Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 10 Surprise

Li Zhirui stared at the dozens of Jade Spirit Pills resting in his palm. After a moment of deliberation, he picked out the two with the lowest quality and secured them inside a jade vial. With the remaining pills put away, he sprinted out of his courtyard.

Upon reaching Li Shiren's residence, Li Zhirui steadied his breath before letting out an exuberant cry, "Uncle Ren, I did it!"

Li Shiren, who had been on the verge of carving Array Flags, froze at the shout. Realizing the implications instantly, he abandoned his work and blurred toward Li Zhirui like a gust of wind. "You actually refined the Jade Spirit Pills?" he asked urgently.

"Mhm!" Li Zhirui gave a firm nod and presented the prepared jade vial to his elder.

"Is this... truly a success?!" Li Shiren uncorked the bottle. Seeing the two Spirit Pills at the bottom, his face was a mask of pure shock.

Li Shiren was unaware that Li Zhirui had actually practiced dozens of times before reaching this point; he genuinely believed the youth had mastered the recipe using only those first ten sets of ingredients!

Even though these two Jade Spirit Pills were of mediocre quality, they were undeniably genuine first-grade Spirit Pills. This proved that Li Zhirui had officially crossed the threshold into alchemy!

"Excellent work, lad!" Li Shiren struck Li Zhirui’s shoulder with an excited, heavy hand. "I’m heading to the Clan Leader immediately. He must allocate Spiritual Medicine from the clan stores for your training!"

"Eh..." Li Zhirui’s expression stiffened. He hadn't shown the pills to Li Shiren to get clan funding; he simply wanted to pave the way for selling his pills and earning Spirit Stones in the future.

However, the situation was now spiraling in a completely different direction!

Since he couldn't find a way to explain himself, Li Zhirui could only follow Li Shiren toward the main hall, his heart filled with a complex mixture of emotions.

"Clan Leader, Zhirui is a natural alchemy prodigy! He successfully refined Jade Spirit Pills using a mere ten sets of Spiritual Medicine!" Li Shiren bellowed as he burst into the room, his voice loud enough for the whole compound to hear.

Initially, Li Shiqing intended to reprimand Li Shiren for his lack of composure, but the words caused him to freeze. "Are you telling the truth?" he demanded, his tone shifting instantly.

"Here is the Jade Spirit Pill that Zhirui produced." Li Shiren held out the vial.

Li Shiqing swept his Divine Sense into the bottle. Upon confirming the presence of the two Jade Spirit Pills, his stern features softened into a look of relief. "Marvelous, simply marvelous! Since Zhirui possesses such talent, the family will spare no effort in his Cultivation and training!"

"Zhirui!" Affection and pride shone in Li Shiqing’s eyes. "If you ever run short of materials, go directly to the storeroom. If we don't have what you need, the clan will dispatch someone to the Marketplace to buy it. Do not trouble yourself with these trifles; focus entirely on your practice and work on raising your success rate."

"However!" Li Shiqing’s voice suddenly turned grave. "You must never let alchemy interfere with the time required for your Cultivation!"

"I will not neglect my Cultivation," Li Zhirui promised with total sincerity.

Satisfied, Li Shiqing nodded. "Good. Take this token and proceed to the storeroom to claim your Spiritual Medicine."

Li Zhirui took the token and departed. He sighed inwardly as he walked, but after considering it, he realized that being known as an alchemy genius alongside his existing reputation wouldn't hurt. It was also a chance to provide a significant contribution to his clan.

"Describe the details of Zhirui's alchemy process to me," Li Shiqing requested. He didn't doubt the boy, but he wanted a complete understanding of the situation.

Li Shiren recounted everything from their trip to the Yunqing Marketplace to Li Zhirui purchasing the two Water Refining Pill Recipes, omitting no detail.

"The Water Refinement Method? That explains it. I noticed the quality of those Jade Spirit Pills was average, yet the pill poison was remarkably low."

Li Shiqing couldn't help but sigh. While the clan possessed some alchemy inheritance, it was centered on Fire Refinement Methods, which might not be compatible with Li Zhirui's path.

"Go to the Yunqing Marketplace tomorrow and scout the prospects for a sundries shop," the Clan Leader commanded.

Li Shiren blinked, momentarily confused. "Why the sudden interest?"

"The clan now has you for Array Flags, Zhirui for Spirit Pills, and the capacity to produce basic Magic Artifacts and Talismans. Furthermore, the Spirit Rice harvest is approaching," Li Shiqing explained. "With such a variety of Spiritual Objects, we have enough to sustain a sundries shop."

There was a secondary motive; the family was currently training Spirit Chefs. Until they were ready, the clan required a new stream of Spirit Stones, and a general store was a logical venture.

"But what about the White Jade Sect?" Li Shiren asked with concern. If the White Jade Sect intended to purge the Beast Taming Sect and its former vassals, opening a shop could draw unwanted attention to the family.

"I just received word from my fifth brother. The White Jade Sect hasn't put out a kill order, so it appears they won't hunt down small remnant forces like us," Li Shiqing clarified. It was this specific intelligence that had prompted his decision.

"That's a relief." Knowing they were safe, Li Shiren happily accepted the task.

...

Word of Li Zhirui receiving clan resources for alchemy spread through the ranks like wildfire. The clansmen felt a mix of envy and genuine excitement.

For the family, another Alchemist meant a higher income of Spirit Stones, which would eventually trickle down to benefit everyone.

The two existing Alchemists in the clan felt a massive weight lift from their shoulders. With Li Zhirui's assistance, their heavy workload would finally be lightened.

Before this, the seventy-plus Cultivators in the family went through a staggering amount of Spirit Pills every month. Between internal consumption and the need for external sales, the pressure on the two Alchemists had been nearly unbearable.

Li Zhirui, however, was oblivious to the gossip. Aside from his alchemy, he spent his days in secluded Cultivation, never stepping foot outside his home.

Five days later, Li Zhirui arrived at the storeroom. He handed over dozens of Jade Spirit Pills to Li Shile, the Internal Affairs Elder, and prepared to collect thirty new batches of Spiritual Medicine.

"Zhirui, what is your current success rate?" Li Shile inquired curiously.

"It has stabilized at forty percent," Li Zhirui replied, though in reality, he had already achieved a sixty percent success rate.

"Excellent! Simply excellent!" Li Shile beamed. A forty percent rate was more than enough to cover the costs of the ingredients; everything beyond that was pure profit for the clan!

"Zhirui, while the family initially provided materials for your training without asking for anything in return, now that you are proficient, we must adhere to the clan regulations," the Elder stated.

Seeing the youth's willing nod, Li Shile’s admiration for him grew. He smiled warmly. "According to our rules, you must submit five Spirit Pills for every batch of Spiritual Medicine provided. Any surplus is yours to keep. Whether you use them yourself or sell them, the clan will not interfere."

"Understood!" Li Zhirui agreed instantly. In truth, he would have been willing to give more, but he didn't want to set a precedent that might offend the other Alchemists.

In addition to this perk, clan Alchemists were granted extra Contribution Value.

Within the Li family, Contribution Value was far more precious than Spirit Stones. It was the only currency that could be exchanged for the secret techniques and methods the family had hoarded over centuries.

"We have forty batches of Jade Spirit Pill ingredients left in stock. Provide two hundred Spirit Pills in half a month," Li Shile said, his face glowing with satisfaction.

Li Zhirui took the storage bag, bowed respectfully to Li Shile, and made his exit.

Before long, the report of Li Zhirui’s success rate reached Li Shiqing. "It appears Zhirui is truly gifted in the Dao of alchemy," he remarked.

Li Shiren, who was busy planning the grocery store with him, couldn't suppress a wide grin.

"With this, do you still fear the shop will fail?" Li Shiqing teased.

Li Shiren had spent days worrying about the fierce competition in the Marketplace, fearing the family's investment would be wasted.

"Not anymore," Li Shiren laughed. "The benefits of Water Refined Spirit Pills are too obvious. At the same price point, no other shop will be able to stand against us."