The next morning, at the Rin Family Hall of Merit.
More than a dozen people gathered in the grand hall on the first floor—men and women, elders, young adults in their twenties, and middle-aged women. They were all Rin Family members exchanging merit points or trading various materials for weapon crafting and talisman making.
A young man in a blue robe took out several stalks of spiritual medicine, a demon core from a demonic beast, and various parts of the beast's body from his storage bag.
An elder in a white robe efficiently inspected the spiritual medicines while three youngsters beside him recorded the details in a thick book.
The book's cover was made of green, oily beast skin, with densely packed runes swirling on its surface, giving it a peculiar appearance.
That elder was none other than Rin Shixin, Master of the Hall of Merit. At the Ninth Level of Qi Refining and over ninety years old—about the same age as Rin Tianhai's grandfather—he had watched over the family's treasury for more than forty years. Experienced and fair, he was responsible for collecting and exchanging all kinds of cultivation resources.
As Rin Shixin counted and verified the items, he softly announced:
"Two stalks of Golden Flower Grass, each worth eight merit points, a total of sixteen. Three stalks of Wind Spirit Grass, six merit points each, eighteen in total. One stalk of Jade Ginseng, five points."
"One First Order Medium Grade Three-eyed Wolf demon core for eighteen points. Four wolf claws, twelve points total. One demonic eye bead, five points. One wolf skin, eight points. Altogether, eighty-two merit points."
The young man in the blue robe seemed a little surprised—it was slightly more than he expected—but he didn't ask why. Instead, he said:
"Uncle Ten, please exchange these for three Qi Condensation Pills, one Jade Detoxification Pill, one Essence Replenishing Pill, and one First Order Superior Attack Talisman."
Rin Shixin nodded, checked the ledger, and replied:
"Three Qi Condensation Pills at eight merit points each, twenty-four total. One Jade Detoxification Pill, twelve points. One Essence Replenishing Pill, eight points. One First Order Superior Attack Talisman, fifteen points. That makes fifty-nine merit points in all, leaving a balance of twenty-three."
Before the elder finished, the young man in blue had already handed over his Family Token. Rin Shixin cast several decrees, red numeric figures flashed, then disappeared. He retrieved the requested items from the treasury and handed them over.
The young man accepted his Family Token and the items, bowed, and left the hall.
The Rin Family had established a complete exchange system: one merit point equaled one Low-Grade Spirit Stone. Members could exchange for materials and elixirs at market prices, but selling to the family yielded only eighty to ninety percent of the market rate, as the family needed Spirit Stones to sustain its operations and support higher-ranked cultivators.
For example, Golden Flower Grass could fetch ten Spirit Stones apiece in the market, but the family only exchanged them for eight or nine.
After the young man in blue left, a steady stream of members continued to come and go. Some sold, others bought, filling the Hall of Merit with lively energy.
Amid the bustling crowd, a young man in a green shirt entered—it was Rin Tianhai.
Yesterday, he had barely managed to concoct a flawed Fasting Pill on his first attempt. Today, he came to see if there were any Alchemy Furnaces available.
After exchanging greetings with elders and peers, he approached Rin Shixin and bowed.
"Grandson Tianhai greets Uncle Ten."
Rin Shixin chuckled, teasing, "Little rascal, just tell me what you want."
Tianhai smiled faintly and stated his purpose.
"Uncle Ten, do you have any Alchemy Furnaces? I am learning alchemy and lack both a Pill Furnace and spiritual medicines, so I came to take a look."
Rin Shixin nodded. "The family has only four furnaces in total. The only Second Order Medium Grade Furnace is used by your grandfather. Your Fifth Uncle has already exchanged for the First Order Superior Grade Furnace. That leaves only two First Order Medium Grade Dan Furnaces."
He then took out two furnaces and placed them on the counter.
The first was a fiery red furnace with three legs and four handles, named the Four Symbols Furnace. Once a Superior Grade Furnace, its rank had fallen to Medium Grade—likely damaged in battle. Still, it was better than ordinary Medium Grade furnaces and could be repaired.
The second was a blue-green furnace, three feet tall and inscribed with runes, called the Azure Mist Furnace. It had been left behind by a Rin Family ancestor.
"The Four Symbols Furnace costs two hundred and fifty merit points, and the Azure Mist Furnace costs one hundred and twenty. Which do you choose?"
Tianhai froze. The thirty-five Spirit Stones given by his mother, along with his remaining resources, weren't nearly enough. His hopes of obtaining a furnace today were dashed.
He forced a smile. "Uncle Ten, I can't afford one. I'll just exchange for some Fasting Pill ingredients instead."
The Fasting Pill required eleven types of common spiritual herbs, each costing three merit points. One set of herbs could be used for three batches.
"Then I'll take ten sets of ingredients."
He handed over his Family Token. After a few breaths, the points on it were reduced to zero.
Since Tianhai hadn't reached the Fifth Level of Qi Refining, he couldn't take on family tasks to earn points. The thirty merit points he used today were given by his mother, Xi Yuexin.
Xi Yuexin, herself a Four Spirit Roots cultivator at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining and forty-three years old, knew her chances at Foundation Establishment were slim. She saved most of her resources for Tianhai and his father, Rin Jian.
In the cultivation world, those who failed to establish their foundation before sixty found it nearly impossible afterward, as life essence declined. Most cultivators lived about one hundred and twenty years, and past midlife, advancement became harder.
Thus, by fifty, most who hadn't reached the Ninth Level of Qi Refining stopped investing in themselves, conserving resources for their children.
Tianhai's parents both had mediocre roots. His father Rin Jian, forty-eight, was at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining. His mother Xi Yuexin was at the Seventh. For over a decade, she had saved her cultivation resources for her son, while still helping her husband advance.
After collecting his ingredients, Tianhai left the Hall of Merit and went to the Alchemy Hall.
Less than half an hour later, he stood before his grandfather, Rin Shigong.
"Grandfather, I've exchanged for ten sets of Fasting Pill ingredients. I don't have enough merit points for a furnace, so I can only borrow your spare one."
Without hesitation, Rin Shigong gave him a furnace, offered some instructions, and left the pill room.
Tianhai didn't rush. He cultivated for half a day to adjust his condition before beginning.
Forming hand seals, he activated the furnace. Earth Fire surged forth as he carefully controlled the heat, warming it for a quarter hour before adding the herbs. He released his Divine Sense to refine the ingredients.
Half an hour later, a fragrant scent filled the room. A single Fasting Pill floated in the furnace.
Elated, Tianhai carefully took it out. His first successful pill! He casually consumed it, and his hunger vanished.
He pressed on. The first batch yielded one pill, the second failed, and the third produced another. After three batches, his spiritual power and Divine Sense were exhausted, and he had to meditate.
Time passed swiftly. Half a month later, Tianhai emerged from the pill room.
In that time, he had exhausted all ten sets of ingredients. At first his success rate was low, but by the final third of his attempts, it exceeded forty percent. In the end, from thirty batches, he produced thirty-two pills. After eating one himself, thirty-one remained.
He went to return the furnace and report his progress.
Rin Shigong stared in disbelief, then burst into laughter. "Heaven bless the Rin Family, heaven bless us!"
He had expected some success given Tianhai's spiritual root alignment, but not such proficiency.
After laughing for a long time, he finally calmed down. "You little devil, you're now barely a First Order Inferior Alchemist. For this, you deserve a reward. Hand me your token."
Tianhai obeyed. Rin Shigong added three hundred merit points to his grandson's token.
"Go exchange for the Four Symbols Furnace. It will serve you well. Once you can refine Medium Grade elixirs, I'll ask your Third Grandfather to repair it. With the right materials, he may even upgrade it to Second Order."
Tianhai bowed deeply. Though utterly exhausted from two weeks of nonstop alchemy, his cultivation had improved steadily, and his Divine Sense had grown stronger.
Feeling he was close to breaking through to the Fifth Level of Qi Refining, he decided to go into seclusion with his remaining Qi Condensation Pills—and would not emerge until he had advanced.