“ nǚ guǐ jiāng fèi dān xí juǎn yī kōng ？”
“女鬼将废丹席卷一空？”
"Could a female ghost have swept away all the waste pills?"
bǎi cǎo táng zhōng ， tōng yǔ zhēn rén de liǎn sè yǒu xiē nán kàn ， shǒu niān zhe hú xū ， chén yín bù yǔ ， zài tā páng biān ， zé zuò zhe jǐ gè bái xū bái méi de lǎo zhě ， nián jì suī rán hěn dà le ， què yí gè gè jīng shén jué shuò ， tā men shì líng yào shān chú le zhǎng mén yǐ wài zuì yǒu quán shì de sān dà zhǎng lǎo ， bù jǐn liàn dān shù jīng chún wú bǐ ， ér qiě xiū wèi yě dào le zhù jī qī 。
百草堂中，通羽真人的脸色有些难看，手拈着胡须，沉吟不语，在他旁边，则坐着几个白须白眉的老者，年纪虽然很大了，却一个个精神矍铄，他们是灵药山除了掌门以外最有权势的三大长老，不仅炼丹术精纯无比，而且修为也到了筑基期。
In the Hundred Herbs Hall, True Immortal Tongyu's face was somewhat displeased. He stroked his beard and remained silent in thought. Beside him sat several elderly men with white beards and eyebrows; though they were very old, their spirits were vigorous. They were the three most powerful elders of Spirit Medicine Mountain apart from the sect leader, not only excelling in alchemy but also reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
jǐ wèi líng yào shān de dà lǎo dōu huó le yì bǎi wǔ liù shí suì nián jì ， jiàn duō shí guǎng ， rán ér tīng lín xuān hé jīn tāo shuō liǎo shì qíng de jīng guò ， hái shì miàn miàn xiāng qù 。
几位灵药山的大佬都活了一百五六十岁年纪，见多识广，然而听林轩和金涛说了事情的经过，还是面面相觑。
Several major figures at Spirit Medicine Mountain had lived for over a hundred and fifty years, seeing much, yet after hearing Lin Xuan's account with Jin Tao, they still exchanged puzzled glances.
yīn jiān de guǐ wù wèi shén me huì lái qiǎng fèi dān ， bǎi sī bù dé qí jiě ！
阴间的鬼物为什么会来抢废丹，百思不得其解！
Why would ghostly creatures from the阴界 come to snatch waste pills? It was beyond their comprehension!
jìn zhì méi yǒu bèi chù dòng ， ér qiě tā men yě sōu xún le běn mén jí fù jìn shù shí lǐ ， què sī háo méi yǒu fā xiàn liǎng rén suǒ miáo shù de nǚ guǐ de zōng jì 。
禁制没有被触动，而且他们也搜寻了本门及附近数十里，却丝毫没有发现两人所描述的女鬼的踪迹。
The禁制 hadn't been triggered, and searching within the sect premises and nearby areas for tens of miles had yielded no trace of the female ghost mentioned.
liáng jiǔ 。
良久。
After a long while, Elder Zhao on his left spoke up: "Forget it, Senior Brother Sect Leader, our two junior brothers. Fortunately, what was stolen were merely some worthless waste pills with minimal value to us; there's no need to expend effort investigating this matter. The pressing issue is to strengthen the defenses in several key areas."
zuǒ shǒu biān de zhào zhǎng lǎo kāi kǒu le ：“ bà le ， zhǎng mén shī xiōng ， liǎng wèi shī dì ， hǎo zài nà nǚ guǐ lǔ qù de jǐn jǐn shì yī xiē jià zhí jí qí yǒu xiàn de fèi dān ér yǐ ， běn pài bìng méi yǒu méng shòu duō dà sǔn shī ， dà jiā jiù bù yòng fèi xīn láo lì qù zhuī chá cǐ shì ， dāng wù zhī jí ， shì yào jiā qiáng jǐ chù zhòng diǎn dì fāng de fáng yù 。”
左手边的赵长老开口了：“罢了，掌门师兄，两位师弟，好在那女鬼掳去的仅仅是一些价值极其有限的废丹而已，本派并没有蒙受多大损失，大家就不用费心劳力去追查此事，当务之急，是要加强几处重点地方的防御。”
True Immortal Tongyu and the other two elders exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.
tōng yǔ zhēn rén hé lìng wài liǎng wèi zhǎng lǎo duì wàng yī yǎn ， bù yuē ér tóng de diǎn le diǎn tóu 。
通羽真人和另外两位长老对望一眼，不约而同的点了点头。
Half an hour later, Lin Xuan left the Hundred Herbs Hall and slowly walked back to his cave dwelling. His expression showed no emotion, but he was abnormally excited inside. He hadn't expected obtaining waste pills to be so much easier than anticipated.
bàn gè shí chén yǐ hòu 。
半个时辰以后。
Although he had acted with Zhao Ming, everyone should not suspect him of involvement. However, the theft of hundreds of thousands of Foundation Establishment waste pills was significant enough that Lin Xuan had prepared for various scenarios; it turned out to be surprisingly easy.
lín xuān chū le bǎi cǎo táng ， màn màn de zǒu huí zì jǐ de dòng fǔ ， tā de liǎn shàng kàn bù chū xǐ nù ， rán ér xīn qíng què xīng fèn yì cháng ， méi xiǎng dào móu qǔ fèi dān ， bǐ xiǎng xiàng de hái yào róng yì 。
林轩出了百草堂，慢慢的走回自己的洞府，他的脸上看不出喜怒，然而心情却兴奋异常，没想到谋取废丹，比想象的还要容易。
He wondered if they were just too rich and didn't care about the value of the waste pills, or if Spirit Medicine Mountain's cultivators were naturally indifferent. In any case, they seemed content not to investigate further.
suī rán yǔ ér hé huǒ yǎn le yī cháng xì ， dà jiā yīng gāi bú huì huái yí zì jǐ ， dàn shù shí wàn zhù jī qī de fèi dān bèi xǐ jié yī kōng ， zhè bì jìng bù suàn xiǎo shì ， yuán běn lín xuān zuò hǎo le yìng fù gè zhǒng zhuàng kuàng de dǎ suàn ， méi xiǎng dào què shì zhè yàng qīng sōng wú bǐ de guò guān 。
虽然与儿合伙演了一场戏，大家应该不会怀疑自己，但数十万筑基期的废丹被洗劫一空，这毕竟不算小事，原本林轩做好了应付各种状况的打算，没想到却是这样轻松无比的过关。
The post-incident work was as Elder Zhao had said—strengthening defenses in several key areas by setting up more powerful禁制.
yě bù zhī dào jiū jìng shì cái dà qì cū 。 méi yǒu jiāng fèi dān de nà yì diǎn jià zhí kàn zài yǎn lǐ ， hái shì líng yào shān de xiū shì tiān shēng bǐ jiào dàn mò ， zǒng zhī ， tā men què shí bù dǎ suàn zhuī jiū cǐ shì le 。
也不知道究竟是财大气粗。没有将废丹的那一点价值看在眼里，还是灵药山的修士天生比较淡漠，总之，他们确实不打算追究此事了。
Of course, this was none of Lin Xuan's concern.
shàn hòu dì gōng zuò ， yě jiù xiàng zhào zhǎng lǎo suǒ jiǎng de nà yàng ， zhǐ shì zài jǐ chù zhòng diǎn dì fāng ， yòu duō bù xià le yī xiē lì hài de jìn zhì 。
善后地工作，也就像赵长老所讲的那样，只是在几处重点地方，又多布下了一些厉害的禁制。
The waste pills in his hand were enough for his cultivation needs.
dāng rán ， zhè xiē dōu bù guān lín xuān de shì 。
当然，这些都不关林轩的事。
However, Foundation Establishment stage cultivation was much harder. Perhaps it wasn't just about these two pills, but at least before the first four layers of techniques, he shouldn't have any problems.
shǒu lǐ de fèi dān 。 yǐ jīng zú gòu tā xiū liàn 。
手里的废丹。已经足够他修炼。
Lin Xuan walked while thinking. Before he knew it, he had arrived at his cave dwelling.
dāng rán 。 zhù jī qī de xiū wèi tí shēng yào kùn nán dé duō ， huò xǔ bù jǐn jǐn shì yī * zhè liǎng zhǒng dān yào jiù néng gòu bàn dào ， dàn zhì shǎo ， zài qián sì céng gōng fǎ yǐ qián 。 yīng gāi wèn tí bù dà 。
当然。筑基期的修为提升要困难得多，或许不仅仅是依*这两种丹药就能够办到，但至少，在前四层功法以前。应该问题不大。
Entering, Lin Xuan went straight to the training room. He flipped his hand and a small white bottle appeared in his palm.
lín xuān biān zǒu biān xiǎng ， bù zhī bù jué 。 jiù yǐ jīng lái dào le dòng fǔ de miàn qián 。
林轩边走边想，不知不觉。就已经来到了洞府的面前。
Opening the cap, he saw several red pills inside—these were the Foundation Establishment pills refined from waste pills.
jìn qù yǐ hòu 。 lín xuān zhí jiē lái dào liàn gōng fáng 。
进去以后。林轩直接来到练功房。
After thirty days of refinement, Lin Xuan had produced over a thousand pills.
shǒu yī fān ， zhǎng xīn zhōng jiù duō le yí gè bái sè de xiǎo píng zi 。
手一翻，掌心中就多了一个白色的小瓶子。
However, his mood was not good. In his hand lay an ancient book. After taking his eyes off it, Lin Xuan sighed.
píng sāi dǎ kāi ， lín xuān jiāng lǐ miàn dì fèi dān qǔ le yī lì chū lái ， wò zài zhǎng zhōng ， kāi shǐ tí chún 。
瓶塞打开，林轩将里面地废丹取了一粒出来，握在掌中，开始提纯。
He hadn't expected that consuming this type of pill would be more complicated than washing away the soul.
yǔ xǐ suǐ dān xiāng bǐ ， zhù jī dān dì tí chún yào kùn nán dé duō ， lín xuān zài táo bǎo huì mǎi dào de nà yī píng jiù shēn yǒu tǐ huì le ， yì bǎi lì dān yào 。 zhǐ tí chún chū le shí jǐ kē 。
与洗髓丹相比，筑基丹地提纯要困难得多，林轩在淘宝会买到的那一瓶就深有体会了，一百粒丹药。只提纯出了十几颗。
The saying "excess is as bad as deficiency" applied even to divine medicinal ingredients; one couldn't consume too much at once. Lin Xuan found out that a waste pill could only be taken three times a day.
hǎo zài tā xiàn zài shǒu lǐ de fèi dān gòu duō 。 chéng gōng lǜ dī yī xiē ， yě méi yǒu shén me 。 zhuǎn yǎn 。 yí gè yuè guò qù le 。
好在他现在手里的废丹够多。成功率低一些，也没有什么。转眼。一个月过去了。
If more were consumed, the excess wouldn't be absorbed and would harm his body instead of benefiting it.
lín xuān pán xī zuò zài dì shàng ， tā de miàn qián ， bǎi zhe shí jǐ gè píng zi ， lǐ miàn zhuāng mǎn le zhū hóng sè dì yào wán ， zhè xiē jiù shì tí chún chū lái de zhù jī dān 。
林轩盘膝坐在地上，他的面前，摆着十几个瓶子，里面装满了朱红色地药丸，这些就是提纯出来的筑基丹。
Three pills a day was unimaginable for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Two months to take one such pill was considered a blessing. But with Lin Xuan's资质, entering the Foundation Establishment stage made his cultivation increasingly difficult. Three pills a day were like drinking water in a desert; his progress remained slow.
huā le sān shí tiān shí jiān ， lín xuān tí chún chū le shàng qiān kē dān yào 。
花了三十天时间，林轩提纯出了上千颗丹药。
This frustrated Lin Xuan immensely, especially since he didn't lack pills but couldn't consume them due to absorption issues.
rán ér lín xuān dì xīn qíng bìng bù hǎo ， tā dì shǒu lǐ ， wò zhe yī juàn gǔ jí ， jiāng mù guāng cóng shàng miàn shōu huí lái yǐ hòu ， lín xuān tàn le kǒu qì 。
然而林轩地心情并不好，他地手里，握着一卷古籍，将目光从上面收回来以后，林轩叹了口气。
Was there any solution?
méi xiǎng dào cǐ zhǒng dān yào de fú yòng ， yǔ xǐ suǐ dān xiāng bǐ ， yào fù zá yī xiē 。
没想到此种丹药的服用，与洗髓丹相比，要复杂一些。
Lin Xuan dared not ask his master for advice as revealing the truth about the stolen waste pills would be akin to confessing. It might lead to connections with the secret of Blue Star Sea.
suǒ wèi guò yóu bù jí ， jí biàn shì tiān cái dì bǎo liàn zhì de líng yào ， yě bù néng yī cì fú yòng guò duō ， lín xuān chá le yī xià ， xǐ suǐ dān yī tiān ， zhǐ néng fú yòng sān lì 。
所谓过犹不及，即便是天材地宝炼制的灵药，也不能一次服用过多，林轩查了一下，洗髓丹一天，只能服用三粒。
He naturally wouldn't take such a risk and chose to search for information on his own.
rú guǒ chāo guò zhè ge shù liàng ， duō yú de yào lì jiù wú fǎ bèi xī shōu ， cán cún zài shēn tǐ lǐ ， fǎn ér yǒu hài wú yì 。
如果超过这个数量，多余的药力就无法被吸收，残存在身体里，反而有害无益。
As Lin Xuan's identity allowed him access to Spirit Medicine Mountain’s library, he could borrow any book at will.
yī tiān sān kē ， duì yú pǔ tōng de zhù jī qī xiū shì ér yán ， jiǎn zhí wú fǎ xiǎng xiàng ， zhè zhǒng dān yào kě shì zhēn guì wú bǐ ， liǎng gè yuè néng gòu fú shàng yī lì ， jiù gāi tōu xiào 。
一天三颗，对于普通的筑基期修士而言，简直无法想象，这种丹药可是珍贵无比，两个月能够服上一粒，就该偷笑。
While other sects like Cloudy Valley might have more resources in general, when it came to books related to pills, there was no second place in the entire幽州 cultivation world. Spirit Medicine Mountain claimed first place without a doubt.
rán ér yǐ lín xuān de zī zhì ， jìn rù zhù jī qī yǐ hòu ， xiū liàn yuè fā de jiān nán ， yī tiān sān kē ， nǎi shì bēi shuǐ chē xīn ， xiū wèi jīng jìn de sù dù yī rán huǎn màn 。
然而以林轩的资质，进入筑基期以后，修炼越发的艰难，一天三颗，乃是杯水车薪，修为精进的速度依然缓慢。
The library contained all sorts of information on medicinal ingredients—recipes, methods of refinement, properties, origins, and precautions for consumption—all detailed.
zhè ràng lín xuān qì mèn wú bǐ 。
这让林轩气闷无比。
After spending a day in the library, Lin Xuan finally found what he was looking for.
yóu qí shì xiàn zài tā bìng bù quē dān yào ， kě què ài yú xī shōu dì wèn tí ， bù gǎn dà liàng fú shí 。
尤其是现在他并不缺丹药，可却碍于吸收地问题，不敢大量服食。
He put down the ancient book silently.
yǒu méi yǒu jiě jué dì bàn fǎ ne ？
有没有解决地办法呢？
According to the record, one could indeed consume more Foundation Establishment pills daily.
lín xuān dāng rán bù gǎn qù wèn shī zūn ， gào sù tōng yǔ zhēn rén děng yú shì bù dǎ zì zhāo ， ràng tā yǒu kě néng lián xiǎng dào fèi dān bèi dào 。
林轩当然不敢去问师尊，告诉通羽真人等于是不打自招，让他有可能联想到废丹被盗。
The restriction of three pills per day stemmed from the fact that excess medicinal energy couldn't be absorbed by the meridians and would harm his body if left behind.
yí dàn nòng bù hǎo ， hái yǒu kě néng qiān chě chū lán sè xīng hǎi de mì mì 。
一旦弄不好，还有可能牵扯出蓝色星海的秘密。
However, as this book stated, taking a pill called "Yijing Pill" could solve this issue.
lín xuān zì rán bú huì mào zhè yàng dì fēng xiǎn ， tā xuǎn zé le zì jǐ qù chá zī liào 。
林轩自然不会冒这样地风险，他选择了自己去查资料。
Yijing Pill, as its name suggested, strengthened the meridians to expand their absorption capacity. With such pills' assistance, he could consume up to fifteen Foundation Establishment pills daily.
yǐ lín xuān de shēn fèn ， zì rán kě yǐ chū rù líng yào shān de cáng shū gé ， bìng suí yì jiè zǒu rèn hé yī běn shū 。
以林轩的身份，自然可以出入灵药山的藏书阁，并随意借走任何一本书。
Fifteen pills were like increasing his cultivation speed by five times for Lin Xuan, who lacked a灵根 and relied solely on medicinal energy.
ruò shì shén me gōng fǎ ， zhì qì děng zēng zhǎng shí lì de shū jí ， líng yào shān huò xǔ hái wú fǎ hé piāo yún gǔ xiāng bǐ ， dàn shuō dào yǔ dān yào yǒu guān de mì jí ， bié shuō yǎn zhōu ， jiù shì zhěng gè yōu zhōu de xiū zhēn jiè ， líng yào shān rèn dì èr ， jué duì méi yǒu mén pài gǎn wàng chēng dì yī 。
若是什么功法，制器等增长实力的书籍，灵药山或许还无法和飘云谷相比，但说到与丹药有关的秘籍，别说兖州，就是整个幽州的修真界，灵药山认第二，绝对没有门派敢妄称第一。
Moreover, during critical moments of breakthroughs, the ability to take more pills would make it easier.
bù zhǐ shì gè zhǒng líng yào de pèi fāng ， rú hé liàn zhì ， zhǐ yào shì yǔ dān yào yǒu guān de ， shén me yào xìng ， lái lì ， fú shí shí xū yào zhù yì de wèn tí ， zhè lǐ yī yīng jù quán ， yīng yǒu jìn yǒu ， jiè shào dé fēi cháng xiáng xì 。
不止是各种灵药的配方，如何炼制，只要是与丹药有关的，什么药性，来历，服食时需要注意的问题，这里一应俱全，应有尽有，介绍得非常详细。
The benefits were clear.
lín xuān zài cáng shū gé pào le yī tiān zhī hòu ， zhōng yú zhǎo dào le zì jǐ yào de dōng xī 。
林轩在藏书阁泡了一天之后，终于找到了自己要的东西。
Lin Xuan had no hesitation. But when he saw the ingredients needed for Yijing Pill, his eyes widened in shock.
cǐ shí tā fàng xià shǒu lǐ de gǔ jí ， mò mò bù yǔ 。
此时他放下手里的古籍，默默不语。
Other ingredients were common herbs, but the引子 was too extraordinary.
àn zhào shàng miàn de jì zǎi ， yī tiān xiǎng yào duō fú zhù jī dān ， yě bú shì bù kě néng 。
按照上面的记载，一天想要多服筑基丹，也不是不可能。
It was Seven-star Grass.
yī tiān sān lì de xiàn zhì ， yuán yīn zài yú duō yú de yào lì wú fǎ bèi jīng mài xī shōu ， cán liú xià lái ， huì sǔn hài shēn tǐ 。
一天三粒的限制，原因在于多余的药力无法被经脉吸收，残留下来，会损害身体。
This was a precious divine medicinal ingredient; most cultivators would have never heard of it unless they worked at Spirit Medicine Mountain every day. Lin Xuan had only heard about this herb by chance.
kě zhào zhè běn shū suǒ yán ， zhǐ yào fú yòng yī zhǒng míng jiào “ yì jīng dān ” líng yào ， jiù kě yǐ jiě jué zhè zhǒng wèn tí 。
可照这本书所言，只要服用一种名叫“易经丹”灵药，就可以解决这种问题。
In the cultivation world, herbs were categorized into several grades: ordinary herbs, rare herbs, divine herbs, and immortal herbs.
yì jīng dān ， gù míng sī yì ， kě yǐ qiáng jiàn jīng mài ， cóng ér kuò dà tā duì yào lì de xī shōu ， zhǐ yào yǒu zhè zhǒng dān yào de fǔ zhù ， měi tiān fú shí zhù jī dān de liàng kě yǐ kuò dà dào shí wǔ kē zhī duō 。
易经丹，顾名思义，可以强健经脉，从而扩大它对药力的吸收，只要有这种丹药的辅助，每天服食筑基丹的量可以扩大到十五颗之多。
Ordinary herbs could be bought in markets—things like century-old ginseng, lingzhi, snow lotus, etc.
shí wǔ kē ， duì yú lín xuān zhè zhǒng méi yǒu líng gēn ， wán quán * yào lì tuī dòng lái xiū liàn de rén lái shuō ， xiāng dāng yú sù dù tí shēng le wǔ bèi 。
十五颗，对于林轩这种没有灵根，完全*药力推动来修炼的人来说，相当于速度提升了五倍。
Rare herbs might appear in secular worlds but were extremely rare. Most sects cultivated them—like Scarlet Silk Grass used for refining waste pills and century-old ginseng.
ér qiě zài chōng jī píng jǐng de shí hòu ， yóu yú kě yǐ duō fú dān yào ， yě huì gèng jiā róng yì 。
而且在冲击瓶颈的时候，由于可以多服丹药，也会更加容易。
Divine herbs rarely appeared in the secular world; even cultivators needed great fortune to see one. For example, the Flowing Firefly Flower, Silver Moon Grass, and thousand-year-old ginseng and lingzhi that Lin Xuan had冒险 gathered from Stream Leaping Canyon.
hǎo chù shì xiǎn ér yì jiàn de 。
好处是显而易见的。
Immortal herbs were a step above divine herbs. Although not true immortal treasures, their names reflected how precious they were.
lín xuān nǎ lǐ huì yǒu shén me yóu yù 。
林轩哪里会有什么犹豫。
Yijing Pill was merely an auxiliary pill; it wasn't considered particularly good. Its refinement required a divine herb as the引子, which explained why there was only one line in ancient texts: "This pill has never been refined by any ancient cultivator for over a thousand years."
kě yī kàn yì jīng dān de pèi liào ， què ràng tā mù dèng kǒu dāi 。
可一看易经丹的配料，却让他目瞪口呆。
But Lin Xuan had to try.
qí tā de dōu hǎo bàn ， dōu shì yī xiē cháng jiàn de yào cái ， kě yào yǐn què tài guò nì tiān 。
其他的都好办，都是一些常见的药材，可药引却太过逆天。
He wasn't impatient but needed faster cultivation progress; otherwise, he might not be able to condense his essence before his life span ended.
jū rán shì qī xīng cǎo 。
居然是七星草。
However, Lin Xuan didn't know where to find Seven-star Grass and could only secretly inquire within the sect while cultivating.
zhè kě shì zhēn guì wú bǐ de xiān yào ， huàn yí gè xiū zhēn zhě ， kǒng pà wén suǒ wèi wén ， yě jiù shì zài líng yào shān ， tiān tiān ěr rú mù rǎn ， lín xuān cái hěn qiǎo de tīng shuō guò zhè zhǒng yào cái de dà míng 。
这可是珍贵无比的仙药，换一个修真者，恐怕闻所未闻，也就是在灵药山，天天耳濡目染，林轩才很巧的听说过这种药材的大名。
While Spirit Medicine Mountain's alchemists' techniques were weak, their knowledge of herbs was vast. After some discreet inquiries, Elder Zhao revealed that there was a Seven-star Grass in Bieyun Mountain’s herb garden, which was one of their treasures.
zài xiū zhēn jiè ， yào cái yě bèi fēn wéi le jǐ gè děng jí 。
在修真界，药材也被分为了几个等级。
Lin Xuan remained calm on the surface but was troubled inside.
pǔ tōng yào cái ， zhēn xī yào cái ， líng yào ， xiān yào ， shén yào 。
普通药材，珍惜药材，灵药，仙药，神药。
Bieyun Mountain wasn't an ordinary sect; it was one of the three major powers of幽州. Its strength far surpassed Spirit Medicine Mountain and Cloudy Valley. It had thousands of disciples, including many Foundation Establishment and even Condensation Core cultivators.
pǔ tōng yào cái shì zhǐ shì miàn shàng jiù kě yǐ mǎi dào de ， bǐ rú shuō bǎi nián yǐ xià de rén shēn 、 líng zhī ， xuě lián ， zhū rú cǐ lèi de dōng dōng ……
普通药材是指市面上就可以买到的，比如说百年以下的人参、灵芝，雪莲，诸如此类的东东……
There were rumors that the sect even had Immortal Core cultivators who were over a thousand years old, their cultivation deep beyond comprehension. Although unknown if true, the speaker was certain, so it wasn't baseless gossip.
zhēn xī yào cái ， shì sú jiè yě yǒu kě néng chū xiàn ， rán ér què jí shǎo ， yì bān xiū zhēn mén pài de yào yuán huì zhòng zhí dé yǒu ， bǐ rú shuō xiàng hóng líng cǎo ， liàn zhì xǐ suǐ dān de yuán liào ， bǎi nián yǐ shàng de rén shēn děng děng 。
珍惜药材，世俗界也有可能出现，然而却极少，一般修真门派的药园会种植得有，比如说像红绫草，炼制洗髓丹的原料，百年以上的人参等等。
Such a powerful sect could easily sweep through all of兖州 with just a third of its strength. Its power was formidable.
líng yào ， zhè zhǒng dōng xī yì bān bú huì chū xiàn zài shì sú ， biàn shì xiū zhēn zhě yě yào mò dà de jī yuán cái kě yǐ jiàn dào ， bǐ rú shuō liàn zhì zhù jī dān zhōng zuì zhēn guì de jǐ wèi ， lín xuān mào xiǎn zài xī yuè jiàn lǐ cǎi dào de liú yíng huā ， yín yuè cǎo ， yǐ jí qiān nián yǐ shàng de rén shēn ， líng zhī 。
灵药，这种东西一般不会出现在世俗，便是修真者也要莫大的机缘才可以见到，比如说炼制筑基丹中最珍贵的几味，林轩冒险在溪跃涧里采到的流萤花，银月草，以及千年以上的人参，灵芝。
Seven-star Grass was their treasure; it would be impossible to sell and surely cost astronomical prices that Lin Xuan couldn't afford.
ér xiān yào zé bǐ líng yào hái yào gāo shàng yí gè děng jí ， suī rán bìng fēi zhēn zhèng de xiān jiā zhī wù ， dàn cóng míng zì yě kě yǐ tīng chū tā yǒu duō me de zhēn guì le 。
而仙药则比灵药还要高上一个等级，虽然并非真正的仙家之物，但从名字也可以听出它有多么的珍贵了。
Should he steal it?
yì jīng dān zhǐ bù guò shì yī zhǒng fǔ zhù xìng de dān yào ， yán gé shuō lái ， bìng tán bù shàng yǒu duō hǎo ， liàn zhì tā ， jū rán xū yào xiān yào zuò wèi yào yǐn ， yě jiù nán guài gǔ jí shàng huì liú xià nà me yī xíng xiǎo zì ：“ cǐ dān chú le gǔ xiū shì ， qiān nián yǐ lái ， hái cóng lái méi yǒu rén liàn zhì 。”
易经丹只不过是一种辅助性的丹药，严格说来，并谈不上有多好，炼制它，居然需要仙药做为药引，也就难怪古籍上会留下那么一行小字：“此丹除了古修士，千年以来，还从来没有人炼制。”
The thought made Lin Xuan shiver, but he needed Yijing Pill no matter what. What should he do?
"Could a female ghost have swept away all the waste pills?"
In the Hundred Herbs Hall, True Immortal Tongyu's face was somewhat displeased. He stroked his beard and remained silent in thought. Beside him sat several elderly men with white beards and eyebrows; though they were very old, their spirits were vigorous. They were the three most powerful elders of Spirit Medicine Mountain apart from the sect leader, not only excelling in alchemy but also reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
Several major figures at Spirit Medicine Mountain had lived for over a hundred and fifty years, seeing much, yet after hearing Lin Xuan's account with Jin Tao, they still exchanged puzzled glances.
Why would ghostly creatures from the阴界 come to snatch waste pills? It was beyond their comprehension!
The禁制 hadn't been triggered, and searching within the sect premises and nearby areas for tens of miles had yielded no trace of the female ghost mentioned.
After a long while, Elder Zhao on his left spoke up: "Forget it, Senior Brother Sect Leader, our two junior brothers. Fortunately, what was stolen were merely some worthless waste pills with minimal value to us; there's no need to expend effort investigating this matter. The pressing issue is to strengthen the defenses in several key areas."
True Immortal Tongyu and the other two elders exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.
Half an hour later, Lin Xuan left the Hundred Herbs Hall and slowly walked back to his cave dwelling. His expression showed no emotion, but he was abnormally excited inside. He hadn't expected obtaining waste pills to be so much easier than anticipated.
Although he had acted with Zhao Ming, everyone should not suspect him of involvement. However, the theft of hundreds of thousands of Foundation Establishment waste pills was significant enough that Lin Xuan had prepared for various scenarios; it turned out to be surprisingly easy.
He wondered if they were just too rich and didn't care about the value of the waste pills, or if Spirit Medicine Mountain's cultivators were naturally indifferent. In any case, they seemed content not to investigate further.
The post-incident work was as Elder Zhao had said—strengthening defenses in several key areas by setting up more powerful禁制.
Of course, this was none of Lin Xuan's concern.
The waste pills in his hand were enough for his cultivation needs.
However, Foundation Establishment stage cultivation was much harder. Perhaps it wasn't just about these two pills, but at least before the first four layers of techniques, he shouldn't have any problems.
Lin Xuan walked while thinking. Before he knew it, he had arrived at his cave dwelling.
Entering, Lin Xuan went straight to the training room. He flipped his hand and a small white bottle appeared in his palm.
Opening the cap, he saw several red pills inside—these were the Foundation Establishment pills refined from waste pills.
After thirty days of refinement, Lin Xuan had produced over a thousand pills.
However, his mood was not good. In his hand lay an ancient book. After taking his eyes off it, Lin Xuan sighed.
He hadn't expected that consuming this type of pill would be more complicated than washing away the soul.
The saying "excess is as bad as deficiency" applied even to divine medicinal ingredients; one couldn't consume too much at once. Lin Xuan found out that a waste pill could only be taken three times a day.
If more were consumed, the excess wouldn't be absorbed and would harm his body instead of benefiting it.
Three pills a day was unimaginable for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Two months to take one such pill was considered a blessing. But with Lin Xuan's资质, entering the Foundation Establishment stage made his cultivation increasingly difficult. Three pills a day were like drinking water in a desert; his progress remained slow.
This frustrated Lin Xuan immensely, especially since he didn't lack pills but couldn't consume them due to absorption issues.
Was there any solution?
Lin Xuan dared not ask his master for advice as revealing the truth about the stolen waste pills would be akin to confessing. It might lead to connections with the secret of Blue Star Sea.
He naturally wouldn't take such a risk and chose to search for information on his own.
As Lin Xuan's identity allowed him access to Spirit Medicine Mountain’s library, he could borrow any book at will.
While other sects like Cloudy Valley might have more resources in general, when it came to books related to pills, there was no second place in the entire幽州 cultivation world. Spirit Medicine Mountain claimed first place without a doubt.
The library contained all sorts of information on medicinal ingredients—recipes, methods of refinement, properties, origins, and precautions for consumption—all detailed.
After spending a day in the library, Lin Xuan finally found what he was looking for.
He put down the ancient book silently.
According to the record, one could indeed consume more Foundation Establishment pills daily.
The restriction of three pills per day stemmed from the fact that excess medicinal energy couldn't be absorbed by the meridians and would harm his body if left behind.
However, as this book stated, taking a pill called "Yijing Pill" could solve this issue.
Yijing Pill, as its name suggested, strengthened the meridians to expand their absorption capacity. With such pills' assistance, he could consume up to fifteen Foundation Establishment pills daily.
Fifteen pills were like increasing his cultivation speed by five times for Lin Xuan, who lacked a灵根 and relied solely on medicinal energy.
Moreover, during critical moments of breakthroughs, the ability to take more pills would make it easier.
The benefits were clear.
Lin Xuan had no hesitation. But when he saw the ingredients needed for Yijing Pill, his eyes widened in shock.
Other ingredients were common herbs, but the引子 was too extraordinary.
It was Seven-star Grass.
This was a precious divine medicinal ingredient; most cultivators would have never heard of it unless they worked at Spirit Medicine Mountain every day. Lin Xuan had only heard about this herb by chance.
In the cultivation world, herbs were categorized into several grades: ordinary herbs, rare herbs, divine herbs, and immortal herbs.
Ordinary herbs could be bought in markets—things like century-old ginseng, lingzhi, snow lotus, etc.
Rare herbs might appear in secular worlds but were extremely rare. Most sects cultivated them—like Scarlet Silk Grass used for refining waste pills and century-old ginseng.
Divine herbs rarely appeared in the secular world; even cultivators needed great fortune to see one. For example, the Flowing Firefly Flower, Silver Moon Grass, and thousand-year-old ginseng and lingzhi that Lin Xuan had冒险 gathered from Stream Leaping Canyon.
Immortal herbs were a step above divine herbs. Although not true immortal treasures, their names reflected how precious they were.
Yijing Pill was merely an auxiliary pill; it wasn't considered particularly good. Its refinement required a divine herb as the引子, which explained why there was only one line in ancient texts: "This pill has never been refined by any ancient cultivator for over a thousand years."
But Lin Xuan had to try.
He wasn't impatient but needed faster cultivation progress; otherwise, he might not be able to condense his essence before his life span ended.
However, Lin Xuan didn't know where to find Seven-star Grass and could only secretly inquire within the sect while cultivating.
While Spirit Medicine Mountain's alchemists' techniques were weak, their knowledge of herbs was vast. After some discreet inquiries, Elder Zhao revealed that there was a Seven-star Grass in Bieyun Mountain’s herb garden, which was one of their treasures.
Lin Xuan remained calm on the surface but was troubled inside.
Bieyun Mountain wasn't an ordinary sect; it was one of the three major powers of幽州. Its strength far surpassed Spirit Medicine Mountain and Cloudy Valley. It had thousands of disciples, including many Foundation Establishment and even Condensation Core cultivators.
There were rumors that the sect even had Immortal Core cultivators who were over a thousand years old, their cultivation deep beyond comprehension. Although unknown if true, the speaker was certain, so it wasn't baseless gossip.
Such a powerful sect could easily sweep through all of兖州 with just a third of its strength. Its power was formidable.
Seven-star Grass was their treasure; it would be impossible to sell and surely cost astronomical prices that Lin Xuan couldn't afford.
Should he steal it?
The thought made Lin Xuan shiver, but he needed Yijing Pill no matter what. What should he do?