundred days?

Right now, the small cauldron is enough to upgrade low-grade spirit stones to mid-grade and then place them in the basic spirit-gathering array, which is sufficient to meet his spiritual energy needs for cultivation. He also needs to upgrade his Qi-cultivating pills and refining materials. This is enough to meet his current cultivation needs. As for spending a year and a half to obtain a high-grade spirit stone... it's simply not worth it.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng's weapon-refining skills also improved by leaps and bounds during these three years.

He can now refining mid-grade magic weapons with a success rate of 30%. Occasionally, when he's lucky, he can even refine high-grade magic weapons, although the success rate is only a pitiful 50%, but he is already a master weapon refiner among the outer disciples.

Master Wang of Baiji Hall had expressed surprise at his rapid progress, but that was all. Among the outer disciples, there were many with good talent in weapon crafting, and Lin Feng was not particularly outstanding.

After all, he relied on the materials from the Spirit Gathering Cauldron to upgrade, compensating for his talent with the number of attempts. While others used one piece of refined iron for one practice session, he could use ten. In the same amount of time, he could practice several times more times than others.

Quantitative change leads to qualitative change, nothing more.

That day, Lin Feng was refining a mid-grade magic weapon flying sword in the mine when he suddenly felt a throbbing in his dantian.

"Has the bottleneck loosened?"

He was overjoyed and immediately put down his work, sat cross-legged, took out a high-quality Qi-Nourishing Pill, swallowed it, and began to circulate his cultivation technique.

The spiritual energy surged through his meridians, rushing towards the bottleneck of the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Once, twice, three times...

"boom--"

The bottleneck has been broken.

Qi Refining Level 7.

Lin Feng opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

"I've reached the late stage of Qi Refining," he murmured, a slight smile appearing on his lips. "I'm one step closer to the Crimson Forbidden Land."

He stood up and stretched his limbs. After breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, his spiritual power was nearly twice as strong as when he was at the sixth level, and his divine sense had also increased slightly.

"At this rate, in another two years, I should be able to reach the eighth level of Qi Refining."

Lin Feng put away the Spirit Gathering Cauldron and walked out of the mine.

The sunlight outside was a bit dazzling, so he squinted and took a deep breath of fresh air.

The main peak in the distance is still shrouded in clouds and mist, with cranes flying overhead.

"Han Li should have obtained the little green bottle by now, right?" Lin Feng suddenly thought of this question. "Never mind, that's his good fortune, you can't force it. I have the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, so I might not be any worse than him."

"Let's see who goes the furthest."

Lin Feng clenched his fist and turned to walk towards the Hundred Machines Hall.

He needs to exchange for more pills to reach a higher realm.

Two years later.

Inside a secluded wooden house in the outer disciple area of ​​Huangfeng Valley.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged in the center of the spirit-gathering array, his body surrounded by swirling spiritual energy, forming a small vortex visible to the naked eye.

Peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining.

In five years, he progressed from the fourth level of Qi Refining to the peak of the eighth level. This speed is considered above average among the outer disciples of Huangfeng Valley. Although he cannot compare with those geniuses with dual or unique spiritual roots, compared with ordinary disciples with three or four spiritual roots, his progress is definitely rapid.

Lin Feng stood up and opened the window.

The yellow maple leaves outside rustled in the autumn wind, their golden-red leaves shimmering in the sunlight.

He is eighteen years old this year, tall and slender, with delicate features, completely different from the sallow-faced and thin boy he was five years ago.

Cultivation level: Peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Refining skill: Stable at refining high-grade magic weapons, occasionally able to refine top-tier magic weapons.

Contribution points: Over two hundred.

Inside the storage bag: three mid-grade spirit stones, dozens of high-quality Qi-cultivating pills, and several high-grade magic artifacts.

"The Crimson Forbidden Land won't open again for another five years," Lin Feng silently calculated. "Five years is enough time for me to reach the twelfth level of Qi Refining."

"At that time, we will enter the Crimson Forbidden Land and compete for the Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Once you successfully establish your foundation, you've truly stepped into the threshold of cultivation."

He took a deep breath, closed the window, returned to the spirit-gathering array, and continued his cultivation.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Seven Mysteries Sect of Jingzhou, a dark-skinned youth was carefully holding an inconspicuous little green bottle, his eyes filled with surprise.

Two parallel lines of fate, both extending forward.