Chapter 129: Vitality Pills, Spirit Sword Armor, and Gunpowder

The Black-Armored Guards patrolling inside and outside the Bluestone Palace bowed to Kuang Zhen as he passed, not even bothering to inquire about the identity of Ye Mo, who walked by his side.

Though initially feeling a bit reserved, Ye Mo was quickly captivated by the Heritage Palace. The massive hall was divided into various sections marked for Alchemy, Weaponry, Formations, Secret Arts, Spirit Beasts, and Miscellaneous items. Each section contained numerous stone chambers, housing even more specialized categories.

"The Alchemy section includes various alchemy techniques, formulas and diagrams for different tiers of pills, and spirit herb seeds. As a village-level lord, your purchasing authority is limited to items of the third tier and below," Kuang Zhen explained. "Weaponry covers smithing techniques, diagrams for spirit weapons and artifacts, ore appraisal, and prospecting. Formations concern array techniques. Secret Arts include cultivation methods and spells. Beasts cover taming techniques, hatchlings, and eggs. Miscellaneous covers everything that doesn't fall into the other five categories."

"There are restrictions on what village, town, and city-level lords can purchase. Go to the relevant chambers for anything you need; I will not escort you personally," Kuang Zhen instructed.

Ye Mo nodded, and Kuang Zhen departed from the Heritage Palace.

After a moment of contemplation, Ye Mo turned and headed toward the hall marked "Alchemy." For cultivators working on their primordial spirits, Spirit Essence Pills were nearly indispensable. These were precisely what the cultivators of Ye Immortal Village lacked the most.

Perhaps because few visited this area, the center of the hall was furnished simply with a set of spirit-wood tables and chairs, the seats covered in thick animal hides. A middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator in white alchemical robes was perusing an ancient text on alchemy.

"Senior, this junior wishes to purchase the formula for a first-tier Spirit Essence Pill. May I ask how many spirit stones it costs?" Ye Mo asked cautiously, not daring to be disrespectful, and waited quietly for a response.

The middle-aged cultivator opened his eyes, glanced at Ye Mo, and replied, "The first-tier Spirit Essence Pill formula is two thousand spirit stones. I will include a few spirit herb seeds for free. If you intend to cultivate them on a large scale, it is best to purchase additional seeds. Present your Lord’s Token and provide the spirit stones, and I will give you these items immediately."

Ye Mo was secretly shocked. Two thousand spirit stones were quite expensive—nearly equivalent to the tuition fees for two lord-trainees. Biting the bullet, he produced his Lord’s Token and handed over the two thousand spirit stones, receiving the "First-Tier Spirit Essence Pill Formula" and a few associated spirit herb seeds from the cultivator.

"Ye Immortal Village Lord Ye Mo, remember to abide by the Immortal Alliance's rules. Aside from use within your village, this alchemy formula must not be disseminated to any outsiders. Otherwise, the Immortal Alliance will hold you accountable—with penalties ranging from fines to the revocation of your lord status. Take care of yourself," the middle-aged cultivator warned as he recorded the transaction.

"I understand," Ye Mo replied with a bitter smile. The Alliance's regulations meant that only the main Immortal City could sell such formulas and diagrams.

Leaving the Alchemy hall, Ye Mo headed to the Weaponry hall, where the official in charge was an elderly man with white hair.

"Senior, I intend to purchase a diagram for the 'Redfire Spirit Sword.' Additionally, I would like to ask what kind of spirit armor can be forged from Redfire Essence Ore, and what materials are required?" Ye Mo went straight to the point.

"Besides the Redfire Spirit Sword, you can also forge the 'Redfire Spirit Armor,'" the old man replied. "If you use pure Redfire Ore and Black Iron, you get Redfire Plate Armor. If you use Redfire Ore combined with the hide of a Fire Rhino, you get Redfire Leather Armor. If you use Redfire Ore with the scales of a demonic snake, you get Redfire Scale Armor. The materials dictate the difference in defensive capabilities."

The elderly cultivator explained in great detail, then added, "However, all these types of armor are included in the 'Redfire Spirit Armor' diagram, so you don't need to pay twice. The diagrams for the Redfire Spirit Sword and the Redfire Spirit Armor are one thousand spirit stones each, totaling two thousand."

"Oh, that’s good," Ye Mo said, quickly pulling out the spirit stones. He had been frightened by the prices and was relieved not to pay twice. Once he received the two diagrams, the old man gave him the standard warning.

Ye Mo stepped out again. After these purchases, he had spent four thousand out of his ten thousand spirit stones. He shook his head with a twinge of heartache and turned his attention toward the Beast chamber. He considered buying a hatchling or a spirit bird egg, but since Ye Immortal Village already had three Golden Eagles, he decided it was unnecessary for now.

"Right, the gunpowder formula. The gunpowder on the sea ships is depleted and hasn't been replenished. With gunpowder and a few more bronze cannons, the village’s defense will be much stronger," Ye Mo thought, hurrying toward the Miscellaneous hall.

Half an hour later, Ye Mo walked out of the Heritage Palace, patting his shriveled storage bag with a wry smile. In the blink of an eye, eight thousand spirit stones were gone. He did not linger in Qingyun Immortal City and returned straight to Ye Immortal Village.

Back in his bedroom at the Lord's Manor, Ye Mo took out the Ancient Painting Immortal Village. Ah Li was napping outside the thatched cottage and woke up the moment Ye Mo entered.

"Master, is there anything you need me to do?" the little green fox asked, rubbing its sleepy eyes.

"Of course, I brought back some good things," Ye Mo laughed, producing the alchemy formula and the spirit herb seeds.

Ah Li’s eyes lit up, and it jumped up, eagerly taking the items. "Wow, alchemy techniques and a pill formula! The Alchemy Pavilion can finally start operating properly. Hmm, I’ll have Ah Zhi plant these seeds in the spirit fields immediately. We can start refining pills in no time!"

Ah Li wandered off with the diagrams, leaving Ye Mo behind. Ah Zhi also came over excitedly, and without waiting for instructions, it took the three spirit herb seeds and planted them in a corner of the spirit field.

"Ah Zhi, when the spirit herbs mature, keep some of the collected seeds, and I will take the others to be planted outside," Ye Mo said. This was another part of his plan; with the help of the spirit fields inside the painting, he wouldn't have to wait the ten or twenty years it would take for them to grow naturally outside.

Seeing how engrossed Ah Li was, Ye Mo did not disturb it. As for the Redfire Spirit Sword and Armor diagrams, he decided to let Wang Hu and Yang You handle the smithing first. Once they learned enough, he would reclaim the items and give them to Ah Li. Alchemy would continue within the painting for now until there were enough seeds to cultivate outside.

Ye Mo left the Lord's Manor and went to the village's only smithy. Wang Hu was in charge, accompanied by a few laborers, but there wasn't much work beyond forging black iron picks. Yang You was still on Redfire Island overseeing the construction of defenses.

"Brother Ye, look at the improved black iron pick I made! It’s stronger and sharper than before," Wang Hu said, handing over the pick he was hammering as soon as he saw Ye Mo.

"Wang Hu, you really have a talent for smithing. You even managed to improve it this much without a diagram," Ye Mo said, examining the tool with a nod.

"Don't flatter me, Brother Ye. I know my own limits. It’s just more hammering and refining the shape to make it sturdier and sharper. But for complex armor, it’s not that simple. I haven't even begun to grasp the various defensive properties or defensive spells involved," Wang Hu said with a grin and a shake of his head.

"I just bought two sets of diagrams. Take them and study them; it will help you advance your smithing skills. Also, I have a gunpowder formula here. When Yang You returns, have him look into producing it," Ye Mo said, handing over the diagrams.

"The 'Redfire Spirit Sword' and 'Redfire Spirit Armor'! Haha, I finally have a chance to try forging real spirit weapons!" Wang Hu was ecstatic, his eyes shining.

"Wang Hu, according to the Immortal Alliance's rules, these diagrams cannot be disseminated. They can only be used within the village smithy. Otherwise, it will cause trouble if the Alliance finds out," Ye Mo warned.

"Understood!" Wang Hu nodded quickly, though he grumbled, "Why doesn't the Alliance open up these diagrams? Then all the immortal villages could develop quickly without being constrained."

"It's not that simple," Ye Mo said with a bitter smile. "The Alliance controls these technical diagrams for a reason. They represent massive investments of spirit stones and countless experiments by cultivators. By trading these diagrams for resources from smaller villages and towns, they prevent other powers from emerging to challenge them. It’s a way for the Immortal City Alliance to maintain its rule over the human cultivation world. If the formulas weren't strictly controlled, no one would spend the effort to research them; they’d just wait for others to do the work and then 'borrow' them. The result would be a lack of innovation, and the human cultivation world would lose its momentum for growth. I used to resent it too, but I understand it now."

"Is that so?" Wang Hu scratched his head, pondering the implications for a moment before he finally understood.

"We are just a small immortal village for now, so don't dwell on it. We must follow the rules the Alliance has set, whether we like it or not," Ye Mo said.

"Right, I also bought an alchemy technique. With the Redfire Ore providing a steady income, I intend to use it to buy more spirit herbs. Our village will soon have a steady supply of pills to boost our cultivators' progress. Don't worry about the cultivation of your primordial spirit; just focus on your smithing. I will never treat you brothers who follow me unfairly. But how far you go in the future depends on your own ability," Ye Mo said, patting Wang Hu on the shoulder.

"I know, Brother Ye! Just wait for Smithing Grandmaster Wang Hu to make a name for himself in the East Sea!" Wang Hu laughed, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"Go on, then. Focus on your smithing for now so that our cultivators and guards can equip themselves with spirit swords and armor soon, and greatly boost our village's combat power," Ye Mo said.

After a few more words, Ye Mo left the smithy, while Wang Hu locked himself in a forging room, eager to study the Redfire Spirit Sword and Armor diagrams.