Chapter 19: The Ninth Level of Qi Refining and the Alchemist
Li Changsheng hadn't gone far when he encountered Qin Yi, who was dragging Qi Zhengwu deeper into the tomb.
Seeing Li Changsheng's pale face, bloodstained clothes, and the wound on his chest still bleeding, Qin Yi's expression changed slightly. "Young Master, are you alright?"
"Let's leave first." Li Changsheng waved his hand, signaling that he was fine.
"Li Changsheng, you'd better let me go now! Don't think that just because you have some talent in martial arts, you can act recklessly. Let me tell you, when you meet my Qi Family's cultivators, you're as good as dead! Let me go now, and I'll leave you with a whole corpse. Otherwise, I'll make sure there's not a single survivor in your Tianxia Guild!"
Seeing that Li Changsheng had been injured shortly after entering, Qi Zhengwu's eyes gleamed with triumph as he shouted.
"Kill him." Li Changsheng frowned slightly.
What?
Qi Zhengwu couldn't believe his ears. Li Changsheng had been seriously injured by his family's cultivators, yet he still dared to act against him?
Qin Yi didn't hesitate. With a twist of his left hand, he snapped Qi Zhengwu's neck and dropped his lifeless body to the ground.
...
Half a day later.
Qin Yi drove the carriage towards Wushan City, while Li Changsheng sat inside, dripping blood onto the small pouches. As expected, he successfully opened the three storage pouches.
"Among the three storage pouches, there are 1,540 spirit stones."
"Three cultivation manuals: the Green Wood Technique, the Primal Water Technique, and the Primordial Unity Technique. There's also a copy of the Green Bag Alchemy Classic and some medicinal pills."
Li Changsheng frowned slightly. The harvest wasn't as abundant as he had imagined.
The two Qi Family disciples' storage pouches contained less than a hundred spirit stones combined, while the tomb's cultivator had a much larger stash.
From the storage pouches, Li Changsheng learned that the tomb's owner was Liu Qing, an alchemist who had some fame in the Qi Kingdom's cultivation world six hundred years ago. Although his cultivation was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, his alchemy skills had earned him some renown.
Unfortunately, he failed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage and chose to pass away in the mortal world after reaching the end of his lifespan.
"Cultivation is truly difficult!" Li Changsheng sighed.
Liu Qing, as an alchemist, was in one of the most lucrative professions in the cultivation world. Yet, due to his poor aptitude, he ended up as a pile of bones after a hundred years.
However, Liu Qing had a four-spiritual-root aptitude and cultivated the complete version of the Primordial Unity Technique, which could reach the early Foundation Establishment stage. This allowed Li Changsheng to complete the version of the Primordial Unity Technique he already had.
"Let's do a simulation first."
After organizing the items and storing them in one of the pouches, Li Changsheng muttered softly, "Recharge 1,400 spirit stones."
He didn't choose to recharge all of them, keeping some aside. If he used all his spirit stones in the simulation and needed more later, with his current strength, he would have few ways to earn more.
[Recharge successful!]
[Balance: 1,120 gold. One simulation costs 100 gold. Do you wish to use the Cultivation Simulator now?]
"Use it!"
Why hesitate?
[At the age of nineteen, you found the location of the Tunmen Marketplace from Liu Qing's belongings.]
[Half a month later, you arrived at the Tunmen Marketplace and rented a cave dwelling for ten spirit stones per year for fourteen years. You began to cultivate diligently.]
[At the age of twenty-three, you successfully advanced to the third level of Qi Refining.]
[At the age of thirty-two, you successfully advanced to the fourth level of Qi Refining!]
Mid-stage Qi Refining!
[At the age of thirty-three, you were evicted from the cave dwelling by the Xi family for failing to renew your lease due to lack of spirit stones.]
[To stay in the Tunmen Marketplace and continue cultivating, you chose to hunt demonic beasts with others to earn spirit stones.]
[While hunting demonic beasts, you continued cultivating in the Tunmen Marketplace.]
[At the age of forty-five, you successfully advanced to the fifth level of Qi Refining.]
[At the age of one hundred, you died of old age!]
[Simulation ended. You may retain one of the following.]
[1. Your cultivation level at the age of one hundred.]
[2. Your cultivation combat experience at the age of one hundred.]
"Reaching the fifth level with a four-spiritual-root aptitude is not bad!"
Li Changsheng shook his head and directly chose option one.
As he made his choice, a sharp light burst from his eyes, and the true energy within his body immediately expanded several times over.
"This is the feeling of mid-stage Qi Refining?"
Li Changsheng sensed the strength of the true energy within his body and nodded with satisfaction.
"Again!"
[Starting simulation.]
[...At the age of thirty-seven, you successfully advanced to the sixth level of Qi Refining.]
[At the age of seventy-nine, you successfully advanced to the seventh level of Qi Refining!]
[At the age of one hundred, you died of old age!]
...
[At the age of one hundred, you died of old age!]
[...At the age of sixty-five, you successfully advanced to the eighth level of Qi Refining.]
The eighth level of Qi Refining achieved!
[...At the age of one hundred, you passed away!]
[...At the age of one hundred, you passed away!]
[...At the age of seventy-nine, you successfully advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining!]
Looking at the text on the virtual screen, Li Changsheng was somewhat speechless.
According to Liu Qing's notes, the chance of a four-spiritual-root cultivator reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was slim. With enough medicinal support, a three-spiritual-root cultivator could at least reach the peak of Qi Refining, and with a Foundation Establishment Pill, they might even attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Foundation Establishment cultivators lived for two hundred years. The chance of a three-spiritual-root cultivator reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment within two hundred years was as slim as a four-spiritual-root cultivator reaching the peak of Qi Refining before the age of one hundred.
Still, reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining was a significant achievement.
...
"Let's try once more!"
[...At the age of sixty-seven, you attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. The attempt failed, and you died!]
[At the age of eighty-five, you tried to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. The attempt failed, and you died!]
Two wasted opportunities!
Li Changsheng's face turned grim. He knew that with his four-spiritual-root aptitude, the chance of successfully reaching the Foundation Establishment stage without a Foundation Establishment Pill was only one percent. He had hoped to gamble and try, but now it seemed that he should only attempt it when he had enough spirit stones.
"I still have three simulation chances left. I must maximize the benefits!"
Li Changsheng murmured, "Simulate!"
[Starting simulation.]
[At the age of eighteen, you returned to the Tianxia Guild and emptied the guild's medicinal storehouse of valuable herbs within three days. You then took Qin Yi and Bai Qing'er and retreated to a remote town to live in seclusion.]
[You dedicated yourself to studying the Green Bag Alchemy Classic.]
[At the age of thirty-seven, you finally became a first-rank alchemist.]
[At the age of thirty-nine, you arrived at the Tunmen Marketplace and opened an alchemy shop. Business was decent.]
[At the age of seventy-five, you attempted to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. The attempt failed, and you died!]
"Choose option two."
Looking at the text on the virtual screen, Li Changsheng knew he had made the right choice.
Only by becoming an alchemist could he earn more spirit stones and then simulate endlessly.
As Li Changsheng made his choice, memories of his painstaking alchemy practice flooded his mind. Half an hour later, he finally digested the experience of a first-rank alchemist.
He had become a first-rank alchemist!
"Whew!"
Li Changsheng let out a long breath and murmured, "Liu Qing didn't become a first-rank alchemist until his fifties. It seems my talent in alchemy isn't bad?"
"It's a pity I don't have access to second-rank alchemist knowledge. Otherwise, earning spirit stones would be much easier!"