```
Several days later.
All the Spirit Rice in the System Space had matured, and Lin Jing harvested it all.
Yet the system remained as stingy as ever, granting just one Harvest Point per acre of land.
After the harvest, Lin Jing dried the Spirit Rice and husked it, sending it all to the Yu Ming Commerce.
Shopkeeper Cheng received it all with a big smile and even discussed with Lin Jing about placing an order for next year's Spirit Rice.
Since there was a buyer, Lin Jing readily agreed. After the two sides settled on the terms, Lin Jing left the Yu Ming Commerce with the 160 Lower Grade Spirit Stones he'd earned from selling the Spirit Rice.
......
Over the following two months, Lin Jing spent most of his time at home, studying Alchemy and the Controlling Fire Technique, venturing out only every few days.
Sometimes, he would bump into the Zhang brothers, Zhang Sen and Zhang Lin. Zhang Sen was quite talkative and would always strike up a conversation with Lin Jing whenever they met.
But Lin Jing wasn't quite used to it and usually gave a few brief answers before leaving.
One of Lin Jing's two neighbors was a young woman he had seen a couple of times. She seemed about Lin Jing's age.
However, she was not alone; she had a daughter with her, a cute little girl about five or six years old.
Zhang Sen had told him that the young woman used to live with her husband, but sadly, her husband had an accident while hunting Demonic Beasts.
Leaving just the mother and daughter behind.
As for the other neighbor, Lin Jing had yet to meet them.
Today, Lin Jing was preparing to go out again.
After two months of studying Alchemy, Lin Jing felt he had a basic understanding and was ready to try his hand at pill refining.
Pill refining required purchasing a Pill Furnace, Pill Recipes, and ingredients, all of which cost a substantial amount of Spirit Stones,
Furthermore, Lin Jing planned, in the future, to cultivate Spirit Grass in the System Space, harvesting it himself and then selling the Elixir Medicine he refined from it.
Wouldn't this entire process earn him more than just selling Spirit Rice?
"Tsk tsk... Perfect!"
Since he planned for long-term cooperation, it was natural to choose a reliable trading firm.
And now, he was heading to the most renowned one in the Fang Market.
"Yuebaolou."
Yuebaolou, with its mysterious background, had branches in many places.
Its most praised qualities included a good reputation, fair prices, never bullying customers with its clout, and never leaking customer privacy.
As long as you were willing to sell, they never questioned the origins and would buy everything.
Of course, whatever you bought from Yuebaolou, you needn't worry about privacy breaches, for Yuebaolou strictly prohibited the disclosure of any client information.
Arriving in front of Yuebaolou, Lin Jing looked up.
A seven-story tower stood as the only one of its kind in the entire Nanshan Market.
It covered a substantial area, and there was also a large square in front of the tower, where it was not unusual to see cultivators setting up stalls and bustling with activity.
It was said that one only needed to pay Spirit Stones to Yuebaolou to set up a stall there.
Lin Jing didn't linger, instead, he walked straight through the square and into Yuebaolou.
Yuebaolou was vast, with Magic Artifacts, Elixir Medicine, and Cultivation Techniques aplenty.
As soon as Lin Jing entered, a maid came up to greet him.
"Welcome to Yuebaolou, Immortal. What are you looking for?"
"Immortal?"
Lin Jing was unfamiliar with the term and then looked towards her.
"Ah, so he's a mortal. No wonder."
"I need to buy a Pill Furnace and some Alchemy Ingredients."
"So the Immortal is an Alchemist, please follow me."
Envy was evident in the maid's eyes.
She then led Lin Jing to the second floor and directed him to a counter.
```
"Elder Yu, this Immortal wishes to purchase an alchemy furnace and alchemy ingredients."
After finishing her instructions with 'Elder Yu' at the counter, the maid left directly.
"May I know, fellow Daoist, what kind of pill furnace are you looking for?"
Elder Yu asked.
"I've recently learned the elixir technique and want to try refining elixirs myself. Does Elder Yu have any pill furnaces to recommend?"
"The art of elixir refinement is not easy to start with, especially for beginners; the failure rate is extremely high, and it's quite easy to cause an explosion in the furnace."
"So..."
"Beginners choosing a pill furnace should prioritize quality and toughness. Use this furnace for initial practice, and diligently apply yourself daily in the practice of the Controlling Fire Technique."
"Although it may be initially difficult to control the temperature because of the furnace, once one has thoroughly mastered it, there will be no impact."
"At that time, if a fellow Daoist switches to another pill furnace, the success rate of elixir refinement will considerably increase."
Having said that,
Elder Yu turned around, took a cyan pill furnace from the display shelf behind him, and placed it in front of Lin Jing.
"This Three-legged Copper Furnace is an extremely rare six-times-refined furnace. Its body exhibits its own treasured light; the material is tough, able to remain unscathed even after multiple explosions, and is particularly suitable for beginners to practice on."
"Moreover, its price is fair, costing only one hundred and twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
Lin Jing picked up the Three-legged Copper Furnace and observed it closely. Indeed, as Elder Yu had said, a faint luster was emanating from the body of the furnace, showing its own treasured light.
"One hundred and twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones is indeed a fair price for a six-times-refined furnace."
During the past few days, Lin Jing, while roaming in the Fang Market, had collected quite some information, including that about pill furnaces.
The cheaper ones cost about fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones, but those pill furnaces were of exceptionally low quality; a slight mishap would cause an explosion, and sometimes even harm the alchemist.
The good ones went up to a thousand Spirit Stones. Lin Jing couldn't afford those, but this Three-legged Copper Furnace was just right.
Right then, Lin Jing made up his mind.
"I'll take this copper furnace."
"Elder Yu, may I know the price for the ingredients to refine Fasting Pills here?"
"Also, I would like to purchase some pill recipes."
Many alchemists start learning the elixir technique by refining Fasting Pills.
It's not without reason, as the required ingredients for refining Fasting Pills are relatively common and inexpensive.
And Lin Jing was no exception, planning to start learning from the Fasting Pill.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."
Having said that, Elder Yu took out a booklet from under the counter and handed it to Lin Jing.
"It appears that fellow Daoist requires a considerable number of items. This is the price list; please have a look."
"Let me know directly what you wish to purchase."
Lin Jing nodded, picked up the booklet, and began to flip through it.
"Energy Gathering Pill recipe (First Rank): 10 Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
"Energy Restoration Elixir recipe (First Rank): 10 Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
"Fasting Pill recipe (First Rank): 5 Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
"Poison Avoidance Elixir recipe (First Rank): 5 Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
......
"Energy Gathering Pill ingredients, 1 Lower Grade Spirit Stone per portion; Energy Restoration Elixir ingredients, 1 Lower Grade Spirit Stone per portion; Fasting Pill ingredients, 5 portions for 1 Lower Grade Spirit Stone..."
......
Following that, he purchased several First Rank pill recipes and one hundred portions of Fasting Pill ingredients.
As for the materials for pills like the Energy Gathering Pill, Energy Restoration Elixir, and Blood Coagulation Pill, he took ten portions of each, planning to practice with them upon his return.
Soon, he completed his purchases.
This trip cost him over two hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
The Spirit Stones he had just earned... were gone again…