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Chapter 1
Wandering Cultivator Na Jin
Sanxiu : A cultivator who does not belong to any sect or clan and cultivates independently.
Rumble—crash…
The tremendous roar of thunder echoed continuously across heaven and earth, causing the entirety of Great River Market City to fall silent.
Just moments ago, the sky had been bustling with fleeing lights—an escape technique usable by cultivators in the early Qi Condensation stage, capable of traveling a thousand li in a day—but now most of them had disappeared.
After all, who could confidently say they would not be struck down by lightning while flying through the skies? Even if one tried to stay cautious, there was no guarantee calamity could always be avoided.
Within the vast Great River Market City, the inner city was protected by a third-grade grand formation. Thanks to it, attacks from demonic beasts below the third rank could easily be repelled. Even if third-rank demonic beasts suddenly attacked, the formation could still withstand them long enough for the people inside to respond appropriately.
Of course, maintaining such a grand formation required enormous resources, so the area it could fully protect was limited to the inner city alone. Because of that, the settlements of wandering cultivators spread outside the city were comparatively much less safe.
Tens of thousands of houses made from wood and stone stretched in every direction.
Near a stream in the southwestern corner stood a quiet wooden hut with a single bedroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. It was only about two li away from the nearest wandering cultivator settlement.
Outside was silent, but sparks flew inside the kitchen.
“One jin of mountain yam sliced thinly, two liang of white poria, three liang of one-year ginseng… One jin of first-rank Yellow Ox demonic beast meat ground into powder. Not even the tiniest bone fragment can remain. Then onion, ginger, glutinous rice, fennel…”
A shirtless young man muttered to himself while staring intently into the large iron cauldron.
Suddenly, with practiced movements, he grabbed ingredients from the nearby wooden rack and tossed them into the pot before vigorously stirring with a ladle.
Only after pouring in the thick, milky ox-bone broth did Na Jin finally relax a little. He adjusted the firewood beneath the stove, pulled a few burning logs aside, and quietly waited.
An hour later, the young man lifted the lid and let out a deep sigh as he looked at the sticky substance inside the cauldron.
“Just look at this color. Pure white and bright—top quality! And the aroma too. Thick without being dry… this is excellent.”
Na Jin dipped a finger into the mixture atop the ladle and brought it to his mouth. A moment later, the corners of his lips slowly rose.
“Perfect. Thanks to the angelica and ginseng, the spiritual energy from five jin of first-rank Yellow Ox meat has spread evenly throughout the Bigu Powder. Good—the taste is more than acceptable too. First-rate.”
Muttering to himself, Na Jin licked his finger with satisfaction.
From experience, one full pot of Bigu Powder could produce at least five bottles of Bigu Pills.
It might sound laughable, but Na Jin was currently making pills.
Specifically, the Bigu Pills most commonly used by low-level cultivators. Though they were of inferior grade, they still qualified as true Bigu Pills.
Before the cauldron cooled completely, Na Jin lifted it and poured the sticky mixture onto the preparation table. Then he dripped several drops of Hundred-Flower Fragrant Honey over it and rolled a yellowish bamboo rod across the surface.
Steam rose continuously as the Bigu Powder gradually took the shape of a cylinder, its color slowly turning yellow as it mixed with the honey.
Na Jin quickly sliced the cylinder into thumb-sized round pellets.
One pill. Two pills. Three pills…
By the time he stopped, fifty neat Bigu Pills were lined up across the table.
Gazing at the results, Na Jin did not even have time to celebrate before turning his attention toward a status panel invisible to anyone else.
[Name: Na Jin]
[Lifespan: 27/75]
[Spirit Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Realm: Qi Refining Stage Layer 3 — 75/100]
[Cultivation Technique: Eternal Spring Art (Mastery) — 235/300]
[Spells:
- Cleanse Technique (Beginner) — 49/100
- Binding Technique (Proficient) — 176/200
- Fireball Technique (Mastery) — 268/300]**
[Skills:
- First-Rank Alchemist
- Bigu Powder (Grandmaster) — 501/1000]**
[Achievement Points: 10
(Used to unlock cultivation techniques, spells, and skills appropriate to one’s realm)]
“Ten achievement points… enough to finally learn the Mysterious Marvel Pill.”
Na Jin stared at the proficiency panel, deeply moved.
It had taken an entire year to reach this point.
In his previous life, he had been an ordinary office worker who left home before dawn and only returned late at night. Whenever he found spare time, he played xianxia mobile games on his phone and endlessly grinded levels.
Because he had no money, all he could invest into games was time and effort.
Who would have imagined that one sleepless night spent gaming would lead to him transmigrating into this world?
The original owner of this body had also been named Na Jin and was around the same age.
When he was young, he entered a deep mountain and accidentally discovered the remains of a cultivator inside a cave. Ever since then, he had pursued the path of immortality for ten years.
Following a map left behind by the corpse, Na Jin arrived at Great River Market City hoping to join a nearby sect that was recruiting disciples. Unfortunately, at seventeen years old, he had already exceeded the sects’ age limit of sixteen.
Worse still, most sects preferred applicants with spirit roots. The original Na Jin possessed none at all, making him nothing more than an ordinary mortal in their eyes.
He should have returned home.
But his determination toward cultivation was unwavering. Using the pill bottle, Eternal Spring Art manual, and several spirit stones he had obtained from the cave, he settled down in Great River Market City instead.
At first, he possessed almost nothing and could not even afford to live near the inner city. In the end, he settled beside the stream on the outskirts.
Life in Great River Market City was expensive.
Even the cheapest houses required half a spirit stone in monthly rent. Even if one built their own home, the fee still had to be paid every month.
After spending all his spirit stones, the original Na Jin refused to simply wait for death. He survived by helping others manage their stalls or joining hunting parties in the mountains.
Later, believing it to be no big deal, he decided to study the two pill formulas left behind by the corpse.
Among them, the Mysterious Marvel Pill was too difficult, so he focused first on the simpler Bigu Powder.
In that sense, the corpse he had encountered truly became the turning point of his fate.
After several early failures, he finally succeeded in making Bigu Powder.
Though the quality was mediocre, wandering cultivators who spent ten to fifteen days hunting in the mountains always needed such supplies, so customers were never lacking.
That was how the original Na Jin managed to survive in Great River Market City.
But just as storms in the heavens are unpredictable, human fortune and disaster are equally uncertain.
Believing Bigu Powder alone was insufficient for cultivation, the original Na Jin began focusing on the incomplete pill formula.
The very first time he attempted true pill refinement, the cauldron exploded.
The violent blast nearly burned the entire wooden hut to the ground.
And at that exact moment, the transmigrated soul from another world took over Na Jin’s body.
Whenever he recalled that moment, he felt there were no tears left for him to shed.
Back then, amid the rain-soaked ruins, covered in blood, he could only stare blankly at this unfamiliar world.
Fortunately, all of that was now in the past.
“A whole year… I finally raised Bigu Powder from Perfect Grade to Grandmaster Grade. At least now I can barely sustain a decent living. But the biggest gain is definitely these ten achievement points. I can finally begin studying the Mysterious Marvel Pill.”
Na Jin currently possessed three pill formulas:
- The first-rank Bigu Powder formula
- The Mysterious Marvel Pill formula
- An incomplete second-rank formula the original owner had luckily obtained
The incomplete formula was called the Jade Dew Pill.
If successfully refined, it would produce a second-rank pill highly beneficial to cultivators who practiced water-attributed cultivation arts.
A single bottle of Jade Dew Pills could normally sell for a mid-grade spirit stone.
With profits that enormous, the original owner’s obsession was understandable.
Perhaps he trusted too much in his luck.
Perhaps the relative ease of learning Bigu Powder gave him excessive confidence.
Or perhaps poverty itself forced him into desperate gambling.
Whatever the reason, he recklessly attempted the refinement.
The cauldron exploded.
The house collapsed.
And the man disappeared.
Now Na Jin stood at the same crossroads.
Bigu Powder could barely sustain daily life, but it was far from enough for proper cultivation. If he wanted resources for cultivation, he absolutely needed another source of income beyond Bigu Powder.
His true target had never been the Jade Dew Pill. Ten achievement points were nowhere near enough to learn second-rank pill refinement anyway.
The moment he discovered the achievement points on the status panel, he had already made his decision.
“I must successfully refine the Mysterious Marvel Pill. Failure is not an option… no matter how little reputation I have.”
