Chapter 11: Change of Circumstances

Time passed bit by bit.

As the medicinal pill was continuously absorbed and refined, Chen Lin felt his long-stagnant cultivation base regain its vitality. That barrier, which had seemed like a natural chasm, also showed signs of loosening.

Seeing this, he hurriedly accelerated the circulation of his cultivation technique, continuously battering against the bottleneck.

Suddenly.

Chen Lin’s body shuddered, and a faint "pop" sound seemed to emanate from within him.

He felt as if his accumulated mana had found a vent, rushing out through the breach in the bottleneck. A sense of freedom and exhilaration welled up from within.

Third level of Qi Refining, success!

Feeling the mana in his body, which was nearly twice as full as before, Chen Lin could hardly believe it.

The bottleneck that had trapped the original owner for nearly twenty years had just been broken through like this?

Was it the effect of the pill, or had his body undergone some changes after his transmigration, making it less of a "waste" than before?

Unable to find an answer for the time being, he simply stopped thinking about it.

Regardless, as long as he had broken through, that was enough. He was now one step closer to his goal of reaching the middle stage of Qi Refining.

In his excitement, Chen Lin immediately took out his talisman-making materials, hunched over the table, and began crafting Fireball Talismans.

After a flurry of brushwork, the talisman paper went "poof" and turned into a pile of ash.

He had failed.

However, Chen Lin was not discouraged; instead, he revealed a look of satisfaction.

Just as he had expected, after entering the third level of Qi Refining, his mana was more vast and pure, making the drawing of Fireball Talismans effortless.

In this way, the production time would be greatly shortened, allowing him to craft more talismans every day.

Although he had successfully refined the Chuyuan Pill, he did not want anyone to know.

For someone who had never touched alchemy to suddenly be able to refine pills—even a fool would know that wasn't normal. If the news leaked, he would undoubtedly be targeted, and he didn't need to imagine what his fate would be.

Therefore, he still had to rely on his old trade: crafting talismans to earn spirit stones.

Putting aside distracting thoughts, Chen Lin continued to craft talismans.

A long time later.

A portion of spirit ink was used up.

He had obtained two finished talismans in his hands.

This made his eyebrows dance with joy.

It really was a case of good things coming in pairs; not only had his cultivation broken through, but his ability to craft Fireball Talismans had also improved.

With this, combined with his "ten-time guaranteed success" ability, he could obtain two Fireball Talismans for every ten attempts!

This was much more profitable than making Strength Talismans, and as his proficiency increased, his success rate would only rise.

If the success rate could reach thirty, or even forty percent...

Chen Lin felt excited just thinking about that scenario.

But he quickly calmed down.

Distant water cannot quench a near thirst; even if his talisman-making level had improved, it wouldn't solve his immediate crisis.

The most important thing right now was to raise his cultivation to the middle stage of Qi Refining and leave this place as soon as possible.

He could not delay, nor could he be overly ambitious.

Suppressing his restless emotions, Chen Lin took out a pill, swallowed it, and began to cultivate selflessly.

Whether it was the effectiveness of the Chuyuan Pill or the fact that his transmigration had changed the aptitude of this body, his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds with the aid of the pill.

But just as he was immersed in the pleasure of his growing cultivation, something that terrified him suddenly occurred.

That night.

When the bronze bell in the corner rang, he went to the window as usual to watch the eerie scene outside.

However, a new change appeared this time.

Just as countless red threads shot into the sky, a hazy, giant shadow suddenly appeared in the heavens.

The moment this shadow appeared, a sense of danger that made his hair stand on end enveloped him.

Before he could even react, a red thread descended from the sky and connected to his body.

Immediately after.

He felt as if something in his body was continuously flowing away along the red thread.

No matter how he moved or what methods he used, he could not shake off this red thread.

Suddenly.

Chen Lin’s body erupted with a scarlet red light, and his entire temperament changed drastically, becoming incredibly sinister.

At the same time, an exaggerated, arrogant expression appeared on his face.

A quarter of an hour later, the hazy shadow in the sky slowly dissipated, and the red threads filling the sky vanished along with it.

Chen Lin’s body also returned to normal.

"The moon is so round tonight!"

Looking at the pitch-black night sky, he uttered a nonsensical exclamation before returning to his bed and falling into a deep sleep.

Early morning.

Chen Lin felt exceptionally refreshed today.

It wasn't just because of his cultivation breakthrough; there was some other indescribable change.

Opening the door and stepping into the courtyard, he found that the snow had stopped.

The entire city was blanketed in silver, and amidst the curling wisps of cooking smoke, it outlined an elegant scene.

"Truly worthy of being the world of immortal cultivation; the feeling is just different!"

Taking a deep, satisfying breath of the spiritual energy in the world, Chen Lin felt immensely satisfied with his transmigration.

"Now that I'm at the third level of Qi Refining, with my golden finger, reaching Foundation Establishment won't be a problem. When that time comes, I'll marry eight or ten female cultivators, and I'll be the founder of the sixth great family in this city!"

"No, I can't be satisfied with just Foundation Establishment. I am a transmigrator; I should have bigger goals. At the very least, I must reach the Golden Core stage and unify Kaiyuan City so as not to lose face for transmigrators!"

As Chen Lin was lost in self-intoxication, the door opposite him was suddenly pushed open.

The sallow-faced female cultivator walked out.

Seeing her, Chen Lin immediately squinted and sneered, "Old woman, you don't even greet me when you see me? I think you're looking for trouble!"

The female cultivator’s face turned angry and she was about to retort, but she immediately revealed a look of astonishment.

"You, you actually broke through!"

The other party's demeanor was very satisfying to Chen Lin, and he said indifferently, "How could a mere third level of Qi Refining stump me?"

The female cultivator pursed her lips, revealing an envious expression.

"How did you do it? Did you buy a pill? Can you introduce me to the path you took?"

Living in the same courtyard, everyone knew each other's situation clearly. It was no secret that Chen Lin had been stuck at the second level of Qi Refining for nearly twenty years; the female cultivator simply didn't believe he had broken through normally.

Therefore, her eyes were filled with anticipation.

She had also been stuck at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining for countless years. If she could buy a pill to increase her cultivation, she could fully break through to the middle stage of Qi Refining, which would be a whole new world!

"How could that be? Where would I have a channel to buy pills?"

Chen Lin waved his hands repeatedly.

The matter of the pills must absolutely not be leaked, otherwise, the trouble would be huge.

But before the other party could speak, he squinted and sneered, "A mere pill, does it even need to be bought? I myself can..."

At this point, Chen Lin’s voice trailed off, and he fell into a daze.

"You yourself what? Listen, Chen Lin, we're all old neighbors here. Don't hog the good stuff for yourself. If you want some benefits, I'll serve you well, how about that?"

The female cultivator was getting anxious.

Chen Lin, however, remained in a daze.

Then, without saying a word, he turned and left the courtyard.

"You old bachelor, what's so great about breaking through to the third level of Qi Refining? Look at how arrogant you are! When I break through to the middle stage of Qi Refining, I'll chop you up and boil you into soup!"

The female cultivator was furious, her curses growing louder and louder.

Chen Lin, however, seemed not to hear her, just walking forward with his head down.

As he walked, he frowned tightly.

He sensed that he was not normal.

In the past, he would never have been so high-profile.

Not only did he show off his cultivation breakthrough, but he had also almost blurted out that he could refine pills himself. This was completely inconsistent with his cautious and low-key style.

Additionally, he discovered that he seemed to have forgotten some things.

But as for what exactly he had forgotten, he couldn't recall.

"Forget it, no need to worry about so much. Just keep on hiding and developing silently; that is the true path."

After thinking for a long time without finding anything wrong, he simply stopped thinking about it and headed straight to the marketplace.

After purchasing a large batch of materials, he hurried back.