Cultivating In Secret Beside A Demoness

Medicinal pills were generally expensive but highly coveted.

Every cultivation realm had unique pills needed to refine cultivation. People usually saved money to buy pills because pills were effective. How could the alchemist be poor?

“How many alchemists do you think there are in the Candlelight Pill Pavilion?” Leng Tian sighed. “Over 2,300 alchemists. There are only four alchemists who can refine pills above the Foundation Establishment Realm. Now, how many talisman-makers are in the entire sect? Only a few hundred. Talisman-making is not a very profitable profession, so the future is uncertain for them. Which is exactly the reason why fewer people venture down that path. Alchemy is different. It has good prospects and higher profits, so many people opt for that path. Alchemy even benefits cultivation, which is why there are far more alchemists than talisman makers. Many people only buy simple talismans. It is fairly easy to make. Pill refining is a very difficult job.”

Jiang Hao was somewhat surprised. The Candlelight Pill Pavilion had so many alchemists. Wouldn’t they make a fortune if they ventured out?

But then he remembered the situation in Heavenly Earth City. He felt that the market value was too low outside the sect. It wasn’t easy to make money.

“Sister Leng, please go on,” Jiang Hao said. He wanted to know the whole situation.

Leng Tian sighed slightly. “A high threshold means a higher expenditure of spirit stones. Although the Candlelight Pill Pavilion has provided a lot of assistance, alchemy requires constant experimentation to make progress. Each experiment costs a significant amount of spirit stones. Junior Brother Jiang, you understand that making talismans also requires purchasing materials, right? And sometimes, those materials go to waste if you fail. So, just imagine how many materials alchemists need for their pill refinement. Add to that the high failure rate, and it becomes a loss with no returns. If you want to improve your alchemy skills, you have to practice continuously.”

“I understand.” Jiang Hao nodded. It was because of that same reason he had given up on becoming an alchemist. Slow progress, high investment, and a need for talent. Making talismans was easier.

“But what about those who can refine pills at the Foundation Establishment Realm and above? Don’t they earn a lot?” he asked.

“Because there are simply too many ordinary pills, the buyback is not high. When selling pills, customers bargain a little and bring the price down even more. And this is with the sect taking care of us. The Snow Lotus Pavilion rarely sells ordinary pills,” said Leng Tian. “So, Foundation Establishment Realm alchemists are quite poor. They can only break free from their predicament once they reach the Golden Core Realm. After all, out of the 2,300 alchemists, around 50% are at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and only about 20% of them reach the Golden Core Realm. The Primordial Spirit Realm accounts for about 15%. There are very few who have reached the Return to Void Realm and beyond.”

“What realms are there beyond Return to Void?” Jiang Hao was curious.

“I’m not too sure about that.” Leng Tian shook her head. “I’ve heard that, even in the entire sect, the number of alchemists at the Return to Void Realm and beyond can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Some seniors say that it’s because our foundation is too weak.”

Jiang Hao could understand that although there were many alchemists in the Candlelight Pill Pavilion, their quality was average and mostly concentrated at the Foundation Establishment Realm. However, the large number meant that there would be more people advancing in the future.

High -level alchemists would contribute to the accumulation of knowledge and skills. Forging was considered inferior, and talisman-making… was not given much attention. In comparison, the sect was more concerned with formation masters. However, even formation masters didn’t earn much money. The threshold was not much lower than that of alchemy because it was too difficult.

“Senior Sister Leng, are you from the Candlelight Pill Pavilion?” Jiang Hao asked.

“Yes.” Leng Tian nodded. She looked embarrassed. “To be honest, my talent in alchemy is… not very high. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit. But some seniors, including myself, have thought of a solution. The best way to become a Golden Core Realm alchemist is to first advance to that realm and then continue with alchemy.”

“I see.” Jiang Hao nodded. Advancing first was indeed better. With a higher cultivation level, everything else would be easier.

He bid farewell to Leng Tian and went to buy some talisman-making materials.

When he returned to his house, he saw an unconscious spirit beast hanging from a tree branch. Jiang Hao knew Hong Yuye had arrived.

He looked around but didn’t see her. He raised his head to see Hong Yuye on his balcony. Their eyes met.

Then, a red mist surged around Hong Yuye, and she reappeared in front of him.

“Is there no place to bathe here?” asked Hong Yuye.

The question caught Jiang Hao off guard. “Uh… there is, but there is no wooden tub.’

“Then buy one,” said Hong Yuye. She threw the spirit beast to a corner and plucked a plump peach. “If I need to take a bath, and you don’t have a tub next time, you’ll bear my wrath.”

Although Jiang Hao didn’t understand why Hong Yuye would ever come to his house to bathe, he didn’t dare refute her. He just nodded. “I understand.” He just hoped that she wouldn’t trouble him again next time.

“Are you going to advance to the Primordial Spirit Realm?” Hong Yuye suddenly asked.

She plucked a peach from the tree and tossed it to Jiang Hao. “I remember you said the peach would be sweet. Try it now and see how it tastes.”

“Senior, this peach…” Jiang Hao wanted to tell her about the Immortal Peach Tree but didn’t know how.

“I’ll try it now!” he said hurriedly.

He looked at the peach tree and saw that all the ripe peaches were gone. Did the spirit beast eat them?

He took a bite. It was sour.

“Is it sweet or sour?” Hong Yuye asked.

“Sweet and fragrant,” Jiang Hao said.

“Really? It’s sweet, you say…” Her smile was sinister.

Jiang Hao nodded. “It’s sweet.”

Bang!

Jiang Hao was pushed against the wall by a powerful force. His back felt a bit sore.

When he came to his senses, he realized that Hong Yuye had already disappeared from the courtyard.

Soon, a pleasant voice rang in his ear. “I won’t let you work for me for nothing. I left some things on your table. You’d better do some research before advancing to the Primordial Spirit Realm.”

There was a book on the table that wasn’t there before. Jiang Hao looked at it curiously. On the cover were four big characters: Light and Dust.

“What kind of book is this?” Jiang Hao flipped to the first page.

In his confusion, he opened the first page. There was a sentence written on it: “With its light, it is one with the dust. Moving forward, it can reach a million miles. Retreating, it can disappear into the crowd without a trace.” “Is this a body technique?” Jiang Hao muttered.

A body technique was something he currently needed. Apart from the

Thousand Miles of Demonic Sound, he didn’t have any decent body techniques. Now that he had this Light and Dust technique, perhaps things would be much more convenient in the future. However, he didn’t know to what extent it could

be achieved.

As he continued flipping through the pages, something wailed. The spirit beast had woken up. This time it didn’t stay on the ground for long. It got up quickly. “Master, you’ve returned!”

The spirit beast ran over to him in excitement. “Master, did you bring me a gift?” it asked as it jumped on the table.

“No.” Jiang Hao closed the book and shook his head.

“Master, my friends on the road open their shops late. How about you go now and bring me one now?” the spirit beast suggested.

“I didn’t bring a gift, but I brought something else.” Jiang Hao took out a coil of rope..