Chương 5: Cultivators are but Beasts of Burden!

"Rest assured, Uncle, I will definitely hand in the Qi Gathering Pills on time," Ye Chen said with a smile after grasping the situation. He didn't mention the issue with the red rose. A single word could easily expose him and inadvertently alert the enemy. With the system at his disposal, he had no doubt that everything could be returned tenfold. There was no concern about failing to complete the task. Upon hearing this, Manager Zhang's chubby face bloomed into a smile as radiant as a chrysanthemum.

He patted Ye Chen on the shoulder warmly.

"I knew you were capable, my dear nephew. Now, you rest up. I won't keep you any longer." Ye Chen smiled as he saw Manager Zhang out of the room. When the door closed with a soft thud, Ye Chen's face turned cold. A mocking smile was playing on his lips. Outside, Manager Zhang's expression was filled with contempt. As he walked away from the backyard, he glanced back at Ye Chen's room and sneered.

"The whole room reeks of failed pills, yet he still thinks he can finish the task? The most laughable part is that, despite being unable to produce a few decent pills, he still tries to act important in front of female cultivators. He's just a fool after all."

"Being a little stronger means one can have any woman he wants. At Red Sleeve Pavilion, one low-grade spirit stone is enough for a female cultivator to pamper you to the skies. But he wastes precious resources, giving them away without hesitation? Even without me sabotaging him, he has no hope of joining the Green Cloud Sect." Manager Zhang looked down on Ye Chen completely. A fool not worth his time. His only wish was that the head of the Ye family would finally break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

If the family head succeeded, the Ye family's influence would soar. As for Manager Zhang, he would then be moved to a better post, far from the desolate Silver Moon Market where he was wasting his life away. After Ye Chen watched Manager Zhang leave, he quietly wrote the man's name down in a small notebook he kept hidden away. Then, he sat down in front of the alchemy furnace and began to organize the herbs. He carefully selected the good ones, discarding the subpar materials aside.

Once he had sorted through the herbs, Ye Chen placed them one by one into the furnace. The furnace was divided into eight distinct sections, allowing different processes to occur simultaneously—roasting, steaming, fusing, and more. With a steady hand, he ignited the fire and began the alchemical process. Alchemy required mastery over both Fire Control and Water Control techniques. In the past, Ye Chen had struggled, muddling through his attempts in confusion.

There were different types of fire: Martial fire and Literary fire. The flow of the medicinal liquids, the speed at which they fused, depended on the specific properties of each herb. The techniques for handling these elements varied as well. And there were various methods to extract the medicinal properties from the herbs. Books wouldn't help, only hands-on guidance would teach! But Ye Chen's second uncle had never properly taught him these techniques.

As a result, Ye Chen's previous attempts had been nothing short of disastrous, with failure coming as a mysterious inevitability. Everything was different this time. With the profound insight he now possessed, Ye Chen could manipulate every aspect of the process with ease. Yet, in the final moments, his hand inadvertently shook, causing the flames to flare slightly higher. The furnace suddenly shook, and a burnt smell filled the air. It was a failure. Ye Chen was not discouraged.

Although he had the insight, his physical technique was still a little lacking. He just needed a few more attempts to master it. Swiftly, Ye Chen cleaned the furnace and prepared for a second attempt. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Half a day passed in silence. Ye Chen's eyes lit up, and he immediately extinguished the flames. Upon opening the furnace lid, a rich aroma of medicinal herbs filled the room.

Ye Chen used his spiritual power carefully to extract the pills.

"Two low-grade, four mid-grade, and even a high-grade Qi Gathering Pill?" Looking at the pills in his hand, Ye Chen was in high spirits. But as always, he immediately began to reflect on his process. This was a habit of his. He always reviewed his actions, pinpointed any issues, and made sure to improve for the next time.

"After the Green Fruit dissolved into liquid, the fusion seemed to have some issues. It wasn't even, but there wasn't enough time, so that's why one low-grade pill was produced, and only seven pills instead of ten. If I can perfect this step next time, it should improve." Ye Chen reflected on his mistakes from the previous attempt. But looking at the results, his mood was genuinely good. A low-grade Qi Gathering Pill could be bought for twenty with one spirit stone.

As for mid-grade pills, one spirit stone would only get you fifteen. And for high-grade Qi Gathering Pills, one spirit stone would buy just ten. The grade of a pill depends on its efficacy, potency, impurities, and various other factors. The higher the grade, the better the medicinal effects, the purer the power, and the fewer the impurities. However, this was only relative. The difference in efficacy was usually only about ten to twenty percent.

Therefore, only wealthy cultivators would choose high or mid-grade pills. But ordinary cultivators had no such luxury. If a pill bought with one spirit stone could last for twenty days, they wouldn't choose one that lasted only fifteen or ten days. As for poison from pills, impurities, and the like, that was not something they worried about.... Looking at the results, Ye Chen carefully placed the mid-grade pills into a new bottle and tucked it safely away.

The high-grade pill, however, was quickly tossed into his mouth and swallowed. Ye Chen certainly wouldn't hand over these pills to the store since Manager Zhang was clearly trying to deceive him. So, the high-grade pills were naturally kept for his own cultivation. In the world of cultivation, while spirit stones were important, cultivation itself was paramount. This wasn't Earth. Most places were lawless. On Earth, you could hire bodyguards and live in high-security areas to ensure your safety.

But in the cultivation world, if you lacked strength, could you really hire bodyguards? Why wouldn't the bodyguards you were trying to hire rob you instead? After all, why spend your time protecting a weakling when you can just steal from them? Everyone was a potential predator. You couldn't trust even the kindest-looking cultivator you met in the city since out in the wild, they might draw their magic sword on you without a second thought.

Only places like markets, towns, and immortal cities, where large sects kept the peace, could offer a modicum of safety. But even then, safety wasn't guaranteed. This is why cultivation is paramount. Ye Chen immediately sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. After his transmigration, he had also consumed the pills made by his predecessor for cultivation. To be honest, they were absolute trash. Now, comparing them to the high-grade pills he had just refined, they seemed even worse than trash.

The high-grade pills were soft upon entry, their medicinal power pure and smooth, not causing any discomfort to the meridians. Ye Chen quickly lost himself in his cultivation. When he opened his eyes again, three hours had passed. He slowly withdrew from his practice, his mood lifted. With the high-grade pills, he felt that if he cultivated with them every day, in less than three months, he might reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining. That was definitely good news.

Cultivation wasn't about practicing for endless hours. Meridians had their limits. Two hours of cultivation per day was sufficient. Otherwise, the meridians would strain, and forcing cultivation in spite of that could even lead to irreparable injuries. This was why cultivators relied on pills. Pills not only accelerated the speed of cultivation but also protected the meridians, making them more durable, allowing cultivators to practice longer.

But even if the cultivation time was short, most cultivators still didn't have enough time. Aside from cultivation itself, they had to learn offensive spells. What good was having powerful cultivation if they couldn't fight? Additionally, they needed to keep learning other cultivation techniques, like alchemy or weapon forging, to improve their skills. And, of course, they had to work to earn money. Where would they get the money to buy food, pills, or magical tools otherwise?