"One Lifespan-Reducing Transcendence Pill requires the sacrifice of thirty years—and it can only be taken before reaching the Golden Core stage. That price is by no means trivial. In that case, if I take one pill, Du Man'er can only evolve her spiritual root from three attributes to four attributes—but for her, that would be just right."
Fang Jinyu couldn't help but feel surprised. Although having a three-attribute spiritual root gives one a higher chance to break through to Foundation Establishment than a four-attribute root, one must still live long enough to reach that stage! To suddenly lose thirty years of lifespan inflicts quite a burden on the body. Moreover, shaving off an entire "jia‑zi" (sixty-year cycle) all at once is a tremendous cost.
At only sixteen, if Du Man'er were to take two of these Lifespan-Reducing Transcendence Pills, she would live at most another ten years—and she would transform not from a youthful maiden in the prime of life but into an old crone with white hair.
Yet when it came to whether he himself should take one, Fang Jinyu hesitated. Here was a pill almost defiant of nature, but its price was a full thirty years of life! Even cultivators in the Golden Core realm would feel the pinch for that additional time. And he himself was not a cultivator starved for opportunities or lacking in alternatives.
After considerable contemplation, however, Fang Jinyu decided to take the pill. The choice was driven by the memory—in his previous life—that he possessed a complete, superior martial formula: the "Shí Fāng Xùn Zhèn Jing" (Ten Directions of Wind and Thunder Scripture)! His previous incarnation's parents had once acquired it by chance. They had originally planned to submit it to the sect, but for reasons unknown, the young predecessor instead memorized it and then—by some twist of fate—lost it.
This scripture, naturally, could only be cultivated by those whose spiritual roots combined both wind and thunder attributes. By a fortunate coincidence, among Fang Jinyu's three-attribute roots (wind, fire, and thunder), his wind and thunder roots were both of the "yi‑xia" (second tier) quality, while his fire root was only "bing‑xia" (third tier). In recent days of training, Fang Jinyu had begun to feel the drag or burden of the "fire" attribute in his spiritual root.
Spiritual roots are graded into four classes—jia, yi, bing, and ding—with each class divided into upper and lower tiers. Being "bing‑xia" is not the worst—in fact, it explains why, in his previous life, he could reach the ninth level of Qi Refinement in his twenties. But despite that, Fang Jinyu's other two spiritual root attributes were not low at all.
Although changing or retraining one's cultivation method takes an extended period—and even risks causing a temporary drop in cultivation—in the end the benefits clearly outweigh the disadvantages. In the Nine Desolations, there exists a ranking of supreme martial formulas: while the Tianling Sect's Wind-Thunder Guide does not even rank in the top hundred, the "Shí Fāng Xùn Zhèn Jing" stands at No. 93. Although there is no record of those who reached the Yuanying stage by cultivating with this scripture, countless Golden Core cultivators who employed this superior manual have carved out a formidable reputation throughout the Nine Desolations.
Immediately, Fang Jinyu retreated into seclusion for a two‑month closed period. During these two months, thanks largely to what he considered his "external aid" (his secret advantage), he experienced nine "Inspiration 1" breakthroughs, six moments of Divine Ability Insight 1, and five increases in his Magical Qi 1. Not only did his cultivation not suffer, but it even improved somewhat. The feeling of "cheating" fate was simply wonderful!
"Although I've lost thirty years of lifespan, I seem not to appear any older after these few 'Appearance 1' boosts—what an unexpected boon!"
Fang Jinyu briefly circulated his Magical Qi and clearly felt a deep, consolidated energy; he could even see glimmers of lightning flickering over his skin.
"No wonder this is one of the top hundred supreme cultivation techniques in the Nine Desolations! However, I must press on—I've got to climb to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment within the next thirty years."
Buoyed by his newfound resolve, Fang Jinyu set off once more for the Lingyao Peak marked with the character ." Even though he no longer needed to amass "merit points" to exchange for the Wind-Thunder Guide's Foundation Manual, he still required the art of alchemy. Without proficiency in alchemy, Fang Jinyu would never have the confidence to reach the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment in thirty years. After all, his "external aid" only allowed him to seize a bonus once per day. The chance to gain a "Magical Qi 1" boost might only save him a little over a month of painstaking training, but one high-grade spirit pill at his level could save him several years of hard work! It's no wonder that alchemists hold such a high status in the cultivation world.
Arriving at Lingyao Peak, Fang Jinyu prepared to resume his alchemy experiments. This time, he only needed to rent an alchemy chamber instead of purchasing more medicinal herbs. And at last, he succeeded in refining a pill.
"Yìqì Bǔyuán Dān" (Qi-Replenishing Pill).
This pill is a common elixir in the Qi Refinement stage. Its applications are broad—advanced Qi Refinement disciples can use it to restore Magical Qi, while lower-level ones can use it to help boost their power. Moreover, during breakthroughs it often minimizes the injuries one might otherwise sustain.
Fang Jinyu pressed forward. Even though the one hundred batches of medicinal herbs he had processed earlier yielded only a ten-percent success rate, he eventually gathered eighty-five Qi-Replenishing Pills. They were not exorbitantly expensive, yet by no means cheap. Previously, when he spent an entire month on menial labor ("shoveling excrement"), he could only afford one Qi-Replenishing Pill. Keeping five aside, he later sold the rest to the sect and netted a total of 1,600 spirit stones. In order to encourage disciples in practicing the art of alchemy, Tianling Sect does not charge an intermediary fee—what is collected is passed directly on. This benefits both Qi Refinement disciples in need of pills and those aspiring to refine their own alchemy skills.
"Alchemists sure tend to be rich," Fang Jinyu mused. With ten different types of pills harvesting a steady success rate of about 30%, one can imagine just how wealthy these alchemists have become.
"Too bad that underground market was a scam—now it seems to have vanished. Otherwise, I could have profited even more from it." Shaking his head slightly, Fang Jinyu resolved to go purchase another one hundred batches of medicinal herbs. Improving one's alchemy skills not only demands perceptive insight but also repeated practice—and that process, undoubtedly, is extremely expensive.
Shortly after Fang Jinyu set out, he found that Du Man'er was already waiting for him.
"Uncle," Du Man'er greeted him with a bright smile. Fang Jinyu took a moment to study her. At that time, Du Man'er looked markedly more mature than before: where once she resembled the gentle visage of a sixteen‑year‑old girl, now she had already taken on the appearance of a young married woman. It was clear that she had secured her opportunity—and had even ingested a Lifespan‑Reducing Transcendence Pill. In the two months they had been apart, Du Man'er's cultivation had already advanced to the second layer of Qi Refinement.
This confirmed for Fang Jinyu beyond doubt that she was the newly emerging female lead—a figure whose world status was equivalent to that of Su Yier. In other words, she now possessed the fated "Qi of Fortune" that the cultivators so envy.
"Congratulations—you've broken free of the innate limitations. Judging by the way you look, it appears you've taken a Lifespan‑Reducing Transcendence Pill, right? That pill is marvelous, but its cost is immense. Last time, when you ran that errand for me, I even rewarded you. Here, take this bottle of Qi-Replenishing Pill; it should help you break through another three layers." Fang Jinyu said with a theatrical air of regret.
Now that it was established, he naturally intended to forge good relations with her—seeking no return except that she cause him no trouble. Perhaps, if someday he were to come by a useless magical artifact, he might casually gift it to her, thus balancing karmic debts. After all, given that in just over a decade the "stage of Golden Core shattering into a Yuanying infant" was approaching on the wall, Fang Jinyu truly could not afford to make enemies!
Although he had some speculations about the fates of the two female protagonists, they were just guesses. So Fang Jinyu simply applied Su Yier's upgrade template to Du Man'er.