Immortality begin with Alchemy Grandmaster Chapter 2: Earning 5 Yuan a Month_1

Early the next morning.

Luo Chen rose with the sun, dividing the pills scattered across his desk into groups of ten before sealing them away in five jade bottles.

He slipped into his sole respectable Lower Grade Robe, seized his Lower Grade Flying Sword, and dashed out the door.

Getting to the city first thing was essential; otherwise, he'd miss out on claiming a prime spot in the market as soon as day broke.

Maybe because of the downpour from the day before, the roads in the Outer City felt quite sloppy and wet.

As he drew nearer to the heart of the Outer City, the stench of humans and demon beasts mixed with urine and herbal scents grew sharper – particularly when blended with the earthy aroma, it proved quite overwhelming.

Yet Luo Chen had grown accustomed to such odors long ago.

An hour passed before he reached the city gate.

Stepping into the Inner City, Luo Chen drew in a long, relieved breath.

The atmosphere inside the Inner City truly felt far fresher!

"I recall the Inner City stands atop a First Order Spirit Vein, which greatly aids Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators in their cultivation."

"Someday, when I've got the funds, I'll purchase a home right here in the Inner City!"

Fueled by this resolve, Luo Chen hastened toward the southwest section reserved for rogue cultivators.

A green stone slab lay ahead, over half of it blanketed in yellow talisman papers and beast pelts. An elderly figure busied himself there.

No sooner had he finished laying out the hides and straightened up with a stretch than he spotted Luo Chen approaching.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, you're running a tad late this round."

The elder went by Chen Xiuping, a Sixth Level Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator who had long been a fixture in the Great River District market.

He'd dwelt in this place for many years, earning his keep through talisman crafting while also excelling at curing beast hides.

His earnings would just about cover the rent for an Inner City dwelling, though frugally.

That said, the old fellow tended to be rather tightfisted. He'd rather reside in an Outer City wooden shack for a single Lower Grade Spirit Stone monthly than shell out tenfold for an Inner City stone abode.

Even when operating his stall for sales, he tallied every detail precisely.

Stalls in the rogue cultivators' zone required leasing from the market overseers.

Each one demanded one spirit stone for the month.

By nudging a bit more into that sizable stall space, room remained for talismans and papers, leaving a small half-square unoccupied.

He'd sublet that tiny half-square to Luo Chen, splitting the rental fee evenly between them.

Did Luo Chen come out behind?

Not really. Securing his own full stall would cost him a full spirit stone each month.

Besides, few cultivators favored sharing vending areas with peers.

Thus, Luo Chen likely broke even, while Elder Chen clearly gained an edge.

Following a brief exchange, Luo Chen arranged his wares at his spot in front of the stall.

Twenty bottles of Fasting Elixir!

Elder Chen's eyes widened at the sight, "Fellow Daoist Luo, your Pill Refinement abilities have advanced remarkably of late!"

His remark made sense.

Luo Chen typically showed up to man the stall every seven days, amounting to four or five visits monthly.

On each occasion, he'd offload around fifteen or sixteen bottles of Fasting Elixir.

This visit, he'd hauled a whopping twenty bottles!

This clearly showed his notable strides in crafting Fasting Elixirs.

In truth, that was precisely the case.

Over those seven days, minus one for market duty and sourcing supplies, six days remained – split evenly between prepping ingredients and actual Pill Refinement.

Meaning just three full days dedicated to Pill Refinement.

Previously, Luo Chen might squeeze out two batches daily at best, yielding scarcely five bottles of Fasting Elixir amid heavy ingredient losses.

But the day prior, his Fasting Elixir refining skill had leaped from Perfection Level Proficiency to Grandmaster Level.

The final batch yielded five bottles outright!

Combined with the earlier minimized waste, he'd gathered twenty bottles of Fasting Elixir for this trip.

"Ah, it's merely the fruits of diligent practice!" Luo Chen replied with a humble grin, though a glint of quiet pride flickered in his gaze.

Achieving entry-level Grandmaster proficiency in Fasting Pill refinement naturally sparked some inner boastfulness.

Chen Xiuping shook his head, "Sure, a handful of folks peddle Fasting Elixir here too, but none match your output of twenty bottles in five days."

With that, he extended a hand toward the closest bottle.

"You haven't padded them with flour to boost the count, have you? As your elder, I ought to inspect them to safeguard our stall's good name."

Luo Chen observed his advance with a light laugh, his own fingers already clutching a talisman etched in crimson script.

"I heard previously that a buyer got your Concealing Qi Talisman, yet it failed him. He almost lost his rear to a demon beast's jaws. Maybe I should borrow one to examine at home, lest we sully our shared reputation!"

Elder Chen flushed in alarm and quickly yanked the talisman from Luo Chen's hold, heedless of the elixir bottle he'd grabbed.

"You hawk Fasting Elixir at a mere one spirit stone for five bottles, yet you'd swap that for my three-spirit-stone Concealing Qi Talisman!"

"Hand it over! Return it now!"

Luo Chen smirked as the elder gingerly repositioned the talisman in the prime display spot.

The Concealing Qi Talisman served as Elder Chen's flagship item!

Amid his array of one-spirit-stone low-grade talismans, it commanded the highest price – no less than three Lower Grade Spirit Stones apiece.

In fact, the Concealing Qi Talisman enjoyed the greatest demand, particularly among cultivators venturing into the hills for demon beast hunts.

Such a talisman masked one's blood aura and vital energy for a full hour. In dire straits, it proved lifesaving, rivaling the worth of numerous Defense Talismans.

At times, Luo Chen found himself rather jealous of Elder Chen.

By vending just one talisman, the man pocketed at least a spirit stone, potentially over a hundred monthly!

Not like his own situation.

Earlier, he'd scraped together scarcely twelve spirit stones per month. Subtracting expenses left him with six or seven.

Factor in half a stone for stall rent and another for daily needs, and only four or five remained.

Even after a year in this world, toiling endlessly, amassing savings proved arduous.

It boggled the mind how the body's former inhabitant had scraped by in the beginning.

Still, Luo Chen's envy faded quickly.

He understood full well that the four core paths of immortal cultivation each carried unique hardships.

Elixirs emphasized volume with solid margins, yet the hurdle involved conquering various pill recipes. Progressing from novice to expert in every elixir type demanded untold wasted batches.

Talismans stressed precision. Every talisman channeled a cultivator's spirit, qi, and essence during inscription. The tiniest error doomed the whole effort.

And for reasons unclear, talisman artisans seldom reached old age.

Take Chen Xiuping: he appeared aged, yet he was merely in his sixties – well, he did look pretty weathered.

Theoretically, Qi Refinement Stage cultivators could endure beyond a century, rendering one's sixties still rather youthful.

Turning talisman master held no appeal, not for endless tedious inscription work.

Far preferable to concoct elixirs and tinker with clays.

Besides, Luo Chen grasped that his starting Grandmaster skill in Fasting Pill refinement would at least double his earnings.

Though netting ten stones monthly fell short for sustaining longevity cultivation, it pointed toward progress.

And didn't a fresh venture await launch soon?

As Luo Chen envisioned a promising path ahead, Elder Chen nudged his sleeve.

"Customers approaching!"