Lord of the Demon Sect

Both individuals gathered what they needed, and they were all quite happy.

At this moment, Jiang Chen asked, “Uncle, what about the pill recipe you promised to give me?”

The middle-aged man finally realized and quickly took out a jade slip from his storage bag, handing it to Jiang Chen. “This is my current list of pill recipes. Take a look and see which one you want. I’ll get you the jade slip for that recipe! But I suggest you choose the recipe for the qi nourishing pill. If you have a talent for alchemy and can make this pill, you’ll be able to use it right away in your cultivation!”

Jiang Chen nodded slightly and then let his spiritual sense enter the jade slip… Instantly, the information for each pill recipe flooded into his sea of consciousness.

The first one listed was the qi nourishing pill, with the jade slip’s description stating: Qi Nourishing Pill. Suitable for cultivators at the first to third layer of qi refinement, it can slightly increase cultivation level and provide some assistance in breaking through bottlenecks.

The second one was a detoxification pill recipe, which read: Detoxification Pill. Consuming it can relieve mild poisoning and has a certain clarifying effect in miasma environments.

As Jiang Chen continued to read, he found that there were only eighteen recipes, and he asked in confusion, “Uncle, do you only have eighteen recipes?”

“Hehe, of course not just eighteen! But the higher-level recipes would cost more than this. If I gave those to you, I’d be at a huge loss!” the middle-aged man chuckled.

Jiang Chen was left speechless by this response but understood the reasoning. After all, if the recipe for the Qi Condensing Pill were given to him, it would essentially be like gifting him an alchemy furnace.

Jiang Chen then examined the eighteen pill recipes carefully. After some time, he realized that these recipes were all common ones, available in the bazaar as long as one had spirit stones.

“Sigh, I should have checked the prices of the pill recipes earlier. I should’ve aimed for the most expensive one!” Jiang Chen couldn’t help but feel regret. He knew that the qi nourishing pill was definitely not the most expensive among the eighteen.

At this time, seeing Jiang Chen hesitate, the middle-aged man guessed that he might be trying to pick the most expensive recipe. Otherwise, he should have already selected the qi nourishing pill recipe, which was the most suitable for him at the moment.

Hmph! Trying to take advantage of me, huh? I won’t let you do that! The middle-aged man’s eyes twinkled, and he grinned, “Little brother, judging by the uniform you’re wearing, you must be a disciple of the Ghostly Slaughter Sect.”

“Yes!” Jiang Chen nodded.

“I happen to have a recipe for a pill that can improve Jiangshi cultivation levels. I wonder if you’re interested?” The middle-aged man said with a mischievous smile.

“What? A pill recipe that can improve Jiangshi cultivation levels?” At this, Jiang Chen nearly jumped up.

The reason why those who practice the Jiangshi control technique generally stop in the late stage of qi refining is mainly because a Jiangshi’s cultivation level cannot be improved. To raise its level, it would have to devour the blood and flesh of cultivators or demonic beasts. But achieving that is far from easy. The amount of blood and flesh needed for a Jiangshi’s growth is astronomical. Even the disciples from large sects, who have backing, wouldn’t dare to wantonly kill innocents and stir public outrage. After all, there’s the Elder Council of the Demon Sect overseeing things.

Although the Elder Council is a loosely structured management entity, it is comprised of the six top-tier sects and ten first-rate sects of the Demon Sect, making it the highest authority within the Demon Sect. Aside from a few deranged evil cultivators, not many would dare to challenge its authority. Moreover, in the cultivation world, particularly within the Demon Sect, while it’s a survival of the fittest, a basic order still needs to be maintained. Otherwise, future disciples would struggle to grow; it would just result in mutual slaughter, where high-level cultivators bully low-level ones. Without a strong foundation, the Demon Sect wouldn’t have the power to compete against the righteous path. Gradually, those high-level cultivators shifted their focus from studying cultivation methods to researching other spells. Consequently, the Jiangshi control technique slowly fell into decline.

However, if what the stall owner before him said is true-that he has a pill recipe that could improve a Jiangshi’s cultivation level-then once he refines the pill and gives it to Xiao Qian, wouldn’t he have a constant companion to assist him? During battle, it would be a two-against-one situation. After all, the Jiangshi control technique clearly states that the higher a Jiangshi’s cultivation level, the smarter it becomes. It could even learn skills like a cultivator, wield spells, and truly become a ghost cultivator.

Yet, Jiang Chen did not let excitement cloud his judgment; he understood that opportunities like this do not just fall from the sky.

He cautiously asked, “Then this pill recipe that can enhance a Jiangshi’s cultivation level must require very rare alchemy materials, right?”

“Not at all, not at all!” The middle-aged man shook his head vigorously. “The materials needed are all common items. Not only can you find them all in Blood Shadow City, but you could probably also gather everything in the Ghostly Slaughter Sect’s bazaar.”

“Is it that easy?” Jiang Chen was surprised. He knew that in the Ghostly Slaughter Sect’s bazaar, the materials were sold by low-level disciples, and those herbs, materials, and beast bones were all quite subpar. To high-level cultivators, they were nothing but a pile of trash.

“Does that mean the pill isn’t effective? For instance, if a Jiangshi consumes it daily, would its cultivation level only improve a tiny bit?” Jiang Chen felt he could only rationalize it this way; otherwise, he would have heard about such a pill from Zhang Pang long ago.

“Absolutely not!” The middle-aged man immediately replied seriously, patting his chest in assurance. “According to the description in the pill recipe, once this pill is refined, all you need to do is give the Jiangshi one pill each day, and it can elevate its cultivation level from the first layer of qi refinement to the second layer within a month. Within three years, the Jiangshi will successfully enter the foundation establishment stage. Even after the Jiangshi establishes its foundation, this pill still has some enhancement effects, although they’re not as pronounced as during the qi refining stage.”

“Is it really that good?” Jiang Chen furrowed his brow, a hint of skepticism in his voice. “If such a pill recipe exists, why hasn’t it spread widely? I see that others stop practicing the Jiangshi control technique upon reaching the late stage of qi refining; they abandon their Jiangshi companions and shift their focus to studying other spells and martial skills instead.”

Uh oh, this kid is indeed quite alert. The middle-aged man couldn’t help but break out in a light sweat. The pill recipe, named the Jiangshi cultivation pill, was a family heirloom passed down through generations. It was said to have been discovered by his great-great-grandfather while exploring an ancient forbidden area. Upon seeing the recipe, he found that the required alchemical materials were all common and easy to collect, while the effects of the refined pill were remarkable, making it a treasured find.

However, when he returned home to begin his alchemy, he discovered that one of the key ingredients listed in the recipe had gone extinct in the mortal realm. As a result, the recipe had become essentially worthless.

After some lamentation, he began to brainstorm for a substitute for that ingredient. After experimenting with numerous materials and consulting many alchemy texts, he finally discovered that the grave moss, which frequently grows in mass graves, could be used as a replacement.

Yet, after over a thousand failed attempts at refining the pill, he became increasingly despondent. After multiple estimates and calculations, he realized that using grave moss as the key ingredient offered only a theoretical chance of success. If he were to estimate the number of attempts required for a single successful outcome, he might need a million portions of material just to refine one Jiangshi cultivation pill.

This realization ultimately led him to decide to completely abandon his research on the Jiangshi cultivation pill. Because even if these materials were common, a million portions could bankrupt a first-rate sect, let alone the mid-tier cultivation family he belonged to. Moreover, even if he managed to refine one Jiangshi cultivation pill, it would only have a negligible effect on the Jiangshi’s growth. To elevate a Jiangshi from the first layer of qi refinement to the foundation establishment stage would likely require thousands of pills. Even the six top-tier sects of the Demon Sect would not embark on such an endeavor.

Thus, this so-called ancient pill recipe-the Jiangshi cultivation pill-became a thoroughly worthless recipe. His great-great-grandfather lost his chance to advance to the golden core stage due to his obsession with this recipe, eventually passing away in melancholy.

Later on, as the family fell into decline and faced several robberies, no one ever targeted the Jiangshi cultivation pill recipe. Instead, it was regarded as a cursed object, something to be avoided at all costs.