"How many do you need, Fairy Su?"
Lin Changheng had worked with Su Shuangjiang several times, and their collaborations had been quite pleasant, so he asked directly.
"I can take as many as you have, Brother Lin."
Su Shuangjiang said, her red lips pursed slightly.
Evidently, the Elixirs Lin Changheng refined had gained recognition, were reasonably priced, and were sought after by Loose Cultivators. Only then did Su Shuangjiang dare to speak so boldly.
Lin Changheng gave the female Cultivator a long look without speaking, his fingers tapping on the table as he considered something.
'In less than two months, I have to withdraw to my clan along with everyone from the Xu Family's Pharmacy. If I still have these Elixirs then, it will be even harder to sell them.'
'I might as well sell them all now. With Su Shuangjiang acting as a front, and with the major factions busy planning their own evacuations, they probably won't pay any attention to this...'
After some deliberation, he made his decision.
"I have about fifty more on hand. I wonder if Fairy Su can take them all?"
"Fifty?" Su Shuangjiang's eyes lit up. "Of course I can."
But inwardly, she was secretly astonished. 'Is this a quantity someone who has just become a Pill Master can possess?'
Her estimation of Lin Changheng rose once again.
"Fairy Su, please don't think me impertinent, but once these Elixirs are in your hands, I'd advise you to sell them in batches. Otherwise... you know the saying: 'the common man is innocent, but treasuring a jade ring is a crime.'"
Lin Changheng looked at the female Cultivator, and after his solemn warning, he added with a light chuckle, "After all, I'd rather not lose a good neighbor just like that."
"I understand."
"Good. Please, count them."
With a wave of his hand, Lin Changheng took out fifty wooden boxes, each containing an Elixir.
After a long while, Su Shuangjiang looked up and said, "Brother Lin, there are no issues with the Elixirs."
"Mm. The Fire Crow Essence Blood is worth ten Spirit Stones, and the fifty Red Flame Pills, at eighty percent of market price, are worth eighty. Have I calculated everything correctly?"
"No." Su Shuangjiang shook her head and decisively took out seventy Spirit Stones, pushing them toward Lin Changheng.
Lin Changheng pushed five of them back. "I was also hoping Fairy Su could help me see if you can acquire some Cyan Wood Snake Essence Blood, or the Essence Blood of other Demon Beasts. I need a relatively large quantity, so nothing rare for now."
"Alright!"
Su Shuangjiang agreed without hesitation but pushed the five Spirit Stones back. "Brother Lin has placed his trust in me, and by doing these small tasks, I'm already earning extra income. How could I accept another gift from you? Wouldn't that make me a greedy person?"
...
After seeing the female Cultivator out of his abode, Lin Changheng returned and stared at the Spirit Stones before him, deep in thought.
He had previously found an opportunity to change his appearance and sell twenty-five Red Flame Pills to another Spiritual Pill Store at seventy percent of the market price.
Combined with the two batches he had sold to Su Shuangjiang over the past four months, he had finally cleared out his entire stock of Elixirs.
The goal was to diversify his sales channels as much as possible.
And now, the number of Spirit Stones in his pouch exceeded one hundred and fifty!
This was a fortune he had never possessed, nor even dreamed of!
...
His consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness once more.
The Primordial Cauldron stood as it always had, stable and steady within his sea of consciousness.
Clouds and mist churned at the mouth of the cauldron, revealing three illusory Treasure Seeds: one gold, one red, and one green.
Among them, the green Treasure Seed was the faintest.
[Cyan Wood Snake Treasure Seed: First Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 13/100]
This was because the Spirit Stealing for the Cyan Wood Snake Treasure Seed had succeeded a month and a half ago, and it had been refined into Lin Changheng's body.
He had also obtained the [Poison Transformation Technique: Peeping Path]!
[Utility: Body gains initial resistance to poisons, can quickly refine Lower Grade Poisons.]
Immediately, Lin Changheng bought some mortal poisons and a Tier One Lower Grade poison from a Loose Cultivator's stall not far from his home.
Of course, with his cautious nature, he only bought poisons with limited effects, such as those that would at most cause some swelling or a bit of numbness.
He would never dare touch a fatal poison.
The results of his experiment delighted him.
Mortal poisons posed basically no threat to him anymore; his body resisted them automatically without him needing to do anything.
The Tier One Lower Grade poison, refined from the venom of various Poisonous Insects from the Cultivation Realm, would cause a patch of skin to fester on contact.
If left untreated for too long, it would seep into the body, taint his Magical Power with toxicity, and cause it to circulate sluggishly and erratically.
But after activating the Poison Transformation Technique, the venom was refined away in just a few breaths. Not only did the negative effects disappear, but the venom was even converted into pure Spiritual Power that he could absorb.
It was completely transformed!
His ability to protect himself had grown stronger once again!
Lin Changheng even wondered, 'Pill Poison is also a type of poison. I wonder if this technique can transform it as well.'
'But Pill Poison is diffuse and difficult to detect. Without empirical evidence, it's hard to be sure.'
Furthermore, his Wood Spirit Root's Spiritual Charm had increased from six wisps to seven!
...
Now, Lin Changheng was rubbing his hands in anticipation, his sights set on the Red Treasure Seed.
'Two vials of mature Fire Crow Essence Blood can provide one point of Spirit Stealing! This will definitely be enough!'
'Absorb!'
Lin Changheng poured all the Fire Crow Essence Blood into a copper basin. He then plunged his hand in, simultaneously connecting with the Primordial Cauldron.
WHOOSH!
Instantly, only a thin layer of clear water was left in the copper basin.
The blood-red color was gone!
As was the metallic smell of blood!
At that moment, inside the cauldron in his sea of consciousness, a cyan radiance undulated continuously, as if gestating life.
Then, a newly solidified Red Treasure Seed bobbed at the mouth of the cauldron, its crimson light dazzling.
[Fire Crow Treasure Seed: Second Layer]
[Can continue to Refine into Demon Race Lifebound Talent: Fire Control]
Lin Changheng looked at the Treasure Seed, which appeared identical to before. With a thought, the seed instantly fled into his mind.
A scorching yet warm sensation pierced his Divine Soul and swept through his entire body.
[Obtained: Fire Control Anomaly Technique: Spiritual]
Lin Changheng saw that after the Treasure Seed was refined, a phantom image of another identical Treasure Seed began to form where the red one had been.
This was the excess Fire Crow Essence Blood being subjected to Spirit Stealing, condensing into a new Treasure Seed.
'The Fire Control Anomaly Technique changed from Peeping Path to Spiritual. Does this represent a metamorphosis of the Anomaly Technique?'
This was Lin Changheng's first Second Layer Treasure Seed, and he immediately had a theory.
[Utility: Stably control ordinary flames, moderately enhances Fire Magic.]
'I'll know for sure once I test it, but my Spirit Root...'
He cast a Spirit Detecting Skill on himself. A strange sensation instantly bloomed in his heart, but he knew what it meant—
[Fire Spirit Root, eleven wisps of Spiritual Charm]!
When a Cultivator's Spiritual Charm for any single-element Spirit Root exceeds ten wisps, it becomes a Lower Grade Spirit Root!
This also meant that Lin Changheng's aptitude had broken through the limit of a Mixed Spirit Root and transformed into a Lower Grade Spirit Root!
"Whew! Awesome!"
His Spirit Root had finally undergone its first transformation, a crucial milestone on his path of cultivation. Sensing it briefly, he could tell that his affinity for Fire Spiritual Power was clearly higher than before; it felt lively and spiritual.
It was just as they say: dripping water wears away stone!
The accumulation of small gains isn't obvious in the short term, but over time, it creates a massive gap!