Even just breaking through to the pseudo-golden core stage would greatly enhance his strength, making him equivalent to three late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators.
With such a significant boost in power, his chances of gaining merits in the next beast tide would increase, as would the likelihood of obtaining treasures to aid in forming a Golden Core.
After everyone else had departed, Elian turned to Jiang Linglong and couldn't help but ask, "With such a decisive victory, should we consider launching an assault on Dire Lion Ridge?"
"There's no chance," Jiang Linglong replied, shaking her head. Since the last beast tide, when she ambushed Dire Lion Ridge, the Dire Lion King had grown more cautious and studied formations.
Not only that, but the Dire Lion King had hired experts under the Green Flood Dragon Sovereign's banner and used a fourth-tier artifact to establish a formidable formation at Dire Lion Ridge.
With the mid-stage Golden Core Dire Lion King personally overseeing the formation, even Jiang Linglong's exceptional abilities would be insufficient to break through it.
Elian wasn't well-versed in the details of the formation, but upon hearing Jiang Linglong's assertion, he understood it must indeed be formidable.
Deciding to drop the topic, Jiang Linglong smiled and said, "Let's refine some pills together."
"Alright," Elian agreed with a nod.
Refining fourth-tier pills is best aided by a fourth-tier subterranean fire vein. Leaving Jiaoyang Mountain under Xu Qianyang's supervision, the two flew back to Qingyang Mountain.
Jiang Linglong didn't immediately start refining Golden Core Pills. Instead, she began with Purple Qi Cloud Pattern Pills. Although Elian's alchemy skills were now proficient enough to refine such pills, his success rate wouldn't be as high. To avoid wasting valuable resources like the Purple Sun Jade, it was better for Jiang Linglong to handle it herself.
Over the years, Jiang Linglong's alchemy skills had reached the mid-fourth tier. Refining the Purple Qi Cloud Pattern Pills was effortless for her, yielding an impressive seven pills.
Of the seven pills, Jiang Linglong kept one for the Wang family as compensation and gave the remaining six to Elian.
Elian understood that three of the pills were meant for him and the Chen family patriarch. He handed back three pills, saying, "Three are enough. You consume a lot of resources for your cultivation, and you'll need spirit stones later."
"You're actually worrying about me now," Jiang Linglong said with a happy laugh. However, she didn't take the pills back, saying, "You keep them for now, and return any extras to me later."
With her reassurance, Elian accepted all six pills.
Next, the two began refining Golden Core Pills. This was Jiang Linglong's second attempt at refining them.
Qingyang Sect's spirit herb garden, which had accumulated resources for over a thousand years, contained six or seven high-grade spiritual herbs, including the main ingredient for Golden Core Pills, the Heavenly Heart Grass. This saved Jiang Linglong the expense of purchasing it.
Fifty years after her last attempt, Jiang Linglong's alchemy skills had significantly improved. This time, refining Golden Core Pills seemed almost second nature. After a month of effort, they successfully refined three Golden Core Pills.
"Three pills," Elian said with visible excitement. A low-grade Golden Core demon king's inner core typically only yields one to four pills. That Jiang Linglong achieved three pills was a testament to her extraordinary talent.
Looking at the three Golden Core Pills, Elian hesitated briefly before asking, "How many of these pills do you plan to sell?"
Golden Core Pills have a shelf life of over a century. If Jiang Linglong kept them, even the Chen family patriarch might benefit from one.
Jiang Linglong considered for a moment before saying, "Our strength is still too weak. If we had more Golden Core cultivators, we could slay more Golden Core demon kings."
"I plan to use these pills as soon as possible."
Elian's eyes flickered slightly. Of the three pills, one was likely reserved for Lin Qianshu, while the other two would be sold.
Jiang Linglong's cultivation had already reached the second level of the Golden Core stage, so she needed to prepare resources for breaking through to the mid-Golden Core stage.
The costs of refining the Returning Origin Tribulation Pills required for her breakthrough, along with the resources for post-breakthrough cultivation like Five Elements Essences, would be significant.
Understanding this, Elian nodded. "The Xu and Fang families, with their centuries-old legacies, should be able to afford a pill each if they're willing to use their reserves. The proceeds should be enough for you to purchase two Returning Origin Tribulation Pills."
With the Golden Core Pills completed, the two didn't end their seclusion.
Elian brought out the near-fourth-tier inner core they had obtained earlier and said, "I want to use this to refine a Golden Core Condensation Pill."
The Golden Core Condensation Pill is also an auxiliary pill for breaking through to the Golden Core stage.
Although it isn't as potent as the Golden Core Pill, it stores a vast amount of energy, increasing a cultivator's success rate by 10%.
Refining this pill requires the inner core of a pseudo-core demon beast, and one core can only produce one pill. Opportunities to refine such pills are rare for ordinary Purple Mansion cultivators.
The difficulty of refining a Golden Core Condensation Pill is roughly equivalent to a high-grade third-tier pill, so Elian was confident in his success and sought Jiang Linglong's assistance.
"This is a great opportunity for your patriarch," Jiang Linglong remarked with a smile as she looked at the inner core.
She understood Elian's deep bond with his patriarch and his willingness to go to great lengths to help him achieve greater heights.
Elian smiled back.
"Let's get started."
The process of refining the Golden Core Condensation Pill went smoothly, with Jiang Linglong standing by to prevent any mishaps.
When the pill was finally complete, Jiang Linglong admired their work. "Your alchemy skills are advancing quickly. You're already approaching the high third tier. Perhaps in a hundred years, you'll be able to catch up to me."
"A hundred years from now, you'll likely be at the high fourth tier," Elian replied with a laugh, acknowledging Jiang Linglong's exceptional talent.
When news spread that Jiang Linglong had refined Golden Core Pills and planned to sell two within the Tianxu Alliance, the various families in the Bianzhou Region were ecstatic.
The Fang and Xu families immediately began mobilizing resources, determined to acquire one of the rare Golden Core Pills.
...
85+ chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D