13: Refine the Spirit Ascension Pill!

Outside the Hundred Herbs Garden, the Restriction light curtain remained as usual.

Lu Qiu's figure appeared here once again, familiar with the way.

As soon as he stood still, a figure walked out from within the garden—it was Han Li.

Seeing Lu Qiu, Han Li was clearly stunned for a moment.

Why was this Senior Brother Lu here again?

How much time had even passed?

Han Li still remembered that last time, Lu Qiu had used a three-hundred-year-old Jade Spirit Flower to exchange for a jade tablet to enter the Yue Lu Palace from Martial Uncle Ma.

"Junior Brother, we meet again."

Lu Qiu spoke first, a faint, indifferent smile on his face.

Han Li snapped back to his senses and hurriedly bowed in greeting, his attitude very respectful.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Lu. My name is Han Li."

"Junior Brother Han."

Lu Qiu nodded, then went straight to the point. "Trouble yourself to go in and inform Martial Uncle Ma that Lu Qiu requests an audience."

"Please wait a moment, Senior Brother."

Han Li nodded and turned to hurry into the depths of the garden.

A moment later, Martial Uncle Ma's extremely impatient roar drifted out from the garden.

"Tell him to get his ass in here!"

Lu Qiu had long expected this. His expression unchanged, he stepped through the opened Restriction and once again entered the Hundred Herbs Garden, which was permeated with the fragrance of medicine.

At that moment, Old Man Ma, whose withered frame made him look exactly like a human-sized rat, was squatting by a spirit field. He was carefully tending to a Spiritual Plant that looked quite extraordinary, not even turning his head.

"What did you brat come here for again?"

"Don't bother me if it's nothing. Can't you see I'm busy?"

Old Man Ma grumbled unhappily while tinkering with the Spiritual Plant, not even deigning to spare Lu Qiu a glance.

Lu Qiu was already accustomed to this eccentric Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

He stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Martial Uncle Ma, this Junior has long heard of your superb Alchemy skills and has specifically come to request a furnace of pills."

Old Man Ma's movements in tending the Spiritual Plant came to a sudden halt.

He slowly turned around, his small eyes filled with astonishment and disdain as he sized Lu Qiu up from head to toe.

"Requesting pills? You want me to help you refine pills?"

"Precisely," Lu Qiu nodded calmly.

"Scram, scram, scram!"

Old Man Ma acted as if he had heard the world's biggest joke. He jumped up from the ground and pointed at Lu Qiu's nose, cursing loudly.

"What kind of thing do you think you are? A mere Junior at the Qi Refining Stage, and you think you're worthy of having me open a furnace to refine pills for you? How precious is my time? Can you afford to waste it? Hurry up and get lost, don't be an eyesore here!"

His spittle was nearly flying into Lu Qiu's face.

Lu Qiu's expression didn't change; he simply held up one finger.

"One hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Old Man Ma's cursing came to an abrupt halt.

His small eyes instantly lit up, staring fixedly at Lu Qiu.

One hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

This was no small sum.

It was enough to purchase a fairly good Medium Grade Magical Artifact.

He still remembered the five-hundred-year-old Purple Spirit Flower Lu Qiu had brought last time.

A Qi Refining Disciple at the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refining having such a grand hand?

It seemed this brat had recently struck it rich.

Old Man Ma's mind became active, but his mouth remained unyielding as he feigned reserve and held up five fingers.

"Add fifty more!"

"I can refine them for you, but I won't guarantee the success rate. If the batch is ruined, the Spirit Stones won't be refunded."

"Then this Junior can only seek someone more capable."

Hearing this, Lu Qiu didn't hesitate for a second. He cupped his hands decisively, turned, and began to leave.

What a joke.

Paying one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones to have a Foundation Establishment Cultivator refine pills was already at the upper limit of the market price.

This old man still wanted to hike the price on the spot?

Did he really think his Spirit Stones were blown in by the wind?

Even though his Spirit Stones actually were picked up for nothing.

"Hey! You brat, stop right there!"

Seeing that Lu Qiu was truly leaving, Old Man Ma suddenly grew anxious and hurriedly called out to stop him.

How could he let a piece of fat meat that had reached his mouth fly away?

"Fine, fine! One hundred it is!"

Old Man Ma walked quickly to Lu Qiu, waving his hand with a pained expression, then found a way to save face.

"Seeing as you were once part of my Hundred Herbs Garden, I'll make an exception and help you this once! Not to be repeated!"

"Thank you, Martial Uncle."

Only then did Lu Qiu turn around, his face still maintaining that calm appearance.

From his Storage Pouch, he took out the Pill Formula for the 'human-grade spirit ascension pill' and all the prepared Alchemy Materials, handing them over along with one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Old Man Ma took the Pill Formula, and with just a glance, he was drawn in by the unfamiliar name.

"spirit ascension pill? What kind of pill is this? Why have I never heard of it?"

He had studied the Dao of Alchemy for decades and considered himself to have a thorough knowledge of various pills, yet he had never seen such a strange Pill Formula.

"It's a remnant formula I obtained by chance. It's said to be used to forcibly increase one's cultivation in a short period," Lu Qiu explained casually, without going into detail.

Old Man Ma half-believingly put away the Pill Formula and Materials, then counted the Spirit Stones. After confirming everything was correct, he waved his hand impatiently.

"Fine, leave the stuff. Come back in half a month to collect the pills."

"Then this Junior will not disturb Martial Uncle further."

Lu Qiu bowed and then turned to leave the Hundred Herbs Garden.

Not far away, Han Li, who was watering a patch of Spirit Medicine, had seen the entire scene clearly.

A hint of surprise couldn't help but rise in his heart as well.

One hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

This Senior Brother Lu had actually brought them out without even blinking, just to ask Martial Uncle Ma to refine a furnace of pills!

What kind of staggering wealth was this!

Han Li couldn't help but think of himself, having to calculate meticulously for just a few Spirit Stones. Comparing the two, it was simply the difference between heaven and earth.

"This Senior Brother Lu is truly quite wealthy."

His heart was filled with a thousand emotions.

However, what moved him even more was the Pill Formula named 'spirit ascension pill' that Lu Qiu had produced.

Increasing cultivation?

His recent cultivation happened to have hit a Bottleneck.

The cultivation speed of the Eternal Spring Art was already slow, and the Yellow Dragon Pill and Golden Essence Pill he had been taking previously were becoming less and less effective as his cultivation rose, almost losing their effect entirely.

He precisely needed a new, more potent pill to assist his cultivation.

Could this spirit ascension pill increase his cultivation?

Han Li's heart instantly became fervent... Lu Qiu left the Hundred Herbs Garden and headed straight back to Xuan Kun Mountain.

Just as he reached halfway up the mountain, someone approached him from the opposite direction.

It was none other than the eldest young master of the Chen family, Chen Liyuan, whom he had met once before.

"Junior Brother Lu, long time no see." Chen Liyuan took the initiative to smile and greet him.

"Senior Brother Chen." Lu Qiu stopped and responded politely.

"Seeing Junior Brother Lu in such a hurry, did you just return from the market?" Chen Liyuan asked casually.

"I went to the Hundred Herbs Garden to handle some business."

After a few pleasantries, Chen Liyuan shifted the conversation and suddenly mentioned a topic that made Lu Qiu's heart stir.

"Junior Brother Lu, do you have any plans to participate in the Blood Colored Trial six months from now?"

The Blood Colored Trial!

Was it going to start so soon?

Lu Qiu's heart sank abruptly.

Although he now had many trump cards, his cultivation was stuck at the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refining, still one step away from the Thirteenth Layer's Perfection.

More crucially, he didn't have a foundation establishment pill in his hands and couldn't undergo Foundation Establishment.

"To be honest with Senior Brother Chen, I am still hesitating," Lu Qiu replied, feigning indecision.

Hearing this, the smile on Chen Liyuan's face grew even wider.

"I understand your concerns. Although the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land is full of opportunities, it is also fraught with deadly peril. However, if you decide to participate, why don't the two of us team up when the time comes? We can look out for each other, and it will surely increase our safety by several degrees."

He was extending an olive branch.

Lu Qiu thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Chen. If I truly decide to participate, I will certainly let you know."

"Good, then I shall wait for your good news."

Chen Liyuan nodded with satisfaction, and after a few more words of chat, he took his leave.

Watching his receding back, Lu Qiu's mood became somewhat heavy.

A strong sense of urgency arose spontaneously.

If no information regarding a foundation establishment pill appeared in the daily intelligence within the next six months, then he would have to participate in this Blood Colored Trial.

No matter what, he had to get a foundation establishment pill to achieve Foundation Establishment!

It seemed he had to make some preparations in advance for entering the Blood Colored Trial.

Lu Qiu plotted silently in his heart.

Returning to his Immortal Cave, the stone door shut heavily.

Lu Qiu didn't delay for a moment, sitting cross-legged directly on the stone bed and taking out a Spirit Pill to restore magic power from his Storage Pouch to consume.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his mouth, and a gentle surge of spiritual power instantly flowed through his limbs and bones.