CHAPTER 964: CHAPTER 528: ARTIFACT REFINING (2)

This avatar has the aura of a Great Cultivator and wears a robe, his appearance and demeanor exactly like Grandmaster Hu’s true self.

"Shizhen, you’ve worked hard! These are the texts prepared for you, make sure to balance your alchemy and cultivation time!" Grandmaster Hu smiled as he took out a storage bag and handed it to Li Shiming.

He didn’t pressure Li Shiming by asking about the alchemy results; Li Shiming would share if he wanted to, and it was understandable if he didn’t.

"Thank you, Master!" Li Shiming accepted the storage bag, which contained more than ten Jade Scrolls, all of which Grandmaster Hu had found according to his cultivation technique.

These texts aren’t the common ones from the Book Collection Pavilion; these Jade Scrolls include some of Grandmaster Hu’s own insights and texts he obtained through connections.

The value of these texts is immeasurable, and what’s most precious is Grandmaster Hu’s guidance, which can help Li Shiming avoid many detours.

Li Shiming’s gratitude was sincere; his cultivation lacked guidance.

"Master, I’ve let you down!" Li Shiming said with some shame.

"It’s alright, it’s normal to fail when you first try making a Nascent Soul Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pill. Reflect on the experience, and I’ll find a way to prepare more alchemy materials for you!" Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Hu couldn’t help but comfort Li Shiming.

He also felt regret for the two sets of Nascent Soul Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pill materials, but he didn’t want to discourage Li Shiming’s confidence because of this.

The alchemy talent exhibited by Li Shiming, as long as sufficiently nurtured, could definitely produce Nascent Soul Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pills surpassing those of other Alchemy Masters.

"Here are three Spirit Pills. I failed the first batch, but fortunately succeeded with the second!" Li Shiming took out a jade bottle and handed it over.

"You succeeded?" Grandmaster Hu was taken aback, then was overjoyed.

He thought both batches of Spirit Pills had failed and didn’t expect only one had, so it wasn’t a total loss.

He accepted the jade bottle, his Divine Sense entered, and he immediately noticed something amiss.

Three Fourth Grade Spirit Pills indicated that Li Shiming’s second batch resulted in a full pill, and the quality of these three Spirit Pills reached Intermediate, which made him extremely delighted.

He hadn’t seen Intermediate Quality Nascent Soul Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pills for a long time; the three Alchemy Masters within the sect couldn’t even guarantee a success rate, let alone a full pill.

As for achieving Intermediate Quality in a Nascent Soul Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pill, it’s not something that can be done by luck alone; forty days of alchemy requires real capability to ensure the quality of Fourth Grade Spirit Pills.

"Good, excellent!" Grandmaster Hu’s eyes were shining, muttering.

He rarely lost composure like this, showing just how excited he was.

In the Great Cultivator Realm, any increase in strength is extremely difficult.

Resources for a Great Cultivator are produced only in a few Grotto Heavens, making it nearly impossible to acquire Great Cultivator resources externally.

If Li Shiming can consistently maintain this level of alchemy, Grandmaster Hu felt hopeful about pursuing the path of a great power.

"Shizhen, I can’t break the Alchemy Master’s rules; I’ll accept these three Spirit Pills, with one being purchased by me, and I’ll also provide you with alchemy compensation, which I’ll deliver in a couple of days since this is just an avatar!" Grandmaster Hu steadied his emotions and said with a smile.

"Master, consider this my respect to you; you provided me with two sets of materials without expecting anything in return!" Li Shiming immediately shook his head and replied.

"Silly child, remember that whenever there’s an opportunity, you must strive for resources. As your master, I won’t give you resources without reason; everything must be earned by your abilities, let’s settle it this way!" Grandmaster Hu shook his head with a smile.

"Yes, Master!" Li Shiming no longer refused, bowing in agreement.

"By the way, prepare sixty portions of Fourth Grade Spirit Tea, and I’ll pick them up along with it in two days. I’ll make sure Old Ding and Chai provide you with more good things!" Grandmaster Hu then continued.

"I have them here, please wait a moment!" Li Shiming had a surplus of Fourth Grade Spirit Tea, and upon hearing his master’s request, he immediately retrieved sixty portions of Fourth Grade Spirit Tea from his Mustard Seed Ring, packed them in jade boxes, and handed them to Grandmaster Hu.

The sixty portions of Fourth Grade Spirit Tea were just sixty spirit tea leaves, it seemed Grandmaster Hu was planning for him, preparing to walk the path of scarcity elevating value.

"Do not disclose your success in making Nascent Soul Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pills yet; I will inform several Great Cultivators within the sect. They won’t be stingy towards you!" Grandmaster Hu advised Li Shiming before leaving.

Grandmaster Hu’s avatar flew out of the peak, appearing very rushed, showing great importance towards the three Nascent Soul Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pills, wanting to quickly deliver them to the true body.

Two days later, Grandmaster Hu’s avatar returned again, bringing a batch of Spiritual Objects.

Since Li Shiming himself was an Alchemy Master, Nascent Soul Early Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pill was not difficult for him to obtain, so Grandmaster Hu gave him some other Spiritual Objects instead of Spiritual Medicine.

These Spiritual Objects included five drops of ’Ten Thousand Year Stone Stalactite’, one Fourth Grade Twelve-leaf Golden Lotus, and twelve portions of Fourth-grade Array Materials.

The ’Ten Thousand Year Stone Stalactite’ is extremely useful, considered one of the top resources in the Cultivation World, and particularly irreplaceable for Nascent Soul cultivators.

A single drop of ’Ten Thousand Year Stone Stalactite’ can restore all the Spiritual Power Pattern of a Nascent Soul Early Stage Practitioner, and also repair mental damage, replenishing the cultivator’s energy and Spirit.

During battle, a Nascent Soul Early Stage Practitioner holding a drop of ’Ten Thousand Year Stone Stalactite’ would have longer-lasting stamina than other Nascent Soul Early Stage Practitioners.

’Ten Thousand Year Stone Stalactite’ isn’t just useful for Nascent Soul Early Stage practitioners, it’s equally effective for Middle Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators, although slightly discounted in effect.

No matter what, using ’Ten Thousand Year Stone Stalactite’ to instantly restore spiritual power is a lifesaving method across all Nascent Soul stages.

The Fourth Grade Twelve-leaf Golden Lotus, Li Shiming himself has one with a lower grade, the Third Grade Golden Lotus.

To upgrade a Third Grade Golden Lotus to a Fourth Grade Golden Lotus, even with some Fourth-grade materials, takes an extremely long growth period, making it uneconomical for him to upgrade the Third Grade Golden Lotus.

So he abandoned using the Third Grade Golden Lotus; given the concentration of Spiritual Energy in his cave, the effects of a Third Grade Golden Lotus are almost negligible.

The Fourth Grade Twelve-leaf Golden Lotus is the highest grade among Fourth Grade Golden Lotuses.

The reward given by Grandmaster Hu is calculated based on market price, without taking advantage of Li Shiming.

Additionally, these Spiritual Objects were prepared according to Li Shiming’s situation; ’Ten Thousand Year Stone Stalactite’ serves as another lifesaving tool for Li Shiming, while the Fourth Grade Twelve-leaf Golden Lotus enhances the quality of Spiritual Energy in Li Shiming’s cave, making Spiritual Energy more easily absorbed by him.

The twelve sets of Fourth-grade Array Materials correspond to the value exchange of sixty portions of Fourth Grade Spirit Tea, and this is definitely a great deal.

Fourth Grade Spirit Tea is a long-term consumable, and Grandmaster Hu has elevated the value of Li Shiming’s Fourth Grade Spirit Tea to an extremely high level.

With this transaction, any future cultivators wishing to exchange for Fourth Grade Spirit Tea must do so at this standard, reducing many troubles for Li Shiming.

Seeing even Great Cultivators pay such a price to exchange for Fourth Grade Spirit Tea, other cultivators wishing to exchange will undoubtedly have no objections.

Li Shiming planted the Fourth Grade Twelve-leaf Golden Lotus in the Fourth Grade Spirit Spring, where it swayed and emitted Spiritual Energy after absorption.

The Spiritual Energy emitted was not only purer but also carried a unique spiritual characteristic.

Li Shiming maintained a cultivation state, allowing four Nascent Souls to absorb the external Spiritual Energy, taking in the spirits transformed by the Fourth Grade Twelve-leaf Golden Lotus into his body.

He suddenly discovered that the Spiritual Energy transformed by the Fourth Grade Twelve-leaf Golden Lotus could increase his absorption speed of Spiritual Energy by five percent.

Don’t underestimate this five percent; when he truly closes himself off for cultivation, it can be a matter of years, and a five percent increase will be a substantial improvement.