Boom, boom, boom.....

Thunder reverberated throughout the sky, as the might of heaven and earth subdued the bustling Great River District into tranquility.

The usual bustling scene of Glint scattering across the sky was notably scarce at this moment.

After all, no one was confident enough to assure that they wouldn't fortuitously be struck by lightning while flying in the sky.

Would that be considered crossing the heavenly tribulation ahead of time, too?

The Great River District was vast, housing an Inner City fortified by a third-grade formation, capable of withstanding attacks from third-order demonic beasts.

Even if a third-order demonic beast suddenly attacked, it could usually resist for a while, long enough for the people within the city to react.

Of course, the cost of operating such a large formation daily was colossal, hence it only protected the Inner City.

Compared to it, the outlying areas, the central hub for rogue cultivators, were not as safe.

Thousands of wood and stone houses were strewn across the four directions, north, south, east, and west.

Next to a creek in the southwest corner, a wooden house with a single bedroom, hall, and kitchen sat quietly. The nearest rogue cultivator's residence was nearly two miles away.

The exterior was quiet, but the kitchen inside was bustling.

"One pound of yam, sliced, two ounces of white poria, three ounces of one-year-old ginseng..."

"One pound of first-order demonic beast's beef, mince the meat, do not leave any bone crumbs."

"Go ahead, add the scallion, rice, fennel..."

A shirtless young man was rhythmically reciting the recipe, concentrating on the cooking pot, intermittently taking some ingredients from the nearby wooden rack and adding them into the pot.

The spoon in his hand stirred vigorously.

With the pouring of a large pot of creamy bone soup, Luo Chen sighed in relief.

Adjusting the wood in the stove, occasionally pulling out a few pieces, he then waits quietly for the finished product!

An hour later, the young man lifted the lid of the pot, looked at the sticky substance in it, and inevitably took a deep breath.

"Look at this color, it's moisturized, radiant, and top-grade!"

"Smell the aroma, it's thick but not dry, top grade!"

Luo Chen reached out, took a little spoonful, and popped it into his mouth.

One taste!

"The profound energy is sufficient, with the action of the angelica and ginseng, the spiritual essence of the five pound first order demonic beast's beef has been evenly distributed in this Fasting Pill."

"Excellent, the taste has been perfected, top-grade!"

Licking his finger, Luo Chen revealed a satisfied smile.

According to the experiences of the past days, this pot of Fasting Pills can squeeze into at least five bottles of Fasting Elixir.

It may sound comical, but Luo Chen was actually refining pills!

Not only that, he was refining the Fasting Elixir, the most commonly used pill among cultivators, albeit a lower grade version, which can be called at most Fasting Pills.

Not waiting for the temperature to drop, he poured it onto the cutting board.

Luo Chen picked up a yellowing bamboo slip, poured the sticky paste onto it, then poured a few drops of Hundred Flowers Honey, and started to roll the slip.

Under the rolling action of the bamboo slip, the hot Fasting Pill gradually formed into a cylindrical shape. And due to the addition of Hundred Flowers Honey, the color began to turn slightly yellow.

Through his swift hand movements, several cylindrical medicated pastes were kneaded into round-shaped pellets, each one about the size of a thumb.

One, two, three...

When Luo Chen stopped working, there were already fifty complete Fasting Elixirs neatly arranged on the cutting board.

Before he had time to rejoice in his achievement, Luo Chen's attention was quickly drawn to an invisible panel in front of him.

[Name: Luo Chen]

[Lifespan: 27/75]

[Spirit Roots: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]

[Realm: Third Level Qi Refinement Stage: 75/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Technique Mastery: 235/300]

[Techniques: Cleaning Technique Beginner Level 49/100, Entanglement Technique Proficiency Level 176/200, Fireball Technique Mastery Level 268/300]

[Skills: First Order Pill Refiner: Fasting Pill Grandmaster 501/1000]

[Achievement Points: 10 points (can be used for corresponding realm's cultivation techniques, techniques, and entry to skill)]

"With ten achievement points, I can now learn the Allure Pill Technique!"

Gazing at his Proficiency Panel, Luo Chen couldn't help but feel moved.

It's been a year since I came here!

In his previous life, he was merely an office worker who spent countless hours at work, with his only leisure time spent playing progression fantasy mobile games.

Having no money, he could only rely on grinding in these games, continuously working on his cultivation technique progression bar whenever time allowed it.

Who would have guessed that one late night, while he was up playing and grinding in the game, he suddenly transmigrated to another world.

The original owner of the body he occupied was also named Luo Chen, even their ages were similar.

In his youth, the original owner ventured into the deep mountains where he found an extraordinary opportunity, encountering the remains of an immortal cultivator, and thus, set out on a ten-year journey of immortal cultivation.

Guided by a map found within the remains, he arrived at the Great River District with the intention of joining a nearby sect as a disciple.

However, ten years ago he was already seventeen, a year past the sect's sixteen year old cut-off age requirement.

On top of that, his rather balanced five spirit root physique was as unremarkable as a common person without spirit roots, so no sect wanted him.

By rights, he should've gone back to where he came from.

However, the original owner's determination to pursue the Dao was unwavering. Equipped with an elixir from his extraordinary encounter, a scroll of the Longevity Technique, and a few spirit stones, he decided to settle down in the Great River District.

Early on, due to financial constraints, he couldn't afford to live in a wooden house nearby the Inner City. He could only rent a house by the outermost stream.

Living in the district was no small feat.

Even houses in the outermost parts required half a spirit stone a month in rent.

Although the house was self-built, he still had to pay up half a spirit stone every month.

After the last spirit stones were spent, the original owner did not sit idle.

He would either help look after stalls or join others in hunting in the mountains, anyhow he had a hard time but managed to hang on.

Later, he felt that this wasn't sustainable, so he started pondering over the two pill formulas found within the immortal cultivator's remains.

The Allure Pill was a bit difficult, so he could only start researching the most basic Fasting Pill.

You could say that individuals who encounter extraordinary opportunities also encounter a certain amount of good fortune.

After several initial failures, he successfully refined the Fasting Pill.

Although its quality was only average, it was still bought by some rogue cultivators who frequently went hunting in the mountains for extended periods.

And so, the original owner managed to barely settle down in the Great River District.

However, life is full of unforeseen circumstances, and misfortune could strike any moment.

When the original owner felt that the Fasting Pill was not enough to support his cultivation, he set his sights on a fragmented pill formula that he managed to collect.

Then, on his first attempt to refine a pill, the furnace exploded!

The violent explosion utterly destroyed his wooden house.

It was at that moment, Luo Chen transmigrated over and took over his body.

Thinking back to the circumstances he had faced upon his transmigration, Luo Chen felt like crying but no tears would come out.

Back then, it was raining heavily, and amidst the pile of ruins, he, with a bloody face, was staring blankly and helplessly at this world.

Fortunately, everything is over now.

"After a year, my proficiency of the Fasting Pill has finally reached the grandmaster level from the perfection level, barely enough to sustain my daily living."

"The biggest gain is that I've saved up ten achievement points, which can be used to unlock the Allure Pill!"

Luo Chen currently held a total of three pill formulas.

A first order pill formula for the Fasting Pill, a first order formula for the Allure Pill, and a fragmented second order pill formula that the original owner was fortunate to obtain.

The formula was named Jade Dew Pill, if the refinement was successful, it would produce a second order Jade Dew Pill, which would be extremely useful for cultivators practising water attribute cultivation techniques.

The usual retail price for a bottle was shockingly a whole medium grade spirit stone!

With such a huge profit, it's no wonder the original owner was head over heels for it.

Maybe he trusted his own luck, maybe the Light ease in refining the Fasting Pill gave him confidence, or perhaps it was poverty that drove him to desperation.

Anyway, he courageously went for it.

The end result was, the furnace exploded, the house collapsed, and his life was lost.

Now, Luo Chen has come to this decision-making moment.

Relying solely on the Fasting Pill, he could only survive, but it definitely wasn't enough for cultivation.

If he wanted resources for cultivation, he needed to find another source of income besides the Fasting Pill.

His goal wasn't the Jade Dew Pill to begin with, and ten achievement points weren't enough for a second order pill refinement initiation.

Therefore, when he discovered the function of the Achievement Points on the Proficiency Panel, he had already made up his mind.

"I must refine the Allure Pill!"

"I have to do it!"

"Even if I don't want fame!"