The man, the dog, and the flood dragon ate over fifty pounds of fish, and they had to refill the Spirit Water in the Alchemy Cauldron more than a dozen times. Yang Jing closed his eyes to meditate, refining the surging Spiritual Qi in his body into Magical Power. He then converted all the roiling vital energy into Celestial True Yang.
The meal even slightly improved his talent for Body Refinement.
A single ten-foot-long Dragon Blood Carp yielded over seven hundred pounds of meat. Yang Jing took out an Ice Talisman, froze the rest of the meat, and stored it away in a large vat.
Yinjiao easily refined the Spiritual Qi in its body, but the roiling vital energy made it feel a little drunk. It flew up unsteadily before splashing into the pool.
[Affinity: 85]
Yang Jing shook his head slightly. 'Perhaps because it experienced hardships in its youth, Yinjiao's Affinity is rising even faster than Iron Head's.'
Lying comfortably on the ground digesting its meal, Iron Head suddenly felt a chill run down its spine.
"Iron Head, this is the Nine Infant Pill Scripture. Take it and study it carefully. It contains the Pill Formula for the Transformation Pill, but its Spirit Medicines are hard to gather. For now, focus on refining the Muscle Strengthening Pill, the Golden Skin Pill, and the Jade Bone Pill. Use these three Spirit Pills to improve your Alchemy. The ingredients for the Transformation Pill are precious, so you won't get many attempts at refining it."
As Yang Jing spoke, he took out a large bag of processed Spirit Medicines from his Storage Bag.
Upon hearing the words "Transformation Pill," Iron Head grew so excited it started spinning in circles. Because it wasn't in human form, its True Yang Body was stuck at a bottleneck, making it difficult to advance.
Pressing the Jade Scroll to its forehead, Iron Head spent over four hours absorbing the information before slowly opening its eyes.
[Mica Refining Technique: Integrated (38%)]
The Nine Infant Pill Scripture was merely a collection of Pill Formulas, so Iron Head didn't gain a new Skill after reading it through once. However, the annotations were still a tremendous help, and the progress of its Mica Refining Technique surged forward significantly.
It carefully studied the Pill Formula for the Muscle Strengthening Pill several times before beginning the alchemy process. It skillfully stoked the fire, controlled the temperature, and added the Spirit Medicines.
About thirty minutes later, a medicinal fragrance wafted from the Alchemy Cauldron. Even though this was its first time refining the Muscle Strengthening Pill, the success rate wasn't low. It produced six Formed Pills, two of which were Upper Grade.
Yang Jing took one of the Upper Grade pills from the Alchemy Cauldron and immediately consumed it.
A moment later, a wave of heat washed back and forth over the major tendons throughout his body. It took a full hour to slowly dissipate.
Yang Jing made a quick assessment. The Muscle Strengthening Pill was only slightly more effective at strengthening his major tendons than his Celestial True Yang. However, because his Celestial True Yang was spread thin strengthening his entire body—down to his very organs—the pill still provided a significant boost to his Body Refinement. On top of that, the effects of the two could even be stacked.
Iron Head then refined the Golden Skin Pill and the Jade Bone Pill. The former could increase one's Qi Power, while the latter could enhance the toughness of one's bones. Both were extremely practical Body Refining Spirit Pills.
Yang Jing took an Upper Grade pill of each type and consumed them. He then immediately performed a set of the Tiger Roar Iron Cloth Shirt. The medicinal power of the Spirit Pills, combined with his Celestial True Yang, washed over his entire body, producing an astonishing Body Refinement effect.
'The effects of this single routine are comparable to ten days of hard training for an ordinary Body Refining Cultivator. The efficiency of True Yang Body Refining is simply too high.' With the added assistance of Spirit Pills, Yang Jing estimated that his physical body would reach its limit in less than five years.
The gap between one's physical body, Magical Power, and Divine Sense cannot be too large. If the body becomes too powerful, the Divine Sense will be unable to control the turbulent Celestial True Yang and Qi Power, resulting in a backlash that harms the cultivator. Such a situation could only be resolved by reaching Foundation Establishment or by practicing a cultivation technique that strengthens the Divine Sense.
Secret Techniques for strengthening the Divine Sense were the closely guarded secrets of the Major Sects, and only True Disciples were qualified to learn them. Unlike Body Refining and Qi Refining Techniques, which made it easy to spot someone who had stolen them, these Divine Sense techniques were almost impossible for an outsider to identify unless the practitioner willingly revealed them.
Yang Jing actually knew where to find a top-tier Refining God Technique, but the location was extremely dangerous and would require careful, long-term planning.
Just then, a Communication Talisman flew in from outside his Array.
Yang Jing caught it and infused it with his Magical Power. The talisman came to life with the voice of Village Chief Li Yuanqing, and Yang Jing sat and listened to the end of the message.
Li Yuanqing explained in the message that a number of Cultivators had recently appeared outside San Yuanli. They were trying to gather information on Yang Jing, and Li Yuanqing warned him not to leave his home for the time being.
Yang Jing sighed. 'To think that after years of being so careful, I'd end up a target just for getting lucky and catching one Dragon Blood Carp.' For a Cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Stage, over six hundred Spirit Stones was an absolute fortune, and his apparent level of Cultivation wasn't nearly enough to intimidate anyone who might be after it.
After a moment of deliberation, he cut off a twenty-pound slab of fish meat, tied it with hemp rope, put it in his Storage Bag, and set off for Li Yuanqing's home.
Li Yuanqing's son and daughter-in-law had been killed by Tribulation Cultivators, leaving him with only his granddaughter. At his age, he had no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment; his only goal was to manage his three-mu Spirit Field and build an inheritance for her.
His Cave Mansion wasn't protected by a Fog Array. The three-mu Spirit Field was covered with lush, verdant Purple Scale Grass that shimmered with a purple light. Purple Scale Grass was the primary ingredient for Tier One Upper Grade Talisman Paper; it took two years to mature and had to be replanted after each harvest. Across the field, in an area with slightly weaker Spiritual Qi, stood a two-courtyard residence.
Li Yuanqing was a master of Talisman Making and Talisman Painting, and he earned a handsome income by producing and selling his own talismans. When Yang Jing arrived, he found the old man relaxing in a lounge chair, enjoying the cool breeze. His granddaughter, Li Jingjing, was seated at a square table, practicing her Talisman Making, while a few mortal servant women attended to them.
Li Jingjing still had a touch of baby fat on her cheeks. She was dressed in a goose-yellow, cross-collared robe, her hair tied up in two buns. Upon seeing Yang Jing, she shyly darted back into the house.
When Li Yuanqing saw the fish meat in Yang Jing's hand, his eyes crinkled into a smile. He had only sent the Communication Talisman as a kind warning, not expecting to get a meal of fish in return.
"I never thought I'd get to taste Dragon Blood Carp in this lifetime."
As he spoke, Li Yuanqing first dismissed the servant women before carefully storing the fish. Dragon Blood Carp Flesh was rumored to slightly improve a person's innate talent, and he couldn't bear to eat it himself, planning to save it for his granddaughter.
"Ah, Little Brother Yang, you must have come about those Independent Cultivators."
"That's exactly it. Brother Li, I don't have much worldly experience. I've never faced a situation like this, and I honestly don't know what to do. I was hoping you could give me some advice."
Yang Jing said, his face troubled.
Li Yuanqing was a kind and decent man with many contacts. His network in Huangyuan Marketplace was far more extensive than Yang Jing's. He stroked his beard:
"Little Brother Yang, as for the people targeting you, the ordinary Independent Cultivators are nothing to worry about. Just stay inside your Cave Mansion and don't come out. Most of those cultivators live hand-to-mouth; they can't afford a long stakeout. Once things blow over, you'll be safe."
He paused here, his expression growing serious.
"What I'm about to say next is for your ears only. You must not, under any circumstances, repeat it to anyone else."
Yang Jing replied with a solemn expression,
"Of course!"
Li Yuanqing continued,
"A Dragon Blood Carp is enough to make an Independent Cultivator or a Tribulation Cultivator risk life and limb, fighting to the death for it. But for the truly powerful figures, its value only goes so far. We are, after all, registered here. If things get too ugly, it wouldn't look good if word got back to the higher-ups in the Six Great Sects. Unfortunately, there's someone who reached Qi Cultivation Perfection in the last couple of years. For a chance at Foundation Establishment, they've decided to become completely shameless."