The next morning, Luo Chen's body clock woke him up as usual.
He checked the state of his body and felt extremely satisfied.
Before he went to sleep last night, he practiced the Long Spring Art to restore his spirit power, then took a qi-nourishing pill.
When he woke up this morning, he noticed that his fourth stage Qi-Refining progress bar had increased slightly, moving from one to two.
"Just as I thought, it's a progress bar, not skill proficiency."
This once again confirmed his hypothesis that lifespan and cultivation realm were displayed as progress bars. Meanwhile, techniques, spells, and skills were reflected in proficiency.
"That means if I finish the five qi-nourishing pills I bought, I can push the progress bar by about half."
It felt a bit slow, but with the Perfection level Long Spring Art and a first-tier spirit vein, the progress bar should grow even faster.
Compared to the snail's pace of cultivation before, this change was nothing short of revolutionary.
The other ingredients, sourced from the Hall of Hundred Herbs, had saved him a lot of preparation time. Now he only needed to specially process the main material before beginning the Myriad Wonders pill refinement.
Time is spirit stones! Let's get to work!
By the time the sun was just about to rise, Luo Chen had finally prepared the medicinal liquid. Next, he just needed to soak the Fire Hound Whips in the liquid for three days and nights until they softened.
Luo Chen carefully placed each Fire Hound Whip into the wooden basin releasing a pungent stench that spread out into the air. He then put on his homemade mask and occasionally flipped the fire hound whips around..
As he worked busily, the sound of retching echoed from the courtyard.
Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.
The door was knocked on.
Luo Chen opened the door, and a somewhat familiar face appeared.
The round-faced woman began to speak but was interrupted by the stench emanating from the room, causing her to retch.
She leaned against the doorframe with one hand and pointed to the only window in the room with the other.
“Hurry up and... ugh... turn on the Gentle Smoke and Sparse Rain Incense... ugh!”
Luo Chen quickly activated his spirit power, and the enchanted artifact Sun Shou had given him began to hum.
At the same time, the various strange odors in the room gradually dissipated.
On the outward end of the Gentle Smoke and Sparse Rain Incense, clear water droplets began to trickle out.
This was Luo Chen's first time using the enchanted artifact, and its reaction left him stunned.
“A cultivation-grade kitchen vent?”
“What kitchen vent? This is a first-tier enchanted artifact developed by Tianfan City for absorbing smoke and odors.”
The round-faced female cultivator snapped before suddenly pausing as she angrily stared at Luo Chen. “What are you doing so early in the morning? Can't you let people... huh, it's you!”
After saying that, she hesitated as she looked at Luo Chen, finally realizing that she actually knew him.
Luo Chen, noticing her unadorned face, also found her familiar.
Suddenly, it hit him.
"You're Miss Little Ling from the Hall of Hundred Herbs!"
Bai Meiling wrinkled her nose. "Your last name is Luo, right? What's your full name?"
Though she looked petite and cute, she was a seventh stage Qi-Refining cultivator.
Luo Chen wasn't offended by her bluntness and replied casually, “Junior Luo Chen greets Senior Bai.”
"What junior and senior? Do I look that old?" Bai Meiling pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth. "And let me ask you, what are you doing so early in the morning? Don't you realize there are other people living in this SiHeYuan? You're asking for complaints."
That did seem to be a valid concern.
When Sun Shou rented the house to Luo Chen, he had mentioned this.
The one spirit stone management fee included resolving neighborhood disputes.
"Apologies, I'll be more careful in the future. Next time I process herbs, I'll make sure to turn on the Gentle Smoke and Sparse Rain Incense. Miss Little Ling, please don't file a complaint this time!"
Luo Chen smiled apologetically, noticing that she didn't seem to mind being called Miss Little Ling. However, she was clearly sensitive about being called Senior Bai.
“Hmph!” Bai Meiling let out a soft snort, seemingly dropping the matter.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the wooden basin by the stove, her expression turned odd.
"What are you soaking that thing in?"
"Uh, business secret. Can't really say." It was a little trick from his pill recipe to maximize the medicinal properties of the Fire Hound Whip.
Why were vitality-boosting pills for cultivators so expensive on the market? Because the raw materials were costly.
Luo Chen had found a way to use the inexpensive Fire Hound Whip as a substitute without compromising the efficacy. The trick lay in how the ingredients were prepared.
Bai Meiling was annoyed that her curiosity wasn't satisfied. Her eyes darting mischievously as she asked, "Are you an alchemist?"
Fasting concoctions barely qualified as alchemical products, but Myriad Wonders pills definitely did. Luo Chen still felt confident calling it his profession.
"So, what kind of pills are you making?"
Luo Chen felt that he was getting a headache. How had two women already asked him this same question in one day?
"Too embarrassed to say? Or too afraid?" Bai Meiling's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't tell me you're making some kind of devil pills? The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect is a righteous sect, and they don't allow cultivators to make those heinous devil pills!"
Luo Chen immediately tensed up. "Absolutely not! It's nothing evil!"
"Then why are you hemming and hawing?" Bai Meiling asked.
Luo Chen was starting to regret renting this courtyard house.
It wasn't that he was embarrassed or too shy to admit what kind of pills he was making.
He had already thrown his pride away when he made the decision.
In front of male cultivators, he could talk eloquently and persuasively, referencing all kinds of knowledge. Because male cultivators were his target customers.
But female cultivators? That was just awkward.
If he told them, he'd gain nothing but scorn.
It wouldn't matter with other women, but both Gu Caiyi and Bai Meiling were going to be his neighbors for at least three months. Who would want to live under the glare of disdainful looks for three whole months?
"Hmph, I know a thing or two about pills too. Whatever you're making, sell me one when it's done. If it turns out to be a devil pill, I'll take it straight to the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion and report you. There's even a bounty for that.
"I'm off to work now. Bye!"
With that, she hurriedly ran out the main gate.
It was only then that Luo Chen noticed a burly woman standing at the gate, seemingly waiting for Bai Meiling. If he wasn't mistaken, it was probably Feng Xia, who lived in another side room and worked at the Hall of Hundred Herbs with Bai Meiling.
Watching these two female cultivators rush off to work, Luo Chen felt a slight sense of nostalgia.
They seemed so full of everyday life—not like cultivators of this world, but more like white-collar women from his past life on Earth.
On their faces, he saw neither the fervent pursuit of enlightenment typical of dedicated cultivators nor the fierce brutality of outer-district rogue cultivators.
The only thing they had was the contentment and joy of their daily routine of going to work and coming home.
When they talked with Luo Chen, a mere fourth stage Qi-Refining cultivator, they weren't exactly polite, but neither were they aloof. It felt like they had completely set aside cultivation realms and were just two ordinary people conversing.
Between ordinary people with no ulterior motives, why bother being overly courteous?
Luo Chen muttered to himself, "Too bad the big companies like the Hall of Hundred Herbs and Spirit Source Pavilion only hire female cultivators. Otherwise, I'd apply too."
With that, he returned to the busy work of processing his medicinal herbs.