Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Maoqiu's Breakthrough and the Tidal Body Tempering Art
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"Ruan Tieniu has a source for the Illusion Heart Grass. Is it from the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range, or does he have it on him?"
"He's certain he can obtain this heavenly treasure within three years, so it's unlikely to be in the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range. That means it must be on his person."
Chen Jianghe believed that a demon hunter could buy Illusion Heart Grass, but he didn't believe a demon hunter would have the spirit stones to do so.
In that case, Ruan Tieniu only had two ways to get the Illusion Heart Grass.
One was the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range, and the other was...
"He must have a secret. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to rent a private courtyard in the Southwest District."
However, he wasn't interested in Ruan Tieniu's secrets. What interested him was the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Alchemist Zhuang could refine Life Extension Pills, so refining Foundation Establishment Pills shouldn't be much of a problem. Besides, Ruan Tieniu's pill recipe was much simpler than the conventional one.
This also meant it would be easier to refine.
But he didn't plan to discuss this with Alchemist Zhuang just yet, because he wasn't sure if Ruan Tieniu could actually get his hands on the Illusion Heart Grass.
If, after three years, the man didn't have the grass, it would all be for nothing.
"Since Ruan Tieniu found me, he'll probably approach Ji Wujin as well. He has the Purple Glow Vermilion Fruit, making him an essential member for pooling our resources for the alchemy."
"In that case, I just need to wait three years. Once Ruan Tieniu has the Illusion Heart Grass, I can go directly to Alchemist Zhuang and bring this up."
With his thoughts sorted out, his mind was at ease.
Chen Jianghe left his home and headed to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to purchase all the necessary materials for talisman drawing.
Five sheets of Black Porpoise Hide and five boxes of Spirit Ink.
It cost him a total of sixty spirit stones.
Afterward, he returned to his courtyard and hung up a sign that read 'In Seclusion'.
"Hmm, the flesh of these two demonic beasts is quite good. Their heart marrow is also somewhat useful to me."
After emerging from the spirit beast space, Xiao Hei looked at the two unicorn horses by the pond, grinned widely, and nodded his tortoise head in satisfaction.
"Of course it's good. Each one cost eleven spirit stones."
Chen Jianghe instructed solemnly, "Xiao Hei, when you and Maoqiu process the unicorn horses, be extremely careful. Don't let any impurities contaminate the spirit blood, and don't damage the horn in any way. Otherwise, we'll suffer a huge loss this time."
"That expensive!"
Xiao Hei was startled, then declared with confidence, "Don't worry, leave it to me."
"Squeak squeak~"
Maoqiu pointed at the unicorn horses and chirped twice.
"Relax. Grandpa Turtle only eats the spirit core and heart marrow. The flesh and organs are still yours," Xiao Hei said, patting Maoqiu's shoulder.
By now, Maoqiu had grown to a height of eight feet, and the monkey fur that had 'naturally' fallen out before had all grown back.
"Squeak squeak~"
Chen Jianghe watched Xiao Hei's mature and composed demeanor, then looked at Maoqiu's fawning expression.
It seemed like he had nothing to do with any of this.
They didn't even know to say thank you.
Xiao Hei was one thing.
But now Maoqiu was learning from Xiao Hei and becoming just as thoughtless.
Ignoring them, Chen Jianghe returned to his room and began drawing mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
The most important thing for him now was to raise his success rate for mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans to forty percent.
Only then would he have a chance to participate in the joint funding of the alchemy.
Otherwise, he would be eliminated.
Ruan Tieniu chose Alchemist Zhuang to refine the pill because the cost of hiring him was relatively low.
Furthermore, he wanted to sell the Foundation Establishment Pill recipe to Alchemist Zhuang for a high price.
However, Ruan Tieniu was not without other options.
Chen Jianghe, on the other hand, had no other choice. He was in a passive position and could only focus on increasing the speed at which he earned spirit stones.
As usual, he first cut the Black Porpoise Hide. Five sheets yielded one hundred and fifty pieces of spirit blood pigskin.
Then, he began drawing the mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
The talismanic patterns of the escape talisman were more complex than those of a protective talisman, but his success rate for mid-grade protective talismans had already reached forty percent.
After just three attempts, he successfully drew one mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talisman.
"It seems the mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talisman isn't as difficult as I imagined."
Chen Jianghe was delighted.
But the next two months left him dumbfounded. He had to admit that luck played a part in talisman drawing.
He used up nineteen pieces of spirit blood pigskin and only successfully created five talismans.
A success rate of less than thirty percent.
Another three months passed. He used twenty-eight pieces of spirit blood pigskin and successfully drew eight mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
He had barely reached a thirty percent success rate.
As his proficiency grew, the initial increase in his success rate was quite fast.
Two more months went by. He used twenty pieces of spirit blood pigskin and successfully drew six mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
His success rate had stabilized at thirty percent.
At the beginning of the year.
Chen Jianghe took down the 'In Seclusion' sign from his courtyard gate, making it convenient for Ruan Tieniu to find him for a trade.
Now that his success rate for drawing mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans had reached thirty percent, he was no longer afraid of being disturbed by a knock on the door.
On the ninth day of the first month, Chen Jianghe used another five pieces of spirit blood pigskin to draw two mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
Ruan Tieniu arrived at his door at that very moment.
He helped Chen Jianghe sell twenty-two mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans. The market price for one was nine spirit stones, two more than a mid-grade protective talisman.
Selling them to demon hunters came with a ten percent discount, so the twenty-two talismans brought in a total of one hundred seventy-eight spirit stones and twenty spirit sand.
After subtracting the cost of the four spirit beasts Ruan Tieniu had brought, his profit for the past half-year was one hundred and twelve spirit stones and twenty spirit sand.
Afterward, he took the demonic beast parts processed by Xiao Hei and Maoqiu to the Demonic Beast Market to sell.
The buyback price for one unicorn horn was six spirit stones, so two were worth twelve.
There were forty-eight barrels of unicorn horse spirit blood. At a buyback price of fifteen spirit sand per barrel, the total value was seven spirit stones and twenty spirit sand.
The unicorn horse pelts weren't very valuable; he only got three spirit stones for both.
The parts from the two wind wolves were much cheaper, fetching only four spirit stones in total.
In the past half-year, Xiao Hei and Maoqiu had earned a total of twenty-six spirit stones and twenty spirit sand.
Of course, the costs were much higher.
From this, it was clear that as long as there were enough demonic beast carcasses, the two spirit beasts could earn quite a bit.
He now had a total of four hundred seventy-five spirit stones and eighty spirit sand.
He went to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and bought two True Spirit Pills, as well as five sheets of Black Porpoise Hide and five boxes of Spirit Ink, spending one hundred spirit stones.
Later, he went to the third floor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to look at body tempering techniques. The cheaper ones had extremely high requirements for supplementary spiritual items.
As for the expensive ones, he was still a bit short on spirit stones.
Helpless, he could only wait a little longer.
Time flew by, swift as a fleeting shadow.
More than two years passed.
In his courtyard, Chen Jianghe practiced the forms of the Tidal Body Tempering Art. The acupoints in his body seemed to transform into miniature spirit-gathering formations, absorbing the ambient spiritual energy from the air.
With each movement, a faint, shimmering light, a mix of blue and white, emanated from his body.
After practicing the set three times, he steadily concluded his exercise.
He sat down cross-legged, refining the spiritual energy within his acupoints to nourish every part of his physical body.
An hour passed.
Chen Jianghe opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He opened his palm to reveal that the originally black Tidal Spirit Essence had turned into a pure, clear crystal.
*Whoosh~*
A gentle breeze blew past, and the translucent Tidal Spirit Essence turned to dust, scattering into the air.
"The Tidal Spirit Essence is being consumed faster and faster."
"But my physical cultivation has also progressed very quickly, reaching the mid-stage of Body Tempering."
Chen Jianghe revealed a satisfied smile.
In these past two years, his talisman skills had improved greatly. His success rate for mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans was now close to forty percent.
In the first year of his seclusion, he had drawn thirty-eight mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans, selling them for three hundred and seven spirit stones and eighty spirit sand.
He purchased five sheets of Black Porpoise Hide, five boxes of Spirit Ink, a mid-grade wolf-hair talisman brush, and two True Spirit Pills, spending a hundred and twenty-five spirit stones.
After subtracting another sixty-four spirit stones for the four demonic beasts...
...his net profit for the first year was one hundred and eighteen spirit stones and eighty spirit sand.
Adding this to his previous savings, he now had a total of four hundred ninety-four spirit stones and sixty spirit sand.
With spirit stones in hand, he could no longer delay obtaining a body tempering technique.
He looked through more than twenty body tempering techniques and finally chose the Tidal Body Tempering Art, which had a starting price of four hundred and twenty spirit stones.
There was no other reason than its simple requirement for supplementary items. It only needed Tidal Spirit Essence, which was sold in Qinghe Market City and wasn't expensive—just twenty-five spirit stones apiece.
A year of cultivation required two pieces of Tidal Spirit Essence.
After buying everything, he was left with only twenty-four spirit stones and sixty spirit sand.
In the second year, he drew forty-three mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans, selling them for three hundred forty-eight spirit stones and thirty spirit sand.
He bought two True Spirit Pills and ten Five Elements Crystal Stones. He didn't need to buy talisman materials, as he still had enough for another year.
He bought another four demonic beasts, spending seventy-two spirit stones.
His net profit was one hundred eighty-six spirit stones and thirty spirit sand.
Adding the eighteen spirit stones earned by Xiao Hei and Maoqiu...
...he now had two hundred twenty-eight spirit stones and ninety spirit sand.
However, his next step was to purchase Qi and Blood Pills, Meridian Opening Pills, and Body Forging Pills.
His physical cultivation had reached the mid-stage of Body Tempering. From now on, he would need not only Tidal Spirit Essence but also the aid of spirit pills.
It was now June, the height of summer.
Chen Jianghe's spiritual power was fully restored, and he stopped circulating the Myriad Waters True Scripture.
"Maoqiu, fetch the letters from the postbox."
Chen Jianghe sent the message to Maoqiu through the Spirit Beast Ring. A moment later, Maoqiu walked in.
Maoqiu now stood over ten feet tall. His build was burly and brimming with power, and his large, bright eyes shone with spirit.
Two months ago, Maoqiu had successfully broken through to the late-stage First-Order, becoming an adult spirit beast.
His combat prowess had also undergone a world-shaking transformation.
He could now exchange two blows with Xiao Hei. Ahem, only two blows.
If he were to forge a special Dharma artifact for Maoqiu, he might be able to last a few more blows.
Because Xiao Hei's defense was just too monstrous.
Especially when he used his divine ability, 'Petrification', he was completely invulnerable.
He took the three letters from Maoqiu.
As was his habit, he first glanced at the senders' names.
A message from Ruan Tieniu, a letter from Yu Daniu, and another from Zhou Miaoyun.
He opened Yu Daniu's letter first.
Over the past two years, he and Yu Daniu had exchanged letters twice, updating each other on their current situations.
Chen Jianghe hadn't hidden the fact that he was practicing body tempering.
During that time, Yu Daniu had even written to ask if Chen Jianghe had enough spirit stones, offering to provide five hundred if needed.
Chen Jianghe had politely declined, telling Yu Daniu about the improvement in his talisman skills. This made Yu Daniu very happy, and he had written back to congratulate him.
He had a deep bond with his brother, Yu Daniu.
He was the only one he truly recognized as a brother.
Reading this letter from Yu Daniu, a smile appeared on Chen Jianghe's lips. He was happy for him.
"Xiaoniu's cultivation has actually caught up to mine. His physical cultivation has even reached the late stage of Body Tempering."
Chen Jianghe was sixty-five this year, twenty-four years older than Yun Xiaoniu.
This meant Yun Xiaoniu had broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining at the age of forty-one, and his physical cultivation had also reached the late stage of Body Tempering.
For a moment, Chen Jianghe began to wonder if he was just too useless.
To be caught up to by a junior.
But on second thought, it wasn't that his own cultivation was too slow, nor that Yun Xiaoniu's was too fast.
It was entirely a matter of resources.
Chen Jianghe had to earn his own spirit stones to buy resources, and he also had two spirit beasts to raise.
Yun Xiaoniu didn't have to worry about such things.
He had started cultivating at the age of ten with an abundance of resources.
All he had to do was cultivate diligently and raise his level.
"At this rate, Xiaoniu should be able to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining before he's forty-six, and the peak of the ninth level before he's fifty-two."
"His physical cultivation should reach the peak, but his spiritual realm is a bit uncertain."
Chen Jianghe estimated Yun Xiaoniu's cultivation progress and his chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment. Without a Foundation Establishment Pill, his success rate would be about forty percent.
Then he compared it to his own situation.
In a year at most, his cultivation would reach the ninth level of Qi Refining. He could definitely attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment before the age of seventy-two.
Without a Foundation Establishment Pill and with his physical body at its peak...
...his success rate for reaching Foundation Establishment would also only be forty percent.
"Eh? Yun Wuniu has a child? That's good news."
At the end of the letter, he saw that Yu Daniu had mentioned Yun Wuniu. Zhou Miaoyun's niece had given birth to a son for him.
A boy.
This was Yu Daniu's first grandson.
He was also the first of the third generation, doted on by his grandparents and cared for by all his uncles.
As for Yun Wuniu, his life's purpose was now complete.
The vital acupoints in his limbs had been shattered by Yun Xiaoniu, turning him into a cripple. He would live the rest of his life better than a mortal, but he would never be able to cultivate again.
With the birth of his child...
...all the resources that once belonged to him would now be devoted to his son.
As for Zhou Miaoyun's niece, if she chose to stay with the Yun Clan to care for the child, Yu Daniu would surely treat her as family.
If she was unwilling, she was free to leave the Yun Clan.
After so many years of receiving resources, Zhou Miaoyun's niece had not lost out. In fact, one could say she had profited greatly.
Chen Jianghe then opened Zhou Miaoyun's letter.
It also spoke of her niece giving birth to a son, and how the entire Zhou Clan was overjoyed.
But from the wording of her letter, it was clear that the Zhou Clan knew what had happened to Yun Wuniu.
However, they didn't seem to care.
What mattered to them was that a woman of the Zhou Clan had given Yu Daniu a grandson—his first grandson at that.
That was more than enough.
Furthermore, Zhou Miaoyun stated in her letter that her niece intended to stay with the Yun Clan for the rest of her life, to protect her child and care for the crippled Yun Wuniu.
This was also the message her niece had conveyed to her maternal family.
Chen Jianghe smiled. The meaning of Zhou Miaoyun's letter was simple: she wanted him to relay the Zhou Clan's intentions.
But Yu Daniu himself was very fond of his daughter-in-law. He and his wife already felt they owed her a great deal, so why would they ever drive her away?
Immediately, Chen Jianghe wrote a congratulatory letter back to Yu Daniu, then replied to Zhou Miaoyun with his own congratulations and a few words of reassurance, telling her not to worry about her niece.
Then he picked up the message from Ruan Tieniu and began to read.