Jia Ren left his residence and activated the Yun Luo Illusion Array.

Hesitating for a moment, he inserted a Medium-grade Spirit Stone into the Array Plate of the Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array and started the sword Formation.

In an instant, dark-colored sword beams soared into the sky, filling the air with a dense and threatening sword energy.

In this state, if an external enemy forcefully intruded into the stone house, even a Cultivator at the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement would face certain doom.

The mists from the Yun Luo Illusion Array surged, quickly concealing the fluctuations of the Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array, making its surface appear largely unchanged.

With the two great Formations guarding his home, there was no need to worry about someone breaking in.

Jia Ren left the Great Wilderness Market and made a beeline for the Ming Family's territory.

The vast Ming Family estate had fallen into ruin, its dwellings collapsed, bearing the footprints of Loose Cultivators who had visited.

The Ming Family had raised thousands of Spirit Chickens and various Spirit Beasts, none of which remained.

Scrawled wildly on the ground was: "This chaotic era is just as you desired."

Perhaps out of fear of the Black Soul Sect's reputation, no one dared to touch the writing, and it remained intact.

The reasons for the Ming Family's downfall had already spread far and wide. They had spread rumors of a great battle between the Black Soul Sect and the Five Elements Sect, which caused prices in the Great Wilderness Market to skyrocket as they sought to make a huge profit. Thus, the Ming Family's demise was not unjust.

Jia Ren did not linger at the Ming Family's territory and went straight to a small, verdant lake.

The lake was a lush green, like a gemstone, with a small boat drifting on it. A dark-faced man at the Third Level of Qi Refinement was casting nets to capture the Spirit Fish in the lake, sweeping up its 'leftovers.'

Not long after the Ming Family's demise, the lake was plundered multiple times, starting from the very next day, and the Spirit Fish were nearly extinct.

Jia Ren did not rush to fish but silently circulated the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water Technique.

In the blink of an eye, as if a dragon were inhaling water, a water column several zhang thick soared into the sky.

As the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water Technique operated, the water column gradually slimmed and shrank, visibly diminishing.

After half an hour, following thousands of compressions, the water column condensed into a single drop of dark-colored water.

This was one measure of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water.

Xuan Yuan Heavy Water is a powerful secret technique of the Xuan Shui Sect; as the name implies, each drop of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water weighs a thousand jin, and just one drop possesses an incredibly terrifying force.

One measure of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water is its most primal form, weighing one thousand jin in this initial state.

Ten drops of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water refined further become Double Profound Primal Heavy Water, its power dramatically increasing once again. Only then does Xuan Yuan Heavy Water possess a horrifying destructive force.

A hundred drops of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water become Triple Profound Primal Heavy Water, with just a few drops rivaling the power of ordinary high-grade Magic Artifacts.

The number of Cultivators who could reach this third level decreased, but each one who succeeded managed to carve out a formidable reputation.

Four Mysteries Primordial Heavy Water is already the domain of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, each drop falling with earth-shattering force.

These are the four realms of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water. With each ascent, the difficulty increases tenfold, and the power becomes even more terrifying.

Quite an exceptional secret technique, although the difficulty of advancement is quite high, Jia Ren thought. Ordinary Cultivators would do well just to advance to Double Profound Primal Heavy Water and would find it difficult to reach Triple Profound Primal Heavy Water in their lifetimes.

This tenfold incremental increase in difficulty severely polarized geniuses and ordinary people, as the required control also increased tenfold with each progression.

This had no effect on Jia Ren, as the Proficiency Panel disregarded advancement difficulties—effort would always be rewarded.

"This suits me perfectly!" he exclaimed.

"Give me a little time, and I'll grind my way up to Four Mysteries Primordial Heavy Water. Even the unprecedented Five Xuan Yuan Heavy Water wouldn't be a problem!"

Jia Ren gathered the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water, infusing it with the corresponding restrictions of the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water Technique to stabilize it, ensuring it wouldn't easily dissipate.

Having secured one drop of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water, he then began to condense the second.

He worked until dusk, managing to refine a total of ten drops of Xuan Yuan Heavy Water.

That should do it. Time to go!

Today's gains were good. He would return tomorrow.

Just as Jia Ren was preparing to leave, he remembered the second item on his agenda that he had nearly forgotten.

Were the Spirit Fish truly gone?

Ordinary Spirit Fish could be wiped clean by Loose Cultivators, but there was one type of Spirit Fish that would be an exception—the Black Dragon Loach.

The Black Dragon Loach, unlike ordinary Spirit Fish, excelled in burrowing and was mostly active on the lakebed and underground.

The Ming Family's Cultivators had a hard time catching Black Dragon Loaches, let alone the Loose Cultivators who came to scavenge.

The common fishing method employed by these Loose Cultivators was to cast nets, a technique that easily captured ordinary Spirit Fish but invariably missed the Black Dragon Loach.

Could there still be Black Dragon Loaches in the lake?

Testing the hypothesis was not difficult.

Jia Ren took out a fishing rod, an heirloom of his family, and returned to his old trade.

He baited the hook with Spirit Attracting Bait and cast it into the lake.

The calm of the lake did not last beyond five breaths, as Spirit Fish that had luckily survived swarmed towards it.

In a short time, a Spirit Fish was hooked. They clung to the hook, greedily gobbling up the bait.

Not far off, more Spirit Fish were gathering.

Unfortunately, they were a step too late and missed out on the bait.

These were the fish that had slipped through the net.

Jia Ren's keen eyes spotted a few Black Dragon Loaches that had arrived late.

"Haha, indeed, this is just as I expected!"

Jia Ren pulled in the first hooked Spirit Fish and cast the rod a few more times, steadily hooking fish with each attempt.

"Come on up!"

A Black Dragon Loach was hooked. The lake surface rippled, and dozens more Black Dragon Loaches were attracted—no fewer than several tens of them.

Excellent stuff!

There was now a supply channel for Black Dragon Fish again, and it was free of charge.

Jia Ren decisively continued to cast his hook, and another Black Dragon Loach was caught.

There were quite a few hidden Black Dragon Loaches in the lake, and now, they all became a windfall for Jia Ren.

He caught more than a dozen Black Dragon Loaches in one go, filling up a fish pouch.

He threw a few smaller Black Dragon Loaches back into the lake, ensuring sustainable development and not overfishing the resource.

Jia Ren ignored the remaining Black Dragon Loaches thrashing on the surface of the lake, seemingly begging to be caught, and left, content with his haul.

The other Loose Cultivators weren't aware of the Black Dragon Loaches in the lake; it was his own private pond, which he could leisurely fish from in the future.

The Black Dragon Loaches he had harvested would be enough for his own consumption for a while.

I'll only revert the ancestry of one at a time and eat the Black Dragon Fish immediately after it reverts. This way, I won't revert too many.

Jia Ren thought of the Cultivator surnamed Luo, who had traded Dragon Fish Bones for the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water Technique. The Dragon Seeking Art could detect the Flood Dragon Bloodline; if too many Black Dragon Fish reverted at once, it could bring trouble.

His residence remained safe and undisturbed, with no intrusion from outside enemies.

Jia Ren placed the Spirit Fish, excluding the Black Dragon Loaches, into a pond. He prepared a smaller pond specifically for the Black Dragon Loaches, separating them to avoid having too many revert to Black Dragon Fish.

In the following days, Jia Ren's life became more structured.

Every day, he would spend four hours in his rented Cave-dwelling, concocting Elixirs.

No longer limiting himself to the Profound Water Pill, he began trying his hand at simple Recovery Pills and Minor Yuan Elixirs.

With his experience from the Profound Water Pill, his Master Level proficiency greatly decreased the difficulty of concocting entry-level Elixirs, ensuring a far better success rate than a beginner.

With many Elixirs to craft, Jia Ren wasn't in a rush and started from the basics.

As his Proficiency Level increased and he gained more experience, he would move on to crafting Spirit Bud Elixirs and even higher-grade Spirit Enhancement Pills.

He could produce and consume the latter himself, eliminating the need to purchase Elixirs.

Once his Proficiency Level reached Master Level, the Elixirs he could make already surpassed ninety-nine percent of those available on the market. As for even higher-quality Elixirs, a Spirit Enhancement Pill at the Grandmaster Level or above could very well surpass the Five Elements Spirit Pill and Ju Yuan Ling San.

After four hours of Alchemy, Jia Ren would go to the Ming Family's small lake to practice the Xuan Yuan Heavy Water Technique for two hours, improving the Proficiency Level of the secret technique.

The rest of his time would be spent at his residence: one hour for a medicinal bath and using Black Dragon Fish for Body Refinement, one hour for traveling and eating, and the last four hours unfailingly devoted to taking Spirit Enhancement Pills to increase his Cultivation Level.

His daily life became orderly and well-managed.

Time flew by, and half a month had passed. The Great Wilderness Market was becoming increasingly chaotic. More Sect Disciples from Great Sects were clashing within the market, and the situation showed signs of escalating.

The impact on Jia Ren was minimal. Within his residence, a Formation protected him, ensuring his safety.

When he went out, he would alter his appearance and display the cultivation of a Ninth-Level Qi Refinement Cultivator.

Unless a Foundation Establishment Cultivator intervened, the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement was considered the peak of power. Thus, even Sect Disciples engaged in conflict with one another wouldn't rashly provoke a Ninth-Level Qi Refinement Cultivator.

Even the Bizarre Cultivators he occasionally encountered outside were polite; no one dared to attack him.

Jia Ren stood out from other Loose Cultivators; the chaotic world did not affect him. He continued to live a tranquil and self-sufficient life, eating and drinking as he pleased.

This is the change after increasing one's power.

If I were still at the Fourth or Fifth Level of Qi Refinement, I'd probably still be hiding in some hole in the ground.

In the Cultivation World, strength is revered. Life at the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement was quite comfortable.

Although still affected by the overall situation, common disturbances didn't bother him much.

If his power could advance further, reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, he would be able to act as he pleased.

Powerful individuals from the Sects wouldn't easily move against a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The Great Sects wouldn't rashly provoke a Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator either; they might even try to win such a person over.

Jia Ren emerged from his Cave-dwelling, a fragrance of Elixirs lingering around him.

In fifteen days, he hadn't wasted too much time on low-grade Elixirs. He had reached the Skilled Level with Minor Yuan Elixirs, then moved on to crafting Spirit Bud Elixirs. After meeting the standards for those, he began to concoct Spirit Enhancement Pills.

The Proficiency Level for the Spirit Enhancement Pill had reached Master Level. The quality of the Elixirs he produced was no less than that of the Fine Elixirs from Pill Cauldron Pavilion, meeting the standard for his own consumption.

"Fellow Daoist, are you an Alchemist?"

"I've never seen you at the Pill Alliance."

As he left his Cave-dwelling, another Alchemist emerged from a different Cave-dwelling. Catching the familiar scent of Elixirs, this Alchemist scrutinized Jia Ren closely.

The Pill Alliance? Jia Ren mused.

If Talisman Makers had an organization to control them, it stood to reason that Alchemists would too.

Without thinking further, he knew the Pill Alliance was likely an organization similar to the Talisman Cultivators' Association.

Among the Four Arts of Cultivation, apart from the rarest and most precious Array Masters, Talisman Crafting, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining should all have corresponding powers monopolizing them.

"I'm just a Loose Cultivator, not an Alchemist," Jia Ren replied.

The other Alchemist thought, A Loose Cultivator? Not an Alchemist?

The scent of Elixirs on Jia Ren couldn't fool a fellow Alchemist.

"Fellow Daoist, no need for such caution—I mean no harm," the Alchemist said.

"Did you come from another region? Would you like to join the Pill Alliance?"

"The Pill Alliance is currently serving the Five Elements Sect. As long as you can produce a designated quantity of Elixirs and pledge loyalty for a year, the Five Elements Sect will allow you to choose one or two Superior Grade First-Order Alchemy Recipes."

"The higher your Alchemy Skills, the better the treatment."

"If a prominent figure takes a liking to you, there's even a chance to join the Five Elements Sect's Pill Hall."

Superior Grade First-Order Alchemy Recipes? Jia Ren considered. Indeed, those are tempting.

But the mere thought of having to serve others, tirelessly concocting Elixirs, and possibly even being used as cannon fodder, made him lose all interest.

The Wu Family's Alchemy Technique is a fine First-Order Alchemy inheritance, with many Superior Grade First-Order Alchemy Recipes recorded. A few such recipes don't justify taking such a risk.

As for Second-Grade Pills, or their Alchemy Recipes, Jia Ren... wouldn't even consider them.

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