Chapter 27: Shrinking Inches

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Shrinking Inches

"So, how much do you think this one should sell for?" Shen Dujiang said. "Let’s be frank. The quality really isn’t that great. It won’t fetch a high price."

Chen Yue pondered for a moment before speaking, "I’m not selling this Elixir for money. I’ll trade it for three complete sets of ingredients to refine a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill."

One set of ingredients for a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill cost about two taels of silver, so three sets were worth six taels.

Shen Dujiang didn’t refuse immediately. He pinched the Elixir, his gaze roaming over Chen Yue’s face. He truly hadn’t expected that a casual move he’d made on a whim would actually lead down such an unexpected path.

An Alchemy Master who could refine Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, even if his skills were currently unpracticed, represented enormous potential and value.

Shen Dujiang said slowly, "Three sets of ingredients for a single, low-quality Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill... It’s not out of the question. But you only managed to refine one in three days? Isn’t that a bit low?"

His words were a probe.

Chen Yue smiled and spread his hands. "As you know, my friend is just starting out and is still very green when it comes to refining Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills. But once he gets the hang of it, the pace might pick up. I’m just a simple Martial Artist; I don’t really understand the affairs of an Alchemy Master."

"Your friend?"

Shen Dujiang was taken aback for a moment, then his lips curled into a strange arc. ’So he’s invented a friend out of thin air.’

But since the other party was unwilling to reveal his identity as an Alchemy Master, Shen Dujiang was happy to play along. ’As long as the Elixirs are real, does it matter who refines them?’

"Alright, we’ll do as you say this time—one pill for three sets of ingredients. But..."

Shen Dujiang’s smile vanished, and his expression turned serious. "Tell that friend of yours to put more effort into it. This quality, and this production rate... they’re really not good enough. If it’s the same quality and quantity next time, we’ll have to have a serious talk about this price."

"Understood, understood. I’ll pass it on," Chen Yue agreed readily, nodding his head.

Shen Dujiang said no more. He turned, took out three carefully wrapped oil-paper packages of ingredients from an earthenware jar, and handed them to Chen Yue.

Chen Yue took them and opened a corner to give them a quick inspection.

"Thanks. I’ll be back the next time the black market opens." Chen Yue put the ingredients away and cupped his fists at Shen Dujiang.

"Take care. I won’t see you out." Shen Dujiang waved his hand, but his eyes followed Chen Yue until his figure disappeared into the darkness outside the door.

Silence returned to the room. Shen Dujiang didn’t immediately put away the low-quality Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill. Instead, he held it up to the oil lamp again, examining it closely.

’One pill in three days... Poor quality, but it still formed...’

He muttered to himself, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the rough tabletop. ’To succeed in refining a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill in such a short time... that Talent is something else. When did a rogue Alchemy Master like this pop up in Youlin County? Or did he come from outside?’

Shen Dujiang recalled Chen Yue’s words, laughed silently, and shook his head before carefully placing the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill into a vial.

...

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, another ten days had passed. Within the Alchemy Courtyard of Huichun Hall, the furnace fire never went out, and the flurry of fists and saber shadows never ceased.

For these ten days, Chen Yue had poured his entire Heart Spirit into refining Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills and honing his own Cultivation Techniques.

On his panel, the skill proficiency for the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill had soared from Minor Success (29/1200) to Minor Success (673/1200).

The changes brought about by his Alchemy Skill reaching the Late Stage of Minor Success were significant.

Now when he refined Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, the Elixirs that emerged had finally shed their initial mottled and impure appearance. Their medicinal fragrance was pure and lingering, with none of the previous mixed scent.

Each batch still stably produced two Elixirs.

Trying to produce three pills per batch at the Minor Success Realm wasn’t easy; rushing for success could even cause the furnace to explode. The medicinal efficacy of his Elixirs had now reached the standard of a normal Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill found on the market.

Chen Yue took out a standard-quality Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill and consumed it. The Elixir entered his stomach and transformed into a torrent of pure, surging Medicinal Power.

The sensation of refinement that penetrated deep into his bone marrow was still clear, but the piercing pain was greatly reduced. In its place was a pervasive, pleasant numbness and a feeling of comfort.

At the midnight calculation, his daily Cultivation growth increased from 13 points (when taking the inferior pills) to 15 points. At the same time, the effect of Marrow Cleansing and Bone Forging was also significantly enhanced, and the experience cap for the Refining Flesh Realm steadily decreased by 3 points each day.

Combined, this meant Chen Yue’s actual daily Cultivation progress was equivalent to an increase of a full 18 points. At this rate of improvement, Chen Yue could break through to the Bone Forging Realm in just two months—a speed that would leave any Martial Artist who knew the truth utterly flabbergasted.

Simultaneously, under the continuous effect of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, the experience caps for his other Cultivation Techniques and skills were also steadily decreasing by small amounts. Paired with his own relentless and frenzied daily training, his progress was astonishingly fast.

The Disguise Technique was the first to reach Perfection, with the Wind Chasing Technique and Furious Wave Saber Technique following closely behind. Their experience bars filled up, and both reached Perfection!

On this day, Chen Yue stood quietly in the Alchemy Courtyard.

With a mere thought, he took a casual step forward. In the next moment, his figure suddenly blurred like a phantom, leaving only a faint afterimage in the air as he appeared atop a small rockery several yards away.

With a light tap of his toes on the uneven stone, his form vanished without warning once more, reappearing in the spot where he had originally stood.

The entire process was swift and silent, like a mere play of light and shadow. This was the manifestation of the Wind Chasing Technique at Perfection—"movement as graceful as a soaring swan, stillness as quiet as a maiden"—and it already had the nascent visual effect of Shrinking Inches.

Chen Yue didn’t stop. He raised his right hand, using his palm as a saber, and waved it casually toward a few withered leaves in front of him.

There was no sharp sound of tearing air. The leaves, which had been fluttering erratically, paused for a fraction of a second in mid-air, then silently split down the middle and drifted slowly to the ground.

Next, Chen Yue raised his right hand and lightly brushed his fingers across his own face.

A faint sound of grinding bones and shifting muscles arose as his features rippled and changed like the surface of water. His cheekbones, chin, eye shape, the bridge of his nose... in an instant, they had transformed into the face of a completely unfamiliar young man.

Simultaneously, the Qi Blood in his body circulated rapidly according to the method of the perfected Disguise Technique. His bones emitted a faint crackling sound. His originally well-proportioned frame actually grew taller by an inch within a single breath, and his shoulders narrowed slightly.

In the blink of an eye, from his face to his physique, Chen Yue had completely become another person.

Sensing his Qi Blood being consumed as rapidly as water rushing through an open floodgate, Chen Yue willed it, and his face and body swiftly returned to their original state.

Although the Disguise Technique at the Perfection Realm could slightly shift one’s bones to alter their physique, it placed a huge burden on one’s Qi Blood. Before reaching the Bone Forging Realm, it was indeed difficult to sustain such a forced physical transformation.

Chen Yue looked down, gazing at his own palm.

Beneath his skin, his Qi Blood flowed like mercury, while his muscles and bones vibrated faintly with his will, emitting a low, deep hum.

Though he had been cultivating the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield all this time, and its experience bar was only at (1533/2969), not yet at Minor Success, the changes it brought had already penetrated deep into his very tissues.

Chen Yue could clearly feel that the connection between his sinews, bones, flesh, and internal organs had become significantly more coordinated and compact than when he had just broken through to the Refining Flesh Realm.

It wasn’t a simple stacking of strength, but a holistic strengthening and resonance.