Chapter 45 - 44: Breakthrough to the Eighth Level of Qi Refining

Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Breakthrough to the Eighth Level of Qi Refining

"It’s too late for regrets now. You missed out on such a good market this year. By the way, Pingzi, how did you do?"

The youth who had spoken first shook his head. "An, don’t even ask. I had some real shit luck this year. A Mouse Spirit showed up in my Spirit Field and ruined everything."

"I went through three Talismans just to get rid of it. When all was said and done, I was down five Spirit Stones for the year."

"If I wasn’t worried about delaying the family’s Spirit Medicine supply, I would’ve just fed the damn things to that beast."

Shun comforted him, "Don’t worry about it. Kid, didn’t you make a good bit last year? Just think of it as spending money to ward off a disaster."

Everyone else chimed in with agreement, and the conversation turned to the market conditions for various Spirit Ores and Spirit Grass.

Suddenly, Shun noticed Xiao Chen, who was sitting silently to the side.

"Hey, look at me, my memory’s failing me. Which branch of the family is this relative from? I can’t seem to recall."

At his question, the others looked at each other, but no one could answer. The Chen Family had over a thousand members in total; nobody knew everyone.

At first, they had all assumed he belonged to someone else’s branch, but now it seemed no one could place him at all.

Seeing this, Xiao Chen took the initiative to speak. "My name is Xiao Chen. I am a disciple of the Li Huo Sect. A few months ago, I had the good fortune of joining the Inner Sect and becoming a disciple of Elder Chen Tianyang."

Shun slapped his thigh. "Well, I’ll be! That’s incredible! Young Master Xiao, you look so young to already be an Inner Sect Disciple. Truly a promising young man."

The young man named Pingzi sitting next to him hurriedly raised the wine jug to pour a drink. "Ah, it’s Chen! Here, let me toast you."

Xiao Chen, who had been a nobody at the table, instantly became the center of attention. Everyone started toasting him one after another.

At the same time, they began prying for information. "Chen, you must be one of the more powerful Inner Sect Disciples, right? I wonder how many Spirit Stones you make in a month?"

Xiao Chen waved his hands dismissively. "Not at all. I’ve only just joined the Inner Sect. I only make a little bit of Qian each month."

The experienced Shun held up one hand. "I know. Inner Sect Disciples get five Spirit Stones a month without having to lift a finger."

"But I reckon a talent like Young Master Xiao must have other sources of income. It has to be at least twenty Spirit Stones, maybe more, right?"

The vendor known as An heard this, his eyes widening. "Good heavens, one month of that is worth two years of my business."

But Pingzi spoke up excitedly, "I bet it’s more! Chen’s Flying Sword is no simple thing. I’m in the Marketplace every day, and I’ve only ever seen patterns that fine on swords in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

"That Flying Sword alone must be worth two hundred Spirit Stones. I bet Chen makes fifty Spirit Stones a month! Am I right, Chen?"

The moment he said this, the table fell silent. Even people at the neighboring table turned to look over when they heard "fifty Spirit Stones."

Fifty Spirit Stones might not sound like a lot.

But in truth, at least half the people in this garden couldn’t make even twenty Spirit Stones in a whole year, making them not much better off than Servant Disciples.

A great many Loose Cultivators spent their days counting out individual Spiritual Sand.

An stared at Xiao Chen in shock. In the ten years he’d run his stall, his most profitable year had only brought in a little over thirty Spirit Stones.

’Is this young man really that incredible?’

Shun didn’t understand Flying Swords well either, but his wealth of experience made him immediately suspicious.

Xiao Chen had just said he only entered the Inner Sect a few months ago. ’Could he really have earned two hundred Spirit Stones in such a short time?’

’Impossible. Absolutely impossible!’

Shun had lived most of his life and had never seen a young man this capable. ’He must have relied on his family to buy that Flying Sword.’

’Huh? But that can’t be right.’ If that were the case, why would Xiao Chen be here?

Now Shun was truly muddled, and he looked at Xiao Chen in confusion.

"Hmm, you’re not too far off."

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and decided to be modest. He decided to ignore the exact difference—close enough was close enough.

Even so, his words immediately triggered a new wave of gasps.

Shun couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. "Young Master Xiao, in my life I’ve met several thousand people, including the clan elders of great families and even a few Foundation Establishment grand cultivators."

"But I have only ever heard stories of someone your age earning over forty Spirit Stones a month. I’ve never actually met one."

An’s eyes were filled with envy. "I wonder if I’ll ever be able to make that much money."

"I mean, hundreds of Spirit Stones pass through my hands every month, but ninety-nine percent of it isn’t mine to keep."

Xiao Chen blinked. It seemed they had interpreted his "not too far off" as meaning he was making nearly fifty Spirit Stones.

’Should I correct them?’

’Ah, forget it. Let them think what they want.’

"Zhiquan, Happy New Year!" "Zhiquan, come sit over here!" "Zhiquan..."

Just then, a series of greetings erupted from the garden entrance.

Chen Zhiquan, the son of Elder Chen from the Chen Family’s main branch, had arrived in the garden. He responded to the greetings while scanning the area, as if looking for someone.

He soon spotted Xiao Chen in the corner and strode over.

He first greeted Shun. "Shun, Happy New Year."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries about health and well-being.

Then he turned to Xiao Chen. "You must be Xiao Chen. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while. I’m Chen Zhiquan. My father is your master, so you should call me Zhiquan."

Xiao Chen followed the example of the others. "Zhiquan, Happy New Year!"

"Same to you, and all the best." Chen Zhiquan nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. You’re a fine-looking, talented young man. Reminds me of myself ten years ago."

"I heard from Zhi’an that you’ve already started learning Alchemy?"

Xiao Chen nodded. "Yes, I only started recently."

Chen Zhiquan clapped him on the shoulder. "Good thinking! Alchemy is the right path, it’s a great skill. I’m an Alchemist myself. If you have time, you can come find me at my home."

"You can ask me about anything you don’t understand."

The Chen Family was in dire need of Alchemists, especially Foundation Establishment Alchemists who could refine Tier Two Elixirs.

Chen Zhiquan had heard from Elder Chen that Xiao Chen had a very high chance of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future, so he wanted to get acquainted with him ahead of time.

After all, they were close in age and of the same generation. If they both reached Foundation Establishment, they might be working together for over a century. Cultivating their relationship early was both important and necessary.

However, his immediate, overflowing enthusiasm was a bit jarring for Xiao Chen. "Alright, Zhiquan."

"By the way, it’s an old custom in our Chen Family. The first time we meet after someone becomes a master’s disciple, we exchange gifts. I already have mine ready. Here!"

Chen Zhiquan waved his hand again, producing a gift box. "This little thing I have helps one focus their mind and calm their spirit. It’s especially useful for new Alchemists."

"When I was first learning Alchemy, I relied on this to help me study Pill Formulas. Now, I’m giving a box to you."

Xiao Chen was stunned. ’An old custom? Exchanging gifts?’

’Steward Chen never mentioned anything about this before he brought me over!’

But everyone around them was craning their necks to see the gift, clearly familiar with the custom.

’Dammit, Steward Chen is so unreliable!’

He had been dragged over here without preparing anything. Now someone was giving him a gift—what was he supposed to do?

’I should try to refuse politely first,’ he thought. "I can’t accept this gift..."

But Chen Zhiquan, completely oblivious to Xiao Chen’s predicament, cut off his refusal before he could finish. "Don’t be so quick to refuse. Take a look at it first."

He reached out and opened the box himself. Inside was a neat row of ten sticks of Sandalwood Incense.

The box was lined with several layers of silk, with Jade Slabs separating the sticks. Each stick of Sandalwood Incense bore a handwritten signature, proof that it came from the hand of a Master of Fragrance Making.

"This is top-grade Sandalwood Incense, shipped all the way from Hezhou. One stick lasts for six full *shichen*, and a single sniff is enough to refresh your mind. I’ve tried it myself; it works wonders."

Chen Zhiquan beamed at Xiao Chen. This was a gift he had gone out of his way to buy.

New Alchemists easily grow irritable and lose focus during the long hours of the refinement process.

A quality Pill Fragrance was thus something every new Alchemist coveted, but because of its high price, it was a luxury they were reluctant to afford.

Chen Zhiquan was confident that as soon as Xiao Chen saw this gift, he would be tempted.