Cultivation: Being Immortal

Central Province, the Sacred Sky Sect

A man hurriedly arrived at Yang Luo’s cave. Yang Luo stopped using her magic brush and received her disciple. Ever since she reached the peak of her power, Yang Luo stopped practicing, afraid that she might accidentally enter a dangerous state called "Tao Achieving" and be unable to overcome the challenge of the "Heart Demon."

"Master, there is news from the Lin family in Yun State."

"Tell me."

There is an alchemist named Lin Dongyan in the Lin family. He was saved by Lin Batian in Xuanmiao City, but there has been no news of him in Yun State. So, I secretly asked the lower-ranking disciples of the Lin family, but they had no knowledge of this person. The higher-ranking members of the Lin family, however, refuse to talk about him.

Then, I had the golden core of the Lin family question a Nascent Soul cultivator, and I found out that Lin Batian brings out a special pill every once in a while. When taken, it greatly enhances one’s cultivation level and even grants extended lifespan.

"Do you know what kind of special pill it is?"

"I don’t know. Lin Batian doesn’t allow any questions. We must only obey, and the pill can only be taken in front of him, not outside."

"Lin Dongyan, I think I’ve heard Wen Xing mention him before."

Wen Xing had excellent talent in alchemy, not inferior to Yang Luo. He also had many innovative ideas in the field of alchemy. Yang Luo often discussed alchemy with Wen Xing.

"Master, Yun State must be using forbidden pills, otherwise they wouldn’t hide it like this."

"Using forbidden pills is inevitable. Keep investigating. Not only do we need to find out which kind of forbidden pills they are using, but also where they have hidden Lin Dongyan."

"Master, I can only control the Golden Core Period, so I can’t access the core information. You see…"

"I know. There is no chance for now, but when there is, I will capture a Nascent Soul for you to control."

"Thank you, master. I’ll go and attend to my duties."

"Go to the sect and receive a reward. You have worked hard."

"Yes, thank you, master."

The man quickly left, and Yang Luo smiled.

"With threats and temptations, I have everything I need to get hold of the Yun StateLin family. Let’s see if you can escape from my grasp."

Yang Luo laughed out loud. Isn’t Lin Batian clever and cautious? If I get hold of this leverage, let’s see what he can do.

·······

Lin Jiang came to Tianxian City again.

This time he came to Tianxian City mainly for alchemy. When he left North State, Lin Jiang was already in the later stage of Nascent Soul, just a little away from completion. After several decades, Lin Jiang officially entered the complete stage of Nascent Soul and started preparing for Soul Changing.

The best pill to break through Soul Changing is the Soul Melting Pill. Its effect is equivalent to the Nascent Soul Achieving Pill, which is commonly used in the cultivation world. There are also less popular pills like the Seven Star Awakening Pill.

However, Lin Jiang doesn’t have any of these pills. He can’t even collect the materials.

Lin Jiang wanted to go to Liang State to fight Stone Monsters, but they were too powerful. After some thought, Lin Jiang decided against it. He didn’t want to be beaten to death by Stone Monsters.

After wandering around Tianxian City for a few days, I wanted to find Gu Hengbo, but couldn’t find him. At that time, Lin Jiang’s words didn’t work, and Gu Hengbo was still indulging himself.

Since Gu Hengbo couldn’t be relied on, I had to take the usual route. Lin Jiang inquired about the situation of Danxia Sect Alchemist in Tianxian City and finally found out about a well-known Alchemist named Gu Cheng in Danxia Sect. After waiting in line for more than half a year, I finally got a chance to meet Gu Cheng. That’s just how amazing high-level Alchemists are.

"Greetings, senior Gu."

"What kind of pill do you want to refine?"

"I want to refine a batch of Soul Melting Pills."

"Do you know the rules for pill refining?"

"Yes, I know."

Lin Jiang nodded. The rules of the Alchemist were very dominant, completely a seller’s market. The Alchemist’s word was law.

"Alright, will you pay the refining fees directly or will it be based on the pill?"

"Sir, I haven’t prepared the herbs yet."

"Someone, escort our guest."

"Please go slowly, sir."

"You’ve gone too far, do you know what the outcome will be?"

"I don’t have the intention, nor the herbs, but I have another valuable item for hire, at a price surpassing the ordinary."

Lin Jiang immediately said, with the confidence of his arrival.

"Alright, I want to see what treasures you have."

"Please have a look, sir."

Lin Jiang produced a red-colored ore, which increased the temperature of the entire room upon its display.

"Phoenix Blood Stone, you actually have such a precious treasure?"

"Yes, this is something I accidentally obtained."

"Hehe, this is no accidental acquisition. The Phoenix Blood Stone is a rare material created from the infusion of Phoenix’s true blood into a special stone, and it is considered the top-tier material for forging."

"You’re right, I’ve heard that Danxia Sect possesses a Pill Furnace of the spiritual treasure level. If we were to incorporate this treasure, we would surely have an even greater advantage."

"Seems like you came prepared, but one Phoenix Blood Stone is not enough."

Gu Cheng said. Can’t one Phoenix Blood Stone be exchanged for a Soul Melting Pill? Of course it can, and there would be plenty left over. But in reality, these breakthrough elixirs are monopolized by major sects, and the prices are inflated multiple times, so it’s not possible.

"How about adding another piece?"

"Still not enough."

"Add a Wind Essence Stone as well."

Lin Jiang said in a low voice. The Wilderness channel is mainly rich in various minerals. Because of the spiritual medicine, the demon clan also wants to devour it. So except for Small Shadiao’s territory, he can seize the opportunity. The others cannot get it. These minerals have little effect on the demon clan, so they are very generous in giving them.

"Still not enough."

"Then the junior can’t do anything about it, goodbye."

Lin Jiang immediately looked displeased. Damn it, this cunning merchant shouldn’t be like this.

Lin Jiang turned to leave, but Gu Cheng was anxious and immediately said. Wait, young friend.

"Senior, this is the junior’s greatest ability."

"Actually, we can still discuss it."

"Then, senior…"

"How about this, if you add a little more, I will give you a Soul Melting Pill directly."

"Gone, this is all I have now."

Lin Jiang was stubborn and refused to raise the price, even though it was already several times higher than its original value. He would rather try his luck elsewhere.

"Okay, then it’s settled. I happen to have extra Soul Melting Pills in my possession, so you don’t have to wait."

"Thank you, elder."

Lin Jiang was overjoyed. Not having to wait for a long time was definitely a good thing, as the pills that were in his hands were truly his own.

Lin Jiang took out the ore, and Gu Cheng also presented his own pills. After inspecting them individually, both parties confirmed their authenticity.

"Elder, there is one more thing I’d like to mention."

"Please go ahead, young friend."

"Gu Pingbo from the Gu family used to be a close friend of my family’s ancestors. My father was Gu Pingbo’ closest friend."

"Calm waves…"

Gu Cheng felt a jolt in his heart. Gu Pingbo, who was once his proudest disciple, had unfortunately strayed into the Divine Kingdom for many years. When he eventually left, he was disheartened and disillusioned, choosing to leave the Danxia Sect.

"Yes, this is a alchemy manual from Senior Gu Pingbo. I thought it should be returned to its rightful owner. If there are any descendants in our family who need it, they can make good use of it."

Lin Jiang took out the jade scroll. It was originally given to Lin Dongyan, but Lin Dongyan had made a duplicate and returned the original to Lin Jiang.

Gu Cheng looked at the jade scroll, feeling the aura emanating from it. Memories of Gu Pingbo flooded his mind, creating a complex mix of emotions. As one grows older, they always have a tendency to reminisce about the past.

"Can you tell me about Gu Pingbo’ final days?"

"Sure."

Lin Jiang recounted the events of Gu Pingbo’ final days, making slight changes to the names mentioned.

"At the Peach Blossom Temple, he became a Peach Blossom Fairy. Silly child, immortality is not achieved this way, how can one become an immortal?"

"Elder, Gu Pingbo, the elder, had a happy last moment. There are countless cultivators in the world, where does the idea of becoming immortal come from?"

"Forget it, forget it, you can go."

"Yes, elder."

"Wait a moment."

Gu Cheng quickly said, and then he threw a token to Lin Jiang, saying, "Hold onto this token, in the future, you can come directly to me for alchemy, no need to wait in line. And, if you come to me privately for alchemy, you’ll get a twenty percent discount."

These customers who come seeking him are beneficial for the sect. No matter how much he earns, he can only get a small share. In the future, when they come to him for private alchemy, the price will be whatever he says.

"Thank you, elder."

Lin Jiang bowed and then left. Once he was out of the door, Lin Jiang cursed loudly.

He thought playing the emotional card would reduce some costs, but a profiteer is still a profiteer.

"Oh, what has happened to the world? Why is everyone becoming dishonest businessmen? Are there only a few honest people left?"

Lin Jiang sighed and shook his head as he walked away.

Safety wasn’t a concern. The Danxia Sect had been in the business of selling medicinal pills for thousands of years, rarely encountering any suspicious customers. If there were any, the Danxia Sect would immediately handle the situation.

This allowed Lin Jiang to leave Tianxian City safely, but as he traveled, he pondered. Last time, I broke through to the Nascent Soul realm with just one medicinal pill, but that was because I spent time continuously attacking the Nascent Soul barrier, trading time for pills. In the current era of fierce competition, it seems that there won’t be enough time to spare. I should prepare two pills instead.

Determined, Lin Jiang prepared to try his luck in other major cities. He also sent a message to Small Shadiao, asking him to bring more ores. It was funny, the demon clan knew that these ores were valuable, but they didn’t know their exact worth. With the help of Small Shadiao, who was secretly working as a spy, Lin Jiang didn’t know how many precious things he had obtained from the Wilderness.