Chapter 163: Chapter 150: Puppets Acquired, Foundation Establishment Pill Request

Puppet Master Yan sighed.

A thought flashed through Lin Changheng’s mind. ’Could Puppet Master Yan’s injury be related to this?’ But he didn’t ask.

He also sighed softly. "But who wouldn’t want to experience the sights of the Foundation Establishment Stage?"

Hearing this, Yan Mingyi, who had been listening quietly, opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately held her tongue.

...

「Two days later.」

Lin Changheng waved his sleeve, storing away the two now-still Puppet Beasts.

The Puppet Control Skill for Tier One Upper Grade puppets was much more complex than the one for Tier One Lower Grade, but for Lin Changheng, it was nothing extraordinary.

In less than two days, he had already committed it to heart and could control them with ease.

However, the courtyard was too small to practice some of the more drastic, wide-ranging movements, like pouncing or charging through the air.

He could only control them to walk, flap their wings, raise their claws, and peck with their beaks.

Later on, Lin Changheng came up with an idea.

He would make them perform delicate actions to train his fine motor control.

For example, he made the tiger Puppet Beast use its Sharp Claws to cut grass and the giant eagle puppet use its beak to lift a bucket.

Although he undoubtedly failed, it was a great boost to Lin Changheng’s control abilities.

As for the Black Armored Earth Turtle on the side, it had long been terrified by the sudden appearance of the giant beasts. It dove into the mud, retracted its head into its shell, suppressed its aura, and played dead.

Lin Changheng watched, gritting his teeth in exasperation. ’It’s even more cautious than I am.’

...

After turning away a few Cultivators who came seeking Pills, Lin Changheng decided to visit Alchemist Cheng again.

Alchemist Cheng, a friend of his master Elder Mo, was an Upper Grade Alchemist who had lived in the Immortal City for over twenty years and was widely connected. Lin Changheng visited him regularly.

He didn’t live in the same area as Lin Changheng, but rather in a different corner of the region adjacent to the Inner City.

Inside an Alchemy Shop called the Hundred Herbs Shop.

"Elder Cheng."

Lin Changheng stepped into the shop, carrying some Spirit Fruits.

"Oh, Senior Brother Lin."

A middle-aged Male Cultivator with a square face looked up from behind the counter. Seeing the visitor, he quickly put down his brush with pleasant surprise and came out to greet him.

This Senior Brother Lin was someone his own father praised incessantly.

Not only was he the prized disciple of his father’s old friend, Uncle Mo, but he had also broken through to become an Upper Grade Alchemist, on par with his father.

And with his exceptional Alchemy Skill, his reputation in the Immortal City had soared.

What was even more shocking were the recent rumors circulating in the Immortal City that this Senior Brother Lin had broken through to Tier Two Alchemy!

How could that not be astonishing?

Not only that, but after Alchemist Cheng heard the news, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion that Little Brother Mo had taken on a good disciple. Just a while ago, he had been constantly scolding his own son for being a disappointment and looking at him with disapproval!

But the son didn’t take it to heart, merely chuckling to himself.

"Junior Brother Cheng."

Lin Changheng handed over the gift, glanced around the shop, and asked with a smile, "Is Elder Cheng not in?"

"He is, he is."

Junior Brother Cheng lowered his voice and pointed upward. "Father is upstairs talking business with a guest."

"I’ll wait then."

Lin Changheng nodded. He had actually come this time to ask for Elder Cheng’s help: to use his connections to find clients for Tier Two Pills and break his current stalemate.

"Alright, please have a seat over here, Senior Brother."

Junior Brother Cheng immediately brewed some tea and came over to make small talk with Lin Changheng, though in reality, he was also trying to confirm whether he had truly become a Tier Two Alchemist.

Lin Changheng naturally had no need to hide it and explained the purpose of his visit.

"Clients for Tier Two Elixirs?"

Junior Brother Cheng was taken aback, then said in surprise, his voice hushed to a whisper, "The guest upstairs is a Foundation Establishment Elder."

Lowering his voice was a clear attempt to evade detection by Divine Sense and prevent the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from hearing them talk about him behind his back.

Lin Changheng, however, knew that Divine Sense was pervasive. An act like this might not be effective.

"Oh?"

Lin Changheng’s interest was piqued. A Cultivator who came to this Pill Shop would certainly have a need for someone to concoct Tier One Pills.

But as long as they were a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, they would also have a need for Tier Two Pills.

It was just a question of whether that Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be willing to trust him and ask him to perform the refining.

"How about I go and tell my father?" Junior Brother Cheng said suddenly.

Lin Changheng looked up at Junior Brother Cheng in surprise. Just as he was about to say something, he heard footsteps coming from the top of the stairs.

Two men descended the stairs, talking and laughing in a very amicable manner.

One was an old man with well-maintained, still-black hair and a ruddy complexion.

It was Elder Cheng.

The other was a middle-aged Male Cultivator in white robes. His aura was astonishing, and he faintly exuded a powerful pressure—Foundation Establishment Stage!

He was the client Junior Brother Cheng had mentioned.

"Oh, Changheng, you’re here?"

Elder Cheng, who was in the middle of a cheerful conversation, glanced around the shop as he came downstairs. He saw his son chatting with someone, and a second look revealed Lin Changheng’s face.

"Greetings, Elder Cheng. Greetings, Elder."

Lin Changheng smiled, rose to his feet, and greeted them in a manner that was neither servile nor overbearing.

"This is the Alchemist Lin I just mentioned to you, Brother Wu. He’s quite famous in the Immortal City, and now he’s even broken through to become a Tier Two Alchemist."

Elder Cheng introduced him with a smile, treating him like one of his own nephews, looking proud as if sharing in the glory.

"Oh?"

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Wu immediately fixed his gaze on him. It was incredibly sharp and carried a spiritual pressure, as if it could see right into a person’s heart.

After a few breaths, he suddenly broke into a warm smile. "Alchemist Lin, no need for such formalities. Alchemist Cheng has mentioned you to me several times just now, speaking of you with high praise. Now that I see you, you are indeed young, promising, and extraordinary."

"You flatter me, Elder. I have merely taken a Solid Face Pill and mastered some life-preserving techniques. My actual age is nearly sixty. Otherwise, how could my skill in the Alchemy Dao have overflowed, allowing me to enter Tier Two?"

Lin Changheng deliberately corrected his perceived age.

In some professions, the older you were, the more sought-after you became. It was a symbol of credibility.

"Hahaha, so that’s how it is."

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Wu’s attitude changed instantly. A hint of trust appeared in his eyes as he looked at Lin Changheng.

Coming closer, with Elder Cheng smiling at their side, the two chatted for a few more sentences before the Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Wu suddenly said, "I happen to be in need of a Tier Two Elixir. I wonder if I might trouble Alchemist Lin to help me refine a batch?"

"Of course, it’s no problem."

Lin Changheng nodded with a faint smile.

"What are the chances of success?" the Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Wu asked again.

"Five pills per batch, with about an eighty percent success rate for Genuine Pills." Lin Changheng gave an answer that was good for others but conservative for himself.

"Then it’s worth a try!"

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Wu’s eyes lit up. The senior Tier Two Lower Grade Alchemist he had found previously wouldn’t have promised anything better than this.

Afterward, the two began to discuss the Furnace Opening Fee and the profit-sharing method.

The final agreement was different from the model for requesting Tier One Elixirs.

The most obvious difference was the elimination of pill-splitting!

The specifics were as follows:

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Wu would provide the Pill Formula and ten sets of Medicinal Materials. Lin Changheng would not charge a Furnace Opening Fee or take a cut of the pills. In half a month, he would need to deliver eight Genuine Pills.

For each of the eight Genuine Pills delivered, he would receive a reward of one hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

Any remaining pills, regardless of their quality, would belong to Lin Changheng.

He could also sell them to the Foundation Establishment Cultivator surnamed Wu at market price, for two hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones each.

However, if he failed to meet the quota, he would have to compensate for each missing pill at market price.

Lin Changheng’s heart beat a little faster. Only now did he realize that while becoming a Tier Two Alchemist was difficult, their theoretical money-making ability was truly powerful!

If all ten pills were successfully created, he could earn one thousand two hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones, which was about twelve Middle Grade Spirit Stones. However, this was an extreme test of skill that would be difficult for anyone but a senior alchemist to achieve.

If only eight pills were successfully created, he would earn eight hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones from the batch.

But there were risks:

If he produced five or fewer Genuine Pills, he would have refined this batch for nothing and would even have to pay out of his own pocket.

It was just that at Lin Changheng’s current level, refining a batch of five pills would take about seven days. Two batches would take half a month.

Calculated this way, the profit was less than double what he would earn refining Tier One Upper Grade pills in the same amount of time.

But as his skills matured and he could refine ten pills in a single batch, his efficiency would be higher, and his profits would soar.

If he could produce Masterpiece Tier Two Pills, which had a market price of three hundred Spirit Stones each, the profits would be even greater.

Ultimately, everything was tied to his Skills.

Lin Changheng was mentally prepared. This was just the initial growing pains; he was waiting for the explosive power that would follow.

Similarly, a Tier Two Talisman Master’s theoretical money-making ability was slightly less, but not by much. No wonder the Xu Family was so desperate to cultivate Tantai Feiyue into one—this was the reason why.

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