Circulating his cultivation technique, Lin Feng rapidly eased the physical exhaustion weighing him down. He also cleared his mind, deliberately pushing aside the tangled problems plaguing him, allowing his spirit to finally relax.
He drifted into a semi-dreaming state, lost to the passage of time. When he finally stirred and sat up, the sky outside the window was already tinged with the pale grey light of approaching dawn.
Both his body and mind felt refreshed after the night of meditative rest. Lin Feng stretched, invigorated, before turning his full attention to the challenges at hand.
"The medicinal herbs I've collected aren't insignificant," he mused aloud, "but when combined, there probably aren't many types of pills I can fully restore to supreme-grade quality. If the materials aren't complete, I can't achieve supreme-grade... it might be better not to repair them at all."
"So, first, I need to catalogue exactly what types of rejected pills are stored here. For each type, I must identify the exact repair materials required and figure out which ones I'm missing..."
"Additionally," he continued, his brow furrowed in thought, "I need a way to sell the repaired pills. And I also need to acquire more herbs. Trying to get large quantities within the Lingyue Sect seems too risky... it would raise suspicion. So... do I need to go outside? I wonder how difficult it is for an outer disciple to leave the mountain..."
"Then there are those spirit beasts," he sighed, the memory of yesterday's exhaustion fresh. "Tending to them like I did yesterday leaves no time for anything else. I don't know what would happen if I 'slacked off' for a day or two... but it's best not to test that now. The only solution is to find a way to 'simplify' the process..."
"Furthermore," he reasoned, tapping his finger on the bedroll, "if I withhold a batch of pills for myself, the amount I feed the beasts decreases. If the supply becomes insufficient, I don't know how they'll react. If they behave strangely and draw attention from others... that would be disastrous. So that problem absolutely must be solved..."
"Looking at it this way," he concluded with a frustrated groan, "there's simply no chance to pursue the Snow Bud Pills anytime soon. Damn it..."
The more he thought, the more his head throbbed. He realized now how naively optimistic he had been. Joining the Lingyue Sect was supposed to make obtaining the Snow Bud Pills easier, yet he was drowning in unforeseen complications.
"Take it slow, I suppose," he muttered, trying for a measure of self-comfort. "My cultivation progress is stalled anyway. I might as well stop forcing it for now and focus all my energy on solving these immediate problems."
He flipped his hand, producing the single supreme-grade Spirit Condensing Pill he had repaired yesterday. Staring at the luminous pill, his eyes suddenly widened with a flash of insight. "In terms of the beneficial medicinal essence contained within, he thought excitedly, "one supreme-grade pill should be equivalent to dozens of rejected pills, right? So... if I replace the rejected pills fed to the beasts with supreme-grade ones containing roughly the same 'nutritional' value, wouldn't it be the same for them?"
For a cultivator, ten thousand rejected pills couldn't compare to a single supreme-grade pill – there was simply no contest. But for these spirit beasts, it wasn't the pill's refined efficacy they needed; it was the residual medicinal power, the raw 'nutrients' contained within. From that perspective, one supreme-grade pill truly was 'equivalent' to dozens, perhaps even more, rejected pills.
If this substitution worked, feeding the beasts just a few supreme-grade pills could achieve the same effect as dumping piles of rejects before them. That meant... he could potentially keep all the rejected pills!
"I can test this!!"
Lin Feng sprang into action. He strode into the opposite storeroom, grabbing one bottle of each type of rejected pill from the shelves. He meticulously examined each one, noting down the specific materials required to repair it.
Once catalogued, he selected the few types he currently had the herbs to repair completely. Gathering the necessary materials, he began the repair process.
Repairing pills was somewhat simpler than repairing magical artifacts, but the sheer number of pills requiring individual attention meant Lin Feng was busy for quite some time. Finally, he completed his first batch of supreme-grade pills.
One bottle of Spirit Condensing Pills. One bottle of Blood Plume Pills. One bottle of tier-2 Spirit Nourishment Pills. One bottle of Foundation Establishment Pills. One bottle of tier-3 Spirit Restoration Pills. One bottle of Blood Coagulation Pills.
Six bottles in total. Ten pills per bottle. All meticulously restored to supreme-grade quality. The materials for the tier-3 Spirit Restoration Pills and the Blood Coagulation Pills had been particularly scarce, now almost completely depleted.
Each of these pill types was incredibly useful and valuable. Looking at them, Lin Feng felt a sharp pang of reluctance. But for the sake of his future plans, he gritted his teeth. These were destined to be fed to the beasts...
...
After a period of meditation to restore the spiritual energy expended in the repairs, Lin Feng checked the time. He was startled to find it was nearly noon – time for lunch at the South Court dining hall. Unwilling to waste time, he simply grabbed another batch of rejected pills from the storeroom as a contingency, then headed straight into the rear mountain forest.
Yesterday's experience made today's journey somewhat smoother. He headed first to the Verdant-Horned Rhino's territory. The beast wasn't at the small lake from yesterday. Following the direction it had departed the previous day, Lin Feng soon found it sleeping peacefully in a grassy clearing.
Lin Feng hesitated, wondering if disturbing its rest would provoke an attack. Before he could decide, the rhino's ears twitched. Its massive head turned towards him. The vigilance of a tier-3 peak beast was formidable; it had likely sensed him long before he saw it.
Playing it safe, Lin Feng stopped a hundred meters away. He raised the milky-white keeper's token and called out, "Just bringing today's portion!" Confirming no immediate aggressive intent from the rhino, he placed five supreme-grade tier-2 Spirit Nourishment Pills and five supreme-grade Spirit Condensing Pills on a nearby rock, then carefully retreated.
Recognizing Lin Feng as the bearer of its daily 'supplement', the rhino rose and ambled over. However, as it neared the ten pills, its movement noticeably paused. Its eyes held an almost human-like confusion. It lowered its head, sniffing the pills intently. The confusion in its eyes shifted to distinct surprise. Its tongue flicked out, sweeping all ten pills into its mouth in an instant.
After swallowing, an expression of pure satisfaction and enjoyment crossed the beast's features. It even glanced back towards Lin Feng before turning and returning to its resting spot, settling down once more.
""Seems like it worked?"" Lin Feng murmured to himself, a flicker of hope rising. The rhino hadn't questioned the drastically reduced quantity, nor shown any sign of displeasure. He observed for a few more minutes before quietly moving on to the next territory.
Finding the King Kong Savage Bear took considerable effort again, eventually locating it within a cave. From a safe distance, he deposited another ten supreme-grade pills – a mix appropriate for the bear – and backed away quickly. The Savage Bear displayed similar reactions: initial confusion and surprise upon inspecting the pills. Yet, like the rhino, it voiced no complaint, consuming the pills before lumbering back into its cave.
Next was the Purple-Crowned Thunder Crane's nest. Luck was with him this time; the magnificent bird was present. Ten more supreme-grade pills were left near its perch, accepted with a curious tilt of its head and a soft, crackling chirp.
Then came the Emerald Mandala Vine Python. Lin Feng approached its camouflaged location with extreme caution, announcing his presence loudly and clearly with the token held high before placing the pills and retreating. The serpentine head emerged, tasting the air before slowly consuming the offering.
The Netherghost Shadow Wolf was next. Lin Feng didn't linger near its dark cave mouth. He practically threw the ten pills down near the entrance and sprinted away, feeling those chilling ghost-lights watching him from the depths.
Finally, the Tunnel-Scaled Crocodile, found sunning itself near one of the many holes riddling its hillside domain. Ten pills left, a wary retreat observed by reptilian eyes...
Lin Feng diligently located each spirit beast and ensured they consumed the pills before moving on.
...
Despite being more familiar with the routes today, the sheer time spent searching for each elusive beast meant Lin Feng still returned to his quarters well after nightfall.
The thought that he had used sixty precious supreme-grade pills – six entire bottles – in a single day sent a fresh wave of painful regret through him.
Whether this substitution truly worked as intended... only observation over the next few days would tell. Too mentally drained for cultivation, Lin Feng stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.