Chapter 108: Qi-Refining Insights and The Auction (I)

In the Radiant Moon Hall, a soft hum of conversation filled the air. Cultivators lounged casually, chatting in clusters as they waited for the meeting to begin.

"Energy surges to the heavens, intent guards the heart—what does that even mean?" one asked, frowning thoughtfully.

"I think my qi-nourishing pills are wearing off," another muttered. "Should I switch to Dust Transformation pills?"

"Tsk tsk, I saw a monkey the other day and it could speak, despite being only first-tier. It must have eaten a tongue-opening herb. What a waste—those are worth 500 spirit stones!"

Their tones were light, their laughter genuine. Before everyone had arrived, they chatted amongst themselves. Some exchanged cultivation insights, while others shared recent observations. This atmosphere was something rogue cultivators rarely experienced. It was usually reserved for sects or noble families, but the Poshan Gang, after a century of development, had cultivated such camaraderie.

The chatter quieted as hearty laughter rang from outside.

"Fellow Daoists, I hope I'm not late!"

A tall, confident figure strode into the hall. Dressed in moon-white robes, Luo Chen's presence seemed almost ethereal—more scholar than warrior, more alchemist than gang cultivator. Perhaps it was the days he spent buried in books or the lingering scent of herbs clinging to his sleeves, but there was a grace to him that set him apart.

Trailing behind him were Sikong Shoujia and Gu Caiyi. The two followed like loyal retainers—Sikong with a seasoned calm, and Gu Caiyi ever-attentive, standing respectfully behind Luo Chen once they entered.

At the head of the hall, Mi Shuhua opened his eyes and offered a nod. Luo Chen returned it with a slight bow and took the seat closest to the door—the farthest from the main stage. Gu Caiyi obediently stood behind him. Sikong Shoujia, however, sat near the front, second only to Mi Shuhua in rank.

Luo Chen's gaze swept the room, catching familiar faces—Luo Wudi, Zeng Wen, Zhang Shicong... and finally, Wang Yuan. He offered the latter a casual blink of greeting.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Mi Shuhua's voice cut cleanly through the air. "Let us begin this month's meeting."

He wasted no time and turned toward Luo Wudi. As the head of the three battle halls, Luo Wudi had the authority to speak on behalf of Zeng Wen and Yang Wei.

Luo Wudi stood, his expression sharp. "Last month's profit and loss reports have already been reviewed by the Merit Hall. I won't waste time rehashing them. I have one matter that requires the Gang Leader's judgment."

He paused, his tone growing weighty.

"A new faction has appeared in Dahe Market. They've started encroaching on our hunting grounds and resources. What stance should we take regarding this faction? I request the Gang Leader to make a decision."

Mi Shuhua pondered for a moment before replying slowly, "You're referring to the Xuanyi Society, aren't you?"

"Gang Leader, you knew about it?" Luo Wudi raised an eyebrow.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Mi Shuhua nodded. "The Xuanyi Society was founded by the Duan Family, the Nangong Family, and three other Foundation Establishment families. Altogether, they've pooled their juniors together into a new faction."

A subtle ripple of attention spread through the hall. Five Foundation Establishment families forming a single faction—this was no small matter.

"The Xuanyi Society doesn't recruit many rogue cultivators. It's primarily composed of the children from these five families. The faction was established to give them an opportunity to train in combat within the mountains.

He paused, letting that sink in. "Let them do as they wish in other mountain ranges. But in the Ancient Plains... if you encounter them, avoid conflict when possible.

"On the contrary, if they hunt demonic beasts, you can offer to purchase them at a low price. If they refuse, then let it go."

Hearing this, everyone felt reassured. Family disciples, unlike rogue cultivators, valued resources but not as obsessively. In contrast, sometimes their goal was merely to hone their combat skills through hunting.

This so-called "encroachment" was more like light interference. Mi Shuhua saw no reason to escalate matters over scraps. In fact, the emergence of another faction might even tighten the Poshan Gang's own unity.

"The Beast Hall's earnings this month are lower than last month. Ke Yuelin, what's going on on your end?" The question didn't come from Mi Shuhua but from Mi Junping.

Ke Yuelin's face darkened. "A demonic roc swooped in from nowhere, snatched a few white sheep, and tore a hole in the beast pit. A whole group of untrained black boars escaped through it."

Everyone winced at the mention of the beast pit.

The Poshan Gang's beast pit was located in a large canyon near the Ancient Plains. It primarily raised white sheep and black boars, with smaller herds of yellow cattle, Green Hill foxes, and Fu Zhu Deer [1].

When Poshan Gang cultivators hunted live demonic beasts, they would place those with domestication value in the pit. Even the Spirit Fish Lake run by Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian was under the Beast Hall's management.

It could be said that the Beast Hall's profits were second only to the Combat Halls and the Medicine Hall. Compared to the Mining Hall and the newly established Water-Dragon Hall and Alchemy Hall, it was much stronger.

Moreover, such a place could accommodate many rogue cultivators with low cultivation realms and no combat ability.

Hearing this, Mi Shuhua couldn't place any blame. After asking a few questions and learning that it was merely a first-tier demonic roc, he said he'd find time to make some arrangements.

Next, the Mining Hall, Medicine Hall, and even Wang Yuan's Water-Dragon Hall gave their respective reports.

The Mining Hall reported severe casualties. The cause was a nest of demonic snakes unearthed in one of the mine shafts, resulting in most cultivators dying on the spot. It seemed mining had always been a dangerous endeavor throughout history!

Finally, it was the Alchemy Hall's turn.

Under everyone's gaze, Luo Chen shrugged.

"Why are you all looking at me? I'm only responsible for alchemy. The procurement of raw materials and the sale of pills are all handled by Elder Sikong and the Merit Hall." he said.

With that, everyone shifted their attention to the other two.

Sikong Shoujia's expression stiffened as he said, "I'll be blunt. The thirty-member pill protection team is too large. The Alchemy Hall can't afford their salaries right now."

The implication was that he didn't want to cover their food and drink expenses anymore.

Mi Shuhua shook his head. "No need to remove them. Let them return to their previous duties during downtime. However, their numbers cannot be reduced. We may even need more in the future."

Sikong Shoujia looked helpless. With this group around, his monthly share of spirit stones had significantly decreased.

"Luo Chen, the Alchemy Hall lost over a thousand spirit stones last month. As its Hall Leader, you need to give us an explanation!" Mi Junping demanded.

Mi Junping glared at Luo Chen. Her face froze.

Luo Chen looked confused. "Explain what? I've been dutifully refining pills, and everything I make is given to you to sell. You're asking me about the losses?

"By the way, you still owe me last month's profit share," he added.

Mi Junping gritted her teeth. "With such huge losses, you still have the audacity to ask for a share?"

Luo Chen dropped his playful demeanor and replied seriously, "We agreed at the start. My share is based solely on individual pills, with costs for raw materials and some cultivators' salaries deducted. Last month's losses weren't from the Myriad Wonders pills but from the Jade Essence pills.

"If you have an issue with this, I can stop refining Jade Essence pills and focus entirely on Myriad Wonders pills," Luo Chen said casually.

Hearing this, Mi Junping hesitated. Myriad Wonders pills did indeed earn spirit stones, not a lot, but at least it was some income.

Before her hesitation could turn into a decision, Mi Shuhua's voice rang out, calm yet firm.

"No! Jade Essence pills must continue being refined, and the investment needs to increase. We have to aim for more pills and higher grades!"

He looked at Luo Chen calmly and added, "Moving forward, you can even stop refining Myriad Wonders pills entirely. Focus all your efforts on Jade Essence pills, and the gang will provide you with maximum support."

"Father, but......" Mi Junping tried to interject.

"Silence!" Mi Shuhua snapped, glaring at her.

Giving Mi Junping a sharp look, Mi Shuhua forced a smile.

"Luo Chen, give me a clear answer. How long will it take to stabilize the pill success rate and even produce mid-grade Jade Essence pills?" he asked.

After a month of observation, Mi Shuhua had concluded that low-grade Jade Essence pills couldn't generate much profit.

In truth, the low success rate of refining Jade Essence pills had sent costs soaring. The pills Luo Chen had produced last month were sold at a loss. One batch of raw materials cost five spirit stones, yet a bottle of Jade Essence pills sold for ten spirit stones. However, it took ten batches just to produce slightly more than a single bottle. Anyone could do the math—at this rate, the Poshan Gang was bleeding money.

If things were to turn around, the success rate had to increase, and so did the grade of the pills. Mid-grade Jade Essence pills, for instance, could fetch forty to fifty spirit stones per bottle. And if rogue cultivators couldn't afford a full bottle, the pills could be sold individually for a decent profit. Even low-grade pills could be viable, so long as the success rate climbed above fifty percent—at least then, they'd break even.

Under Mi Shuhua's gaze, a subtle but palpable pressure filled the hall—his Foundation Establishment aura quietly asserting itself.

Luo Chen felt the weight settle around him, just enough to unsettle his breathing. But he had spent enough time navigating this scheming, profit-driven cultivation world to hold his composure. More than that, he had grown adept at playing his role.

With careful control over his facial muscles, Luo Chen showed a helpless smile.

"Gang Leader, it's not that I'm not trying my best. Alchemy is simply not something that can be rushed; it requires an immense amount of experience," Luo Chen said.

"I understand that. That's why, despite your repeated failures, I've never blamed you," Mi Shuhua replied.

"And besides, my cultivation is too low to handle prolonged alchemy," Luo Chen added with a hint of regret.

Mi Shuhua nodded thoughtfully. "I'll add another bottle of qi-nourishing pills to your monthly allocation."

Huh? There's such a generous offer?

Luo Chen's heart skipped a beat, though his expression remained unchanged.

He shook his head bitterly. "It's not just about the pills. I've encountered some confusion in my cultivation. Without someone to guide me, Little Luo is rather lost."

Around the room, cultivators exchanged glances, their expressions softening. They understood too well the isolation of the rogue path. Outside of rare gatherings like this, meaningful insight was hard to come by. Even when cultivators did share, they often kept the most valuable parts of their understanding to themselves.

"I wonder..." Luo Chen continued cautiously, "if the Gang Leader might share some of your personal insights. Anything at all would be of great help to my efforts in refining Jade Essence pills."

Mi Shuhua fell silent for a moment, his eyes thoughtful, then glanced at Mi Junping. "Ping'er, give Luo Chen the jade scroll."

Mi Junping froze. Her father's command left her no room to argue. With visible reluctance, she retrieved a jade scroll from her storage pouch and tossed it to Luo Chen.

The moment Luo Chen held the jade scroll, he tried to examine it, but infusing it with spirit power yielded no response.

"This jade scroll was crafted by a Foundation Establishment cultivator and requires spirit consciousness to access. Since you cannot yet extend your spiritual consciousness, you'll need to press it against your forehead to view its contents." Mi Shuhua explained.

Luo Chen suddenly understood and quickly pressed the scroll against his forehead.

Qi-Refining Insights

authored by Mi Shuhua.

This seemingly small jade scroll contained Mi Shuhua's lifetime of cultivation insights from the early to late stages of Qi-Refining. The information was almost entirely unreserved. Even the early-stage Qi-Refining records left Luo Chen feeling profoundly enlightened. He resisted the urge to immerse himself further—this was still a formal meeting. Instead, he reverently stored the scroll away like a sacred treasure.

Around him, murmurs of envy stirred. The other cultivators looked on, some secretly wondering:

was Luo Chen truly not Mi Shuhua's illegitimate son? The favoritism was too blatant!

If Luo Chen had heard them, he might've smirked. In truth, he had wandered aimlessly for so long, never finding a master worth following. If Mi Shuhua was willing, he'd happily call his foster father—and then squeeze him for all he was worth.

As the meeting neared its conclusion, Mi Shuhua dropped some news.

"At the beginning of winter, Dahe Market will host its annual large-scale auction. I have a few slots. If anyone is interested in attending, let me know."

An auction!

The word alone ignited interest throughout the hall. Such events were rare opportunities. For many Qi-Refining cultivators, just attending was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eyes brightened, backs straightened. Even those who had slouched through the meeting now perked up with interest.

And Luo Chen? His eyes gleamed with a light that no one could miss.

1. 夫诸鹿 (Fu Zhu Lu) refers to a mythical deer in Chinese folklore. According to Chinese mythology, this creature is known for its auspicious and magical properties. Its name, "夫诸" (Fu Zhu), is derived from ancient texts, and it is considered one of the rare and divine creatures often associated with prosperity, good fortune, and the celestial realm ☜