Chương 78: 1.78 Is reputation something you can eat?

Poke. Poke.

"Um, Master… could you maybe stop? That actually hurts." Ning spoke softly. He was currently lying beneath the shade of a tree, recovering from the earlier battle. I mean, who would have thought pushing past your limits had consequences? Main characters do this all the time, Ning mused internally. He had truly squeezed every ounce of strength, concentration, and willpower into that final exchange.

"You really did pop off at the end, though. Like, bam!" Ling Xin gestured wildly with both hands before happily patting Ning again.

"Especially that last attack. It should be enough to threaten even late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators." Ning's expression twitched slightly, seeing his master just ignore his words. He could only suffer in silence. While he was not some seven-foot monster like Li Houran due to his body refinement path and naturally balanced physique, he was still fairly tall for his age. Ling Xin, meanwhile, could not say the same. Clearly, she was taking full advantage of this rare opportunity to pat his head freely.

"Aunt!" Ling Yinran said helplessly.

"Instead of tormenting Junior Brother, shouldn't you heal him first?" Ever the voice of reason, she finally stepped in to save him.

"Oh! Right!" Ling Xin blinked.

"I forgot." She casually stuffed a healing pill into Ning's mouth. A warm medicinal energy spread through his body almost instantly, easing the soreness in his muscles and calming the strain in his meridians. It was significantly better than the healing pills Ning currently possessed himself. This was also one of the reasons he had asked the duo to stay and watch the session in the first place.

Being alone with an unfamiliar Foundation Establishment expert was honestly a little nerve-wracking, and Ling Xin's presence helped immensely in that regard. Similarly, in the worst-case scenario where he got beaten too badly, having a master alchemist nearby was extremely reassuring. As for Ling Yinran, she was mainly here to keep Ling Xin under control. It was then that Ling Xin slowly turned toward Li Houran.

"You pushed him too far, didn't you?" she accused, pointing to Li Haoran. Li Houran crossed his arms calmly.

"It was necessary."

"And what about all that trash talk?" Ling Xin narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Was that necessary too?" The temperature around them noticeably began to rise. Li Houran immediately felt a sense of danger. Had he mentioned before just how terrifying Ling Xin actually was? Her title of Fire Witch was absolutely not for decoration. Between her bizarre pills, strange flames, and wildly unpredictable temperament, she was one of the last people in the sect anyone wanted to offend. Especially when she looked like this. Still, now was definitely not the time to admit fault.

"Rage baiting is an integral part of disciple training," Li Houran said with complete seriousness.

"You probably wouldn't understand since you're still new to teaching." Ning, who was still lying on the ground recovering, blinked slowly. First rage baiting. Now gaslighting too? This old man is genuinely dangerous. Ling Xin paused thoughtfully.

"That… might actually make sense," she admitted. Li Houran immediately nodded with the confidence of a seasoned scam artist.

"Of course it makes sense."

"But," Ling Xin continued, faint flames flickering around her fingertips, "you still pissed me off." Li Houran's expression stiffened slightly. Ling Xin had always been an extremely willful person. And unfortunately, she was also strong enough to back it up.

"Okay, okay," Li Houran said quickly, raising both hands in surrender.

"The brat's fine, isn't he?"

"My disciple almost coughed blood!"

"But he didn't cough blood."

"That's not the point!"

"That sounds exactly like the point." Ling Yinran silently took a step backward. By now, she had long learned not to interfere whenever her aunt started arguing with people. Usually, those arguments happened because of Ling Xin's eccentricity. But today, looking at her weakened junior brother lying under the tree, Ling Yinran felt her aunt was actually in the right for once. Meanwhile, Ning slowly sat up as the medicinal effects circulated through his body.

Compared to the physical exhaustion, his mind felt strangely clear. The sensation from earlier still lingered in his hands. That moment, when the spear had stopped feeling like a mere weapon, and became something more. Ning lowered his gaze toward the spear resting beside him. Then, despite the soreness running through his entire body, He smiled slightly. It had been worth it. [Falling Leaf Spear Technique: Unity] Now he had finally reached the stage known as Ten Steps, One Kill.

Cultivators truly had a habit of giving dramatic names to everything. Still, the meaning behind the stage was fairly straightforward. Within ten steps, blood would be spilled. While that may not be wholly accurate, it was enough to show the level of spear mastery. More importantly, however, this meant he had finally taken the first true step toward mastering intent. Up until now, everything he had learned regarding the spear could still be considered foundational. Important, yes. Essential even.

But still within the realm of ordinary martial skill. Intent was different. Intent was where things started becoming genuinely supernatural. Sword cultivators could cut with a thought. Blade cultivators could project killing will strong enough to shake weaker opponents before even attacking. Some weapon masters could create phantoms of countless strikes through pure intent alone, turning one attack into ten, and ten into a hundred. Intent was the doorway to all of it.

Moreover, if Ning could successfully comprehend spear intent while still in the Qi Condensation realm, then it would become one of his greatest trump cards. After all, intent was one of the few universally acknowledged methods that allowed cultivators to fight above their realm reliably. So overall, things were looking quite good for Ning. Li Houran noticed the subtle change in his expression and suddenly grinned.

"You finally stopped treating the spear like a separate object," he said.

"For a moment, your will flowed through it naturally instead of forcing the movement manually. That's the beginning of Unity." Ning listened carefully.

"The reason weapon cultivators obsess over Unity," Li Houran continued, "is because this is the first stage where a weapon starts carrying your will." He pointed toward Ning's spear resting nearby.

"Before this, technique is just technique. Movements. Forms. Patterns." His tone sharpened slightly.

"After Unity, technique becomes expression." Then he added bluntly, "And honestly, you should probably change your spear technique soon. The Falling Leaf Spear Technique is too basic. It won't be enough to support the formation of true spear intent." Ning nodded slowly. That assessment made sense. The Falling Leaf Spear Technique was fundamentally a foundational art. It focused on proper posture, movement, force generation, and correct spear mechanics.

Unity, the stage where the spear became an extension of the wielder's body and will, was effectively the upper limit of the technique. Beyond that, there was simply not enough depth left within the art itself.

"That makes sense," Ning admitted. In truth, the only reasons he had continued practicing the technique for so long were poverty and his own completionist tendencies. Still, he did not regret it. Reaching Unity through a basic spear art would undoubtedly help him understand more advanced techniques in the future. And in the cultivation world, the foundation was everything. Just like he said before, the worst thing to hear in a cultivation world was did you even build a foundation, bro?

"Elder," Ning asked respectfully, "could you recommend a spear technique for me?" Li Houran stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Hm. Should I?" His expression looked intentionally difficult for about three seconds before he immediately wilted under Ling Xin's increasingly dangerous stare.

"…Alright, alright." He pointed toward Ning.

"I noticed during our exchanges that your body refinement art carries ice attributes. There was even faint ice qi woven into your strikes trying to slow me down."

"Yes," Ning replied calmly. He was not surprised Li Houran noticed. After reaching the Marrow Refinement stage, the amount of ice-attributed qi generated by his body refinement had grown steadily stronger.

"You should learn the Cold River Spear Technique," Li Houran said finally. Ning repeated the name quietly.

"Cold River Spear Technique…"

"It's a Spirit-ranked spear art," Li Houran explained.

"The forms themselves are not particularly difficult. Anyone with basic spear competence can start practicing the early stages." He paused to let Ning digest the words.

"What's difficult," he continued, "is understanding what the technique is actually trying to express." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ning's eyes sharpened slightly.

"Most disciples learn the movements and think they've mastered the technique," Li Houran said with a snort.

"They haven't. They've only learned the surface." Under the shade of the tree, Ling Xin, who had once again started to poke Ning's surprisingly smooth and squishy cheek, spoke.

"Oh? I've never heard of this technique before."

"Well, that's because you only care about alchemy," Li Houran replied instantly. Ling Xin smiled pleasantly. The air temperature rose slightly. Li Houran coughed lightly and continued as if nothing had happened.

"The technique was created around two hundred years ago by a wandering spear cultivator. Supposedly, he spent forty years refining a single philosophical principle before finally turning it into a spear art." He shrugged casually.

"He was quite crazy about the spear. Trying to simplify the basic principle sof spear path."

"That actually sounds like something Junior Brother would enjoy," Ling Yinran commented from the side. Ning thought about it for a moment.

"…That is not inaccurate."

"The technique suits your specific situation for three reasons," Li Houran said. He raised a finger.

"First, it's ice-attributed. The cold qi from your body refinement already flows naturally through your meridians. The Cold River Spear Technique is designed around that type of circulation, so you won't need to force the attribute manually. The technique and your body are already compatible." Ning nodded slightly. That alone made the recommendation extremely practical. Techniques that naturally matched one's cultivation foundation were always easier to train and far more efficient in actual combat.

"Second," Li Houran continued, "the technique is built around observation and positioning rather than overwhelming force or explosive speed." He casually picked up a branch from the ground and pointed it toward Ning like a spear.

"Every form in the Cold River Spear Technique begins with reading the opponent first. The opening stance, Still Water Stance, isn't truly offensive or defensive." He paused.

"It's a state of observation." He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You settle the spear. You watch. You wait for the flow of the opponent to reveal itself." Then he pointed the branch toward Ning again.

"That matches the way you naturally fight already. During our exchanges, you spent more time observing and repositioning than actually attacking. You analyze before committing. You establish position before applying force. The technique agrees with your instincts instead of fighting them." Ning quietly admitted to himself that Li Houran was completely correct.

Even during their spar earlier, most of his attention had gone toward reading movement patterns, positioning, and identifying openings rather than simply overwhelming the opponent directly.

"And the third reason?" Ning asked, curious.

"Third…" Li Houran was quiet for a brief moment.

"You just reached Unity. Your spear finally has some soul in it now, but only barely." He tapped lightly against his own spear shaft.

"At this stage, your understanding is still unstable. Fragile." His gaze sharpened.

"If you train a technique that clashes with your instincts right now, you'll end up fighting both the opponent and the technique itself. That slows growth. But a technique aligned with your nature will help that 'soul' develop naturally. Instead of forcing expression, it'll guide it."

"You actually thought this through pretty carefully," Ling Xin couldn't help but say.

"I thought about it during the session," Li Houran replied casually, without even a trace of modesty.

"That's literally what I'm here for." Ning immediately cupped his fists toward him.

"Thank you for your guidance today, Elder Li," he said sincerely.

"Without your help, I would have remained stuck at Penetration for much longer." Li Houran waved a hand casually.

"You already had the foundation. I just pointed you in the right direction."

"Even then, being guided by a spear master personally is not something ordinary disciples can hope for," Ning replied smoothly.

"Especially your final strike." Li Houran paused slightly. Ning continued, his tone earnest.

"I still could not see how the spear reached me. That attack genuinely made me realize how far the spear path extends beyond technique." Li Houran coughed lightly into his fist.

"…Well. That's normal. If you could understand spear intent after one look, what would people like us cultivate for?"

"Still," Ning added, "to identify the flaw in my spear style within only a few exchanges… Elder Li's insight is truly worthy of his reputation." Li Houran's posture unconsciously straightened a little more. The praise hit particularly hard because Ning's tone was completely genuine. Ling Xin stared at the scene with a strange expression.

"…Why do I suddenly feel like my disciple is better at handling people than me?" Ling Yinran glanced at her master strangely.

"Aunt… did you ever have social skills to begin with?" Ling Xin paused thoughtfully for a moment.

"True that." At times like this, she was surprisingly self-aware. Meanwhile, Li Houran tried to maintain the dignified posture of an aloof spear master for a few more seconds before finally failing completely.

"Hahaha! Good! Very good!" he laughed loudly.

"At least this brat has good eyesight!" Ning used Flattery. It seems it was super effective. Li Houran, meanwhile, looked increasingly pleased the more he talked.

"In fact," he said proudly, "if we're talking purely about spear mastery below the Golden Core realm, there honestly aren't many people in the sect who can compare to me." Ling Xin immediately rolled her eyes.

"There it is. His ego inflated again." Li Houran ignored her entirely. Instead, he looked back at Ning with growing satisfaction.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," he declared.

"You've got talent, temperament, and decent judgment when it comes to recognizing greatness." Ling Yinran quietly muttered from the side,"…That last one sounded like the most important part."

"Of course it is," Li Houran replied shamelessly. Then he coughed lightly and straightened his posture again, attempting to recover the bearing of a wise senior.

"Anyway," he said seriously, "gratitude means nothing if you waste your potential. Since you've stepped into Unity, then train properly. Don't embarrass the spear path." Ning immediately nodded solemnly.

"I will remember Elder Li's teachings." Still, Ning now faced another problem. He had to gather spirit stones to buy this technique. After all, techniques of that rank were notoriously expensive. Fortunately, his recent "discovery" regarding the Vitality Pill would likely become useful here. No, Ning firmly refused to call it an aphrodisiac pill. From what he had observed, despite all their cultivation, supernatural powers, and lofty ambitions, cultivators were still human.

And human desires fundamentally remained the same. Food and sex had existed since ancient times for a reason. So naturally, a pill like this would absolutely sell, unlike the Bigu(Fasting) pill. The only problem was figuring out how to sell it properly. After all, he could hardly lurk around shady alleyways whispering to passing cultivators about his "high-quality goods," right? Or maybe I could. Ning narrowed his eyes thoughtfully....

"I-is this the place that sells the Vitality Pills?" Long He asked nervously as he pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside. He had heard about it from He Fang, who heard it from Bao Zhi, who had apparently tested it personally. Bao Zhi's review had been enthusiastic enough that He Fang told him.

"Yes," the middle-aged man replied calmly.

"You've come to the right place." Long He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"T-then… I heard some things about the Vitality Pill," he continued awkwardly.

"Is it true that after taking it, one can fight ten battles in a row without harming the body? I even heard Foundation Establishment cultivators are using it." There were many rumors surrounding the pill. Some claimed it originated from the authentic Yin Yang Palace, one of the great sects ruled by a Golden Core patriarch. Others claimed a mortal had once used the pill to conquer a female cultivator far above his realm. The stories became more absurd the further they spread. But one thing remained consistent.

Everyone who used the pill praised it quite a bit. The middle-aged man laughed softly.

"Well, I don't know which rumor you heard specifically, but the pill does strengthen vitality and nourish the body." He leaned slightly forward and wiggled his eyebrow.

"Especially the yang aspect, if you understand what I mean." Long He's face instantly reddened.

"I-I understand!" The man chuckled.

"You really are new to this, huh? If you're this thin-skinned, you'll have a hard time surviving places like that." Then, seeing Long He's youthful appearance, he added kindly, "Still, I should warn you, don't use too many pills if you're going with mortals. A cultivator's endurance should be enough."

"Um, I know that. B-but I am going there, you know?" Long He quickly pointed outside to a specific direction. The direction he pointed toward was unmistakable. Harmony Palace. The middle-aged man raised his brows knowingly.

"Oh? Harmony Palace? Not a bad choice at all." He nodded sagely like an experienced senior imparting worldly wisdom.

"Especially because their dual cultivation arts are quite advanced. Their flexibility and stamina are far beyond ordinary people. Naturally, the overall experience is… much better."

"O-oh! I see…" Long He immediately memorized that information seriously, and his increasingly obscene grin on his face made his current thoughts extremely obvious. The man pretended not to notice.

"Of course," he continued calmly, "that pleasure also comes with certain problems. Since you're here, I assume you already know about them?"

"Y-yes." Long He nodded heavily. The problem was simple. Exhaustion. Harmony Palace was not some ordinary brothel. It was a subsidiary of the Firework Pavilion and employed cultivators who specialized in dual cultivation techniques. Dual cultivation itself had two branches. Orthodox dual cultivation involved yin and yang nourishing one another, allowing both sides to benefit and improve their cultivation together.

Unorthodox dual cultivation, meanwhile, involved one side devouring the other, yin stealing yang or yang stealing yin. One partner became fuel for the other's advancement. Thankfully, Harmony Palace practiced orthodox dual cultivation. Otherwise, it would never have been allowed to openly operate within Blackthorn City. Still, even orthodox dual cultivation had one unavoidable issue.

The person with weaker dual cultivation skills would quickly become exhausted, unable to keep up with the other side's cultivation rhythm. In simpler terms, nobody wanted to become a quick shot. That was precisely why Long He had become so excited after hearing the rumors about the Vitality Pill. A man taking on ten Harmony Palace cultivators in one night? To a young cultivator like him, that story sounded downright legendary.

Which was why Long He had nervously gathered his savings and come searching for this mysterious pill before his first grand excursion.

"So," the middle-aged man asked casually, "how many pills do you want? Each one costs twenty spirit stones." Twenty spirit stones was not cheap. But compared to the benefits? Many people considered it worth every stone. The longer one could endure dual cultivation, the longer one could benefit from the exchange. In a rather twisted sense, this pill could even be considered a cultivation aid.

"I-I'll take two," Long He said, embarrassedly. As a wandering cultivator without backing, his income was fairly limited. Otherwise, he would have bought an entire bottle immediately. In fact, one of the reasons the Vitality Pill had become so popular was because it was significantly cheaper than similar pills while supposedly offering even stronger effects.

"Alright." The man was clearly used to such transactions and quickly packed the pills.

"Here you go."

"T-thank you." Long He hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice again.

"B-brother… could you maybe give me some advice? It's my first time." He only dared ask because the man before him seemed unusually approachable and extremely experienced. The middle-aged man smiled knowingly.

"Well, consider it a bonus for your purchase." Long He immediately straightened up seriously.

"As a newcomer," the man began solemnly, "the most important thing is to appear nervous when entering Harmony Palace." Long He blinked.

"Nervous?" Shouldn't he try to appear confident and experienced instead? The man shook his head like someone disappointed in a junior's lack of enlightenment.

"That's where ordinary people fail." He leaned back slightly.

"Everyone tries to act experienced. Everyone pretends to be confident. After seeing the same performance hundreds of times, it becomes boring." Then he raised a finger dramatically.

"But innocence?" A profound look appeared on his face.

"That is eternal." Long He's eyes widened. It was as if the gates to a new world had opened before him.

"True masters," the man continued with great seriousness, "know how to appear harmless and naive. It lowers defenses. Creates curiosity. Makes people want to tease you more." Long He felt enlightened instantly.

"So that's how it is…"

"Of course," the man added casually, "you don't even need to fake it. Just be yourself. You are already good at that." Long He froze for a moment. He didn't know how to feel hearing that. In one hand, this was good news; on the other, he was just called a nervous virgin.

"And most importantly," the man said while tapping the pills meaningfully, "trust the effect of the pills and follow your instincts." Long He inhaled sharply. A master. This man was definitely a hidden expert.

"I see! Thank you, brother!" He cupped his fists deeply before leaving the stall with an expression so grave one would think he was marching toward battle rather than Harmony Palace. The middle-aged man watched his departing figure and sighed emotionally.

"Ah… youth." Then he casually began packing up the stall.

"Anyway, that's another batch sold. Time to head back." Fu Xuan stored everything away smoothly before quietly making his way back toward the sect. Soon, he met up with Ning, who was currently busy refining another batch of pills.

"Senior Brother Ning, we need another batch as soon as possible. I think your strategy may have been too successful," Fu Xuan said as he handed over the latest earnings.

"Yeah… I kind of underestimated the craze," Ning replied while calmly finishing the final condensation process on a fresh batch of Vitality Pills. From the selling location to the rumors themselves, Ning had planned everything carefully. In Blackthorn City, guards patrolled nearly every district, and in the outer regions, many of those guards were outer sect disciples. Using a combination of spirit stones and his current "status," Ning had managed to get those guards to casually spread rumors about the pills.

And one should never underestimate outer sect disciples when it came to information networks. Many of them knew every tavern owner, every merchant, every gambling den, and every place where people gathered to gossip. News spread frighteningly fast through people like that. Of course, success naturally brought new problems. As the business grew more profitable, several shops connected to inner sect disciples began trying to get a piece of the pie.

After all, concepts like monopolies and territorial business practices existed even in the cultivation world. Fortunately, Ning had a trump card. Namely, "Do you know who my master is?" Yes. Ning had shamelessly resorted to the classic "do you know who my father is?" strategy. Technically, Ling Xin was not his father. But wasn't there some saying about a master for a day being like a parent for life?

"… Though Master is a woman, so would that make it mother for life instead?" Ning paused briefly after thinking that. The mental image of Ling Xin acting like a caring maternal figure was so absurd that even he became speechless for a moment. Fortunately, because they were only operating temporary stalls instead of opening a full-fledged shop, there had not been too many direct conflicts. Still, the pills needed constant production. Novelty only lasted so long.

If they wanted to maintain momentum, they had to keep supplying the market before competitors jumped in properly. After asking Su Fan around, Ning had eventually found Fu Xuan, who turned out to be surprisingly suitable for this sort of work. Not only did Fu Xuan help sell the pills, he also handled much of the groundwork, finding people to spread rumors, scouting locations, and managing transactions. The man was impressively well-connected.

Unfortunately, his cultivation talent was mediocre, and at his age, he no longer held much hope of entering the inner sect. Fu Xuan himself understood this clearly. Which was precisely why he had decided to cling tightly to Ning. As the disciple of one of the sect's foremost alchemists, Ning's future prospects were immense. Even pills that "accidentally slipped through his fingers" in the future would likely be enough to benefit Fu Xuan greatly.

And given Ning's currently displayed "talent," if fortune favored him, Fu Xuan might even someday obtain a precious breakthrough pill through those connections and finally advance into the late stages of Qi Condensation. Fu Xuan accepted the newly refined pills carefully before praising sincerely,"Moreover, your pills are becoming more and more refined. These are already close to eighty percent purity, which is extremely high."

"It's just practice making perfect," Ning replied with a smile. In truth, Ling Xin had further optimized the recipe after seeing Ning's initial version, making the formula significantly more stable and easier to reproduce. For example, m to produce a single pill, he needed just a sliver of Dragon qi grass. A single dragon qi grass can be used to make around twenty pills.

"So," Ning asked casually, "there haven't been any other problems, right?" A small part of him still expected some random young master to suddenly appear and try to crush his business out of sheer arrogance. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case.

"Not really," Fu Xuan replied, much to Ning's relief.

"In fact, business is booming. At this rate, Senior Brother, you might even earn yourself a title soon." Ning blinked.

"A title?" Fu Xuan nodded seriously.

"Accomplished alchemists are often remembered by their most famous creations. If your pills continue spreading like this, people will naturally start calling you something." Ning suddenly had a very bad feeling. Fu Xuan coughed lightly before speaking carefully.

"…Some people are already calling you the Spring Breeze Alchemist." Silence. Ning's eyelid twitched.

"That sounds terrible." Fu Xuan hesitated.

"There were… worse ones."

"…I don't even want to know."... Thanks for reading~