Chapter 123: My Strength is Unripe, but Transformation is Inevitable (II)

After an intense and chaotic snowball fight that ended with snow in places snow was never meant to be, the farce finally concluded when Luo Chen admitted defeat and apologized. Qin Liangchen, though initially furious, didn’t take it to heart. He knew Luo Chen well enough to recognize a joke when he heard one—no real harm done.

However, after that little incident, Murong Qinglian never again brought up the idea of finding Luo Chen a Dao companion. It was clear she’d gotten the message. Luo Chen had used humor to tactfully, yet firmly, decline the suggestion.

Later, in a private conversation with her husband, she sighed and said, “Little Luo is set on the Great Dao.”

And she wasn’t wrong.

In the days that followed, Luo Chen buried himself in work. He refined pills, cultivated diligently, and focused solely on progress. While it might have looked slow from the outside, the truth was very different—it all depended on what you compared it to. Compared to rogue cultivators without steady resources, Luo Chen’s cultivation speed was like a Golden Core sword cultivator flying on a sword beam.

His current pace meant that gaining just one progress point per day would let him reach the eighth stage of Qi-Refining in three to four months. Even the sect’s most gifted prodigies weren’t much faster.

As for his alchemy work, now that he had fully familiarized himself with the Four Symbols Cauldron, Luo Chen gradually began involving his subordinates in the process again. With everyone doing their part, production hit full stride.

The Four Symbols Cauldron could refine four sets of ingredients at once. The Drain Cloud Cauldron, now relocated to a smaller alchemy room, could handle two sets. The Purple Cloud Copper Furnace managed one set at a time. Together, that meant seven batches could be refined every morning—and another seven in the afternoon.

Fourteen batches a day!

With a forty percent success rate, that was over a hundred Jade Essence pills daily.

Why just over a hundred and not more? Because, naturally, Luo Chen was skimming a few off the top.

Despite deliberately controlling the proportion of mid-grade pills reported, his skill had quietly reached Grandmaster level just five days after hitting Perfection.

At Grandmaster level, not only did the success rate increase to fifty percent, but he could even refine top-grade Jade Essence pills, whose potency rivaled that of standard low-grade qi-nourishing pills!

But Luo Chen, ever cautious, kept this secret to himself. Each top-grade pill was quietly and discreetly pocketed before the rest were collected and recorded.

That wasn’t the only benefit of hitting Grandmaster proficiency. His technique sharpened dramatically, reaching a degree of control over pill quality that matched his achievements with the Myriad Wonders pills. And by training his apprentices and fire handlers in some of the more basic techniques, Luo Chen drastically reduced his own workload—making the process smoother and far less tiring.

One month later.

In the Alchemy Hall’s pill storage room, Sikong Shoujia and Gu Caiyi stood beside rows of meticulously labeled shelves, overseeing the tally of Jade Essence pills. Each batch of Jade Essence pills was carefully cataloged by pill caretakers, bottled by grade and production time, and stored accordingly.

Thus, the counting process was exceptionally smooth.

In less than a few minutes, Sikong Shoujia’s voice broke the silence, trembling with excitement.

“Two hundred eighty bottles of low-grade Jade Essence pills!

“Hundred twenty bottles of mid-grade Jade Essence pills!”

What did this mean?

Low-grade Jade Essence pills were priced at ten spirit stones per bottle by the Poshan Gang. Mid-grade Jade Essence pills were priced at fifty spirit stones per bottle and could be sold individually.

Anyone with a bit of sense could calculate how much spirit stone revenue this batch of pills could generate.

Eighty eight hundred spirit stones!

After arriving at the final count, Sikong Shoujia turned to look at Luo Chen, who leaned casually against the wall, an odd mix of calm and mystery in his posture. There was a new kind of respect in Sikong’s eyes—perhaps even awe.

Beside him, Gu Caiyi swallowed hard. Once again, Luo Chen had upended her understanding of what was possible.

Could alchemists really earn that many spirit stones?

Before either could say a word, Luo Chen glanced at them, unimpressed. "Why are you staring at me? Get the pill escort team ready—deliver the goods to the shops." With a simple flick of his sleeve, he turned and walked away, as if completely indifferent to the staggering profits he had just generated.

After he left, Sikong Shoujia and Gu Caiyi exchanged baffled looks.

Since when did Luo Chen become uninterested in spirit stones?

Was Luo Chen really uninterested?

Of course not—he would receive a twenty percent cut from the sale of these pills. That wasn’t the issue.

What left him so uninterested was his regret. He regretted that, without so many limitations and with a more powerful backing, he could freely refine pills without holding back. If that were the case, the pill storage room wouldn’t just hold about four hundred bottles of low- and mid-grade Jade Essence pills today. He could turn most of them into top-grade Jade Essence pills!

And top-grade Jade Essence pills? Even though Mi Shuhua hadn’t announced a set price yet, Luo Chen knew—these pills could absolutely rival the Spirit Herb Pavilion’s qi-nourishing pills.

What did that signify?

It meant tens of thousands of spirit stones!

He sighed to himself. “Alas, I must keep my skills hidden. Otherwise, not even Mi Shuhua could protect me.”

Still, after that brief pang of regret, excitement crept in. Although he couldn’t sell top-grade Jade Essence pills openly, he could secretly keep some for his own use!

His cultivation had long reached the point where qi-nourishing pills were useless due to medicinal resistance. But Jade Essence pills? Not only had they shown no signs of resistance so far, but during the last half month, Luo Chen discovered that top-grade Jade Essence pills no longer caused dantian jade transformation as its side effects!

This meant he could once again recklessly consume pills for cultivation.

The eighth stage of Qi-Refining was within reach!

Before sunset, Luo Chen called all the internal cultivators of the Alchemy Hall together. Dozens of people stood before him, their expressions ranging from nervous to curious. But Luo Chen, hands clasped behind his back, appeared perfectly at ease as he paced slowly in front of them.

"You’ve probably already heard the numbers for this month’s production," he said casually. "Let me make one thing clear—it’s not just my success. It’s the result of all your hard work."

He stopped and looked them over, letting his voice grow firmer. "I promise you this, as long as we keep working together and production continues to rise, I’ll personally petition the Gang Leader to increase your benefits. That’s a guarantee."

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he turned away. "Alright, that’s all. End of shift!"

Cheers erupted behind him as he walked off, vanishing into the corridor.

Leading the charge was old Qu Hancheng, his voice louder than anyone else’s. "Long live the Hall Leader!" he bellowed, pumping his fist into the air. A group of fire handlers echoed his call without hesitation, their shouts filled with genuine gratitude and passion.

The others, influenced by the enthusiasm, joined in to sing praises of Luo Chen.

Was such enthusiasm normal from a group of cultivators?

It was perfectly normal!

Most internal cultivators in sects and rogue factions alike lived on fixed wages. For those who were old, injured, or simply untalented, chances of ever seeing a raise were slim to none. Their only hope for improvement lay in the success of the one they served.

But Luo Chen was a generous leader—not only kind in his daily interactions but also frequently looking out for everyone's welfare.

He had already provided small benefits to a few cultivators before. This time, he openly promised to improve everyone's benefits.

Although the raise wasn’t much—just one or two spirit stones or a few jin of spirit rice per month. But over time, it added up to a significant amount.

With a Hall Leader like this, life would only get better!

***

Luo Chen didn’t dwell on the promise he made—after all, any improvements to the cultivators' benefits didn’t come from his own pocket, but from the Poshan Gang’s. In fact, treating the older and female cultivators only made them more dedicated in the long run. That way, his workload lightened as well.

He couldn’t stay in the Alchemy Hall to cultivate today, staying too long might arouse suspicion. After all, the inner city was the designated place for cultivation.

Besides, he had errands to run in the city—his calming incense supply was running low and needed replenishing. Xiaoyue’s profit was also due for monthly settlement, and he had to deliver goods for the next month.

Activating the Wind-Control to fly, Luo Chen chatted and laughed with his two bodyguards.

"I heard that five days ago, there was a fight among cultivators in the outer district, and they burned down an entire row of houses?"

“Yeah,” Liu Qiang replied, eyes gleaming with gossipy delight. “No one died, but arson? That’s a big deal.”

Liu Qiang loved gossip and often shared his insights with Luo Chen. In his opinion, murder wasn’t nearly as serious as setting a building on fire. Burning property—that was a line the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect’s enforcement team didn’t tolerate.

He said gleefully, "The inner city's enforcement team got involved. After a day's hunt, the two culprits were caught. Their punishment was harsh—they had to compensate for the damages, rebuild the houses, and even serve half a month in Red Pillar Prison.

"They had to face each other on the Debate Platform in front of a crowd. The winner was released, and the loser had to serve another half-month!"

Luo Chen found it amusing and even clapped his hands in approval toward the end. "These arsonists and criminals should be caught and made to work hard for their crimes! Letting them fight it out on stage? That’s both entertaining and a contribution to society!

He paused, then asked, “What about the Xuanyi Society? Didn’t they have a clashed with Luo Wudi’s people recently?”

Liu Qiang smirked, "It was nothing—just a little spat over a first-tier demonic beast they both encountered in the mountains."

“How did that end?”

"Each side sent out three members for a match. The Xuanyi Society won two out of three and earned the hunting rights. But after they killed the beast, Luo Wudi personally stepped in..."

Luo Chen's eyes sparkled, "Did he wipe them out?"

“No,” Liu Qiang said with a grin. “He bought the beast’s corpse off them, handed it to the Medicine and Beast Halls for processing, and flipped it for a high profit.”

Tch! They all talked about how brave Luo Wudi, the Descending Mountain Tiger, was. Turns out, he’s just a schemer.

Luo Chen pursed his lips but then furrowed his brows, his gaze falling onto a shadowy grove below.

Both Liu Qiang and Zhou Yuanli noticed the sudden tension and snapped to attention. Their expressions darkened.

In an instant, they moved. A dome of radiant light burst outward—a top-grade defensive artifact activating at full strength.

A streak of black light cut through the air, fast as lightning.

Below, standing calmly in the grove, a black-robed cultivator had his hands clasped behind his back. He looked up, face expressionless.

"A top-grade defensive artifact?” he muttered with a faint smile. “This could be troublesome.”