Chapter 1: Luo Chen's Ascetic Path

Rumble

The thunder roared, and the awe of heaven and earth made the entire Dahe Market quiet.

The bustling scene of flying lights that usually filled the sky was now much less frequent.

After all, no one could guarantee that flying in the sky wouldn't result in being struck by lightning.

It was uncertain whether that would count as an early tribulation.

Dahe Market covered a vast area, with an inner city protected by a third-level array, sufficient to defend against attacks from third-stage beasts.

Even if a third-stage beast suddenly attacked, it could usually hold out for a while, giving the people inside enough time to react.

Of course, maintaining such a large array daily required significant resources, so it only covered the inner city.

In contrast, the areas where scattered cultivators gathered, extending outward from the inner city, were much less safe.

In the four directions—east, south, west, and north—thousands of wooden and stone houses stood scattered.

At the southwest corner, by a stream, a wooden house with one room, one hall, and one kitchen stood quietly, about two miles away from the nearest cultivator's residence.

Outside, it was quiet, but inside the kitchen, it was bustling.

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

"Add one pound of first-stage beast yellow beef, minced, without a single bone fragment."

"Add scallions, ginger, glutinous rice, and fennel."

The voice came from a bare-chested young man, who was intently watching the pot, skillfully taking ingredients from the wooden rack and adding them to the pot.

He stirred the pot with great agility.

As a large pot of snow-white beef bone soup was poured in, Luo Chen let out a sigh of relief.

He poked the fire in the stove, occasionally pulling out a few logs, then waited quietly for the dish to be ready!

An hour later, the young man lifted the pot lid and took a deep breath, looking at the thick mixture inside.

"Look at the color, smooth and bright, top quality!"

"Smell the aroma, rich but not overpowering, top quality!"

Luo Chen extended his finger, took a bit from the spoon, and put it in his mouth.

He tasted it.

"Primordial essence is present. Under the stimulation of danggui and ginseng, the spiritual energy from the five pounds of first-stage beast yellow beef has been evenly distributed in this辟谷散 (Pigusuan)."

"Perfect, the taste is also spot on, top quality!"

He licked his finger and couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.

Based on his recent experience, this pot of Pigusuan could make at least five bottles of Pigudan.

It might sound a bit funny, but Luo Chen was actually refining pills!

And it was the most commonly used Pigudan by cultivators, though it was just a low-grade version, more accurately called Pigusuan.

Without waiting for the temperature to drop, he took the pot off the stove and poured it onto a cutting board.

Luo Chen picked up a yellowed bamboo scroll, poured the thick paste onto it, added a few drops of honey, and began rolling the scroll.

As the scroll rolled, the hot Pigusuan gradually formed into cylindrical shapes, turning slightly yellow due to the honey.

He moved quickly, pinching off the cylindrical paste into small, round pills, each about the size of a thumb.

One, two, three...

When Luo Chen stopped, the cutting board was neatly lined with fifty Pigudan.

Looking at his work, Luo Chen didn't have time to be happy; his attention turned to the panel in front of him, invisible to others.

[Name: Luo Chen]

[Lifespan: 27/75]

[Spiritual Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]

[Realm: Qi Condensation Level 3: 75/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Eternal Spring Technique Proficient: 235/300]

[Spells: Cleaning Spell Beginner 49/100, Binding Spell Proficient 176/200, Fireball Spell Proficient 268/300]

[Skills: First-stage Alchemist: Pigusuan Master 501/1000]

[Achievement Points: 10 points (usable for corresponding realm cultivation techniques, spells, and skills)]

"Ten achievement points, enough to start learning the Zhongmiaowan!"

Looking at the proficiency panel, Luo Chen felt a moment of emotion.

He had been here for a year!

In his previous life, he was just a salaryman who worked from morning till night, and in his rare free time, he could only play mobile games about cultivation.

Because he had no money, he could only grind the progress bars of cultivation techniques in these games.

Who would have thought that one night, unable to sleep, he would be playing a game and suddenly find himself transported to this world.

The original owner of this body was also named Luo Chen, and he was the same age.

In his early years, he entered the deep mountains, found a cave, and had a fortuitous encounter with the remains of a cultivator, thus embarking on a ten-year cultivation journey.

Following the map in the remains, he came to Dahe Market, hoping to join a nearby sect.

However, he was already seventeen years old, past the sixteen-year age limit for sects.

Moreover, with his balanced five spiritual roots, he was comparable to a mortal without any spiritual roots, so no sect would take him.

Logically, he should have returned to where he came from.

But the original owner was determined to pursue the path of cultivation. With a bottle of pills, a scroll of the Eternal Spring Technique, and a few spirit stones from his fortuitous encounter, he settled in Dahe Market.

In the early days, due to his poverty, he couldn't even afford a house near the inner city and had to rent a small house by a stream on the outskirts.

Living in the market was not easy.

Even the houses on the outskirts required a half spirit stone in rent per month.

Although he built the house himself, he still had to pay half a spirit stone each month.

After spending his few spirit stones, the original owner did not sit idly by.

He either helped others with their stalls or went hunting in the mountains, managing to stay.

Later, he realized this was not a sustainable way to live and began to study the two pill formulas in the remains.

The Zhongmiaowan was a bit difficult, so he started with the lowest-level Pigusuan.

It could be said that those with fortuitous encounters had some good fortune.

After a few initial failures, he successfully refined the Pigusuan.

Although the quality was average, it was still in demand among the scattered cultivators who often went hunting in the mountains for ten to fifteen days at a time.

Thus, the original owner managed to settle in Dahe Market.

However, life is unpredictable.

Feeling that the Pigusuan was not enough to support his cultivation, the original owner turned his attention to a damaged pill formula he had collected.

During his first attempt at refining the pill, the pot exploded!

The intense explosion even destroyed the wooden house.

It was at that moment that Luo Chen was transported to this body.

Thinking about his initial situation, Luo Chen felt a mix of emotions.

At the time, it was raining heavily, and he was standing in the ruins, covered in blood, feeling lost and helpless.

But fortunately, everything was now in the past.

"One year, and the Pigusuan has finally reached Master-level proficiency, just enough to meet daily needs."

"The biggest gain is that I have accumulated ten achievement points, enough to start learning the Zhongmiaowan!"

Luo Chen now had three pill formulas.

A first-stage Pigusuan formula, a first-stage Zhongmiaowan formula, and a second-stage damaged formula that the original owner had fortuitously obtained.

The damaged formula was for the Yuludan. If successfully refined, it would yield a second-stage Yuludan, which would be extremely useful for cultivators practicing water-based techniques.

A bottle of it could sell for a medium-grade spirit stone!

Such a huge profit was why the original owner had been so eager.

Perhaps he believed in his luck, or the ease of refining the Pigusuan gave him confidence, or his poverty pushed him to take risks.

In any case, he boldly took the risk.

The result was the pot exploding, the house collapsing, and the original owner dying.

Now, Luo Chen was at a critical moment.

Relying solely on the Pigusuan could only sustain life, not support cultivation.

To have resources for cultivation, he needed to find another source of income besides the Pigusuan.

His goal was not the Yuludan, and ten achievement points were not enough to start refining second-stage pills.

Therefore, after discovering the function of achievement points on the proficiency panel, he had already made up his mind.

"I must refine the Zhongmiaowan!"

"I have to do it!"

"Even if it means no fame!"

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(End of Chapter)