Free Web NovelChapter 156: Chapter 147: Origin Seventh Layer, Tier Two Alchemy
"Then I thank you, Brother Zeng."
Since Chef Zeng had put it that way, Lin Changheng saw no reason to say anything more.
"From now on, just come by the Spirit Wine Tower each month to pick it up. The only thing is, I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip yourself, Younger Brother Lin."
Chef Zeng said.
"It’s no trouble." Lin Changheng chuckled, not minding in the least. He then added a reminder of his own, "When the time comes, Brother Zeng, please have your wife’s sister find some time to visit Qingyuan Small Building. Remind her to bring the Pill Formula and medicinal materials. I generally do my alchemy at home."
Each getting what they needed and achieving their respective goals, the two parted ways in high spirits.
...
It was nearly dusk when he emerged.
’Judging by the name alone, it must be a Water-element Demon Beast. It will be my first Water-type Treasure Seed.’
Their homes were no more than thirty zhang apart, so Lin Changheng was home in no time. His mind, however, was preoccupied with the Tier Two Demon Beast: the Jade Wave Spirit Turtle!
Funnily enough, though Lin Changheng had acquired more than ten types of Spirit Stealing Treasure Seeds, this was his first time encountering a Water-element Demon Beast.
This type of Demon Beast had a low probability of possessing the Muddy Evil Bloodline, but a high probability of having the Profound Spirit Bloodline!
After all, the Jade Wave Spirit Turtle wasn’t just a singular Tier Two individual. The fact that it was consistently hunted by the Spirit Wine Tower’s Foundation Establishment Squad indicated that reaching Tier Two was not a rare occurrence for this species...
It must be supported by a powerful bloodline; hence his speculation.
He had now confirmed three channels for obtaining Profound Spirit Essence Blood.
The first was through Mo Zhaoli’s help, using Sect channels.
The second was through Alchemist Loose Cultivators. Deng Changsheng was just one of them; he had dropped hints to other loose cultivators as well. If any of them came across something relevant, they were to bring it to him immediately, for which Alchemist Lin would naturally have a reward.
However, expecting Qi Cultivation Loose Cultivators to obtain Profound Spirit Essence Blood was a tall order, so he didn’t hold out much hope.
The situation with Deng Changsheng’s friend was an unexpected, pleasant surprise.
The third was the new channel he had just opened up: sourcing from Spirit Chefs and the Spirit Wine Tower.
If Chef Zeng’s sister-in-law hadn’t been in desperate need of elixirs, Lin Changheng likely would have continued to find it just as difficult to meet the man as he had for the past three years, perhaps only catching a glimpse of him from a distance.
’He would never truly believe the man’s claim of having "long admired" him. It was just the most common sort of pleasantry exchanged between cultivators.’
That was why Lin Changheng had sought to create a mutually beneficial relationship with him.
’After all, his sister-in-law couldn’t rely on elixirs for her entire life. Once the demand for alchemy dried up, he would need some other point of connection to stabilize and preserve this channel. That was the crucial part.’
Lin Changheng liked to think three steps ahead for every one he took; it was one of the reasons he was able to make constant progress.
...
Tonight, Lin Changheng did not fire up his cauldron as he usually did.
Instead, he sat cross-legged in his bedchamber, meditating as if waiting for something.
Time trickled by. Suddenly, an ethereal sense of weakness washed over him.
’This familiar sensation of his Essence Blood being drawn away... it was happening again!’
Lin Changheng, his face slightly pale, was already prepared. His throat bobbed as he swallowed a blood-replenishing Upper Grade Elixir.
A warm current instantly formed in his abdomen, alleviating some of the debilitating weakness. His complexion and spiritual state improved considerably.
’Right on time, as always.’
Lin Changheng smiled knowingly. After more than fifty years, the feeling was all too familiar. He immediately directed his consciousness inward, toward his sea of consciousness.
There, his Primordial Cauldron was rooted in his sea of consciousness, as unshakable as a mountain. The Cyan Mist swirling at the cauldron’s mouth receded at his will, revealing an illusory golden Treasure Seed at the very center of all the others.
[Origin Treasure Seed·Seventh Layer]
[Spirit Stealing: 52/100]
[Utility: Upon successful Spirit Stealing, can continue to be refined into the Human Race Lifebound Talent: Clear Heart]
[Currently Refined into: Celestial Gift of Clear Heart: Still Water (Second Layer); Enhanced Enlightenment Heavenly Gift·Cave Source (Fifth Layer)]
...
Lin Changheng scanned the information that appeared as the Treasure Seed trembled slightly. ’The accumulation for the Seventh Layer Origin Treasure Seed is already past the halfway mark.’
The Clear Heart Celestial Gift - Duster has also been refined into a First Layer Treasure Seed, transforming into the Celestial Gift of Clear Heart: Still Water!
[Utility: The mind becomes clear and tranquil, undisturbed by any ripple. All sounds are heard, yet none can disrupt the inner peace.]
Lin Changheng came to understand it more deeply during his subsequent cultivation:
His heart became like a clear, deep pool, allowing him to enter a state of focus rapidly. In an instant, myriad distracting thoughts would recede like the tide, leaving his mind as clear and smooth as a mirror, without the slightest ripple.
Although the sounds of the outside world—the wind, rustling leaves, and chirping insects—were still clear to his ears, it was as if they were behind an invisible barrier, unable to disturb him in the slightest.
With this Treasure Seed, Lin Changheng’s breathing deepened and his aura settled. He was like a deep pool; no matter how the storms raged in the outside world, its surface remained placid, perfectly reflecting the sky and clouds above.
The boon to his alchemy was similarly immense. He could eliminate all distractions and focus entirely on the cauldron’s flame, allowing him to produce elixirs of even higher quality.
The so-called Still Water wasn’t about shutting off his five senses, but about letting everything pass through him without leaving a trace.
Only then could he see truth amidst chaos and perceive killing intent... before it even fully formed.
At the same time, Lin Changheng’s Fire Spirit Root gained another wisp of Spiritual Charm, bringing the total to thirty-five.
...
「A month passed in the blink of an eye.」
The impending grand auction in the Immortal City was evident from the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds packing the streets.
Cultivators from the surrounding regions flocked to the city to join in on the excitement.
Some weren’t there for the auction at all, but instead took advantage of the massive influx of people to set up stalls and earn some Spirit Stones.
With so many people around, there was even a market for swindlers.
The Yan family’s granddaughter, from the nearby Qingxi Villa, had recently complained to Lin Changheng about being swindled by an unscrupulous visiting loose cultivator.
She told him the man claimed a dirt-caked copper mirror at his stall had been excavated from an ancient tomb. Its patterns and design looked authentic enough to be an antique.
But when she showed it to her grandfather, he recognized it with a single glance... it was from the day before yesterday!
A copy of a fake!
Lin Changheng offered a few words of comfort, which considerably lifted the girl’s gloomy spirits.
He saw her off.
