Chapter 7

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Primitive”.

Emery Town.

Lu Qingfeng walked out of the Pool of Reincarnation and felt a familiar, yet at the same time, a strange feeling.

In real time, only two months have passed, but a full 16 years have gone by in “Primitive”.

Emery Town was still bustling, but the subtle changes had Lu Qingfeng feeling that this might not be the place that he was familiar with.

“To the Worriless Pill Refining Workshop.”

Based on his memory of where it was located, Lu Qingfeng hurried to the Worriless Pill Refining Workshop.

He had cultivated in the Scorching Sun Classic, and he had also mastered half of the Fundamentals of Pill Refining. If he were to go to another Pill Refining Workshop, he might have to start all over again and waste time.

So it was obvious that he would be better off going back to the Worriless Pill Refining Workshop.

It was rather fortunate.

Lu Qingfeng had acquired techniques and pills from the Worriless Pill Refining Workshop, but, upon death, such a contract that didn’t involve reincarnation would be invalidated. Now that he had reincarnated, he could pick up the contract again.

If it hadn’t been that the price one had to pay for reincarnation was too hefty, many would probably exploit this loophole.

He went straight to the Worriless Pill Refining Workshop.

…

Half an hour later…

Lu Qingfeng stood in front of the door of the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

After a long while, he walked into the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop.

Quite a number of players were in there purchasing pills.

“Greetings, good sir. Are you here to rent a Pill Refining Chamber or purchase pills?”

As soon as Lu Qingfeng entered, a man in a gray robe greeted him rather enthusiastically.

The Pill Refining Workshops in Emery Town had chambers to perform pill refining skills.

Aside from being used by the Pill Refining Workshops’ internal personnel, the chambers were also open for rent, which would supply them with additional income. However, their main source of income was still dependent on the sale of medicinal pills.

“Neither. May I ask if this place was originally the Worriless Pill Refining Workshop?” Lu Qingfeng asked the man.

“Worriless Pill Refining Workshop? Worriless closed down some seven to eight years ago. Master Luo Sheng took over its ownership, and it was thus renamed Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop. Master Luo Sheng has long been a top apprentice in pill refining. His three disciples and several ministers are all senior pill refining apprentices. If you need any pills, good sir, whatever the Worriless Pill Refining Workshop could make, we have it in the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop.”

After a brief explanation, the man took advantage of the conversation trend and promoted their products.

“Thanks.”

After listening, Lu Qingfeng nodded, thanked him, and walked out of the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop.

“Safe journey, adventurer.” The man’s voice came from behind him.

“Great attitude.” Lu Qingfeng praised him in his heart. When he lifted his head and saw the characters that spelled out Luo Sheng, he couldn’t help but shake his head.

After all, 16 years have passed in “Primitive”. Lu Qingfeng didn’t think that Worriless Pill Refining Workshop had been closed a long time ago. He thought he had remembered its location wrong or that the Pill Refining Workshop had had its name changed.

“Since Worriless is closed, I’ll go for this one then.”

Lu Qingfeng signed a contract with Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop.

As he had been reborn, he was able to perform this with ease because of his past experience.

Those 16 years may have caused the Pill Refining Workshops to change hands, but the rules in Emery Town hadn’t changed at all.

Aucuba Style.

Deciphering Medicine.

5 Yellow Dragon Pills.

5 Fasting Pills.

1 Bluestone Tablet.

The latter three remained unchanged. Scorching Sun Classic became Aucuba Style, and Fundamentals of Pill Refining became Deciphering Medicine.

Overall, it was very much the same.

Lu Qingfeng took both scrolls and learned them all.

The technique grade of the Aucuba Style was the same as the Scorching Sun Classic. One could cultivate in it to at most Level 9 of the Fetal Phase. It was just that one belonged to the wood attribute, while the other belonged to the fire attribute.

For the handling of medicinal herbs, wood or fire attribute techniques were naturally handier. Therefore, the basic techniques one would acquire from Pill Refining Workshops were usually one of these two attributes.

As for Deciphering Medicine, it made Lu Qingfeng’s eyes shimmer.

It recorded the handling methods of 49 kinds of medicinal herbs, 16 of which hadn’t been in Fundamentals of Pill Refining. Of the 33 methods which were identical between the two, there were 12 different handling methods.

“I’ll focus on leveling in the first month.”

During the two months of waiting, Lu Qingfeng had conceived a general plan on how he should play this game. At the very least, he already had his early game planned out.

First:

Cultivating in the Scorching Sun Classic!

Aucuba Style and Scorching Sun Classic were of the same grade. Now that Lu Qingfeng had already got into Novice Level for the Scorching Sun Classic and what’s more, having experienced it twice where one was in the game and one was in reality, he couldn’t get any more familiar with it. So, naturally, it was his first choice.

Yellow Dragon Pill.

One pill!

Two pills!

With only two Yellow Dragon Pills consumed, the insides of Lu Qingfeng’s body felt tempestuous, and Chi Control was abruptly born.

“It took me four Yellow Dragon Pills the first time to develop my sense of Chi. Now, I’ve already ascended into Level 1 of the Fetal Phase with two pills!”

Being able to save on two Yellow Dragon Pills was definitely something worth rejoicing about for Lu Qingfeng in his current stage.

Attaining Novice Level, Lu Qingfeng directly took on some quests from the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop via the Bluestone Tablet.

In the contract he signed with the Pill Refining Workshop, he was required to handle at least ten basic medicinal herbs every day. As for the extras, the Pill Refining Workshop would pay him according to the market price.

[Quest: Handling Bai Zhu]

[Amount: 50]

[Objective: Turn in 40 handled Bai Zhu]

[Reward: The remaining Bai Zhu]

…

[Quest: Handling Licorice]

[Amount: 50]

[Objective: Turn in 40 handled Licorice]

[Reward: The remaining Licorice]

…

[Quest: Handling Honeysuckle]

[Amount: 50]

[Objective: Turn in 40 handled Honeysuckle]

[Reward: The remaining Honeysuckle]

…

“As long as beginners are careful enough, they will achieve a pass rate of at least 80 percent in handling these basic medicinal herbs. At least the quest requirements of the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop don’t make players lose money.”

“As players gradually become more proficient, their pass rate will increase, and the rewards they can receive from each mission will also increase.”

“Players can exchange these rewards for Fasting Pills and Yellow Dragon Pills from the Luo Sheng Pill Refining Workshop!”

Ten handled basic medicinal herbs could be exchanged for one Fasting Pill.

50 handled basic medicinal herbs could be exchanged for one Yellow Dragon Pill.

Based on the calculation that a beginner could handle 50 basic medicinal herbs a day, in the worst case, six days would be enough for them to accumulate a reward of ten basic handled medicinal herbs that they could then use to exchange for a Fasting Pill.

If one wasn’t able to accomplish this, one may as well consider picking up another profession.

“Based on my current speed of progression, I can handle about 100 basic medicinal herbs every day while keeping the pass rate above 85 percent.”

Lu Qingfeng accepted one handling quest of each of the more than a dozen medicinal herbs that he had experience handling in reality, such as Bai Zhu, Licorice, Honeysuckle, and Polygonatum sibiricum.

Then, he started to cultivate while handling the herbs.

Both were time-consuming without seeming so.

Time flew.

In the blink of an eye, a month went by.

…

Name: Lu Qingfeng

Race: Human

Faction: None

Title: None

Cultivation Stage: Level 2 of Postnatal-Fetal Phase

Level: 3 (14/15)

Chi Control: 12/12 (Grade: Preliminary)

Destined Life Span: 16/68

Innate Talent Level: 1

Merit: Unknown

Karma: Unknown

Technique: Yellow Court Classic (Unblooded) [Property: Ability Upgrade (Level 1); Commanding Power (Level 1); Karma Nullification (Level 1)]; Scorching Sun Classic Level 2 (Novice) [Updating]; Aucuba Style (Unblooded) [Updatable]

Magic: None

Abhijna: None

Equipment: None

Pill Refining: Fundamentals of Pill Refining (Expert) [Updating]; Deciphering Medicine (Unblooded)

Lu Qingfeng handled an average of 120 basic medicinal herbs every day at an 85 percent pass rate. He was able to exchange for one Yellow Dragon Pill every eight days.

In a month, he’d exchanged for a total of four Yellow Dragon Pills. Combined with the three pills that he’d had previously, he’d managed to refine seven Yellow Dragon Pills in just one month, directly rising to Level 3 and advancing his cultivation to Level 2 of the Fetal Phase.

Based on these calculations, one Yellow Dragon Pill would correspond to three experience points.

As for the results of Lu Qingfeng’s own cultivation, it was almost negligible.

“I think I have enough experience points in my Level reserve.”

Lu Qingfeng tapped on the word [Updating] at the end of Scorching Sun Classic.

[Scorching Sun Classic Updating. Required experience point: 1/10]

At Level 3 (14/15), the total experience points he had in his experience pool was 30, barely enough for him to spend.

Putting in eight experience points in one go, a system prompt popped up:

[Scorching Sun Classic Updating. Required experience point 10/10. Please select Update Path: Enhance/ Elevate/ Merge.]

[Enhance: Increases the grade of a technique. Has a chance to acquire a special property.]

[Elevate: Increases the level cap of a technique.]

[Merge: Merge with other techniques. Has a chance to increase the grade of a technique. Has a chance to add a property to a technique.]

“Enhance! Elevate! Merge!”

Suddenly a light came on for Lu Qingfeng.

Enhancing a technique had a chance of acquiring a property for the technique, and, after doing it multiple times, it would be possible to increase the grade of the technique from Preliminary to Refined.

As for Elevate, it was to increase the level cap of a technique. For instance, the Scorching Sun Classic had nine Levels. Hence, by cultivating in it, one could at most attain Level 9 of the Fetal Phase. However, if its Level cap was pushed to Level 10, one could cultivate in it until Level 1 of the Genuine Chi Phase.

Thus, this improved the cultivation upper limit for a technique.

As for the last one, Merge, as its name would suggest, it was to combine one technique and another with a chance to increase the grade or add a property to the technique.

“This…”

Lu Qingfeng’s thoughts flowed as he was struck by great joy all of a sudden.

Enhance!

Elevate!

Merge!

By getting these three paths to work together, wouldn’t that mean that as long as he had enough experience points, he wouldn’t have to worry about techniques anymore. Regardless of whether a technique was of the Refined, Lateral, or even the Authentic and Mystical grade, they could very much update and provide for themselves?

“Ha,ha!”

“Heaven is on my side!”

Lu Qingfeng couldn’t help laughing out loud.

Although he didn’t know if techniques were hard to come by in “Primitive”, with mastery over Ability Upgrade, he wouldn’t have to suffer from too many restrictions, and he would have fewer worries in his cultivation journey.

It was definitely a great thing!

“Merge!”

“Aucuba Style.”

Lu Qingfeng held back the ecstasy in his heart and, via the Operation Panel, dragged Aucuba Style to the Update Column. A light flashed, and the update was over.

[Scorching Sun Classic Update Complete. It is now Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic!]

…

[Technique: Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic]

[Grade: Preliminary, has a total of 9 Levels]

[Ability Upgrade: One-time Merge]

[Cultivation Stage Requirement: None]

[Technique Property: None]

[Note: A fusion of Aucuba Style and Scorching Sun Classic]

“No added property, and no grade increase.”

“I wonder if the Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic is better or weaker than the Scorching Sun Classic.”

Lu Qingfeng looked toward the technique column, only to see that Scorching Sun Classic and Aucuba Style were gone and had been replaced by Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic.

After the update was complete, Lu Qingfeng was at a loss again.

“Let me try to cultivate in it.”

Lu Qingfeng sat down with his legs crossed and prompted the Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic.

….