[Spirit Stealing: 54/100]
'This Treasure Seed really is a grind. It's only accumulated eighteen points from Spirit Stealing in an entire year. Now that I've broken through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation, I wonder if the speed will finally pick up?'
He would be able to test his theory in less than a month.
His gaze pierced the void, once again landing on the [Primordial Cauldron].
The cauldron itself hadn't changed, but when Lin Changheng's consciousness reached out to it, the azure clouds parted, revealing three other Treasure Seeds inside.
For the past year and a half, Lin Changheng had been unable to get his hands on any Wasted Pills or Inferior Pills, which naturally cut off his source of Essence Blood.
The supply had been monopolized by that Lower Grade Elder Alchemist.
However, a year and a half ago, the half-year-long "Great Expansion" mobilization ended. Some Loose Cultivators and a few clan Cultivators began preliminary explorations of the Wilderness, aiming to survey for Spiritual Ores, find Spiritual Lands, discover Spirit Medicines, and pinpoint Demon Beast lairs.
Roughly half a year after that, large numbers of Loose Cultivators and clan Cultivators pushed into the Wilderness to seize resources and eliminate Demon Beasts.
These were all sources of merit. Not only did the gains belong to the individual or their clan, but the accumulated merit could also be exchanged for rewards like opportunities to join a sect and Realm-Breaking Elixirs. Even the Foundation Establishment Pill was on the list!
The Xu Family, harboring grand ambitions of its own, hoped to use this opportunity to elevate its status. In the second year of the expansion, it dispatched a significant number of clan Cultivators, successfully seizing two small, Lower Grade Spiritual Ore mines.
The benefits were immediate and tangible.
And they had suffered virtually no losses.
The entire Xu Family was immediately invigorated and dispatched a second wave of Cultivators into the Wilderness.
The Elder Alchemist's grandson, his eyes green with envy, figured the danger wasn't great. He ignored his grandfather's desperate dissuasions and resolutely signed up to join them.
After that, the Xu Family's advance went smoothly, with good news arriving frequently. But six months ago, while exploring a swamp, they were ambushed by a pack of Azure Miasma Croc-wyrms from beneath the marsh. Two cultivators at the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation and three at the Third Layer were killed.
The survivors were infected with a terrifying azure miasma toxin. Even after being rescued, the poison was nearly impossible to completely eradicate, leaving them crippled for life.
The Pill Master's grandson had been part of that squad. Being a rather calculating person, he had used the others as human shields and positioned himself at the back.
When the attack came, he reacted instantly. He spun around and bolted, leading the retreat. The irony was that this made him the target of an Azure Miasma Croc-wyrm tasked with cutting off their escape. A single Water Arrow struck him squarely in the back of the head, killing him instantly.
When the tragic news arrived, the Elder Alchemist was consumed by grief. He fell into a stupor, unable to continue his work processing the Wasted Pills.
As a result, the task of processing the Lower Grade Waste pills finally became available.
Lin Changheng and another Lower Grade Alchemist from the Xu Family, who had also been after the job, split the responsibility.
When the other Pill Master saw Lin Changheng take the initiative to choose the Red Flame Pills and Wood Element Pills, he said nothing and simply took the remaining two types.
This wasn't because Lin Changheng didn't covet the Essence Blood in the other two types of elixirs, but simply because the returns from advancing his Fire Crow Treasure Seed were far greater.
The results of his Spirit Stealing over the next six months were gratifying.
His gaze fell upon the illusory crimson Treasure Seed at the cauldron's mouth. His consciousness nudged it, and the seed swayed gently.
[Fire Crow Treasure Seed · Third Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 55/100]
Not only had he finished the Spirit Stealing for the Third Layer of the Fire Crow Treasure Seed, but he was also nearly halfway through the Fourth Layer.
The speed was fast, yet not fast enough.
It was fast because his rate of accumulation was nearly double what it had been back in the Purple River District.
But it was slow because it was *only* nearly double!
Lin Changheng did the math. There were currently just over ten Pill Masters in the clan, six of whom were Lower Grade Alchemists.
Including Lin Changheng, two of them had opted for "alchemy profit-sharing," which meant they handled their own Wasted Pills and didn't have to turn them in to the clan treasury.
The remaining four performed their alchemy by the book, refining exactly fifteen cauldrons a month, ten pills per cauldron—not one cauldron more, not one less.
With a thirty to forty percent failure rate for Wasted Pills, the supply, when split among the four types of Lower Grade Pills, was just about right.
Fortunately, his two main Treasure Seeds were progressing more or less in tandem, which was acceptable.
...
[Acquired: Fire Control Technique: Tongming]
[Utility: Grants fine control over ordinary flames and greatly enhances Fire Magic.]
The Fire Control effect from the Fire Crow Treasure Seed was immediately apparent. Lin Changheng noticed that his control over the furnace fire during alchemy had become significantly more fluid and masterful.
He could now refine seven portions of medicinal materials at once. Previously, his limit had been five!
Furthermore, among the elixirs he produced, a second one was now consistently approaching the quality of a Masterpiece Pill.
With a little more polishing of his skills, or if the Fire Crow Treasure Seed reached the Fourth Layer and took his Fire Control to the next level, he could produce two Masterpiece Pills in a single batch!
Empowered by this, his Fire Bomb Skill became far more unpredictable. The projectiles could now suddenly expand mid-flight or drastically alter their trajectory, making them incredibly difficult to defend against.
...
Next, Lin Changheng turned his attention to the bobbing, emerald-green Treasure Seed.
[Cyan Wood Snake Treasure Seed · Second Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 45/100]
It too had completed a round of Spirit Stealing, reaching the Second Layer!
His Poison Transformation Technique had also risen to the [Spiritual] realm.
Its Utility was strengthened once more.
[Strengthened resistance to poisons, enables high-speed metabolization of Lower Grade Poisons.]
Lin Changheng couldn't help but wonder. 'If I keep leveling this up, will I eventually become immune to all poisons?'
After all, many Demon Beasts carried potent toxins that Cultivators often extracted and used. Being able to repel those toxins would be, without a doubt, an incredible advantage.
The Spiritual Charm of his Fire Spirit Root reached twelve wisps, and his Wood Spirit Root rose to eight!
...
As for the earthen-yellow [Pan Mountain Turtle Treasure Seed], it remained motionless. Even the Xu Family hadn't managed to obtain any Essence Blood from this beast.
'Maybe I should check out that small, internal clan trade fair Fugui mentioned.'
A thought suddenly struck Lin Changheng, presenting a new possibility.
According to Xu Fugui, the trade fair had originally been a small affair for the clan's young talents to trade amongst themselves. Later, word somehow got out, and other Xu Clan Members began to participate.
Its reputation spread, and soon it snowballed. More and more clan members with things to buy or sell began to participate, and it grew beyond anyone's control.
Eventually, it evolved into the large-scale trade fair of today.
It was held only four times a year.
The next one was at the end of this month.
Lin Changheng had a fair number of Spirit Stones on him now. 'I should convert them into things that will empower me,' he thought, 'like Essence Blood, raw power, and new techniques.'
'They won't multiply just by sitting here. Time to spend them!'
...
But the end of the month had yet to arrive.
Instead, an invitation from Xu Fugui arrived.
'Fugui's had another kid, again?' was his first thought.
Just a year ago, Lin Changheng had attended the celebratory banquet for the birth of one of Fugui's sons.
His seventh son, no less!
But because the child only had a Lower Grade Spirit Root, Fugui hadn't made a big fuss about it, merely inviting a few of his closer friends from among the young talents for a small get-together.
When Lin Changheng saw that no other Xu Family members were at the banquet, he knew Xu Fugui was still feeling resentful, and had come to regard his friends among the young talents as his true family.
Pausing his cultivation of the Qi Concealing Skill, Lin Changheng opened the invitation. It wasn't what he expected.
It was a wedding invitation!
He was getting married again.
The bride-to-be was, once again, a woman from the Xu Family. This time, however, she wasn't a mortal, but a woman who possessed a Spirit Root.
It was only a Mixed Spirit Root, but that still put her a world apart from any mortal.
This woman would be his principal wife.
All others would come after.
Lin Changheng surmised there were a few reasons for this. First, Fugui had now reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Cultivation, making him a mid-tier force in the Xu Family and granting him a certain standing.
Second, the Xu Family had seen that Fugui was truly... prolific. He worked at it day and night, and he had a proven track record, having once produced a child with a Middle Grade Spirit Root.
But the most critical factor was the recent losses on the expansion front. The clan needed to replenish its numbers from the rear.
Therefore, they were doubling down on their investment, marrying another Spirit Root Woman to him.
They hoped he would continue to spread his branches and scatter his leaves, producing even more heirs with Spirit Roots.