"Why have the Frost Wolf packs started moving to the outskirts recently?"
"Such bad luck, we didn't get the chance to slice up the two first-order demon beasts we hunted down and store them in our storage bags."
"Perhaps it's due to conflict over the Wolf King's position in the Xiao Yue mountain range. It's said that hundreds of years ago there was such a conflict, and many wolf packs fled to the outskirts to avoid disaster."
"Forget about it, let's return to the marketplace and rest. We have been working non-stop recently."
"Yeah, as long as we are unharmed, that's what matters."
These hurried, defeated words also conveyed a sense of relief that they had survived.
A few cultivators were walking from the plains towards the city center, they paused when they went past Luo Chen's home.
Shortly afterwards, a crisp and straightforward female voice carried on the wind.
"Friend, it looks like things are going to become difficult around these parts. If you're capable, it would be best to move closer to the Inner City!"
Luo Chen didn't respond.
If he had the ability, he would have moved long ago.
Moreover, being close to the Inner City is not the same as being in the Inner City. How could it be considered safe?
Those rogue cultivators live a life of blood and danger, with robberies in the pitch black flooding their everyday lives.
More than once, he had seen traces of blood and bones on his way into the city.
Though there may be danger here, the nearby plains have a shield set up by the cultivators in the city every year against low-order demon beasts, discouraging their entry. As for the stronger second-order demon beasts, they wouldn't dare to approach human settlements.
In comparison, as things stand, his current location is relatively safe.
Moreover, he always presents himself as poor and destitute, living from hand to mouth on a few spirit stones a month. Not many cultivators pay him any mind because of this.
"Why are you concerned about that kid, Hui Niang?"
"Bathing in the creek and molding clay in broad daylight, probably a newcomer to the Great River District!"
"Let's go, let's go home."
Perhaps they didn't hear a response as they mumbled a few words and left together.
As Luo Chen listened to their departure, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Compared to demon beasts, he was more afraid of human cultivators.
Despite that, Hui Niang had a point. Circumstances change, and if something truly did happen in the Xiao Yue mountain range, the southwestern region, being the closest, would indeed be very perilous.
"I've managed to calm myself down now. I need to maintain this balance and start refining pills officially tomorrow!"
"This time I must succeed!"
...
After a day and night of recuperation, both his body and mind were in an optimal state.
As dawn broke, after going through his Longevity Technique routine, Luo Chen put on his grey apron and walked to the kitchen window.
A clay figure of a bearded man holding a wooden knife stood there, having phoenix eyes, lying silkworm eyebrows, and some red smeared on his cheeks.
"Please bless me with success, Second Elder Guan!"
Calming his mind and settling his spirit, he set the pot, added water, tossed in the firewood, and lit it using the Fireball Technique.
First, he cooked the supplementary materials, then fried the mineral ingredients, added broth until boiling, and then added ingredients one by one such as He Shou Wu, Jade Mountain Medicine, and Fire Dog Tail.
About three hours later, he added the final water-type spirit medicine Yanzhu and balanced out the yin and yang elements.
During this process, he adjusted the heat from high to low according to the needs.
Another two hours later, the pot was taken off the stove!
A pot of light red pasty substance was concentrated in the pot. When pricked with a freshly replaced wooden spoon, it jiggled just like jelly.
It was pretty bouncy!
However, this was still a failure.
According to the description in the pill formula, the completed paste should be deep red, only then the Allure Pills can achieve the maximum strengthening effect.
Although it was a failure, Luo Chen was not overly frustrated.
Cleary, this product was very close to being successful.
At least, it had solidified well and achieved the perfect texture.
For cultivators, if someone who is not afraid of poison were to consume the entire paste, it would likely have an effect.
Of course, the side effects would be significant.
Therefore, Luo Chen did not plan to sell it, as doing so could cause trouble.
After a small taste to confirm the potency difference, and recalling the entire process, Luo Chen nodded and disposed of the remaining paste on the other side of the stream.
In the evening, he continued the cultivation routine and retired to bed.
The following day, he devotedly worshipped Second Elder Guan on time, followed by pill refinement.
Failure!
The third day, he again worshipped Second Elder Guan on time, followed by pill refinement.
Success!
Wait, I really succeeded!
Luo Chen looked at the shiny red jelly in the pot, feeling gratified after enduring all the hardships. He couldn't help but feel moved to tears.
"I've wasted materials for eight trials, which is equivalent to losing around forty spirit stones. If I also subtract what I could have earned in these eight days from refining forty Fasting Pills, it accounts for a further loss of eight spirit stones."
"Hum, almost all my money was gambled on this."
Luo Chen hurriedly extracted all the paste, disregarding the burn, sliced it with a bamboo knife, and shaped it into a round mass by hand.
Let them cool overnight and the task would be complete!
One more set of materials remained, he could try another session tomorrow.
The next morning, Luo Chen impatiently arrived at the kitchen table where he prepared elixirs.
Sure enough, the ten round masses had shrunk to the size of longan.
What's evaporating is just moisture, the essence is what remains.
Any one of them is enough to make a man take off!
After carefully placing the precious red pill into a jade bottle, Luo Chen paid respects to Second Elder Guan again.
"Elder, you really do care about me! Even though I have traveled through time, you are still watching over me. When I strike it rich, I vow to build you a temple and cast a golden statue of you!"
After he finished paying his respects, Luo Chen dusted down his apron and clenched his fists firmly.
"Indeed, I am a natural-born genius in pill refinement. I was born to make elixirs!"
"I will definitely become famous. I've even thought of a nickname, Eastern Wasteland's Pill God, just as impressive as Zhongzhou's Pill Saint!"
After a round of self-encouragement, Luo Chen got busy again.
The kitchen was filled with smoke and flame, and the atmosphere within the room was hot but merry.
However, when the bright sunshine poured in, an expressionless face came into view.
"Hehe, everyone makes mistakes. Even the Pill Saint experienced a furnace explosion when refining a first-order pill in his early days."
"It will definitely succeed next time, definitely!"
Despite his words, Luo Chen still felt a pang of loss.
The cost of these raw materials... was five Spirit Stones!
He was at a loss!
"No, I must sell this remaining Allure Pill at a high price, otherwise I won't recover my costs!"
...
Dawn slowly broke.
The world seemed to be enveloped in a veil of mist, with the Million Mountains resembling a massive abyss, gaping open like the Great River District Market.
A young man dressed in a washed-out lower grade robe ran swiftly through the muddy Rogue Cultivator District like a gust of wind.
Some female cultivators who were out emptying their chamber pots saw this and couldn't help but chuckle and tease.
"The little fellow is running quite quickly, is there a dog chasing after him?"
Indeed, he was very swift.
It seemed that Luo Chen really did have some connections with martial arts. In just a few short days, he had upgraded from a beginner in the "Carefree Wandering" technique to a proficient level.
Not only did it grant him one achievement point, but it also doubled his speed.
In the past, his top speed was 100 meters in nine seconds.
Now, with a few strides, he could already cover more than that.
A journey to the city that would normally take an hour and a half by walking would take at least 30 to 40 minutes by running.
But today, he arrived at the city gate in only 20 minutes!
Luo Chen had never experienced the Wind Riding Technique, but he felt that Carefree Wandering wasn't too bad, and this was only the proficient level. There's still mastery, perfection, and the grandmaster level to look forward to.
Potential is yet to be tapped into!
When he arrived in the southwestern Rogue Cultivator area, it was still dark, and this time Elder Chen Xiuping wasn't up earlier than him.
The large area for street vendors was sparsely occupied.
Luo Chen glanced around. Rather than immediately setting up his pills for sale, he walked over to another booth.
"Brother Wang, you're here pretty early, huh?"
Wang Yuan glanced at him without speaking.
Luo Chen grinned and wasn't bothered. He squatted down and started flipping through the books.
"Don't touch the 'Five Essential Techniques during the Qi Refinement Period', it's not free."
"How much is it?"
"Two medium-grade Spirit Stones."
"Why don't you just rob me!"
"I already have, this is stolen goods!"
"Uh, forget I said anything."
Wang Yuan, a seventh-level Qi cultivator, often lived a hand-to-mouth existence and had frequently resorted to banditry at the village's entrance. Luo Chen couldn't afford to offend him, and Wang Yuan didn't look highly upon him, so they only chatted during market time.
Oh, there was that time when Wang Yuan had been down on his luck and was forced to hunt in the Ancient Plains Mountain Range, Luo Chen lent him a few Fasting Elixirs.
So the two did have some history between them.
"Don't flip this book either, it records a sinister Yin technique."
"Heh, your hands are truly naughty, be careful or I might rob you once we're out of the Inner City!"
"Here, you can flip through this one at will. If you want to buy it, I'll give you half the price, five Spirit Stones."
Why buy when you can read for free?
Even if you're wealthy, spending should be sensible!
Luo Chen excitedly picked up the Records of the Customs of Six Realms and started reading with interest.
He read for a full hour.
Once the market started filling up with people, Luo Chen reluctantly put the book down.
"Brother Wang, I got to go now. Here is a bag of spicy beef jerky for you, enjoy it when you're feeling peckish."
Wang Yuan glared at him, "Scram!"
Looking at the bag of beef jerky, he inconspicuously swallowed a glob of saliva, then shifted uneasily.
Returning to the blue-stone booth, Elder Chen had already started messing with talisman paper and talisman scripts.
"Uncle Chen, do you know about Yun Zhonghe?"