Chapter 99: Securing the Nutritional Front(II)

"First-tier dragon bone? What a fancy name—it's just swamp crocodile bone!"

"But it definitely takes some skill to kill one of these," he added, nodding thoughtfully. "Fine. I'll take it!"

"What? Three spirit stones for this little scrap? Are you out of your mind? Forget it—come on, let's go!" he yelled, grabbed Gu Caiyi by the sleeve and dragged her away.

Behind him, the rogue cultivator gritted his teeth. "Fellow Daoist, come back! Let's talk again. How about this, two spirit stones. That's as low as I can go. This dragon bone weighs over thirty jin!"

Reluctantly, Luo Chen returned while fishing out his spirit stones and nitpicking at the same time. Complaining that it wasn't demonic beast meat or that it was too damaged and only a few jin were suitable for cooking.

The rogue cultivator looked like he'd just lost a treasured heirloom.

This guy is the worst—gets a bargain and still complains.

If it weren't for the fact that swamp crocodile bones were hard to sell, he wouldn't have let it go for just two spirit stones.

Gu Caiyi, meanwhile, watched the whole exchange with great amusement. Despite Luo Chen recently receiving a sizable bonus, he still lived frugally. Or maybe, she thought, it wasn't just frugality—it was Luo Chen's absolute refusal to suffer even the tiniest loss. A born haggler, through and through.

Next, Luo Chen continued shopping in the center of the rogue cultivator market. Luo Chen handed Gu Caiyi a long list and tasked her with scouting out any listed materials while he combed through stalls and vendors across the market.

They spent nearly three hours scouring the southern district before heading toward the central commercial street, where Luo Chen made bulk purchases at well-known places like the Spirit Source Pavilion, Hall of Hundred Herbs, and Spirit Herb Pavilion.

By the time they returned to the quiet SiHeYuan courtyard, Gu Caiyi had finally tallied the receipts—and her jaw dropped.

"Luo Chen, you actually spent three hundred spirit stones in one go today?"

Luo Chen just nodded calmly and made his way inside without a second glance.

Gu Caiyi was still in shock. Luo Chen usually seemed so stingy, as if he'd split a single spirit stone in two just to save money. And yet, he had just spent hundreds in a single outing without blinking.

It was truly contradictory.

Contradictory?

Luo Chen knew that he was never contradictory.

He worked like crazy to earn spirit stones and was stingier than anyone when it came to unnecessary expenses. But when it came to pursuing the Great Dao, he was more willing to spend than anyone else.

Even when qi-nourishing pills were so expensive, he'd been buying them five bottles at a time back when he was at the fourth stage of Qi-Refining.

Thud!

The Purple Cloud Copper Furnace landed directly in his home's alchemy room. Without wasting a second, he lit the fire, added water, and poured in a bottle worth ten spirit stones innate powder from Spirit Herb Pavilion, stirring it thoroughly.

Next came a series of herbs, added one by one with practiced precision. Finally, he dropped in the real treasure of the mix: the small-looking but deceptively heavy crocodile dragon bone, all thirty jin of it.

"Three hours of simmering," Luo Chen murmured, adjusting the flame. "That should give me a good batch of essence nurturing liquid, straight from

The Treatise on Green Origin Pills

."

He let out a long breath, already feeling a rush of anticipation.

The Treatise on Green Origin Pills

was a treasure trove of knowledge. Beyond foundational alchemy theory and pill-refining techniques, it also included minor medicinal recipes intended specifically for alchemists. These weren't quite full pill formulas, but with regular use, their benefits could rival those of low-grade pills.

Essence nurturing liquid was one such recipe. Absorbed via medicinal baths, it not only nourished the body's vitality but also enhanced an alchemist's sensitivity to the subtle changes in medicinal properties during refinement.

The author Qing Yuanzi's original intention was to help alchemists achieve the latter effect, enabling them to better perceive changes in the medicinal properties of pills during refinement.

But Luo Chen had a different goal in mind.

He didn't need enhanced perception right now. What he needed was vitality—and a lot of it. With all the pills he was refining, the spirit energy he was channeling, and the cultivation he was pushing through daily, Luo Chen's body required constant replenishment.

And speaking of nourishment...

Luo Chen went to the kitchen, set up a large pot, and threw in the vegetables, bones, and demonic beast meat he had purchased.

"Today, it's hotpot chaos stew!

After rummaging through, he realized he was missing vermicelli. "Tch. No problem." He grabbed a handful of cleaned beast tendons and tossed them in. "These'll do just fine."

He tossed in a handful of cleaned demonic beast tendons and clapped his hands with satisfaction.

Now, all that was left was for the delicacy to be ready!

***

That night, elsewhere in Crescent Moon Valley...

A husband and wife returned home together, walking hand-in-hand down a quiet alley. Qin Liangchen strolled ahead, Murong Qinglian holding onto his arm, her steps light and cheerful.

"The dividends are in," she said brightly. "Three hundred spirit stones from the Medicine Hall, and another hundred from the Alchemy Hall. But the big money's still coming from our spirit fish business. We've locked in supply contracts with the Zhongding family and another cultivation family—brought in over five hundred spirit stones this month."

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

She smiled, proud and content. "And you, husband? How did your month go?"

Qin Liangchen's face turned red as he muttered, "Three hundred!"

The words came out quietly, and not without some shame. His income—less than half of his wife's—felt like a heavy stone on his heart. As the family's supposed pillar, he couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.

Murong Qinglian just chuckled. "Don't be upset. You're the one who secured the Spirit Fish Lake in the first place. I'm just helping manage it."

Despite this, Qin Liangchen still felt uneasy.

Being an elder of the Poshan Gang hadn't turned out to be as profitable as he had imagined. He had little real authority, and even less influence. But he reminded himself that if he hadn't stepped into that role, Murong Qinglian wouldn't have been able to claim leadership over the Medicine Hall.

They had each played their part.

After a moment of silence, Qin Liangchen looked toward the end of the dark alley, where the moonlight barely touched the street. His expression softened.

"Let's save up a few more months of spirit stones and then send some to Xiaohu!

"I wonder how Xiaohu is doing in the Luoyun Sect. Has he run out of the pills we left for him? How is he getting along with his fellow disciples?"

Murong Qinglian nodded quietly beside him, her hand tightening around his.

Their family dynamic was a bit peculiar. While Qin Liangchen was undoubtedly the backbone of the household, but it was Murong Qinglian who managed most of the external affairs.

Unlike most strict fathers and husbands, Qin Liangchen never shied away from expressing his feelings openly. Even when their son was still at home, he would lift the boy high into the air, playing with him every single day, much to Xiaohu's embarrassment.

"Old Qin," Murong Qinglian said casually as they walked, "I heard the gang recently acquired a top-grade gold-element enchanted artifact—a giant sword. It suits your fighting style perfectly.

"Why don't we buy it?"

Qin Liangchen blinked in surprise. "You want to buy it? But aren't we saving spirit stones for Xiaohu?"

Murong Qinglian shook her head with a gentle smile. "We'll still save for him, but not right now. He's only at the early stage of Qi-Refining—he doesn't need that many resources yet. But you... you're different. You've got real potential to reach Foundation Establishment. You'll need a reliable enchanted artifact to get there."

She looked up at him, her expression firm. "If you break through, Xiaohu will have more confidence in the sect—and in his father."

Qin Liangchen was quiet for a moment, seriously considering her words. Then, slowly, he nodded.

"You're right," he said at last. "I still have that Foundation Establishment pill from Mi Shuhua. I can't let it go to waste."

Then, grinning, he leaned in and stole a kiss from Murong Qinglian when no one was looking.

"My dear wife, you're the best! Once you near Perfected Mastery, I'll help you reach Foundation Establishment too!

Murong Qinglian wiped the saliva off her face, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed as she pushed him away.

"You shameless old man!"

She gave him a playful shove and stepped into the courtyard—only to be hit by a wave of rich, spicy aroma. It was so sharp it made her want to sneeze, yet it stirred her appetite all the same.

"Big Brother Qin! Sister Murong! You're back!"

Luo Chen waved them over from beside a steaming iron pot. "Come join us for hotpot! We saved some bowls and chopsticks just for you!"

He nudged Bai Meiling gently with his foot, prompting her to make room. She reluctantly shifted aside, still gnawing on a piece of bone. Beside her, Gu Caiyi laid out two sets of bowls and chopsticks, pouring them each a generous cup of wine.

Murong Qinglian exclaimed in surprise, "You must have struck it rich, eating such a lavish meal!"

Indeed, the courtyard stove supported a bubbling iron pot packed with meat, vegetables, and thick broth glowing with red-hot spices. The scent was intoxicating.

Gu Caiyi chuckled. "Our dear Hall Leader Luo made a tidy sum, so he's treating us to a proper feast."

It truly was a feast.

More than half the pot was filled with beast meat, and the vegetables had been enhanced with traces of spirit energy. Just the ingredients alone were worth at least five spirit stones. If a restaurant like the Zhongding Pavilion had prepared this, it could have easily sold for fifty—maybe even a hundred—spirit stones a pot.

What elevated it further was the flavor. Luo Chen had leaned hard into a spicy, Sichuan-Chongqing-style hotpot, using bold spices and deep seasoning to ignite the taste buds.

As Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian dug in, they quickly got into the spirit of the meal. Any hesitation they had about the spiciness vanished. Though they weren't used to such flavors, their cultivation-hardened physiques handled it with ease. And it was delicious.

The beast meat was tough but flavorful. Luo Chen had gained enough experience preparing it while refining fasting pills. This was how he managed to produce a pot of what could be considered the cultivation world's version of a hearty stew.

Watching everyone eat so joyfully, Luo Chen's earlier reluctance about spending five spirit stones disappeared without a trace. He was usually a stingy person, but he was generous when it came to cultivation. And then when it came to true friends, if he had the means and ability, he never hesitated to share his gains.

And this little group of neighbors... They were slowly becoming his genuine friends.

He still remembered the early days, when Gu Caiyi had explained the basics of cultivation to him, helped him acquire an alchemy furnace, shared fruit from her garden, and even gifted him a martial arts manual earlier that day.

Bai Meiling and Feng Xia didn't interact with him as often due to their fixed schedules, but whenever he stopped by the Hall of Hundred Herbs, they'd secretly slip high-quality herbs into his purchases.

And then there was the couple, Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian. They had guided him in spell cultivation, gifted him a puppet, and even shared a bowl of second-tier Tiger Bone Medicinal Soup—a critical help that had allowed him to break through to the fifth stage of Qi-Refining. Nowadays, they often lent him a helping hand within the Poshan Gang.

All these small acts of kindness accumulated over time, and Luo Chen remembered each one in his heart.

In the past, he didn't have the means, so he often took advantage of their generosity.

But now, he was no longer as hard-pressed. Treating everyone to a good meal was well within his means.

"Alchemy?" Luo Chen grinned as he raised his wine cup. "Hah! When I become a second-tier alchemist in the future, I'll refine Foundation Establishment Pills for all of you!

"But you'll have to cover the cost of the materials yourselves; I heard the main ingredients for Foundation Establishment pills are especially expensive." Luo Chen bragged shamelessly.

Everyone listened with amused smiles.

Qin Liangchen, being the supportive big brother he was, chimed in to boost Luo Chen, saying that Foundation Establishment pills were nothing special—he should aim to refine Scarlet Cloud pills for Golden Core cultivators instead.

Naturally, Luo Chen couldn't lose face and boldly claimed he'd work on pills for Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation cultivators.

The SiHeYuan courtyard echoed with laughter. In that moment, with bowls of spicy hotpot in their hands and warm wine in their bellies, the worries of cultivation seemed to drift away. A rare peace had settled among them.

But all good things must pause—especially for cultivators.

Eventually, the fire died down, the pot was scraped clean, and one by one, the group returned to their homes. They called it "rest," but in truth, each of them threw themselves back into the grinding demands of cultivation.

And Luo Chen was the most intense of them all!

He directly plopped himself into his Purple Cloud Copper Furnace used for alchemy.

In short, he was "cooking himself in the pot!"

"Hiss—damn, not too hot!" Luo Chen's face contorted in an exaggerated grimace, his expression bordering on comical as he settled into the steaming medicinal bath.

He had simmered the essence nurturing liquid for an entire afternoon and half the night, its medicinal properties had been fully activated. This was the perfect moment to absorb its essence.

Luo Chen sat quietly within, letting the surging vitality of flesh and blood seep through his skin and into his internal organs. The Long Spring Art had already begun circulating.

After soaking for about half an hour, Luo Chen took out a qi-nourishing pill and swallowed it and activated the Long Spring Art again.

Another half an hour, and a stick of calming incense was slowly lit.

Luo Chen's exhausted mind, like a dried-up stream, was reinvigorated as if nourished by vast rivers, making him feel refreshed once more.

"Another one!"

And so, the night passed in the blink of an eye.

When Luo Chen emerged from the Purple Cloud Copper Furnace, the pot of essence nurturing liquid had turned completely clear.

All of its vitality had been absorbed and refined by him.

Observing this scene, Luo Chen fell into deep thought.

The world measures realms by Qi-Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul.

But in ancient times, Qi-Refining cultivators followed the principles of refining essence into qi and refining qi into spirit."

This pot of flesh and blood essence not only supported an additional five cycles of the Long Spring Art s but also strengthened my physique and increased my spirit power by a bit.

Feeling the full and abundant sensation within his body, Luo Chen couldn't help but stretch lazily.

What a wonderful night!

He opened his status panel.

[Status Panel]

Name: Luo Chen

Lifespan: 27/75

Spirit Roots: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth

Realm: Qi-Refining Realm Stage Six (5/100)

Achievement Points: 13

[Techniques]

Long Spring Art: Grandmaster (627/1000)

[Spells]

Fireball: Perfected Mastery

Carefree Wander: Grandmaster (870/1000)

Wind-Control: Grandmaster (600/1000)

Traction: Grandmaster (721/1000)

Entangle: Perfection (430/500)

Spirit Eyes: Perfection (490/500)

Cleanse: Perfection (350/500)

Heal: Beginner (15/100)

Spirit Suppression: Beginner (78/100)

Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm: Beginner (1/100)

[Skills]

First-Tier Alchemist

Luo Chen skimmed through his system panel with practiced ease, eyes darting from section to section as he took in the details of his current state.

There were no significant changes in his spells, except for the addition of Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm at the Beginner level.

In terms of skills, the Jade Essence pill had been added to his list. Successfully crafting one batch of twenty pills earned him 20 points in proficiency. These were all expected developments.

But what truly caught Luo Chen's attention was his realm progress bar.

He remembered clearly that before practicing last night, the progress bar was at (4/100). That had taken ten full days of daily cultivation using the Long Spring Art and qi-nourishing pills—an effort that had barely inched him forward after reaching the sixth stage of Qi-Refining.

Under those circumstances, his progress had only increased from 1 to 4.

However, just last night alone, his progress skyrocketed by an entire point!

Luo Chen frowned slightly, thinking back. "Last night's expenses... two qi-nourishing pills, one stick of calming incense, and one full bath of essence nurturing liquid. Cost roughly forty spirit stones."

He exhaled sharply, the number hitting harder now that he said it out loud.

This amount of spirit stones would have easily lasted an average mid-stage cultivator an entire month. Yet for him, it was all spent in a single night!

The growth was indeed astonishing. If he continued at this rate, he could advance to the seventh stage of Qi-Refining within three months.

Three months to surpass an entire minor stage—what kind of cultivation genius was this?

But this was entirely a result of throwing spirit stones at the problem!

"No..." he muttered, brow furrowing. "This body of mine—it consumes too many cultivation resources.

"But what are the benefits?" he wondered aloud. "There must be some hidden advantages.

"I need to find a way to verify this or compare myself to others."