Ning Fa couldn't help but get a headache.
The cultivation difficulty of this Body Tempering chapter seemed to be even higher than he had anticipated.
It appeared that cultivating this technique through conventional means, to reach the late stage of Qi Condensation, would be a rather lengthy process.
This was something Ning Fa could not tolerate.
He decided almost immediately to refine the Body Tempering Potion listed in the appendix of the technique, no matter the cost, to aid his cultivation.
However, after carefully studying the Body Tempering Potion, Ning Fa rolled his eyes.
The Body Tempering Potion required a total of seven main ingredients and nine auxiliary ingredients.
The other spiritual materials were fine, but four of the seven main ingredients—Cloud Crystal Liquid, Blood Jade Flower, Gathering Origin Fruit, and Flame Crystal Sand—were all second-grade spiritual materials.
Especially the Cloud Crystal Liquid, which was a precious mid-grade second-grade spiritual material.
This precious spiritual liquid had extremely wide applications and was a main ingredient in several valuable second-grade pills.
There were even rumors that Cloud Crystal Liquid was a required auxiliary ingredient for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Therefore, just obtaining this one spiritual material was quite difficult.
In addition to this, the Body Tempering Potion also required the essence of pure demonic beast blood as a catalyst, and the demonic beasts could not be of a lower grade than late-stage first-grade.
This spiritual material was also very valuable and widely used.
It could be said that the spiritual material requirements for the Body Tempering Potion were very high, comparable to second-grade pills.
In fact, it was comparable to at least mid-grade second-grade pills, not ordinary second-grade pills.
Moreover, the refining difficulty didn't seem low; if not handled properly, the spiritual materials could be wasted.
This point was not a problem for Ning Fa, as he had the Heaven-Defying Scroll.
But he still felt a terrible headache.
Especially the Cloud Crystal Liquid; this spiritual material was too scarce.
Not only was it extremely expensive, but even with enough Spirit Stones, it wasn't guaranteed to be available for purchase.
It could be said that it was available in name but not in reality.
"It seems I need to reconnect with Sister Shiqin. With the Xudong Merchant Guild's channels, we should be able to procure some Cloud Crystal Liquid."
Ning Fa rubbed his chin, muttering to himself.
He was setting his sights on Wei Shiqin, the person in charge of the Xudong Merchant Guild in Tianshui Market.
Speaking of which, this woman had also given him a VIP Token for the Tongbao Pavilion, which offered a 10% discount on purchases there.
Ning Fa decided to take some time to visit Tianshui Market and see if he could gather all these spiritual materials.
Moreover, it had been more than half a year since he was reborn into this world.
For survival, he had been busy refining pills and cultivating every day.
He hadn't gone out to explore yet.
He was very much looking forward to visiting Tianshui Market, a major second-grade market.
He also wondered if he could find any hidden gems in the market.
Using the sensing ability of his Mysterious Scroll, he hoped to find any ancient texts or fragments that could be traced back.
Seven days later.
Ning Xiuying arrived at Ning Fa's home.
She smiled charmingly at Ning Fa and said, "The Ninth Elder is back and wants you to go see him tomorrow. I happened to be passing by, so I came to tell you."
Ning Fa nodded.
Then, he leered and appraised the tall and graceful Ning Xiuying.
Her shimmering skirt armor revealed a pair of fair, slender legs that captivated his gaze.
Ning Fa clicked his tongue and said, "Sister Xiuying, are you really just passing by?"
Ning Xiuying casually jiggled her ample chest and shot him a coquettish glance. "Of course. Why else would I come specifically to see you, you little rascal?"
Ning Fa grinned mischievously. "Then I'll have to check thoroughly if you're lying."
With that, he reached out his wicked hands.
After a while.
Ning Xiuying managed to grab Ning Fa's playful hands, panting, "Let's go inside."
Ning Fa gave an evil grin, but instead, he spun Ning Xiuying around, making her press her hands against the wall.
Ning Xiuying's face flushed, and she spat, "Little rascal, you have so many tricks."
She said this, but she didn't move away.
A long time later.
Ning Xiuying tidied her disheveled armor.
She shot Ning Fa a glare. "You little rascal, you got your way again."
Ning Fa looked at her with a completely innocent expression.
Why did he feel like he was the one who had been taken advantage of?
Just then, Ning Xiuying seemed to remember something and said, "Oh, right. Miss Wei will also be here tomorrow. It seems she's specifically returning with the Ninth Elder to meet you. You should go over early tomorrow."
Ning Fa's expression shifted.
This was perfectly normal.
Back when he could only refine pills like the Essence Replenishing Pill, which were low-grade first-grade pills, Wei Shiqin had already paid him great attention.
The first time they met, she had even directly given him a VIP Token.
And with the alchemy talent he was currently displaying, Wei Shiqin's attention to him would likely increase by two orders of magnitude.
Therefore, it was completely normal for Wei Shiqin to want to meet him personally and foster a relationship.
Ning Fa rejoiced inwardly.
He had already been planning to find her and ask for her help in collecting the Spiritual Materials needed for the Body Tempering Potion.
Now, she was coming to him herself.
Seeing Ning Xiuying turn to leave, Ning Fa couldn't help but smile. "Sister Xiuying, can you give me a ride tomorrow?"
Ning Xiuying rolled her eyes at him. "Dream on."
Ning Fa chuckled.
The next morning, Ning Fa headed to Yun Chang Island early.
Beside a beautiful small lake on the island stood a pavilion, where a banquet was laid out.
When Ning Fa arrived, he found Ning Shaohong and Wei Shiqin already seated.
The two women were chatting and laughing merrily.
Upon seeing Ning Fa arrive, they both turned their heads.
Ning Fa was dressed in a blue robe, standing tall and slender, with a handsome and refined appearance.
His eyes were bright, possessing an extraordinary aura of being as refined as jade and exuding confidence and high spirits.
The eyes of both women immediately lit up.
"Aunt Hong, Miss Wei, I apologize for being late."
Ning Fa smiled apologetically.
Ning Shaohong looked at him and chuckled lightly. "It's fine. Shiqin and I just arrived too. Please, have a seat."
Wei Shiqin remained silent, her beautiful eyes fixed on Ning Fa, her interest clearly undisguised.
She smiled charmingly. "This humble one congratulates Young Master Ning on his promotion to a mid-grade first-grade Pill Master of your esteemed clan. After hearing Sister Shaohong's account, I am utterly impressed by your alchemy skill in dividing your attention and refining two batches of pills simultaneously."
Ning Fa smiled modestly. "Miss Wei is too kind. That was mostly luck, and I couldn't do it again if I tried."
He couldn't help but subtly appraise the woman.
A sense of astonishment welled up in him once more.
She was dressed in a jade-green qipao adorned with lotus and rippling water patterns. Her features were elegant, with skin like ice and bones like jade. She looked as if she had stepped out of a painting, her beauty being utterly captivating.
Wei Shiqin could be considered the most beautiful woman he had seen in this life, besides Liu Qinghui.
Their temperaments were different.
Liu Qinghui was delicate and lovable, while Wei Shiqin was graceful and elegant, each possessing her own unique charm.
In comparison, even setting aside his preconceived notions about Liu Qinghui, Ning Fa preferred Wei Shiqin's type.
At this moment, Wei Shiqin extended her delicate hand, and a spiritual light flashed, revealing a white jade slip.
She gently pushed the jade slip towards Ning Fa, smiling faintly. "To congratulate Young Master Ning on his promotion, I have specially prepared this mid-grade second-grade Pill Master Inheritance as a gift. It includes two mid-grade second-grade pill recipes, three low-grade second-grade pill recipes, and six first-grade pill recipes. I hope Young Master Ning will like it."
Ning Fa was startled.
This gift was a bit too substantial.