Mortal Alchemy

Chen Ping returned to his own cultivation ground and opened his storage bag.

Inside, there were two hundred and thirty-four spirit stones. Seeing so much money, Chen Ping's eyes lit up, and he felt a surge of excitement.

But this was all money he had painstakingly saved from refining pills, to buy the four major materials.

His face was truly pale at the moment, and he felt weak. All pill refining disciples were like this, constantly expending their blood essence to refine pills over long periods.

If he had an endless supply of Yuan Qi Pills over this long period, he should have broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining by now.

But now, without Yuan Qi Pills, given his five-element mixed spiritual root's cultivation speed, wanting to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining was a distant dream. He calculated carefully and realized that if he just maintained the status quo, he would need at least twenty-six or twenty-seven years old to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

In that case, he would have no hope of Foundation Establishment in this life, and would likely end up like Xu Fengshan, stopping at the tenth or eleventh level of Qi Refining.

Chen Ping was very anxious, but also helpless, feeling a bit desperate and weak.

So much time had passed, and there was still no news from Mu Luofei.

Should he give up on his Foundation Establishment dream? He was still young now. Should he find a wife, start a small family, and pass the Foundation Establishment dream on to the next generation?

He was originally just a rural cowherd, and he was already very content to have come this far.

Let nature take its course.

He wouldn't force it anymore.

Chen Ping adjusted his mindset. It didn't matter if Mu Luofei couldn't collect the materials he needed.

Chen Ping sat in his cultivation ground, drinking tea. The green jade bamboo he bought a few years ago was growing well and was already a first-order, mid-grade spiritual plant.

He opened the gate, waiting for Mu Luofei to arrive.

A while later, Mu Luofei arrived outside Chen Ping's cultivation ground, piloting a white jade flying boat.

The eighteen-year-old Mu Luofei was becoming increasingly beautiful and outstanding. Standing on the white jade flying boat, the cool breeze blew through her hair and the corners of her skirt, giving her a captivating beauty that could topple nations.

Perhaps she wasn't that beautiful, but Chen Ping had the filter of a childhood sweetheart.

She was almost as tall as Chen Ping, only half a head shorter than him, with a slender and graceful figure.

The little girl from ten years ago had really changed a lot.

Chen Ping put down his teacup, smiled, and cupped his hands, saying:

"Greetings, Senior Sister Luofei. Is there something important? You could have asked Senior Brother Xu to tell me."

Mu Luofei smiled gently and said:

"Tomorrow is Junior Brother Fang Xing's wedding. He asked me to tell a few junior brothers that they must go to his house tomorrow to attend the wedding and drink wine."

Chen Ping was surprised: "Fang Xing has finally entered the Dao of Talismans and is getting married?"

Mu Luofei smiled charmingly: "If he hadn't succeeded after so many years, the Talisman Department would probably have expelled him."

"Junior Brother Chen, come and ride my flying boat together."

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Chen Ping's eyes. After so many years, he still didn't have a flying artifact and could only hitch a ride on Mu Luofei's flying boat.

The glimmer of unwillingness that had just been extinguished in his heart seemed to be burning again, but in the end, it could only turn into a sigh.

"Then I'll have to trouble Senior Sister," Chen Ping said with a smile as he boarded the boat.

If it were before, he wouldn't want to attend such social events, but Fang Xing was, after all, a seedling of immortality from the Jiazi Courtyard back then.

Now that Fang Xing had entered the Dao of Talismans and was marrying a daughter of the Mu family, such a joyous event couldn't be avoided.

On the flying boat, Chen Ping asked: "Senior Sister Mu, how much should I prepare as a gift?"

Mu Luofei said: "The Fang family that Fang Xing belongs to also had a Foundation Establishment cultivator hundreds of years ago, so they are not considered a small family. In Fang Xing's generation, he is the only one in the family who is bold and ambitious enough to enter the Mu family to try his luck."

"Although it was rugged and difficult, he succeeded. Junior Brother Chen, we don't need to give too much as a gift. Ten spirit stones are enough."

Chen Ping felt bitter in his heart, with a complex look in his eyes. Ten spirit stones were almost a month's profit, as he only earned twelve spirit stones a month.

But then he thought that when Chen Ping got married in the future, people would give the same amount of gift money.

Thinking about it this way, it wasn't a loss.

Chen Ping asked Mu Luofei: "Senior Sister Luofei, when will you break through to the tenth level of Qi Refining?"

Mu Luofei had been at the ninth level of Qi Refining for several years.

The cultivation technique for the twelfth level of Qi Refining required one to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of thirty to have a 30% chance of success.

After the age of thirty, the success rate that came with the cultivation technique would disappear. At that time, wanting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage would be hard to say if there was even a 10% chance.

Mu Luofei smiled charmingly: "After attending Junior Brother Fang's wedding, I'll go back and seclude myself for a while, and it should be about time to break through."

Chen Ping cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Then I'll congratulate Senior Sister in advance."

The tenth level of Qi Refining, that was the late stage of Qi Refining. Mu Luofei was only eighteen years old now and had hope of Foundation Establishment.

"Mm," Mu Luofei responded and said, "After breaking through to the tenth level of Qi Refining, I'll have to start thinking of ways to accumulate Foundation Establishment resources."

Chen Ping was puzzled: "Senior Sister Luofei is so outstanding, won't the Mu family prepare a Foundation Establishment Pill for Senior Sister Luofei?"

Mu Luofei revealed a wry smile for the first time, giving Chen Ping a reproachful look with her beautiful eyes:

"Do you think Foundation Establishment Pills are so easy to obtain? Although a Foundation Establishment Pill costs three thousand five hundred spirit stones, they are all controlled by the four major sects."

"Our Mu family has a Golden Core Ancestor, so we can get Foundation Establishment Pills from the Eastern Xuan Sect, but only sixty pills every ten years."

"From the moment they are born, the Mu family's Foundation Establishment Pills have already been distributed."

"But apart from Foundation Establishment Pills, there are also other Foundation Establishment resources, but the Foundation Establishment Pill is the best. Even if you fail to break through, you won't die, and it comes with a 30% chance of Foundation Establishment success."

Golden Core Ancestors, with a lifespan of four hundred years, those were true immortal beings.

The flying boat continued to fly, but it was still unknown when they would arrive at the Fang family.

At night.

Mu Luofei was already sleepy. She lay down in the small shed inside the flying boat: "Junior Brother Chen, come in and lie down to rest together."

The small shed on the flying boat could barely accommodate two people to rest.

Ripples arose in Chen Ping's heart, but he shook his head on the surface: "Senior Sister Luofei, you rest."

Mu Luofei didn't force Chen Ping. She took out a blanket from her storage bag, covered herself, and fell asleep fully clothed.

With such a captivating and alluring girl sleeping in front of him, Chen Ping's mood was a bit uneasy. In the end, he forced himself to meditate and rest.

Mu Luofei was only closing her eyes and pretending to sleep.

Neither of them rested well that night.

However, in the middle of the night, Chen Ping fell asleep while maintaining his meditation posture. He had been refining pills all the time, and he was really physically and mentally exhausted.

When he opened his eyes, Mu Luofei was putting a blanket over him, the very one she had covered herself with last night. Chen Ping could clearly smell the fragrance of Mu Luofei still lingering on the blanket.

It was the unique, faint fragrance of a young girl, refreshing and unforgettable.

A strange feeling rose in Chen Ping's heart, and his eyes trembled slightly: "Senior Sister Luofei?"

"Ah? Junior Brother Chen is awake? Then let's eat some spiritual food together. We'll be at the Fang family in a little while."

Mu Luofei took out spiritual fruits and spiritual water from her storage bag.

After flying for another hour, after it was completely light.

They finally arrived at the Fang family where Fang Xing was located.