Chapter 1: The Rogue Cultivator, Luo Chen

Rumble.

Thunder rolled, the might of heaven and earth making the entire Dahe Market fall silent.

The bustling scene of light trails streaking across the sky, usually so common, was much diminished at this moment.

After all, no one could guarantee that they wouldn't be unlucky enough to be struck down by lightning while flying.

It was hard to say if that would count as undergoing a tribulation ahead of schedule.

Dahe Market occupied a vast area and featured an inner city protected by a third-grade grand formation, sufficient to defend against attacks from beasts below the third rank.

Even if a third-rank beast were to launch a surprise attack, the formation could usually hold out for a while, giving those inside enough time to react.

Of course, the daily operation and maintenance of such a grand formation required immense resources, so it only encompassed the inner city.

In comparison, the gathering place for rogue cultivators that spread out from the inner city was not nearly as safe.

In the four cardinal directions, tens of thousands of wooden and stone huts stood scattered about.

Beside a stream in the southwest corner, a wooden hut consisting of one room, one hall, and one kitchen sat quietly, nearly two miles away from the nearest rogue cultivator's dwelling.

It was quiet outside, but inside the kitchen, things were heating up.

"One jin of yam, sliced; two taels of white poria; three taels of one-year-old ginseng."

"One jin of first-rank beast yellow beef, minced, without a single scrap of bone."

"Add scallions, ginger, japonica rice, and fennel seeds."

The chanting voice came from a shirtless young man. He stared intently at the pot, skillfully taking materials from the wooden shelf beside him from time to time to add to the pot.

The spatula in his hand moved with such speed it seemed to fly.

As a large pot of snow-white beef bone broth was poured in, Luo Chen couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

He poked at the firewood in the stove, pulling out a few logs now and then, and then waited quietly for the finished product.

An hour later, the young man lifted the lid and took a deep breath as he looked at the thick, viscous mixture inside.

"Look at this color, moist, white, and bright—top quality!"

"Smell this aroma, rich but not dry—top quality!"

Luo Chen extended a finger, poked a bit from the spoon, and popped it into his mouth.

He smacked his lips.

"The essence is full and the spiritual energy is present. Under the stimulation of the angelica and ginseng, the spiritual energy of those five jin of first-rank yellow beef has been evenly distributed into this Bigu Powder."

"Not bad, the flavor is also perfectly balanced—top quality!"

Licking his finger, Luo Chen couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile.

Based on his experience these past few days, this single pot of Bigu Powder could be molded into at least five bottles of Bigu Pills.

It sounded a bit ridiculous, but in reality, Luo Chen was practicing alchemy!

Moreover, it was the Bigu Pill, the most commonly used pill for most cultivators, though it was only a low-end version, at most deserving the name Bigu Powder.

Without waiting for it to cool down, he took the pot off the heat and poured it onto a cutting board.

Luo Chen picked up a yellowed bamboo slip, poured the thick paste onto it, added a few drops of hundred-flower honey, and began to roll the bamboo slip.

Under the rolling of the bamboo slip, the steaming Bigu Powder gradually turned into a cylindrical shape, its color turning slightly yellow due to the infusion of the honey.

His hands moved extremely fast, pinching the strips of medicinal paste into round, thumb-sized pills.

One, two, three...

When Luo Chen stopped working, fifty Bigu Pills were already neatly arranged on the cutting board.

Looking at the results, Luo Chen didn't have time to be happy before his attention shifted to the panel in front of him, invisible to others.

【Name: Luo Chen】

【Lifespan: 27/75】

【Spirit Root: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth】

【Realm: Qi Refining Stage 3: 75/100】

【Cultivation Method: Changchun Gong (Proficient): 235/300】

【Spells: Cleansing Spell (Novice) 49/100, Entanglement Spell (Skilled) 176/200, Fireball Spell (Proficient) 268/300】

【Skills: First-rank Alchemist: Bigu Powder Grandmaster 501/1000】

【Achievement Points: 10 (Can be used to reach the 'Novice' level for corresponding realm cultivation methods, spells, or skills)】

"Ten achievement points in hand—I can use them to master the Zhongmiao Pill!"

Looking at this proficiency panel, Luo Chen felt a sudden wave of emotion.

He had been here for a year!

In his past life, he was just a corporate slave who left early and returned late, only able to play small Xianxia upgrade games on his phone in his spare time.

Because he had no money, those games relied on grinding, constantly working on the progress bars of cultivation methods.

Who would have thought that one night, unable to sleep while grinding a game dungeon, he would transmigrate.

The original owner of this body was also named Luo Chen, and was even the same age as him.

In his early years, he entered the deep mountains and had a fortuitous encounter in a cave, finding the remains of a cultivator, and thus embarked on a ten-year path of cultivation.

Following the map in the remains, he came to this Dahe Market, hoping to participate in the disciple recruitment of a nearby sect.

However, ten years ago he was already seventeen, past the sect's age limit of sixteen.

On top of that, he had a balanced five-element spirit root, comparable to a mortal with no spirit roots at all, so no sect wanted him.

Logically, he should have returned the way he came.

But the original owner's heart for the Dao was firm. Relying on a bottle of pills, a scroll of Changchun Gong, and a few spirit stones from his encounter, he settled down in Dahe Market.

Early on, because his pockets were empty, he couldn't even afford a wooden hut near the inner city and had to rent a house by the stream on the very outskirts.

Living in the market was not easy.

Even for a house on the outskirts, the rent was half a spirit stone per month.

Although he had built the house himself, he still had to pay that half a spirit stone every month.

After spending his few spirit stones, the original owner didn't just sit and wait for death.

He would help others watch their stalls or go into the mountains to hunt with others; in any case, he managed to stay.

Later, he felt this wasn't a long-term solution, so he simply began to study the two pill formulas found with the remains.

The Zhongmiao Pill was a bit difficult, so he could only start by researching the lowest-level Bigu Powder.

It could be said that those who have fortuitous encounters have at least some degree of destiny.

After experiencing a few initial failures, he successfully refined Bigu Powder.

Although the quality was average, for some rogue cultivators who often went into the mountains to hunt for ten days or half a month at a time, there were always people willing to buy it.

With that, the original owner barely managed to settle down in Dahe Market.

However, heaven has unpredictable weather, and people have unpredictable fortunes.

Feeling that Bigu Powder wasn't enough to support his cultivation, the original owner set his sights on a fragmented pill formula he had collected.

Then, during his first attempt at refining it, the pot exploded!

The violent explosion even collapsed the wooden hut at the time.

That was when Luo Chen transmigrated and took over this body.

Thinking back to his situation at the beginning of his transmigration, Luo Chen felt like crying.

It was also raining heavily then, and amidst the ruins, he faced the world with blood on his face, lost and helpless.

But fortunately, everything was in the past.

"A year later, Bigu Powder has finally reached the Grandmaster level of proficiency, just enough to satisfy daily life."

"The biggest gain is that the achievement points have accumulated to ten, which can be used to master the Zhongmiao Pill!"

Luo Chen currently had three pill formulas in his hands.

The first-rank Bigu Powder formula, the first-rank Zhongmiao Pill formula, and a fragmented second-rank formula the original owner had luckily obtained.

That formula was called the Jade Dew Pill. If successfully refined, one could obtain a second-rank Jade Dew Pill, which was extremely useful for cultivators practicing water-attribute techniques.

A single bottle usually sold for as much as one middle-grade spirit stone!

With such huge profits, it was no wonder the original owner had lost his head.

Perhaps he believed in his own luck, perhaps the easy mastery of Bigu Powder gave him confidence, or perhaps the reality of poverty drove him to take a risk.

In any case, he bravely charged ahead.

The final result was that the pot exploded, the house collapsed, and he was gone.

Now, Luo Chen had also reached this moment of choice.

Relying solely on Bigu Powder, he could only survive; it was definitely not enough for cultivation.

If he wanted resources to cultivate, he had to open up another source of income besides Bigu Powder.

His goal was not the Jade Dew Pill at all, and ten achievement points were not enough to master a second-rank pill.

Therefore, after discovering the achievement point function on his proficiency panel, he had already made up his mind.

"The Zhongmiao Pill must be refined!"

"I have to!"

"Even if I have to sacrifice my reputation!"