Chapter 137 Skin Refining

Ji An stayed overnight at Chitong Mountain and bid farewell to Zhang Yuanshan the next morning.

Then he rode the flying shuttle to Zizhu Mountain, which was the last stop on his journey.

Li Lingyu welcomed him into the cave, a strange smile on her face:

"Junior brother is a rare guest indeed."

The reputation of the Stone Turtle cultivator was widely known among the many alchemists in the sect.

Ji An was puzzled:

"Why do you all speak in the same tone? Senior Brother Ye from the Diligent Work Hall, Senior Brother Zhang from the Red Copper Mountain, the way you all speak is strange."

This coincidence made him feel that something was happening that he didn't know but others did.

"You haven't stepped out of Crimson Flame Peak for ten years. Isn't it reasonable to call you a rare visitor?"

"Uh, okay."

Ji An raised his hands. What the other person said made a lot of sense, and he was speechless.

He coughed a few times and took out a talisman paper covered with cinnabar characters from his storage bag:

"Senior sister, I've come to ask you for help with two things."

The first thing is to help refine this elixir.

The second thing is that I want to ask if you can refine other pills that can improve cultivation.

After reaching the third level of Foundation Establishment, the effects of the Azure Spirit Pill became increasingly weaker and could no longer meet my needs.

Of all the pills the sect distributed to early Foundation Establishment cultivators, only the Azure Spirit Pill was suitable for him, and it was impossible to replace it with other pills.

The other party broke through to the third level of Foundation Establishment half a year earlier than him, and is an alchemist, so he should be able to refine a pill to replace the Azure Spirit Pill.

"Something came up and you remembered your senior sister?"

Li Lingyu took the talisman and teased.

"What you said, Senior Sister, is not fair. I've had people deliver the pine nuts and high-quality spirit charcoal I roast every year to your cave, haven't I?"

"There aren't enough pine nuts to eat."

Li Lingyu winked mischievously, and the fox tail behind her twitched up.

"Or, I can use spirit stones to buy more from my junior brother?"

Faced with the other party's strategy of feigning retreat, Ji An shook his head:

“Starting next year, I will send my senior sister several dozen kilograms more each year, and I will also send her some of the good stuff so she can try it out.”

The item wasn't worth many spirit stones, and the other party, being an alchemist, certainly didn't lack those spirit stones; they probably just wanted to experience the pleasure of being treated well.

At this point, satisfying this little wish is the most correct course of action.

Li Lingyu nodded with a smile, carefully examined the contents of the talisman, and after a while said:

"This pill formula is for refining pills needed to create earth-elemental demon beasts. Judging from the medicinal power, it should be used to break through major realms."

Could it be that Junior Brother's Spirit-Seeking Rat is about to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?

"Senior sister has keen insight. That's right. Golden Hair has already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining several years ago."

"I have no experience in refining similar pills, and I don't know how many times it will take to refine one. Junior brother, you should be prepared."

Ji An smiled and said, "Senior Sister, you can rest assured to refine it. I won't let you suffer any losses."

The refining of this kind of pill is much simpler than that of the Foundation Establishment Pill. The medicinal materials are all rare and expensive, and he can afford to lose money if he fails to refine one or two batches.

"I've started collecting medicinal herbs these past few days, and I estimate I'll be able to give you news in about two weeks."

Li Lingyu took out a jade bottle of emerald green from her storage bag and said:

"Your current situation is that you've taken too many Qingling Pills, which has caused you to develop a resistance to them. In addition, your cultivation level has increased, so you feel that the pills are less effective."

This is the Yunzhi Pill I refined. Its medicinal power is only slightly better than the Qingling Pill. It is also a pill for the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

If the Yunzhi Pill doesn't work, then I'm out of ideas. You'll need to find an alchemist with more pill formulas.

She pointed to the stone gate by the wall:

"The quiet room is over there. Try refining one and see the effect."

This junior brother bought all his pills from her, and she began to calculate in her mind how many Qingling Pills he had consumed over the years.

Ji An poured out a pill from the jade bottle. The pill was light blue with two white lines on it, and its delicate fragrance was invigorating.

He put down the jade bottle and said:

"I'll go refine the pills and see how effective they are."

Two quarters of an hour later, Ji An walked out of the stone chamber with a smile, cupped his hands and said:

"The effects of Yunzhi Pill have met expectations and should be able to support my breakthrough to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. How many pills does Senior Sister have now, and what is their value?"

The medicinal power of the pill should take an hour to be fully refined, but he couldn't keep people waiting, so he came out early.

Li Lingyu waved her hand, her sleeves fluttering and a faint fragrance wafting through the air:

"I'm glad you're satisfied, Junior Brother. First, refine the pill completely so as not to waste its medicinal power. Consider this one a gift from me; I won't accept any spirit stones."

"I'm afraid my senior sister will get impatient waiting," Ji An said, bowing slightly before retreating to his quiet room to refine the pills.

By the time he finished refining the elixir, it was already noon.

The two ate and chatted, and Li Lingyu said:

"The medicinal materials for refining Yunzhi Pill are slightly more expensive than those for Qingling Pill. The sect's internal price is thirty spirit stones per pill, and one pill is given away for every thirty pills purchased."

She only got involved in refining Yunzhi Dan in the last two years, and at her current level, the profit margin is very low.

"Okay, give me sixty."

Ji An took out 20 mid-grade spirit stones, sighed, and said:

"Use the extra spirit stones as a deposit for refining breakthrough pills for demon beasts. Senior sister, I may have to buy pills from you on credit for the next few years."

"What, even the richest man has his poor moments?"

Li Lingyu was skeptical that the other party was a high-level spiritual farmer who had accumulated a substantial fortune before even reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Hey, after the spiritual veins of Crimson Flame Peak were upgraded, there were more than a thousand acres of spiritual fields. I contracted them directly, but the crops I planted will only be productive in a few years. However, the sect's rent cannot be delayed."

In the next few years, aside from cultivation time, I will spend a lot of my time tending to the spirit fields, and the time I spend drawing talismans will have to be reduced.”

"I see. Alright, I'll give you a credit line of three thousand spirit stones. That's the maximum."

"Alright, when I'm rich in a few years, I'll buy my senior sister's pills again."

Li Lingyu was speechless. That's it?

After leaving Purple Bamboo Mountain and returning to Crimson Flame Peak, Ji An had finally finished his business.

Every morning, he would practice his cultivation techniques to improve his cultivation level and comprehend the divine meaning of the techniques. During the day, he would ponder the Qingyang Talisman and the Glazed Gold Jade Bone Body. Under the moonlight, he would become a laborer.

My schedule is packed, and I'm back to how I was when I first arrived at Crimson Flame Peak.

He mastered the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Technique and discovered that, like the Spirit Sealing Technique, this technique required eight kinds of spiritual energy to improve.

However, it is much easier to improve than the Spirit Sealing Technique, and it consumes slightly more spiritual energy than improving Qi Refining stage spells.

He would spend fifteen minutes each day practicing magic beside the golden-red mist erupting from the volcano, extracting the essence of metal.

The energy here was even more intense, and he couldn't maintain it for long. Every time he came down from the mountaintop, his skin was bright red, as if he were drunk.

After more than half a month, Wei Songnian came to visit Chiyan Peak.

Ji An and another person sat facing each other at the stone table by the cold pool. The charcoal fire in the stove was blazing, and white smoke curled from the kettle.

Wei Songnian took out a storage bag and two mid-grade spirit stones, and said:

"I have successfully completed my mission and have purchased all the spiritual items my senior brother requested, leaving me with two hundred spirit stones in savings."

I just returned from Qingyun Immortal City and came here immediately.

Ji An brewed some spiritual tea and picked up his storage bag: "Let me check the contents."

Since this concerns cultivation techniques, we cannot be careless and must carefully verify it.

He took out the jade slip, checked the supplies, and weighed them. After working for a while, he nodded.

"Excellent, exactly as described. Thank you for your help, Junior Brother. How often will you visit Qingyun Immortal City in the future?"

"I'll go again next month, and then it should be about once every three or four months."

Wei Songnian replied that this month he would try to integrate more into the Foundation Establishment stage circle of the sect, and then go to the family shop in the Immortal City to discuss what kind of goods to trade in the future.

Ji An took out a jade slip:

"This contains records of some second-tier spiritual items. Junior brother, could you help me find out if there are any channels to trade or exchange them?"

Especially the spirit silk called Golden-Spotted Spider Silk; let's see if we can buy it in the Immortal City.

These are the materials he lacks to refine the Apricot Yellow Banner. It would be best if he could gather enough as soon as possible; otherwise, he can only slowly trade or exchange them.

Wei Songnian took the jade slip, read the information, and smiled:

"I've tried my best to gather information, but they're all high-level spiritual items, so it'll be difficult to get any results in the short term."

"Just do your best. Here, have some tea."

After chatting for a while, Wei Songnian finished his spiritual tea, stood up, and said:

"Senior brother, I still need to go back to set up the magic array and build the cave dwelling. There are too many things to do, so I'll take my leave now."

Ji An nodded:

"I have important business to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer."

Once everything is settled, I'd like to invite you and your fellow disciples from the two nearby sacred mountains to come and visit me.

"OK."

Ji An flew to the mountainside in a flying shuttle, opened the magic barrier, and entered the cave.

The intense metal and fire energy here makes it an ideal place for body tempering.

He took off his Taoist robe and undershirt, leaving him in only shorts, revealing his slightly muscular body.

Take out the golden-brown mineral powder from the storage bag, prepare the required potion, and mix the powder and potion into a paste.

Occasionally, golden light would flash in the mud, as if it were mud mixed with gold powder, and it had a strong medicinal smell.

Ji An picked up the medicinal mud and applied it to his exposed skin.

To his surprise, the medicinal mud felt cool to the touch.

He used his divine sense to ensure that no part of the medicinal mud was missed, and began to circulate his Golden Jade Bone Body to perform the first skin refining.

Ji An assumed a fighting stance and adjusted his breathing rhythm. Under the influence of his internal energy, his skin began to swell and then flatten from his lower abdomen.

Like waves rolling up and down, the muscles were slightly deformed.

The cool sensation in the medicinal mud gradually turned into a warm feeling, and soon it began to burn, accompanied by a needle-like pain.

The pain was bearable, but it was continuous, with the sensation seeping from the skin into the muscles.

With each breath, tiny specks of light emanated from the medicinal mud.

Half an hour later, Ji An felt the pain completely disappear and realized that the medicinal mud had lost its effect.

The medicinal mud, which was originally as soft as mud, had now hardened. As he moved his body, clumps of mud fell off, revealing his reddened skin.

"No wonder there aren't many cultivators who choose body refinement. Whether I'm cultivating the Qingyuan Scripture or the Qingmu Longevity Technique, my body feels comfortable most of the time, but there's not a single moment of comfort when I'm refining my body."

Ji An rested for a while and checked the condition of his skin. He found that his skin could still withstand it, so he performed another skin-refining exercise.

(End of this chapter)