Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit

"Good lad!"

Huang Xuan finally believed most of it. He stood up, staring at Chen Jichuan with amazement.

Suddenly, he thought of Xu Jishi.

If only they had discovered his son's talents earlier, who knows if they would have still tried to stop him back then. After all, under those circumstances, having a Great Alchemist in the family would have made resolving the debt problem much easier.

Regrettably, Xu Jishi was too stubborn by nature.

And after Xu Ning suffered setbacks, he had completely lost his drive.

"Such a pity!"

Huang Xuan sighed again. He pulled the respectful and well-behaved Chen Jichuan, now standing upright before him, to sit down beside him. In a gentle tone, he said, "Nephew, you've shown that you can stand on your own two feet, which puts your Uncle Huang at ease. Even if the family falls into decline, it doesn't matter. With your abilities, you'll buy it all back sooner or later. Your father started from nothing in his day, after all. You're so young, and your future is boundless."

These words were indeed heartfelt.

An eighteen-year-old "Great Alchemist" would be considered a genius even in the most prestigious pill-crafting families. Coming from a humble background like Xu Ning's made it all the more remarkable.

"You've set yourself up for success, and Uncle Huang is thrilled for you."

"But you must also remember: In the short term, never reveal this news to anyone. Otherwise, you'll draw unwanted attention."

"That Duan Zhengming is not a kind soul."

"If he sees you possess such abilities, he won't let you be."

"I understand why you've come here. Leave the following matters to Uncle Huang. After your debts are paid off, focus on cultivation and alchemy while staying home. Once you've reached the Innate stage and built a solid foundation, leave Golden Corner City and Fat City altogether."

"The Yuanchen Chamber of Commerce wields significant influence, primarily within Golden Corner City and Fat City, as well as a few neighboring Guard Cities."

"But beyond Fat City, their reach weakens."

Huang Xuan carefully instructed Chen Jichuan, his tone filled with deliberation.

"Thank you, Uncle Huang."

Chen Jichuan could sense that Huang Xuan genuinely cared for "Xu Ning."

It was precisely because he observed this from Xu Ning's memories that Chen Jichuan had come to the Huang family first.

…

With Huang Xuan taken care of, there was no need to visit a few other households he originally planned to approach.

The identity of an eighteen-year-old Great Alchemist was, without question, better kept secret from as many people as possible.

With Huang Xuan acting as his intermediary, Chen Jichuan could sell various pills, and in the future, even magic artifacts, through Huang Xuan and his demon-hunting team.

The profits he earned could then be directed toward studying talisman making.

Give him three to five years, and he would become adept in Qi Refinement. Beyond that, whether moving to another city or simply vanishing into the wilderness, he'd live quite comfortably.

…

Prioritizing the principle of keeping a low profile,

Chen Jichuan returned from the Huang estate and resumed his reclusive lifestyle, scarcely stepping outside.

More than half a month later.

Huang Xuan came by discreetly, bringing fifty thousand Spirit Stones.

These Spirit Stones were equivalent in value to one hundred top-grade pills like the Revitalizing Pill. Huang Xuan alone could never have afforded them.

He had to borrow extensively from his friends to gather the amount.

It was enough for Chen Jichuan to repay the remaining debt owed to the Golden Spear Talisman Making Workshop.

It wasn't just Spirit Stones.

Huang Xuan also brought along a large quantity of medicinal ingredients for refining the Revitalizing Pill, Bursting Qi Pill, Recovery Pill, and Nourishing Yuan Pill.

In battles with demon beasts in the wild, the Revitalizing Pill, which could quickly heal injuries, and the Bursting Qi Pill, which granted a short-term power boost, were always in demand. Similarly, the Recovery Pill, which rapidly replenished True Qi, was perpetually sought after.

If Chen Jichuan could refine them in sufficient quantity and uphold quality, Huang Xuan's connections could easily find buyers.

As for the Nourishing Yuan Pill.

This was an excellent pill for Innate cultivators to enhance True Qi and consolidate Primordial Qi, highly sought after in the market for Innate cultivators.

"I've gathered all the materials you asked for."

"As you instructed."

"Every two months from now, I'll have Huang Quan deliver medicinal ingredients and Spirit Stones to you. It's easy to explain things to others; we'll just say he's borrowing your workshop to study talisman making. Huang Quan is steady-minded and keeps his mouth shut. The secret will hold for the time being."

"Additionally, I'll have Huang Quan occasionally invite three or five friends over to your place. It'll serve as further misdirection."

Huang Xuan was naturally cautious.

He considered every angle thoroughly, preemptively addressing many potential pitfalls that might arise.

The rest.

Was up to fate.

"Let's go with Uncle Huang's plan."

Chen Jichuan nodded in agreement.

…

From that day onward,

Chen Jichuan focused his efforts on cultivation, alchemy, and talisman making.

Among these, alchemy was the simplest.

The pills he crafted were all entry-level mundane pills. For a Third-order Alchemist like Chen Jichuan, it was like using a Two-Dimensional Foil to swat mosquitoes.

He told Huang Xuan that he could craft at most four furnaces' worth in two months, with a success rate of about fifty percent.

Under such conditions,

He could earn roughly 2,000 Spirit Stones every two months.

Both the crafting speed and success rate were set to mirror those of an ordinary Great Alchemist.

However, the profit still slightly exceeded that of regular Great Alchemists.

This was partly due to the medicinal ingredients Huang Xuan purchased, which were harvested directly by various demon-hunting teams in the wild, bypassing middlemen and costing much less than buying them in Golden Corner City.

Take the Nourishing Yuan Pill as an example.

The materials needed to refine one would cost around 220 or 230 Spirit Stones in Golden Corner City.

But the cost through Huang Xuan's sourcing was only 200 Spirit Stones.

A single Nourishing Yuan Pill sold for 500 Spirit Stones.

At a fifty percent success rate, four furnaces would yield about 2,400 Spirit Stones in profit.

Over a year, with twelve months,

That's roughly over 10,000 Spirit Stones in earnings.

This was the maximum profit a typical Great Alchemist could achieve in a year under extreme conditions.

If they had to balance this with their own cultivation, the frequency of crafting pills would drop significantly, as would the profits.

For those with modest ambitions, not seeking to advance to higher levels of alchemy, relying on this skillset was sufficient to sustain Early Stage Qi Refinement cultivation and just barely support the Middle Stage.

But this kind of income was typical for an ordinary Great Alchemist, perfectly matching the persona Chen Jichuan projected.

In reality, he could refine four furnaces simultaneously, achieving one hundred percent success rates in less than an hour.

After all, he was a Third-order Alchemist!

Of the pills he refined, half would go to Huang Xuan, while he kept the other half.

Chen Jichuan was accustomed to hiding his true capabilities. Having no choice but to reveal his strength as a Great Alchemist at age eighteen, he still refrained from disclosing his perfection-level success rate, as it might frighten Huang Xuan.

Even the fifty percent success rate he'd mentioned was enough to astonish him.

Eighteen.

A Great Alchemist.

This was firmly in the realm of genius.

A single step further, and it'd be considered monstrous.

Huang Xuan simply regarded Chen Jichuan as a rare talent, which only made him value the latter's future even more. Initially, Huang Xuan likely only had the mindset of assisting an old friend's child. Now, he had far more personal considerations.

Not malicious ones by any means.

Rather, having such a genius nearby meant unpredictable opportunities in the future.

Some of which he might live to see, while others he might not.

But his two sons would surely benefit from it.

Building a good relationship with a future Alchemy Master offered untold advantages.

Thus, Huang Xuan grew increasingly prudent and worked even harder in his support. Privately, he also urged his eldest son, Huang Quan, to keep his mouth shut and do his part well.

Huang Quan, taking after his father,

Had a similar steady and cautious temperament.

His aptitude and intellect were unremarkable, but his prudent nature made him highly suited for acting as a bridge between Chen Jichuan and Huang Xuan.

To maintain appearances, Huang Quan would occasionally bring people to the Golden Spear Talisman Making Workshop.

To make the cover more convincing, Huang Quan genuinely started studying talisman-making techniques with dedication.

Among the people he'd occasionally invited to the workshop, most only came once or twice and lost interest. But Huang Quan didn't mind; he'd simply invite different people.

Over time,

Besides Huang Quan himself, three others genuinely began learning talisman-making, one of whom, named Wang Yong, had a true passion for it.

The other two had more ulterior motives.

They weren't necessarily interested in talisman-making but saw it as an opportunity to freeload off the tools available at the Golden Spear Talisman Making Workshop. After all, acquiring a profitable skill was always a good thing.

Thus, aside from Huang Quan, frequent visitors to the workshop now included "Wang Yong" and two others.

With Huang Quan providing cover,

The various cinnabar powders and talisman papers Chen Jichuan ordered through Huang Xuan drew no unwarranted scrutiny.

…

It wasn't just Huang Quan.

Chen Jichuan himself delved into the study of talisman-making, but his progress compared to Huang Quan's was a difference of heaven and earth.

The "Xu Ning" family had a vast repository of knowledge, as Xu Jishi himself was a Talisman Maker, albeit an unremarkable one. Still, his skills were equivalent to a Great Alchemist's in value.

The family possessed considerable reference materials.

Additionally, Chen Jichuan had inherited Dao Fruits from two Third-order Talisman Makers, providing him with paths to follow and insights to draw from—a resource superior even to being personally mentored by two Third-order Talisman Makers.

Combining theory with practice,

Chen Jichuan's expertise in talisman-making progressed at an incredible rate, leaving the diligent yet ordinary Huang Quan far behind.

Chen Jichuan held a favorable impression of Huang Quan.

First, because of Huang Xuan's efforts. Chen Jichuan's initial start in this life had been less than ideal, and it was Huang Xuan's unwavering support that had helped him significantly.

From crafting detailed plans and concealing his whereabouts, to sourcing materials and selling his pills, Huang Xuan charged only a token fee for his troubles.

This debt of gratitude was something Chen Jichuan kept in mind.

Second,

Huang Quan was inherently good-natured. Although his aptitude was average, compared to the 1,200 disciples Chen Jichuan had personally mentored back in the Central Continent, Huang Quan's talents could rank between 1,000th and 1,100th place.

He wasn't someone utterly beyond help.

With Chen Jichuan's instructional methods and teaching expertise, guiding Huang Quan was more than manageable.

It wouldn't even require the use of his ultimate trump card, "Enlightenment."

In terms of cultivation,

And in talisman-making,

Chen Jichuan would often give Huang Quan extra guidance when they were alone.

Huang Quan, who was two years older than him, had entered a middle-tier school four years ago and had reached the Late Stage of the Postnatal realm this year at age 20.

According to conventional wisdom,

He would need another three to five years of accumulation and refinement, along with a pill like the Innate Pill, to advance to the Innate realm.

Yet in just four months since coming to the Golden Spear Talisman Making Workshop and receiving casual tutelage from Chen Jichuan twice, Huang Quan managed to break through into the Innate realm smoothly.

He achieved the breakthrough at home.

When Huang Xuan returned from demon hunting and heard the news, he was overjoyed and nearly rushed to the workshop to thank Chen Jichuan in person.

But in the end, he restrained himself,

Merely urging Huang Quan to show even more respect in the future.

Huang Quan followed his father's instructions to the letter.

Chen Jichuan valued Huang Quan not only for his potential in cultivation but also for his aptitude in talisman making.

In the rare moments when he wasn't crafting or studying, Huang Quan's presence became Chen Jichuan's primary form of entertainment.

…