Chapter 2 Old Wang

"Alright, first, I need to recreate a Cultivation Technique. The current one doesn't satisfy me."

To create a cultivation technique, one typically needs to possess very high cultivation, exceptional comprehension, and an understanding of the laws and essence of the world. Even Core Formation or Core Evolution cultivators would find it challenging to accomplish this. This was a common norm in cultivation. However, Shangguan Yi was not bound by these restrictions; instead, he relied on the capabilities of his system.

In Xi'an City, cultivation techniques were divided into three grades: Warrior, Elite, and Master. Each grade was further divided into four sub-grades: low, middle, high, and supreme. Shangguan Yi currently possessed a high-grade Elite technique, which was considered top-notch in the city. After all, only families with a thousand years of foundation and the city lord's manor could possess Master grade techniques.

As of now, Shangguan Yi had gained a better understanding of the system. With the cultivation function now available to him, it was natural for him to be ambitious about obtaining superior cultivation techniques.

Shangguan Yi examined the cultivation function and saw his current technique, True Sun Flame, with three potential paths to choose from:

1. **Further Develop True Sun Flame to Master Grade:**

- **Requirements:** Offer three different high-grade Elite flame techniques to the system, three level 2 flame crystals, three level 2 flame beast's marrows, one level 2 flame beast's heart and brain each, and 1,000 essence stones.

2. **Create a Low-Grade Three Extreme Flames Technique:**

- **Requirements:** Offer ten different high-grade Elite flame techniques, ten level 2 flame crystals, ten level 2 flame beast's marrows, hearts, brains, and ten bottles of flame beast's blood, and 10,000 essence stones.

3. **Create a Low-Grade Master Technique, Everlasting Firmament Flame Technique:**

- **Requirements:** Offer a thousand warrior-grade techniques, a hundred low-grade Elite techniques, fifty mid-grade Elite techniques, ten high-grade Elite techniques, and two supreme-grade Elite techniques. All techniques must be flame types. Additionally, provide a hundred flame crystals, a single void crystal, a hundred flame-type herbs, a hundred flame-type beast's marrows, hearts, brains, and a hundred bottles of flame-type beast's blood, all from at least level 2 beasts. Lastly, 100,000 essence stones.

Shangguan Yi took a deep breath and began pondering. He hadn't expected the requirements to be this extensive. Just the first option was enough to impoverish him. The second was even harsher, requiring at least ten years of wealth accumulation to accomplish. As for the third option, it was beyond consideration for now—it was enough to bankrupt a thousand-year-old foundation family overnight.

However, after careful consideration, the third option truly impressed Shangguan Yi. He secretly planned to pursue it in the long term. For now, he needed to accomplish the first option.

"Come to think of it, creating a Master grade technique is bound to be this challenging. But what if I choose to create a lower-grade one and use it to exchange or sell? That could help me achieve my goal in a shorter time," Shangguan Yi realized after pondering. Despite the harsh conditions, he understood that with careful planning and resourcefulness, there was always a way to accomplish his objectives.

With his current wealth, he could afford to buy a single high-grade Elite technique or simply purchase ten middle-grade Elite techniques. However, this was still far from meeting the requirements for the first option.

Shangguan Yi began to ponder and formulated a plan.

…

Meanwhile, in a secret room at the Azure Cloud Pavilion, a middle-aged man sat in a chair, carefully inspecting the pills with a solemn expression.

Standing nearby, an old man watched with excitement, his expression openly displayed without any attempt to conceal it.

"It's truly a second-grade pill. Our pavilion has gained another level 2 Pill Refining Master. This is a significant achievement in ten years," exclaimed Li Ming, the middle-aged man, with excitement.

An old man, Shopkeeper Wang, nodded in agreement. "It's truly great news. Moreover, this level 2 Master is not someone we had to pay a huge price to recruit; he's been with us for two years already," he added.

"Hm? Two years ago?" Li Ming pondered for a moment before realization dawned on him. "Could it be..." he trailed off, connecting the dots.

"You're right, Manager Li, it's indeed him," Shopkeeper Wang affirmed proudly. There was indeed a story behind his pride.

Two years ago, when Shopkeeper Wang found himself in an adventure and was severely injured by his enemies, he resorted to secret techniques to escape, plunging into the water. Drifting from the north river to the south river for about five thousand miles, he had already resigned himself to death. However, fate had other plans. When Shangguan Yi was diving for a fish to eat, he accidentally stumbled upon the nearly dead old man. Initially planning to abandon him, Shangguan Yi changed his mind upon thoroughly inspecting the old man's origin. He recognized him as someone from the Azure Cloud Pavilion and was aware of its reputation.

At that time, Shangguan Yi was still wandering around outside, struggling to earn even a single gold coin. Although he had knowledge of pill refining, his lack of experience led to him being tricked multiple times. Once, he was even captured in a room and forced to refine pills for free. Determined to escape, he eventually increased his strength, but found himself hunted at every turn. This experience taught him the harsh realities of the world. Despite having memories from his previous life, he had never encountered such hardships before, leaving him unable to anticipate people's intentions or tricks.

After escaping, Shangguan Yi chose to hide in a cave to recover and contemplate his next move. One day, when he came up with a promising plan, he was in a good mood. Consequently, he decided to jump into the river to catch some fish. As he approached a group of fishes swimming together, he couldn't help but wonder if they were gathered around some sort of treasure. However, to his disappointment, he discovered that it was actually a nearly dead old man.

Normally, Shangguan Yi wouldn't have cared about the old man, but his greed for treasures prompted him to thoroughly inspect the old man to determine his origin. After pondering for a long time, Shangguan Yi decided to risk helping him, albeit not fully. Instead, he found a suitable herb to extend the old man's life.

This old man was none other than Shopkeeper Wang. Upon awakening and feeling gratitude towards Shangguan Yi, despite knowing that he couldn't use his cultivation at that time. He then repaid his debts by making Shangguan Yi a member of the Azure Cloud Pavilion.

The result filled Shopkeeper Wang with pride. Shangguan Yi's talent for pill refining was truly top-notch, and he progressed rapidly, earning him a reputation in Xi'an City. As everyone praised Shangguan Yi's skills, they couldn't help but think of Shopkeeper Wang and his story, recognizing the pivotal role he played in Shangguan Yi's journey.

As of now, Shangguan Yi had become an elite-grade pill refiner, and Shopkeeper Wang naturally offered him his full support.

"Manager Li, now that Xiaoyi has become an elite-grade pill refiner, it's time to raise his status and salary. After all, he has worked tirelessly for our pavilion day and night. We must take good care of him, lest others say that our pavilion is stingy with talented individuals," Shopkeeper Wang said rightfully.

"I naturally agree with you. Our pavilion's reputation is invaluable. How about we give Xiaoyi ten essence stones every month, 40% of the income from the pills he refines, and a high-grade elite flame technique? What do you think, Old Wang?" Manager Li, whose status was second only to the Pavilion Master, had full authority to make important decisions without needing to report to the Pavilion Master.

"Ahem. I understand your difficulties, Manager Li, but I think it should be twenty essence stones per month, fifty percent of the pill's income, and at least three high-grade elite flame techniques. After all, Xiaoyi's potential far exceeds that range. We must take good care of him," Shopkeeper Wang suggested earnestly.

Manager Li raised his eyebrows. He understood Old Wang's intentions, but this price was too steep. He had to consider the implications for others, and thus, he couldn't agree to it.

"How about twelve essence stones per month, forty-two percent of the pill's income, and two high-grade elite flame techniques?" Manager Li offered as a compromise.

"20 per month, 50%, three techniques." Old Wang stated.

"Fine, fifteen essence stones per month, forty-five percent of the pill's income, and two high-grade elite flame techniques," Manager Li said with a grim expression.

Seeing Manager Li's expression, Old Wang knew this was his bottom line, so he didn't push further.

"Good, then I'll take my leave and bring this good news to Xiaoyi."

Old Wang left the secret room with a prideful smile.

Seeing his back, Manager Li sighed. Old Wang had been severely injured by his enemies, causing his potential to drop significantly and leaving his future uncertain. Therefore, Manager Li didn't want to make things hard for him.

…

A day later.

Knock! Knock!

"Xiaoyi, I'm here to deliver some good news," a jovial voice rang out from outside the door.

Hearing Old Wang's voice, Shangguan Yi slowly ended his cultivation and opened his eyes.

"Old Wang, I'm coming," Shangguan Yi said as he left his room and made his way to the outer room where a servant would come to collect pills every day.

When he arrived at the outer room, he saw Old Wang already seated there with a prideful smile.

"Old Wang, you seem happy. Did you accomplish something?" Shangguan Yi greeted with a smile.

Seeing the young man before him, Old Wang couldn't help but smile. He was truly satisfied with Shangguan Yi. While others might view Shangguan Yi as a mysterious figure, to Old Wang, he was like a grandson. Coming here every month to deliver Shangguan Yi's salary and necessary provisions was a servant's duty, but to Old Wang, it was something he wanted to do himself.

"Congratulations, Xiaoyi, on breaking through to another level, both in terms of cultivation and pill refining. From now on, you are an elder of our pavilion," Old Wang congratulated Shangguan Yi. He then handed a black ring to Shangguan Yi.

"Thank you, Old Wang. I wouldn't have come this far in such a short period of time without your support," Shangguan Yi said gratefully as he accepted the black ring.

With just a touch, he immediately discerned that this was a space-type artifact. Shangguan Yi didn't stand on ceremony; he immediately scanned it with his Divine Sense.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, one could use Divine Sense to inspect things further away. Shangguan Yi's Divine Sense swept through the space inside the ring. This black ring came with the status of an elder, providing around 2,000 square feet in total, approximately the size of a volleyball court. It wasn't very big, but it was enough to keep necessary items.

Old Wang didn't interrupt him; instead, he poured himself a cup of tea and patiently waited for Shangguan Yi to finish his inspection.

That was Old Wang's habit; he always had tea with him wherever he went.

Inside the ring, Shangguan Yi found around a hundred more essence stones, which surprised him. He gained insight into the salary of an elite pill refiner. However, he quickly thought of Old Wang. While Old Wang must have helped him secretly, it shouldn't have been this much. This surplus must be due to the pill. After all, the pill he refined yesterday was a level 2 Essence Pill, with a market price of 10 essence stones each pill.

He then looked at the three kinds of high-grade elite techniques, but all of them were combat techniques, which disappointed Shangguan Yi slightly. If they had all been cultivation techniques, he would have fulfilled the first condition in the first option to upgrade his cultivation techniques.

There were also mid-grade elite artifacts: a white cloak and golden boots.

Shangguan Yi nodded slightly, satisfied with what he had found.

"That's right, Old Wang. I need to trouble you with something," Shangguan Yi said, already having a plan in mind. He intended to take advantage of Old Wang's position as a shopkeeper of a popular pill pavilion, knowing that his influence in the city was immense. Shangguan Yi knew he could benefit a lot from this connection.

Taking a sip of tea, Old Wang said, "What's the matter? Leave it to me."

"I need a lot of books regarding level 2 pills, common knowledge of our country, and it would be best if you could find books about history from ten thousand years ago to now. Also, information about cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Realm," Shangguan Yi stated.

"Oh, I thought it would be something harder. Rest assured, leave it to me. Currently, I have a book on level 2 pills and information about cultivation, as for the information about the country, I'll be here in three days," Old Wang said reassuringly. He took out a black thick book and a white pearl and handed them to Shangguan Yi.

Shangguan Yi accepted them naturally, then engaged in a discussion with Old Wang about how to cultivate in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Meanwhile, he compared the information with the knowledge in the system, realizing that Old Wang's knowledge was significantly limited, covering only around 10% of the system's knowledge. Nevertheless, Shangguan Yi listened attentively.

They also discussed Old Wang's family. His child was already 40 years old and had reached the 10th level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. His grandson, who was younger than Shangguan Yi by two years, was currently at the 6th level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After an hour of conversation, Old Wang left with two batches of today's pills, and Shangguan Yi returned to his room.