Chapter 105 Expanding Business
Yuzhu Peak, half an hour later, Li Yu slowly walked out of the hall.
He pursed his lips unconsciously and his throat moved. It had been a long time since he felt this thirsty.
From today on, the pure friendship between him and Jiang Li finally went in another direction.
This was something even Li Yu himself had not expected.
His feelings for Jiang Li are extremely complicated, so complicated that Li Yu himself doesn't know what kind of feeling it is. Friendship cannot be summarized, and love... doesn't seem pure either.
But when it comes to the position in his heart, no one can surpass her.
Including Senior Sister Zhou and the witch.
This is the conclusion Li Yu came to after carefully examining his own heart.
In this world, she is the only one who treats him well without asking for anything in return.
No one knows what the future will be like, but Li Yu knows that instead of worrying about the distant future, it is better to cherish the present. Even if you make a mistake now, don't wait until the future to regret it.
This is what Li Yu learned from those old people.
Throughout their lives, they don't actually have many regrets about what they did when they were young, but whenever they talk about the things they wanted to do but never did, they can't help but sound regretful.
The four words Li Yu heard most from them were:
"If only..."
They had only one piece of advice for Li Yu.
Life is short, why not give it a try.
As for the consequences, we will talk about them later.
When passing by the main hall of Yuzhu Peak, Li Yu fed the Qingluan some grapes. As the mount of Patriarch Xuanzhen, although it is just a bird, it has the strength of the Jindan stage, and because of its bloodline, it is more powerful than the average Jindan stage monster.
If a real fight breaks out, Li Yuyuan will be no match for it.
Ordinary monsters can transform into humans after forming a monster pill. However, the bloodline of this kind of divine beast needs to break the pill and become an infant before it can transform. The strength after the transformation is much stronger than that of human cultivators of the same level.
Every time Li Yu came, he would feed it something to eat. Although it couldn't speak yet, it was very intelligent. Building a good relationship with it would not only expand one's personal network, but also one's demonic network.
Gently touching the beautiful wings of Qingluan, Li Yu bowed to Master Xuanzhen beside him and prepared to leave.
Patriarch Xuanzhen casually threw a jade bottle over. After Li Yu took it, he found that there was a foundation-building pill inside.
Patriarch Xuanzhen said calmly: "Don't rush to take this foundation-building pill. Wait until you can compress the mana of all your spiritual veins into ten acupuncture points, then take the foundation-building pill. The chances of successfully building the foundation will be greater."
Li Yu bowed again and said, "Thank you, Master."
He was used to Master Xuan Zhen's cold appearance but warm heart. Although she never smiled at Li Yu, she was never stingy when giving him things.
He got three foundation-building pills from Jiang Li and Master Xuan Zhen, but he couldn't take them immediately.
Now, he can only compress the magic power of the seventy-two acupoints of each spiritual vein into twenty acupoints. This is when his magic power is five times that of an ordinary ninth-level Qi Refining disciple. A disciple who has just completed Qi Refining can only compress it to about fifty acupoints.
Although the process of condensing Qi into liquid is not as difficult as opening up the seventy-two acupuncture points, it is also extremely difficult and takes a long time.
Those top geniuses, with the help of a master or ancestors in the Nascent Soul stage, can greatly shorten this process. Li Yu has no elders willing to work hard for him, so he can only do it slowly on his own.
If he had enough foundation-building pills, compressing mana would not be a difficult task. The function of the foundation-building pill is to help compress mana. If one pill is not enough, take two. If two pills are not enough, then how about ten or eight pills?
Unfortunately, he has too many spiritual veins and too few foundation-building pills, so he can't afford to be so extravagant.
For Li Yu, the biggest problem at the moment is that there are not enough Foundation Establishment Pills.
He has five spiritual veins, so even if every Foundation Establishment Pill was effective, he would still need five. However, he only has three, so he needs at least two more. What's more, with his talent, one Foundation Establishment Pill for each spiritual vein might not be enough. He would need more than ten Foundation Establishment Pills for all five spiritual veins to be safe.
After leaving Yuzhu Peak, Li Yu did not go back, but came to Tianzhu Peak, wanting to see the mission about the Foundation Establishment Pill.
On the densely packed task wall, water curtains were flowing. Li Yu had no interest in these Qi Refining tasks and walked straight into the main hall of Tianzhu Peak.
There are much fewer people here, and most of them are at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and there are also quite a few in the Foundation Establishment stage.
When a deacon disciple saw Li Yu, he immediately came up to him enthusiastically and asked, "Junior Brother Li, are you here to see the mission?"
Li Yu nodded and said, "Come and take a look at the tasks that can be exchanged for Foundation Establishment Pills."
The deacon disciple brought Li Yu to a stone chamber and said, "There are countless disciples in the sect who need Foundation Building Pills, but the number of Foundation Building Pills is very small. Apart from waiting in line for seniority, there are not many tasks that can be exchanged for Foundation Building Pills. Junior Brother Li, take a look and see which one is suitable for you..."
On the wall of facts, various tasks were written, including the Foundation Establishment Pill task.
The vast majority of the sect's disciples, or even more than 99% of them, do not need to complete any specific tasks. For example, as long as this deacon disciple continues to work at Tianzhu Peak and is responsible for receiving people who come for consultation, then after he has completed his Qi training, he can queue up in the sect and qualify to buy a foundation-building pill.
The same goes for Kunlun's alchemists, weapon refiners, talisman masters, etc.
This is very friendly to disciples with average talent. It usually takes them several decades to practice to the peak of Qi Refining. By that time, they will have accumulated enough qualifications. They can wait for another one or two years before it is their turn. During this period, they slowly compress and condense their magic power, so that when it is their turn, they can just build the foundation.
Of course Li Yu couldn't wait that long. It would take at least ten years for him to gain enough experience, and by then it would be too late.
There are channels that can quickly obtain Foundation Establishment Pills, but the contribution requirements to the sect are much higher. For example, refining one hundred kilograms of purple gold and handing it over to the sect can be exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Also, if you collect ten Jade Spirit Fruits and hand them over to the sect, you can also exchange them for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Another thing is that thirty medium-grade or above Tongmai Pills can be exchanged for one Foundation Building Pill, but for alchemists, this is a blood-loss business, and anyone who hears about it will definitely curse the sect as a black-hearted sect.
In comparison, the task of refining purple gold is more reliable.
This was the task Chen Ming chose.
Purple gold is an important material for refining weapons. It is used in forging magical weapons, casting swords, and creating mechanical puppets. The major sects have a great demand for it. The purple gold mines in the big world have long been mined out, and only some secret caves and caves still have some, and the quality is not very high.
These inferior purple gold ores have extremely low purple gold content, and the purple gold needs to be slowly refined and collected using mana fire. To collect a hundred kilograms, even for disciples who cultivate fire and gold spiritual veins, it will take several years, and for those who cultivate other spiritual veins, it will take more than ten years.
Some other tasks are also similar. They either involve collecting spiritual herbs and medicines or various materials. They also require sacrificing several years of practice. Not only is it time-consuming and laborious, but it also depends on luck.
This also made Li Yu realize firsthand that even in a large sect, it is not easy to build a foundation without a deep background.
After comprehensive consideration, he decided to go to a secret cave where purple gold was produced first.
Three days later.
Purple Gold Cave Heaven.
The Purple Gold Cave Heaven got its name because of the abundant purple gold found in it. Thousands of years ago, it was a secret cave heaven that was fought over by both the righteous and evil forces. In order to fight for the several purple gold mines in it, both the righteous and evil sides dispatched countless Qi Refining disciples, and launched countless battles over the mines, and countless disciples died in them.
However, that was a thousand years ago.
In the Purple Gold Cave Heaven today, those large purple gold mines have long been mined out, leaving only some extremely low-quality ore veins and purple gold stones scattered throughout the cave heaven. The purple gold contained in them is very little, and it takes a lot of time to refine them. They have long been abandoned by both the righteous and the evil.
Only some Qi Refining disciples would occasionally enter the Purple Gold Cave Heaven, spend time refining some purple gold, and exchange it for cultivation resources from the sect.
The Purple Gold Cave Heaven is a hundred miles in radius. Near the center, it is divided into two areas, north and south, by a long mountain range. The disciples of both the righteous and evil paths have a tacit understanding and each occupies one area to avoid disputes.
However, this cannot completely avoid conflicts.
After all, whether it is the righteous path or the evil path, there is a great demand for purple gold. In the righteous path, a certain amount of purple gold can even be exchanged for foundation-building pills, but refining it by oneself is too time-consuming. Some people who don't want to work hard but want to take shortcuts naturally set their sights on other people.
It is much faster to rob it than to refine it yourself.
Most of those who do this kind of thing are from the evil path, so all the righteous disciples of the Purple Gold Cave Heaven need to be extra careful. If they are not careful, the purple gold that they have spent time and effort to refine will become a wedding dress for others.
Fortunately, the righteous and evil forces have been in the Purple Gold Cave for so long that they have developed a certain tacit understanding. If they cannot win, they can just hand over the purple gold honestly. Generally speaking, the opponent will not make it too difficult for them. Purple gold is not an important treasure, so there is no need to risk their lives for it.
If you kill someone here and break the rules, the next person to be killed might be you. Even disciples of the demon sect always follow this tacit understanding.
In the Purple Gold Cave Heaven, several disciples of the Soul Refining Sect were searching along the central mountain range.
They were not looking for purple gold stone that could be used to refine purple gold, but they were looking for people who could refine purple gold. This mountain range was the place with the highest purple gold content in the entire cave, and most people would refine purple gold here.
If it were in the past, these Soul Refining Sect disciples would not dare to act here so brazenly, but today is different. With the presence of Senior Brother Xu, who has reached the peak of Qi Refining with dual spiritual veins, they can walk around freely in this level of cave heaven.
Suddenly, a disciple of the Soul Refining Sect pointed to a hill not far ahead and said, "Senior Brother Xu, I just saw a fire there. Someone must be refining it. This guy didn't even find a hidden place to refine purple gold. He must be a newcomer. Let's teach him a lesson. How can he survive in the world of immortal cultivation if he is so careless..."
Zijin Cave Heaven, Central Mountain Range, somewhere on a hilltop.
In Li Yu's hand, two fist-sized purple stones had been refined by him using the fire of magic power. Only a rice-sized purple metal was left in his palm. This was the purple gold that the sect needed.
This thing is obviously not as advanced as the essence of star iron, so the alchemy furnace doesn't even bother to absorb it.
After putting the small piece of purple gold into the storage space, Li Yu continued to look for that purple stone.
After struggling for three days, he finally came here.
There is no other way. The Foundation Building Pill is not as good as the Meridian Opening Pill. Even Master Xuanzhen can only give him one. There are no more trials for him to pass, and no competitions with generous rewards. If he wants to build a foundation, he has to work honestly.
Fortunately, he has extremely profound magical powers and is an alchemist. Playing with fire is his profession. The speed at which he can refine purple gold is not comparable to that of ordinary people in the Qi Refining Stage. Others need several years to refine one hundred kilograms of purple gold, but he only needs half a year at most.
It only took him one year to go from the first level of Qi Refining to the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining with Five Spirit Veins.
It would take him half a year just to get a foundation-building pill. The road to becoming an immortal becomes more and more difficult as time goes by. Li Yu couldn't help but worry about his future practice.
Li Yu had just put away the small piece of purple gold when a shout came from behind him: "Hey, kid in front, hand over the purple gold you just refined, don't force us to do it..."
Li Yu looked back.
This glance made one of the five people not far away turn pale.
Xu Yi was devastated at this moment. He didn't understand why he kept running into Li Yu wherever he went?
After realizing what was happening, he kicked the ignorant junior brother away, then quickly walked up to Li Yu and said with a smile: "Daoyou Li, I'm so sorry. My junior brother is ignorant and offended me. I apologize to you here..."
A quarter of an hour later.
Xu Yi sat on a stone, looked back at the four people behind him, and said, "Refine it well, don't be lazy!"
The four Soul Refining Sect disciples squatted there obediently, with a ball of magic fire rising in their hands, concentrating on refining the purple gold stone in their hands.
They couldn't understand why Senior Brother Xu, a genius of the Soul Refining Sect, was so polite to this righteous disciple, and even a little humble. The two of them were eating roasted whole lamb, while they could only smell the aroma and refine purple gold for the righteous disciple.
Li Yu's gaze lingered on the flames in the hands of the four Soul Refining Sect disciples for a while.
Although also condensed by magic power, the magic fire of the evil disciples is different from that of the righteous disciples. The magic fire of the righteous disciples is scarlet red, while the magic fire of the evil disciples is dark black.
For the same spiritual vein, there would be such a difference between practicing it in the forward direction and practicing it in the reverse direction.
No wonder the alchemy methods of the righteous and evil sects are not mutually intelligible. It is not a matter of ability, but also has a lot to do with the fire of mana.
But soon, he withdrew his gaze and looked at a fire in front of him.
A lamb was roasting on the fire, and a secret sauce was applied to the lamb's skin. The wafting aroma of the meat whetted Li Yu's appetite.
The last time he went to Xu Ling Dong Tian, Xu Yi and several disciples of the Soul Refining Sect were roasting a whole lamb. In addition to cultivating immortality, this guy was also very knowledgeable about food. Although Li Yu and he belonged to different sects, they had no grudges against each other. For his sake, Li Yu did not care about the offense of the Soul Refining Sect disciple just now.
He simply took out two jars of spirit wine and ate while chatting with the other party.
Li Yu asked casually: "Why are you here?"
Xu Yi took a sip of the spirit wine and said, "I came here to refine some purple gold and return to the sect to exchange it for elixirs."
Li Yu was surprised and asked, "You geniuses also want to exchange purple gold for foundation-building pills?"
With Xu Yi's talent, if he were in Kunlun, he would be the kind of person who would practice to the peak of Qi Refining and the sect would actively give him free Foundation Establishment Pills.
"Foundation Building Pill?" Xu Yi was stunned when he heard that, then shook his head and said, "Where can the sect exchange for Foundation Building Pills? I want to exchange for a Qi-restoring pill. One pound of purple gold can be exchanged for a Qi-restoring pill. I used up all my Qi-restoring pills in the Thousand Poison Cave last time..."
Recovery Pills are the most common elixirs in Kunlun. A top-grade Recovery Pill costs about fifty spirit coins each, but at a private stall on Feilai Peak, it only costs forty spirit coins.
If it is of inferior quality, it can be bought with twenty spirit coins.
And the price of a pound of purple gold in Kunlun can be sold for hundreds of spirit coins.
Li Yu was surprised and asked, "Your Soul Refining Sect sells Qi-Recovering Pills at such a high price?"
Xu Yi said: "Of course it's expensive. A Qi-restoring pill can instantly restore your magic power. At a critical moment, it's like having an extra life..."
Li Yu suddenly realized that he had always viewed the magic path from the perspective of a Kunlun alchemist.
Although the Qi-Restoring Pill is only a first-grade pill, it is only cheap in Kunlun. For independent cultivators and disciples of the magic sect who are not good at refining pills, this thing is really a rare item.
He really is just eating meat.
But he was still a little surprised and said: "With your talent, wouldn't the Soul Refining Sect provide you with these for free?"
Xu Yi waved his hand and said, "In this world, what's the use of having good talents? It still depends on background and connections. The disciples and descendants of the Yuanying ancestors have Tongmai Pills and Foundation Building Pills. Since my grandfather passed away, I have no backing in the sect, so of course I can't get those resources..."
Li Yu was deeply touched by this and said, "It's the same everywhere..."
In terms of talent, the descendants of the sect's Nascent Soul ancestors are not necessarily much better than other disciples. The reason they can obtain so many resources for cultivation is more because of their background.
Xu Yi was cultivating dual spiritual veins. If he had a background, he would have established his foundation long ago and would not have been stuck at the peak of Qi Refining for so long.
Xu Yi looked at Li Yu and said, "So, Fellow Daoist Li is also here to refine purple gold in exchange for elixirs?"
Li Yu sighed and said, “In Kunlun, after reaching the peak of Qi Refining, one hundred kilograms of purple gold can be exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill.”
Xu Yi was greatly surprised and said, "With your strength and contribution to Kunlun, they didn't even give you the Foundation Establishment Pill directly. This is too unreasonable..."
Li Yu waved his hand and said, "Most of the sect's foundation-building pills have been given to the descendants of the Nascent Soul ancestors. The other disciples have to make contributions in exchange..."
The two men clinked the wine jars together, sighed with emotion, and felt a sense of sympathy.
Li Yu took a bite of the delicious lamb leg and suddenly thought of something. He said to Xu Yi, "Xu Daoyou, how about this ? You give me a pound of purple gold and I'll give you two top-grade Qi-restoring pills. What do you think?"
A pound of purple gold and two top-grade vitality-recovering pills?
Xu Yi was stunned.
Is there such a good thing?
You know, in the Soul Refining Sect, one pound of purple gold can only be exchanged for one Qi-restoring pill, which is a medium-grade pill with only two danwen. Not to mention the best Qi-restoring pill, even the top-grade Qi-restoring pill with three danwen is rare in the Soul Refining Sect...
Li Yu asked: "Why, you don't believe it?"
Xu Yi waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, I absolutely believe in the character of Fellow Daoist Li."
Although one of them is an evil man and the other is a righteous man, Xu Yi has no doubt about Li Yu's character.
It can be said that Li Yu's character is obvious to all in the world of immortal cultivation. Even in the world of magic, his name is a trademark.
Li Yu directly took out a bottle of Qi-recovering pills, handed it to Xu Yi, and said, "You can take a look at the pills first."
Xu Yi opened the pill bottle and was stunned when he saw the beautiful top-grade pills with five dan patterns on them.
At this time, Li Yu said, "If there are other people in your Soul Refining Sect who are willing to exchange purple gold for top-grade Qi-restoring pills, Brother Xu can also help me introduce them. The price is still the same, but for every ten people you introduce, I will give Brother Xu another top-grade Qi-restoring pill..."
Li Yu learned from the witch that although the righteous and the evil were at odds with each other, business was still done as usual.
Some of Kunlun's elixirs will also be sold to the Demonic Path in exchange for some spiritual medicines and herbs, or resources that other sects lack, but the prices are much more expensive. Relying on the technological monopoly, the Demonic Path is being slaughtered like a fat sheep.
Since the sect can do this business, he can do it too.
Of course he needed purple gold, but it would be a waste of time for him to search for and refine it slowly by himself. After all, he still had to compress his magic power and learn spells. For a cultivator, time is life and cannot be wasted.
He is an alchemist, so naturally he has to play to his strengths.
A Kunlun disciple would definitely not exchange a pound of purple gold for a recovery pill. Kunlun is a holy land of alchemy. The pills in the sect are of high quality and low price. Kunlun disciples also have high standards. Even a top-grade recovery pill has no other effect except restoring magic power.
But it is different for the demonic path. Scarcity makes things valuable. They cannot make any good elixirs. Ordinary energy-recovering pills have to be exchanged for purple gold.
These Soul Refining Sect disciples would rather work for the Demonic Path than for the Demonic Path. One person needs ten years to refine a hundred kilograms of purple gold, but ten people only need one year, and a hundred people may only need one month...
