Attacked by the Female Demon at the Beginning - Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Is the Female Demon Head Coming to My Place for a Bath?

“Poor?”

Jiang Hao was puzzled.

“Pill refining should be the most profitable profession, so why are they poor?”

Elixirs were generally expensive, except for common ones which were cheap.

For example, the Spirit Building Pill, a common elixir used by those at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment to enhance cultivation.

Every realm has such elixirs; they are easy to produce in large quantities and have average effects, classifying them as mass-market goods, so the profits aren’t very high.

But the prices of others beyond these are much higher.

So how could a pill refiner master be poor?

“Junior Brother, how many pill refiners do you think there are in the Candlelight Alchemy Court lineage?”

Senior Sister Leng Tian looked at Jiang Hao with a sigh and gave the answer directly.

“Over two thousand three hundred. And that’s only those who can refine pills above the Foundation Establishment level, just counting the Candlelight Alchemy Court lineage, not including others. How many talisman makers do you think there are in the entire sect? Merely a few hundred. Although the threshold for making talismans is low and the cost is low, the future is the most uncertain.”

“That’s why there are fewer talisman makers, and while the profits from talismans can be decent in the early stages, they’re pretty much the same later on, and it’s hard to see a qualitative change. Pill refining, on the other hand, is different. It has a high status, a promising future, and once you create a pill formula, you can continuously earn spirit stones.”

“Pill refining even aids in cultivation, so there are far more people refining pills than making talismans. Of course, many people can make simple talismans, which is why nobody wants things like the Swift Travel Talisman. This is also the impact of having a low barrier to entry. Compared to talisman making, the threshold for pill refining is very high.”

Jiang Hao was somewhat surprised. The Candlelight Alchemy Court actually had so many pill refiners?

Wouldn’t they make a fortune if they went out?

But remembering the situation in Tiantu City, he felt that the purchasing power there was too low.

It was also not easy to make money.

“Senior Sister, please continue,” Jiang Hao said humbly.

He wanted to know what the situation was.

Senior Sister Leng Tian looked somewhat helpless and said:

“A high threshold means that a lot of spirit stones are spent. Although the Alchemy Court lineage provides a lot of support, pill refining requires continuous experimentation to make progress. Each attempt costs a batch of spirit stones.”

“Junior Brother, you understand that making talismans also requires buying materials, right? So think about how many materials a pill refiner needs to consume. Add to that a high failure rate, and it’s a complete loss. To improve in pill refining, one must practice non-stop.”

“I understand,” Jiang Hao nodded.

It was for this reason that he gave up on becoming a pill refiner.

The results were slow, the investment was large, and it required talent.

Making talismans was easier.

“But those who can refine pills above the Foundation Establishment level should be able to earn quite a few spirit stones, right?” Jiang Hao asked.

“Because there are just too many common pills, the buyback prices are not high, and when selling pills, everyone tries to drive the price down. This is still with the sect looking out for us; the Xuelian Pavilion rarely sells common pills,” Senior Sister Leng Tian shrugged and said.

“So, pill refiners at the Foundation Establishment level are actually quite poor. Only by advancing to Golden Core can they escape their plight. After all, out of the two thousand three hundred pill refiners, fifty percent are at the Foundation Establishment level, about twenty percent are at Golden Core. Nascent Soul accounts for about fifteen percent, Spirit Refining should also be close to fifteen percent, and those above Return to Void are few and far between.”

“What realms are there above Return to Void?” Jiang Hao suddenly asked, curious.

“I’m not too clear on that,” Senior Sister Leng Tian shook her head, then said:

“I’ve heard that even the Alchemy Court has single-digit pill refiners above Return to Void. Some seniors say that our foundation is too weak.”

Jiang Hao understood that although the Candlelight Alchemy Court lineage had many pill refiners, the quality was average, with most concentrated at the Foundation Establishment level.

However, the large number meant that more people would advance in the future.

Once there are more high-level pill refiners, the foundation will become stronger.

The forging lineage is weaker, and talisman making… is not even taken seriously.

Compared to talisman making, the sect probably cares more about array masters.

But array masters don’t make much money either.

Their threshold is not much lower than that of pill refining.

Because it’s too difficult.

“Is Senior Sister from the Candlelight Alchemy Court lineage?” Jiang Hao asked.

“Yes.” Senior Sister Leng Tian nodded, somewhat embarrassedly said:

“My talent for pill refining is actually a bit low, which is a bit embarrassing to admit. However, I and some Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters have thought of a solution. The best way to become a Golden Core pill refiner is to first advance to Golden Core, then continue with pill refining.”

“I see,” Jiang Hao nodded.

Advancing first indeed seemed better.

With higher cultivation, everything else becomes more convenient.

Afterward, he bid farewell to Senior Sister Leng Tian.

After buying some talisman-making materials, Jiang Hao returned to his courtyard.

Just as he entered the courtyard, he saw a rabbit with a swollen face and bruised nose hanging from a tree branch, its life and death unknown.

Seeing this, Jiang Hao knew that Hong Yuye had come.

He immediately surveyed his surroundings.

As he looked up, he just saw Hong Yuye walking onto the balcony.

Their eyes met.

Neither spoke.

Then a red shadow appeared on Hong Yuye, and in the next instant, she was in front of Jiang Hao, speaking calmly:

“Is there no place to bathe here?”

This question left Jiang Hao somewhat taken aback, but he still replied respectfully.

“There is, but there’s no bathtub.”

“Remember to prepare it,” Hong Yuye walked under the peach tree, casually tossed the rabbit into a corner, and plucked a peach to look at Jiang Hao.

“If it’s not ready when I need it, you will bear my wrath.”

Although Jiang Hao didn’t understand why Hong Yuye wanted to bathe here, he could only nod in agreement.

“Yes, junior understands what to do.”

He just hoped she wouldn’t make things difficult for him next time.

“Are you about to advance to Nascent Soul?”

Hong Yuye suddenly asked.

As she spoke, she plucked another peach that was not yet ripe and casually tossed it to Jiang Hao.

“I remember you said it was sweet, now you try it.”

“Senior, this peach…”

Jiang Hao looked at the unripe peach, wanting to explain.

But the overwhelming aura coming from the other side forced him to change his words.

“I’ll try it now.”

He glanced at the peach tree and noticed that all the ripe peaches were gone.

Eaten by rabbits?

After taking a bite, Jiang Hao felt it was a bit sour.

It was fragrant, but not sweet enough.

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

“Sweet, fragrantly sweet,” Jiang Hao replied.

“Sweet?” Hong Yuye looked at Jiang Hao with a smile that was not quite a smile.

“Sweet,” Jiang Hao nodded and repeated.

Bang!

A collision sound came from the courtyard wall, and Jiang Hao was pushed against the wall by the mighty aura.

His back was a bit sore.

But when he came to his senses, he found that Hong Yuye’s figure had already disappeared from the courtyard.

Soon, a pleasant and melodious voice rang in his ear:

“I won’t let you accompany me for nothing, the item on the table is yours. You’d better look up some information before advancing to Nascent Soul.”

Now there was a book on the table. Curious, Jiang Hao approached the table, picked up the book, and saw bold characters on it—Merge with Light and Blend with Dust.

“《Merge with Light and Blend with Dust》, what kind of book is this?”

Confused, he opened the first page, which read: Merge with its Light, Blend with its Dust.

Advance, and you can travel tens of thousands of miles.

Retreat, and you can disappear into the crowd without a trace.

“Is this a movement technique?”

He continued to read.

A movement technique was something he currently needed.

Previously, besides Demon Sound Thousand Li, he had no impressive movement techniques.

Now with this 《Merge with Light and Blend with Dust》, perhaps things would be much more convenient in the future.

He just didn’t know to what extent it could be developed.

While he continued to flip through the pages, a wailing sound came over.

The rabbit had woken up.

This time it didn’t wail for long before it stopped and immediately got up from the ground,

“Master, have you come back? The friends on the road reminded me that you’re back.”

Quickly, the rabbit saw Jiang Hao by the table and excitedly ran over.

“Master, did you bring me a gift?” the rabbit asked expectantly as it jumped onto the table.

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

“Master, the friends on the road open their shops late, why don’t you go and bring me one now?” the rabbit twisted its collar and said.

“I don’t have a gift, but I brought something else,” Jiang Hao took out a rope.