Starting My Immortal Life by Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 135: The Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven is About to Open!

Summer Peach looked at Ji Yuan’s expression, snorted coldly, and said nothing, walking into the house on her own.

Ji Yuan couldn’t figure out this senior’s temperament, so he quickly followed after her.

Summer Peach entered the house and appeared even more familiar with it than Ji Yuan.

At times, she stared blankly here; at times, she dazed out over there.

Ji Yuan understood, because Summer Peach wasn’t looking at how the place currently appeared, but rather at the path she had walked — the time she had once lived in this house must have been extremely long.

After finishing their look around the front yard, the two arrived beneath the enclosing wall in the backyard.

Summer Peach looked at the messages she had left, and at those left by others, softly muttering, “That old man has passed away too.”

“This house has had five owners since it was built. You are the fifth.” After speaking, Summer Peach turned to look at Ji Yuan and said with a smile, “You’ll have to open an island at some point too, won’t you?”

Opening an island meant he had to establish his Foundation.

Ji Yuan replied with a bitter smile, “This junior will certainly do his best.”

“Hmph.”

After sighing, Summer Peach snapped out of her emotions and returned to her lively self.

“Didn’t expect it — you’re good-looking and like to keep things tidy. I thought your house would be just like my senior brothers’, messy and chaotic everywhere.”

That was because back then I had a female foot-ruler at home responsible for cleaning — Ji Yuan recalled his time in Zengtou Market, before he got Tu Yue.

His home back then had also been messy, especially when the Pigsty and the Chicken Coop were still inside the house.

As soon as one entered, they were met with a foul stench.

Summer Peach led the way, even taking Ji Yuan around his own house, finally arriving at the Pill Refining Room in the front yard.

“This was where I used to refine pills.”

“Come now, what pill do you plan to use to challenge the second-grade Pill Refining Master qualification? Go ahead and refine a batch for me to see.”

Summer Peach was already prepared to start instructing Ji Yuan.

“Water-Spirit Pill.”

Ji Yuan quickly responded.

“Water-Spirit Pill? Alright, that one’s not hard.”

As she spoke, Summer Peach stepped back a few paces, clearing the central space of the Pill Refining Room.

Ji Yuan discreetly glanced at her. Seeing that she wasn’t pretending, he then took out his top-grade pill furnace from his storage pouch, along with the various herbs he had just purchased.

Summer Peach even stepped forward to inspect them.

“Not bad — your pill furnace shows you’re willing to spend money. Let me tell you, for us Pill Refining Masters, you must be willing to invest in your pill furnace. A good furnace is half the success.”

“When you’ve made some more progress, switch to a spiritual-tool level pill furnace. Those have formations inscribed inside that aid in pill refinement, making the process twice as effective.”

“The herbs are decent too. Let me tell you — a good batch of herbs is the other half of success.”

Summer Peach kept chattering without end.

Ji Yuan couldn’t help but interrupt with a laugh, “By your logic, if both those are half of success, then we Pill Refining Masters might as well not be needed.”

“Still got the nerve to talk back? Looking for a beating!”

As she spoke, Summer Peach raised her right hand as if to flick Ji Yuan’s forehead.

But the moment she raised her hand, she realized Ji Yuan was much taller than her. Without using techniques, she’d probably have to jump to reach him.

Her fair cheeks turned slightly red as she glared and said:

“Do you still want me to teach you or not? Get on with the pill refining! So slow and dawdling — you really don’t look like someone destined for great things!”

This martial aunt is so fierce… No matter. If she can teach me pill refinement, and help me advance my alchemy to second-grade,

then she’s a good martial aunt.

Ji Yuan immediately began preparing the herbs. Out of the corner of his eye, seeing that Summer Peach didn’t react abnormally, he silently activated the Enlightenment Room.

Naturally, the exterior of the building couldn’t be opened — only the building’s effect was activated.

Even after it was activated, Summer Peach showed no signs of sensing anything.

Without basic protection, there would be no unusual sensation.

Moreover, since it pertained to enlightenment, an intangible and abstract thing, she was even less likely to notice anything.

As Ji Yuan started preparing the herbs, Summer Peach followed along silently, watching without speaking or disturbing him. She simply stood there watching as he processed the herbs, ignited the furnace, then proceeded to “extract essence,” “remove impurities,” and “form pills.”

As expected, in the end, the attempt failed.

Sitting in front of the pill furnace, Ji Yuan looked at the broken herbal remnants, raised his head to glance at Summer Peach, and said helplessly with a smile, “See, senior sister, this is what usually happens.”

Summer Peach placed her left hand across her chest, supporting her right elbow, while her right hand gently stroked her smooth chin.

“Your pill refining technique is basically sound. The reason you failed is that you didn’t handle the medicinal properties between these various herbs properly. Look, when you were extracting the essence, the property of the Clear-Water Fruit needed to be on top—”

When a skilled person makes a move, the difference is immediately evident.

As soon as Summer Peach opened her mouth, Ji Yuan understood what a top-grade second-grade Pill Refining Master truly was.

With just a few words of guidance, Ji Yuan experienced a moment of sudden clarity.

Just as Summer Peach finished her explanation and Ji Yuan was preparing to start a new batch to try again—he noticed that her gaze had turned somewhat dazed, as if she had suddenly recalled something.

Or rather, as if something had become clear to her.

Her eyes gradually took on a golden hue, and her whole body froze in place.

Looking at her, Ji Yuan thought—Damn, don’t tell me she’s having a moment of enlightenment?!

She was teaching me alchemy, and ended up enlightening herself instead?

Was it because of her naturally high talent, or was it my level 2 Enlightenment Room being too powerful?

Ji Yuan glanced at the Panel. If Summer Peach had originally been stuck at some bottleneck, she could receive a 50% enlightenment boost — in that case, enlightenment seemed entirely plausible.

The golden hue in her eyes grew stronger, and soon Ji Yuan could sense the surrounding air filling with a searing heat.

This senior sister—was actually a fire-element cultivator?

Practicing fire arts in the Water Dragon Sect?

Surprised, Ji Yuan sensed the increasingly hot air and didn’t dare to linger in the room.

This senior sister was a top-grade second-grade Pill Refining Master, and her cultivation must be at least mid Foundation Establishment, or perhaps even late Foundation Establishment?

Ji Yuan didn’t know. He hurriedly came out of the house, and only then did that scorching sensation subside considerably.

He looked back at the house. The firelight inside grew increasingly intense—was she breaking through her cultivation, or had she realized some spell?

Ji Yuan had no way of knowing. He just sat in the courtyard eating peaches and waited for a full hour before seeing the firelight inside begin to dim.

Then, after waiting for nearly another hour, he finally saw Summer Peach's figure emerge from the room.

Compared to before, she was now even more high-spirited, and the joy between her brows was impossible to hide.

“Never expected it, truly never expected it. I actually broke through in this old place. Seems this house really does have a connection with me.”

Ji Yuan stepped forward, clasped his hands with a smile, and said, “Congratulations, senior sister. Congratulations!”

“A mere minor breakthrough, nothing worth congratulating.”

Although Summer Peach couldn’t hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, she still forced an indifferent expression and casually waved her hand.

Ji Yuan tactfully added another line.

“Senior sister’s enlightenment is truly the highest I’ve ever seen. Who would have thought you’d achieve a breakthrough just from giving me a little guidance.” He said it with great sincerity.

Hearing this, Summer Peach was even more delighted.

“Alright, alright. Get to refining your pills. You may be idle, but I still have things to do.”

Seeing his goal was accomplished, Ji Yuan returned to the fiery room and brought out the pill furnace.

With Summer Peach’s earlier guidance, and her meticulous instruction throughout the process, Ji Yuan succeeded.

Although only two pills were successfully refined in that batch, success was still success, wasn’t it?

He didn’t aim for quantity. Even one successful refinement was enough for the Pill Refining Room to level up.

With the pills formed, Ji Yuan let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank you, senior sister.”

He expressed his gratitude sincerely.

“No need to thank me. Your own comprehension is decent too.”

As they conversed, Ji Yuan prepared another batch of pills. This time, he deactivated the effect of the Enlightenment Room and instead activated the effect of the Pill Refining Room.

Although a level 1 Pill Refining Room only provided a 5% success rate boost for second-grade pills, it was still a boost.

Thus, Ji Yuan quite naturally succeeded in refining three pills.

Seeing this, Summer Peach was at ease.

As the two stepped outside the door, Summer Peach announced she was leaving.

Ji Yuan picked an entire tree’s worth of Summer Peaches as a parting gift.

Summer Peach rolled her eyes angrily, “Taking peaches I planted, gifting them back to me as a favor, and you still expect me to say thank you?”

Ji Yuan’s old face flushed, just about to offer an explanation.

“Alright, here’s my Messaging Talisman. In the future, if something happens within the sect that you can’t resolve, you can come to me. But remember, you only get one chance. I’ll only help you once. And another thing—don’t bring me some trouble I can’t even handle. If that happens and I show up, I might have to execute justice on behalf of the heavens!”

Summer Peach handed over a Messaging Talisman, speaking righteously.

Ji Yuan quickly received it with both hands.

Whether he used it or not was another matter.

But since Summer Peach gave it, he naturally had to accept it.

Just like that, with this Messaging Talisman from a Foundation Establishment cultivator—Li Changhe, the master of Qinghe Island, and now Summer Peach—he had three in total.

This was his network at the Foundation Establishment stage.

“Many thanks, senior sister.”

“Alright, I’m off. If I feel like coming back next time, I’ll message you first.”

With that, Summer Peach didn’t wait for Ji Yuan to respond and left with those Summer Peaches.

Ji Yuan looked up at the streak of crimson light, unable to suppress a hint of joy in his heart. Who would have thought that the house he had casually chosen back then

would end up being such a fortunate place?

His advancement to late-stage first-grade Pill Refining Master had relied on the fortune of this house.

Now he had reached second-grade Pill Refining Master, and it was still thanks to this place.

But regardless, an advancement was always a good thing.

He summoned the Panel and looked at the upgrade conditions for level 2 Pill Refining Room.

[Upgrade Conditions: Middle-Grade Spirit Stones ×20, Mist-Hidden Lingzhi ×3, Profound Water Serpent-Grass ×5, Successfully refine one Water-Spirit Pill (Not achieved)]

The hard requirement—the Water-Spirit Pill—had already been fulfilled.

The remaining items probably just required spirit stones.

But Ji Yuan searched himself thoroughly, and even including lower-grade spirit stones, he only had the equivalent of 17 middle-grade spirit stones.

He couldn’t even gather 20, let alone buy Mist-Hidden Lingzhi and Profound Water Serpent-Grass.

Damn, if only I’d saved up a bit in advance.

But Ji Yuan hadn’t expected the breakthrough to second-grade Pill Refining Master would be so smooth, completed in one go.

He had originally thought it would take another month or two, during which he could return to Misty Island and stock up on more spirit stones.

Now, it seemed he’d have to gather what he could immediately.

How to gather them?

His pill refinement was too slow. Ji Yuan decided to return to Misty Island and have the Great Toad take him to hunt some second-grade demonic beasts.

It would be a perfect opportunity to get used to his newly acquired artifacts and spiritual tools.

The beasts they hunted would yield a demon core he could trade with Bai Piao. Perfect!

Just as Ji Yuan thought about returning to Misty Island, he heard someone knock on the door.

“Who is it?”

He instinctively thought Summer Peach had come back, but the voice outside wasn’t hers.

“Fourth Brother, you’ve finished your secluded cultivation?!”

Du Wanyi had returned.

Hearing this, Ji Yuan was overjoyed and quickly went to open the door.

Standing there, Du Wanyi hadn’t changed much from before—just a slight difference in temperament. She no longer appeared as delicate and frail as before and now had a cleaner, more decisive air about her.

It seemed that her recent time in Qingye City had caused some changes in her.

“Second Sister, how did you know I was in secluded cultivation?”

Ji Yuan asked with a smile.

“I heard it from Dong Qian. She said she went on a mission with you and that you got injured because of it. Is that true? Are you alright now?”

As soon as Du Wanyi entered, she nervously looked Ji Yuan over from head to toe.

“It’s fine, just a minor wound, nothing serious.”

Given Dong Qian’s steady nature, Ji Yuan was sure she knew what could and couldn’t be said, so he wasn’t worried.

Du Wanyi relaxed a little, then seemed to sense something. She sniffed lightly and frowned. “Fourth Brother, did another female cultivator come here?”

Damn it, you got a dog’s nose or something…

As Du Wanyi said that, Ji Yuan noticed it too—Summer Peach had left behind a strong peach blossom fragrance, but within it was also a hint of sweet freshness.

“What female cultivator?”

Ji Yuan asked in confusion.

Du Wanyi sniffed again. “There’s a scent from a female cultivator here. It’s not your scent.”

Ji Yuan: “…”

“Just eat a peach and you’ll know where the fragrance comes from.”

Ji Yuan said as he handed her a peach. Du Wanyi sniffed it after taking it, and only then did her face relax into a smile. “It’s this scent.”

Seeing her like that, Ji Yuan inwardly muttered: Regardless of what feelings Du Wanyi might have toward him, it was clear he needed to keep some distance from her. He must not get too close.

In his current condition, he couldn’t afford to grow too close to anyone.

As for a cultivation partner, that wasn’t even something Ji Yuan was considering.

Without reaching Foundation Establishment, he himself was like a clay Bodhisattva crossing the river—barely able to protect himself, let alone become someone else’s partner. Sure, such a relationship brought its joys, but it also came with responsibilities. He simply wasn’t in that mindset.

So the only choice was to keep distance.

“I haven’t had the chance to congratulate Second Sister on joining the First Water Hall.”

Ji Yuan said with a smile.

Since Du Wanyi had joined the First Water Hall, this was the first time the two of them were meeting again after such a long while.

“Nothing to congratulate me for. After joining, it’s just one thing after another. If I’m not busy with this, then I’m busy with that. Even cultivating requires squeezing in the time myself.”

Du Wanyi spoke with a bit of helplessness as she ate the peach in her hand.

The two entered the house and sat down.

“Well, isn’t that better? Back in the Water Dragon Sect, didn’t you always say being idle was boring?”

At those words, Du Wanyi began to complain even more.

She spoke of all the things she had to take care of in Qingye City—like different shifts and duties. If cultivators started fighting, they had to act as Water Dragon Sect mediators. That wasn’t so bad—usually just showing up was enough to stop rogue cultivators from making a move.

If they still dared fight, the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Water Dragon Sect stationed in the city would show them how to behave.

Then there were the under-the-table gray areas where they could profit. Du Wanyi told Ji Yuan about those in full detail.

For example, whenever they went out on patrol, they often gained quite a bit. There were always some rogue cultivators willing to turn a blind eye in exchange for a little “understanding.”

There was also the monthly rent collection, which came with its perks.

Shops in prime locations, wanting to continue renting, would pay extra tribute.

Those in less ideal spots who wanted better stores would also seek their help.

At first, Du Wanyi hadn’t understood the ins and outs—what they could take and what they couldn’t—but thankfully, her colleagues explained everything to her.

After all, their interests were linked. If one person got into trouble, it could bring the whole group down.

So even though there were rivalries among them, they would still share the essential information.

Then came the complex workplace dynamics. Du Wanyi had even more complaints about that. According to her, none of her coworkers were decent—all had some issue or another.

Ji Yuan simply listened quietly, while picking out the information he needed from her words.

For instance, the fighting over at Liancheng Mountain had finally ended, and three groups had divided up the spirit stone vein.

Also, Qingye City held an annual auction—fairly large in scale—and many Foundation Establishment cultivators from Water Dragon Sect would participate.

Sometimes, Beast Taming Sect members would even come from the north.

Over two hours passed as Du Wanyi vented. Finally, she downed the tea on the table in one gulp, a drop even sliding down from her lips, flowing along her snow-white neck.

Ji Yuan inadvertently glanced and only then noticed under her collar.

Though she still wore the standard Water Dragon Sect uniform on the outside, she had an additional high-grade protective robe underneath.

“Looks like First Water Hall really is a lucrative place.”

Ji Yuan thought to himself but didn’t ask further. Du Wanyi would say what she could. If she didn’t, asking would just be awkward.

“The matter at Liancheng Mountain is over? What was the final arrangement?”

Ji Yuan asked curiously.

“The three groups split it evenly. The excess portion was used to stabilize the spirit vein formation and as bonuses for the stationed guards.”

“That’s no small amount!”

“Right. So Liancheng Mountain is still a hot spot. Everyone wants a piece of it, whether Foundation Establishment cultivators

or various halls of the Water Dragon Sect.”

Du Wanyi lowered her voice and whispered, “But it’ll most likely fall to our First Water Hall, since we’re in charge of external affairs.”

“That makes sense.”

Ji Yuan nodded and said with a smile, “Then Second Sister, fight for the opportunity. If you get posted to the spirit vein, that’s a huge fortune.”

“Even if I go, it’s just on rotation. They won’t let one group hog all the benefits.”

Du Wanyi said indifferently, then looked at Ji Yuan again.

“Fourth Brother, are you interested in our First Water Hall?”

“If you’d like to join, I could put in a word. With your strength, as long as you’re willing, it’s guaranteed.”

Ji Yuan had expected the invitation. It would’ve been stranger if it didn’t come.

After thinking a moment, he politely declined. “Better not. Second Sister, you know my temperament—I’m used to being free and don’t like being restrained.”

“Well… alright then. If you change your mind, let me know anytime.”

Though somewhat disappointed, Du Wanyi didn’t press the issue.

The two chatted for a bit longer. Just as Du Wanyi was about to leave, a grand bell suddenly rang across the sky. They exchanged a look and quickly stood up.

It was the golden bell from the Ancestral Hall of Water Dragon Sect. If the golden bell rang, it always meant a major event.

Dong—dong—

After three consecutive strikes, the bell fell silent. Ji Yuan was a little relieved.

Three strikes of the golden bell meant only that a major announcement was coming.

Next, a voice filled with energy echoed across all the islands of Water Dragon Sect.

“The Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven is about to open. All disciples may proceed to the nearest hall to learn the details.”

“The Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven, it’s finally here—”

Du Wanyi turned to Ji Yuan. “Come on, Fourth Brother, let’s go check it out!”

“Alright!”