The next day, Lin Changheng went directly to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. He submitted his choice for the profit-sharing arrangement, then began examining the massive luminous projection panel in the center of the hall.
Mission information scrolled across it, line by line.
It was a type of Manifestation Spiritual Artifact that could be operated with a small amount of Spiritual Power to record information.
The tasks listed on it were all routine.
These included planting Spirit Plants and tending them with magic, raising Spirit Fish and harvesting them on schedule, guarding the medicine garden, tilling soil, planting seeds, and so on. They were all tasks that didn't require much expertise and could be done by learning one or two specific spells, aimed at ordinary clan members.
Tasks requiring a certain level of skill, such as Alchemy and Talisman Making, were not displayed.
Looking thoughtful, Lin Changheng went directly to inquire with the steward in charge.
"A newly promoted Entry Tier Alchemist?"
Seeing Lin Changheng nod, the man took out a thick book and told him that for any future tasks involving elixirs, he should just come and ask him directly.
"Are there any other elixir-related tasks besides Alchemy?"
Lin Changheng acknowledged, then added thoughtfully, "For example, processing Wasted Pills?"
"Oh?"
Steward Xu Xuzhong glanced at him, slightly surprised. But then he saw the eager and driven expression on Lin Changheng's face, connected it with the age recorded in his register, and everything clicked into place.
'A little over thirty years old. The perfect age for struggling and striving. A top-quality workhorse.'
'With a wife and children, he'd be even more effective—a Saintly Physique born for toil.'
'What a pity...'
He muttered to himself, then wet a finger on his lips and bent his head to search through the register.
Lin Changheng had no idea what the man was thinking; he simply waited.
After a moment, Xu Xuzhong looked up. "There are no tasks for processing Lower Grade Waste pills at the moment. An Elder Alchemist has claimed them on a long-term basis. And there are other Pill Masters in line after him."
'An Elder Alchemist?'
Now it was Lin Changheng's turn to be confused.
But Xu Xuzhong quickly added a simple explanation, "He has an adult grandson with a Lower Grade Spirit Root at home."
'So that's why.'
'It was the same old story of someone burning themselves out in the hope that their grandson would become a dragon.'
'The Cultivation Realm is no different.'
Nodding, Lin Changheng made an earnest request, "When a new task for processing elixirs becomes available, please save one for me, Steward. It would help me add fuel to my own path, and allow me to better contribute my humble self to the clan's rise."
At these resounding words, Xu Xuzhong's opinion of Lin Changheng immediately rose. "Rest assured, I'll definitely keep one for you."
"Thank you."
Lin Changheng departed, leaving Xu Xuzhong with the image of his back, as straight and unyielding as a pine tree.
...
「More than two years flew by.」
It was the dead of night, and the private courtyard in the Tingchao Dojo was utterly silent.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
A faint fluctuation suddenly emanated from the room, growing more and more intense.
The Spiritual Qi, gathered by the Lower Grade [Spirit Gathering Array], formed a small vortex, continuously funneling into the figure seated cross-legged in the center, hands forming a seal.
Inside his body, the commotion was just as great.
A faint light began to glow from within his Dantian. The [Flowing Fire Technique] completed a full circulation, continuously refining Spiritual Qi and transforming it into trickles of Magical Power that seeped into his Dantian.
Lin Changheng could feel that the bottleneck hindering the advancement of his Cultivation had finally been worn down and was starting to give way.
Without hesitation, he crushed both Lower Grade Crimson Spirit Stones. Pure Spiritual Power surged into his Qi Veins like a raging torrent.
An unknown amount of time passed.
CRACK—
It felt as if something inside his body had shattered.
An indescribable sensation of comfort instantly swept through his entire body.
"Success."
Lin Changheng was thrilled, a look of joy spreading across his face, but he did not break out of his cultivation. Instead, he continued to absorb all the residual Spiritual Power before slowly ceasing his practice.
At that moment, he had broken through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation, becoming a Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivator.
'Fourteen years of Cultivation, almost fifteen, and I've finally broken through to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation... It's been a bit slow, but progress is progress. And as my Spirit Root improves in the future, my speed will increase as well.'
Lin Changheng cast a Cleaning Skill on himself to wash away the sweat, then walked out into the courtyard and poured himself some wine under the bright, clear moonlight.
Raising my cup to the bright moon, my shadow and I became three.
The line was a perfect fit for the scene.
'If I hadn't decisively spent eighty Spirit Stones at the Hundred Treasures Hall to buy and set up the Array Flags and Array Plate for this Tier One Lower Grade [Spirit Gathering Array], I'm afraid this breakthrough wouldn't have been so easy.'
Finishing his cup, Lin Changheng couldn't help but shake his head as he thought back on it.
'The Celestial Dao is cruel, and the path of all cultivators is bitter.'
He had still underestimated how stubborn the Middle Stage bottleneck was.
If his Spirit Root hadn't already reached Lower Grade, and without the help of the Tier One Lower Grade [Spirit Gathering Array], there was no telling how much time it would have taken to break through this bottleneck.
It might have even taken double his original estimate of two and a half years.
The limitations of his previous Mixed Spirit Root were just too great...
'Thankfully, from now on, all I need to do is cultivate step-by-step, accumulate Magical Power, and advance diligently until I reach the Perfection of the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation. Only then will I face another bottleneck.'
Lin Changheng chuckled, feeling a sudden sense of relief.
'I wonder if I can upgrade my Spirit Root to Middle Grade before the next bottleneck arrives. That would make breaking through much less stressful.'
'I have to keep working hard!'
Only after downing the entire pot of Spirit Wine in his hands did a tipsy Lin Changheng stumble back inside and lie down.
He fell into a deep sleep.
He had been performing Alchemy nonstop recently, and the pressure of his cultivation was immense. He hadn't had a proper rest in a very long time.
...
「The next day.」
The sun was already high in the sky when Lin Changheng slowly awoke, feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
The Spirit Wine of the Cultivation Realm was truly extraordinary. Despite its high alcohol content, it left him with none of the negative side effects, like a hangover headache.
Today was a rest day, with the furnace extinguished and no Alchemy to be done. After a proper breakfast in the courtyard, Lin Changheng found himself staring at his Storage Bag, lost in thought.
He had accumulated far too many elixirs.
It wasn't just [Red Flame Pills]; he had also become extremely skilled at refining [Wood Element Pills]. He could now produce one Masterpiece Pill out of every batch of five.
He had accumulated over three hundred Masterpiece Pills alone in his Storage Bag!
He had originally received 180 Genuine Pills after the profit-sharing split, and he sold all of them to the Hundred Treasures Hall.
At 70% of the market price, he had received 252 Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
As for the Masterpiece Pills, he didn't dare sell a single one. He held onto all of them, only daring to consume two a month himself.
In reality, the "Great Reclamation" was in full swing outside, with numerous casualties. As a result, the price of pills in the outside world had skyrocketed by at least twenty percent. However, the so-called "market price" at the Hundred Treasures Hall remained at two Spirit Stones.
The Xu Family was profiting from both ends of the deal, making a tidy sum.
But for the sake of his safety, this was Lin Changheng's only option. It was the best choice, really; avoiding the risks of the outside world was worth the price.
For two years, he had been holed up within the Xu Family estate, never once stepping outside. The bloody chaos of the outside world had nothing to do with him, and he was quite content with that.
But letting the Masterpiece Pills pile up indefinitely wasn't a solution either. He would have to venture out eventually, but only after he had sufficient means to protect himself.
He was already making detailed plans for this.
Once he managed to sell these elixirs, his personal stash of Spirit Stones would skyrocket to nearly a thousand!
It was an extremely impressive fortune.
...
As for the Treasure Seed.
The [Origin Treasure Seed] was already more than halfway accumulated...