Chapter 362 - 350: Condensing Evil Pill (Part 2)

Chapter 362: Chapter 350: Condensing Evil Pill (Part 2)

The air in the quarantine zone was several times colder than outside. The soil was a dark, bluish-green color, emitting a faint Yin Qi.

Li Yuan walked into the quarantine zone and crouched down.

On the soil’s surface, clusters of tiny, grayish-green seedlings were sprouting from the ground. Their leaves were narrow and pointed, their edges tinged with a faint dark red—the unique color of Soul-devouring Grass.

He reached out, pinched the tip of a seedling’s leaf, and sent his Spiritual Power into its root system.

The roots ran deep, already reaching the layer of Evil Qi at the bottom of the quarantine zone, greedily absorbing the Yin Evil Qi. But the seedlings were growing too quickly. The Spiritual Power circulation between their stems and leaves was not yet stable, and the tips of several seedlings were already showing signs of wilting.

Li Yuan released the seedling, placed both palms on the soil, and began to channel the Cyan Wood Longevity Skill.

Driven by the Perfection-level Cultivation Technique, an incredibly gentle stream of wood-elemental Spiritual Power seeped from his palms into the soil, slowly pouring along the roots of each seedling. The wood-elemental Spiritual Power didn’t clash with the Evil Qi. Instead, it acted like a flexible framework, restructuring and stabilizing the chaotic Spiritual Power circulation within the seedlings.

The wilted leaf tips unfurled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Li Yuan then switched to the Master Level Soil Cultivation Skill, slightly diluting and balancing the overly dense Evil Qi in the soil to make the Spiritual Power distribution more even.

With this two-pronged approach, all the seedlings in the quarantine zone looked more vigorous, and the dark red patterns on their leaves became clearer.

The Spirit Farmer standing to the side watched, dumbfounded.

"Pavilion Master, you can use a Cultivation Technique like that?"

"Wood-elemental Cultivation Techniques have always been good for nurturing living things." Li Yuan stood up and dusted the soil from his hands. "Reduce the Evil Qi concentration in the quarantine zone by another ten percent. Don’t let the seedlings absorb it too quickly. Also, notify me every three days. I’ll come and tend to them."

The Spirit Farmer nodded repeatedly, noting the instructions on a bamboo slip he carried with him.

Li Yuan left the Spirit Field and went straight back to his stone house.

On the table lay a bundle of dried and processed Soul-devouring Grass. This was a wild batch the Spirit Farmer had collected yesterday from a natural cave of Yin Evil near the trial planting area. The quantity was small, but the quality was decent—enough to refine a furnace of Condensing Evil Pills.

Li Yuan sealed the doors and windows and activated the soundproofing Array.

The Pill Furnace ignited. He tossed in the Soul-devouring Grass along with the three other supplementary ingredients one by one.

Four Divine Sense Lines spread out instantly. Two locked onto the fire vent at the bottom of the Pill Furnace, precisely controlling the Pill Fire’s temperature. The other two wrapped around the outside of the furnace, monitoring the fusion of the medicinal liquid and the flow of Spiritual Power within in real time.

A fifth Divine Sense Line did not participate in controlling the fire; instead, it probed into the furnace chamber, clinging tightly to the surface of the medicinal liquid.

The refining process for the Condensing Evil Pill was extremely demanding. The medicinal properties of Soul-devouring Grass were cold, Yin, and violent, producing a fierce rejection reaction when fused with the supplementary ingredients. The slightest misstep would cause the entire furnace of medicinal liquid to explode. Li Yuan used the fifth Divine Sense Line specifically to monitor fluctuations in the medicinal properties, ready to intervene with a trace amount of wood-elemental Spiritual Power to pacify any signs of rejection.

The medicinal liquid inside the furnace gradually shifted from its initial grayish-green to a deep, dark purple. The properties of the Soul-devouring Grass were fully activated by the high temperature, slowly merging with the Spiritual Power of the supplementary ingredients.

About two hours later, a low hum emanated from within the furnace.

’It’s done.’

Li Yuan raised his hand and lifted the furnace lid. Four smooth, dark-gray pills flew out and landed on a jade plate. The surface of the pills was coated with a thin layer of Evil Patterns, and a flowing, dark purple luster was faintly visible within.

The quality was upper-middle grade.

Li Yuan picked up a Condensing Evil Pill.

A panel popped up.

[Equippable Item Detected: Condensing Evil Pill (Intact)]

[Equipment Affix Preview: Evil-Condensing Mind Wall (Green)]

[Effect: Evil Element Magic condensation speed +20%, Evil Qi Magic power +20%]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Consume one Condensing Evil Pill daily for 15 consecutive days (0/15)]

[Current Equipment Slots Full (5/5). Replace a currently equipped item?]

’A green affix.’

’An increase of twenty percent to both the condensation speed and power of Evil Element Magic. The effect is direct and practical. My Demon Essence Skill has already reached Great Success, and Evil Element Magic is one of my primary tools. With this affix, my combat output with Evil Element Magic will rise to a new level.’

’The condition for permanence is consuming them for fifteen consecutive days. With the current reserves and production of Soul-devouring Grass, that won’t be a problem at all.’

Li Yuan called up his equipment menu and unequipped "Vein Hiding and Aura Concealing."

"Equip."

[Equipped: Condensing Evil Pill (Intact)]

[Evil-Condensing Mind Wall (Green) is now active]

The moment the affix took effect, the mass of settled Evil Qi deep within his Dantian trembled slightly. The Evil Element Spiritual Power, which originally required conscious effort to condense and form, now flowed much more smoothly, as if an invisible mold were helping to shape it.

Li Yuan placed a second Condensing Evil Pill in his mouth and swallowed it.

The cool medicinal power dissolved in his stomach, seeped through his meridians into his Dantian, and created a subtle resonance with the effect of the Evil-Condensing Mind Wall affix.

[Evil-Condensing Mind Wall (Green) Permanence Condition: Consume one Condensing Evil Pill daily for 15 consecutive days (1/15)]

Li Yuan placed the remaining Condensing Evil Pills into a jade bottle.

’One a day. In fifteen days, it will be permanent.’

After cleaning up the Pill Furnace, Li Yuan headed to the management office.

Chen Yi was not there. On the desk lay a thick summary report of production output, which a steward from the management office had prepared for his review.

Li Yuan opened the document and scanned it page by page.

The monthly production data for Fire Evil Stone was the first item. Since the second mining site had opened, and with the improved quality of the deep veins in the convergence zone, the overall output of Fire Evil Stone had more than doubled compared to last month. The Wang family’s mining team had reached a state of stable operation, with minimal daily fluctuations in output.

In terms of Talismans, the talisman shop’s production capacity had increased significantly since Sun Henian’s arrival. The stock of Tier One attack and Defense Talismans was plentiful, enough to cover the daily rotation and consumption of the Cultivators stationed at the marketplace. While the output of Tier Two Talismans was not high, there was now a steady supply.

The supply of pills was also gratifying. The herbs grown in the Spirit Fields had, after several months of accumulation, established a stable production cycle. Tier One pills could completely cover the daily consumption of all stationed Cultivators and itinerant Cultivators, with a small surplus.

Li Yuan flipped to the last page, and his gaze stopped.

The inventory curve for basic talisman paper showed a sharp downturn in the last half-month. At the same time, the consumption rate of Middle Tier Spiritual Ink far exceeded the procurement rate, and the inventory had fallen below the warning level.

The reason was easy to understand.

The marketplace’s population continued to grow, and the Sun family’s talisman shop was operating at full capacity, but both talisman paper and Spiritual Ink were sourced externally. Mist Forest Marketplace did not produce these two items itself, relying entirely on sporadic purchases from Yunyang Marketplace and passing trade caravans.

The drawback of these sporadic purchases was now fully exposed after the surge in production—the quantity simply couldn’t keep up.

Li Yuan closed the document and summoned a steward.

"Take a trip to Yunyang Marketplace. Find the Yonghe Trading Company and Lu’s Paper Workshop, and negotiate a long-term supply deal."

The steward took out a jade slip to record the details.

"Basic talisman paper, monthly supply, no less than three thousand sheets per month. Middle Tier Spiritual Ink, twenty bottles per month, with quality no lower than the market average in Yunyang Marketplace." Li Yuan listed the conditions one by one. "The price can be ten percent higher than market rate, but they must guarantee timely and full delivery. Write a penalty clause for breach of contract into the agreement."

The steward quickly carved the terms into the jade slip.

"Also," Li Yuan added, "if Yonghe Trading Company can’t handle that volume, find another company to share the load. It’s better to sign on an extra supplier than to let the production line be cut off."

"Understood."

The steward put away the jade slip and hurried off.

Li Yuan sat in the management office for a while longer, reviewing several recent security patrol records. After confirming there were no new signs of Demon Cultivator activity on the marketplace’s outskirts, he got up and left.

Back in his stone house, he took a Condensing Evil Pill from his storage bag and placed it on the corner of the table.

’Tomorrow’s dose.’

Then, he sat cross-legged on a cattail mat, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the Demon Essence Skill.

The effect of the Evil-Condensing Mind Wall affix was extremely noticeable during cultivation. The speed at which Evil Qi condensed and formed in his meridians was nearly twenty percent faster than before. The Evil Qi Cone, which had previously required repeated compression to form, could now reach the same density with a single condensation.

Moonlight streamed through a crack in the window, falling on the floor. The only sound in the stone house was the faint hum of Spiritual Power circulating during his cultivation.