Chapter 92: I, Mi Shuhua, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Will Guard Luo Chen’s Path!(I)

Rogue cultivator. Lackey. Worker. Tool. Partner.

Luo Chen’s identity had quietly shifted with every passing day.

So had the Alchemy Hall.

Once a scattered mess, it now ran like a well-oiled machine. Apprentice alchemists found their footing, fire handlers trained with growing skill, and pill caretakers moved with quiet precision.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

At the month’s end, Luo Chen attended a small internal Poshan Gang meeting. There weren’t many that present—himself, Mi Shuhua, Mi Junping, the three combat hall leaders Zeng Wen, Luo Wudi, and Yang Wei, and the two Alchemy Hall stewards, Sikong Shoujia and Gu Caiyi.

During the meeting, it was decided that each of the three combat halls would dispatch ten people—one late-stage Qi-Refining cultivator and nine mid-stage ones.

In this way, three small teams were formed. These three teams would be dedicated to serving the Alchemy Hall in the future. Their tasks included protection, transportation, and some procurement work.

At the meeting, Luo Wudi brought up a matter.

"I have a lead over at the Snow Lotus Market. It’s a bit risky, but if we can establish it, the profits will be tremendous."

“As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Why not give it a try?” someone added.

The others seemed intrigued and eager to give it a shot.

However, after learning about Luo Chen’s current pill production, Mi Shuhua temporarily shelved the proposal.

“This month, the Alchemy Hall only produced nine hundred and eighty Myriad Wonders pills,” he said flatly. “That barely meets the demand at the Dahe Market. Even if we open a route to Snow Lotus, we won’t have enough to supply them.

"And besides, the Snow Lotus Market is a desolate and frigid place, far less prosperous than the Dahe Market. It’s not worth the effort."

Those were Mi Shuhua’s exact words.

Luo Wudi felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped to use this opportunity to help one of his brothers rise to prominence and take charge like Wang Yuan.

But with pill output still limited, all he could do was sigh and nudge Luo Chen to work harder.

Luo Chen only chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”

As the meeting wrapped up, everyone watched with disbelief as Luo Chen collected four bottles of qi-nourishing pills from the visibly reluctant Mi Junping.

Luo Wudi, Yang Wei, and the others stared wide-eyed.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be just two bottles a month?“

“When did that brat get a raise?“

“Are we sure Luo Chen isn’t Mi Shuhua’s illegitimate son?“

Luo Chen ignored their whispers. Let them be jealous. He deserved every bit of it.

Nearly a thousand Myriad Wonders pills a month equated to four to five thousand low-grade spirit stones!

What did that mean? It could buy forty to fifty bottles of qi-nourishing pills, or two high-grade enchanted artifacts, or even over a dozen low-grade ones.

And that was just for a single month.

Qi-Refining cultivators had lifespans of at least a hundred years. In the long run, as long as Luo Chen continued producing pills, the Poshan Gang would enjoy steady and substantial profits.

So, no matter how unwilling Mi Shuhua and Mi Junping were, they had no choice but to pay his salary.

***

Under the dark night sky, Luo Chen sat alone on his bed.

The Grandmaster-level Long Spring Art circulated unceasingly within him, drawing in the power of the qi-nourishing pills that steadily dissolved in his core. Vast spirit energy surged through his meridians, merging slowly, yet surely, with his own.

The process was long, a transformation of spirit power as natural as breathing. A sensation of fullness gradually settled in his body, the strength coursing through him thick and heavy.

Until Luo Chen gritted his teeth and swallowed another qi-nourishing pill.

"Breaking through the sixth stage of Qi-Refining—it’ll be today! Let’s do this in one go!" he muttered, eyes gleaming with determination.

With the new surge of spirit power pouring in, the sensation of fullness grew stronger, to the point of feeling bloated.

By the time Luo Chen finished his cultivation and opened his eyes, his body was already emanating the spirit power fluctuations of the sixth stage Qi-Refining.

“It’s done,” he exhaled.

After years of effort, he had finally reached the same stage as Old Man Chen.

Now, among the mid-stage Qi-Refining cultivators, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest and took a glanced at his status panel.

Realm: Qi-Refining Stage Six (1/100)

The initial wave of triumph was quickly tempered by reality. The effectiveness of the qi-nourishing pills seemed to be waning.

Back at the third stage, one pill had given him two points of advancement. At the fourth stage, it equated to one point. The fifth stage had already required two pills per point.

And now? He calculated grimly. At least five pills for a single point of progress.

A bottle of qi-nourishing pills only contained ten pills.

In other words, if he wanted to advance to the seventh stage of Qi-Refining, he would need at least fifty bottles of qi-nourishing pills.

That was a staggering five thousand low-grade spirit stones!

Moreover, there was a limit to how many pills his body could process in a day.

“Damn! I’m practically eating spirit stones now!”

A rueful smile twisted across his handsome face. He had transformed from Luo Chen, rogue cultivator, to "spirit stone gobbler" Luo Chen. But the joke did little to ease the mounting pressure.

Something didn’t feel right.

Other cultivators didn’t seem to consume resources at this rate. Was it because of his five-element spiritual roots? Or perhaps the Grandmaster level Long Spring Art, which had opened all his meridians, required him to draw in more spirit energy to advance? Or was there an unknown reason behind it all?

For now, Luo Chen couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause.

All he knew was that he needed more cultivation resources. He also had to find a way to increase his daily pill intake.

Oh, and one more thing.

The diminishing effectiveness of the qi-nourishing pills seemed to hint at developing medicinal resistance. He would need to find a substitute for the pills soon.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, yet he remained calm. Luo Chen was used to pressure. It was simply another problem to solve, step by step.

He began plotting, step by step.

Eventually, he rose from bed and stretched, murmuring, “Whatever the case, breaking through to the sixth stage of Qi-Refining today is something to celebrate.

"To a grand drink!"

He uncorked his green gourd, poured himself a generous cup of pineapple wine, and stepped into the courtyard.

The night was tranquil. The moon hung bright and round in the sky, casting a gentle silver glow over the sparse stars.

The small courtyard was silent, save for the gentle creaking of a swing. A solitary figure sat there, rocking back and forth absentmindedly.

“Caiyi, still awake?” he called softly.

The moment Luo Chen stepped into the courtyard, Gu Caiyi had already noticed him.

She nodded lightly in acknowledgment but remained seated, her figure unmoving, as though lost in thought.

Suddenly, she blinked.

“You’ve broken through to the sixth stage of Qi-Refining?”

"You found out, huh? Haha! As expected, a genius shines even in the dark, no matter how low-key they try to be." Luo Chen chuckled mischievously, his voice light with amusement.

After thinking for a moment, he formed a hand seal, and his spirit power began to flow through a specific route.

The spirit power fluctuations leaking from his body gradually retracted, flowing back into the specially condensed spirit power seed within him.

In the blink of an eye, the external spirit energy fluctuations adjusted to the level consistent with a fifth stage Qi-Refining cultivator.

Spirit Suppression!

"Caiyi, take another look. What’s my cultivation realm now?"

Gu Caiyi gave him a sidelong glance, her eyes briefly lighting up with curiosity before her expression returned to its usual calm. "Fifth stage of Qi-Refining," she replied flatly.

As expected, the Spirit Suppression was effective. Over the past month, his intermittent practice had advanced to the Skilled level, allowing him to somewhat control his spirit energy fluctuations.

Luo Chen played with the fluctuations, expanding and retracting them repeatedly, thoroughly enjoying himself.

After a while, he noticed the atmosphere had grown as cold and quiet as the moonlight above. Gu Caiyi sat unmoving, her expression distant, her mood clearly shifted.

"Caiyi, what’s wrong?" he asked gently. "Are you upset?"

She sighed, her voice soft and faintly bitter. "Don’t mind me. It’s just... watching you climb through the ranks so quickly since joining the Poshan Gang while my income has dropped significantly... it’s left me feeling a little troubled."

Luo Chen paused, taken aback.

Income?

Of course, he hadn’t considered that side of things before. Back at the Tianxiang Tower, Gu Caiyi had earned a respectable income. Especially after the Debate Platform’s grand opening—her stunning dance performance had mesmerized everyone, and her fame soared overnight. Her monthly earnings had skyrocketed soon after.

But after leaving the Tianxiang Tower? Things were different now.

Even as a steward of the Alchemy Hall, her fixed salary was just over a hundred spirit stones a month. It was the same amount Sikong Shoujia received, though the old man held an elder’s title and had other income sources.

For an inner-city resident, a hundred spirit stones per month was equivalent to what a minor shop steward in a large merchant guild might make. However, it was far from sufficient to meet the cultivation needs of a ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator.

With such an income, how many years would it take to progress from ninth stage Qi-Refining to Perfected Mastery? And how much longer would it take to earn enough spirit stones to buy a Foundation Establishment pill for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm?

Gu Caiyi looked down at her hands, her voice barely above a whisper. "I’m already thirty-nine.

"I’ve always aspired to reach Foundation Establishment, but I know it’s just a dream.

"But the Dust Transformation pill Fei Bowen gifted me back then helped me barely break through to ninth stage Qi-Refining. Now, I’m just one step away, but I’m stuck here due to a lack of resources.

"I’m not willing to give up! Luo Chen, was leaving the Tianxiang Tower the right choice or a mistake?"

Listening to her murmurs, Luo Chen found himself at a loss for words.

Back then, he had jokingly said he would "support" her, leading Gu Caiyi to join the Poshan Gang and become the current Alchemy Hall steward.

But it was only now that he realized.

Her current salary, modest as it was, might have been enough to cover the daily expenses of an ordinary cultivator, but it was nowhere near sufficient to sustain someone at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining. Her cultivation needs would require far more than a hundred spirit stones a month.

Still, this wasn’t his burden to carry. He had offered her a path forward, a new opportunity. That in itself had been an act of goodwill. And yet, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, Luo Chen couldn’t bring himself to stay silent.

In response to Gu Caiyi’s confusion, Luo Chen could only say: “It might not have been the best choice,” he said gently, “but it certainly wasn’t the wrong one. That Foundation Establishment cultivator at Tianxiang Tower—the one surnamed Hua—he was only there for two months, and I’ve already heard of two, maybe three female cultivators who have already met their ends."

He mentioned the rumors casually, but Gu Caiyi’s expression froze. For a moment, she had no reply. The silence between them deepened.

Luo Chen sighed inwardly. He didn’t know how to comfort her beyond that. Their situations were too different.

Aside from his monthly salary, he also had a share of the profits from the pills. Even now, as he stood here in this quiet courtyard, he was earning more than most Qi-Refining cultivators could dream of.

As he thought about this, Luo Chen suddenly realized something.

The investments Mi Shuhua and even the Poshan Gang had made in the Alchemy Hall were growing increasingly significant. Beyond a few high-ranking individuals, there were dozens of mid- to late-stage cultivators relying on the Alchemy Hall for their livelihoods.

If his returns didn’t improve soon, it was likely that this group depending on him for their livelihoods would face issues.

Would people begin to look elsewhere? Take up side jobs? Or worse, begin losing interest in the Alchemy Hall entirely?

It seems the Jade Essence pill matter cannot be delayed any longer!

This thought flashed through Luo Chen’s mind.

Not just for them—for himself as well.

The Myriad Wonders pill, for all its consistency, had a low profit ceiling. It was stable, yes, but it wasn’t the kind of product that could transform the fate of a hall or a sect.

Only pills like the Jade Essence pill, which directly benefit cultivation, are true money-makers!