Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Can this thing be used for Pill Refinement?!
Translator: 549690339
Outer City, southwestern corner.
As the nearest settlement to the Xiao Yue Mountain Range, this area has always had the least number of inhabitants.
The reason, of course, is that the dominants of the Xiao Yue Mountain Range are wolves. They move like the wind and are bloodthirsty and ruthless.
Even though high-ranking demon wolves fear the array of The Great River District and dare not venture here, there are always a couple of unintelligent demon wolves that occasionally break through.
This is why Luo Chen, in this place, has never dared to recklessly consume his spirit power, always making sure he has enough reserve to escape.
Usually, there are very few cultivators visiting this area.
But today, a large group of people have unexpectedly arrived.
Leading them is a short-statured cultivator, his face weathered by time, his eyes full of ruthless determination whether open or closed.
“Are we sure this is the place?”
“Brother Gao Er, according to the Qi-seeking compass, the lingering aura here is the strongest. Tingye must have stayed here for a long time.”
It has been five or six days since the Great Lake Gang suddenly attacked the seven main halls of the Broken Mountain Gang.
The Broken Mountain Gang suffered heavy losses in that battle.
But when compared to the losses suffered by the Great Lake Gang in the mountains, the losses of both sides are more or less equal.
If this continues, the rogue cultivators who are just trying to survive, who are the majority in any gang, will find it unbearable.
Thus, the leader of the Broken Mountain Gang, Mi Shuhua, stepped forward to propose a truce.
The outcome of the negotiations is unknown, but at least there will not be any large-scale conflict in the short term.
As the second-in-command of the Great Lake Gang, Gao Tingyuan finally has the time to care about his damned younger brother, Gao Tingye.
He’s been missing for several days now!
Everyone knows what it means for a Middle Stage Qi Refinement Cultivator to disappear for days unannounced in the Outer City of The Great River District.
Gao Tingyuan is anxious.
Then he found the expert in charge of transport on the river, and began to search for his younger brother.
In the end, he arrived here.
Gao Tingyuan looked at the scorched ground and the ruins next to it that had almost been burnt to ashes.
It’s clear that a fierce battle had taken place here.
And the means that caused such a dire situation was very likely the Fierce Sun Talisman that Gao Tingye bought from the black market.
The Guarding Earth Shield Talisman must have also been activated, based on the dense presence of its Guardian Earth aura.
Gao Tingyuan’s face became increasingly grim, “The Fierce Sun Talisman was used, and the Guarding Earth Shield was also activated. It wouldn’t have been possible to use all these just to kill Zhou San.”
He glanced at the ruins next to him.
“Who used to live here?”
“A rogue cultivator named Luo Chen. He ran errands for others in the early stages, but later he was making some Fasting Elixirs to sell.”
“What’s his cultivation level?”
“Third Level Qi Refinement Stage, I guess. A poverty-stricken fellow. He lived here only because the rent was half a spirit stone per month.”
“Where is he now?”
“We haven’t found him yet. It’s said that he is usually quite unsociable and does not interact with any of the neighbors here.”
A Third Level Qi Refinement cultivator wouldn’t pose any threat to a Fifth Level Qi Refinement cultivator, especially when the latter was Gao Tingye, who possessed numerous treasures.
“Can we determine where my brother’s last aura stopped?”
The cultivator by his side increased the input of spirit power. The Qi-seeking compass in his hand vibrated continuously, and finally, the pointer stopped directly in front.
“In the mountains!”
“Let’s go and have a look.”
“But we aren’t familiar with the situation in the mountains at all!”
“Huh?”
Under Gao Tingyuan’s intense gaze, the cultivators followed him reluctantly into the mountains.
They crossed the overgrown wilderness, gradually going deeper into the dense forest.
In the forest, traces of demon qi had already started to emerge, which made the group of cultivators feel very uneasy.
Even Gao Tingyuan was a bit apprehensive.
The resources in the Eastern Wasteland Million Mountains were so abundant that it was beyond imagination.
However, after thousands of years, human cultivators have only managed to exploit less than one percent of it.
It was rumored that in the mountains, there were countless third-rank Demon Kings and fourth-order Demon Emperors, and there may even be ancient demons hidden inside.
Normally, when rogue cultivators called hunting in the mountains, they merely stirred a little trouble in the outskirts area.
The moment they encountered a second-order demon beast, they could only run away, and most of them wouldn’t even manage to escape.
The reason why the Broken Mountain Gang could firmly control the business in the mountains was because they had mapped the territories of many second-order demon beasts at the cost of numerous lives in the early days.
Even so, they still needed to be very cautious every time they went into the mountains.
“Something’s wrong, Brother Gao Er.”
“What’s the problem?”
“The Qi-seeking compass has started to act up.”
“What do you mean?”
Gao Tingyuan looked towards the Qi-seeking compass, its pointer was frantically jumping around. One moment it pointed towards the east, the next it pointed towards the west.
In a short while, it had pointed in four or five different directions.
“This kind of situation has happened before. A brother in our gang was killed. His body was divided into several pieces and fed to several large fish …”
The voice of the cultivator holding the Qi-seeking compass grew smaller and smaller.
Because the face of Gao Tingyuan next to him had become so gloomy that it could not be more so.
The oppressive atmosphere perfectly blended into this forest.
After a long pause, Gao Tingyuan gritted his teeth and said: “Good! Good! Good! Not only did they kill my brother, but they also humiliated his body. Don’t let me find them!”
“So Brother, what shall we do now?”
“Let’s go back!”
A huge weight seemed to have been lifted from the group. The pace of their return journey was much lighter.
As he passed by the ruins, Gao Tingyuan momentarily halted his squat figure.
“Inform the fifth one to check if any late-stage Qi Refiners from the Broken Mountain Gang came over that night, especially those at the fifth level. Check that too.”
“Additionally, look into the situation of the rogue cultivator who lives here. If he’s still alive, bring him to me.”
“If I find you, you scum, I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
Having said that, he cast a burst of Spirt Light with a flick of his hand.
In the Spirit Light, a Magic Tool faintly appeared and transformed into a deep-blue water dragon. It suddenly struck the ruined building.
The only remaining half-wall sunk three feet into the ground, revealing just a pointed corner.
Luo Chen had no idea that his former residence had been hit once more by a water dragon.
As a matter of fact, even if he were to know, he could only approve.
After salvaging some items from the house, he added a few Fireballs to make the burning more thorough and ensure that he didn’t leave too many traces.
As for Zhou San and Gao Tingye, the two paupers whose names he doesn’t even know, his handling method was very simple.
He scorched the body parts with the fire used for burning the house and added some special herbs. Then, he threw them into the forest.
The “roast meat” with such traits is very attractive to Demon Beasts like wolves and hounds.
This recipe was discovered by Luo when he grilled beef adding some herbs that boost qi and blood, which attracted a small wolf.
Since then, he never used that recipe again, fearing it would invite stronger Demon Beasts.
After handling the bodies, he found a place to hide. The next day, he made a beeline for the Inner City.
As for whether he would be discovered later, he’ll deal with that when it happens!
Luo Chen currently had no time to think about these matters, he wanted to craft pills.
The materials, which cost up to two hundred Spirit Stones, had already been processed.
The refinement of the Allure Pill was back on track.
Based on his past experience, his success rate was around ten percent.
But this time, within the first five days of refinement, he succeeded twice in a row.
The success rate was as high as forty percent!
How could he not be ecstatic?
However, as the subsequent pill-making process progressed, this ecstasy gradually faded.
Five continuous failures made him realize that his previous success was nothing more than a rare feast.
To increase the success rate and lower the cost, he still needed to improve his proficiency in refining the Allure Pill.
“Almost there, almost there!”
Luo Chen glanced at the attribute panel, [Allure Pill Beginner 91/100].
With another success, he could level up.
This feeling of getting rewards as long as he made an effort was tremendously satisfying.
Even the daily job of hitting the wall corner with a Fireball, then filling it with new soil, seemed to carry a bit more passion.
He failed for a few more days.
“This time, it will definitely succeed.”
Wearing a brand-new apron, Luo Chen incensed an effigy of the Second Elder Guan he had crafted, even placing two impeached fruits beside the figure.
He felt that the reason for his recent failures was that he had forgotten to pay tribute to the Second Elder Guan.
The Light-Smoke Sparse-Rain Building device was still at work, it must be said that this device invented by Tian Fan city truly had its unique aspects.
Even though Luo Chen is accustomed to all sorts of smells during pill refinement, he is still quite uncomfortable with the smell before an Allure Pill is formed.
But with this device, he no longer has to endure the torment of biological poisonous gases.
In the afternoon, Luo Chen carefully lifted the lid of the pot.
A reddish jelly-like substance appeared before his eyes, making Luo Chen’s eyebrows soften.
“It’s done! Second Elder!”
“We are the champions!”
His first reaction was to check the attribute panel.
[Allure Pill Beginner 91/100] [Allure Pill Proficient 101/200]
The instant his proficiency leveled up, Luo Chen felt as though he had broken through a layer of paper.
Some insights that he never had before were instilled into him by the system.
It was like a gentle stream, which he accepted and digested.
Some places that he hadn’t paid attention to before were also highlighted.
Luo Chen had a feeling that if he were to refine another Allure Pill, he could do even better in detail, and the success rate should increase substantially. Squeak!
The wooden door was suddenly pushed open.
A bright and radiant face peeked in.
Gu Caiyi’s eyes lit up, “I knew you’d be at home, I bought some Spirit Fruits from the Spirit Source Study. Want to try?”
Spirit Fruits from the Spirit Source Study!
He had to try that. Luo Chen was not the type to shy away.
Gu Caiyi pushed the door open and saw Luo Chen standing in front of the stove wearing an apron.
While handing a lush, green fruit to Luo Chen, she peeked into the pot.
“What delicious thing are you making?”
“Is it meat jelly?”
“Why does it smell so medicinal?”
Luo Chen took a bite of the fruit.
It was full of juice and not much Spirit Qi, but it was very sweet.
This was a much better taste than the wild hawthorn berries he had been eating recently.
He said without thinking: “It’s not food, it’s an elixir I’m refining. Hey, don’t touch it, it’s hot.”
A bewildered look came over Gu Caiyi’s face.
Pointing at the iron pot, she questioned: “Can you actually refine pills with that?”