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Chapter 59: Crowdfunding Pill Refinement
Lan Chang'an and Du Wei were merely nodding acquaintances as neighbors.
Du Wei's invitation to the wedding feast was nothing more than a ploy to make some money.
Ordinary cultivators, especially wandering cultivators, spend their entire lives in pursuit of various important pills.
Cultivation pills, breakthrough pills, recovery pills, detoxifying pills, beauty pills, life-prolonging pills...to name a few.
There could always come a day when they might need to seek out an alchemist.
Hence, when the neighbors received invitations, they would express themselves to some degree.
Lan Chang'an did not have a great need for ordinary pills.
However, he had to obtain breakthrough pills for major realms, such as the Foundation Establishment Pill.
The Evergreen Technique, tempered over an immensely long period, brought with it deep roots and foundations, pure mana, and sturdy meridians.
He speculated that breaking through major realms would at least provide some enhancements.
Combined with his past life experience, he might have a decent chance of advancing even without using a Foundation Establishment Pill.
But who wouldn't want to increase their odds of a successful breakthrough?
Failing the attempt to break through a major realm would severely damage one's vital energy and foundations to some extent.
Lan Chang'an had no worries about lifespan, so he naturally wanted to maximize his chances of success.
...
Three days later, Du Wei's Pill Heart Residence was brightly decorated, with a constant stream of cultivators coming to offer congratulatory gifts.
"Zhang Hong, thirty years old Ice Snow Fruit, one pound."
"Scholar Chen, twenty spirit stones."
At the entrance of the manor, there was a butler specifically tallying the gifts, with a cultivator announcing them loudly.
Lan Chang'an stepped forward and handed over his gift box.
"Talisman Master Lan! Two superior-grade first-rank talismans! Six middle-grade first-rank talismans!" The announcer's voice rose slightly.
Lan Chang'an's gift was six middle-grade talismans and two superior-grade talismans, all of ordinary quality.
Worth seventy to eighty spirit stones, equivalent to a low-grade magical weapon, it was not an inexpensive gift.
For Lan Chang'an's talisman skills, the cost was less than a third.
Superior-grade talismans were comparable to a single spell cast by a late Qi-Refining cultivator, inferior in might to a middle-grade magical weapon activated by a late Qi-Refining cultivator.
The advantage of talismans was that they only required a small amount of mana to activate.
The downside was that they were single-use consumable items, inferior in power to magical weapons and secret techniques of the same realm, and slightly less precise.
After reaching the seventh layer of Qi-Refining, Lan Chang'an planned to refine second-rank talismans. With his powerful spiritual sense, he had a decent chance of succeeding.
It was just that the materials for second-grade talismans were too scarce!
Second-rank talisman pens, second-rank spirit inks, second-rank talisman papers - how easy would it be to gather them all?
He also could not be too overt in collecting them.
Currently, Lan Chang'an had only acquired a few second-rank talisman papers of poor quality, while the spirit inks and pens he used were still first-grade.
His attempts at drawing them only produced two inferior second-rank talismans. In terms of power, they were not much different from a premium Golden Blade Talisman.
A superior-grade premium Golden Blade Talisman had power reaching the threshold of the early Foundation Establishment Realm.
Lan Chang'an was in a situation akin to a skilled wife unable to cook because of the lack of rice. He could only wait until he had gathered the materials before refining more second-rank talismans.
...
"Talisman Master Lan, thank you for your generosity! Please come in."
Upon hearing the announcement of the gift, Du Wei enthusiastically came out to welcome him.
He ushered Lan Chang'an into the main hall to be seated at a private table, separate from the public banquet in the courtyard.
The treatment was fundamentally different from the courtyard banquet.
For instance, Master Guan and his disciple, whose gift was worth just a few spirit stones, were seated in the courtyard.
"Miss Su, a gift of one hundred spirit stones and one middle-grade magical weapon." A more excited and elated voice came from the entrance. The surrounding cultivators turned their heads in surprise.
The one presenting the gift was none other than Su Xuetong. This gift was worth two to three hundred spirit stones, the most valuable gift of the day. 𝚏r𝗲ewe𝚋𝐧𝚘vel.𝚌𝚘m
Even Lan Chang'an was caught off guard.
The gift he had given was already considered generous, as this was merely a banquet celebrating the taking of a concubine.
"This woman's extravagance likely means that the man behind her is seeking something from Alchemist Hua, possibly a Foundation Establishment Pill." Lan Chang'an pondered.
It was highly possible that, like himself, she was scheming to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill! There would be no need to pay such a price for other purposes.
Lan Chang'an still had some years before reaching Foundation Establishment, with ample lifespan, so he was not in a rush.
From Su Xuetong's lavish gift, the man behind her might be more urgent, having stagnated at the ninth level of Qi-Refining for many years, wanting to quickly gain access to Alchemist Hua's door.
"Talisman Master Lan."
Su Xuetong, graceful and charming, greeted him with a gentle voice as she took a seat at the head of his table.
At the banquet, Su Xuetong exuded a coquettish allure, her bewitching gaze probing tentatively:
"For Talisman Master Lan to be seated in the main hall, your gift must have been quite generous. I wonder what it is you seek from Alchemist Du."
"Nothing in particular, just a simple desire to befriend Alchemist Du." Lan Chang'an smiled faintly, giving a perfunctory reply.
He did not care what Su Xuetong might suspect.
Perhaps she thought that he had moved next door to Du Wei in order to scheme for a Foundation Establishment Pill on behalf of the forces behind him.
...
Du Wei was skilled at dealing with people.
In the days after the celebratory banquet, he invited those who had given more generous gifts to visit his residence in batches.
Du Wei naturally knew that those cultivators who sent lavish gifts mostly wanted something from him.
If he simply accepted the gifts without doing anything, it would ruin his reputation, and who would give him favors in the future?
Moreover, some of the gift-giving cultivators were ones Du Wei could not easily offend, either due to their backgrounds or formidable strength.
Lan Chang'an and his neighbor Su Xuetong were among the same batch of invited cultivators.
Du Wei personally received the two of them with relative courtesy.
"The two Fellow Daoists, one with a gentle jade-like demeanor, the other an unparalleled beauty, truly a pair of talented scholars and beauty." Du Wei laughed as he complimented them, his thin mustache trembling slightly.
"Alas, Talisman Master Lan likely does not look upon this withered flower with favor." Su Xuetong's gaze was filled with melancholy as she adopted a pitiful and frail demeanor.
"This Lan's cultivation is shallow, nearly fifty years of age, unworthy of Miss Su." Lan Chang'an replied expressionlessly.
If he did not know about the burly ninth-layer Qi-Refining cultivator who had visited Su Xuetong's separate courtyard under the cover of night, he might have thought this woman had some interest in him.
After all, Lan Chang'an's appearance and bearing in this life were indeed quite impressive.
Du Wei was merely making light conversation to enliven the atmosphere, with no real intention of matching the two of them.
In truth, he was quite tempted by Su Xuetong, but did not dare provoke her.
...
After they had enough wine and food, Du Wei invited the two of them to appreciate the flowers in the courtyard.
During this time, he spoke privately with Su Xuetong and Lan Chang'an separately.
When Su Xuetong and Du Wei conversed, they set up a sound-isolating spell, but it could not conceal anything from Lan Chang'an's powerful spiritual sense.
Just as Lan Chang'an had guessed, during their conversation, Su Xuetong made it clear she wanted to get acquainted with Alchemist Hua, with the man behind her seeking to have a Foundation Establishment Pill refined.
"Miss Su, my master's schedule for pill refinement bookings is full until ten years from now. You understand, there are quite a few major powers in the city that my master cannot easily offend." Du Wei looked troubled.
"Additionally, to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, you need to provide the materials yourselves, preferably pooling them together with other cultivators." For an individual to gather all the materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill alone was extremely difficult. Only major cultivation forces could accomplish that.
Gathering a complete set of materials, with an experienced second-rank alchemist taking action to open the furnace and refine the pill, would often yield more than just a single pill. Lan Chang'an was well aware of this.
In other words, it was crowdfunding for pill refinement.
"We've prepared some of the materials, though one or two of the main ingredients are quite troublesome," Su Xuetong replied.
Finally, she pleaded softly:
"I hope Alchemist Du can help by introducing us to Senior Hua. This young lady will surely be grateful!"
Master Hua was an alchemist who had previously helped wandering cultivators refine Foundation Establishment Pills with a decent reputation.
As long as they could form a connection with Alchemist Hua, they could cooperate with other cultivators gathering materials for Foundation Establishment Pills, giving them a chance to obtain one.
"This Du will do his best! To be honest, it has been difficult for me to see my master in recent years." Du Wei sighed, speaking as if he was being imposed upon.
"Thank you for your efforts, Fellow Daoist Du." Su Xuetong said, her eyes moist and voice alluring.
...
Afterwards, Du Wei also had a private conversation with Lan Chang'an.
During their talk, Du Wei probed to see if Lan Chang'an had any requests.
"This Lan has only recently advanced to the seventh layer of Qi-Refining these past two to three years, so I do not have a great need for pills at the moment. However, having the rare opportunity to become a neighbor of such an experienced alchemist, this Lan naturally wishes to interact more." Lan Chang'an smiled without immediately revealing his intentions.
Even if he did, Du Wei would most likely assume he had a backer who wanted a Foundation Establishment Pill refined.
"Of course, we should interact more! I've heard Fellow Daoist Lan's talisman skills are quite accomplished. I believe we will both be able to obtain what we need in the future." Du Wei revealed a beaming smile.
He understood the implication that while Lan Chang'an had no needs currently, he would likely have requests in the future.
In that case, Lan Chang'an would certainly provide him with some benefits during their interactions.
"By the way, I previously acquired the inheritance of an alchemy master by chance in the secular world. After organizing it, I shall gift a copy to Alchemist Du to take a look." At the end of their conversation, Lan Chang'an dangled a small enticement.
"An alchemy master's inheritance? What level is it?" Du Wei's eyes lit up with interest.
"I'm not too sure myself, but at least a superior-grade first-rank alchemy master's inheritance. It might even be a fragmented second-rank inheritance." Lan Chang'an replied ambiguously.
"Fellow Daoist Lan is too kind!" Du Wei's tone became much warmer.
A first-rank superior-grade inheritance could serve as a reference for improving his skills. If it was a second-rank inheritance, the attraction would be even greater.
Although Du Wei was a disciple of a second-rank alchemist, he definitely had reservations when teaching, only passing down the core skills to a mantle heir.
...
After leaving the Pill Heart Residence, Lan Chang'an inwardly nodded, having smoothly taken this step to draw closer to Du Wei.
The alchemy inheritances in his possession were not limited to just one. From his past life's memories, he had three second-rank pill refining inheritances.
Adding the one second-rank inheritance obtained from Liang Shaotian, he had a total of four. For an alchemist's inheritance, the more the better.
As for the more niche body cultivation techniques and the way of the puppets, he had paid limited attention to them in his past life due to constraints on his time and effort.
Lan Chang'an planned to offer the worst second-rank low-grade alchemy inheritance and give a portion of it to Du Wei as bait.
Once their relationship deepened and Du Wei was hooked, would he still refuse to lend his efforts to help Lan Chang'an?
....