MSBITRS Chapter 71 V1

As expected, the spirit beast cub was given to his junior sister…

She played with it for a few days and then…

Threw it into the spirit beast enclosure at the back of the mountain.

Fortunately, Li Changshou had anticipated this. He had already built a small water cage for this “pink bamboo rat,” a creature capable of devouring most low-quality spiritual materials. He also added two simple formations to restrict its movement.

Ling’e visited the spirit beast enclosure three times a month. Most of these creatures could absorb the world’s spiritual energy and wouldn’t starve.

As for the Earth Spirit Pearl gifted by Youqin Xuanya, Li Changshou placed it in a prominent spot in his alchemy room rather than carrying it with him.

This treasure was highly valuable.

If he could acquire the other four pearls of the same quality in the future, he could craft the formation plate for the “Five Elements Annihilation Array.”

For now, though, it didn’t serve much purpose.

To this day, Li Changshou still couldn’t figure out why Youqin Xuanya…

Forget it.

She certainly lived up to her reputation for being dangerously unpredictable.

Next time she visited their Little Qiong Peak, he’d just stay in his alchemy room and let Ling’e entertain her—chatting, drinking tea, whatever worked.

After this little episode, Li Changshou buried himself in the alchemy room, focusing entirely on refining pills.

Accumulating wealth was the top priority.

During his last trip to Linhai Town, he had conducted a brief survey of the market.

Now, he was refining mainstream pills in high demand among rogue cultivators—healing, recovery, enhancement, and breakthrough-supporting elixirs, all at an immortal-grade level.

These low-tier immortal pills could be used by Foundation Establishment cultivators and still meet the daily needs of high-level rogue immortals.

The strategy was simple: high-volume sales for stable profits.

Thanks to his years of accumulated alchemy techniques and methods, his pill-refinement success rate was quite high.

Most cultivators relied on instinct and experience when refining pills. The vague instructions in ancient recipes—”a small amount,” “an appropriate amount”—were as frustrating as those little demons who wandered around the mortal realm, stirring up trouble.

But Li Changshou had a solution.

From the moment he started learning alchemy, he kept detailed notes, constantly refining the precise measurements in each pill formula.

He recorded changes in flame intensity, the order of ingredient additions, the age of the herbs, and even the size and shape of the cuts—analyzing them all to find the optimal solution.

That was the real secret to a high success rate!

While mass-producing these mainstream pills, Li Changshou also planned to refine some high-tier elixirs at the limit of his current skills—

First and second-tier spirit pills.

Regular immortal pills were classified as superior, mid-grade, and low-grade.

Mid-grade immortal pills sold best in market towns, and many sects that lacked skilled alchemists would purchase them in bulk.

Beyond immortal pills were “spirit pills,” ranked from the first to the ninth tier.

Any pill that qualified as a spirit pill was a true treasure.

A side note—the legendary Nine-Turn Golden Pill was the signature creation of the Grand Supreme Elder, the human sect’s founding teacher!

Because of this, sects that followed the human sect’s teachings were skilled in alchemy. However, Li Changshou didn’t dare to use any of the sect’s exclusive pill formulas, making things even more challenging for him.

Still, for the sake of caution, there was no other choice.

His plan for wealth accumulation through alchemy was straightforward:

Forget cost-effectiveness—focus on improving the quality of immortal pills.

Start by lowering prices slightly to break into the Linhai Town market.

Once demand stabilized, he would ensure that every time he appeared, his pills would sell out instantly.

Although he could refine spirit-tier pills, their success rate wasn’t guaranteed, so he didn’t dare purchase too many thousand-year-old spiritual herbs.

Only after securing stable profits from mid-tier pills would he risk using his leftover ingredients to attempt higher-tier refinement.

Even when chasing wealth, he had to take things one careful step at a time.

…

After refining this batch of acquired materials into formation bases and reinforcing a portion of the mountain-protecting array on Little Qiong Peak,

Li Changshou once again packed his schedule tightly, filling all twelve hours of the day.

Three hours of comprehension and meditation, two hours refining his Paper Doll Transformation technique, one hour reading ancient texts to expand his knowledge, and the remaining six hours devoted entirely to alchemy.

Since these pills were meant for external sale, he didn’t have to worry about drawing too much attention within the sect.

It reminded him of his early alchemy days—burying himself in formulas, losing sleep, and even meditating while hugging his little alchemy furnace.

Time blurred by the furnace. The sun rose and set unnoticed.

Li Changshou, fully immersed in his alchemy and cultivation, hardly noticed the passing years.

Cultivation was like this.

Time flowed slowly around him, no longer burdened by the daily struggles of food and shelter like mortals, no longer fearing a lifespan that only lasted a fleeting century.

Whenever he grew weary of refining pills, he would take a stroll through the mountains—watching over his junior sister, checking on the spirit fish in the lake, the beasts in the hills, and the herbs in the fields.

He was utterly content with this life.

He had turned months into days.

Woven serenity into his soul.

Carved caution into his bones.

In the vast wilderness, only the South Continent had distinct seasonal changes. Most regions, apart from the frigid North Continent, remained in perpetual spring.

By the time Li Changshou finished processing this batch of pills, three years had already passed.

His Paper Doll Transformation technique had greatly improved. He had corrected three or four major flaws—

For instance, he had finally managed to make the paper dolls’ faces change at will.

Additionally, by reinforcing the dolls and adding more restrictions, he had increased their maximum combat strength to the early-stage True Immortal level.

With that, the security of his assets was much better assured.

Li Changshou planned to wait until his master exited seclusion before discussing a trip outside the sect. He wanted his master to take a stroll beyond the mountain-protecting array while he sent a paper avatar to Linhai Town for a second market expedition.

This time, his paper avatar would reveal a late-stage Celestial Immortal cultivation level—one that wouldn’t make him an easy target for robbers.

Of course, there were still countless other precautions to consider…

Sitting on a rocking chair, he sorted through his plans and pulled out a jade slip, listing all the materials he needed to acquire this time.

If this batch of pills sold successfully, not only could he upgrade the core formation of the great protective array, but the maze formation surrounding the alchemy room could also be strengthened significantly…

“I wonder when my junior master will leave seclusion… I miss her.”

Li Changshou glanced at the storage pouch he had prepared for his Junior Master Jiu. Inside were some high-quality pills and her favorite liquor.

He could handle burying the underground formation bases himself, but for the outer formations, it was safer to have his junior master assist.

After finalizing his list, Li Changshou stood up and stretched.

“Later, I’ll go visit Elder Wan Linyun and then make preparations for the trip.”

Sigh…