My Portable Spirit Farm: Rise of the Humble Servant

Chapter 159: The Jade Pendant’s New Effect

The aptitude these three children displayed for alchemy was far superior to Chen Ping’s initial estimates.

In less than a year, all three had successfully grasped the introductory techniques of the True Fire Alchemy Scripture.

Fire Control, herb identification, sensing the fusion changes of medicinal liquids—their foundation was rock solid.

For an ordinary novice without significant talent, just stepping through the gate of the True Fire Alchemy Scripture would typically require 3 to 5 years of grueling study.

These three had done it in months. Their potential was not much weaker than Chen Ping’s own.

The most tangible result was their production output. They could now independently refine the lowest-tier “Spirit Nourishing Pill” and “Marrow Cleansing Pill.” Their success rates were impressive, particularly for the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

However, Chen Ping knew this wasn’t purely due to genius.

It was the raw materials.

The Cold Star Grass used as the main ingredient came from the Black Earth space inside his Jade Pendant. These plants possessed medicinal properties nearing 300 years of age. Using such premium, high-purity ingredients to refine low-tier pills was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—it drastically lowered the difficulty curve.

Under Chen Ping’s guidance, the trio achieved a 40% to 50% success rate. Even better, the output was strictly High-grade or above, with the occasional Top Grade pill appearing when luck struck.

If news of this got out, it would cause an earthquake in the Qingyun Sect’s Outer Sect.

Three children at Qi Condensation Level 3 mass-producing High-grade pills? It was unheard of.

But to Chen Ping, this was simply the result of cheating with resources.

The real test lay in the next tier: the “Qi Gathering Pill.”

This was the staple consumption pill for mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators. Its refinement difficulty was a full tier higher than the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

It demanded far greater precision in Fire Control, perfect timing during the fusion of medicinal liquids, and a stable, continuous output of Qi.

Inside the Pill Hall, the air was thick with tension.

Wang Liqian sat before her Alchemy Furnace, her small face taut with concentration. Fine beads of sweat beaded on her forehead. Since they were still using wood fire rather than Earth Fire, temperature regulation relied entirely on manual skill.

Her Divine Sense gingerly guided the volatile liquids inside the furnace, attempting to fuse them.

Beside her, Wang Lijing and Xiao Feng watched, holding their breath.

Hiss…

A sharp dissonance cut through the silence. The Qi flow inside the furnace spiraled into chaos, followed immediately by the acrid stench of burnt herbs.

Wang Liqian’s face went pale. The light in her eyes died out, and she lowered her head in dejection.

“Owner… I… I failed again.”

Chen Ping stood in the corner, his expression unreadable. He had seen this scene countless times over the past year.

He walked over and flicked a finger. A gust of True Essence swept the charred residue out of the furnace.

“Failure was inevitable,” Chen Ping said, his voice flat and clinical.

“The Qi Gathering Pill is a significant hurdle. Your current success rate is less than 10%. Even when you do succeed, you only produce one or two pills, which is far below the standard yield. There are three reasons for this.”

The three children immediately straightened their spines, bowing their heads to listen to the lecture.

“First, insufficient cultivation. Your Qi Condensation Level 3 reserves and Divine Sense are stretched too thin to support the entire refinement process. Your occasional successes are merely luck, carried by the sheer potency of the main ingredient covering for your lack of stamina.”

“Second, unskilled technique. You are missing the critical junctures. The temperature shift from ‘Condensing Dew’ to ‘Gathering Fire,’ and then to ‘Fusing Crystals,’ requires a snap decision. Your perception isn’t sharp enough, and your transitions are clumsy. You need more repetition.”

“Third!”

Chen Ping’s gaze swept over them, pausing on Wang Liqian’s red-rimmed eyes.

“Volatile temperament. Alchemy is like cultivation; it requires a mind as calm as water and thoughts clear as glass. If you let a single failure disturb your heart, leading to frustration and regret, how can you grasp the fleeting opportunity for pill formation? You need to cultivate a ‘Big Heart’—one that remains immovable even if the pill crumbles and the furnace topples.”

Wang Liqian flushed a deep crimson and nodded vigorously. “Yes, Owner. I will remember.”

“Continue practicing. Start from processing the raw materials.”

Chen Ping said no more. He turned and walked toward his private meditation chamber.

Inside the silence of the meditation room, Chen Ping sat cross-legged and turned his Inner Sight inward.

In his Dantian, the Sea of Qi was calm. His liquid True Essence lay like a deep, tranquil pool, far denser and more profound than a year ago. A new drop of True Essence had recently coalesced.

However, the barrier to Foundation Establishment Level 2 still felt miles away.

He ran a silent calculation. At his current speed, without the aid of the Whale Swallowing Technique, it would take another 3 or 4 years of grinding to break through.

But there was a bright spot.

His Divine Sense.

This was a development Chen Ping had not anticipated.

When he first reached Foundation Establishment, his Divine Sense range had stabilized at around 1,600 zhang (approx. 5.3 km).

Theoretically, Divine Sense only expanded significantly upon breaking through to a minor realm, like Level 2.

But Chen Ping was an anomaly. Since his breakthrough, his Divine Sense had been growing daily. After more than two years, his sensory range had quietly expanded to over 1,800 zhang!

This growth rate obliterated the standard for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Chen Ping had already isolated the cause.

It was the Jade Pendant in his Dantian.

Every day at sunrise, the Jade Pendant would release wisps of an extremely faint, almost imperceptible pale violet aura.

This aura couldn’t be absorbed by his physical body or converted into Qi. Instead, like a silent spring rain, it seeped into his mind, nourishing the very origin of his soul.

Day by day, month by month, this accumulation became the source of his supernatural mental growth.

It made Chen Ping curious.

Aside from the Black Earth space and this soul-nourishing effect, what other miracles did this Jade Pendant hold?

And was there a limit to this growth?

For now, he had no answers. He could only guard the secret of the Jade Pendant with reverence and extreme caution.

A powerful Divine Sense was a massive advantage.

It meant precise control in alchemy, earlier detection of enemies, faster reaction times in combat, and a stronger foundation for comprehending complex techniques. Rumor had it that breaking through to the Violet Palace realm required a massive threshold of mental power.

Chen Ping was naturally pleased. In fact, he wished it would grow even faster.

But the key to his immediate cultivation speed lay elsewhere.

He shifted his attention to the Black Earth space inside the pendant.

A year had passed outside, but the changes inside were subtle.

The True Essence Grass tree stood quietly in the center. Under the constant irrigation of Tier 3 Spirit Spring water, its medicinal age had accumulated to over 160 years.

The leaves were thick and fleshy, veins pulsing with dense spiritual light. The trunk had thickened, radiating powerful Qi fluctuations.

Chen Ping had harvested its leaves several times to refine True Essence Pills.

Unfortunately…

“The medicinal properties are pure, far surpassing ordinary wild grass… but it still falls short of the standard required for ‘Top Grade True Essence Pills’.”

Chen Ping frowned slightly.

With 160 years of potency, combined with his exquisite Fire Control and the True Fire Alchemy Scripture, he could consistently refine “High-grade” pills.

But Top Grade?

The foundation wasn’t deep enough yet.

Without Top Grade True Essence Pills, he couldn’t utilize the Whale Swallowing Technique. Without that technique, his cultivation speed was capped at a standard, plodding pace.

Chen Ping withdrew his Divine Sense and slowly opened his eyes.

Outside the window, the Green Mountain remained unchanged.

His gaze drifted toward the Pill Hall. He could sense the faint fluctuations of fire and hear the low murmurs of the children analyzing their mistakes.

The Dao was long and the path obstructed.

Spirit Stones needed to be earned. Cultivation needed to be raised. Pills needed to be refined. Secrets needed to be guarded.

And these three bought “tools” needed to be squeezed further… or rather, their value needed to be cultivated to maturity.

He exhaled a long breath.