"That’s enough. You two can leave," Lü Zhong said, his voice edged with frustration.

He watched his two concubines leave, steadying themselves against the wall. They were stunningly beautiful, with graceful figures that were second to none. Dual cultivation with them was an exquisite pleasure, yet he was in a foul mood.

He had run into trouble cultivating the Jade Vein Technique.

The Jade Vein Technique offered numerous benefits. It not only addressed his slow cultivation progress but was also a great asset in combat. Once his meridians could withstand a greater strain, he could cast more Magic Skills in a shorter amount of time.

Wielding multiple Spiritual Artifacts at once and maintaining a higher output rate of Magical Power would also allow him to unleash even greater strength.

Combat between Foundation Establishment True Cultivators wasn’t about esoteric advantages like Sword Intent. It was simply a contest of who could unleash more Magical Power than their opponent in a shorter time.

As the saying goes, sufficient power can break through any technique.

If one held the advantage in Magical Power output, they would almost always have the upper hand in combat.

Having tasted the benefits of mastering the First Layer of the Jade Vein Technique, Lü Zhong was eager to master the Second Layer as well.

So, after he finished repairing his Spirit Puppet, he made a special trip to the Human Market to purchase a Medicine Boy.

Her name was Xia Hex. She was a beautiful, curvaceous woman with Three Spirit Roots and a cultivation at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining. In the past, she had been a shareholder in a sea vessel that plied the East Sea Route. Unfortunately, the ship was destroyed by a sea-dwelling Demon Beast, leaving her bankrupt and saddled with immense debt. She had no choice but to find work to pay it off, which led to Lü Zhong hiring her for twenty Spirit Stones a month.

Compounding low-level spiritual medicine was easy in Changchun Immortal City, and she quickly prepared a vat of the Vein Tempering Medicine for him.

However, just as the description for the Jade Vein Technique stated, cultivating it required the corresponding Vein Tempering Formula. Since Lü Zhong was now practicing the Second Layer, he needed to use the Vein Tempering Formula Great Cycle Chapter. Otherwise, he would end up just like he had today: toiling for ages with little to show for it.

’It looks like I’ll have to find a way to gather the ingredients for the Great Cycle Chapter’s Vein Tempering Formula after all...’ At this thought, Lü Zhong’s brow furrowed once more.

The Great Cycle Chapter was different from the Minor Cycle Chapter. Most of the Spirit Medicines required for its Vein Tempering Formula had to be at least three hundred years old. It wasn’t that such ingredients were unavailable on the market. Changchun Immortal City sat at a crossroads of land and sea, and a great number of Spirit Medicines from all over found their way there.

But while Spirit Medicines were plentiful, they weren’t easy to purchase with Spirit Stones alone. They typically only appeared at periodic auctions or circulated within the various small social circles of Changchun Immortal City, making them extraordinarily difficult to obtain.

Then, his thoughts turned to the Creation Spirit Liquid. Lü Zhong felt this might be his breakthrough.

This Secret Technique could solve the problem of his Spirit Medicines not being old enough. He figured he could probably use hundred-year-old Spirit Medicines to create the Vein Tempering Medicine he needed for the Great Cycle Chapter. At worst, it would just cost him more Spirit Stones.

The problem, then, came back to Alchemy.

As for how to get into the Alchemy Dao, Lü Zhong had been in Changchun Immortal City for three years and had come to understand the city much better. His options for learning were no longer limited to the Money Hermit’s Golden Core Studio. Based on his current situation, he had scouted out two new places to study the Alchemy Dao.

They were the Medicine Flower Hall and Dongbu House.

At both establishments, one could learn the traditions of Alchemy in exchange for Spirit Stones. They had far more rules than the Golden Core Studio, but thankfully, none were particularly binding. In fact, they presented an opportunity to build connections and integrate into the local Alchemist circles.

This was what Lü Zhong valued most.

The Golden Core Studio had clear advantages, but it was best suited for cultivators who came to Changchun Immortal City only to learn Alchemy. Since he planned to stay here for the long haul, integrating into the local community was essential. It would not only help him avoid unnecessary trouble but also grant him access to a wealth of information.

Thus, he ruled out the Golden Core Studio.

’So, which one should I choose?’ Lü Zhong wondered.

Medicine Flower Hall and Dongbu House each had their pros and cons. The former boasted a strong team of instructors who provided meticulous guidance, but its drawback was that the hall master’s own accomplishments in the Alchemy Dao were not profound, so he could not impart the traditions of Tier Three Alchemy. Dongbu House was the exact opposite. Its teaching style was completely hands-off, meaning how much you learned depended entirely on you. However, if you proved capable enough, you could learn the Tier Three Alchemy traditions that were nearly impossible to find elsewhere.

He didn’t have enough information to make a decision right away, so he decided to "audit" a class at each before choosing.

...

Early the next morning, Lü Zhong washed up and got dressed with the help of his handmaidens.

He had to admit, under Li Hejun’s management, the inner courtyard ran in perfect order. He didn’t have to worry about a single thing. Everything was prepared for him before he even woke up, allowing him to focus all his energy on what truly mattered.

After eating some Wontons filled with Spirit Fish, he drank a bowl of Iced Sour Soup with Spirit. Xia Hex had worked through the night to meticulously prepare it with eighteen different Spirit Medicines, and its refreshing properties instantly invigorated him.

’Ah, cultivation is a wonderful thing!’ Lü Zhong thought to himself.

The Immortal Dao valued life, but Longevity was a distant, unattainable goal. How could it compare to the tangible pleasures of the present?

His future on the path of cultivation was promising. To be able to live such a pleasant life—enjoying fine food and wine each morning, with beautiful concubines to serve him each night—was a world away from sleeping in the wilderness and hiding in some remote cave, constantly terrified. It made the life-or-death struggles he had endured in the Chenyuan Palace Secret Realm all worthwhile.

At this thought, his motivation to cultivate grew stronger.

Just before he left, Lü Zhong noticed the three women had yet to rise. He figured they must have been thoroughly worn out from the previous night.

He’d recently heard about a lot of trouble brewing in the North District of Port City. First, a Tier Three Sea Demon had appeared from nowhere and flattened the harbor, sinking ships, snapping masts, and inflicting heavy losses on the Commerce Association fleets. Then, a group of Demon Cultivators had smuggled themselves in by boat and wiped out twenty percent of the mortal population in the area. Rumor had it that the last of them still hadn’t been rooted out.