Chapter 328: Chapter 194: High Tier Soul Crystal Stone; Soul Slave Upgrade

His purchase request for the long-awaited High Tier Soul Crystal Stone finally successful, Cheng Zongyang quickly closed the remaining unimportant notification boxes. He then went out to find Luo Dingran in the Wilderness Rice paddies.

Li Xingyun, Emperor Ye, and others with the intensive cultivation Talent were also there.

"Greetings, My Lord!"

Seeing Cheng Zongyang arrive, the five or six of them immediately cupped their hands in greeting.

"At ease," Cheng Zongyang said, waving his hand.

Seeing them all discussing something, Cheng Zongyang was a little curious. He suppressed his urge to ask about the High Tier Soul Crystal Stone and instead asked,

"Why is everyone gathered here at this time? Is something wrong with the Wilderness Rice?"

Li Xingyun and the others exchanged a glance, and it was Li Xingyun who finally spoke up.

"Reporting to you, My Lord. We’ve been studying these seven acres of rice planted from cuttings. We’ve discovered that the Wilderness Rice, which should have been ready for harvest in mid-April, has only just now fully matured. That’s over half a month later than the rice grown from the original seeds."

Cheng Zongyang was puzzled. "A slight delay is normal. Has the yield decreased?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the rice plants beside him, which were nearly as tall as a man and hung with heavy, drooping ears of grain.

"No," Li Xingyun quickly explained. "But we feel that the flavor of the rice from these cuttings is somewhat different."

Cheng Zongyang paused. "The flavor? Does it affect the yield?"

This time, Emperor Ye stepped forward to explain. "My Lord, it doesn’t affect the yield. But we cooked some of the Wilderness Rice from the cuttings tonight to try it. We found that its flavor isn’t as good as the original, the texture is a bit coarse, and it’s rather dry and hard after being cooked."

Cheng Zongyang was silent for a while before saying with a sigh, "So, this is why you’re all out here studying it?"

But Emperor Ye shook his head. "My Lord, that’s only one reason. For the farmers and common people, just having grain to eat is a blessing; they wouldn’t care about the flavor.

The main thing is, Zhang Jinquan discovered that the rice from these cuttings is more filling after being eaten, and it can be used in medicine!

According to him, it can replace the usual five grains used in the Five Grains Inner Replenishing Pill. The rice from these cuttings alone can serve as the main ingredient for the pill, without needing to mix in other crops. Zhang Jinquan has already gone to try..." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"It’s ready! It’s ready!"

Just then, Zhang Jinquan’s voice, right on cue, traveled from the distance and drew closer.

Then, they saw Zhang Jinquan striding over.

"My Lord, you’re here." Zhang Jinquan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting upon seeing Cheng Zongyang.

Cheng Zongyang asked curiously, "You’ve already made the new pills?"

He was genuinely surprised.

’I never expected the rice from the cuttings to have such a special effect.’

Zhang Jinquan nodded. "I took some to try making a batch. Take a look."

With that, he handed over the bowl he was holding.

In the surrounding torchlight, Cheng Zongyang saw seven or eight grayish-white pills, each about half the size of a fingernail, resting in the bowl.

Zhang Jinquan explained in a timely manner, "Using this rice from the cuttings saves a lot of trouble. I just don’t know how effective it is yet."

Cheng Zongyang, who had been reaching out, immediately pulled his hand back. "You haven’t tried it yet?"

’He hadn’t forgotten how this guy died.’

Zhang Jinquan chuckled. "I’ve tried it, but I don’t know what the effects are."

Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly. ’This stuff will be very useful in the future; it could become one of the core products for the apothecary.’

’If the process and materials can be simplified, that would be excellent.’ He also knew it didn’t matter whether these Soul Slaves ate or not, so he said to Zhang Jinquan,

"Find a bottle for these. I’ll take them out later to test them. Are you sure they’re safe?"

Zhang Jinquan quickly replied, "No problem, I’ve tried them."

Nowadays, he really wouldn’t dare give Cheng Zongyang anything he hadn’t tested himself.

As a Soul Slave, he was essentially immortal as long as his body wasn’t destroyed by an external force. So, it wasn’t a big deal for him to test anything.

But it was different for Cheng Zongyang. If he took them outside and someone died from testing them, it would be a huge problem.

"Alright." Cheng Zongyang nodded slightly, then said, "We’ll talk more after they’ve been tested. Once you’ve finished researching this rice from the cuttings, write up a report for me. If this new Inner Replenishing Pill works out, we’ll start mass-producing it for future sale."

"Understood," the group replied.

"What about the High Tier Soul Crystal Stone?" Cheng Zongyang now turned to Luo Dingran.

Luo Dingran smiled. "It’s on the third floor. But something else good also showed up."

Cheng Zongyang’s face lit up as he headed for the Preservation Warehouse. Luo Dingran followed behind him.

「Third floor of the Preservation Warehouse.」

Luo Dingran brought out two items.

One was a stone, about the size of a thumb and as red as fresh blood.

The other was a dark green pill, only about the size of a soybean.

Luo Dingran said, "The High Tier Soul Crystal Stone cost four thousand five hundred Points to acquire."

"As for this elixir, you’ll understand when you see it for yourself. It cost eight hundred Points."

With that, he took a step back, not wanting to disturb Cheng Zongyang. However, his gaze remained fixed on the blood-red crystal, his eyes burning with desire.

Cheng Zongyang looked at the elixir first. He had previously bought a Dragon and Tiger Pill that could raise his Cultivation. Although it had lost most of its medicinal potency, it had still given him a significant boost.

Now another one had appeared, and it cost almost three times as many Points as the Dragon and Tiger Pill!

—

[Nine Yang Pill (Limited)]

Description: An elixir from the ruins of a Sect in the Wilderness World. Due to its age, only thirty percent of its medicinal efficacy remains. However, its residual potency can enhance a Martial Arts Practitioner’s True Qi Cultivation. Swallow whole.

Quantity: 1

Restriction: Can only be consumed by Martial Arts Practitioners and above.

Points: 800

Note: Special item, limited sale.

—

Reading the description of the elixir in his hand, Cheng Zongyang felt a surge of joy.

’It actually enhances True Qi Cultivation!’ Elixirs that raised one’s Cultivation were already extremely rare, and while this one was a bit more expensive than the Dragon and Tiger Pill, being able to directly enhance his True Qi Cultivation made it completely worth it.