Chapter 70: Junior Brother Ji, You Don't Want To...
"I never understood why some people would be addicted to growing flowers and plants, but now I finally understand."
"It gives me a sense of accomplishment to see the flowers and plants gradually come to life under my care."
Inside the cave, Su Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the Qingyun Apricot Tree in front of him with satisfaction.
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[Qingyun Apricot Tree (One Hundred Years)]
[Quality: Excellent (up to 800 years)]
[Effect: Can gather the spiritual power of heaven and earth and purify the surrounding environment.]
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The Qingyun Apricot Tree, which was originally of only good quality, had directly reached an excellent level of quality after Su Chen used the Lotus Mark for targeted cultivation.
This not only made the appearance of the Qingyun Apricot Tree look more harmonious and full of natural beauty, but it also increased the concentration of spiritual energy in Su Chen's cave by about 10%, with immediate effects.
As a result, the experience points he gained from a day of daily practice in the cave reached an astonishing **80 points.**
Not only that, as the Qingyun Apricot Tree aged, the concentration of spiritual energy in his cave would further increase, which would benefit future generations.
Although Su Chen wanted to further improve the quality of the Qingyun Apricot Tree, that was not something that could be accomplished by simply combining his spiritual power.
Instead, he needed to use some more precious natural treasures.
Su Chen naturally couldn't procure those rare treasures at the moment, so excellent quality was the limit of what he could achieve.
"But with this experience, I have a better understanding of the effect of the Lotus Mark."
"It turns out that both the position and color of the lotus mark are not fixed but change with the state of the main body."
"And the smaller the lotus mark and the lighter the color, the smaller the weakness of this position."
"Sure enough, if I only use the Lotus Mark as a means of combat, I would be underestimating the value of this pupil technique."
"Its usefulness outside of combat is no less significant than during combat."
"And with this successful experiment, I may be able to try to collect more precious natural treasures and cultivate them myself in the future."
"After all, besides age, the quality of natural treasures is also important."
"Using high-quality natural materials and treasures to refine pills will not only yield better effects but also have a much higher success rate."
Thinking of this, Su Chen suddenly remembered the test that his master, Taoist Linghuo, had given him: when he could refine foundation-building elixirs on his own, he would be promoted to a true disciple.
Su Chen was not surprised that Linghuo Taoist proposed such a test.
After all, what Danyang Peak values most is the alchemy ability of the cultivators.
If a true disciple cannot show enough talent in alchemy, he will not be able to convince others, even if he has a good aptitude for cultivation.
Although Su Chen was not in a hurry to become a true disciple, he was very interested in refining elixirs for the foundation-building period.
Among the three foundation-building pill recipes given to him by Taoist Linghuo, one pill was worth a fortune to Su Chen.
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[Prescription: Peiyuan Pill]
[Refining Requirements: Basic alchemy skills must be mastered; cultivation must reach the foundation-building stage or possess the ability of different fires.]
[Effect: Depending on the quality of the pill, a minimum of 500 experience points can be obtained. One can take at most one pill per day.]
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Taking one Peiyuan Pill can provide a minimum of 500 experience points. For Su Chen, who needs a lot of experience points, this is one of the most crucial pills at the moment.
The requirements for refining the Peiyuan Pill are not too harsh.
Although he has not yet reached the foundation-building stage, he has mastered the magical power of the Purple Cloud Divine Fire and has already met some of the conditions for refining the Peiyuan Pill.
Therefore, the only condition currently preventing Su Chen from refining the Peiyuan Pill is his level of basic alchemy skills.
"It seems that I should focus on alchemy during this period and improve my basic alchemy skills as soon as possible."
"As long as I can refine the Peiyuan Pill by myself, I will gain experience points faster."
"And while improving my alchemy skills, I can also complete the sect's tasks and gain some contribution points to prepare for exchanging for new magical powers in the future."
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[Sect Mission: Refining 100 Qi Gathering Pills (Repeatable)]
[Task Time Limit: Half a year]
[Task Reward: 100 Sect Contribution, 500 Experience Points]
[Current Number of Qi Gathering Pills: 35/100]
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With Su Chen's current success rate in refining Qi Gathering Pills, he could stably obtain 20 to 30 Qi Gathering Pills per game day if he refined the pills himself.
It would only take three game days to complete the sect's mission and exchange for a lot of rewards.
But if he chose to make pills while idling, his efficiency would be greatly reduced, allowing him to produce only about 10 Qi Gathering Pills every day.
According to the task rewards, one Qi Gathering Pill is roughly equivalent to 5 experience points.
It's not as beneficial as what he gains from practicing while AFK.
Additionally, if he only made pills and did not practice, it would be difficult to explain to others why his cultivation had improved so rapidly.
Therefore, Su Chen did not choose to idle while making pills during this period but focused on daily practice.
"Although I can use experience points to directly improve my alchemy level, it's better to save as many experience points as possible."
"I will go to the main hall to refine more pills during this period and then gradually use experience points for alchemy."
"This approach will not only enhance my basic alchemy skills but will also avoid raising suspicion. It's the safest strategy."
"However, relying solely on the alchemy furnace in the main hall is not a long-term solution. I will go to see my master again and ask if he can provide me with an alchemy furnace."
"After all, if I depend on myself to accumulate contribution points, I cannot afford to replace an alchemy furnace worth thousands of spirit stones in a short while."
Though it felt a bit shameless, Su Chen had already resolved to ask his master, Taoist Linghuo, for another round of support!
At the same time, Su Chen stood up and headed to the main hall of Danyang Peak.
Ji Chang was being cornered in his cave by two other disciples of the peak.
"Two senior brothers, what are you doing?"
A swordsman wearing the uniform of a true disciple of Cangjian Peak stepped forward.
He looked at Ji Chang with an unfriendly expression and said, "Junior Brother Ji, after the cooperation of male disciples from all the peaks during this time, we have found out that you and a junior brother from Danyang Peak went to see Uncle Linghuo, which led to the headmaster promoting the Purple Cloud Divine Light Technique throughout the sect."
"Now, if you tell us who that junior fellow from Danyang Peak is, we will not only let you go but also reward you with something special, ensuring your satisfaction."
"But if you want to keep quiet and fight to the end, I'm sorry... Junior Brother Xue!"
"Learn!"
Next to Cangjian Peak's true disciple Yi Hanqing, Xue Youqing, the true disciple of Wanfu Peak, nodded and took out an envelope from his storage bag.
Ji Chang looked at the familiar envelope and suddenly registered something. His pupils dilated, his face went pale, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Xue Youqing opened the envelope, glanced at Ji Chang mockingly, and then read aloud.
"Personally from Junior Sister Li Yuan of Wanfu Peak. It has been more than a month since you and I parted after the last lecture by the elder of the main peak. During this time, whenever I think of our discussions under the moon, I can't help but feel a bit dazed and have no intention of refining the elixir. Perhaps this is—"
"Stop, stop reading!"
Ji Chang shouted, covering his ears with his hands, kneeling on the ground with gritted teeth, his eyes vacant and his face ashen.
Senior Brother Xue, you deserve to die!
Where did you get the love letter he sent to Junior Sister Li?
If you spread the contents of this love letter within the sect, his reputation would be ruined!
Looking at the defeated Ji Chang, Yi Hanqing took the envelope from Xue Youqing with satisfaction, squatted down, and looked at him.
He said in a smooth voice, "How is it, Junior Brother Ji?"
"You probably don't want the contents of this letter to be known by all the disciples in the sect, right?"
Hateful!!
Ji Chang listened to the devilish whispers and began to struggle between his conscience and his desires.
On one side was the promise made to his fellow apprentice, and on the other was his reputation within the sect.
This was a dilemma! He knew which choice to make at a glance.
He raised his head, looked at Yi Hanqing and the other two with a determined expression, and said firmly, "Give up, my two brothers. I will never betray Junior Brother Su!"
"Ah!"
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(End of this chapter.)