Chapter 137, Spirit Marrow Bottleneck

Translator: StarReader

 

Su Chen discovered the immense benefits of the spirit grain and couldn’t help but feel invigorated, pondering, “Just one meal of spirit grain a day would allow me to complete a layer of the Qi Refining Stage a year.”

 

This would significantly reduce his subsequent cultivation. He simply didn’t know how difficult cultivation would be after the Qi Refining Stage.

 

To ascertain the total time required to cultivate from the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining,

 

Su Chen waited for Master Lu to return from the spirit peach garden with the spirit peach and specially went to ask for guidance.

 

Master Lu, having earned some spirit stones, hummed a little tune and appeared quite happy, so he resolved his doubts.

 

Qi Refining Stage cultivators, due to their spirit marrow and cultivation method, were different; the cultivating time wasn’t absolute.

 

However, generally speaking, the difficulty of cultivating increased cumulatively with one’s advancement in the Qi Refining Stage.

 

That was to say, if the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage required a year to complete, the second layer typically required two years, and so on.

 

Calculated in this way, it would take forty-five years to cultivate to the peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. Upon reaching the late Qi Refining stage, one could then attempt a breakthrough to the stronger Foundation Establishment Stage.

 

Of course, the Foundation Establishment Stage wasn’t that easily achieved.

 

The path of immortal cultivation was long, and the Qi Refining Stage was merely the first step on the immortal path; many techniques were elementary, with only a rudimentary understanding of various aspects.

 

The Foundation Establishment Stage marked the true beginning of the immortal path and also served as a threshold for the five major immortal sects of the Divine Province to accept formal disciples.

 

Qi Refining Stage cultivators still had a lifespan of a hundred years, and it wasn’t much different from mortal life. However, once a breakthrough was achieved and one entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, the lifespan increased to two hundred years, and spiritual arts, Divine Sense, and other aspects significantly improved.

 

Of course, if a cultivator took ten years to complete the first layer, then before reaching a hundred years of age, at most they would reach the third or fourth layer of the Qi Refining Stage, and would not even be able to touch the edge of Foundation Establishment.

 

“Does it need to take so much time… to reach the late Qi Refining stage?”

 

Su Chen was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

 

He was already eighteen years old now, and even with one meal of spirit grain per day, it would take until he was approximately sixty-three years old, like Master Lu, before he had any hope of reaching the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

 

That… was clearly very slow!

 

And at that time, even if he cultivated to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, there would still be a difficult threshold to overcome, requiring a large amount of time before there was even a glimmer of hope of achieving Foundation Establishment. If he failed to pass it, his Qi Refining Stage cultivation would be the end of his newly begun immortal cultivation journey.

 

As for the five great immortal sects of the Divine Province, he could only dream of them… Even dreaming of them seemed too extravagant. With his current early Qi Refining cultivation, they were out of reach.

 

Su Chen bowed his hands in thanks to Master Lu for clarifying this and returned to ponder it for a moment before biting his lip.

 

[Increase the meals!]

 

One meal of spirit grain per day was too slow; he would change it to three meals a day. He would shorten the time required to reach the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining to fifteen years.

 

He now grew spirit grain on Spirit Mountain, earning five spirit stones per day; even with three meals of spirit grain a day, he could afford it.

 

A sense of urgency arose in Su Chen’s heart. But after attempting to eat three meals of spirit grain in one day.

 

Su Chen discovered a serious problem and was so frustrated he wanted to vomit blood.

 

He was shocked to discover that his spirit marrow couldn’t absorb the spiritual energy from three bowls of spirit grain and could not convert it into essence.

 

Even two bowls were too much; initially, he couldn’t absorb it, and the spiritual energy would be directly wasted and dissipate, unable to be converted into essence through the spirit marrow, let alone three bowls. One bowl of spirit grain rice a day was just enough to be absorbed and utilized.

 

Su Chen only then realized that his spirit marrow was truly unremarkable, severely limiting his absorption of spiritual energy.

 

As for mortal beings, their absorption of spirit grain rice was even weaker, taking about three to five days to digest one bowl of spirit grain rice. Eating another bowl would simply not be consumed, just causing discomfort and bloating.

 

This spirit marrow bottleneck directly locked away the possibility for a Qi Refining cultivator to desperately eat spirit grain rice and advance rapidly.

 

“This… is destiny?”

 

Su Chen felt a sense of bewilderment.

 

Without changing his spirit marrow, his path of cultivation would likely be difficult.

 

…

 

Since eating the first bowl of spirit grain rice, the subsequent times gradually increased. From eating one bowl a month, it became one bowl every ten days, every three to five days, until one bowl a day.

 

Su Chen still worked as a grain merchant in Immortal City Zhaoge, going to the Zhaoge night market to sell rice for two hours each day, then wandering around the night market to see if anyone was selling Marrow Cleansing Pill before returning home.

 

The jar storing spirit grain at home steadily increased, one by one, day by day. In just half a year, over thirty kilograms of spirit grain accumulated in the jar.

 

Only seeing gains and no losses, he no longer needed to worry about spirit grain; Ah Nu could then rest assured.

 

But she strangely discovered that Su Chen’s expression had become more gloomy, as if troubled by something, worrying about something. She did not understand the reason and did not know how to comfort him.

 

She was only at the peak first-rate realm, not yet transcended to become an immortal, and lacked perception of spiritual objects. There was very little she could do to help.

 

Even making a living through business, she could not help.

 

Only when she had leisure time would she play a zither song for the young master to relieve his worries.

 

Su Chen lacked patience, understanding the principle of desiring speed without achieving it.

 

He had only been in Immortal City Zhaoge for half a year and had only met Master Lu, Woodcutter Wu, Xiao Zhang, and a few others who had been engaged in immortal cultivation for years.

 

Planting spirit grain, becoming a grain merchant, and setting up a stall in Zhaoge night market for half a year, he had only now managed to become familiar. Sudden wealth in business easily invited the envy and scrutiny of others.

 

The Spirit Mountain could be used to grow spirit beans and spirit grain.

 

Of course, he could also grow more valuable things, such as low-grade spiritual medicinal materials like Nine Fragrance Grass, spirit grass, and Purple Fruit, which could be used to refine pills.

 

These low-grade spiritual medicinal materials had a planting cycle of ten years, or even decades. Because of the low yield in the medicinal garden, many cultivators obtained them from remote locations, and their prices started at dozens of spirit stones, with profits far exceeding those of spirit grain.

 

Su Chen, within the Spirit Mountain, planted the spiritual medicinal seeds he had purchased and harvested after a little over ten days.

 

Su Chen cautiously expanded his spirit grain business to include the sale of medicinal materials, moving and selling them throughout the Zhaoge night market.

 

Unnoticed, the spirit stones he had accumulated over half a year had become quite considerable, totaling over two thousand.

 

Su Chen visited several alchemy guilds in Immortal City Zhaoge and discovered a fair amount of middling spirit pills, but none were selling Marrow Cleansing Pills.

 

Because so few people bought Marrow Cleansing Pills, few local alchemists were capable of successfully refining them, and Immortal City Zhaoge often experienced shortages. If one wished to buy them, they had to order them and obtain them from one of the five major immortal sects and had to wait several months.

 

Su Chen often frequented the night market, and this day, he once again encountered the grey-robed cultivator who had previously sold Marrow Cleansing Pills, setting up a stall and selling miscellaneous goods like animal hides.

 

“Brother, do you still have the Marrow Cleansing Pills you sold last time?”

 

Su Chen could not help but inquire.

 

“Marrow Cleansing Pill?!”

 

The grey-robed cultivator, hearing Su Chen’s inquiry, was taken aback.

 

That Marrow Cleansing Pill was acquired half a year ago from the remains of a senior cultivator during a perilous adventure in a dangerous region.

 

He had been overjoyed and sold it at the night market in Immortal City Zhaoge. However, after ten days, no one would buy it. The price of a single Marrow Cleansing Pill was simply too exorbitant.

 

Although the Marrow Cleansing Pill was beneficial, the vast majority of early- to mid-Qi Refining cultivators couldn’t afford even a daily ration of spirit grain and had no use for this Marrow Cleansing Pill.

 

Spirit marrow was good, but one needed sufficient spirit grain to consume it.

 

Typically, only advanced late Qi Refining cultivators, having accumulated substantial wealth, might be willing to spend over a thousand spirit stones at once. But they had already reached late Qi Refining, and strengthening spirit marrow was not the most pressing matter; breaking through the Foundation Establishment bottleneck was the immediate concern.

 

The grey-robed cultivator was unwilling to drastically reduce the price of this precious Marrow Cleansing Pill, yet he was reluctant to consume it himself. He could only leave dejectedly to hunt spirit beasts, gathering their pelts for materials, and occasionally set up a stall at the night market, earning some spirit stones for use.

 

“Still here!”

 

The grey-robed cultivator retrieved a spirit pill treasure box from his sleeve. This pill had remained unsold for too long, and he had become too lazy to even take it out to sell.

 

Su Chen examined it and recognized the same luminous Marrow Cleansing Pill from before.

 

Last time, Master Lu had also seen it and knew it was genuine, merely envying his inability to afford it.

 

“A little cheaper, and I’ll buy it.”

 

“Very well… If you genuinely desire it, nine hundred and fifty spirit stones are yours.”

 

The grey-robed cultivator had held this Marrow Cleansing Pill in his hand for close to half a year and could not sell it. Reducing the price by dozens of spirit stones was acceptable.

 

“Alright, I’ll take it!”

 

Su Chen gritted his teeth and bought it.

 

Without spending, he couldn’t strengthen his spirit marrow.

 

He was only at the early Qi Refining stage and had more spirit grain than he could consume, and he was precisely lacking a Marrow Cleansing Pill to improve his spirit marrow.

 

“Nine hundred and fifty stones!”

 

Su Chen produced four hundred and fifty stones of spirit stones and thirty kilograms of superior spirit grain. One measure of superior spirit grain was equivalent to a spirit stone, and that was acceptable in Immortal City Zhaoge.

 

The grey-robed cultivator counted the number of spirit stones and the quality of the spirit grain, appearing quite satisfied and somewhat surprised, and remarked, “I am a disciple of the Bi Clan. How may I address you? Let us forge a good relationship. Perhaps, in the future, we may be able to venture outside Zhaoge together. And in the future, if there are any transactions, we can look out for one another!”

 

An early Qi Refining cultivator with such resolve was uncommon.

 

Even he, a clan disciple, was reluctant to take this Marrow Cleansing Pill. He was already over thirty years old, having only reached the mid Qi Refining stage, and his family provided very little spirit grain each month, which he had to earn by hunting spirit beasts outside.

 

“My surname is Su; we shall see each other again someday.”

 

Su Chen smiled and said no more, bidding farewell and departing.

 

He heard Master Lu mention that the Bi Clan was one of the ten great clans of Immortal City Zhaoge and possessed considerable power. He wasn’t particularly keen on dealing with these Zhaoge clan disciples.

 

Su Chen circled the night market several times and selected a volume specifically detailing spirit marrow from a stall selling various mystical arts books; it cost one spirit stone per volume.

 

Su Chen glanced behind him, silently left, and returned to the wooden hut on the lower slopes of the mountain outside Zhaoge City.

 

He didn’t eat the dinner. Ah Nu had just cooked and instead began his seclusion, intending to carefully examine the book on spirit marrow and to take the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

 

Master Lu had once mentioned that a Marrow Cleansing Pill could improve one’s spirit marrow.

 

But just how effective it would be, even Master Lu himself had never tried it; he had only heard rumors.

 

He needed to test it himself, this Marrow Cleansing Pill that he spent nearly a thousand spirit stones to acquire, to see just how much of an improvement it could offer.