Rogue cultivator. Lackey. Worker. Tool. Partner.
Luo Chen’s identity had quietly shifted with every passing day.
So had the Alchemy Hall.
Once a scattered mess, it now ran like a well-oiled machine. Apprentice alchemists found their footing, fire handlers trained with growing skill, and pill caretakers moved with quiet precision.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
At the month’s end, Luo Chen attended a small internal Poshan Gang meeting. There weren’t many that present—himself, Mi Shuhua, Mi Junping, the three combat hall leaders Zeng Wen, Luo Wudi, and Yang Wei, and the two Alchemy Hall stewards, Sikong Shoujia and Gu Caiyi.
During the meeting, it was decided that each of the three combat halls would dispatch ten people—one late-stage Qi-Refining cultivator and nine mid-stage ones.
In this way, three small teams were formed. These three teams would be dedicated to serving the Alchemy Hall in the future. Their tasks included protection, transportation, and some procurement work.
At the meeting, Luo Wudi brought up a matter.
"I have a lead over at the Snow Lotus Market. It’s a bit risky, but if we can establish it, the profits will be tremendous."
“As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Why not give it a try?” someone added.
The others seemed intrigued and eager to give it a shot.
However, after learning about Luo Chen’s current pill production, Mi Shuhua temporarily shelved the proposal.
“This month, the Alchemy Hall only produced nine hundred and eighty Myriad Wonders pills,” he said flatly. “That barely meets the demand at the Dahe Market. Even if we open a route to Snow Lotus, we won’t have enough to supply them.
"And besides, the Snow Lotus Market is a desolate and frigid place, far less prosperous than the Dahe Market. It’s not worth the effort."
Those were Mi Shuhua’s exact words.
Luo Wudi felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped to use this opportunity to help one of his brothers rise to prominence and take charge like Wang Yuan.
But with pill output still limited, all he could do was sigh and nudge Luo Chen to work harder.
Luo Chen only chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”
As the meeting wrapped up, everyone watched with disbelief as Luo Chen collected four bottles of qi-nourishing pills from the visibly reluctant Mi Junping.
Luo Wudi, Yang Wei, and the others stared wide-eyed.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be just two bottles a month?“
“When did that brat get a raise?“
“Are we sure Luo Chen isn’t Mi Shuhua’s illegitimate son?“
Luo Chen ignored their whispers. Let them be jealous. He deserved every bit of it.
Nearly a thousand Myriad Wonders pills a month equated to four to five thousand low-grade spirit stones!
What did that mean? It could buy forty to fifty bottles of qi-nourishing pills, or two high-grade enchanted artifacts, or even over a dozen low-grade ones.
And that was just for a single month.
Qi-Refining cultivators had lifespans of at least a hundred years. In the long run, as long as Luo Chen continued producing pills, the Poshan Gang would enjoy steady and substantial profits.
So, no matter how unwilling Mi Shuhua and Mi Junping were, they had no choice but to pay his salary.
***
Under the dark night sky, Luo Chen sat alone on his bed.
The Grandmaster-level Long Spring Art circulated unceasingly within him, drawing in the power of the qi-nourishing pills that steadily dissolved in his core. Vast spirit energy surged through his meridians, merging slowly, yet surely, with his own.
The process was long, a transformation of spirit power as natural as breathing. A sensation of fullness gradually settled in his body, the strength coursing through him thick and heavy.
Until Luo Chen gritted his teeth and swallowed another qi-nourishing pill.
"Breaking through the sixth stage of Qi-Refining—it’ll be today! Let’s do this in one go!" he muttered, eyes gleaming with determination.
With the new surge of spirit power pouring in, the sensation of fullness grew stronger, to the point of feeling bloated.
By the time Luo Chen finished his cultivation and opened his eyes, his body was already emanating the spirit power fluctuations of the sixth stage Qi-Refining.
“It’s done,” he exhaled.
After years of effort, he had finally reached the same stage as Old Man Chen.
Now, among the mid-stage Qi-Refining cultivators, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest and took a glanced at his status panel.
Realm: Qi-Refining Stage Six (1/100)
The initial wave of triumph was quickly tempered by reality. The effectiveness of the qi-nourishing pills seemed to be waning.
Back at the third stage, one pill had given him two points of advancement. At the fourth stage, it equated to one point. The fifth stage had already required two pills per point.
And now? He calculated grimly. At least five pills for a single point of progress.
A bottle of qi-nourishing pills only contained ten pills.
In other words, if he wanted to advance to the seventh stage of Qi-Refining, he would need at least fifty bottles of qi-nourishing pills.
That was a staggering five thousand low-grade spirit stones!
Moreover, there was a limit to how many pills his body could process in a day.
“Damn! I’m practically eating spirit stones now!”