Chapter 242 Analysis

Ji An took out the pill from his storage bag to examine it. The Flaming Sun Pill was dark red in color, and its patterns were as red as fire.

It took quite a while to verify the fifty bottles of pills.

"Thank you for your hard work," he said, taking out ninety mid-grade spirit stones, placing them on the table, and pushing them toward Wei Songnian.

"Senior brother, why are you buying so many Flaming Sun Pills?"

Wei Songnian was very curious. He knew that the other party was practicing the Wood Element Technique and had no need for the Flaming Sun Pill. He couldn't understand why the other party wanted to buy the pill.

"I have recently been learning alchemy and I can now skillfully refine Ginseng Essence Pills."

My next step is to refine the Blazing Sun Pill. However, with my current alchemy skills, I am unable to obtain the relevant alchemy task from the Diligent Work Hall.

I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure: first, hand over the pills to obtain the quest, and then slowly refine the pills myself to increase my experience.

Ji An gave a brief explanation and outlined his plans.

Wei Songnian grinned, revealing a polite smile, and said:

"Senior brother, you're likely to lose money doing this."

Alchemy is not an easy task, otherwise cultivators would all choose the skill of alchemy.

Why not use it yourself and earn cultivation resources at the same time?

Alchemy requires a certain level of experience, comprehension, and spiritual strength; in some respects, it is even more difficult than comprehending the divine intent of cultivation techniques.

You must believe in my abilities!

Ji An chuckled, took out a storage bag, and slightly curled the corners of his mouth:

"This is the Ginseng Essence Pill I refined. The success rate of refining it reached 70%, with an average of eight pills produced per batch."

There are 800 genuine Ginseng Essence Pills inside. What is the current price of this kind of pill?

During this period, he refined nearly two hundred batches of pills and felt that he had made great progress.

He focused his mind on his dantian and connected with the stone tortoise for a moment.

[Spell: Three Yang Elixir Fire Technique (Perfect 62%)]

After a while, this technique will also break through to the Great Perfection.

His alchemy skills improved rapidly, thanks in no small part to the perfection of the Dan Huo Jue (丹火诀).

"Senior brother's alchemy skills are so amazing?!"

Wei Songnian called out in a low voice, "The most skilled alchemist in the Wei clan at refining Ginseng Essence Pills is about the same level as Senior Brother Ji in refining this kind of pill."

However, the Wei family's alchemists have been refining the Ginseng Essence Pill for over forty years, making the two completely incomparable.

"It's not that I'm particularly good. With my late Foundation Establishment stage spiritual power, it's normal for me to have such a high success rate when refining Qi Refining stage pills."

If I were to learn alchemy from another late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would likely be about the same as me, so there's nothing to be proud of.

What is the current price of Ginseng Essence Pills in Mingfeng Mountain Immortal City?

The higher the strength of one's spiritual sense, the more one can perceive the many subtle details during alchemy, making it much easier for advanced cultivators to learn alchemy.

However, there is not much profit to be made from refining low-level pills, so it is not worth doing so.

Within the sect, cultivators like Ji An, who only turned to learning alchemy in the late Foundation Establishment stage, are probably extremely rare.

"Three spirit stones per stone, the price has increased considerably compared to before."

There's no way around it; the number of Qi Refining stage cultivators is much greater than before.

Wei Songnian replied that starting more than a decade ago, the three sects released a large number of Qi Refining Pills, and the number of Qi Refining disciples in the Western Continent grew wildly, like weeds in a field.

With the increase in the number of cultivators, there will naturally be many more disciples in the late stage of Qi Refining.

However, the spiritual herbs produced throughout the entire Western Continent are far from meeting the needs of so many cultivators.

He remembered that the price of Ginseng Essence Pills had always been around two spirit stones each, so the price increase was quite significant.

Taking the Wei clan of Xiaozhushan as an example, the number of clansmen in the Qi Refining stage has more than doubled. The originally harmonious family is now experiencing discord among its members due to the distribution of cultivation resources.

Ji An said quietly:

"The demonic calamity is imminent, and the number of cultivators will drop rapidly in a few years."

After the war ends, it's uncertain how many cultivators will remain in the Western Continent.

The demon kings' goal is to deplete the number of low-level demon beasts, expand their territory, and select demons with greater potential.

The higher-ups among the human cultivators probably have similar plans.

He was very fortunate that his cultivation improved smoothly, otherwise he would have been one of the many cannon fodder.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy. Wei Songnian, having stayed in the Mingfeng Mountain Immortal City, was even more aware of the current situation.

The western region of the Immortal City gradually became a forbidden zone for human cultivators, with only a very few high-level cultivators having the ability to enter and hunt demonic beasts.

Ji An hummed in agreement and said:

"Has Qiuyun's Foundation Building Pill been arranged yet?"

It will bring many benefits if the other party's Daoist partner achieves Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I bought one at the auction half a month ago. Qiuyun is adjusting her condition and will prepare to establish her foundation in a few months."

Wei Songnian grinned. The price of Foundation Establishment Pills was even more expensive than before. He spent nearly eight thousand spirit stones to snatch one. He regretted not competing with all his might the previous times.

Although he spent all the spirit stones he had saved up, some clansmen still gossiped, thinking that he could delay his Daoist partner's Foundation Establishment for a few years to prioritize the cultivation of the family's direct descendants, which made him furious.

Ji An tilted his head slightly and said:

"Yuhan, go to the warehouse and get two cans of top-grade Jade Dew Golden Tooth Tea."

The maid agreed and left. He then took out a fist-sized jar from his storage bag, examined it, and handed it to her.

"There is still half an ounce of second-tier Jade Dew Golden Sprout here. Qiu Yun should drink it when she is about to break through, which should reduce the resistance of the Divine Sense Barrier."

The other party offered a Soul-Nourishing Wood, which was definitely worth more than its price, and he would take care of the other party for many years.

Wei Songnian immediately stood up, took the pale blue jade jar with both hands, and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

"Thank you for your concern, senior brother."

At this moment, he was very glad he had made the decision in the past. If it were just a regular business transaction, his senior brother would not have given him such support.

The finest Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea is a superior product used by late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to nourish their souls.

He had only heard of it by name and had never seen the real thing.

He solemnly put the jade jar into his storage bag, then slowly sat down, opening his mouth several times, but then stopped himself from speaking.

Ji An carefully observed the other person's subtle expression and smiled:

"Just say what's on your mind. It's unpleasant to watch."

He could tell that the other party wanted something from him, and if he could help, he wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand.

Wei Songnian chuckled twice and stated his request:

"Senior brother, after the demon calamity breaks out, the prices of all kinds of combat supplies will inevitably rise significantly. Stock up now, and you'll make a lot of money later."

I'd like to borrow some spirit stones from my senior brother for a while; I promise to repay him handsomely in the future.

This is profiting from war, and Ji An understands very well how much profit can be made from it.

When the sect's spiritual veins were upgraded, he used his master's spirit stones to hoard a batch of Five Elements essences, making a fortune.

The outbreak of the demonic calamity caused a major upheaval in the entire Western Continent's cultivation world. As long as one can hold out until the end of the war, one will surely earn even more.

The prerequisite is survival in the war; otherwise, all else is out of the question.

Xia Yuhan walked into the living room, placed the two porcelain jars on the table, and walked to the side.

Ji An said in a deep voice:

"Yuhan, you go out first, we need to discuss some things."

Some things need to be kept secret.

"Yes," the maid said, leaving and closing the door tightly behind her.

"Junior brother, what arrangements will your family make after the war breaks out?"

How many clansmen will remain in the Mingfeng Mountain area, and how many will return to guard the ancestral homeland?

Ji An spoke in a very low voice, just enough for the other person to hear clearly.

"Half of the clansmen will stay in Mingfeng Mountain. I plan to let Qiuyun stay in Mingfeng Mountain as well, because there will be more opportunities there."

"Junior brother, have you ever thought about what the fate of these people would be if Mingfeng Mountain fell?"

Wei Songnian's forehead immediately broke out in a fine layer of sweat, and he said in a trembling voice:

"This, this can't be, right?"

The three sects invested a huge amount of resources to build a second-tier high-grade spiritual vein immortal city.

The outer perimeter of the immortal city is a region of blood-devouring vines that stretches for thousands of feet, guarded by eight medium-sized strongholds.

Currently, there are three Golden Core Elders stationed in the Immortal City. When the demonic calamity breaks out, even more Golden Core Elders will surely go to provide support.

He couldn't even imagine how much investment was needed to build a celestial city, and the profits generated every day were also enormous.

With such a huge profit, the sect wouldn't give up until the very last moment.

Mingfeng Mountain Immortal City has been promoting itself, telling the story of the power balance between the Western Continent forces during the two outbreaks of demonic calamities.

Judging from the propaganda, the human race has two more Golden Core Ancestors, nearly thirty more Chao Yuan stage cultivators, and more than two thousand six hundred more Foundation Establishment cultivators compared to the last time the demon calamity broke out.

"During the last demonic calamity, four sects were destroyed, more than two hundred families were wiped out, and countless rogue cultivators were killed or injured."

After three thousand years of recuperation, the vitality of human cultivators has indeed recovered, and they have achieved even greater development.

However, Mingfeng Mountain Immortal City is only a high-grade spiritual vein, and it will be quite difficult to defend it by relying on the mountain-protecting formation.

Ji An analyzed that if the spiritual veins of Mingfeng Mountain reached the second-tier top grade, there was still a high chance of them being preserved.

If the quality of a spiritual vein differs by one level, the impact is enormous.

Wei Songnian stood up, bowed, and said:

"Please teach me how to do this, senior brother!"

The family has invested a great deal in the Immortal City; if the Immortal City falls, everything will be over.

Ji An gently shook his head and solemnly said:

"You know what to do; this decision is yours to make."

Losing benefits and spiritual veins during the demon calamity is not terrible, as there will inevitably be more space to live after the calamity.

But if the person is gone, everything is gone.

The outbreak of the demonic calamity is like a river bursting its banks; even those who stay in the rear will be affected.

All of this is his analysis; he has no real insight into how things will unfold.

He paused, then said in a chilling tone:

"What happened today is my word and your ear; do not let a third person know about it."

These words, once they get out, will greatly shake the morale of the troops.

His words of advice were risky.

Wei Songnian nodded emphatically, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his Taoist robe:

"I understand. I will keep your words to myself."

He understood that the other party's position allowed them to obtain more information and see more clearly. Their judgments might not be correct, but they would certainly be based on sufficient evidence.

With the demonic calamity erupting, he will inevitably be conscripted into the sect's ranks.

What needs to be done now is to make the safest arrangements for the family members.

He no longer mentioned borrowing spirit stones, as obtaining resources would be much easier if they could overcome the demon calamity.

If we can't overcome this, then everything is meaningless.

(End of this chapter)