Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 378: 235 Guest Visit_2

“Mr. Li should still call me a fellow, I dare not accept the title of senior!” Cai Hong said with a wry smile, shaking his head. Seeing Li Shiming’s puzzled expression, he continued to explain, “My Golden Core Realm is actually a false core!”

“What is a false core?” Li Shiming saw that Cai Hong did not mention why he was looking for him but started a casual conversation instead. He was not in a hurry, as it was an excellent opportunity to learn more.

“A false core is a measure of last resort when one cannot break through to the Golden Core Realm. It involves using a secret technique to refine a Great Demon’s Golden Core into one’s own, thereby possessing some of the Golden Core’s power. Unfortunately, once a false core is formed, one can never advance further; one is forever in a state of false core,” Cai Hong explained.

“Does it have to be a Great Demon’s Golden Core? Would a cultivator’s Golden Core work?” Li Shiming asked further.

He wasn’t intending to form a false core; with his current situation, no matter how poor his talents were, his Taoist Body had forcibly elevated his aptitude to that of a top-tier genius after practicing “Purple Qi Eastward.”

He wanted to understand these because he had two Golden Cores in his mechanical room space that he had been unable to utilize. Having heard of a use for Golden Cores now prompted his question.

“Using a cultivator’s Golden Core is certainly possible, but that is something Devil Cultivators do. Even among Devil Cultivators, those who dare to use this method to achieve a false core will be rejected by the Devil Cultivation Golden Core,” Cai Hong said, not knowing why he asked this but wanting to establish a good relationship without reservation.

The two of them engaged in a conversation in the pavilion, with Li Shiming, having limited knowledge, constantly receiving introductions about some of the secrets of the Cultivation World from Cai Hong, and then posing questions.

It was only after they had finished a pot of Spiritual Tea that Cai Hong set down his cup and brewed his emotions, considering his words carefully.

“Mr. Li, you must be aware of the Beishu Trading Company. I am tasked by the company to invite you to become a guest alchemist for the company,” Cai Hong said solemnly.

“What does being a guest alchemist entail?” Li Shiming also set down his cup, asking aloud.

Cai Hong was pleased inside; the fact that he didn’t immediately refuse gave him hope.

“The guest alchemist of the company has no specific requirements, otherwise Shushan Sect would not agree. Each year, the company offers a stipend of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones to the guest alchemist and gives priority access to the resources of the Beishu Trading Company,” Cai Hong explained with a smile.

“With such great conditions, what does a guest alchemist need to do?” Li Shiming, hearing such treatment, even though he looked down on the stipend of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, was indeed interested in having priority access to the Beishu Trading Company’s resources.

As the largest trading company on the Beishu Continent, Beishu Trading Company held vast amounts of resources, even accumulating third-grade resources.

Take, for example, the third-grade ‘Mu Yang Three-leaf Clover’; he had risked his life to retrieve it at the time.

If not for Elder Ji’s faction purchasing the ‘Mu Yang Three-leaf Clover’ ahead of time, Beishu Trading Company would have had it in stock at that time.

This showed the deep resources Beishu Trading Company possessed, which were extremely formidable.

“A guest alchemist can freely decide whether to refine elixirs for Beishu Trading Company, and the company does not interfere with the private alchemy business of the guest alchemist. However, a guest alchemist cannot serve other trading companies. Additionally, the compensation for refining elixirs for the company is the same as for private alchemy business,” Cai Hong explained.

Li Shiming finally understood what being a guest alchemist meant—it meant being tied to the Beishu Trading Company and not serving other trading companies.

As for whether or not to refine elixirs for Beishu Trading Company, it was up to the alchemist himself. Naturally, the volume of alchemy for the company was much higher than that of private business, yet the compensation was the same, an attractive proposition to entice alchemists to act.

“I agree!” Li Shiming considered for a moment. He had no intention of serving other trading companies anyway.

In fact, before this, Zhuo Rui from Tianmu Trading Company had approached him, but with the resources of Tianmu Trading Company, they simply could not support his volume of alchemy, so there was no point discussing cooperation.

Tianmu Trading Company was just a sect-based company that couldn’t even guarantee the ingredients for second-grade Spirit Pills required for his alchemy, let alone a sect-affiliated trading company like Tianmu.

“On behalf of Beishu Trading Company, I welcome Mr. Li’s joining, and this is the guest identity card prepared by Beishu Trading Company for Mr. Li. Our Beishu Trading Company cooperates with various major sects. With this guest identity card, you can communicate throughout the Beishu Continent,” said Cai Hong excitedly.

“Moreover, the guest identity card allows you to check alchemy tasks at any time. You just need to accept the task, and someone will deliver the materials to you, and also someone will come to retrieve them after completion!”

He handed a jade identity card to Li Shiming. This guest identity card had been prepared in advance, along with his identity already processed. They just needed his agreement to finalize it immediately, so as to avoid unnecessary delays.

It is important to note that although Beishu Trading Company is the leading trading company on the Beishu Continent, it is not without competitors. Several other trading companies have been eyeing it covetously.

“This is a small gift from Beishu Trading Company to Mr. Li. When Mr. Li becomes an Alchemy Master, we will present a more substantial gift!” Seeing Li Shiming accept the jade identity card, Cai Hong took off a storage bag from his waist and handed it over.

“Then, thank you to the trading company!” Li Shiming said with a smile as he accepted the storage bag.

His divine thought swept through the storage bag and found it contained a recipe for an elixir and dozens of jade boxes holding spiritual medicines.

The recipe was for a Mountain-breaking Pill, which was different from the Mountain-breaking Pill recipe of the Senluo Sect. His other self, Li Yuanba, had also received a recipe and materials for the Mountain-breaking Pill.

Li Shiming was aware that while the pill names were the same across different sects, the ingredients differed due to the resources available in their respective areas. After countless years of research by alchemists, each sect had developed its own system.

The Mountain-breaking Pill of the Senluo Sect, for example, used materials predominantly sourced from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, especially its main ingredient, a third-grade spiritual medicine, which is produced only in those mountains.

The value of this recipe was not high because, after many years of widespread use, there are numerous variations of this elixir recipe. Without the corresponding resources, it is almost impossible to gather all the spiritual medicines necessary for the recipe.

What’s crucial is a set of ingredients for the Mountain-breaking Pill, including a third-grade primary spiritual medicine—truly a resource for producing a Golden Core.

The generosity of the Beishu Trading Company was significant; among all resources for producing elixirs, the Mountain-breaking Pill was foremost.

A Vessel Protecting Pill could alternatively strengthen the meridians through a special cultivation technique to achieve the same effect as the Vessel Protecting Pill.

A Soul Stabilizing Pill could also be substituted with spiritual objects that stabilize the mind, and a Resurrection Pill could be replaced by other slightly inferior spirit pills. However, the Mountain-breaking Pill is irreplaceable.

Of course, after countless years of cumulative experience, lacking one type of elixir reduces the chance of forming a Golden Core by a fraction, so, if possible, cultivators will try to gather a complete set of elixirs before making a breakthrough.

Seeing Li Shiming’s satisfied smile after checking the gift, Cai Hong finally felt relieved.

This gift was not easy to choose; even offering the materials for the Mountain-breaking Pill, he worried it might not impress Li Shiming.

This worry wasn’t unfounded—it stemmed from Li Shiming’s potential and identity.

Li Shiming was taken as a registered disciple by Elder Ma, which was known by many cultivators. However, only a few were aware that Elder Ma had transmitted the ‘Shushan Pill Scripture’ to Li Shiming.

Having received the ‘Shushan Pill Scripture’ implied that Li Shiming possessed a spiritual fire, which also meant that Elder Ma recognized Li Shiming’s potential to become an Alchemy Master.

Any sect would vigorously nurture a cultivator with the potential to become an Alchemy Master, and they wouldn’t be stingy with resources for producing elixirs.

Cai Hong was pleased that his timing in giving the Mountain-breaking Pill was appropriate. It seemed that the Shushan Sect had not yet provided Li Shiming with resources for producing a Golden Core; otherwise, the value of this gift would have been significantly reduced.

In fact, before giving the gift, he had considered this point; it was too early for the sect to prepare Golden Core resources for Li Shiming, who had just entered the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, so he chose the Mountain-breaking Pill materials as the gift.