Cultivation: From Servant to Revered Immortal

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Supplementary Study of the Talisman Dao, Entry Tier Within a Year

The best restaurant in Qingyue Square, Drunken Immortal Inn.

In an elegant private room, Zhou Xun dined with the Song brothers, Song Zhishu and Song Zhiheng.

This spiritual banquet was arranged by Song Zhishu.

Song Zhishu’s elder brother was named Song Zhiheng, dressed in brocade robes, with a refined appearance and at the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining cultivation level.

After everyone had eaten and drunk to their fill, they began discussing serious matters.

”May I ask which kinds of elixirs Alchemist Zhou excels at?” Song Zhiheng tidied up his slightly disheveled clothes and looked inquisitively.

The cultivation realm has been passed down for countless years, naturally, the elixirs passed down are also innumerable.

As an alchemist, it’s impossible to be proficient in every single elixir.

Combined with the individual differences of each alchemist, each has their own elixir specialties.

”I just recently entered the ranks of a Middle-Grade Alchemist, and currently excel in Middle-Grade Elixirs like the Clearing Qi Pill, Middle-Grade Qi Recovery Pill, Calming Pill, and Middle-Grade Antitoxic Pill,” Zhou Xun listed four types of elixirs in one breath.

It’s not that he only mastered these four, but they are all extremely common Middle-Grade Elixirs, with large sales volumes.

Moreover, at his current age, mastering four Middle-Grade Elixirs is just right.

If there were more, the other party might worry about the quality of the elixirs he produces.

”Very good, these are all the most commonly used elixirs!” Song Zhiheng nodded.

These elixirs sell very fast, so they often run out, which is why he asked his brother to keep an eye on alchemists.

”We generally have two modes of cooperation,”

”The first is where we provide the refining materials, and you are only responsible for refining. We will give you a certain reward for each genuine elixir you produce,”

”The second is where you purchase the materials yourself, and after refining, we buy them at a fixed price,”

Having said this, he glanced at Zhou Xun, seeing that he had no reaction, he added:

”Of course, the materials can be purchased directly on credit from us, and we will deduct the material cost after the elixirs are produced!”

Zhou Xun considered the pros and cons of both methods.

The first method was risk-free, with the risk of refining failure borne by the Song family, but correspondingly, the profit would be diluted, suitable for newly promoted alchemists.

The second method had the risk borne by the alchemist, but the profit could be maximized, suitable for experienced elder alchemists.

Although Zhou Xun had not been promoted for long, his success rate in alchemy was no worse than that of veteran alchemists who focused solely on a particular elixir for many years.

”I still prefer the second option!” Zhou Xun quickly made his choice.

Then, they began discussing the purchase price of the elixirs.

Finally, they set the purchase price at seventy percent of the selling price.

No matter how many Middle-Grade Elixirs Zhou Xun refined, the Song family would accept them all without exception.

After the negotiations, Zhou Xun didn’t stay long and then took his leave.

....

After leaving, Zhou Xun did not return home, instead heading straight to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to purchase talisman paper, spirit ink, and talisman pen.

Having obtained the inheritance of the Talisman Dao from the Wei brothers that day, Zhou Xun planned to minor in the Path of Talisman.

After all, the alchemy inheritance he held only reached Tier Two Low-Grade.

However, the Luo family’s Talisman Dao was actually a Quasi-Third Tier inheritance.

Although the one he had wasn’t complete, only up to Tier Two Low-Grade,

he had the map location of the Luo Family Secret Vault, where the complete Talisman Dao inheritance of the Luo family surely lay.

If he couldn’t find a higher-level alchemy inheritance in the future, it wasn’t impossible to focus on the Talisman Dao instead.

...

On this day, in Zhou Xun’s Cave Mansion.

”Collect!”

In the Alchemy Room, Zhou Xun performed the Condensing Pill Technique with a single hand gesture.

The ”Qingming” Pill Furnace suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, its lid opening automatically, with a surge of heated air wafting from the top of the furnace.

Soon after, a faint pill fragrance filled the entire alchemy room, and nine milky-white elixirs flew out, landing in the elixir bottle before him.

Six of them were genuine products.

Perfectly done.

For the Clearing Qi Pill, typically, under the most perfect conditions where not a bit of medicinal power is wasted, one batch of materials could produce nine pills.

Yet, for different elixirs, the maximum number of pills produced per batch of materials is not fixed, even for the same elixir, the maximum per batch isn’t fixed either.

This depends on the amount and quality of spirit medicines.

For example, with the Clearing Qi Pill, if the refining materials are of a younger age, the medicinal power might only be enough to produce eight or even fewer pills.

On the other side, Lin Xueying was also refining elixirs, but what she was refining were the Middle-Grade Qi Recovery Pill and the Middle-Grade Antitoxic Pill.

The two had agreed that the elixirs they refined would all be sold to the Song family in Zhou Xun’s name.

Afterwards, the earnings would be distributed according to the elixirs each refined.

As for Wang Erniu, he was refining some Low-Grade Elixirs, which would later be sold to the Song family together.

Leaving the Alchemy Room, Zhou Xun stretched.

He began brewing the body refining elixirs.

A few days prior, using the Thousand Faces Mask, he adopted the identity of a middle-aged martial artist.

He then went to several shops and bought dozens of body refining materials, directly depleting the few hundred spirit stones he had accumulated.

The past year traveling had made it inconvenient to practice body refining techniques, so his progress had halted.

Now settled down, naturally, he would resume cultivating this technique.

Especially since his cultivation of the Hundred Veins Body Refining Technique could fortify his meridians.

This would reduce the difficulty of breaking through the Mana and Qi and Blood Barriers when he reached Foundation Establishment in the future.

Zhou Xun practiced diligently and without pause.

After all, body refinement was a matter of accumulation.

Sitting in a man-and-a-half-high wooden barrel, Zhou Xun operated the Hundred Veins Body Refining Technique.

Zhou Xun’s skin emitted a faint red glow as his body underwent tempering.

As the liquid in the barrel gradually became clear, Zhou Xun slowly withdrew his power.

”Indeed, the speed of cultivation is entirely different with spirit medicine!”

If he could continue like this every day, Zhou Xun was confident that he could advance the Body Refining Technique to the second layer within six months.

After refining his body, Zhou Xun took out the talisman paper and talisman pen and practiced diligently.

...

Time passed quickly, and six months flew by.

During these six months, Zhou Xun continuously engaged in alchemy, cultivation, talisman creation, and body refinement.

Every few days, Lin Xueying would come over for a visit.

As a result, Zhou Xun’s cave mansion saw a notable addition of spirit herbs and spiritual flowers.

Though not of Entry Tier, they brought a touch of life to Zhou Xun’s abode.

It’s worth noting that, a month ago, Lin Xueying had advanced to the Sixth-Layer Qi Refining.

One cannot help but be amazed at the aptitude of her High-Grade Spirit Root at the age of twenty.

Occasionally, another neighbor, Shi Jingfeng would also visit Zhou Xun.

As the captain of the Law Enforcement Team, his information was highly up-to-date.

During casual conversations, Zhou Xun learned of a recent major event in Xui Country related to him.

It was about the Ghost Realm.

That day, after Wu family disciples returned to White Cloud Immortal City, they immediately reported to Zhou Buqi.

Soon after, the information reached Master White Cloud.

Master White Cloud went to investigate personally, only to suffer serious injuries, returning in defeat, causing the entire White Cloud Immortal City to be on high alert with prohibitions fully enacted.

The Ghost Realm lingered for more than a month before disappearing, with rumors suggesting a powerful cultivator suppressed it.

With the Ghost Realm gone, peace returned to the cultivation realm of Xui Country.

....

Just like that, time passed by another six months.

In the Quiet Chamber, Zhou Xun held a talisman pen, lightly dipped in spirit ink, its tip moving fluidly.

The mana within him flowed through the talisman pen, completing an intricate drawing on the talisman paper in one seamless motion.

”Done!”

A Tier One Low-Grade Thorn Talisman.

After a year of study, Zhou Xun was finally a Tier One Low-Grade Talisman Master.

”It seems my talent in talisman making is no less than my talent in alchemy!”

Leaving the Quiet Chamber, he saw a communication talisman quietly suspended in the air of the hall.

With a wave of his hand, the communication talisman landed in his palm.

Activating it, Song Zhishu’s voice came through.

”There’s news about the shop!”

Owing to the fact that they had two Middle-Grade Alchemists refining elixirs for the Song family over the past year, to avoid exposure, they could only sell a portion of the elixirs each time.

Hence, they had discussed opening a small elixir shop.

This would facilitate easier and faster sale of elixirs to rapidly accumulate resources.

Afterward, Zhou Xun entrusted Song Zhishu to keep an eye out for a suitable shop, and after several months, there was finally news.

Thus, Zhou Xun left to visit Song Zhishu.