CHAPTER 384: CHAPTER 325 RETREAT FOR SECRET CULTIVATION! [VOTE FOR MONTHLY TICKET!]

Time flows.

Whether eternal or fleeting, it is difficult to tell.

"Sigh!"

Granny Gan, after much deliberation, decided not to pursue the illusory promise of reincarnation in the face of tangible choices. Lowering her prideful head, bending her steel-like spine, she bowed deeply to Chen Jichuan and humbly declared, "Gan Chen is willing to follow you, master. I only ask that once you ascend to immortality, you may guide me along the path!"

"Excellent!"

"Having Granny Gan’s assistance is like a tiger gaining wings!"

Upon seeing Gan Chen wholly submit, Chen Jichuan burst into hearty laughter, exhilarated beyond measure.

To prevent Gan Chen from regretting her decision.

Chen Jichuan wasted no time. He immediately brought out the ’Fire Dragon Immortal Banner’ and removed the ’Fire Phoenix Ring’ from his finger, directing towards Granny Gan as he said, "I humbly request Granny to grant me your strength!"

"Certainly!"

With no lingering defiance, Gan Chen respectfully replied and leaped into the ’Fire Phoenix Ring,’ aiding Chen Jichuan’s refinements.

...

Days turned into years.

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

On this day.

The Fire Dragon devoured the Phoenix, and the ’Fire Phoenix Ring’ was finally fully refined into the ’Fire Dragon Immortal Banner.’

A fiery dragon coiled within.

Granny Gan gracefully descended from the dragon’s head, exiting the ’Fire Dragon Immortal Banner’ and standing before Chen Jichuan. After five years of refinement and merging, Gan Chen was no longer the remnants of a fractured Primordial Spirit. She now served as the artifact spirit of the ’Fire Dragon Immortal Banner.’

From this moment forth, the ’Fire Dragon Immortal Banner’ would remain indestructible, and Granny Gan would share its immortality.

Though this could be viewed as an alternative form of eternal life.

In truth, she would never again escape the confines of the ’Fire Dragon Immortal Banner,’ destined to endure an eternity trapped within it. Amid the boundless solitude, who knows how long she can endure?

"Ten thousand years."

"I log in and log out; in this lifetime, I still have over nine thousand years to live."

"Gan Chen will at least serve me for nine thousand years."

"If I fail to ascend in this lifetime, I’ll start anew in the next. Another ten thousand years."

"She will serve me, lifetime after lifetime!"

Chen Jichuan’s heart bloomed with joy.

Becoming an immortal and establishing himself as an ancestral figure felt aeons away, but the benefits of Gan Chen’s alchemical skills could be enjoyed immediately.

"Granny, what types of pills have you refined in the past?"

"What was the profitability like?"

Chen Jichuan inquired.

"I’ve refined a variety of pills,"

"but I primarily crafted ’Heavenly Human Pill,’ which enhances mana for Heavenly Human Realm cultivators, and ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill,’ which heals injuries for Heavenly Human Realm cultivators."

"The former has a success rate of 74%. On average, one furnace yields profits of about seven hundred thousand Spirit Crystals."

"The latter has a success rate of 52%. On average, one furnace yields profits of around six hundred and forty thousand Spirit Crystals."

Gan Chen explained in detail.

Refining pills for alchemists like Gan Chen typically begins with low-level pills. Once the success rate for these pills reaches its peak and can no longer improve, they shift to higher-grade pills with greater profit potential.

Such as the ’Heavenly Human Pill’ and the ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill.’

The former sells for ninety thousand Spirit Crystals per pill with a production cost of eleven thousand. Even with a perfect success rate, a furnace containing twelve pills would yield a profit of ninety-four thousand eight hundred Spirit Crystals.

Meanwhile, the ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill’ sells for one hundred twenty thousand Spirit Crystals with a cost of seventeen thousand Spirit Crystals. A perfect furnace yields a profit of one hundred twenty-three thousand.

A perfect success rate is, of course, exceedingly rare.

Yet even under these conditions—

"The profits are still too low."

Chen Jichuan shook his head.

Although the profits of refining pills like the ’Heavenly Human Pill’ and the ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill’ far exceed the twenty-one thousand Spirit Crystals he currently earns from refining the ’Spirit Candle Pill,’

Chen Jichuan remains unsatisfied.

"It’s a pity that due to an oath, Gan Chen cannot share the pill recipes from Starfall Pavilion with me."

"Otherwise, I could strengthen the ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill’ recipe, skyrocketing profits. With her past experience, she could maintain a five-percent-plus success rate, rapidly generating vast amounts of Spirit Crystals."

Chen Jichuan lamented inwardly.

Unable to strengthen the pill recipes in Gan Chen’s possession, Chen Jichuan could only select and impart one of his own improved recipes to her, thereby increasing its profit potential.

While the initial earnings might be smaller, the long-term benefits are undoubtedly worthwhile.

Soon.

Chen Jichuan made his choice—

"Brocade Spirit Pill."

The ’Brocade Spirit Pill’ similarly aids the Heavenly Human Realm in increasing mana but surpasses the ’Heavenly Human Pill’ by an entire grade.

Originally, it was on par with the ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill,’ with comparable profits.

However, after being enhanced by Chen Jichuan, its production cost dropped to fourteen thousand Spirit Crystals, while its selling price rose to one hundred sixty thousand Spirit Crystals.

With a perfect success rate, a furnace of ’Brocade Spirit Pill’ yields one million seven hundred fifty thousand Spirit Crystals in profit.

Eclipsing the ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill’ by a wide margin.

"The difficulty of refining the ’Brocade Spirit Pill’ is similar to the ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill.’ With Granny’s mastery of Alchemy Dao, she need at most a century to achieve a five-percent success rate."

"By then, each furnace would yield eighty to ninety thousand Spirit Crystals in profit."

"As proficiency increases, the profits will keep rising."

Chen Jichuan flicked a ripple of spiritual light at Gan Chen’s brow.

"Brocade Spirit Pill."

Gan Chen’s expression shifted, showing a hint of astonishment.

Having come from Starfall Pavilion, she was a seasoned expert and understood the value of pill recipes.

Undoubtedly.

Under similar refining difficulties, the ’Brocade Spirit Pill,’ which outshines the ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill’ by over fifty thousand in profits, cannot be overstated in its worth. Even within Starfall Pavilion, this recipe would easily serve as a sect-treasured artifact.

"With this pill recipe, future cultivation will never lack Primordial Stones."

"Given his talent, he might genuinely ascend to immortality and become an ancestral figure."

Gan Chen closed her eyes to comprehend the ’Brocade Spirit Pill’ recipe, increasing her confidence in Chen Jichuan and her anticipation for the future.

Without needing Chen Jichuan’s urging, she returned to the ’Fire Dragon Immortal Banner’ to devote herself to studying the recipe.

Within ten days.

She formally began refining the ’Brocade Spirit Pill.’

...

To profit from refining ’Yang Rejuvenation Pill,’ its success rate only needs to reach 15% to break even.

But for the ’Brocade Spirit Pill,’ a success rate of merely 8% is enough to avoid losses.

As time passed.

Gan Chen demonstrated her outstanding expertise in Alchemy Dao; within a short span of fourteen years, she achieved break-even success rates, gradually transitioned to profit, and saw her success rates rise year after year, along with earnings.

Chen Jichuan was finally free.

No longer needing to devote most of his time to refining ’Spirit Candle Pills’ for profit, he started dedicating a portion of his focus to refining the ’Brocade Spirit Pills.’

Firstly, it helped him elevate his pill-mastering skills.

With Gan Chen available for consultation and collaboration, his progress was significantly quicker compared to researching on his own.

Secondly.

The ’Brocade Spirit Pill’ yielded far greater profits compared to the ’Spirit Candle Pill.’ Chen Jichuan was planning for his long-term future, ensuring mastery of higher-profit recipes.

With the resources gained from Sumeru Mountain.

As well as the collective pill-refining earnings from Gan Chen and himself.

Chen Jichuan finally had the means to dive into ambitious endeavors.

Endless pill refinement.

Frequent visits to the Four Directions Sect, using artifacts like the ’Five Elements Tower’ to aid in cultivation.

Or heading to Beast Spirit Palace, employing ’Pool Heron’ and other spirit beasts as tools for cultivation.

With the foundation laid in Sumeru Mountain.

Coupled with the assistance of pills, magical treasures, and external supports, Chen Jichuan’s cultivation surged forward with terrifying speed.

Forty-four years after his first visit to Magic Sound Mountain, his cultivation ascended to the Heavenly Human Realm Third Layer.

By his second return to Magic Sound Mountain, one hundred forty-two years had passed, with a total of one hundred and one years of active cultivation.

Among these years, sixty had been spent uninterrupted within the Seven Treasures Pond.

Nonetheless.

During this period, Chen Jichuan allocated time to travel, and refine within Seven Treasures Pond, leaving only fragments—twenty-two years in Magic Sound Mountain and thirty-six in the nameless star where Xiao Lan was refining the Supreme Bone—for undistracted cultivation.

Bit by bit, he nearly completed the Third Realm.

With his foundations solidified, upon returning to Magic Sound Mountain for isolated cultivation, he broke through to the Fourth Layer of the Heavenly Human Realm within just five short years.

That year,

Chen Jichuan reached seven hundred forty-eight years of age, with a bone age of four hundred thirteen.

Twenty-nine years after his return to Magic Sound Mountain.

Chen Jichuan ascended once more, reaching the Fifth Layer of the Heavenly Human Realm.

Fifty-eight years later.

Ascending again to the Sixth Layer of the Heavenly Human Realm.

During this span of time.

Chen Jichuan, endowed with ample resources, finally had the liberty to unleash the ’Enlightenment’ technique fully. Still, each instance of enlightenment demanded a staggering restoration cost—requiring pill resources worth five hundred thousand Primordial Stones to recover his Primordial Qi completely.

Once per year.

At five hundred thousand per instance.

Over fifty-eight years, with twenty-nine instances of enlightenment, he had spent a total of fourteen million five hundred thousand Primordial Stones.

It caused Chen Jichuan’s wealth to deplete remarkably quickly.

But the effects of ’whaling’ were equivalent to greatness.

Chen Jichuan initially prioritized enlightening the ’Sun Chasing Walk,’ which he had deciphered from the ’Sun Chasing Demon Ape Stone Statue.’ After merely eight times, he had elevated it to the Fourth Realm.

Eight times represented eight hundred years.

Even the most gifted Second-order True Persons would need close to a millennium to push a super-level technique to the Fourth Realm. For Third-order Transformations, even an ordinary one like Chen Jichuan could thoroughly grasp a super-level technique over several hundred to a thousand years.

The Fifth Realm, however,

was reserved for talents among Divinity Transformation cultivators.

With ’Sun Chasing Walk’ at its Fourth Realm, its speed rivaled that of ’Starry Sky Walking,’ reaching triple the speed of light in the cosmos.

Still, it fell short of a genuine Sun Chasing Demon Ape’s capabilities.

However, for Chen Jichuan, this sufficed.

Next, he shifted his focus away from ’Sun Chasing Walk’ and began improving ’Daluo Heavenly Sleeve.’

’Daluo Heavenly Sleeve’ had already reached the Fourth Realm and was now advancing toward the Fifth Realm.

For most Divinity Transformation cultivators, mastering super-level techniques to the Fourth Realm proves sufficient; progressing beyond demands exorbitant resources.

Even among extraordinary geniuses, one’s lifetime of five thousand years typically yields just one super-level technique in the Fifth Realm.

It remains an anomaly.

Most reaching these heights are Divine Transformation Great Powers.

The longer-lived Independent Immortals—

Five thousand pre-dissolution years.

Then a thousand years per tribulation post-dissolution.

With their longer lifespans and increased dedication to technique cultivation, their mastery deepens. Some among the Seven Tribulation and Eight Tribulation Independent Immortals command one to three techniques in the Fifth Realm.

If Chen Jichuan sought to maintain superiority in super-level techniques during the first three Divinity Transformation layers, a Fifth Realm mastery would suffice.

However, upon reaching the Great Power stage, just entering the Fifth Realm falls short. Techniques must approach the Sixth Realm or fully achieve it to wield overwhelming dominance.

Furthermore, there exists another approach—

To derive and enhance super-level techniques into Divine Skills!

But the difficulty involved might rival ascending a super-level technique to the Sixth Realm.

In summary, neither path is easy.

With the ’Eight Dharma Water’ of the Seven Treasures Pond within Sumeru Mountain nearly depleted, Chen Jichuan was temporarily unable to recklessly derive methods.

For now, his goal of deriving Divine Skills had to be postponed.

Instead, his focus remained on comprehending super-level techniques.

Constant cultivation.

Relentless comprehension.

Ceaseless enlightenment.

’Daluo Heavenly Sleeve’ continued its unending progress.

...