CHAPTER 103: 103 BOTTLENECK

Lin Bai didn’t know how to solve inflation, and neither did Xu Longyun.

In the end, Lin Bai swayed Xu Longyun with one sentence: "Life will always find its way."

So, Xu Longyun agreed to Lin Bai’s idea of heavily advertising the arrival of the skyfallen in Jiamucheng, on the condition that it must be reported to the City Lord’s Mansion.

She felt she had no other choice.

The twenty-two basic cities of Taiyi Country had communication with each other.

Since the arrival of the skyfallen, the lives of the people in Jiamucheng could be said to have been the most peaceful and stable.

Xu Longyun knew in her heart that this was all thanks to Lin Bai; he alone had drawn the attention of all the skyfallen to himself.

As a result, the harassment of the ordinary people by the skyfallen diminished significantly. This was also why Xu Longyun repeatedly indulged, tolerated, and even protected Lin Bai.

Using evil to counter evil; that was probably the principle at play, she mused.

「」

As for the advertising, people from the City Lord’s Mansion went to the Beggar Gang to handle the arrangements. Lin Bai couldn’t be bothered with such trivial matters and went to his Alchemy Room.

As the *Heavenly Remnant Collection* continued to gain traction, spreading by word of mouth among the scholars, the progress of the "incomplete value" was visibly increasing.

Lin Bai estimated that in at most two days, he would obtain seventy years’ worth of Inner Strength.

By then, he would truly be counted among the top-tier experts.

Lin Bai had subtly asked Xu Longyun about the significance of Martial Arts and Cultivation in this world, and the relative strengths of the two paths.

Below the Golden Core stage, with the same cultivation time, if one possessed an advanced Cultivation Technique, Martial Artists could mostly surpass cultivators.

However, once a cultivator formed a Golden Core, they could manipulate the power of heaven and earth with their magical power, and their combat strength would far surpass that of Martial Artists.

But Core Formation was difficult for cultivators; they consumed far more resources than Martial Artists and, moreover, required a high degree of natural talent.

Therefore, most people in the world still primarily practiced Martial Arts. Even cultivators, in their early stages, would often practice some Martial Arts techniques for self-protection.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng, for example, was assigned to Jiamucheng to guard the Spiritual World Gap after failing to break through to the Golden Core stage. In Cultivation Sects, individuals like him were basically considered abandoned.

For this exact reason, Lin Bai had been able to persuade him with just a few words. Daoist Priest Qingfeng was well aware that if he died, the Return to Dragon View might not necessarily avenge him.

This was not to say that cultivators were definitively stronger than Martial Artists.

In the world of Martial Arts, there were always astonishing individuals who cultivated a "golden body," breaking through the constraints of Martial Arts with sheer power, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas with a single punch, shocking ghosts and gods.

They possessed overwhelming combat strength, such that even powerful Loose Immortals had to avoid their might.

Strictly speaking, they could no longer be considered mere Martial Artists; rather, they had chosen the path of entering the Dao through Martial Arts.

「」

To put it in gaming terms: Martial Artists excelled in the early game, while cultivators shone in the mid to late game.

But in the true endgame, whether Martial Artists or cultivators were superior depended on Skills and talent.

However, when it came to Players, the advantages and disadvantages of Martial Artists and cultivators ceased to exist. It all depended on what class they wanted to play!

Therefore, if Lin Bai wanted to live a better life, his only recourse was to constantly maintain his own strength and disrupt this world’s class system. In other words, he needed to encourage Players to neglect their supposed roles as much as possible.

This is the path I’ve planned for myself, Lin Bai thought. But influencing the world requires a voice and personal strength. So, I must ensure my strength far surpasses that of the Players. Through my influence, I need to gradually connect with NPCs, eventually forming alliances and subtly swaying their decisions. Speaking of which, this is a tough path, but I’ve been navigating it well so far. I’ve not only opened up a market among the Players but also gained some influence with the imperial authorities through Xu Longyun. The next step is to win over those large Cultivation Sects.

「」

Jiang Qingqin was at the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment stage, not yet having reached the Golden Core.

This time, she had taken on the task of escorting the skyfallen to Qian City, firstly to visit Xu Longyun in Jiamucheng and reminisce, and secondly for experiential training, seeking an opportunity to break through.

Once she broke through, she would be promoted to the ranks of Golden Core True Cultivators, becoming a true master.

When that happens, my Inner Strength cultivation might not be enough to compare, Lin Bai considered. And many of those stationed in Qian City by various sects to recruit apprentices are Golden Core masters. So, I’m eager to improve my strength. With no breakthroughs in sight for my Inner Strength or Martial Arts recently, my only hope lies in Pill Medicine. The Pill Medicines I’ve whimsically concocted have all turned out to be quite marvelous. Unlike Xu Longyun, I’m not interested in the primary effects of the Pill Medicines, but rather their side effects. If used well, these side effects could be surprisingly effective in future battles.

However, perhaps the previous Pill Medicines had exhausted his accumulated Qi Yun, or perhaps he was distracted by too many things.

For two consecutive days, he hadn’t managed to develop any new Pill Medicines. Even modifying the Dan Fangs for the Revitalizing Pill and the Belly Filling Pill yielded no new recipes.

Let alone the Detoxification Pill and Poison Pill Lin Bai was hoping for.

「」

"A bottleneck? Are you joking?" Xu Longyun almost burst out laughing when she heard Lin Bai’s complaints. "What more could you want? In less than half a month, you’ve concocted three new Dan Fangs! Innovating new Dan Fangs... even the top Alchemists of Medicine King Valley might not deduce a single new one in a year. Do you really think developing Dan Fangs is as simple as a Stir Fry?"

"Are the Pill Masters of Medicine King Valley that inept?" Lin Bai asked.

"It’s not that they’re inept," Xu Longyun said, giving Lin Bai a sharp look. "Since the dawn of Alchemy, all sorts of Pill Medicines have been researched by our predecessors. Each Dan Fang is already perfected. It’s not easy to modify them, let alone create an entirely new one."

"Is creating a new Dan Fang really that difficult?" Lin Bai asked in surprise.

"What do you think?" Xu Longyun retorted.

"..." Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun and said sheepishly, "I get the feeling I sold my Dan Fangs too cheaply."

[Resentment from Xu Longyun +1+1]

"What are you on about?" Xu Longyun shot him a glare. "Strictly speaking, only your fifteen-minute Fasting Pill truly counts as a new Dan Fang. The Dan Fangs for the other two Revitalizing Pills were just modifications of existing ones, and their practical use isn’t high. I already overpaid! If you can’t come up with any more Dan Fangs, I suggest you go manage your Beggar Gang and stop bothering me here."

"Oh." Lin Bai smiled, holding the Little White Fox in his arms, then turned and left.

He had only taken two steps when Xu Longyun’s voice came from behind: "Your inability to research new Dan Fangs might be due to the Herbal Medicines. The ones in Jiamucheng are all common varieties. High-grade Herbal Medicines require Spiritual Fields to cultivate, a condition Jiamucheng lacks. Most Spiritual Fields are controlled by Cultivation Sects. If you truly want to walk the path of an Alchemist, you must have your own sect, and within that sect, a Spiritual Field dedicated to growing Herbal Medicines."

"Thanks." Lin Bai turned back, smiled, waved to Xu Longyun, and continued on his way out.

As expected, he thought. Cultivation resources are all interconnected. What’s holding me back isn’t the Herbal Medicines, but Jiamucheng, this Novice Village. The *Everything Has Shortcomings System*, the *Peerless Divine Doctor System*, the *Super Sect Leader System*, even the *Emotional System* and several other powerful Systems are all stuck in this Novice Village. One thing after another is pushing me to leave. It’s impossible to just hide in the Novice Village and grind until I reach the top before venturing out. But it’s still two days until I head to Qian City. I can’t just waste this time.

Walking down the street, Lin Bai observed the rapidly changing Jiamucheng, now filled with advertisements everywhere. He pondered what other Systems he could develop. Hundred Flower Valley, Medicine King Valley, Spirit Artifact Pavilion... Spirit Artifact Pavilion, that’s right! If there are Pill Medicines, there must also be Magic Treasures. How could I have overlooked the Artifact Refining profession? The stones of other hills can be used to polish one’s own jade. Maybe it’s time for a change in perspective.