Taoist Antecedent of the Yellow Court

Chapter 8: The Market

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Half an hour later, Lu Qingfeng stopped, smiling with happiness.

“This feels even smoother than the Scorching Sun Classic. It seems as if my cultivation has become faster.” Lu Qingfeng was rather surprised.

Although the improvements weren’t massive, at least they were useful.

“From the look of it, the merging of two techniques is full of uncertainties. With the various factors intertwining, there could be cases where the grade of a technique deteriorates upon merging.”

“Enhancing a technique, on the other hand, can directly increase a technique’s grade.”

Lu Qingfeng tapped on [Updatable] after Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic and was prepared to test the particular effects of enhancing a technique.

[Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic Updating. Required experience point: 1/10]

[Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic Updating. Required experience point: 10/10. Please select Update Path: Enhance/ Elevate/ Merge.]

[Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic Update Complete!]

…

[Technique: Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic]

[Grade: Preliminary, has a total of nine Levels]

[Ability Upgrade: One-time Merge, One-time Enhance]

[Cultivation Stage Requirement: None]

[Technique Property: None]

[Note: A fusion of Aucuba Style and Scorching Sun Classic]

Still, no technique property appeared.

Lu Qingfeng didn’t mind. Once again, he sat down cross-legged and started cultivating.

This time, the effects of the enhancement for the Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic were immediate. Not only could Lu Qingfeng clearly feel that exercising the skill was going more smoothly, but his cultivation speed had also been significantly improved.

“Looks like Enhancing is the way to go!”

Lu Qingfeng was overjoyed.

With his technique upgraded, not only would it bring him benefits in the game at the present time, but what he was going to gain in reality was also enough to keep a grin on his face from ear to ear.

With a look of confidence, Lu Qingfeng continued what he was doing, as he prepared to enhance the Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic another time.

[Aucuba Scorching Sun Classic Updating. Enhance: 0/20; Elevate: 0/10; Merge: 0/20]

“The experience points needed for Enhance and Merge have been increased.”

Only then did Lu Qingfeng notice that the experience points required for a second enhancement and merging had been increased to 20. It was as yet unclear to him if every instance would increase the required experience points by 10 or if they would be doubled directly.

But right now, he couldn’t answer that question.

Lu Qingfeng didn’t have a lot of experience points to begin with. After an Enhance and a Merge, his Level had straight-up plummeted to Level 2 (6/10). His remaining experience points were not at all enough for another Enhance or Merge.

“I’m still very far away from the Genuine Chi Phase. I’m not in a hurry to increase the Level cap of the technique.”

After some thought, Lu Qingfeng selected Deciphering Medicine and started enhancing that.

After a short while, this enhancement had been completed.

[Scroll: Deciphering Medicine]

[Grade: Preliminary]

[Ability Upgrade: One-time Enhance]

[Note: This basic Pill Refining manual records the handling methods of 49 different kinds of medicinal herbs.]

Following the completion of the enhancement, the contents of Deciphering Medicine that had been in his mind were disarranged and then rearranged.

In a while, Deciphering Medicine took on a brand-new look. Lu Qingfeng glanced at it and saw that the information it contained on medicinal herbs had become more detailed. Also, the various handling methods had become more concise and practical.

“Not bad at all!”

Lu Qingfeng skimmed through it quickly. He figured that after he’d mastered the enhanced Deciphering Medicine, his efficiency in his daily herb handling could be increased by at least 20 to 30 percent, and thus his pass rate could be improved to 90 percent.

Originally, his pass rate had allowed him to exchange for a Yellow Dragon Pill once every eight days. Now, he would be able to exchange for a Yellow Dragon Pill every three to four days, which would more than double the previous amount.

“Whew!”

Lu Qingfeng felt that he had had too many surprises today. His mind felt overwhelmed for an instant.

“My mental training still isn’t sufficient yet. Oh well, I think I’ll go for a walk.”

In this excitable state, Lu Qingfeng couldn’t cultivate quietly or handle medicinal herbs since his mind wasn’t at ease.

So he got up and walked out of the Bluestone Tablet for the first time in a month.

…

Emery Town.

As Lu Qingfeng exited the Bluestone Tablet, his true form was revealed.

Walking around the town, he could see countless cultivators pacing back and forth. Among them were also ordinary people who had no attainments in cultivation at all.

“Innate talent is essential in cultivation. Although I’m only Level 1 in innate talent, I’m at least able to cultivate and hopefully rise into the Novice Level with the assistance of the Yellow Dragon Pills.”

“However, in this world, there are many people with no talent at all who aren’t able to even get started with cultivation.”

After all, this was not a glorious world where everyone could attain accomplishments.

Innate talent itself was a natural chasm that separated deities and mortals.

Bearing that in mind, Lu Qingfeng felt a little grateful, because at least he hadn’t been born into such a terrible level of desperation.

He continued walking around.

The massive Emery Town was divided into several major areas. Lu Qingfeng was presently in the West City District, which included the Commercial Zone, the Residential Zone, the Cultivation Zone, the Guild Zone, and others.

“Emery City is a miniature World of Cultivation by itself.”

It was a rare sight for Lu Qingfeng to feel this free. He walked around Emery Town, looking around and trying his best to understand the world of this game.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would be spending a very long time in this town.

“Ah, the market.”

Just as Lu Qingfeng was feeling frazzled after all his exploring, he came to a market in the Commercial Zone.

“Hello, my fellow townsfolks! Come here and have a look! Tier 3 Runic Equipment, Black Iron Ascension Bulwark, fresh from the forge. This is an ancient and rare Defensive Runic Equipment that can be refined with up to 76 Talismans. Delicately forged with Black Iron from the Land of the Shady Frost. It is not only extremely sturdy, but by driving it with a spell, it can also unleash an automatic defense mechanism that covers all directions. Definitely an excellent choice to secure your safety.”

“Golden Bamboo Runic Brush: the tip of the brush is made using the fur from the neck of a Tier 2 Demon Beast, the Golden-eyed Ape. The shaft of the pen was forged in the Altar of Fire for three days and three nights using the Essence of Gold and Dark Iron. You can get it for only 20 Golden Pith Pellets.”

“A pile of High-Grade Thunder Talismans! Buy one quickly!”

“One Scorching Sun Stone from the Scorching Sun Mountain 300 miles away. Your best choice for refining a fire attribute weapon. Don’t miss it!”

…

Before Lu Qingfeng had even stepped into the market, the shouts and clamorings hit him in the face, sweeping away all the loneliness he had felt from his month-long cultivation.

“Runic Equipment.”

“Pills.”

“Talismans.”

“Ore.”

There were hundreds of stalls and all kinds of dazzling goods. It was overwhelming and exciting.

Upon entering, Lu Qingfeng was immediately attracted by the various kinds of magical Runic Equipment and Talismans.

From low to high, the Magic Treasures in “Primitive” were Runic Equipment, Nether Relics, Celestial Relics, and, finally, the most powerful of all that only existed in legends, the Postnatal Spirit Artifacts and Prenatal Spirit Artifacts.

Emery Town was classified as a beginner’s town. In the town, even those with the highest cultivation stage were in no more than the Foundation Building Stage. Magical Artifacts of the Nether Relic grade were seen rarely. The most common Magic Treasures here were just low-tier Runic Equipment.

Runic Equipment was classified into four tiers with Tier 1 being the least powerful and Tier 4 being the most powerful.

That Black Iron Ascension Bulwark that Lu Qingfeng had seen when he first entered the market was on the low end of Tier 3 Runic Equipment. However, because it was capable of automated defense, it was more sought after than many of the Tier 4 Runic Equipments.

Unfortunately, the vendor’s price was too high, and Lu Qingfeng couldn’t bring himself to make the deal.

“With my innate talent level, it’s definitely not going to be three to five days for me to amount to something.”

“If I can get a Runic Equipment or two, it will greatly increase my combat power within a short time.”

Lu Qingfeng lingered around the many stalls in the market, pondering about every piece of Runic Equipment that he’d seen for a long time, repeatedly asking questions of the stall owners. It wasn’t until he had completely understood about one piece of equipment that he would go on to the next stall in his search to find his most favorite Runic Equipment.

After half a day, Lu Qingfeng sat down beside a stall to rest.

“Among all this Runic Equipment, if I can gather the Black Iron Ascension Bulwark, Formless Needle, Cloud Threading Boots, and the Golden Beetle Main Blade, I will be invincible in the Postnatal-Fetal Phase and Genuine Chi Phase.”

The Black Iron Ascension Bulwark was capable of automated defense. Once acquired, one wouldn’t have to be afraid of sneak attacks, blades, weapons, and magic.

The Formless Needle approach was about not casting a shadow, being able to leave without a trace, and inflicting harm from the realm of the unseen.

The Cloud Threading Boots could improve one’s speed.

The Golden Beetle Main Blade consisted of one main blade and eight smaller blades that were extremely sharp. With the main blade, the wielder could control the eight smaller blades to perform attacks, catching enemies off guard.

It was just that…

“It is still quite possible for me to gather these four Runic Equipments in the game. However, if I wish to do so in reality, the difficultly might be on a par with attaining Level 9 of the Fetal Phase in my cultivation.”

Lu Qingfeng smiled bitterly.

Not to mention how long it would take for a rookie who knew nothing about Tool Refining to create a Runic Equipment such as the Black Iron Ascension Bulwark, the materials required to craft this Runic Equipment alone left Lu Qingfeng thinking that the task was insurmountable.

“Black Iron, Mineral Essence, Cloud Threading Beast Leather, Essence of Iron, Essence of Gold…”

“You can’t even find a decent item made of iron in Blackwood Village. Where can I find things like Black Iron and Essence of Gold?”

Lu Qingfeng shook his head, burying the idea of engaging himself in Tool Refining deeply in his mind. At present, Tool Refining couldn’t help him solve his problems in the real world.

“A person’s cultivation stage is fundamental to everything.”

“If I want to quickly improve my cultivation in reality, I can either enhance my techniques in the game or go deeper into the arts of Pill Refining.”

Lu Qingfeng’s thoughts became very clear.

Of all the skills available on the path of cultivation, what he needed to grasp the most at this moment in time was the art of Pill Refining.

In the game, even with the Yellow Dragon Pill’s assistance, his progress in cultivation was still not as good as he’d expected it to be. Back in the real world, without the aid of the Yellow Dragon Pill, he might not be able to make any progress at all.

Hence, it was imperative for him to master the arts of Pill Refining.

“Compared to Tool Refining, the requirements Pill Refining have toward one’s cultivation stage are much lower. Also, the various herbs that I will need are also much more accessible than the materials required for Tool Refining.”

“But, at the same time, while I’m doing Pill Refining, I can certainly have a look at the Art of Talisman.”

Lu Qingfeng’s gaze fell on the piles of talismans in the stalls beside him.

By drawing on talismans with unique methods, one could seal a spell. With one’s inner Chi, Genuine Chi, or Genuine Mana, one could unleash the spell sealed within the talisman. It was perfect for combat.

If one was rich enough to have dozens of low-grade talismans to scatter at one go, it would even be possible to severely injure or kill a cultivator in the Genuine Chi Phase.

Flame Talismans, Ice Talismans, Stealth Talismans, Earth Talismans, Thunder Talismans…

There were so many kinds of talismans with tons of various uses.

With hundreds of assorted talismans, Lu Qingfeng could even level Ganoderma Mountain!

Besides, getting started with talismans was much easier than Tool Refining. For Lu Qingfeng, the best choice would be to improve his strength in the fastest time possible.

“I wonder if there are cultivators in the real world. If people there are only martial artists, or if the cultivation system is different, in the future, whether it is pills, talismans, Runic Equipment, or Magical Artifacts, I’ll have to make them all by myself.”

Not to mention all the other things he would have to craft by himself.

As far as crafting talismans was concerned, Lu Qingfeng would have to craft his own Runic Brush, prepare the Cinnabarite, refine the Runic Papers…

Crafting a Runic Brush would even require him to have some basic expertise in Tool Refining.

Thinking about all of this, Lu Qingfeng couldn’t help but feel dizzy.

Even with the 100-fold time difference, it was no easy task to gain attainments in Pill Refining, talisman crafting, Tool Refining, and everything else at the same time.

“Cultivation is so hard.” Lu Qingfeng sighed to himself.

“Young one, I can see that you’re new to ‘Primitive’. Why aren’t you cultivating or earning money, but squandering your time here with me instead?”

A voice came from beside him.

Lu Qingfeng woke up from his contemplation, only to see the owner of the stall beside him looking at him rather curiously.

…