Chapter 12: Assessing the Gains

Inside the pavilion's secret chamber, Lin Tianming sat on the stone bed, as still as a meditating monk. Points of spiritual light slowly gathered above his head.

After being forced to kill the red-robed man, he had rushed back to Qingfeng Town without a moment's rest, unable to recover his depleted spiritual energy or tend to his internal injuries.

He released his spiritual consciousness to examine his body and meridians. What he discovered was far worse than he had expected. The wounds on the surface of his body were manageable and were already starting to scab over. However, his internal injuries were severe, with several meridians on the brink of snapping. If he had forced himself into another fight, he might have ended up crippled or worse.

Unknowingly, Lin Tianming had sat in the secret chamber for over a month without moving.

In that month, his meridians had slowly recovered from the brink of collapse, and his overall condition had reached its peak. His cultivation had also progressed significantly from the life-and-death battle, nearing the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, almost touching the threshold of the sixth level.

Lin Tianming wasn't in a hurry to break through. Instead, he decided to inspect the storage bags of the Jin-named cultivator and the red-robed man.

At the time of their deaths, his injuries had been severe, and there was no time to check their storage bags. Now that he had recovered, he naturally wanted to assess his gains.

First, he took out the Jin-named cultivator's storage bag and erased the remaining spiritual imprint. With the Jin-named cultivator dead, the imprint was easily removed. Lin Tianming then used his own spiritual sense to probe the contents.

"Oh my, this guy was really wealthy," Lin Tianming couldn't help but exclaim.

Inside, he found six Spirit Origin Pills, fifty-five low-grade spirit stones, three Rejuvenation Pills, one Detoxification Pill, and two Essence Stabilizing Pills.

There were also twenty portions of medicinal herbs for refining Spirit Origin Pills, three Golden Flower Herbs, three Fire Origin Herbs, and over thirty other low-grade medicinal herbs.

The Essence Stabilizing Pill was a high-grade Qi Refining pill used for healing injuries. If he had taken one during his recovery, his healing time would have been cut in half.

The Jin-named cultivator was evidently also an alchemist, as he had collected numerous pills and medicinal materials.

Golden Flower Herbs and Fire Origin Herbs were both high-grade medicinal herbs, each worth ten low-grade spirit stones, and were primary ingredients for refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill. He only needed three more main ingredients to refine the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Additionally, there was a high-grade attack talisman, three mid-grade spirit swords, and two jade slips.

Lin Tianming eagerly searched the jade slips, hoping to find the Jin-named cultivator's cultivation technique. He had witnessed the formidable Three Star Spirit Sword Technique, which combined three spirit swords into a powerful sword array that nearly killed the red-robed man.

He spent a quarter of an hour studying the cultivation technique and understood its principles.

It was a gold attribute high-grade technique, capable of cultivation up to the late Core Formation stage. Although its grade was on par with his Fire Element Art, he couldn't cultivate it himself and planned to turn it over to his family.

The Lin family didn't possess a high-grade gold attribute technique, so this would be a significant contribution, likely earning him considerable rewards.

After setting aside the technique, he examined the remaining jade slip, which contained alchemical insights from a third-tier lower-grade alchemist at the Core Formation stage. This inheritance had evidently allowed the Jin-named cultivator to become a mid-grade first-tier alchemist, rapidly accumulating resources and advancing to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

The Lin family had never produced a third-tier alchemist. Lin Tianming planned to study the insights later and then hand them over to the family, which should also earn him significant merit.

After tallying the contents of the Jin-named cultivator's storage bag, Lin Tianming was astonished. The man's wealth surpassed his own when he had left Qingzhu Mountain.

Thrilled with his gains, Lin Tianming eagerly checked the red-robed man's storage bag, hoping for more surprises.

He erased the residual spiritual imprint and used his spiritual sense to inspect the contents.

Inside, he found two Spirit Origin Pills, one Rejuvenation Pill, one Essence Stabilizing Pill, one Detoxification Pill, thirty low-grade spirit stones, a Water Lotus Herb, more than ten low-grade medicinal herbs, a high-grade defense talisman, a jade slip, and a map.

The Water Lotus Herb was also a high-grade medicinal herb, another primary ingredient for the Marrow Cleansing Pill, each worth ten low-grade spirit stones. He only needed two more main ingredients and a dozen low-grade herbs to refine the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

The lone jade slip had golden runes etched on its surface, indicating it wasn't ordinary. It likely contained the red-robed man's cultivation technique.

Lin Tianming attempted to unlock the jade slip, but each time he tried, he fell just short of breaking through the runic barrier. His spiritual strength wasn't sufficient; he estimated he needed to reach at least the sixth level of Qi Refining to succeed.

Unable to unlock the technique for now, Lin Tianming set it aside, eagerly anticipating the day he could open it and discover its secrets.

He then unfolded the half-meter-long map, made from beast skin. The markings and landmarks were relatively fresh, suggesting it was created within the last five years.

The map depicted winding routes, mountains, and rivers. According to the map, the cave's location was in the heart of the Purple Cloud Mountain Range, five hundred li west of Qingfeng Town.

With his current cultivation, exploring the cave would be perilous. He decided to wait until he reached at least the seventh level of Qi Refining and had unlocked the red-robed man's technique, gaining more protective measures before venturing into the Purple Cloud Mountain Range.

Satisfied with his gains, Lin Tianming stored everything in his storage bag.

He now had ample pills: sixteen Spirit Origin Pills, seven Rejuvenation Pills, three Essence Stabilizing Pills, and four Detoxification Pills, along with one hundred twenty-five low-grade spirit stones.

Additionally, he had four portions of medicinal herbs for refining Fasting Pills and fifty-five portions for Spirit Origin Pills. He had collected three out of five primary ingredients for the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

In terms of defensive measures, he still had two high-grade attack talismans and two high-grade defense talismans, despite using one of each in the fight.

The greatest gains from this battle were the numerous medicinal materials and, most importantly, the technique and alchemical insights. The map promising a potentially valuable cave was an exciting prospect.

With plentiful resources, Lin Tianming no longer needed to be as frugal. He was at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, ready to break through to the sixth.

Deciding to advance first, Lin Tianming sat cross-legged, took out a Spirit Origin Pill, and began his breakthrough.