181 Successful Pill Refinement (2)
“You actually succeeded.” Feng He looked at the Qi-Returning Pill in his palm and was surprised. “What’s your success rate?”
Jiang Ming smiled awkwardly. “Less than 10%.”
Feng He shook his head. “Only when it’s increased to more than 40% will you have a chance to make a profit. If you had spent this time on cultivation, you might have even broken through to the late stage of the Qi Refinement Realm.”
Although Feng He was not an alchemist, he had been in Xiaoqian Mountain for a long time and knew how difficult it was. Many alchemists needed several years to increase their success rate even minimally.
“Ah, Mr. Feng, you don’t get it. With my talent, I’m afraid I won’t be able to break through to the late stage of the Qi Refinement Realm in this life. It’s useless to even try. This is why I’ve undertaken alchemy.”
Feng He was stunned for a moment. Then, he sighed. His eyes softened, and he poured out some drinks for them.
From that day on, the news that Jiang Ming had switched to alchemy because of his lack of talent in immortal cultivation gradually spread throughout the Plant Hall.
Inexplicably, Jiang Ming’s relationship with everyone in the Plant Hall seemed to improve.
There were even a few immortal cultivators who were now friends with him. They were also masters of the Misty Rain Technique. They had always found him an eyesore earlier and had avoided him.
However, after learning that Jiang Ming had given up on cultivation, their attitude toward him suddenly improved.
“No matter where you go, it’s always the same.”
Jiang Ming received more spirit rice seeds than usual for free from the Plant Hall and went back to the small green peak with a smile.
When he first entered the Plant Hall, he was the master of the Misty Rain Technique, which made some people feel threatened and jealous.
However, Jiang Ming, who had given up on cultivation, was no longer a match for those people.
Thus, his relationship with his colleagues flourished.
Jiang Ming was in a good mood. Humming a little tune, he returned to the small green peak and gave the spirit rice seeds to the group of mortals working under him.
“Ming, we need rain again.” Old Gu Zi ran over from a distance with a smile on his face.
“You’ve saved enough money for the cave abode?” Jiang Ming saw the joy on his face and asked casually.
“I wish!” Old Gu Zi sighed. However, a smile still hung on his lips.
Jiang Ming did not ask much. After a while, Old Gu Zi could not help but take the initiative and said with a smile, “However, I might be able to live in a cave abode soon. The higher-ups of Xiaoqian Mountain have ordered that in order to accommodate more individual cultivators, you can buy cave abodes even if you don’t have the money!”
Jiang Ming was stunned, and his expression became strange.
Old Gu Zi continued to speak. “As long as I pay fifty spirit stones upfront, and then five spirit stones a year, I can get the title deed for the cave abode after sixty years!”
“Amazing!”
Jiang Ming sincerely praised him. This man really lit up the room wherever he went.
“However, Xiaoqian Mountain is acting strange. Are they up to something?” Jiang Ming thought to himself. He stood a little straighter. If there was anything wrong, he would immediately run away.
“I hope you’re overthinking it.”
To be honest, he felt that he was quite comfortable in Xiaoqian Mountain. He would not mind living here until the end of time. Every one or two hundred years, he would change his identity and continue to stay here.
Later that day, his new neighbor, Xu Ren, warmly invited Jiang Ming to his house for a meal.
Jiang Ming accepted the invitation and went over with a bottle of wine. Xu Ren reminded him so much of Ah Fei. He was extremely passionate about life. When they hung out, it made him feel younger.
When he got home, he played with the King of Medicine for a while before continuing to practice alchemy.
“Only by mastering alchemy will I be able to gain a foothold in the world of cultivators!”
Bang!
There was another explosion.
The King of Medicine suddenly rolled on the grass as it laughed. Jiang Ming pushed it aside in a bad mood.
“If you laugh at me again, I’ll refine you too!”
After trying to refine pills for an afternoon and wasting another six or seven batches of medicinal herbs, Jiang Ming’s face was covered in soot.
He had not succeeded even a single time.
Jiang Ming kicked the cauldron and decided not to refine any more pills for the next three days. Instead, he began to cultivate his newly acquired technique.
* * *
Fifteen years passed by in a flash.
It had been twenty years since Jiang Ming came to Xiaoqian Mountain.
For immortal cultivators, fifteen years was just a blink of an eye. Xiaoqian Mountain was still the same as it was fifteen years ago. It had not changed much. However, it had become livelier.