Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 896: Chapter 494: Establishing a Foothold (Part 2)

He felt he couldn’t go on like this. He needed to use his time wisely. Absorbing knowledge was important, but the Book Collection Pavilion was right there, and he had plenty of time in the future.

Whenever he had time in the future, he could spend a few hours here. Right now, the most important thing was not absorbing knowledge, but refining pills to obtain more resources for advancing to Nascent Soul.

Having more resources for advancing to Nascent Soul and participating in the opening of the Green Field Cave Heaven via the Cloud Stepping Order were guarantees for his advancement to Nascent Soul.

He checked the purchasing power of contribution points and found that the two thousand contribution points he had could only exchange for two sets of resources for advancing to Nascent Soul, which seemed like a loss compared to the higher rewards of private alchemy.

However, taking on the sect’s pill-refining tasks would allow him to obtain Fourth Grade High-level Spirit Pills, and even have a chance to acquire Fourth Grade Top-Grade Spirit Pills, which was incomparable to private alchemy.

Contribution points could be exchanged for resources and inheritance techniques and were an important basis for elevating access permissions.

“Junior Master Song!” Li Shiming saw Junior Master Song waiting outside the mountain peak when he returned to his cave residence.

“Master Li, I heard that you’ve completed the sect’s task and would like to ask you to refine some more spirit pills for me!” Junior Master Song said politely.

To invite Li Shiming for alchemy, he collected three sets of resources for advancing to Nascent Soul over the past four months, exchanging one set of resources for three furnace sessions, just enough to use all the Fourth Grade Spiritual Medicine he had.

“No problem, I’ve just come free!” Li Shiming agreed with a smile when he heard there were resources for advancing to Nascent Soul to be gained.

Junior Master Song brought out three sets of resources for advancing to Nascent Soul, two of which Li Shiming did not have, and another was the ‘Ten-thousand-year-old Thunderstruck Wood Juice’.

Junior Master Song looked at Li Shiming somewhat apprehensively, knowing that only one portion of the ‘ten-thousand-year-old Thunderstruck Wood Juice’ could be used at once, and more would be useless.

He just wanted to give it a try, as Li Shiming only mentioned resources for advancing to Nascent Soul, without specifying whether repetitions were allowed.

“According to my rules, the reward here can allow for nine furnace sessions!” Li Shiming had no objections, accepting the three sets of resources for advancing to Nascent Soul.

“Here are nine portions of spiritual medicine, please trouble Master Li!” Junior Master Song said hastily, taking out the prepared spiritual medicine upon hearing this.

After sending off Junior Master Song, Li Shiming wouldn’t have to take on more pill-refining tasks for several months, as refining nine furnaces of Fourth Grade Spirit Pills would take four months externally.

Currently, his reputation had not spread, and he knew too few cultivators within the sect.

Recently, Ancestor Zhang Kai had been nowhere to be found and hadn’t visited him, and Master Jiang Hong wouldn’t come to him for alchemy either, so currently, Junior Master Song was his only client.

Unexpectedly, over the next few months, his reputation quickly spread.

The reason was the eighteen mid-level Fourth Grade Spirit Pills he refined for the sect, and the sect took out nine of these pills to pay the mission awards for the Nascent Soul cultivators.

One of these cultivators, named Elder Bao Da, found that the three mid-level Fourth Grade Spirit Pills he received were of surprisingly high quality, just shy of becoming high-grade spirit pills.

Most crucially, the quality of the three mid-level Fourth Grade Spirit Pills was exactly the same.

Curious, he contacted the other two Nascent Soul cultivators who received the rewards and found that their task reward pills were also mid-level Fourth Grade Spirit Pills of identical quality.

Through connections, he quickly discovered the pill refiner of this batch of mid-level Fourth Grade Spirit Pills was a master called Li Shizhen.

Master Li took four months to complete the task of refining nine furnaces of Fourth Grade Spirit Pills for the sect, with frighteningly stable quality.

This pill-refining frequency, while maintaining success rate and quality, steadfastly exceeded other pill-refining masters in the sect.

Initially, it was only Elder Bao Da who knew, but to confirm the quality of the mid-level Fourth Grade Spirit Pills, the other two Nascent Soul Ancestors who hadn’t noticed the matter at first were made aware.

If one person knew, they might keep it secret like Junior Master Song, ensuring enough benefit for themselves before telling other cultivators.

But with three people knowing, it became uncontainable.

In just a few days, almost every active Nascent Soul Early Stage practitioner in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect knew of a highly skilled alchemy master, Li Master.

Because Li Shiming took on Junior Master Song’s alchemy affair, his mountain peak was in a closed state, so he wasn’t disturbed by the Nascent Soul Ancestors.

Four months later, on this day, Junior Master Song stood outside the mountain peak with three other Nascent Soul Cultivators, including Elder Bao Da.

Junior Master Song didn’t hide the matter of finding Li Shiming for alchemy, allowing the Nascent Soul Cultivators to find out that today was the day Li Shiming would deliver the Fourth Grade Spirit Pills.

It was just that many Nascent Soul cultivators had other affairs to attend to, so only three Nascent Soul cultivators awaited outside the mountain peak.

Li Shiming activated the mountain formation and noticed the four Nascent Soul Cultivators outside, then invited them to come in.

He invited the four Nascent Soul Cultivators to sit in the pavilion, without offering Fourth Grade Spirit Tea, since he couldn’t afford it if any cultivator seeking pills came knocking.

Moreover, as they came with requests, they wouldn’t mind the hospitality.

He looked at Junior Master Song, thinking that Junior Master Song introduced them and felt some gratitude towards him.

He was just pondering how to increase his clientele, and here they came to him.

“Junior Master Song, here are your Fourth Grade Spirit Pills!” He said, handing the jade bottle to Junior Master Song.

Junior Master Song carefully accepted the jade bottle, and seeing the Fourth Grade Spirit Pills inside, he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

Even though he had previously invited Li Shiming to refine three furnaces of Fourth Grade Spirit Pills and knew about Li Shiming’s alchemy abilities, this time involved nine furnaces, his entire accumulation for the past decade.

Elder Bao Da didn’t need to know the quality of the Fourth Grade Spirit Pills inside the jade bottle; just seeing Junior Master Song’s demeanor, he understood the quality of the Fourth Grade Spirit Pills was excellent.

“Master Li, I don’t know how to thank you. Having an alchemy master like you is a blessing for us. In the coming years, I will go out to take on tasks in exchange for Fourth Grade alchemy materials, and I will have to trouble you again then!” Junior Master Song bowed after putting away the jade bottle.

Although Li Shiming’s fees were quite expensive, they were indeed worthwhile.

“Just remember to pay the reward!” Li Shiming nodded with a smile and then turned to the other three Nascent Soul cultivators, asking: “I wonder what brings the three of you to me?”

“Master Li, I’m here to request pills!” Elder Bao Da spoke first.

Li Shiming wasn’t surprised; it would be surprising if they came for anything else.

“Do you know my rules?” Li Shiming glanced at Junior Master Song before asking Elder Bao Da.

“Master Li only accepts resources for advancing to Nascent Soul as payment for pill refining; I’ve long since prepared!” Elder Bao Da said with a smile.

The reason for speaking first was to get ahead in requesting Li Shiming’s pill refining services.

He was well aware that once Li Shiming’s alchemy skills were spread, even if the payment Li Shiming demanded was difficult to procure, more Nascent Soul cultivators would come seeking him for alchemy.

Among the three sect masters most reliable in refining Nascent Soul Early Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pills, they rarely took on pill refining tasks, as they pursued higher achievements, mostly focusing their time on research in alchemy.

They refined more Spirit Pills for Nascent Soul Middle Late Stage, making it harder for Nascent Soul Early Stage practitioners to invite them for alchemy.

As for other alchemy masters, Elder Bao Da didn’t want to gamble; getting a full pill was already lucky, not to mention guaranteeing the quality of the Fourth Grade Spirit Pills.

Each Fourth Grade Spiritual Medicine and Demon Core in his possession was hard-earned, and he didn’t want to waste any of them.

“Master Li, here are five portions of resources for advancing to Nascent Soul, please check if they are suitable?” Elder Bao Da placed five jade boxes in front of Li Shiming.

His actions caused the other two Nascent Soul cultivators to pause and cast disapproving looks his way.