Chapter 151 - 147: Spirit Absorption Pill
The half-month deadline was up.
Li Yuan counted the Spirit-Refining Talismans he had made during this period.
Thirty-four sheets.
That was four more than the thirty Pill Refiner He had requested. The first batch of Spirit-Refining Talismans was drawn when he was still a beginner, so the quality was inconsistent. The quality of the ones drawn after he became more proficient had clearly gone up a level, and then up another level after he reached Minor Achievement. But with the different batches mixed together, the difference in quality was obvious at a glance.
Li Yuan put the thirty-four Spirit-Refining Talismans into his storage pouch and left his courtyard.
He walked down a side alley to the main street, then turned onto the street where Pill Refiner He’s courtyard was located.
The standalone residence at the end of the street looked the same as always, the bronze plaque on its lintel reflecting the light.
Li Yuan walked to the gate and briefly displayed the Token that Wang Lu had given him.
There was no attendant at the entrance, but from a corner inside the courtyard wall, he sensed a very faint fluctuation of spiritual power, as if someone was secretly on guard.
After he showed the Token, the fluctuation paused for a moment before fading away.
No one stopped him.
Li Yuan pushed the gate open and walked in.
The courtyard layout was unchanged from his last visit. A pill furnace sat in the center, its opening sealed with a lid. A stone table and stools were placed against the wall. Crates of medicinal ingredients were stacked neatly in a corner.
Pill Refiner He sat behind the stone table, holding a medicinal pill and turning it over in the light, as if inspecting its quality. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, saw Li Yuan, and casually placed the pill back into a porcelain vial.
"You’re here."
Li Yuan walked up to the stone table, took the Spirit-Refining Talismans from his storage pouch, and placed them on the tabletop.
"Thirty sheets."
Li Yuan decided to keep the remaining four for his own use.
Pill Refiner He took the Talismans and, after looking through all of them, separated them into three stacks on the table.
He tapped the stack on the left with his finger.
"These are a bit lacking. The density increase in the fourth ring of the Concentration Pattern isn’t quite uniform, and the convergence of the Talisman Core is a bit loose on a few of them. They’re usable, but their effectiveness is reduced by twenty to thirty percent."
His finger moved to the stack on the right.
"These are good. A cut above the samples you sent last time."
His finger then moved to the stack in the middle.
"These are even better. The Spirit Patterns are more uniform."
He glanced up at Li Yuan.
"You’ve improved?"
"Yes."
Pill Refiner He nodded, not pressing for details on how he had improved.
He gathered the Talismans and put them into a wooden box under the table. Straightening up, he folded his hands on the tabletop and looked at Li Yuan.
"Make more next time."
Li Yuan didn’t respond.
"Forty sheets in half a month."
Pill Refiner He’s tone was as flat as when he had been evaluating the Talismans, as if he were stating a fact that had already been decided.
"At your current skill level, forty sheets is achievable."
Li Yuan was silent for two breaths.
’Forty Spirit-Refining Talismans in half a month. That’s an average of nearly three per day.’
’But it is indeed achievable.’
Li Yuan nodded.
"Alright."
Watching his reaction, the corner of Pill Refiner He’s mouth twitched slightly.
He pulled out a small porcelain vial from under the table, placed it on top, and pushed it toward Li Yuan.
"The Wang family has certainly compensated you."
He tapped the porcelain vial with his fingertip.
"But I must also give you a reward. After all, I am a Pill Refiner, and I often trade with people."
"We keep our accounts separate, even if the payment isn’t much."
Li Yuan reached out and took the porcelain vial.
The vial was finely crafted, its mouth sealed with two layers of wax, and it had no label. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, heavier than an ordinary pill bottle.
"A Spirit Absorption Pill," Pill Refiner He said, pulling his hands back from the table and leaning against the back of his chair.
Li Yuan placed the vial containing the Spirit Absorption Pill into his storage pouch, cupped his hands in a brief salute, and turned to leave the courtyard.
He followed the same path back to his residence.
He closed the courtyard gate and entered the main house.
Li Yuan sat down at the table and took the porcelain vial out of his storage pouch.
He broke the wax seal. An extremely faint medicinal fragrance wafted from the opening—not bitter, not sweet, but with an indescribable cooling sensation.
He glanced inside. There was a single, pale-green pill, about half a size larger than a typical pill. Its surface was covered in extremely fine silver lines, as if Spiritual Power had condensed into some kind of pattern on its surface.
It was several grades more refined than the Evil Essence Pills Old Sun made.
Li Yuan tipped the pill into his palm.
The moment his fingertip touched the pill’s surface, a panel popped up.
[Detectable equippable item: Spirit Absorption Pill (Complete)]
[Attribute Preview: Spiritual Essence Condensation (Green) — Increases cultivation speed by 50%]
[Permanence Condition Preview: Reach Great Success in one Cultivation Method and one Immortal Path Body Refining Technique.]
[Current equipment slots are full (5/5). Replace a currently equipped item?]
A green attribute.
Increases cultivation speed by 50%.
The effect was simple and direct. Once equipped, the Spiritual Power accumulated with each circulation cycle would be fifty percent more than usual. Stacked with the cultivation speed-up from Pure Spiritual Power, his progress would be incredibly fast.
There were two conditions for permanence. A Cultivation Method reaching Great Success, and an Immortal Path Body Refining Technique reaching Great Success.
On the Cultivation Method side, his Spirit-Introducing Skill was already perfected, but it only covered up to the Qi Refining Seventh Level. His Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill was currently at Minor Achievement, still a long way from Great Success.
As for the Immortal Path Body Refining Technique, his Iron Wall Body Refining Skill was only at the entry level, so he was still far from the goal.
Neither condition could be met in the short term.
However, the attribute itself was effective without being made permanent; it would work as soon as it was equipped.
The problem was his equipment slots. All five were full. To equip this, he would have to unequip something else.
Li Yuan swapped out the Soul Nourishing Pill, took the opportunity to equip the Awakening Bracelet, and then made it permanent.
A cooling sensation spread through his mind, and his thoughts seemed to quicken.
Then, Li Yuan equipped the Spirit Absorption Pill.
After equipping it, Li Yuan felt a difference when he cultivated.
The flow of his Spiritual Power was not only faster than before, but also more natural and smooth. Overall, his cultivation speed increased by fifty percent.
The next morning, there were two knocks on the courtyard gate.
It was Wang Lu.
Li Yuan opened the gate, and Wang Lu walked in.
The two of them sat down at the stone table in the main house.
"Pill Refiner He wants me to make more Talismans," Li Yuan said. "Forty sheets in half a month."
Wang Lu’s expression didn’t change, as if this was not a surprise.
"That’s to be expected."
He took a cloth pouch from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"Here is your Spirit Stone reward for this period. Your contribution points have also been recorded."
Li Yuan opened the pouch and counted the contents. Twenty-five Spirit Stones.
After putting them away, Li Yuan didn’t wait for Wang Lu to say anything more and spoke directly.
"Can I exchange for new talisman-making techniques?"
Wang Lu glanced at him.
"Normally, the process is quick, but your situation is special, so you’ll have to wait a few days. However, because of your special circumstances, you can overdraw a little and exchange for two techniques at the same time."
Wang Lu took out an exchange catalog, handed it to Li Yuan, and waited quietly for him to look through it.
"Which two?"
Wang Lu asked after Li Yuan had finished reading.
"The Blood Replenishing Talisman. And the Investigation Talisman."
Wang Lu mentally reviewed the two names.
"The Blood Replenishing Talisman, a healing-type Talisman that accelerates Qi Blood recovery. The Investigation Talisman, an auxiliary-type Talisman that enhances sensory range."
He nodded.
"Both are Tier One Low Grade, so the techniques aren’t particularly valuable. I can approve it."
He tucked his hands back into his sleeves.
"They should arrive in a few days. It just so happens that another group from the Wang family will be coming, so the techniques will be delivered along with them."
Li Yuan grunted in acknowledgment.
Wang Lu didn’t stay long. He stood up, took two steps toward the door, and paused at the doorframe.
"I will report the increased quota to my superiors. The supply of materials will be increased accordingly, so you don’t have to worry about running out."
With that, he pushed the door open and left.
The courtyard fell silent once more.
Li Yuan put the Spirit Stones into his storage pouch and walked back to the table to sit down.
Blood Replenishing Talisman and Investigation Talisman.
Two new talisman-making techniques. Every time he learned a new type of Talisman, the overall proficiency of his Talisman Making Skill would experience a new wave of growth. He had repeatedly verified the boosting effect that training by switching between different types had on his overall talisman-making ability.
Coupled with the increased quota for Spirit-Refining Talismans from thirty to forty, the intensity of his talisman-making for the next half-month would be much greater than before.
But it also meant more opportunities to practice and faster progress.
Li Yuan spread out a sheet of golden talisman paper and dipped his brush in Dark Gold Spiritual Ink.
He held the talisman brush in his hand, its shaft feeling steady and smooth.
The brush fell.
The first ring of the Concentration Pattern unfolded, followed by the second.
Sunlight from outside streamed through a crack in the window, casting a pale-yellow band of light across the tabletop.
One sheet, two sheets, three sheets.
Two successes, one failure.
Day by day, the stack of finished products on the corner of the table grew higher.