Cultivation is just so scientific!-Chapter 463 - 278: Growth
Two years had passed in the blink of an eye, and throughout this time, friction between the righteous and demonic forces on the Beishu Continent continued unabated.
Fortunately, it hadn't sparked a major conflict. The biggest disturbance over these two years had been when two Arhats from Qianye Temple ventured deep into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains of the Senluo Sect, who discovered and pursued them.
The two Arhats from Qianye Temple possessed a special secret technique, which allowed them to successfully evade the large-scale pursuit launched by the Senluo Sect.
Of course, this was also related to the unique geographical environment of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. It wasn't dominated by the Senluo Sect or, rather, by human Cultivators alone; there resided equally powerful spirit beast clans.
Once the two Arhats ventured into the territory of the spirit beasts in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, the Senluo Sect could no longer track them.
Since then, the two Arhats from Qianye Temple seemed to have vanished, leading the Senluo Sect to suspect that they might have fallen to the spirit beasts in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
Upon learning the Arhats appeared in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, Li Shiming speculated about their intentions.
However, Yuan Ba's clone had been invisible on Sword Holding Peak, so even if the two Arhats truly came for Yuan Ba, their efforts were futile.
In the second year, Yuan Ba, after choosing three tasks, didn't immediately accept them but stealthily left his sect. He accepted the tasks only after reaching the vicinity of his targets and quickly completed them, thus swiftly concluding his second year's assignments.
For the rest of the time, Yuan Ba never left Sword Holding Peak again.
During these two years, Li Shiming's enthusiasm for alchemy had waned.
He went from producing a furnace of Third-grade Spirit Pills daily to doing so only every ten days.
Neither the Shushan Sect nor the Beishu Trading Company had any complaints about this.
He proceeded this way following the advice of his master, Elder Ma.
Initially, taking on a large number of tasks to create Third-grade Spirit Pills was partly to build a reputation, which is crucial for an Alchemy Master to attract private orders.
On the other hand, it was to practice extensively, allowing him to gain more experience in crafting Third-grade Spirit Pills.
However, maintaining a daily production pace of Third-grade Spirit Pills impacted other Alchemy Masters significantly.
The situation was somewhat better for his master, Elder Ma, whose ability to produce Third-grade Spirit Pills was only affected at the lower grades, with the rest of his business continuing as usual.
But not all Alchemy Masters could craft Spirit Pills from more than two types of Third-grade Spiritual Medicine, like Elder Ma, which led to conflicts with Li Shiming's alchemical output.
Moreover, Li Shiming's alchemy success rate and quality nearly eliminated any opportunity for other Alchemy Masters to produce low-grade Third-grade Spirit Pills.
Who would want to entrust Spiritual Medicine, capable of producing three high-quality Third-grade Spirit Pills, to an inexperienced Alchemy Master?
To prevent Li Shiming from inadvertently making enemies with other Alchemy Masters, as well as because he maintained perfection in his craft without the need for further practice, Elder Ma persuaded him to reduce the number of Third-grade Spirit Pills he produced.
Of course, part of the reason was also the limited supply of Third-grade Spiritual Medicine from the three great sects of the Righteous Path, which couldn't ensure that Li Shiming could produce a furnace of Third-grade Spirit Pills daily.
Now, by crafting one furnace of Third-grade Spirit Pills every ten days, Li Shiming's earnings hadn't lessened but instead, the value of his services had multiplied several times, with Cultivators paying much more in favors and rewards than before.
Sitting on a stone bench at the summit of Sword Holding Peak, Li Shiming gazed at the distant scenery.
In front of him was a cup of Spirit Tea, its light vapor mingling with the fragrance of the Third-grade Spirit Tea, making one feel revitalized even without drinking it.
Third-grade Spirit Tea had become part of his daily consumption, and this was partly why he had reached the peak of late-stage Foundation Establishment in just two short years.
Ordinarily, even with a supply of top-grade Spirit Pills, this would have taken several more years.
But a daily cup of Third-grade Spirit Tea, along with various other cultivation aids, had enabled him to advance to the peak of late-stage Foundation Establishment within two years.
And because of the 'Five Elements Qi Absorption Array' in his Spirit Lake, the Spiritual Power within had been purified to its peak early on, making him feel like he was only a step away from the Golden Core Realm.
Yet, this single step felt as wide as a chasm; despite having reached his current realm a month ago, he had not progressed any further.
He flicked a Peak of Second-grade Spirit Pill with his finger, sending it spinning through the air before it vanished.
He stretched out his hand, swallowed the Peak of Second-grade Spirit Pill, and the Absolute Spirit Illusion Snake brought its head under his palm, allowing him to stroke it.
Presently, the Absolute Spirit Illusion Snake was nearly at the same level as him, having reached the Peak of Second Grade, not far from becoming a Third-grade Demon.
This Absolute Spirit Illusion Snake was probably the fastest-growing of its kind ever.
No Cultivator except Li Shiming could afford the luxury of feeding top-grade Second-grade Spirit Pills to their pet beast without any reservation.
Even wealthy Cultivators couldn't ensure a supply of advanced Spirit Pills.
It is worth noting that even the True Disciples of the Shushan Sect couldn't guarantee access to the advanced Spirit Pills needed for their cultivation, let alone have extra to feed to their pet beasts.
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