《The Colored Glaze Tower》


 Chapter 1: Mud Monkey

    "Children! Take the pill and sit down where you are. Those whose number plates I call, come forward..."


    In an open space outside Longxing Town, an elderly man in a Taoist robe, with an air of divinity, stood with one hand behind his back, looking at the more than thirty children in front of him with eyes filled with anticipation.


    These children, ranging from eight or nine to thirteen or fourteen years old, each held a pill containing five colors: gold, green, blue, red, and brown, and their faces were all filled with excitement.


    Around the old Taoist and the children, there were crowds of villagers from Longxing Town and nearby villages, mostly the parents of these children. They all hoped their children could be chosen, not only for the sake of cultivating immortality but more importantly, for the silver taels they would receive.


    Indeed, Longxing Town was located in Liangzhou, a wilderness in the northeast of the Great Qian Kingdom, where most of the villagers struggled to make ends meet. Although they had little understanding of cultivating immortality, they knew that if their children were chosen by the Taoist master, they would immediately receive one thousand silver taels and have the opportunity to leave the village and live in a better place.


    This was what these parents were thinking. As for the children''s thoughts, that was unknown.


    Amid the expectant gazes and hustle and bustle of the crowd, the children successively swallowed the pills they held and sat down obediently, holding up their number plates and waiting for the old Taoist''s instructions.


    Seeing this, the old Taoist''s small, shining eyes immediately scanned over the children.


    Ten breaths.


    Fifty breaths.


    A hundred breaths...


    Suddenly, the old Taoist''s face lit up, and he called out, "Number Thirty-Three!"


    Upon hearing this, the children turned around and looked at the little girl with a chubby and cute face at the back. They saw a faint misty aura emanating from her and couldn''t help but feel envious.


    "It''s Xiaoyun! Xiaoyun has been chosen! It''s great, it''s great..."


    In the crowd, a middle-aged woman with a sallow complexion wept and was almost overwhelmed with joy, and the villagers beside her quickly helped her steady herself.


    "I didn''t expect that silly girl to have the qualifications of an immortal. The Ling family must be really blessed. I hope my boy can be more competitive and earn me a thousand silver taels too..."


    "Yeah, the Ling family is going to be rich... A whole thousand silver taels."


    "..."


    Upon hearing the old Taoist''s call, the villagers were filled with emotion and admiration. Many of them secretly tightened their grip on their clothes, feeling nervous. They hoped their children could also be chosen.


    After a while.


    "Number Twenty!"


    The old Taoist suddenly looked at an eight- or nine-year-old child sitting in the middle of the third row, and a faint misty aura was also emanating from him.


    "Haha, Xiaohu has been chosen!"


    Instantly, an exclamation came from the crowd. A muscular middle-aged man trembled with excitement and patted an old man on the shoulder beside him. "Village Chief, did you see that? It''s Xiaohu, it''s Xiaohu... We''re rich!"


    "..."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Two children had already been chosen by the Taoist, and the remaining people became anxious. In previous selections by Qingyang Sect, at most two children were chosen. Now that two had been chosen, the chances for the rest seemed slim.


    Time passed, and half a quarter of an hour had gone by.


    Unfortunately, after Xiaoyun and Xiaohu were chosen, no one else was called. It seemed as if Longxing Town could only produce two successful candidates at most.


    The old Taoist''s hopeful eyes gradually dimmed.


    The pill he gave was called the Awakening Pill, which could help those who had not cultivated to awaken their Spirit Root. Normally, if they failed to awaken within half a quarter of an hour, it meant that the person did not possess a Spirit Root, or at least not one with five elements.


    Those with less than five-element Spirit Roots were called Mixed Spirit Roots, often having seven, eight, or even nine elements. Although Mixed Spirit Roots could also absorb spiritual energy, it would be difficult for them to open a Qi meridian and reach the first level of Qi Cultivation in their entire lifetime.


    In the cultivation world, not to mention Mixed Spirit Roots, even five-element Spirit Roots were considered Pseudo-Spirit Roots and were at the bottom. No one would waste resources to help someone with a potential Mixed Spirit Root awaken.


    After waiting for a while longer, the old Taoist shook his head helplessly and said to the children sitting on the ground, "Alright, the Awakening Ceremony is over. You don''t have Spirit Roots and are not destined to cultivate immortality. You may all leave now."


    Upon hearing this, the children looked crestfallen, and a chorus of sighs came from the crowd. The parents approached to take their children back.


    "Cultivating immortality, huh? I didn''t expect that I, who''s so fat, can''t cultivate immortality."


    The muscular boy placed his hand on the shoulder of the skinny and dark-skinned boy beside him and muttered as they walked, "Mud Monkey, do you think I ate too much and blocked my Spirit Root?"


    The boy named Mud Monkey was also feeling depressed. He rolled his eyes and said, "How would I know?"


    "Mud Monkey, Chen Fatty, wait for me."


    At this moment, a lean boy of about the same age caught up and placed his hand on Mud Monkey''s other shoulder, saying intimately, "Mud Monkey, it''s understandable that Chen Fatty and I, being uneducated, can''t cultivate immortality. But you shouldn''t be like us. You''ve read so many books since you were young."


    "Sigh, it''s fate," Mud Monkey shook his head, unable to hide his disappointment.


    His father was once the village teacher in Dashicun Village, and he indeed read many books when he was young. But what was the use? This world was not ruled by scholars.


    If reading books made one powerful, his father wouldn''t have been eaten by wild animals in the mountains.


    Mud Monkey''s real name was Lu Li. Because he was as skinny as a monkey, he was nicknamed Mud Monkey by his friends.£¨The original "mud monkey" is "Nihou", which means a monkey made of mud and is translated as "mud monkey". £©


    The three of them were from Dashicun Village, twenty li away from Longxing Town. Besides Lu Li, the fatty was named Chen Zhong, nicknamed Chen Fatty, and the other lean boy was named Qin Shouren, nicknamed Qin Shou .


    All three were thirteen years old this year and had grown up together, sharing a close bond. They were all capable of taking care of themselves in Dashicun Village, so Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren''s parents didn''t accompany them for the awakening ceremony.


    As for Lu Li, his mother died when he was born, and his father unfortunately died in a wild animal attack two years ago.


    Since then, he had wanted to cultivate immortality to strengthen himself, but fate had other plans. He didn''t have the qualifications of an immortal.


    Another nine-year-old boy named Li Xiangyun from Dashicun Village followed them. His parents didn''t come this time and entrusted him to Lu Li and the other two.


    It was a hot and stuffy day in June.


    Soon, they arrived at a small river. Since Qin Shouren didn''t want to go back and help with the farm work, they decided to catch fish in the river and play until it got dark before heading back.


    The river was named Tanhui River. Lu Li and his friends often came here to bathe and were familiar with the water conditions. They jumped into the river without even taking off their clothes.


    Li Xiangyun was young, but he loved playing in the water and was a good swimmer. Seeing this, he shouted and followed them in.


    "The water is deep here, Xiangyun. Go downstream," Lu Li said as he swam deeper, beckoning Li Xiangyun to go to the shallow water downstream. Although Xiangyun could swim, accidents could happen, and Lu Li wouldn''t be able to face Xiangyun''s father if anything went wrong.


    "Okay," Li Xiangyun replied and obeyed, swimming towards the shallow water downstream.


    "Haha, I caught a seven-star! I caught a seven-star fish!" Just then, Qin Shouren suddenly emerged from the water, holding up a yellow-brown seven-star perch and shouting happily.


    "I caught one too!" Chen Zhong''s big head also emerged, holding a loach.


    "Look at mine!"


    Not wanting to be outdone, Lu Li dove into the water and started searching in the crevices. Suddenly, he frowned. He felt something that wasn''t a fish¡ªit was rough and bumpy, and a bit jagged.


    He tried to pull it out to see what it was, but he accidentally used too much force and cut his hand on a sharp crevice, causing blood to flow. In pain, Lu Li let go of


    However, just when Lu Li was about to go ashore to dress his wound, something unexpected suddenly happened...

 Chapter 2 Being Robbed

    Lu Li was horrified to discover that he had somehow arrived in an unknown space.


    The space was not large, only about three meters in circumference. The rest was covered in thick white fog, obscuring the view of the outside world. Above his head was sunlight, as well as blue sky and white clouds.


    The ground beneath his feet was very soft, and the soil was not ordinary yellow earth but black with a faint shimmer. In the center of this three-meter-wide space stood a sprout about four or five inches tall, also glowing with a shimmering light. It was unknown what kind of plant it was.


    Just then, a sudden sensation of drowning washed over him.


    Panicking, Lu Li rushed towards the ''white fog'' on the side.


    Bang!


    The seemingly soft, cotton-like fog was harder than steel, and he was knocked straight onto his butt.


    "Where am I? Let me out..." Lu Li''s face turned red as he struggled to shout.


    Buzz!


    The space suddenly trembled.


    The next moment, Lu Li came to his senses and found himself sinking deeply into the water. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of river water and struggled to swim towards the shore.


    Back on the shore, Lu Li vomited violently and gasped for breath, feeling like he had narrowly escaped death.


    "Mud Monkey, how could you drown?" Chen Zhong noticed something was wrong with Lu Li and swam back over.


    "Don''t, don''t go back. Call Qin Shouren back. There''s a ghost down there," Lu Li panted.


    "A ghost?" Chen the fat man looked at Lu Li in suspicion. "Where would a ghost come from in the middle of the day?"


    "Don''t ask! Just listen to me. Call him up here. And Li Xiangyun too. Stop washing and come back with me now!" Lu Li''s tone was decisive and unmistakable. That thing was too bizarre, and he was afraid something might happen to the others.


    "Alright," Chen Zhong had never seen Lu Li so serious before and immediately called Qin Shouren and Li Xiangyun back to the shore.


    Qin Shouren also looked doubtful, but seeing Lu Li''s pale face, he didn''t argue and the four of them headed back towards Dashicun Village.


    Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren were used to being lazy, and since it was still early, they were afraid they''d be forced to go herd cows if they went back too soon, so they dragged their feet.


    Lu Li, on the other hand, was deep in thought and also walking slowly. Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his left hand. In his panic, he had forgotten to check his wound earlier.


    When he looked at his left palm, his pupils dilated in shock, and he exclaimed in his heart, "What is this? When did this weird thing appear on my palm?"This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    It was only now that Lu Li noticed that a three-tiered green tower pattern had somehow appeared on his palm.


    Lu Li rubbed it with his hand, but the pattern didn''t fade. It was as if it had been tattooed on. This frightened Lu Li greatly. "Could it be that I''m possessed by a ghost?"


    This reminded him of his earlier experience underwater, and he thought he might have encountered a water ghost. He decided he needed to find a Taoist priest in the town to help him.


    "Mud Monkey, what are you doing?" Qin Shouren noticed Lu Li standing still and walked back over.


    "N-nothing," Lu Li forced a ugly smile.


    "Did you... really encounter a ghost?"


    "No..." Before Lu Li could explain, he suddenly saw an old Taoist priest walking out of the forest path. The priest looked to be in his seventies or eighties, even older than the Qingyun Sect priest they had seen in Longxing Town earlier.


    He was thin and hunched, wearing a light blue Taoist robe. His gray-white hair was tied up in a messy bun, and his face was dotted with black spots.  If it weren''t for the long sword on his back and the fly whisk in his left hand, Lu Li might have mistaken him for a ghost.


    Even so, Lu Li still felt creeped out.


    Qin Shouren and Li Xiangyun, who were walking ahead, also stopped. Chen Zhong gulped and whispered, "Is that an immortal or a ghost?"


    As soon as he finished speaking, the old Taoist priest suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Zhong, nearly scaring him into peeing his pants. Chen Zhong quickly hid behind Lu Li.


    Lu Li felt that although this person looked creepy, his attire was at least decent. He summoned up his courage and walked forward, bowing to the old Taoist priest. "Greetings, venerable master."


    The old Taoist priest lowered his gaze. Though old, his eyes were not dim. He stared at Lu Li and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where are you young ones heading?"


    Lu Li didn''t dare to look him in the eye and lowered his head to answer, "We''re all from Dashicun Village. We just participated in the Qingyang Sect''s awakening ceremony and are heading back to the village."


    "Heading back?" The old Taoist''s eyes gleamed. "Did none of you succeed in awakening?"


    "No, venerable master."


    "How about I offer you a blessing?"


    "A blessing?" Lu Li was puzzled.


    "That Qingyang Sect is just a name without substance. Why don''t you follow me instead? I can teach you how to cultivate immortality. How about it?"


    "Cultivate immortality!" Lu Li didn''t speak, but Qin Shouren exclaimed in surprise.


    "Hmm, I have a way to teach you how to cultivate immortality. Are you interested?"


    "Yes, yes..." Qin Shouren nodded eagerly.


    "Good, then follow me," the old Taoist priest said with a satisfied smile and turned to walk back down the forest path.


    "Venerable master, can we go back and tell our parents first?" Qin Shouren called out as the old man started to leave.


    The old Taoist priest stopped and turned around. "When I''m out and about, everything is about fate. If you leave now, it means our fate is severed, and you won''t be able to enter my immortal sect."


    Upon hearing this, Qin Shouren, Chen Zhong, and Li Xiangyun all looked troubled, except for Lu Li. He wasn''t troubled because he wanted to follow the old Taoist, but rather because he felt something was off about him. He couldn''t quite put his finger on it.


    After some thought, Lu Li decided not to take the risk. When he was young, he loved reading strange stories and folklore, which often described mountain spirits and demons transforming into humans to deceive children, eating their flesh and hearts. It was terrifying. So, he cupped his hands and said, "Venerable master, although we have the desire to cultivate immortality, we are not suitable materials. We won''t disturb you further." He then winked at the other three and said, "Let''s go."


    Among them, Lu Li was the smartest, and they usually followed his lead in situations like this. Although they didn''t understand his decision, they didn''t ask questions. They all bowed to the old Taoist, apologized, and followed Lu Li as he started to walk away.


    Just as Lu Li and the others took a few steps, the old Taoist suddenly took out a rolled-up yellow paper and flicked it towards them. The paper flew out swiftly, and before Lu Li and the others could react, they were enveloped in thick white fog.


    Within a few breaths, they felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.


    The old Taoist didn''t even look back and turned to enter the forest. Moments later, a carriage appeared, and the old Taoist, bending over like he was picking up trash, threw Lu Li and the others into the carriage one by one.


    Then, he drove the carriage and disappeared down the forest path.

 Chapter 3: Medicine Slaves

    The carriage raced forward, and the mountains, rivers, plants, and trees swiftly retreated.


    Night fell, and the moon rose high.


    With a creak, the carriage finally came to a halt at the foot of a towering mountain with jagged rocks.


    The old Taoist lifted the curtain, took a look, nodded satisfactorily, then reached in and picked up both Lu Li and Qin Shouren with one hand each. Stepping out, he lightly tapped his foot and descended onto a rock like a meteor. After a series of ups and downs, he reached the midway up the mountain.


    After a short rest, the old Taoist exerted himself again, leaping lightly on the rocks like a ghost. Each jump propelled him upwards by over ten zhang.


    In no time, the Taoist arrived at the mountain peak.


    There stood an old Taoist temple with the inscription "Qingliang Temple". The Taoist kicked open the temple gate and walked in.


    Behind the gate was a sizable courtyard where a young Taoist of seventeen or eighteen was looking around. Upon seeing the old Taoist enter, his face lit up with relief, and he quickly approached. "Master, you''re back."


    The old Taoist nodded. "I''ve brought back four more medicine slaves. There are two more at the foot of the mountain. Go and bring them up."


    "Yes, Master!" The young Taoist bowed and hurried out of the courtyard.


    To the right of the courtyard was a row of low houses with six rooms, each numbered from one to six.


    The old Taoist carried Lu Li towards the low houses, first dumping him into Room 1, then locking the door behind him. He did the same with Qin Shouren in Room 2 before leaving.


    After a long while, the young Taoist returned, panting and carrying two more people under his arms. He walked with a wobble, looking exhausted, and muttered curses under his breath, "Damn, that big guy eats so much. He almost broke my back."


    With that, he flung open the door to Room 3 and dumped Chen Zhong inside, then did the same with Li Xiangyun in Room 4, before finally letting out a deep sigh of relief.


    He then walked over to Room 6, listened for a moment, and finding no sound inside, shook his head and sighed before turning to leave.


    Days turned into nights.


    The next day, a ray of sunshine shone through the narrow ventilation window on the wall, illuminating the dim room.


    A damp, moldy smell filled Lu Li''s nostrils. He wrinkled his brow and slowly opened his eyes.


    "Where... am I?"


    Lu Li slowly rose, rubbing his aching head. He looked around and found himself in a dark, cramped room. It was empty, with only some dry grass and water stains.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "Was I... locked up by someone?"


    A sense of foreboding suddenly arose. This place looked similar to a prison cell in a book, with walls sealed tightly and only a small ventilation window.


    He tried to pull the door, but it didn''t budge. It was made of iron, and his heart sank.


    "That old Taoist is no good."


    Lu Li retreated to the wall, hugging his head with a lost look in his eyes. The old Taoist''s abilities were too mysterious, and they were all in danger.


    Clang.


    Suddenly, a small opening appeared at the bottom of the door, and a small iron basin filled with food was pushed in.


    Lu Li glanced over and saw that the food was quite good, even better than what they had in Dashicun. It was fragrant, with meat and vegetables, not like the kind used to mistreat people. This added to his confusion: what did he want to do?


    "Let me out, you son of a b****..."


    Just then, Lu Li heard a kicking sound from the next room, undoubtedly Qin Shouren.


    Elsewhere.


    In the main hall of the temple, a small three-legged cauldron was placed in the center, with flames licking out from beneath it. The young Taoist sat on a small stool, occasionally turning a knob.


    As he turned the knob, the opening of the two iron plates above the fire changed, causing the flames to flare up or die down.


    The old Taoist, seated nearby, looked at the young man with admiration. "Zhengping, your control over the fire is already quite skilled. Well done."


    Fan Zhengping wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied casually, "It''s all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master. But, Master, always capturing ordinary people to test medicines may be against the will of Heaven. Maybe we should stop after this time..."


    "Hmph." The old Taoist snorted. "Cultivation itself is a journey against the will of Heaven. If we fear the will of Heaven, we might as well become farmers like those ordinary people.


    "Besides, it''s their good fortune in several lifetimes to become stepping stones on our cultivation path. To advance further in cultivation, one must stay true to their heart. Do you understand?"


    "Yes," Fan Zhengping replied, no longer arguing, and lowered his head to continue controlling the fire.


    A moment later, he turned off the fire, slowly opened the lid of the cauldron, and frowned at the two black pills inside. "Master, it seems the ingredients we used this time were still not right. The Acupoint Stimulating Pill is still black."


    "Is that so?" The old Taoist stood up and walked over, peering at the pills in the cauldron. "It doesn''t matter. Perhaps this is the natural color of the Acupoint Stimulating Pill. Keep trying. If we succeed just once, we''ll benefit greatly."


    The old Taoist''s name was Zhang Song, a wandering cultivator. Now over eighty, he had only reached the eighth level of Qi Condensation, highlighting the difficulty of the cultivation path.


    He had found the recipe for the Acupoint Stimulating Pill in a cave by accident. It was said that successfully refining this pill could help Qi Condensation cultivators quickly open their Qi meridians, advancing their realm rapidly. Even the major sects didn''t have such a pill. If he could refine it, there would be a good chance he could reach the Foundation Establishment stage before he turned 100.


    However, the recipe was incomplete, with only three of the four ingredients verified. Even the original owner of the recipe had never succeeded in refining it.


    That''s why he kept trying different combinations of ingredients. To avoid poisoning himself with the pills, he captured ordinary people to test them. So far, he had been refining the pill for over three years, and hundreds of test subjects had died, but he still hadn''t found the right combination for the remaining ingredient.


    "Yes," Fan Zhengping nodded. "I''ll go find someone to test it."


    With that, he stood up and walked towards the courtyard, straight to Room 4. He slowly opened the door and called out to the child inside, "You can come out now."


    The child was Li Xiangyun, who lit up with joy and quickly ran out, innocently asking, "Immortal, why did you lock me up? Where are Lu Li and the others?"


    A hint of sadness flashed through Fan Zhengping''s eyes but quickly disappeared. "They''ve gone to another place to cultivate. You were locked up here to train your willpower. It''s okay now. My master has refined a pill for you. After you take it, you can become an immortal. Come with me."


    "Really?"


    "Yes."


    The two then walked towards the main hall together.

 Chapter 4: Hope

    Upon entering the hall, Li Xiangyun couldn''t help but take a step back at the sight of Zhang Song''s eerie old face.


    "Little one, you seem afraid of me?"


    "N-no, not at all."


    "Hehe, don''t worry. I''m an immortal; I won''t harm you," Zhang Song said with a smile, approaching and speaking gently. "Here, take this pill. If you can endure it, you can cultivate immortality."


    "Really?" Li Xiangyun''s eyes lit up at the mention of immortality.


    "Of course, I never lie to children," Zhang Song offered the pill.


    Li Xiangyun gazed at the pill, reached out his small hand to take it, hesitated for a moment, and then swallowed it.


    Ah!


    Instantly, Li Xiangyun''s face distorted. He fell to the ground with a thud, his body convulsing wildly like he was having a seizure. After just a dozen breaths, his feet kicked out, and he went limp.


    "Master," Fan Zhengping hesitated, wanting to speak.


    Zhang Song''s face darkened. "Enough! Deal with him. I need to head down the mountain to continue searching for spiritual herbs. Guard the temple well while I''m gone. If anything goes wrong, you''ll be the one to answer for it."


    "Yes, Master."


    Zhang Song flicked his sleeve and turned back to his room to pack. Moments later, he emerged with a bundle on his back, staring at Fan Zhengping. "Zhengping, I know you''re kind-hearted, but remember, you''re a cultivator. Kindness won''t lead to greatness. When I return next time, I hope you''ve changed..."


    "Yes, Master."


    After Zhang Song left, Fan Zhengping sighed again, picked up Li Xiangyun''s corpse, and carried it out of the main hall.


    To the left of the courtyard was a small gate. Fan Zhengping pushed it open, revealing a large pit several zhang in circumference. The pit was filled with a stench, and flies swarmed around the countless corpses piled within.


    Some bodies were just beginning to decompose, while others had already turned to bones.


    Fan Zhengping glanced inside before tossing Li Xiangyun in. The lively and cute child soon became the target of flies and ants.


    Time passed, and seven days had gone by.


    "Mud Monkey, Fatty said Xiangyun hasn''t made a sound for days. It''s like he''s not even in his room," said Lu Li, leaning against the partition wall in Room 1. The worried voice of Qin Shouren came through a small hole about the size of a fist beside him.


    Over these days, the initial panic had turned into numbness.


    They had punched small holes in the walls of their adjacent rooms. Chen Zhong''s room was next to Li Xiangyun''s, and no matter how much Chen Zhong called out to him, there was no response.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "I see," Lu Li replied calmly but didn''t continue.


    The walls of the room, except for the brick partition between them, were made of large stone blocks, impossible to move. He couldn''t think of a way to escape.


    "Are we... going to die?" Qin Shouren''s voice trembled.


    "I don''t know," Lu Li didn''t know how to comfort him. If his guess was correct, something had already happened to Li Xiangyun, and it wouldn''t be long before it was their turn.


    Lu Li lifted his left hand in the dim light, staring at the small tower pattern on his palm, and murmured, "What exactly are you?"


    Upon closer inspection, he suddenly noticed words on the tower. Besides the four characters ''San Bao Liu Li'' (Three Treasures Lapis Lazuli) on the base, the three layers from bottom to top were inscribed with ''Jie'' (World), ''Kong'' (Space), and ''Shi'' (Time).


    "San Bao Liu Li Tower?" Lu Li blurted out, wondering if this wasn''t a ghost but some kind of treasure.


    Creak...


    Just as Lu Li was about to examine it further, the door opened. A young taoist in his teens stood there, looking at Lu Li on the ground and saying, "My master isn''t here. Come out for some air."


    It was Fan Zhengping.


    They could go out?


    The long-awaited fresh air rushed into the room. Lu Li shot up and rushed out in a few steps, breathing in the outside air deeply.


    Soon, Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong also came out.


    "I''ll kill you!" Suddenly, Chen Zhong rushed towards Fan Zhengping with fists raised.


    Fan Zhengping''s brows furrowed. As Chen Zhong reached him, he suddenly lifted his foot and kicked Chen Zhong in the chest, sending him flying back. Chen Zhong crashed heavily into the wall behind him.


    Chen Zhong coughed up a mouthful of blood.


    Lu Li and Qin Shouren''s faces changed. They hurried over to help Chen Zhong up.


    Fan Zhengping shook his head, looking at them. "I''ve already violated my master''s orders by letting you out. If you don''t behave, I''ll have to lock you back up."


    "Where''s Xiangyun? What did you do to him!" Chen Zhong struggled to get up and shouted.


    "If you''re talking about that kid, I can tell you he''s dead."


    "What!"


    At this news, Qin Shouren and Lu Li were stunned. Although they had suspected it, hearing it directly was still hard to accept.


    Qin Shouren''s fists clenched tightly, about to rush forward, but Lu Li blocked his path, shaking his head. "Go back."


    Qin Shouren, unwilling, stormed back into his room and slammed the door shut.


    Chen Zhong gave Lu Li a heavy look, disappointment clear in his eyes, then turned and went back to his room.


    "You''re smart. Although I''m only at the Qi Condensation first stage, I''m not someone you ordinary kids can handle," Fan Zhengping said approvingly to the skinny, dark-skinnedÉÙÄê who was shorter than him, walking towards a stone chair in the middle of the courtyard as he spoke. "Let''s talk."


    Lu Li took a deep breath and slowly followed.


    After sitting down on the stone chair, Fan Zhengping patted the seat beside him. "Sit."


    Lu Li hesitated but eventually sat down, saying nothing.


    Seeing Lu Li''s silence, Fan Zhengping continued, "Actually, I was once like you, captured to test medicines. But I was lucky. He gave me a Wake-Up Pill on a whim, and I happened to have a five-element spiritual root. So, he took me as his disciple to assist him. Over the years, he''s taught me many skills. I''m grateful to him, but I don''t want him to keep killing, so... I''m conflicted."


    Hearing this, Lu Li looked at Fan Zhengping in surprise. He hadn''t expected that he was also captured. Thinking of this, he couldn''t help but hope, "Immortal Master, since that''s the case, can you secretly let us go?"


    Fan Zhengping shook his head. "It''s not that I don''t want to let you go, but I can''t. Aside from my master treating me well, if I let you go, I probably won''t survive his return."


    "Can''t we all leave together?"


    Fan Zhengping gave Lu Li a strange look. "Why should I leave? My master is experimenting with a pill. If it succeeds, my cultivation will surely soar... Perhaps my master is right. Ordinary people should be honored to be the stepping stones for us cultivators."


    It was all about selfishness. Kindness only exists when it doesn''t touch upon one''s own interests.


    From their brief conversation, Lu Li understood Fan Zhengping''s intentions. So-called immortals weren''t as detached and desireless as he had imagined; perhaps they were even more greedy than ordinary people.


    At this, Lu Li remained silent.


    After a moment of silence, Fan Zhengping spoke again, "Although I can''t let you go, I can give you a glimmer of hope..."

 Chapter 5: Awakening

    "Hope?"


    Upon hearing this, Lu Li looked at Fan Zhengping excitedly. When people are desperate, isn''t hope what they want most? As long as there is hope, anything is possible.


    "Yes, hope," Fan Zhengping nodded. "As ordinary people, you naturally have no choice. If you had Spirit Roots, my master might take you as disciples, just like he did with me."


    Spirit Roots.


    At the mention of these two words, Lu Li''s whole body went limp, and he said in disappointment, "We participated in the Qingyang Sect''s awakening ceremony but didn''t awaken any Spirit Roots."


    "No Spirit Roots?" Fan Zhengping first frowned, then stared at Lu Li as if he had made a significant decision. "Wait here."


    With that, he dashed into the main hall swiftly. Seeing this, Lu Li immediately prepared to leave, but after glancing at the closed door next to him, he sat back down.


    Not only were Chen Pangzi and Qin Shouren still inside, but he couldn''t escape based on the other person''s speed alone.


    In just a moment, Fan Zhengping returned, carrying a bunch of jade bottles and sitting back down in his chair. He said, "These are all Awakening Pills I secretly refined. There are 120 of them. I''ll give them all to you now. Distribute them and take them. If anyone awakens their Spirit Root, tell me, and I''ll ask my master for mercy to see if he can spare you."


    "Awakening Pills?" Lu Li looked at the pile of jade bottles and shook his head. "We''ve already taken them."


    "I know," Fan Zhengping explained. "Actually, in the cultivation world, the Five Element Spirit Root isn''t the worst. Below the Five Element Spirit Root, there are Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and countless other possible Spirit Roots. This kind of Spirit Root is called a Mixed Spirit Root. To awaken it, a large number of Awakening Pills are needed."


    "However, even if such a Spirit Root is awakened, the cultivation speed is slower than a turtle''s crawl. One might never reach the first level of Qi Condensation, but it''s still better than having no hope, isn''t it?"


    There''s such a saying.


    Upon hearing this, Lu Li''s dream of cultivation, which had been extinguished, was reignited. Even if it was a Mixed Spirit Root, as long as he could cultivate, he wouldn''t give up.


    "Thank you," Lu Li grabbed all the jade bottles. Regardless of the outcome, he had to try.


    After a brief exchange, Lu Li eagerly walked towards the rooms.


    He first went to Room 3, found Chen Zhong, and handed him four jade bottles, explaining what had happened. Unexpectedly, Chen Pangzi called Lu Li a sycophant and refused to accept them.


    Helpless, Lu Li placed the jade bottles on the ground and went to Qin Shouren''s room. Although Qin Shouren felt distressed, upon hearing there was hope, he took the jade bottles without hesitation.


    Fan Zhengping, who was watching everything, thought to himself that this young man had considerable insight and a steady personality. If he could awaken a Mixed Spirit Root, there might be a chance for him to reach the first level of Qi Condensation and display some immortal techniques.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Seeing that Lu Li had finished distributing the pills, Fan Zhengping locked the door and left.


    Lu Li sat down on the weeds and started swallowing the Awakening Pills like crazy.


    So many Awakening Pills¡ªeven a major cultivation sect like Qingyang wouldn''t allow an ordinary person to squander them like this. He truly had to thank the bit of kindness in Fan Zhengping''s heart.


    As soon as a pill entered his mouth, Lu Li looked at his body, but unfortunately, there was no reaction.


    A quarter of an hour later, Lu Li sighed helplessly and swallowed another one.


    .......


    Time passed unknowingly, and three hours had gone by. Lu Li had consumed a total of eighteen Awakening Pills, but his body still didn''t react.


    Just then, a fist suddenly stretched through a small hole in the wall next to him, accompanied by Qin Shouren''s trembling voice, "Monkey, Monkey, look, did I awaken..."


    Lu Li was startled. He grabbed Qin Shouren''s hand and looked at the faint mist emanating from it, exclaiming, "Beast£¨¡°Beast¡± has the same pronunciation as ¡°qinshou¡± in Chinese.£©, wow, you... you actually awakened!"


    "Haha, I''ve awakened! I have a Spirit Root! I can cultivate!" Qin Shouren pulled his hand back and shouted excitedly in the room.


    Soon after, Lu Li heard Qin Shouren running to the wall next to Chen Zhong''s room to show off. Chen Zhong was similar to Lu Li. He suddenly looked at the jade bottles by the door and stumbled over to them.


    As the night deepened, Lu Li had finished all forty Awakening Pills, but there was still no sign of awakening. His heart was almost broken, and he collapsed onto the dry grass.


    The next morning, Lu Li was awakened by Qin Shouren''s excited voice. It turned out that Chen Pangzi had also awakened.


    Lu Li was greatly affected and remained silent.


    Around noon, Fan Zhengping came again and opened the door to let Lu Li and the other two out for some fresh air.


    Upon hearing that both Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren had successfully awakened their Spirit Roots, Fan Zhengping was surprised and said he would ask his master for mercy on their behalf so they could stay and help him refine pills.


    "Monkey, I have twenty-five more Awakening Pills. Take them and try again," said Qin Shouren, turning back to his room and bringing out three jade bottles, seeing Lu Li''s melancholy mood.


    Chen Zhong also returned to his room and took out three jade bottles, saying, "I have twenty here too. On the path of cultivation, none of us three brothers can be left behind."


    Lu Li didn''t want to accept them at first. If forty pills couldn''t awaken his Spirit Root, even if it did awaken, it would be extremely weak. However, seeing the hopeful looks in their eyes, Lu Li took them.


    Perhaps feeling lonely for too long, Fan Zhengping eagerly explained the methods of cultivation to Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren after they awoke. Lu Li listened in a daze, envious.


    As the sun set, Fan Zhengping finally finished his explanation.


    Then they went to the kitchen and busied themselves with cooking, enjoying a harmonious time.


    Lu Li was distracted the whole time. After dinner, he returned to his room and started swallowing more pills.


    Disappointment kept coming. By the end of the night, Lu Li had taken thirty more pills, but still hadn''t awakened. Only five pills remained.


    The next day, Lu Li didn''t go out.


    Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren came to see him, but despite their comfort, there was nothing they could do, and they left helplessly.


    "No, I can''t just give up."


    Lu Li looked at the last jade bottle and opened it with exhaustion.


    One.


    Two.


    Three.


    Suddenly, Lu Li''s body shone brightly, emitting nine colors: gold, green, blue, red, brown, white, purple, black, and bright yellow.


    "This!"


    Lu Li''s body trembled with excitement as he exclaimed, "I''ve awakened! I''ve awakened!"


    Hearing this, Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren exchanged looks and rushed in. When they saw Lu Li''s condition, they rubbed their eyes in disbelief. "What... what''s going on?"


    Although their awakenings had faint multi-colored lights, they weren''t as terrifying as Lu Li''s, who seemed to be glowing all over.


    Fan Zhengping also ran in and couldn''t help but swallow when he saw Lu Li. "Is... is this really the manifestation of an awakened Spirit Root?"


    Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren were puzzled. "So, this isn''t awakening?"


    "Well, I don''t know," Fan Zhengping said with confusion. He had never heard of anyone awakening like this. Unfortunately, he was only at the first level of Qi Condensation. It''s said that after awakening, a Foundation Establishment expert can directly detect what type of Spirit Root someone has.

 Chapter 6: The Pagoda

    "Could it be that I haven''t awakened?


    "Is this the result of taking too many Awakening Pills?"


    Upon hearing this, Lu Li''s heart immediately suspended in mid-air.


    "Don''t worry, Monkey. This is definitely awakening," Qin Shouren reassured Lu Li, noticing his tense expression.


    However, Fan Zhengping''s expression grew indifferent. He thought to himself, Awakening three at once? It''s obvious they''re all mixed spiritual roots. The master probably won''t accept three disciples with mixed spiritual roots.


    With a heavy heart, he walked out.


    Lu Li noticed this and beckoned Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong over. He asked in a low voice, "Have you guys noticed any changes in your bodies these past two days?"


    The two exchanged glances, and Qin Shouren said, "No other changes, but our eyesight and hearing have become much sharper. Also, sometimes when we close our eyes, we can see our own bodies. According to the entry-level mantra Fan Senior gave us, it seems we''re condensing our divine senses."


    Chen Zhong nodded, "Same here."


    Lu Li knew the mantra too. After awakening, the Qi channels would appear. Condensing the divine sense allowed internal visualization of the Qi channels. Cultivation during the Qi Refining stage involved absorbing and refining the so-called Heaven and Earth Qi to open the Qi channels and acupoints, ensuring smooth flow and storing Qi.


    There were twelve secondary Qi channels and two main Qi channels. Opening all twelve secondary Qi channels allowed for the Foundation Establishment stage, also known as Qi Refining Level 12.


    Generally, geniuses wouldn''t establish their foundation at Level 12. They would choose to open the two main Qi channels as well, reaching Qi Refining Level 14. This allowed for the circulation of the Great Cosmic Orbit, vastly increasing the power of spells compared to those who established their foundation at Level 12.


    Each Qi channel had a hundred acupoints, all needing to be fully opened for a level to be considered complete. Therefore, cultivation was not simple, especially for those with impure spirit roots like them.


    Because the attributes of Heaven and Earth Qi were mixed, single-element spirit roots only needed to condense Qi corresponding to their spirit root attribute to open acupoints.


    Multiple attributes, however, required condensing multiple types of Qi to open a single acupoint.


    For example, someone with all five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) would need to condense Qi of all five attributes. The condensation speed wasn''t a simple one-to-five ratio.


    This was because one couldn''t guarantee that the absorbed Qi contained all five elements.


    It was even more challenging for those with impure spirit roots below the five elements.


    Lu Li nodded. "Good. After condensing your divine sense, you can check your Qi channels and absorb and refine Qi. Then you''ll know your spirit root type."


    "What I want to say is, Fan Zhengping had a strange look earlier. Now that both of you have successfully awakened, and I might have too, there are no more test subjects for the Cool and Refreshing Taoist Observatory.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "And I suspect that the old Taoist is unlikely to take on disciples with impure spirit roots. Even if he does, it''s improbable that he''ll take on three at once. So... we need to prepare for the worst."


    Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren immediately nodded when they heard this. Qin Shouren realized, "Your mind works fast. I almost forgot ourselves. We''re just impure spirit roots, not much different from ordinary people. We''re probably still at risk of being used for experiments."


    "They killed Xiang Yun. Although Fan Zhengping isn''t completely evil, he still thinks of ordinary people''s lives as expendable. We should indeed be cautious," Chen Zhong said.


    "Monkey, just tell us what to do. We''ll follow your lead," Chen Zhong added.


    After a moment of contemplation, Lu Li said, "We''ll pretend to cooperate while observing the situation."


    "Good."


    The three chatted for a while before Qin and Chen left.


    In the evening, while cooking, Fan Zhengping suddenly said, "I feel like Master might be coming back. From tomorrow, you can''t go into the yard anymore. But don''t worry. When Master returns, I''ll tell him everything truthfully. He''s a kind person. There''s a good chance he''ll accept you as disciples."


    A kind person?


    Lu Li and the other two exchanged looks, seeing mockery in each other''s eyes, but none of them rebutted. Instead, they happily agreed.


    After dinner, Fan Zhengping took the three back to their room, locked them in one by one, and left after double-checking. He felt very anxious, wondering if he would be punished for producing three disciples with impure spirit roots.


    After hearing the footsteps fade away, Lu Li sat cross-legged.


    He didn''t have a cultivation manual, only a rudimentary entry-level mantra for condensing divine sense and sensing Qi, without any methods for absorbing and refining it.


    According to Fan Zhengping, divine sense was part of the soul, capable of seeing things in place of the eyes. Powerful divine sense, coupled with Qi, could control objects.


    Lu Li closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and began to condense his divine sense according to the mantra.


    Fifteen minutes.


    An hour.


    Two hours.


    Suddenly, Lu Li felt like he was floating. He could even see his own cross-legged body. Even in the dark, everything within a three-foot radius became clearly visible. Lu Li rejoiced, "Is this the so-called divine sense?"


    Wasn''t it said that divine sense was extremely difficult to condense?


    This was too amazing.


    With a thought, the wonderful sensation disappeared. When he opened his eyes, everything around him was still dark. When he tried to sense with his mind again, everything around him immediately became clear.


    After using it several times, he became more proficient. With just a thought, he could activate his divine sense.


    He also felt that his eyesight and hearing had become sharper. Originally unable to see in the dark, he could now see much better in the room without using his divine sense.


    Just then, Lu Li suddenly felt a burst of heat from his palm.


    He looked down and saw the pagoda-shaped tattoo glowing with a faint light. At the same time, a strange feeling came over him, as if this thing was a real object that he could control at will.


    With a look of surprise and suspicion, he tried to move it with his mind.


    Hum.


    The small pagoda actually flew up and turned into a real three-tiered pagoda. It was gray and had several cracks, only thumb-sized, looking like a small decoration.


    With another thought, the small pagoda turned back into an azure tattoo on his palm.


    "Space, Emptiness, Time. What do they mean?" Lu Li stared at the small characters on the pagoda and pondered.


    "Three Treasures Glass Pagoda!"


    "The first level is the Treasure Hall, a fairy realm where you can plant spiritual herbs, raise spiritual beasts, enhance soil quality, and more to expand the space. Initially, it''s one zhang square..."


    "The second level is the Space Hall, a storage space that''s always ten times larger than the first level, with no upper limit..."


    "The third level is the Time Hall, where you can enter to cultivate. Initially, time passes ten times faster. The larger the first-level space, the higher the time ratio..."


    As Lu Li pondered, streams of information suddenly flowed into his mind, all about this small pagoda.


    This...


    "A treasure!"


    An absolute treasure. Lu Li stared at the small pagoda tattoo on his palm, overwhelmed with excitement.


    "Monkey, where''s the treasure?" Qin Shouren, in the next room, suddenly heard Lu Li exclaim and peered through the hole, staring straight at him.


    "Uh, nothing. I was just saying my spirit root is too impure. I need treasures..."


    Such treasures could never be revealed; otherwise, it could immediately bring disaster upon him.

 Chapter 7 Immortal Fruits

    "Spiritual roots too miscellaneous?" Qin Shouren was startled for a moment, and then exclaimed, "You can look inside yourself!"


    Looking inside oneself.


    Hearing this, Lu Li quickly focused his spiritual sense, and his expression instantly became a mix of astonishment and disbelief. "I... What the heck!"


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Nine... Nine spiritual roots!" Lu Li looked at his own qi meridians with nine colors, and his face twitched crazily. "I fucking have nine spiritual roots..."


    Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, and darkness were all present. Lu Li didn''t even know what to say. No wonder he had eaten over seventy Awakening Spirit Pills before his spiritual roots awakened. Could there be any worse spiritual roots than these?


    "Co-congratulations!" Qin Shouren in the next room burst out laughing, clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground. Then he rolled to the other side and said, "Hey, fatty, fatty, I''ve got something to tell you."


    Chen Zhong was cultivating at that time and had a pained look on his face. Hearing Qin Shouren''s words, he immediately became impatient. "Spit it out if you have something to say."


    Qin Shouren cursed and then said, "I''m telling you, don''t tell anyone else. Lu Li... he has nine spiritual roots. Hahaha..."


    "What?" Chen Zhong was stunned for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "I thought my seven spiritual roots were already bad enough. I didn''t expect Lu Li''s to be even worse than mine."


    "You... You have seven spiritual roots?" Qin Shouren''s smile disappeared. "I''m not talking to you anymore. I haven''t successfully condensed my spiritual consciousness yet."


    Lu Li could hear the laughter of the two from a distance and thought to himself that these two guys were really carefree.


    However, Lu Li wasn''t too disappointed. Although his spiritual roots were rather useless, at least he could cultivate. Moreover, he had the Time Hall and could completely make up for it with time.


    No sooner said than done.


    Lu Li directly sat down cross-legged. After calming his mind, with a thought in his mind, his spiritual consciousness instantly entered the Time Hall. The moment he entered, his spiritual consciousness directly transformed into a human figure identical to Lu Li.


    With a click, he stepped into the Time Hall.


    Looking around, it was truly a large hall. However, the hall was empty. Besides a futon in the center, there was also a standing ruler on the left side of the hall.


    There was a pointer on the ruler, and the number it pointed to now was ''ten'', representing a tenfold flow rate. That is to say, if he cultivated here for ten days, only one day would pass outside. And as the medicine garden on the first floor of the pagoda expanded, this flow rate would also increase. It was quite miraculous.


    The only drawback was that he could only use his mind to enter and cultivate on behalf of his body. Although everything about the cultivation would be truly reflected on his body, his actual body was still outside and couldn''t be used as a hiding tool.


    Of course, there were advantages as well as disadvantages. In this way, he could blatantly cultivate in front of others, and outsiders would have no way of discovering that he was using the Time Hall.


    Lu Li sat down cross-legged in the hall and began to use his spiritual consciousness to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. At this time, although he was sitting cross-legged in the Time Hall, there was no spiritual energy in the Time Hall. What he sensed was just the spiritual energy from the outside world.


    After dozens of breaths, he suddenly''saw'' a wisp of blueish-black aura wandering around him. The aura was rather violent and contained various violent attributes.


    Lu Li understood in his heart. It seemed that this was the so-called spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Although he had sensed the spiritual energy, he didn''t have a method for absorbing and refining it. Helplessly, he could only withdraw his spiritual consciousness and withdraw his mind from the Time Hall.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Now everything was ready except for a cultivation method.


    Lu Li lay on the hay, thinking about how he could obtain a cultivation method.


    "I don''t know if there''s a chance to leave. It would be great if I could join the Qingyang Sect," Lu Li muttered to himself.


    Before he knew it, it was dawn again.


    With a clang, a food basin was pushed in.


    This time, Fan Zhengping didn''t open the door to let them go out to get some fresh air. This made Lu Li''s heart rise again. Could it be that... the hope he had just seen was about to disappear like this?


    Disappointed as he was, Lu Li wouldn''t go on a hunger strike. After eating, Lu Li began to play with his spiritual consciousness again.


    Since he couldn''t cultivate, the only thing he could play with was this spiritual consciousness.


    In this way, another seven days passed in the blink of an eye.


    During this period, Qin Shouren also successfully condensed his spiritual consciousness and saw his first qi meridian. Like Fatty Chen, he also had seven spiritual roots.


    On this day.


    Lu Li was bored out of his mind. Suddenly, he remembered that there seemed to be a strange plant in the Spiritual Object Hall. With a thought in his mind, the scene inside the first floor of the space immediately emerged in his mind.


    It was exactly the space he had accidentally entered in the water last time.


    The owner of the Three Treasures Glazed Pagoda couldn''t enter all the spaces in person. Last time when the glazed pagoda first recognized its owner, what was pulled into the first floor of the space was actually his soul. Otherwise, his body wouldn''t have sunk to the bottom of the river and filled his stomach with water.


    However, the first floor''s Spiritual Object Hall could indeed support living things, provided that these living things had signed a soul contract with him.


    At this time, that green plant had actually grown to three feet tall. Its branches were becoming more and more lush, and it had also borne ten small green fruits. There was also a flowing glow on the fruits, looking somewhat dreamy.


    "What the hell is this? Could it be immortal fruits? Will one become an immortal after eating one?"


    Lu Li wanted to pick one and taste it, but it seemed that this thing wasn''t ripe yet. After thinking about it, he decided to forget it.


    "It''s been over twenty days. That old monster is probably really coming back," Lu Li withdrew his spiritual consciousness from the first floor of the glazed pagoda and looked at the window with some worry.


    Lu Li''s intuition was surprisingly accurate.


    In the evening, Zhang Song actually rushed back in a hurry, with a somewhat solemn look on his face.


    Fan Zhengping had been looking around at the gate every evening these days. His master had done so many evil deeds, and he always felt a bit uneasy in his heart. Only when he saw Zhang Song come back safely did he breathe a sigh of relief and quickly went up to greet him. "Master, you''re finally back. I was so worried about you."


    Zhang Song nodded and said with relief, "I was originally planning to catch a few more ordinary people to test drugs on the way back. Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened. I was spotted by people from the Qingyang Sect. We need to move as soon as possible."


    "Spotted?" Fan Zhengping''s expression changed, and he said in a flustered manner, "Master, then let''s go quickly."


    "Don''t rush." Zhang Song waved his hand. "I''ve already used a trick to shake them off. They won''t be able to catch up here in a short time. Moreover, the ones who came were just a few juniors. Even if they came, it''s still uncertain who would win or lose."


    "Besides, it''s not easy to find a place with earth fire. Let''s finish refining these few batches of pills before we leave."


    The master and disciple hurriedly rushed back to the main hall.


    Zhang Song threw several packages onto the offering table. A strong fragrance of medicine wafted out from the packages. "These are all the spiritual medicines I snatched from those young cultivators who were collecting herbs. Take a look at what spiritual medicines there are and record the combinations."


    "Yes, Master." Fan Zhengping picked through the spiritual medicines while recording the combined pill formulas with a pen. Three of the ingredients had already been determined, and only the last spiritual medicine was variable.


    "Master, there are quite a lot of medicinal materials this time. There are some medicinal materials that I don''t even recognize," Fan Zhengping suddenly said.


    Zhang Song sat cross-legged in the hall and said wearily, "Just draw the ones you don''t recognize. I didn''t have time to check them since I was being watched this time. I''ll take a rest for a while."


    "Yes, Master." Fan Zhengping shook his head and simply drew the unknown spiritual herbs on the pill formula.


    The Acupuncture-Piercing Pill was just a first-order pill, specifically used by Qi Refining Stage cultivators.


    The commonly recognized realms in the cultivation world were Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Soul Division, Body Fusion, Great Ascension, and Tribulation Crossing, a total of nine major realms. Except that Qi Refining was divided into twelve or fourteen levels, the other realms were each divided into four minor realms: early stage, middle stage, late stage, and peak stage.


    Therefore, medicinal materials and pills were also divided into nine ranks accordingly.


    Pills were further divided into four common qualities according to their appearance and the amount of impurities they contained: low-grade, medium-grade, high-grade, and top-grade. It was said that there were even higher qualities above these, but no one could refine them yet.

 Chapter 8 Becoming an Immortal

    At noon on the fifth day.


    In the main hall, Zhang Song stared at the small cauldron with bloodshot eyes, his face looking extremely gloomy.


    Fan Zhengping, who was controlling the earth fire, buried his head even lower and didn''t dare to look at Zhang Song''s face at all.


    In the past five days, they had intermittently refined twenty-five alchemy recipes. However, twenty-four of them had either been ruined because the medicinal herbs clashed with each other during the refining process or had caused the cauldron to explode. Fortunately, the quality of this cauldron was quite good. Otherwise, they wouldn''t even have a cauldron left by now.


    Now there was only the last alchemy recipe left. If this one failed too, all the precious spiritual herbs that Zhang Song had painstakingly collected this time would be wasted.


    "Why are you trembling? Be more careful!" Zhang Song snapped harshly when he saw Fan Zhengping''s body shaking.


    "Yes." Fan Zhengping forced himself to calm down and tried his best to control his hands.


    After a while, suddenly a wisp of medicinal fragrance wafted out.


    Zhang Song''s face lit up with joy. He rushed over and lifted the lid of the cauldron with a swoop. When he saw the three dark green pills inside, he heaved a long sigh of relief. "Good, excellent!"


    Fan Zhengping quickly stepped forward to take a look upon seeing this. Then, with a look of delight on his face as well, he said, "Master, these are the best in terms of appearance in the past three years. And there are three of them too."


    "Um." Zhang Song nodded and pondered for a moment before saying, "Although the appearance of these pills is better than the previous ones, they still seem a bit lacking somehow. I don''t know if it''s because the heat wasn''t controlled properly or due to the quality of the medicinal herbs. Well, go and bring that kid out to test the pills."


    Fan Zhengping nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly frowned and turned around, looking rather uneasy. "Master, the other three people have all awakened their spiritual roots. You see..."


    He had originally intended to plead for Lu Li and the other two, but after just experiencing Zhang Song''s intimidating presence, he didn''t dare to say what was on his mind.


    "Spiritual roots?" Zhang Song stared at Fan Zhengping suspiciously. "What do you mean?"


    Fan Zhengping''s body trembled, and his mind raced as he said, "I... I was worried that you were overworked, Master, so I took the liberty to feed each of them five Awakening Spirit Pills on my own. They... they have all awakened, and all of them have miscellaneous spiritual roots..."


    "You bastard! So that''s why my medicinal herbs were always short! It turns out you were up to mischief!" Zhang Song cursed furiously and slapped Fan Zhengping hard on the lower abdomen.


    Instantly, Fan Zhengping flew backward out of the main hall and crashed into the middle of the courtyard with a bang. His head tilted to one side, and he spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wow".


    Zhang Song stood at the entrance of the hall, looking at Fan Zhengping from a distance and shouted, "I''ll settle accounts with you later. Go and bring those three kids out for me right now!"


    Fan Zhengping''s face was as pale as paper. He finally realized that in his master''s heart, he was ultimately no match for the illusory Puncture Acupoint Pills. This slap had completely woken him up.


    He struggled to stand up and staggered towards the room where Lu Li and the other two were imprisoned.


    Hearing the sound of the door opening, Lu Li immediately stood up. When he saw Fan Zhengping with a pale face and looking so weak, he couldn''t help but look surprised. "Brother Fan, what happened to you..."Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Fan Zhengping shook his head. "Master has returned. I couldn''t help you. He asked me to take you to test the pills. You... just hope for the best."


    "Test the pills!"


    Lu Li''s body trembled, and his mind went blank for a moment. "Has it finally come?"


    He walked out of the room and saw Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong coming out one after another. Both of them had expressions of intense fear on their faces.


    Fan Zhengping let out a soft sigh and said with difficulty, "Let''s go. The appearance of these pills is quite good this time. If you''re lucky, not only can you escape this disaster, but you might even reap some benefits."


    Seeing that the three of them still didn''t move, Fan Zhengping added, "Don''t even think about running away. Look at what happened to me after being beaten by Master..."


    "Let''s go."


    Lu Li glanced at Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong and said in a low voice. Then he walked in the front.


    "I... I don''t want to die." Qin Shouren followed behind Lu Li, his hands shaking constantly.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? The three of us will die together, and at worst, we''ll start over eighteen years later. Who knows, we might even get a better spiritual root next time," Chen Zhong said, as if resigning himself to fate, trying to pump himself up.


    Lu Li immediately felt a bit relieved when he heard this. "Fatty Chen is right. Whether we stick our necks out or not, we''ll still face the same fate. Maybe it''ll really be as Brother Fan said. What if we''re lucky?"


    Even though he said that, Lu Li actually knew that even if the pill testing was successful, they wouldn''t be able to survive.


    According to what Fan Zhengping had said, that alchemy recipe was extremely precious. Even if the pill testing was truly successful, Zhang Song wouldn''t let them leave alive.


    When the few of them arrived at the main hall, Zhang Song was already impatient.


    He grabbed Lu Li and pulled him in front of him, forced his mouth open, and stuffed a pill into it. Then he said in a cold voice, "Swallow it. Don''t make me angry."


    Lu Li felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar when he met Zhang Song''s gaze. His throat moved, and he swallowed the pill.


    Zhang Song then called Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren over and handed one pill to each of them. "Take it yourselves."


    Fan Zhengping leaned against the door, watching this scene with a complicated feeling in his heart.


    Once the medicinal power entered his body, Lu Li immediately felt an extremely powerful force rampaging through his dantian.


    After awakening the spiritual root, a cultivator would manifest the first qi meridian. The qi meridian was connected to the barrier of the dantian, and the first acupoint was on the barrier of the dantian. Fan Zhengping had said before that the function of the Puncture Acupoint Pill was to assist in opening up the acupoints.


    With his mind racing, Lu Li quickly guided that force with his spiritual consciousness and rushed it towards the acupoint on the first qi meridian on the barrier of the dantian.


    "Ah!"


    A sharp pain suddenly hit him. Lu Li felt as if someone was stabbing him with a sharp knife. His mind relaxed for a moment, and that powerful force immediately rushed back and started crashing around randomly in his dantian.


    Screw it!


    Lu Li steadied his mind and once again controlled the force to charge towards the acupoint.


    "Ah!"


    Another scream rang out.


    Seeing Lu Li''s face contorted in pain and constantly screaming, Zhang Song''s heart sank halfway.


    Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong beside him seemed to have also realized the key point, and their screams echoed one after another.


    After a while.


    Suddenly, Lu Li heard a "pop" sound. When he looked inside his body with his spiritual consciousness, he found that a hole had actually opened above his dantian, revealing a pitch-black opening. The other end of the opening was connected to the qi meridian.


    It''s opened!


    Lu Li couldn''t believe it. He had actually entered the first level of Qi Refining just like that.


    It was said that the first acupoint was the hardest to open. Unexpectedly, just this one Puncture Acupoint Pill had actually helped him open the most crucial acupoint. Although there were still ninety-nine acupoints in the first level that hadn''t been opened, he could still be considered to have entered the first level of Qi Refining.


    Lu Li swayed unsteadily, and his expression gradually became more natural.


    Zhang Song couldn''t help but feel suspicious when he saw this. He immediately rushed towards Lu Li.


    "Oh no!"


    Lu Li''s face changed. His mind raced, and before Zhang Song could get close, he fell backward directly, while showing an expression of extreme discomfort and rolling on the ground continuously.


    Beside him, Chen Zhong had also broken through the acupoint. Just as he was about to happily report it, he suddenly saw Lu Li rolling on the ground and constantly winking at him. He frowned and finally realized what was going on. So he also fell to the ground and started rolling around.


    Qin Shouren had been clenching his fists all along, struggling to control the medicinal power with a pained expression on his face. Finally, when he managed to break through the acupoint, he didn''t notice the winks from Lu Li and Chen Zhong at all. Immediately, he burst out laughing loudly, "Hahaha, I''m an immortal now! I''m an immortal!"


    Lu Li:...

 Chapter 9 The Alchemy Recipe

    "Is it successful?"


    Hearing this, Zhang Song was instantly overjoyed. He directly stepped over Lu Li and Chen Zhong lying on the ground and excitedly grasped Qin Shouren''s arms. "How is it? What''s the feeling? What''s the feeling?"


    Only then did Qin Shouren notice Lu Li and Chen Zhong on the ground. His face changed, and his expression immediately turned pained. "I... I feel so uncomfortable, so uncomfortable..."


    With that, he was about to collapse onto the ground.


    "Humph! How dare you play tricks on me!" Zhang Song''s face darkened at the sight. He grabbed Qin Shouren by the neck and lifted him up. "You feel uncomfortable, huh? I''ll choke you to death."


    "Don''t!" Chen Zhong immediately got up from the ground when he saw this. "I''ll tell you, I''ll tell you..."


    Seeing that it was impossible to hide it any longer, Lu Li reluctantly stood up as well.


    Only then did Zhang Song let go of Qin Shouren and looked at Chen Zhong. "Speak up. Tell me your true feelings. I might consider taking you as my disciples. But if anyone dares to tell a single lie, don''t blame me for being ruthless."


    Just as Chen Zhong was about to speak, Zhang Song had a thought. "Wait. Come with me."


    With that, he led Chen Zhong into the side room.


    After a while, he brought Chen Zhong out and then took Lu Li and Qin Shouren in. Looking at Lu Li, he said, "Tell me. If what you say doesn''t match what that little fat guy said even a bit, all three of you will die."


    Old fox!


    Lu Li cursed Zhang Song''s ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart, but he didn''t dare to hide anything anymore.


    After hearing Lu Li''s words, Zhang Song burst out laughing so hard that tears rolled down his cheeks. "Hahaha! Thank heavens! Thank heavens! Finally, I''ve succeeded! I''ve succeeded!"


    After saying that, without paying any attention to Lu Li and the other two, he rushed out of the room in a hurry and started rummaging frantically on the altar table. After searching for a while, he suddenly looked at Fan Zhengping, who was cowering at the door. "Where''s the last alchemy recipe?"


    Fan Zhengping was in charge of preparing the medicinal ingredients, controlling the fire, and recording the alchemy recipe. What''s more crucial was that this time he hadn''t even checked what the medicinal herbs he had brought back were. Without the alchemy recipe, all of this would be in vain.


    "I... I forgot to write it down." Fan Zhengping''s legs were shaking like a sieve.


    "What did you say?!" Zhang Song''s eyes turned red, and he seemed to go mad. He rushed to Fan Zhengping in a hurry, grabbed him by the collar, and shouted, "Do you know what you''re talking about?"


    "Master, am I really not as important as an alchemy recipe?" Fan Zhengping looked extremely dejected.


    "You!" Zhang Song loosened his grip and changed his tone. "Zhengping, do you know what this alchemy recipe means to me? Stop fooling around. Give it to me quickly. From now on, I will surely cultivate you well."


    "Cultivate me..." Fan Zhengping roared with tears in his eyes. "I''m ruined. Do you know that the palm you struck just now has already damaged my dantian, my dear master? Let me tell you, I''ve thrown the alchemy recipe into the earth fire. No one can get it now. No one can get it, hahaha..."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "You''re courting death!" Zhang Song was so angry that his veins bulged. He raised his hand and was about to strike Fan Zhengping on the top of his head.


    Fan Zhengping didn''t dodge at all. He just stared straight at Zhang Song.


    Halfway through the downward movement of his palm, Zhang Song suddenly stopped. "It''s not that easy to die. I''ll keep you alive and torture you slowly until..."


    Halfway through his words.


    Zhang Song suddenly looked towards the courtyard gate.


    Three men and women in blue clothes with long swords on their backs walked in one after another. On their chests were pinned a silver Great Sun medal, and in the middle of the Great Sun was an inserted blue sword.


    "The immortals from the Qingyang Sect!"


    Lu Li''s face lit up with joy when he saw their attire.


    "They''ve arrived rather quickly!" Zhang Song threw Fan Zhengping back into the main hall and walked towards the courtyard. Looking at the three of them, he said, "You little brats, are you tired of living? How dare you break into my Taoist temple without permission!"


    The leading man looked at Zhang Song indifferently. "Zhang Song, the evil Taoist, you''ve got some nerve! How dare you use living people to test pills on the territory of our Qingyang Sect!"


    "So what? We cultivators often face death. What''s more, mortals are just like ants. Aren''t they born to make contributions to us?"


    "How audacious!" The girl in blue clothes on the left flew into a rage upon hearing this. "How many of us cultivators didn''t come from the mortal world? You''re acting against the will of heaven, blocking the cycle of the immortal path. Your crime is unforgivable!"


    With that, she tapped her foot and flew towards Zhang Song. At the same time, her right hand turned into a palm, and a wisp of blue true qi emerged from her body and instantly transformed into a blue vine that coiled towards Zhang Song.


    "How dare a mere sixth-level cultivator be so presumptuous!"


    Zhang Song wasn''t afraid at all. He struck out a palm from a distance, sending out a stream of fiery red true qi. When the true qi collided with the vine, a raging fire burst out instantly, burning like dry firewood and making crackling sounds.


    The girl''s face immediately turned pale, and she fell to the ground. The blue vine disappeared in an instant.


    However, Zhang Song''s flames didn''t weaken at all and rushed directly towards the girl.


    "Be careful, Junior Sister Xinyi!"


    The leading man and the young man on the left shouted in unison. They flew forward, sending out a red and a blue stream of true qi towards Zhang Song while pulling Zhou Xinyi behind them.


    "A mere seventh-level cultivator can''t do anything to me!"


    Zhang Song struck out another palm with his left hand, and another stream of fiery red true qi surged out. Two balls of fire rushed towards the two of them respectively.


    "This evil Taoist is so fierce."


    In the hall, Lu Li, Qin Shouren, and Chen Zhong exchanged glances, their hearts pounding.


    If these three couldn''t defeat Zhang Song, they wouldn''t end up well either.


    At this moment, Fan Zhengping, who had been silent all along, walked towards Lu Li.


    Lu Li frowned and took two steps back. "What do you want to do?"


    Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong immediately moved closer to Lu Li when they heard this, looking very vigilant.


    "I... I mean no harm." Fan Zhengping had a pained expression on his face. Trembling, he took out a piece of yellow paper from his bosom and handed it shakily to Lu Li. "Here, this is the alchemy recipe for the Puncture Acupoint Pill. I have no chance of achieving immortality in this life. I''m giving it to you."


    "The alchemy recipe?"


    Lu Li, Qin Shouren, and Chen Zhong exchanged glances, and they all saw the joy in each other''s eyes. Lu Li snatched the recipe over and asked in disbelief, "Why are you doing this?"


    Fan Zhengping took a look at Zhang Song, who was in the middle of the battle outside. "I''ve helped him kill so many people that I almost forgot that I was also captured by him once. Until today, I finally realized that although everything seems to have changed, in fact, it hasn''t changed at all. I was a mortal when I came, and I''m still a mortal when I leave..."


    After saying that, he took out a pitch-black pill and stuffed it into his mouth. "Test subjects, test subjects, Fan Zhengping is coming to accompany you..."


    Clatter!


    Looking at Fan Zhengping lying on the ground and twitching violently, Lu Li and the other two had mixed feelings in their hearts.


    "Is this what''s called karma in the books?"


    Lu Li murmured to himself. With a thought, he had already put the alchemy recipe into the storage space of the small tower in his hand.


    In the distance, the battle was still going on.


    After successive bombardments of true qi, both Zhang Song and the three people from the Qingyang Sect looked exhausted. However, the three from the Qingyang Sect clearly had the upper hand. Even though only one of them was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, the talismans they threw out one after another and the pills they swallowed from time to time were things that Zhang Song didn''t have.


    In a battle between cultivators, it¡¯s not just a matter of cultivation level; the hidden trump cards are the key to victory.

 Chapter 10: Departure

    Another loud bang echoed through the air as Zhang Song stumbled out of a cloud of black smoke. He looked at the others, painfully pulling out a talisman and activating his qi energy to throw it forward. Instantly, the ground beneath one of the Qingyang Sect disciples'' feet caved in, and the disciple sank, almost up to his neck in the blink of an eye.


    The other two disciples'' faces changed drastically, and they leaped forward to rescue him.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Song darted back into the main hall. When he saw Fan Zhengping, who had already breathed his last, he roared in a gnashing voice, "Why! Why did you do this to me?"


    After saying that, his gaze suddenly shifted to Lu Li and the other two huddled in a corner. His mind raced and he suddenly bared a sinister smile. "Hehe, you seem to be close to my disciple. Did he... perhaps give you the dan formula, hmm?"


    With that, he reached out to grab Lu Li and the other two.


    "Hmph! Trying to commit another atrocity!"


    Just then, a female voice suddenly rang out at the entrance of the hall, accompanied by a palm strike aimed at Zhang Song''s back.


    Zhang Song''s face changed drastically. He counterattacked with a burst of qi energy and rushed into a side room, smashing the window and leaping out.


    The girl hesitated for a moment before turning to chase after him.


    A short while later, the two men outside also rushed into the hall. The leader said to the young boy beside him, "Junior Brother He, go help Xin Yi."


    "Yes, Senior Brother Chu," the boy replied before chasing after them.


    Seeing Junior Brother He leave, Senior Brother Chu ignored Lu Li and the other two, and began searching the hall. After searching for a long time, he finally turned his gaze towards Lu Li and the others, asking, "Did that evil Taoist force you to take any pills?"


    Qin Shouren was about to speak, but Lu Li beat him to it. "No, no, he was just about to give them to us when you came in."


    "No?" Senior Brother Chu asked again. "Then... did you see any dan formulas or anything like that?"


    Lu Li shook his head. "We were locked in that small room for over a month. We were just released just now."


    Suddenly, Lu Li''s eyes lit up. "I remember now. When we were first captured, that senior brother gave us a pill to eat."


    "What kind of pill!" Senior Brother Chu asked urgently.


    "He said it was... the Xingling Pill, I think."


    "Xingling Pill?" Senior Brother Chu''s face fell, then he looked at the three of them suspiciously. "Did you experience any reactions after taking it?"


    "Reactions?" Lu Li pretended not to understand. "No other reactions, but smoke started to rise from our bodies. It was faint and beautiful, just like..."


    He didn''t tell the truth, instead describing the condition he saw on that girl named Xiaoyun when they awakened in Longxing Town.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong didn''t understand why Lu Li was lying, but they had always considered themselves not very smart, so they just watched Lu Li perform.


    "Really!"


    Upon hearing this, Chu Qing became excited. Although he hadn''t found the dan formula, if he could bring back three talents, the benefits would be considerable.


    "It''s true," Lu Li said seriously, then pretended to be puzzled. ¡°Why are you asking this?"


    "Haha, it''s nothing, nothing." Chu Qing was extremely happy, looking at the three of them as if they were treasures. "Let me tell you, I''m Chu Qing, a core disciple of the Qingyang Sect. How about I take you to the Qingyang Sect to cultivate?"


    "Cultivate!" Lu Li shook his head and shrunk back. "Are you a liar? We were tricked here by that old man last time and locked in a dark room."


    "A liar?" Chu Qing was taken aback. "How could I be a liar?"


    He took out a token from his waist and waved it. "See, this is the Qingyang Sect''s token."


    Seeing that Lu Li was still unconvinced, Chu Qing suddenly took out a yellow paper and threw it out. With a bang, a hole about three feet in diameter was blasted in the floor. "See that? This is called a Baolie Talisman. As long as you come with me to the Qingyang Sect, I''ll give each of you three of them. How about it?"


    Amazing!


    Lu Li gulped. "Okay, I''ll agree!"


    Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong looked at Lu Li strangely.


    "You''re already thirteen years old, and yet you''re acting cute like a seven or eight-year-old child. It''s truly disgraceful."


    " Good, very god!" Chu Qing smiled with his eyes shining. He reached out and took a stack of yellow paper with a black, shifting glow, carefully separated nine sheets, looked at them again to make sure there wasn''t an extra one, and then handed them to Lu Li. "Here, take them and go distribute them."


    The Baolie Talisman was an intermediate-level talisman. If a cultivator below the sixth level of Qi Condensation wasn''t careful, they could be seriously injured by it. It was quite rare, and Chu Qing only had a dozen left. He had truly invested a lot for Lu Li and the others.


    Lu Li took them and felt the terrifying aura emanating from them. While shocked, he was also secretly delighted. He gave three to Chen the Fatso and Qin Shouren each before putting the rest in his pocket. "Thank you"


    He didn''t dare to put them directly into his storage space. If that little tower was discovered, he would lose not only the Baolie Talisman but also his life.


    "You''re welcome.  Just call me Senior Brother Chu. Once my two junior siblings return, we''ll all head back to the Qingyang Sect together."


    It wasn''t long before the girl and Junior Brother He returned, both looking frustrated. It was clear they hadn''t caught Zhang Song.


    Chu Qing didn''t seem surprised. He roughly asked about the situation and then beckoned for everyone to leave.


    When they reached the foot of the mountain, Lu Li and the other two breathed a sigh of relief. This time, they had narrowly escaped from this cursed place.


    There was a luxurious carriage at the foot of the mountain, presumably brought by Chu Qing and the others. Lu Li had thought that immortals all flew in the sky, but now he realized that not all immortals could fly.


    Seeing Chu Qing beckoning for Lu Li and the other two to get on the carriage, both He Jun and Zhou Xinyi looked puzzled. He Jun asked, "Senior Brother Chu, why are you letting them get on the carriage? Aren''t we heading directly back to the sect?"


    Chu Qing laughed heartily, "Junior Brother He, you may not know this, but these three are treasures. They have all awakened their spiritual roots, and they did so after only eating one Awakening Pill. Once I send them to the Outer Affairs Hall for testing, I¡¯m sure the lowest they¡¯ll have is a five-element root. It should make up for the loss from our unfinished mission..."


    "They all have spiritual roots!" Zhou Xinyi was shocked. "Senior Brother Chu''s luck is too good. Last time, Senior Martial Uncle Fang went through great lengths to recruit only two people."


    "Haha, opportunity is a mysterious thing. Alright, let''s go back."


    With that, they all got on the carriage.


    This horse was no ordinary horse. It was very strong and had a unicorn-like horn. It seemed to be a unique species. After everyone got on the carriage, no one had to drive it. The horse seemed to know the way and pulled the carriage swiftly along the road.


    Throughout the journey, Lu Li remained silent and seemed a bit reserved.


    Actually, he wasn''t reserved. He was just worried that the Qingyang Sect wouldn''t accept them. He desperately needed a cultivation technique, and joining the Qingyang Sect seemed to be the best choice under the current circumstances.

 Chapter 11 Detection

    In the northwest of Liangzhou, there was a place perpetually shrouded in mist. Ordinary people would become dizzy and disoriented after straying just a dozen or so yards into it. In the end, they would wander around and end up back outside, never able to penetrate the mist.


    Behind the mist, a steep cliff wall could be vaguely seen. The cliff was over a hundred zhang high and stretched east and west for an unknown number of miles, looking quite magnificent.


    On this day, a pitch-black carriage slowly drove into the mist. After zigzagging around inside for about half a quarter of an hour, it finally passed through the mist and came to a halt in front of a small wooden house at the foot of the cliff.


    Three older men and women jumped down from the carriage first, followed by three younger teenagers.


    The three teenagers each had their own characteristics. One was burly, with big eyes and thick eyebrows, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. Even at a young age, he looked rather intimidating.


    Another had a normal build. His originally rather handsome face was marred by a pair of shifty eyes and two pointed rabbit-like front teeth, making him look somewhat wretched.


    Compared to the first two, the last teenager was a bit darker-skinned and thinner, but he was much more proportionate. His face was just passable in appearance on its own, but compared to the other two, he actually seemed rather handsome. His jet-black eyes would occasionally emit a glint of wisdom.


    The people who had arrived were none other than Lu Li and his group who had been traveling for six consecutive days.


    Chu Qing seemed afraid that Zhou Xinyi and He Jun would steal his credit, so he ordered them to return the carriage while he took the opportunity to lead Lu Li and the other two teenagers to the left of the cliff.


    Lu Li was thinking that the cliff looked very smooth and there were no other buildings around. He thought to himself that this probably wasn''t the Qingyang Sect. But after walking for a while, he discovered that there was actually a narrow path leading straight up the mountain on the cliff.


    The path was only about three feet wide. The stone steps on it seemed to have been chiseled out roughly, and it was extremely steep.


    As if worried that Lu Li and the others would fall off the stone steps, Chu Qing had the three of them walk in front.


    The three of them were scrambling up with their hands and feet, struggling hard. Although they had done a lot of hunting and physical training on a daily basis, these steep stone steps still exhausted them. Especially Qin Shouren, who was in the middle. Suddenly, he turned around and saw that he was already above the clouds. A gust of cool wind blew, and his legs went weak, and he nearly rolled down.


    Lu Li didn''t dare to look back at all. He just kept urging Qin Shouren to hurry up.


    It took them a full quarter of an hour to finally climb to the top of the cliff. In front of them, a vast bluestone square came into view first. Around the square were all kinds of ancient buildings. In the distance, there were numerous peaks, and the clouds and mists hovering over these peaks made it look rather dreamy.


    And at this time, on the right front where they were standing, the three characters "Qingyang Sect" were engraved on a tall stone tablet.


    All three of them were gaping, looking exactly like bumpkins entering the city.


    "We can look at these things later. Junior brothers, follow me. I''ll take you to have your spiritual roots tested," Chu Qing said impatiently.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Hearing this, Lu Li and the other two quickly followed.


    There was a loft on the east side of the square called the Foreign Affairs Hall. It was the place in the Qingyang Sect dedicated to handling sect trifles, including recruitment of new disciples, task distribution, and so on. Chu Qing led the three of them straight in and then went up to the second floor along the stairs.


    Inside the hall on the second floor, an old man in green robes was leisurely sipping tea at this time. Seeing Chu Qing arrive, he raised his eyebrows and stood up, asking, "What''s going on here?"


    The old man in green robes was named Yu Tong. He was the second elder of the Qingyang Sect and also the head of the Foreign Affairs Hall. Only during the recruitment period of the Qingyang Sect in June and July each year would he come to sit in the Foreign Affairs Hall to help test the attributes of spiritual roots. Usually, he would be in seclusion in his own cave abode.


    It was already the end of July now. This year''s recruitment had already ended, and he was about to pack up and go back to his cave abode to cultivate. Unexpectedly, a few more youngsters had come.


    However, Chu Qing wasn''t from the Foreign Affairs Hall and wasn''t responsible for this year''s recruitment either. So he was a bit puzzled.


    Chu Qing quickly walked forward, respectfully yet with a touch of smugness in his tone, and said, "Reporting to the Second Elder, when this disciple was out on a mission, by chance, I encountered these three youngsters. They have all awakened their spiritual roots. I humbly request the Second Elder to help test how many spiritual roots they have."


    Only those in the Foundation Establishment stage could examine others'' spiritual roots, and the Second Elder was a Foundation Establishment powerhouse.


    Yu Tong was surprised when he heard this. He took a look at the nervous Lu Li and the other two, then looked at Chu Qing suspiciously and said, "You had such good fortune!"


    Three at once. Such good fortune wasn''t something that everyone could come across.


    There was a rule in the Qingyang Sect that as long as one could bring new disciples to the sect, the sect would give rewards. The better the talent, the higher the reward. Besides the rewards from the Qingyang Sect, if the disciples one introduced were lucky enough to enter the upper sect, the rewards from the upper sect would be even more bountiful.


    Therefore, many people in the Qingyang Sect were quite enthusiastic about going out to look for suitable seedlings. However, finding disciples with spiritual roots was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It all depended on fate. Some people searched for their whole lives but didn''t find a single cultivator seedling. For Chu Qing to encounter three just by doing a mission, it was really like he had walked into a stroke of extremely good luck.


    "Hehe, it''s okay, it''s okay," Chu Qing''s mouth almost split to his waistband. He urged, "Second Elder, please take a look quickly. If there''s a Heavenly Spiritual Root among them, we''ll be rich."


    "Heavenly Spiritual Root?" Yu Tong gave Chu Qing a disdainful look. "Stop daydreaming."


    Then he looked at Lu Li and asked, "What''s your name?"


    Lu Li was already extremely nervous listening to their conversation. When he heard the other person calling him, his mind went blank for a moment. It wasn''t until he heard the other person call again that he snapped back to his senses. He took a step forward and cupped his hands, saying, "I, I''m Lu Li."


    "No need to be so nervous," Yu Tong smiled and beckoned to Lu Li. "Come closer."


    Lu Li thought that whether he stuck his neck out or pulled it back, he had to face it. So he took a deep breath and walked over.


    Yu Tong nodded and then grasped Lu Li''s wrist and began to examine. Lu Li immediately had a feeling that all his internal organs were being seen through. Chu Qing stared fixedly at this scene, feeling as excited as opening a mystery box.


    After a while, Yu Tong''s brows furrowed, and then his face started twitching violently. He muttered, "Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Light, Darkness... Pfft!"


    "I''ve never seen such lousy spiritual roots!"


    "What?" Chu Qing was stunned. "Second Elder, are you mistaken? They only took one Awakening Spirit Pill and awakened successfully. At the very least, they should be Five Spiritual Roots, how could it be..."


    "Humph, do you think I''d deceive you?" Yu Tong''s smile disappeared from his face. "Next one."


    "Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Darkness..."


    "Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder..."


    Finally, after testing all three of them, Yu Tong''s face had turned livid by now. He really couldn''t figure out how these three oddballs had awakened their spiritual roots.


    And Chu Qing''s face also sank. Usually, even with False Spiritual Roots, one could get rewards, but if they were Mixed Spiritual Roots...


    "Senior, can we stay?"


    Although the two of them had gloomy expressions, Lu Li couldn''t help but want to ask for a result. Of course, if it wasn''t possible, he wouldn''t force it. If he couldn''t obtain cultivation techniques here, he would just have to think of other ways.


    Since he had already awakened his spiritual roots, no matter how useless they were, Lu Li was determined to continue on this path.

 Chapter 12 Cultivation

    Hearing this, Chu Qing couldn''t help but have an idea. Although the spiritual roots of these three people were extremely mixed, they still had spiritual roots after all. If they could enter the sect, he would have made a contribution to the sect. Perhaps he could also receive some rewards according to the standards for Five Spiritual Roots.


    Thinking of this, he quickly bowed and said, "Second Elder, spiritual roots are hard to find. Our Qingyang Sect is already short of talented disciples, and the Servant Hall is in desperate need of people. How about..."


    Yu Tong stared at Lu Li and the other two, thought for a moment, and then said, "The rule of the Qingyang Sect is that as long as one has awakened spiritual roots, they can enter the sect. But in the past, we never thought that such mixed spiritual roots as yours could be awakened, so there''s no rule saying that Mixed Spiritual Roots can''t be accepted. Well, then, in accordance with the entry standards, you will start as servant disciples just like those with Five Spiritual Roots..."


    Lu Li and the other two were overjoyed when they heard this. They exchanged glances and respectfully expressed their gratitude.


    Yu Tong nodded. "However, I need to tell you that I''ve never seen such mixed spiritual roots before. Although the spiritual energy in our Qingyang Sect is much denser than that in the outside world, I think it''s impossible for you to reach the second level of Qi Refining in your lifetime. And the rule of our Qingyang Sect is that only when you reach the third level of Qi Refining can you become a formal disciple. You... should be mentally prepared."


    Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong''s faces immediately fell when they heard this.


    However, Lu Li quickly said that it didn''t matter. As long as the Qingyang Sect was willing to take them in, it was already an enormous favor for them.


    Seeing that Lu Li was so sensible, Yu Tong nodded approvingly. After stroking his beard and smiling, he summoned a disciple.


    That disciple first took Lu Li and the other two downstairs to register. Then he gave each of them a small cloth bag. After explaining some sect matters, the group walked along the path on the west side of the square.


    During the walk, Lu Li couldn''t help but ask, "Senior brother, where are we going?"


    The senior brother looked back at Lu Li and said as he walked, "You are all servant disciples and need to report to the Servant Hall. I forgot to tell you just now that servant disciples won''t be allocated any cultivation resources."


    "If you want cultivation resources, you have to work. Different tasks will earn you different contributions. Contributions can be exchanged for cultivation resources in the Contribution Hall, and you can also use them to exchange for cultivation techniques and martial skills in the Technique Building."


    "Oh." Lu Li stopped talking after hearing this.


    After walking for a long time, in front of them suddenly appeared a row of small houses and a small square. There were few people walking on the square.


    In the due north of the square, there was an obviously rather luxurious house. The senior brother led the three of them across the square and walked in.


    In the main hall, a middle-aged man with a rough appearance was lying on an old-fashioned armchair, sound asleep. The senior brother walked up to him and coughed softly. The rough-looking man woke up with a start and sat up quickly.


    When he saw the senior brother, his face changed. He hurriedly got up and saluted, saying with an awkward smile, "Senior Brother Liu, what wind has blown you here?"


    Senior Brother Liu glanced at him indifferently and pointed at Lu Li and the other two, saying, "These three are newly recruited disciples. Arrange for them. They will be part of your Servant Hall from now on."


    "Yes, yes." The rough-looking man hurriedly nodded.


    Seeing this, Senior Brother Liu gave a few more instructions to Lu Li and the other two and then left.


    The rough-looking man stared at Lu Li and the other two, looked them up and down, and then said coldly, "Introduce yourselves. I''m Wen Hong, the only steward of the Servant Hall. You can call me Steward Wen. Once you''re here, you must follow all my orders. If anyone dares to disobey, heh heh, I''ll make his life a living hell. Do you understand?"The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Although Lu Li and the other two didn''t like Wen Hong''s tone, they still said that they understood.


    Then Wen Hong summoned a servant boy, gave him some instructions, and asked the servant boy to take Lu Li and the other two to find their own residences.


    The residences in the Servant Hall were all courtyards. Under normal circumstances, six people would live in one courtyard. However, there weren''t many servant disciples at present, so many courtyards were vacant. Lu Li and the other two chose an unoccupied small courtyard and moved in.


    After a chaotic and busy period, the three of them finally had some peace and quiet. After gathering together and sighing for a while, they each went back to their rooms.


    Lu Li couldn''t wait to open the small bag he had received at the Foreign Affairs Hall.


    He didn''t care about anything else. As long as there was a cultivation technique that he could practice, it would be okay. According to what Senior Brother Liu, who had brought them here, said, there was a basic cultivation technique of the Qingyang Sect inside.


    He opened it and saw that there was indeed a cultivation technique named "Qingyang Technique".


    Immediately, his breathing became a bit rapid.


    He didn''t even check if there were other things in the small bag. He directly put the "Qingyang Technique" into the Space Hall. Then he sat cross-legged on the bed, and with a thought, he transformed into his original form and entered the Time Hall.


    In the Time Hall, Lu Li stretched out his hand, and the "Qingyang Technique" appeared in his hand again. The wonderful thing about this pagoda was that no matter what he did inside, from the outside, it would only look like he was meditating.


    According to Lu Li''s understanding, the Time Hall was more like an illusory space. He could imagine himself doing something inside, but the cultivation gains would be completely transferred back to his real body without any loss.


    Moreover, in the Time Hall, he could retrieve items from the second floor of the Space Hall, but he couldn''t retrieve things from his real body outside. That''s why Lu Li had put the "Qingyang Technique" into the Space Hall first.


    In the Time Hall, Lu Li sat cross-legged and began to read the "Qingyang Technique".


    After about an hour or so, Lu Li roughly read the "Qingyang Technique" from beginning to end and got a general understanding of cultivation. When he flipped to the end, he realized that this "Qingyang Technique" only had the cultivation methods for the Qi Refining stage, and there was nothing above the Qi Refining stage.


    Although it was a bit of a pity, he thought that having it was better than having nothing at all.


    After another hour, Lu Li read it carefully again and finally memorized the "Qingyang Technique" completely in his mind.


    Then he began to cultivate. As he released his spiritual consciousness, he immediately sensed that there was a lot of violent spiritual energy swirling around him. Compared with the spiritual energy in the Qingliang Temple before, it was more than ten times denser. He became more hopeful about cultivation in his heart.


    Although his spiritual roots were mixed, with the tenfold time flow rate bonus, the speed of refining wouldn''t be too slow.


    As he circulated the technique, the spiritual energy around him immediately rushed towards his body and followed his guidance into his dantian.


    It''s worth mentioning that the number of a cultivator''s spiritual roots only affects the speed of refining spiritual energy, not the speed of absorbing it.


    The speed of absorbing spiritual energy completely depends on the grade of the cultivation technique. The higher the grade of the technique, the faster the speed of absorbing spiritual energy.


    In just a dozen or so breaths, the spiritual energy within three feet around him was completely absorbed by him. While waiting for the spiritual energy around him to recover, Lu Li began to circulate the technique to refine these violent spiritual energy and turn it into true energy.


    According to the "Qingyang Technique", the number of barrier layers in the acupoints of different spiritual roots is also different. The acupoints of Heavenly Spiritual Roots only have one barrier layer, those of Dual Spiritual Roots have two layers... and so on. Lu Li''s acupoint barriers had as many as nine layers.


    Each layer corresponded to different attributes and required true energy of different attributes to break through.


    In other words, if Lu Li wanted to break through the acupoints with true energy, he needed to condense nine kinds of true energy with different attributes and break through them one by one.


    When a qi meridian was completely opened, that is, when the first level of Qi Refining was completed, one could use the qi meridian to cast spells.


    At this time, having multiple spiritual roots had more options.


    No matter what attributes the true energy in your dantian was, as long as the true energy passed through the qi meridian, it could be automatically transformed into the true energy of the attribute you wanted and released.


    If it was a single spiritual root, one could only release the single-attribute true energy corresponding to their own spiritual root.


    This could be regarded as compensation for the hard work of cultivators with multiple spiritual roots in breaking through the acupoints.


    Unconsciously, thirty hours had passed in the Time Hall.


    However, Lu Li didn''t show any intention of stopping. He really enjoyed the sense of expectation brought by cultivation and always wanted to quickly break through the second acupoint.


    Dong Dong Dong...


    Just then, a loud knock on the door suddenly came from outside.

 Chapter 13 The Friendship Faded

    Lu Li had no choice but to stop. When he opened the door, he saw that it was Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren.


    Chen Zhong was carrying a big basin full of steamed buns and looked at Lu Li with a simple and honest smile. "Mud Monkey, I''ve brought you some food."


    Only then did Lu Li notice that it was already dark outside. He thanked them and invited the two into his room.


    "Mud Monkey, you can''t skip meals even when you''re cultivating. There''s still a long way to go in the future," Qin Shouren said as they sat at the table.


    "I know. I was just too excited because it was my first time getting a cultivation technique," Lu Li said as he took big bites of the steamed buns. "Didn''t you two cultivate today?"


    "I only cultivated for two hours. I found that the speed of refining true energy was really slow. Besides, I have seven layers of acupoint barriers. I don''t know when I''ll be able to break through them all," Qin Shouren said a bit dejectedly. "Do you think we''ll really be like what that old Yu Tong said, that we won''t be able to reach the second level in our lifetime?"


    Lu Li was stunned for a moment and then comforted him, "Don''t worry. We''re still young. Let''s take it slow."


    As if he had remembered something, he bent down and secretly took out the pill formula. "We still have this, don''t we?"


    "This is... that pill formula!" Qin Shouren''s face lit up when he heard this. "Quick, let''s see what''s written on it."


    Chen Zhong also quickly leaned in.


    Lu Li nodded and read in a low voice, "First-order Green Bamboo Grass, first-order Thunderfire Orchid, five-hundred-year-old Earth Milk Essence, and... what''s this?"


    Suddenly, Lu Li stared at the last pattern that looked like a mess of scribbles. It looked like a strawberry, but there were a few extra strokes on it, making it seem like it was smoking.


    "I know, it''s a strawberry on fire!" Chen Zhong blurted out.


    Lu Li and Qin Shouren both gave Chen Zhong a disdainful look at the same time. Lu Li said, "Never mind what it is. You two remember the first three items. I remember that servant disciples have the job of taking care of the herb garden. If there''s a chance in the future, you know what I mean, right?"


    "Understood!"


    Of course, the two understood what Lu Li meant. Their spiritual roots were so mixed. If they cultivated step by step, they were afraid that they really wouldn''t be able to break through to the second level of Qi Refining in their lifetime.


    Seeing this, Lu Li nodded and solemnly instructed them, "I have to remind you that Fan Zhengping once said that even the major sects don''t have this pill formula. If it gets leaked out, it will surely bring disaster to us. You two must be careful, especially you, Qin Shouren..."


    "Don''t worry. Although I seem carefree, I know my limits when it comes to this kind of thing," Qin Shouren said seriously.


    "Okay, that''s good."


    After eating, Lu Li sent the two of them out, saying that he was going to continue cultivating and told them not to slack off in their cultivation just because they had the pill formula for the Acupuncture-breaking Pill. After all, they hadn''t made any progress with it so far.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    After the two left, Lu Li lay directly on the bed because he found that whether his real body was lying or sitting, it wouldn''t affect his entering the Time Hall.


    Moreover, if he sat for a long time, he always felt sore in his back and waist when he came out. Lying down was much more comfortable, and even if others came in, they would just think that he was sleeping.


    Just now, after cultivating for over thirty hours, the first metal-attribute barrier of his second acupoint had already started to loosen. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and break through it directly.


    While Lu Li was cultivating...


    On the Heavenly Absolute Peak in the back mountain of the Qingyang Sect, in a cave abode, three old men were happily drinking wine.


    One of the old men in green robes was Yu Tong, the second elder who had tested the spiritual roots of Lu Li and the other two today.


    Another one, if Lu Li were here, he would also recognize. It was the old Taoist in gray robes who went to Longxing Town to recruit new disciples that day. He was actually Fang Buwei, the third elder of the Qingyang Sect.


    As for the long-bearded old Taoist with restrained aura and ruddy complexion sitting in the east position, he was Xiao Jue, the famous first elder of the Qingyang Sect.


    The three of them were chatting merrily and laughing from time to time.


    After a while, all of them showed some signs of drunkenness.


    Suddenly, Yu Tong seemed to remember something interesting. He leaned over the table and said mysteriously, "Brother Xiao, Brother Fang, I encountered an interesting thing today. Do you want to hear about it?"


    "What interesting thing?" Xiao Jue and Fang Buwei both looked at Yu Tong at the same time.


    Yu Tong was usually quite serious and seldom gossiped. They were rather curious.


    "Hehe, you probably won''t believe it when I tell you. Today, I actually encountered a person with nine spiritual roots... Oh my god, nine spiritual roots! I''ve never even heard of it in my life, let alone seen it with my own eyes. You don''t know, I was completely stunned at that time. I checked again and again. I still find it unbelievable even now."


    "Nine... spiritual roots?" Xiao Jue rolled his eyes. "Second brother, you can''t brag like this. You might as well just say that you recruited a Heavenly Spiritual Root. I might believe you a little more then."


    "Exactly." Fang Buwei shook his head helplessly. "Although I recruited a dual spiritual root this time, it''s not like it would make you so jealous, right?"


    The dual spiritual root that Fang Buwei mentioned was actually the girl named Xiao Yun who was recruited in Longxing Town. This incident had caused a sensation in the Qingyang Sect at that time. Even Li Xuanyang, the sect leader who had been in seclusion for three years, came out of seclusion in person.


    Fang Buwei also gained a lot of attention and received many rewards because of this.


    "Yes, Third brother recruiting a dual spiritual root this time is indeed a contribution to the sect. Second brother, it''s a bit too much for you to make such insinuations," Xiao Jue said, shaking his head.


    "Who''s making insinuations? I''m telling you, it''s not just a person with nine spiritual roots. There were two others with seven spiritual roots with him!"


    "Alas..." Xiao Jue and Fang Buwei exchanged glances and sighed helplessly. They didn''t expect that a dual spiritual root would make the dignified second elder so jealous.


    But then again, the other party was in charge of the Foreign Affairs Hall. This was originally something for the Foreign Affairs Hall to handle, but unexpectedly, the third elder got ahead of him. No one would feel good about it, right?


    "Damn it! You don''t believe me, right? Well, if you don''t believe me, go to the Foreign Affairs Hall and ask tomorrow. I still remember that the three boys are named Lu Li, Qin Shouren, and Chen Zhong. You can go and check for yourselves..."


    Keep making it up...


    The two stared at Yu Tong quietly, with sad expressions on their faces.


    "The friendship has faded! I won''t drink anymore, damn it!!!"


    Seeing their expressions, Yu Tong flew into a rage. He kept shouting that the friendship had faded. With that, he stepped on the table and flew out with a whoosh.


    The next moment.


    "Ouch!"


    Suddenly, a cry of pain and a crisp cracking sound came from outside.


    Xiao Jue and Fang Buwei exchanged glances and rushed out hurriedly. They saw that Yu Tong was now lying upside down under a banana tree, and the banana tree as thick as a water bucket had been broken into two pieces.


    "Second brother, don''t use your sword when you''re drunk, and don''t get drunk when you''re using your sword. You..."


    Xiao Jue''s face twitched violently, and he clearly couldn''t hold back his laughter.


    "The friendship has faded, the friendship has faded!" Yu Tong did a carp-like jump and stood up. He stretched out his hand, and a long sword whistled out. Without paying attention to the shouts of the two behind him, he directly soared into the air and flew away without looking back.


    The next morning...

 Chapter 14 Fetching Water

    Dang! Dang! Dang!


    Lu Li, who was still cultivating, was suddenly awakened by a harsh sound.


    Up to now, he had been cultivating in the Time Hall for over fifty days, which was equivalent to four or five days in the outside world. To his delight, he had finally broken through the metal-attribute barrier of the second acupoint, and finally saw a glimmer of hope.


    He got up and saw that it was already getting light outside. Lu Li knew that it was time to receive tasks.


    The tasks for servant disciples were different from those of formal disciples. They didn''t need to go out, and there was no danger involved. The jobs they did were almost all to assist the formal disciples in their cultivation, such as chopping firewood, carrying water, cooking, cleaning, weeding in the herb garden, and so on.


    Lu Li got up and tidied himself up. He found that although he had stayed up all night, he didn''t feel the slightest bit tired at all. After thinking about it, he could only attribute it to the fact that his real body was sleeping, and he couldn''t help feeling secretly pleased.


    In this way, he could stay up all night without worry every night.


    After leaving the room, Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong also just came out. The three of them exchanged a few words and then walked towards the small square of the Servant Hall. Just like them, the servant disciples from various courtyards came out one after another.


    When they arrived at the small square, Lu Li found that Steward Wen Hong was standing on the steps in the due north of the square with one hand behind his back, looking coldly at everyone. Lu Li couldn''t help lowering his head.


    Beside Wen Hong, there was also a thin young man in a light blue long gown, bowing and scraping.


    Someone caught sight of the young man, their eyes betraying undisguised disgust. They muttered under their breath, ¡°Lapdog.¡±


    Lu Li glanced at the person in surprise but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Qin Shouren, however, was full of curiosity. He walked over to the person and asked in a low voice, ¡°Senior Brother, what¡¯s a lapdog?¡±


    The person was startled and quickly made a silencing gesture. After giving Qin Shouren a once-over, they frowned and said, ¡°You kid, why do you look so sneaky? Stay away from me.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Qin Shouren was fuming. He glared at the person and stomped back to Lu Li¡¯s side.


    Moments later, everyone had gathered. The deacon, Wen Hong, swept his gaze over the crowd before finally speaking.


    After a while, everyone had arrived. Steward Wen Hong scanned the crowd and then said, "Today is the first day of August. According to the rules, tasks will be redistributed today. Once you receive your tasks, you are not allowed to change them within a month until the first day of next month."


    "Everyone, line up and come forward!"


    After saying that, he said to the ¡±Lapdog" beside him, "You go and take charge of the registration."


    The "Lapdog" quickly bowed with a smile and said yes, then sat down at the registration desk and shouted arrogantly with borrowed power, "Everyone, line up properly and come forward one by one."


    Seeing that everyone had lined up, Wen Hong yawned as if he hadn''t slept well. After giving a few instructions, he turned around and walked into the main hall.


    Seeing Wen Hong leave, immediately seven or eight people walked out of the line and rushed to the front of the line.


    "Brother Zi''an, I want the fishing task, fishing..." One person couldn''t wait to say.


    "Brother Sun, I also want to fish."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "..."


    "Don''t rush," the "sycophant" replied with a smile while deliberately or unintentionally glancing at the people queuing angrily behind. "Since you''ve chosen to follow me, Sun Zi''an, I will naturally not treat you unfairly..."


    Lu Li immediately understood when he heard this. So this person was forming cliques in private and giving all the easy jobs to his own people.


    "Mud Monkey, how about... we also follow him?" Qin Shouren also understood what was going on.


    The tall man standing in front of Qin Shouren looked back at Qin Shouren and said meaningfully, "Junior brother, if you''re just here in the Qingyang Sect to slack off, then forget it. But if you want to go further on the path of cultivation, I suggest you''d better not do that."


    Qin Shouren was stunned and quickly asked, "Senior brother, what do you mean by that?"


    The man smiled and said, "Junior brother, you may not know that although the jobs that Sun Zi''an arranges privately for his own people are good, he will deduct seventy percent of the contributions you earn. That is to say, you''ll only get thirty percent of the contributions in your hands. In fact, the contributions you actually get are far less than those from the hard jobs..."


    "Of course, if you''re afraid of hardship, then forget it."


    So that''s how it was.


    All three of Lu Li understood after hearing this.


    Sun Zi''an''s "own people" quickly received their tasks. The line kept moving forward, and soon it was Lu Li and the others'' turn. By this time, most of the tasks had already been chosen, and the remaining ones were basically all hard labor jobs.


    Seeing that Lu Li and the other two were new disciples, Sun Zi''an rolled his eyes and began to coax them, saying that he could arrange easy jobs for them. Lu Li and the other two already knew what was going on. They weren''t here to take it easy, so they politely refused.


    Sun Zi''an''s face immediately became very ugly when he heard this, but he couldn''t lose his temper on the spot. After straightening himself up, he threw out three tasks for the three of them to choose from. Although the contributions for these three tasks were high enough, the veteran servant disciples basically wouldn''t touch them.


    Qin Shouren picked around and chose the task of cleaning the sect''s square.


    Lu Li looked at the only two remaining tasks, hesitated for a moment, and chose the task of fetching water. Although it was a bit harder, the contribution was not low, with as many as three hundred points in a month.


    Finally, it was Chen Zhong''s turn. By then, there was no choice left for him, so he took the task of chopping firewood. They had grown up in the mountains since childhood and thought that these jobs wouldn''t be too difficult for them.


    After receiving their tasks, the three of them chatted for a few words and then went to their respective jobs.


    Lu Li found a pair of water buckets in the sundries building, put them on his shoulders, and walked towards the east of the Servant Valley.


    According to the requirements, he needed to fetch water from the Blue Water River, which was one mile east of the Servant Valley, and then send it to the water pools on the top of the Green Cloud Peak in the west.


    Lu Li was now at the first level of Qi Refining, and he moved much more nimbly than before. After a while, he saw a river that was ten zhang wide in front of him. The river water was very clear. Presumably, this was the Blue Water River.


    There was no specific requirement on how much water to fetch every day for the task of fetching water, but it was necessary to ensure that five out of the ten water pools on the top of the Green Cloud Peak were full, because the water pools on the Green Cloud Peak were for the use of the entire Servant Hall, and daily life here depended on them.


    As for the water supply in other parts of the Qingyang Sect, there was no need for people to carry water, because a water supply system had already been set up when the Qingyang Sect was built. Only the Servant Valley didn''t have a water supply system, and the purpose was to train the servant disciples.


    These water buckets were not ordinary ones either. They were more than ten times larger than normal water buckets. If both buckets were filled, they would probably weigh no less than five hundred catties.


    Lu Li tried it and found that he was already struggling when he filled them only one-third full. He didn''t dare to fill them any more. Carrying the long carrying pole, he hurried back. He walked and stopped along the way, and it took him a full quarter of an hour to reach the foot of the Green Cloud Peak in the west.


    Looking at the extremely steep mountain path, Lu Li wiped the beads of sweat on his face, muttered a few words to himself, and then started climbing up.


    When he was halfway up, he suddenly heard the sound of chopping coming from the roadside jungle. A burly young man was swinging an axe with all his might, but with each chop, he could only shave off a little bit of the bark of the dark tree trunk.


    Lu Li walked over and asked in confusion, "Fatty, hasn''t your axe been sharpened?"


    Chen Zhong saw that it was Lu Li. He turned around and handed the axe to Lu Li with a gloomy face. "You try it."


    Lu Li took the axe and looked at it. Then he gently touched it with his thumb. To his surprise, he almost cut his finger just with a light touch. He couldn''t help being shocked and said, "This axe is so sharp?"


    "Yes, the axe is already very sharp, but this damn tree is even harder than iron. At first, I thought it would be easy to chop down three trees a day." Chen Zhong scratched his head, looking very gloomy.


    "Haha, take it slow, no need to rush." Lu Li patted Chen Zhong on the shoulder, shook his head, and went back to carrying his load up the mountain.


    ...


    ...

 Chapter 15 Brothers

    "That bastard!"


    Looking at the ten huge water pools, Lu Li was so angry that his mouth twisted. Only three of them were full, while the other seven were completely empty.


    According to the rules, he had to ensure that five pools were full. And each pool required at least a hundred full buckets of water to be filled. That meant he had to carry at least two hundred full buckets of water to ensure that five pools were full.


    At this rate of carrying water, he estimated that even if he worked day and night and filled both buckets to the brim each time, it would take him a whole month to fill just two pools.


    "Did that son of a bitch do it on purpose?"


    Lu Li sat down on the ground with a plop, glaring indignantly at the foot of the mountain.


    Unfortunately, he was just barely at the first level of Qi Refining and hadn''t even opened up a single qi meridian yet, so he couldn''t use his true energy to move heavy objects. Otherwise, he could have considered secretly storing some water in the Space Hall.


    "Oh, you''ve got quite a temper," just then, a young man in a blue long gown suddenly walked out of the nearby jungle. "I''ll take ninety percent of the contribution points. I''ll only ask you to carry ten buckets of water every day. How about that?"


    Lu Li turned his head to look. It was none other than Sun Zi''an.


    Ninety percent? That would mean giving away two hundred and seventy contribution points. Lu Li got up, took a look at Sun Zi''an, then picked up the carrying pole, grinned, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, senior brother. I think I can manage on my own!"


    With that, he ignored Sun Zi''an and walked straight down the mountain.


    "Humph, ungrateful," a sinister look flashed in Sun Zi''an''s eyes. He shouted from behind, "I''ll give you three days to fill these two pools. Otherwise, don''t blame me for being rude as your senior brother."


    Three days?


    Lu Li paused, and a strong sense of grievance suddenly welled up in him. "So... this is the Qingyang Sect."


    Once again, he witnessed the ugly side of cultivators. They would stop at nothing to get resources.


    Wasn''t he just trying to get his contribution points?


    Well, I won''t do as you wish!


    Lu Li gritted his teeth and rushed madly down the mountain. He didn''t stop along the way and ran straight to the Blue Water River. This time, he filled both buckets halfway and then hurried back as fast as he could.


    From early morning to when the sun was high in the sky, and then to sunset.


    Finally, Lu Li couldn''t hold on any longer. He lay beside the water pool, looking at the starry sky, feeling a sense of helplessness in his heart. After working hard all day long, he had only carried ten buckets of water when he counted them up.


    "Why don''t you just give in to him? You can''t beat him," a voice sounded in Lu Li''s mind.


    "No, never! Three hundred contribution points can be exchanged for three Condensing True Pills. How can I give up!" Another voice immediately rang out.


    Just then, two blurry figures were walking up the mountain. When they got closer, Lu Li realized that they were Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong.


    "Mud Monkey, you..." Qin Shouren was carrying a basin of steamed buns and pickles. Looking at Lu Li, who was full of frustration, he hesitated to say anything.


    "It''s okay. I can handle it," Lu Li shook his head.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Ah, have something to eat first," Qin Shouren handed the steamed buns to Lu Li.


    "Thank you."


    ¡°Come on, no need to say that between brothers.¡±


    Lu Li nodded and started eating with big bites, his head down. "Fatty, how''s your tree-chopping going?"


    Chen Zhong shook his head helplessly. "I''ve only chopped down one tree. But there''s no strict requirement for my task. I just need to chop down ninety trees within a month..."


    After eating, Lu Li turned around and took a look at the water pool. "You two go back first. I want to give it another try."


    "What''s the point of trying? That bastard is obviously trying to make things difficult for us on purpose. I say we just quit. This damn Qingyang Sect isn''t worth staying in!" Qin Shouren said angrily.


    "I think so too. He''s just getting back at us for not sharing our contributions with him."


    "Don''t I know that?" Lu Li shook his head. "But it wasn''t easy for us to join the Qingyang Sect. There are a lot of cultivation resources right in front of us. As long as we have contributions, we can exchange them freely. If we leave... where can we find cultivation resources?"


    "But..."


    "Just bear with it. Once we reach the third level of Qi Refining, we can become formal disciples. That Sun Zi''an should only be at the second level of Qi Refining. When we break through to the second level, we''ll teach him a lesson," a fierce look flashed in Lu Li''s eyes.


    Hearing about teaching Sun Zi''an a lesson, Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong''s eyes immediately lit up. Finally, Qin Shouren offered to help Lu Li fill the water pools first to get through the current difficulty.


    Chen Zhong readily agreed, and after thinking about it, Lu Li thought that was the only way.


    So the three brothers went down the mountain, found two more carrying poles, and started working busily throughout the night.


    Qin Shouren was just like Lu Li when he first started carrying water. He could only fill the buckets one-third full at first, but gradually he could fill them halfway.


    And Chen Zhong, because of his naturally burly build, filled them halfway from the start and could even carry them full in the end.


    The three figures kept going back and forth between the Green Cloud Peak and the Blue Water River in the dark night.


    Deeply touched in his heart, Lu Li thought to himself that he could never let these two brothers down in his life.


    As the sky gradually brightened, some people noticed that the three were still carrying water and couldn''t help feeling sympathetic for them. But when Sun Zi''an saw this scene, his face darkened. He walked up and stopped Chen Zhong. "Have you finished chopping your trees? And you''re here carrying water!"


    Chen Zhong put down the carrying pole. "Senior brother, I''ll definitely chop the trees. I promise to give you ninety trees this month."


    "That won''t do. The rules have changed now. You must chop three trees every day. Otherwise, you''re not allowed to eat or sleep!" After saying that, he caught hold of Qin Shouren. "And you, you must sweep the sect''s square three times a day. If there''s even a bit of trash on it, I''ll hold you accountable!"


    "Three times? Go to hell!" Qin Shouren was instantly furious when he heard this. The square was several miles in circumference. It would take half a day to sweep it roughly once. Sweeping it three times would mean he wouldn''t have any time to rest or sleep.


    "What did you say!" Sun Zi''an''s face turned cold. He stepped forward and slapped Qin Shouren hard across the face. "You little brat, how dare you talk back! Get lost!"


    Qin Shouren''s eyes immediately turned red. He was about to step forward but was pulled back by Chen Zhong, who shook his head vigorously at him.


    Lu Li saw this scene from a distance and rushed over quickly. "Qin Shouren, are you okay?"


    Seeing Lu Li rushing over, Qin Shouren loosened his clenched fist and grinned. "It''s okay. It''s nothing. Mud Monkey, I''ll go clean up now."


    With that, without waiting for Lu Li''s reply, he carried the water to the storage bucket below, emptied it, held back his tears, hung his head, and walked towards the Qingyang Sect''s square.


    Chen Zhong also looked apologetic. He went back to his room, took the axe and fastened it to his waist, then picked up the water and started walking up the mountain again. "Let''s go. I''ll help you carry these two buckets up the mountain."


    "Don''t you dare!"


    Sun Zi''an kicked over Chen Zhong''s buckets and sneered, "I''m telling you, everyone does their own job. If anyone dares to help others again, it won''t be as simple as just kicking over the buckets."


    "You!" Chen Zhong threw down the carrying pole and was about to fight.


    "Fatty, forget it. I''ll do it myself," Lu Li didn''t want Chen Zhong to get into trouble, so he immediately shouted.


    Chen Zhong loosened his fist, took a deep look at Sun Zi''an, and then turned around and walked away.


    Lu Li looked calm on the surface, but inside he was extremely angry. Without even looking at Sun Zi''an, he buried his head and walked up the mountain.


    After the three brothers'' efforts throughout the night, the fourth water pool was now completely full. However, the fifth one was still empty. In two days, it still seemed rather hopeless.


    Looking at the clouds and mists in the mountains, Lu Li sighed. "What a fairyland on earth. It''s a pity that such a beautiful place is inhabited by a bunch of inhumane bastards."


    He sat on the ground to catch his breath. The thick fog in front of him suddenly reminded him of the Spirit Treasure Hall on the first floor of his pagoda.


    He remembered that there seemed to be a celestial fruit there, right?


    He didn''t know if it was ripe or not.

 Chapter 16 Body Tempering

    Thinking of this, Lu Li quickly immersed his spiritual consciousness into the Spirit Treasure Hall.


    Upon taking a look, Lu Li''s heart started pounding.


    He saw that on the three-foot-high stem and branches, red light was flowing. The originally green leaves had now turned bright red, and the ten green fruits had also become crimson. Each fruit was about the size of a baby''s fist and was shaped very much like a tightly clenched baby''s fist.


    "What kind of fruit is this? Is it really edible?"


    "It shouldn''t be poisonous, right? It looks so nice."


    "..."


    Lu Li hesitated back and forth. Suddenly, his expression became determined. "I''ll take a gamble. If I''m right, I might become an immortal. If I''m wrong, I''ll just pretend I''ve never been to this world!"


    With a thought, a fruit appeared in his hand.


    Instantly, a delicate fragrance wafted to his nose.


    Lu Li''s expression brightened, and he immediately felt much refreshed. He couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise, "It''s really a celestial fruit!"


    Thinking of this, he couldn''t wait to take a bite.


    There was no pit inside, and it almost melted in his mouth.


    As the spiritual fruit entered his stomach, suddenly, an extremely violent force spread through his body like a tidal wave. The scorching aura made him feel as if he had fallen into a sea of fire.


    Ah¡ª!


    Lu Li let out a scream and plunged headfirst into the nearby water pool with a splash.


    Gurgle, gurgle...


    Immediately, bubbles started rising in the pool water, but Lu Li still couldn''t feel any coolness at all. The searing heat was like countless small knives constantly cutting through his flesh, blood, and bones.


    Ugh!


    Lu Li''s eyes turned red. He rolled around in the pool, his fists clenched tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, and his face distorted with pain.


    After a while, Lu Li passed out and floated on the pool like a corpse.


    Around his body, strands of blackish-gray viscous substances were gushing out crazily, and waves of stinking odor quickly spread around the pool.


    After an unknown amount of time.


    Lu Li was suddenly awakened by the sunlight in the sky. The moment he opened his eyes, a stench hit his nose. Instinctively, he wanted to cover his nose and mouth, but he almost sank. Only then did he realize that he was in the middle of the pool.


    On the water surface within a radius of nine feet around him, it was already covered with thick filth.


    Lu Li hurriedly swam to the edge of the pool, flipped himself onto the bank, and lay on his back, gasping for breath. "What kind of fruit is this? It hurt like hell."


    After a long while, Lu Li got up from the ground. Looking at the scorching sun in the sky, he thought to himself that it was troublesome now. He had slept until noon. Immediately, he was about to pick up the water buckets and go down the mountain to continue fetching water.


    But after just taking two steps, Lu Li stopped again.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    He felt that something was not right. He seemed to have become much sturdier.


    Lu Li raised his hand and took a look. His pupils contracted involuntarily. He found that his arm, which had been as thin as a stick before, had become much fuller, and his skin had become very taut. Looking at other parts of his body, it was the same.


    Moreover, he felt that his strength had increased a lot.


    Surprised and delighted, Lu Li picked up the water buckets and rushed down the mountain.


    This pair of water buckets weighed at least twenty or thirty catties, but now Lu Li didn''t feel the weight of the buckets at all. He ran all the way to the Blue Water River and filled both large buckets with water directly.


    After giving it a try, unexpectedly, the two buckets of water, which weighed about four or five hundred catties in total, were easily lifted by him. "Damn it! It''s a celestial fruit!"


    Lu Li was so excited that he couldn''t control himself. Carrying the two buckets of water, he rushed back to the top of the Green Cloud Peak at full speed.


    After searching around for a while, he finally found the half-eaten celestial fruit in the grass beside the pool. With a determined look on his face, he swallowed it all at once.


    Sure enough, the feeling of being in a volcano came again.


    Without hesitation, Lu Li jumped directly into the pool. This time, having learned from his previous experience, the moment he entered the water, he put a dead branch in his mouth. He could clearly feel that his flesh, blood, and bones were constantly growing and condensing.


    During the condensing process, countless impurities floated out. Gradually, he became numb to the pain, and this kind of pain was no longer enough to make him faint.


    After about half an hour, Lu Li could no longer feel any changes in his body. Only then did he climb out of the pool with a sense of unfinished business. He felt that his strength had become even stronger.


    Moreover, his body seemed to have grown taller, and his physique had become much more normal.


    He took a look at the first layer of space. There were still nine spiritual fruits inside. After thinking about it, he took out another one and swallowed it all.


    This time, the pain was more than halved. Even without jumping into the water or holding a stick in his mouth, he could endure it. The impurities discharged were no longer so viscous, and the stench had almost disappeared.


    He had a feeling that now he could easily lift an object weighing five or six hundred catties with one hand. If he carried it on his shoulder, a thousand catties would also be a piece of cake.


    However, he wasn''t satisfied with this. He ate another celestial fruit. To his disappointment, after swallowing it, he could still feel his flesh, blood, and bones wriggling slightly at first, but later, this feeling completely disappeared.


    Moreover, no more impurities were discharged. Looking inside his body, he was shocked to find that his bones had become as smooth as jade, and his flesh cells were tightly bonded together, leaving no gaps.


    "The feeling of strength is really great!"


    Lu Li stood tall and straight beside the pool, looking into the distance. A mysterious light flickered in his eyes, and his temperament had improved by a notch, as if he had completely broken away from his mortal body.


    "Let''s get to work first!"


    He picked up the water buckets again and rushed down the mountain.


    After one round trip, he felt that this was still too slow. He found another pair of water buckets and carried four buckets at once. With a weight of almost a thousand catties, he still handled it with ease. However, he couldn''t control his body balance well, and a lot of water would spill if he walked too fast.


    At night.


    Chen Zhong was still chopping trees, and Qin Shouren hadn''t come back yet.


    Lu Li didn''t stop either. He had already changed from carrying four buckets to eight buckets, and each bucket was full, which was equivalent to a strength of two thousand catties. Only then did he feel that it was a bit strenuous to climb up the mountain.


    Moreover, it was extremely difficult to control the balance. The slightest carelessness would make him stagger.


    Lu Li didn''t dare to increase the number anymore. He kept practicing the skills of carrying water, trying to keep the several buckets in balance all the time. It was extremely difficult at first, but the more he practiced, the more proficient he became. By midnight, Lu Li could already make sure that the buckets wouldn''t slip off even without using his hands to hold them.


    He had already figured out his own way of carrying water, which was to use his spiritual consciousness to sense which bucket was tilting and then control his muscles to adjust the balance.


    In the end, he could even control the muscle strength in most parts of his body.


    What Lu Li didn''t know was that with his current control over his muscles, if he learned boxing techniques, it would definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort.


    The next morning.


    Lu Li finally stopped. Looking at the six full water pools in front of him, he showed a satisfied expression. Then, full of joy, he walked down the mountain. Under normal circumstances, this extra pool of water could be used for about five days.


    In other words, he didn''t need to fetch water again within five days.


    He came to the mountainside and heard the sound of chopping trees still coming from the dense forest beside him. After pausing for a moment, he walked in, let out a soft sigh, and said to Chen Zhong''s back, "Fatty, take a break. I''ve got something good for you."

 Chapter 17 Big Brother

    "Something good?"


    Chen Zhong was exhausted. He turned around suspiciously, and then his pupils suddenly contracted when he saw Lu Li, whose temperament had changed greatly. "You... what happened?"


    Lu Li smiled slightly and took out three crimson fruits from his chest and handed them over. "I found a few fruits on the mountain. After eating them, I became like this, and my strength has increased a lot. There are just six left. I''ll give you three, and the rest will be for Qin Shouren."


    "There''s such a good thing?" Chen Zhong was immediately excited and took the fruits.


    "Although these fruits are good, when you eat the first one, it''ll feel as uncomfortable as falling into a fire pit. You should be mentally prepared. Go to the water pool on the top of the mountain to eat them. If you can''t bear it, jump into the water..."


    Lu Li told Chen Zhong about his own experience to prevent him from doing anything impulsive without warning.


    After hearing this, Chen Zhong was both excited and scared. After hesitating for a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Let''s do it!" Then he hurriedly climbed up the mountain.


    After a while, a scream like that of a pig being slaughtered came from the mountain.


    Lu Li smiled and shook his head. He picked up the axe from the ground, swung it in a semicircle, and chopped it onto the black wood in front of him with a bang. Instantly, the axe sank into the wood by more than seven inches.


    He chopped dozens of times in a row, and then the black wood fell down with a crash. Lu Li clapped his hands, quite satisfied with his masterpiece.


    Then he started on the second tree.


    Before he knew it, more than an hour had passed. Lu Li had already chopped down no less than fifty black wood trees. At this moment, a rumbling sound rang out, and a burly young man rushed towards Lu Li like a raging bear.


    Lu Li didn''t even look and threw a punch backward. The figure was sent flying backward with a bang and fell to the ground with an "ouch". "Mud Monkey, why did you sneak attack?"


    ¡°Hehe, my hands were itching.¡± Lu Li stepped forward to pull Chen Zhong up. ¡°How does it feel?¡±


    At this time, Chen Zhong had become very burly, with bulging muscles all over his body, looking full of strength.


    Chen Zhong grinned. "I feel that I can knock down a black wood tree as thick as a bowl with one punch."


    As he said that, he really swung his fist and punched a black wood tree as thick as a bowl with a bang. With a crack, the black wood didn''t break but was uprooted.


    Lu Li wanted to ask Chen Zhong to go down the mountain and take a break together, but Chen Zhong insisted on chopping down all ninety trees before going down the mountain. Since there was nothing Lu Li could do, he had to go down the mountain by himself.


    He first went to the cafeteria to get something to eat and then went straight back to his small hut.


    After returning to the hut, Lu Li didn''t rest either. He lay on the bed and directly entered the Time Hall to start cultivating.


    Not long after Lu Li returned to his room, Sun Zi''an came to the peak of the Green Cloud Peak. For this junior brother who dared to oppose him right after entering the sect, Sun Zi''an was very unhappy. If he couldn''t even deal with a newly recruited disciple, how could he continue to mix in the Servant Hall in the future?Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    However, when he saw the six full water pools, he felt really bad. With a flick of his sleeve, he angrily went down the mountain, wanting to find trouble with Chen Zhong, because in his opinion, it must be those two guys who helped Lu Li again.


    But when he came to the mountainside and saw a large area of black wood trees lying on the ground, he felt even worse. Moreover, after just one night, Chen Zhong''s fat body had actually turned into a muscular one. It was simply unacceptable and incomprehensible.


    It was true that chopping trees could build up one''s body, but this change was too outrageous, wasn''t it?


    "What''s the matter?" Seeing Sun Zi''an coming, Chen Zhong walked towards Sun Zi''an with an axe in his hand and asked with an unfriendly look.


    Seeing that Chen Zhong even dared to threaten him, Sun Zi''an was instantly furious. He shouted, "How dare you!" His body swayed, and in an instant, he rushed in front of Chen Zhong and raised his hand to slap Chen Zhong on the chest.


    Slap!


    A crisp sound came. Chen Zhong stood firmly on the spot without moving at all. At the same time, he swung his broad palm and slapped Sun Zi''an hard on the face.


    Slap!


    Sun Zi''an had never expected this. He thought that Chen Zhong would be sent flying by his slap. Unexpectedly, a sharp pain suddenly came from his face, and he himself was sent flying. With a thud, he fell heavily on the slope.


    Chen Zhong was momentarily stunned by the sight, but then a sinister grin appeared on his face. He let out a furious roar, ¡°I¡¯m going to make you pay!¡± Then, like a raging bull, he charged toward Sun Zian.


    Sun Zi''an''s pupils suddenly contracted. His body rolled and narrowly avoided Chen Zhong''s punch. Then he threw a fireball at Chen Zhong.


    Chen Zhong was just about to catch up when the fireball hit his chest with a bang. Immediately, he felt his internal organs churning. With a "wow", he spat out a mouthful of blood.


    "Arrogant! Keep being arrogant!" Sun Zi''an finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. Standing in the distance, he stared at Chen Zhong with a sinister smile. "Kneel down and admit your mistake immediately, or I''ll kill you!"


    "Fuck you!" Chen Zhong roared. He took a lunge forward and rushed towards Sun Zi''an in two or three steps.


    "Seeking death!" While retreating rapidly, Sun Zi''an threw out another fireball.


    This time, Chen Zhong was prepared. Seeing the fireball coming, he directly stretched out his fist and punched the fireball with a bang.


    Slap!


    The fireball was directly smashed by Chen Zhong''s punch.


    "How is this possible!" Sun Zi''an was so frightened that his face turned pale. He turned around and rushed down the mountain at full speed.


    "Son of a bitch, don''t run if you have the guts!" Chen Zhong shouted from behind, but he didn''t chase. Although he had just smashed the fireball, his fist was still numb now, and there was a faint smell of burning on his hand.


    "The fruits given by Mud Monkey are so amazing. I can even beat someone at the second level of Qi Refining and make him run away."


    Looking at Sun Zi''an running down the mountain in a panic, Chen Zhong was overjoyed.


    In the evening.


    Lu Li was still cultivating. Suddenly, he heard a thud in the yard. His ears twitched, and he immediately withdrew from his cultivation. He walked out and saw that it was Qin Shouren who had come back.


    There was also a broom lying in the middle of the yard. Presumably, he was venting his dissatisfaction.


    Looking at Lu Li, who was tall and straight, Qin Shouren couldn''t help rubbing his eyes. After making sure that he wasn''t mistaken, he rushed over and said, "Mud, Mud Monkey, where''s your monkey look?"


    Lu Li''s face twitched. "Come inside."


    Then the two of them went into Lu Li''s room.


    After a while.


    Qin Shouren stared at the three crimson fruits on the table and swallowed. "Mud, Mud Monkey, are you really going to give these to me?"


    "Nonsense. Why would I take them out if I didn''t want to give them to you?" Lu Li patted Qin Shouren on the shoulder. "Take them. We three brothers will take revenge on that Sun Zi''an sooner or later."


    "Okay, okay!" Qin Shouren tremblingly put the fruits into his arms. "Monkey, a great favor needs no words of thanks. From now on, you''ll be my big brother!"


    "Damn it, don''t be so coy. ¡° Lu Li gave Qin Shouren a reproachful look.


    "Hehe." Qin Shouren smiled awkwardly. "Big brother, I''ll go to the top of the mountain to eat the celestial fruits first. Wait for me to come back!"


    "Go ahead, go ahead." Lu Li waved his hand.


    Not long after Qin Shouren left, there was suddenly an excited knock on the door from Chen Zhong outside, accompanied by shouts, "Mud Monkey, open the door quickly. I''ve got good news!"


    Hearing this, Lu Li got up from the bed with a helpless look on his face. After Chen Zhong came in, he asked, "What''s the good news?"


    Chen Zhong laughed loudly. "You don''t know. I just beat that Sun Zi''an until he rolled and crawled, crying for his father and mother. It was so satisfying! So cool!!!"


    Lu Li was stunned. "You... beat up Sun Zi''an???"

 Chapter 18 Eternal Sleep

    "What''s... what''s wrong?"


    Seeing that Lu Li''s expression was a bit off, Chen Zhong immediately felt a bit nervous.


    "It''s nothing. Since you''ve already beaten him, so be it." Now that it had already happened, Lu Li didn''t know what else to say. In his opinion, beating Sun Zi''an was extremely unwise. As the saying goes, if you don''t kill a snake, it will come back to bite you. If you were going to deal with someone, you should do it secretly and finish them off.


    If you just beat the other person up, once they recovered, I''m afraid it would lead to even more severe retaliation.


    "Did... did I do something wrong?" Chen Zhong scratched his head, looking a bit simple-minded.


    Lu Li shook his head and changed the topic. "You didn''t do anything wrong. I''ve wanted to beat him up for a long time. Come on, tell me how you beat him up..."


    Although he was worried, he wouldn''t show it in front of his brothers. Besides, he was also very curious about how Chen Zhong had managed to defeat Sun Zi''an, who was at the second level of Qi Refining.


    You should know that at the second level of Qi Refining, one had already opened up a complete qi meridian and could cast spells.


    Chen Zhong immediately started talking non-stop when he heard this and told Lu Li exactly what had happened before.


    After listening, Lu Li quickly figured it out after some speculation. That is to say, Chen Zhong won the first move with his powerful physical body, which directly frightened Sun Zi''an. Later, when the other party hastily cast a spell, Chen Zhong smashed it with one punch, scaring him out of his wits. He didn''t dare to fight Chen Zhong again at all.


    In this way, Lu Li reached at least two conclusions.


    First, not all cultivators had powerful physical strength. Their powerful physical bodies were completely an exception. If used in battles, it could have an unexpected effect.


    Second, powerful physical strength was enough to withstand some low-level spells. Or perhaps as the physical body became stronger, it wouldn''t be a problem to withstand high-level spells either.


    The two chatted for a while longer, and then Chen Zhong left.


    Qin Shouren hadn''t come back yet. Lu Li didn''t think too much about it. He closed the door and went back to his cultivation.


    Up to now, he had already broken through the second, wood-attribute barrier of the second acupoint, and it was time for the third, water-attribute one. He didn''t know if it was because body tempering had made his nerves numb. When he first started to break through the barriers, he always felt as uncomfortable as being pricked by needles, but now he just felt a bit numb.


    The night passed quietly.


    It wasn''t until the next evening that Lu Li felt a bit hungry and finally snapped out of his cultivation state.


    "I didn''t expect that I had been cultivating for a whole day and night."


    Lu Li finally understood what was meant by "time flies when you''re cultivating". More than ten hours had passed in the outside world, which was equivalent to eight or nine days in the Time Hall. It seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Walking out of the room, Lu Li was about to find something to eat when he noticed that Qin Shouren''s door was ajar. He frowned and walked towards Qin Shouren''s room.


    He pushed the door open and saw that Qin Shouren wasn''t inside. He couldn''t help feeling a bit puzzled. "Why hasn''t he come back yet? Could it be that he hasn''t finished cleaning yet?"


    Just then, Chen Zhong walked into the yard from outside. He was carrying a tray in his hand, with two plates of stir-fried dishes and a big basin of rice on it. When he saw that Lu Li had come out, he quickly walked over. "Monkey,  I''ve brought you something to eat."


    "Thank you." Lu Li turned around and asked, "Have you seen Qin Shouren?"


    Chen Zhong thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, maybe he hasn''t come back from work yet."


    As he said that, he handed the tray to Lu Li. "Have something to eat first. It won''t taste good when it gets cold."


    "Okay." Lu Li was preoccupied with thoughts. He took the tray and went back to his own room.


    Time passed like this for another two days.


    During this period, Lu Li had also gone out to fetch water for a day and filled the seventh pool. And because Chen Zhong had already completed his tasks for this month, he spent every day practicing martial arts in the yard.


    On this day, in the evening.


    Finally, Lu Li felt that something was wrong. He rushed out of his room in a hurry and called Chen Zhong over. "Hasn''t Qin Shouren come back yet?"


    Chen Zhong frowned and thought back. "I''ve been in the yard during the day these two days. Unless he came back secretly at night..." At this point, his face changed. "Could something have happened to him!"


    "Let''s go out and look for him!" Lu Li''s heart was pounding. It had been three or four days. Given Qin Shouren''s character, if he had succeeded in body tempering, he would have come back to show off immediately. How could he hold back for so long just for work?


    He took Chen Zhong and rushed towards the Green Cloud Peak.


    "Where are you? Where are you? Qin Shouren, where are you!..."


    "Qin Shouren¡ª!"


    "..."


    On the peak, Lu Li and Chen Zhong were so anxious that they were running around in circles, shouting as they searched. To their disappointment, there was no response from the mountain, nor did they find any traces left by Qin Shouren.


    "Fatty, go and check the square. I''ll keep looking on the mountain," Lu Li had no choice but to hope that Qin Shouren was sweeping the square.


    "Okay!" Chen Zhong replied and rushed down the mountain with a rumble.


    Lu Li continued to search on the top of the mountain. In the grass, among the bushes, and in the thorn bushes, Lu Li rushed around and kept shouting.


    The burning clouds in the sky began to fade away, and night gradually fell. Lu Li had almost searched from the top of the mountain to the mountainside in a carpet-like manner.


    Plop!


    Suddenly, Lu Li couldn''t stop in time. Just as he rushed out of a cluster of leaves, he fell down the high ridge in front of him.


    He was just about to get up when he felt that he had stepped on something soft. Looking down, his face instantly became distorted with pain. He saw a corpse lying limply at his feet. The body was in rags, covered with wounds all over, and there was a big hole as wide as a bowl on its chest.


    "Qin Shouren¡ª!"


    Lu Li''s pupils contracted, and his mouth opened wide.


    Then, regardless of the fact that the body was almost decomposed, he threw himself beside Qin Shouren and pulled him into his arms.


    "Wake up! Wake up! Brother...!" Lu Li''s eyes were red. He shook Qin Shouren''s corpse desperately, feeling a stabbing pain in his heart.


    ...


    After an unknown amount of time.


    Lu Li suddenly heard Chen Zhong''s anxious shouts in the darkness. Only then did he come to his senses. He stood up and replied hoarsely, "I''m over here."


    Immediately after that, he saw Chen Zhong running over with a torch in his hand with a rumble.


    When Chen Zhong saw Lu Li and the corpse in front of him, his body trembled. The torch fell to the ground with a clatter, and he rushed over. "Qin Shouren¡ª! No! It can''t be, it can''t be..."


    Lu Li stared blankly, not disturbing Chen Zhong.


    Until Chen Zhong sat down weakly on the side, Lu Li said, "Let''s dig a hole together and bury him. We can''t let him lie exposed in the wilderness like this."


    Chen Zhong nodded numbly and stood up.


    The two found an open place and started digging with their hands. Before long, they dug a three-foot-deep pit. They carried Qin Shouren''s corpse into the pit, looked at it reluctantly for a while, and then buried it.


    A small mound of earth just quietly overlooked the mountain below.


    "Wait for me," Lu Li murmured and walked down the mountain with a lonely look.


    Chen Zhong took a deep look at the mound and followed.


    In the hazy night, the mound looked so lonely. The young man who had finally embarked on the path of cultivation didn''t expect to sleep here forever.

 Chapter 19 Killing to Silence

    After returning to the yard, Lu Li comforted Chen Zhong a few words and then went back to his room.


    The celestial fruits on Qin Shouren were gone. Presumably, they had fallen into someone else''s hands. Since only he himself knew that Qin Shouren had the celestial fruits, it was unlikely that someone had killed him on purpose to seize the treasures.


    Then there was only one possibility. When Qin Shouren went up the mountain, he happened to run into an enemy. After the conflict between the two sides, the other party discovered the celestial fruits and then killed him to silence him.


    And there was only one person who had a conflict with Qin Shouren...


    The answer was almost obvious.


    Lu Li didn''t tell Chen Zhong his speculation because the other party must have been targeting Chen Zhong. Because Chen Zhong had told him before that he had beaten Sun Zi''an on the mountain.


    According to speculation, since Sun Zi''an had already been beaten by Chen Zhong once, it was unlikely that he would go up the mountain alone to intercept Chen Zhong. That is to say, the other party had brought helpers...


    He touched the three Explosion Talismans in his arms and clenched his fists tightly.


    The Explosion Talismans needed to be activated by releasing true energy outward. At their level of the first level of Qi Refining, they hadn''t even opened up a single qi meridian. Although they could mobilize true energy to make their bodies lighter, they couldn''t release true energy outward at all.


    Now, if they wanted to take revenge, they could only seek to break through to the second level of Qi Refining as soon as possible and then use the Explosion Talismans.


    Moreover, the Explosion Talismans on Qin Shouren had also been taken away. For Lu Li, this was a very bad result. He had to be extremely careful.


    He suppressed the impulse to take revenge immediately and directly entered the Time Hall.


    At midnight.


    In the last large courtyard in the residential area of the servant disciples, a young man in green clothes gently closed the door and walked out of the yard. This man had a ruddy complexion, a tall and straight figure, and an extraordinary temperament.


    There was a strong look of satisfaction on his face, and he murmured, "I didn''t expect that those few fruits would have such an effect. It''s truly wonderful."


    With that, he shook his clothes and walked into the small courtyard next door.


    The room directly opposite the courtyard gate and the room on the left side of the courtyard were both lit. The young man in green clothes'' eyes darkened, and he walked straight towards the room opposite the gate. He knocked on the door and said, "Xiao Cheng, open the door."


    Immediately, the sound of footsteps came from inside the room, and a young man in pajamas opened the door. When he saw the young man in green clothes, he was stunned for a moment. "Brother Sun, why are you..."


    At this time, Sun Zi''an stood straight, not looking at all like the obsequious look he had before.


    Sun Zi''an chuckled. "The fruits last time were good. IÌØÒâ left one for you. Let''s go inside and talk."


    Xiao Cheng''s face lit up with joy, and he quickly invited Sun Zi''an into the room.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    At the moment when Xiao Cheng turned around, a cold light flashed in Sun Zi''an''s eyes. He took out a rolled-up yellow paper from his arms and threw it at Xiao Cheng''s back.


    Boom!


    A loud explosion shook the whole house.


    Looking at Xiao Cheng again, he was blasted forward for more than ten feet and fell heavily onto the bed. His back was a bloody mess, and the broken spine and shattered internal organs could be vaguely seen.


    "You!" Xiao Cheng struggled to turn his head, but he died before he could finish a sentence.


    "Humph!" Sun Zi''an snorted coldly. He turned Xiao Cheng''s corpse over, searched around, and took out an identical yellow paper from his arms. Then his body swayed, and he hid behind the door.


    In just a dozen or so breaths, the door of the small house on the left side of the courtyard burst open, and a burly man quickly rushed into Xiao Cheng''s room.


    When he rushed into the room and saw the corpse on the bed, his face suddenly changed, and he immediately turned around to go out.


    Just at the moment when he turned around, a talisman suddenly flew towards him at high speed.


    Boom!


    Another explosion sounded, and the burly man was also blasted flying backward.


    There was a hideous big hole on his chest.


    "Sun Zi..."


    The big man''s pupils dilated, his head tilted to one side, and he died instantly.


    "Blame it on your bad luck. Only the dead can make me feel at ease," Sun Zi''an showed a look of pain on his face. He searched the two men''s bodies again. Only when he found an identical talisman on the burly man''s body did he breathe a sigh of relief. "Such talismans, what a pity that two were wasted in vain."


    After a while, he carried one on each shoulder and disappeared into the darkness easily.


    The next evening, someone discovered the bloodstains in the house. Frightened, he immediately reported it to Steward Wen Hong. When Wen Hong heard that someone might have died, he was terribly frightened and rushed over to check in a hurry.


    In a place like the Qingyang Sect, although the servant disciples were all Five Spiritual Roots, they were also the foundation of the sect. It would be a big deal if even one died, let alone two at once. If the Punishment Hall found out about this, it would be the least of his worries if he lost his position. He might even have his cultivation abolished and be expelled from the sect.


    After some inspection, Wen Hong''s face had become extremely ugly.


    He found Sun Zi''an and asked him to secretly investigate this matter. And he strictly ordered the person who reported it not to spread the matter outside, or he would kill him.


    Sun Zi''an had left the bloodstains on purpose to attract Wen Hong''s attention so that this matter wouldn''t reach the Punishment Hall. Wen Hong''s arrangement was exactly what he wanted. He believed that as long as there were no more big disturbances in the valley, this matter would be over.


    The next day, he came to Lu Li''s courtyard and knocked on Lu Li''s door.


    Lu Li woke up from his cultivation and opened the door. His pupils contracted involuntarily, and he forced himself to calm down and said, "Senior brother, what''s the matter?"


    Sun Zi''an pretended to be ignorant and said, "Where''s that guy named Qin Shouren? I haven''t seen him for several days. Is he still going to do his tasks or not?"


    Lu Li could tell at a glance that the other party had already taken the celestial fruits. He could hardly suppress the impulse to flare up in his heart and said coldly, "I just met him on the way. I''m not very familiar with him. If senior brother has nothing else to do, I''m going to continue my cultivation."


    "Not familiar?" Sun Zi''an raised his eyebrows, looking a bit surprised. "Forget it. Maybe he thought cultivation was too tiring and ran away."


    Then he "kindly" gave some advice. "Junior brother, perseverance is the key on the path of cultivation. You should understand that when senior brother arranged these heavy tasks for you, it was actually for your own good. Look at me, senior brother."


    Speaking of this, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing an arm full of explosive power. "I also went through what you''re going through now, and that''s how I achieved what I have today. Do you understand senior brother''s good intentions?"


    "Junior brother understands." Lu Li lowered his head and didn''t look at Sun Zi''an.


    "Hehe, it''s good that you understand." Seeing that Lu Li didn''t show any intention of standing up for Qin Shouren at all, Sun Zi''an nodded with satisfaction and left happily.


    Until Sun Zi''an had gone far away, Lu Li finally couldn''t help but punch the door panel. With a crack, he punched a big hole in the wooden door.


    Just at the moment when he was about to turn around and go back to his room, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Chen Zhong''s tightly closed door on the right side of the yard. He frowned and walked over quickly.


    The door wasn''t locked from the inside. Lu Li pushed it gently and opened it.


    Walking in, he found that Chen Zhong was lying motionless on the bed. His big face was ashen, and his lips were chapped as if he hadn''t drunk water for several days.

 Chapter 20 Two Years

    "Fatty, Fatty!" Lu Li gently patted Chen Zhong''s face.


    "Oh, it''s you." Chen Zhong slowly opened his eyes.


    "Fatty, you can''t go on like this. The dead can''t come back to life. Don''t you want to avenge him?" Lu Li frowned.


    "Avenge!" Chen Zhong immediately sat up when he heard this. "Do you know who did it?"


    Lu Li was silent for a moment and then nodded. "I know, but I can''t tell you now. You should cultivate hard. When you reach the second level of Qi Refining, you''ll naturally know."


    "Is he... very strong?"


    "Yes."


    When Lu Li said this, he actually just wanted to cheer Chen Zhong up. Now that Sun Zi''an had eaten the spiritual fruits, he was indeed stronger than before. However, if he wanted to take Lu Li''s life without making a sound, it was almost impossible.


    And Lu Li also thought that he couldn''t fight against Sun Zi''an alone, so he decided to endure for the time being.


    More importantly, he believed that there must be more people involved in this matter than just Sun Zi''an. If they alerted the enemy, it would be troublesome.


    Hearing what Lu Li said, Chen Zhong immediately cheered up and said straightforwardly that he would cultivate hard. Lu Li gave him some more instructions and told him to keep a low profile in his recent work. Then he left with peace of mind.


    Just like this.


    Time flew by in a hurry, and in the blink of an eye, more than two years had passed.


    In the past two years, neither Lu Li nor Chen Zhong had changed their tasks. They were still doing the work of chopping firewood and fetching water.


    Seeing that Lu Li and Chen Zhong had become much more low-key, Sun Zi''an didn''t deliberately make things difficult for them anymore, as if everything had really passed.


    It was now warm spring.


    Everything was coming back to life, and the bare old tree in the yard had sprouted new buds again.


    Now, Lu Li was already sixteen years old. He was over seven feet tall. His swarthy face had lost its childishness and had a bit more maturity. Dressed in dark green tight clothes, he looked extremely capable.


    He stood at the door of his room, quietly watching the burly man in the yard swinging his fists with a whooshing sound, his thoughts drifting off to who knows where.


    The burly man was Chen Zhong. His bare arms were like bronze and iron, and his thick eyebrows and big eyes gave him an imposing look even when he wasn''t angry.


    Suddenly.


    Chen Zhong changed the direction of his fist and punched the old tree beside him.


    Crack!


    The old tree, which was so thick that one person could hardly embrace it, broke in the middle.


    "Great! This punch is as powerful as five thousand catties," Lu Li clapped his hands and walked towards Chen Zhong.


    This boxing technique was called "Mountain-Shaking Fist". Lu Li and Chen Zhong had spent two whole years and a total of twenty thousand contribution points to exchange it from the Cultivation Technique Building.


    According to what the old man guarding the Cultivation Technique Building said at that time, this boxing technique was extremely remarkable, comparable to a divine-level cultivation technique. If it hadn''t been a fragmented version and if there hadn''t been no one in the sect who practiced body cultivation techniques, he would never have exchanged this boxing technique for Lu Li.


    Facts had proved that this boxing technique was really amazing.


    Once one reached the entry level of cultivation, it could unleash twice the physical strength.


    At the minor achievement level, it could unleash three times the strength.


    At the major achievement level, it could unleash four times the strength.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    At the perfect level, it could unleash five times the strength.


    The perfect "Mountain-Shaking Fist" could mobilize the strength of every cell in the whole body. The stronger the physical strength was, the stronger the power unleashed with one punch would be.


    Lu Li had now reached the minor achievement level. His physical strength was about three thousand catties. If he used the "Mountain-Shaking Fist", he could unleash a terrifying power of nine thousand catties with one punch.


    As for Chen Zhong, his physical strength was about two thousand five hundred catties. Coupled with the entry level of the "Mountain-Shaking Fist", the power unleashed was about five thousand catties.


    "Boss, I''m still a bit behind you," Chen Zhong shook his head, looking a bit dissatisfied.


    Over the past two years, Chen Zhong had gotten used to calling Lu Li "boss".


    Lu Li smiled and put his hand on Chen Zhong''s shoulder. "Your basic strength is a bit weaker than mine. Carry more trees to exercise and improve your ''Mountain-Shaking Fist'', and you''ll catch up with me."


    "I got it."


    "The muscles are getting stronger and stronger, but it seems that the brain is becoming less and less inclined to think. I don''t know if it''s because of the excessive stimulation two years ago," Lu Li thought gloomily.


    "There''s only one acupoint left. I wonder how you''re doing over there," Lu Li looked outside the courtyard gate, clenched his fist and then loosened it.


    Even though he had the Time Hall, it had taken him more than two years to break through ninety-nine acupoints, and there was still the last one left unbroken.


    As for Chen Zhong, he was even worse. Although each of his acupoints only had seven barriers, up to now, he had only opened forty-five acupoints.


    However, fortunately, both of them had great brute strength. Although their cultivation levels were low, their combat strength couldn''t be underestimated.


    "Boss, what are you thinking about?" Seeing that Lu Li didn''t say anything, Chen Zhong walked over and asked.


    Lu Li shook his head. "Nothing. Keep practicing. I''ll go back and rest first."


    With that, he went back to his room.


    The small tree in the Three Treasures Glazed Pagoda had withered and died after Lu Li picked all the fruits on it two years ago. It seemed to be a one-time thing. In the past two years, he had checked from time to time to see if a new seedling had grown inside and whether other celestial fruits would grow.


    Unfortunately, more than two years had passed, and that piece of land was still barren.


    After the usual check, Lu Li entered the Time Hall again.


    Lu Li had gotten used to this kind of life. He had no extra social interactions. Besides cultivating, it was still cultivating. Even when practicing the "Mountain-Shaking Fist", he mostly practiced it in the Time Hall. Only when he felt that he had achieved something would he go outside to test it out.


    He had reached a critical moment in the first level of Qi Refining. He didn''t want to wait any longer for the last acupoint and had to break through it immediately.


    Although the connection point of the qi meridians was in the dantian, except for the two main qi meridians that ran from the dantian to the Heavenly Palace in the mind, the other twelve qi meridians were spread all over the body. The last acupoint of the first qi meridian was on the sole of the foot. Once it was completely opened, he could perform the Small Heavenly Circuit operation and release his true energy as he wished.


    Lu Li was now at the perfect stage of the first level of Qi Refining. His spiritual consciousness was several times stronger than when it had just condensed, and he could sense the spiritual energy within a radius of three zhang. There was no situation where he had to wait for the spiritual energy around him to recover after refining it.


    On the contrary, he now felt that the speed of refining couldn''t keep up with the speed of absorption.


    On the fifth day of the secret realm.


    The sixth wind-attribute barrier of the last acupoint was finally broken. Of course, he didn''t break through six barriers in just five days. He had already broken through five before, and there were only three left, which were thunder, light, and dark.


    These three attributes were the most difficult to break through because compared with the five elements, these three attributes of the heaven and earth spiritual energy were extremely scarce.


    Another ten days passed, and the thunder-attribute began to shake.


    At this time, he couldn''t hold on any longer. The weakness in his body forced him to stop.


    He went out to have a meal and took a stroll. Just as he was about to go back to his room, he was suddenly stopped by Steward Wen Hong, who came in a hurry. "Kid, don''t say I don''t take care of you. The First Elder is currently refining pills and needs an assistant for a month. The contribution points are as many as three thousand. Do you want to do it?"


    Is there such a good thing?


    Lu Li looked at Wen Hong suspiciously. For such a good thing, it was usually secretly reserved for Sun Zi''an by him. He would let Sun Zi''an release the news privately so that he could share some of the contribution points. How could it be his turn?


    Seeing that Lu Li didn''t say anything, Wen Hong continued, "Don''t look at me like that. You haven''t been in the Servant Hall for just one day. You know my character very well. I might as well tell you directly. The First Elder has a very strange temper. When he''s in a good mood, it''s not impossible for him to casually reward you with a few bottles of pills."


    "However, if you make him unhappy, then you''ll have to pray for good luck."


    So that''s how it was.


    Lu Li thought about it. He was about to break through to the second level, and he just needed contribution points to exchange for a spell.


    More importantly, he would need to refine the Acupuncture-breaking Pill in the future, and it was impossible to let others do it for him. So he had to learn some knowledge about alchemy. This time, being able to go to the Heavenly Absolute Peak was definitely a rare opportunity.


    So he directly nodded and agreed, asking, "When should I go?"


    Seeing that Lu Li agreed, Wen Hong immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The veteran servant disciples all knew that the First Elder was extremely difficult to serve. Many people were sent back half-dead after going there.


    He smiled and patted Lu Li on the shoulder. "You''re really good. If you can satisfy the First Elder this time, I''ll give you an extra three hundred contribution points. Prepare yourself. The First Elder will come here to pick you up in five days."

 Chapter 21: Revenge

    "Break!"


    After more than a month in the Time Hall, this day finally arrived as the most crucial moment in Lu Li''s life.


    In the past few days, he had prepared dry rations and hadn''t even left his room. When he was hungry, he would come out to take a few bites of flatbread and drink some cold water. Today was the fourth day, which meant it had been over thirty days in the Time Hall.


    His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles around them, making him look like a giant panda.


    The last layer of the dark-attribute barrier in the last acupoint of his first qi meridian was already on the verge of collapsing. The pitch-black true qi surged out from his dantian and swarmed towards that final dark-attribute barrier.


    The first impact!


    The second impact!


    ...


    ...


    The ninety-ninth impact!


    Pop!


    Suddenly, a crisp sound came, and the barrier was broken!


    "It''s broken! Finally broken! Hahaha!"


    Lu Li was so excited that he jumped up directly, dancing with joy, and tears streamed down his face.


    "It''s been almost three years! Finally, I''ve broken through it!" Lu Li was trembling with excitement.


    He still remembered what Elder Yu Tong, who was in charge of the tests, had said, "I think you guys will never be able to break through to the second level of Qi Refining in your lifetime..."


    "Well, isn''t it broken now? Hahaha!"


    After being overjoyed for a quarter of an hour, Lu Li finally calmed down.


    He couldn''t wait to push his palm forward, and a cloud of black mist immediately surged out from his palm, hitting the pillar in front of him with a bang.


    "Seems like it doesn''t have much power?"


    Looking at the black qi that dissipated in an instant, Lu Li was a bit dissatisfied.


    With a thought, he switched to fire-attribute true qi and sent it out. This time, it finally left a shallow mark on the pillar, but it disappeared in an instant.


    Lu Li knew that it was due to the rules of the Time Hall. Even if he demolished the entire hall, it would be restored immediately.


    He tried several more times with different-attribute true qi until he had exhausted all the true qi in his dantian before stopping. Generally speaking, the attack power of wind-attribute and light-dark-attribute true qi was relatively lower.


    The attack power of metal-attribute and thunder-attribute true qi seemed to be quite good.


    Of course, it was also possible that he hadn''t practiced any spells and couldn''t guide the true qi properly.


    After spending another half an hour or so, Lu Li restored all the true qi in his dantian and the first qi meridian. Then he left the Time Hall contentedly.


    Only after coming out did he realize that it was already dark.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    It was good to do things under the cover of darkness. The revenge that had been owed for two years should finally come to an end. Although he hadn''t practiced any spells yet, he didn''t want to wait any longer because he was going to leave for Tianjue Peak tomorrow, and he was afraid of unexpected situations.


    He gently knocked on Chen Zhong''s door. After a while, the door opened. It seemed that Chen Zhong hadn''t gone to bed yet.


    "Boss, what''s the matter at this late hour?"


    Lu Li closed the door behind him, pulled Chen Zhong to sit at the table, and said seriously, "Fatty, I''m planning to take revenge for Qin Shouren tonight. Do you want to come with me?"


    "Revenge!" Chen Zhong trembled when he heard this and said excitedly, "You''re finally willing to tell me!"


    Lu Li nodded and told Chen Zhong his speculation word for word. At the same time, he admitted frankly that although he could barely be considered at the second level of Qi Refining, he didn''t have a sure chance of winning. If Chen Zhong didn''t want to, he could choose not to go.


    After hearing this, Chen Zhong first blamed himself, saying bluntly that it was his fault that Qin Shouren had suffered. If he hadn''t beaten Sun Zian, the other party wouldn''t have brought people up the mountain. Then he resolutely said that no matter what, he would go with Lu Li.


    Lu Li nodded and asked Chen Zhong to give him all his explosive talismans because only Chen Zhong could activate them.


    Chen Zhong readily agreed.


    After getting the explosive talismans, Lu Li rolled them up one by one. Because his ability to control objects was almost non-existent and he relied entirely on his true qi to support them, rolling them up like this would allow him to throw them farther.


    After some planning, the two of them quietly slipped out of the courtyard under the cover of night.


    They already knew where Sun Zian lived and cautiously made their way into Sun Zian''s courtyard.


    Sun Zian lived alone in his courtyard. At this time, all the lights were out, and it seemed that he had already gone to sleep.


    Lu Li winked at Chen Zhong, asking him to wait outside the door of Sun Zian''s room, and then he went up to knock on the door himself.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    "Who is it?" Sun Zian woke up when he heard the sound in the room.


    "Brother Sun, it''s me. I have a nice thing and want to give it to you..." Lu Li held an explosive talisman in each hand outside the door. His face was full of ruthlessness, but his tone was full of flattery.


    "A nice thing?" Hearing Lu Li''s voice, Sun Zian lit the lamp suspiciously and opened the door halfway.


    "Son of a bitch, here''s the nice thing!"


    Suddenly, Lu Li sprang into action. He flicked his fingers, and the two wrapped talisman papers shot towards Sun Zian with a whoosh.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    The door exploded.


    Although Sun Zian had been very careful, he was still a step too slow and was blasted flying backwards.


    Lu Li knew that Sun Zian had also eaten the immortal fruit, so these explosive talismans might not be able to kill him. So the moment Sun Zian flew backwards, he immediately pushed aside the broken door and chased after him.


    Sure enough.


    The moment he caught up, Sun Zian had already done a somersault and stood up. At the same time, he flicked his finger, and a yellow paper shot towards Lu Li''s chest.


    Boom!


    Lu Li was blasted flying backwards, and his chest was charred black.


    Just as he got up, Sun Zian had already rushed over. However, what greeted him were two more talismans.


    Boom!


    Boom!


    With two loud explosions, Sun Zian was once again smashed heavily backwards. He had already been seriously injured before, and now after taking these two more hits, his clothes were completely torn, there were many dents in his flesh all over his body, and blood was gushing out of his mouth, looking extremely miserable.


    "Kid, you''ve got some nerve!" Sun Zian''s eyes were blazing with anger. Although he was in a miserable state, he didn''t resign himself to fate and swung his fist at Lu Li.


    "Fight me with fists!" A look of disdain flashed across Lu Li''s face. When Sun Zian''s fist was within three feet of him, he suddenly threw a punch.


    With one punch, the air exploded.


    Bang!


    Crack!


    The sound of the collision and the sound of bones breaking rang out simultaneously. Sun Zian let out a miserable cry, and his right arm drooped limply.


    Lu Li didn''t let up when he gained the upper hand. He stepped forward and punched Sun Zian''s dantian.


    With a click, Sun Zian flew back onto the bed and then spat out a mouthful of blood. His dantian was crippled.


    Lu Li was about to strike again when Chen Zhong couldn''t hold back any longer and rushed in in two or three steps. "Let me do it!"


    He said as he grabbed Sun Zian by the waist, lifted him up forcefully, then bent his knee and smashed Sun Zian hard onto his knee, breaking Sun Zian''s spine into two pieces with a crack.


    "Ah¡ª!"


    Sun Zian''s miserable cry was ear-piercing. Besides pain, there was deep fear on his face. He simply couldn''t understand why Lu Li and Chen Zhong would be so ruthless to him.


    Chen Zhong didn''t intend to let him go just like that. His fist as big as a sandbag was about to smash Sun Zian''s head when Lu Li grabbed him. "Wait."


    Sun Zian was lying on the ground moaning. When he saw that Lu Li stopped Chen Zhong, he immediately had a strong desire to survive. While spitting blood, he begged with difficulty, "Let me go. I''ll give you all my things..."

 Chapter 22 Xiao Jue

    "Things?"


    Lu Li crouched down and stared at Sun Zian coldly, saying, "Tell me, who else besides you killed Qin Shouren!"


    "So, you two have been pretending to be stupid all along..." Hearing this, Sun Zian finally understood why Lu Li and the other came. Knowing that he couldn''t survive, he showed a mocking smile and laughed loudly, "I won''t tell you. What can you do to me? Kill me? I''m not afraid. Hahaha..."


    "Really?"


    With a thought in his mind, a shiny kitchen knife appeared in Lu Li''s hand. He shook it and said, "Who said I''m going to kill you? Can''t I cut you up piece by piece while you''re still alive? Do you think I won''t be able to find out if you don''t tell me? It''ll just take me some more time!"


    With that, he casually sliced off a piece of flesh from Sun Zian''s arm with the knife.


    "Ah! I''ll tell! I''ll tell!"


    Sun Zian looked at the kitchen knife in Lu Li''s hand and immediately begged for mercy frantically.


    "Speak up. My patience is limited."


    "It''s Yu Xiaocheng and Kang Fu. They... they were with me that day..."


    Sun Zian lay on the ground, speaking intermittently. I don''t know if he was deliberately stalling for time, but it took him a full quarter of an hour to finish speaking. However, to his disappointment, no one came to check the situation until he finished.


    This couldn''t really be blamed on anyone else; it was just that Sun Zi''an had chosen an extremely secluded place to live.


    After listening, Lu Li finally understood the whole story. He didn''t expect that Sun Zian had killed Yu Xiaocheng and Kang Fu in order to keep the matter from getting out.


    He handed the kitchen knife to Chen Zhong.


    Chen Zhong directly raised the knife and chopped off Sun Zian''s head with one stroke.


    Only at this moment did the hatred that had been suppressed in their hearts for a long time be released. Lu Li crouched down and felt around on Sun Zian''s body, taking out a small golden bag.


    This thing was called a storage bag. Although it wasn''t extremely rare in the Qingyang Sect, not everyone had one. If you wanted to exchange it with contributions, a primary storage bag would cost a thousand contributions.


    He opened it and found that there were a bunch of contribution cards inside, adding up to three thousand contributions in total, as well as a primary spell book called "Fireball Technique".


    Lu Li directly dripped his blood on the storage bag to claim it as his own and put it away. Then he took out a thousand contributions and handed them to Chen Zhong, "You find a chance to exchange for a storage bag. There''s also a ''Fireball Technique'' in it. I''ll give it to you when you reach the second level of Qi Refining."


    "Okay." Chen Zhong put the contribution cards into his arms and then looked at Sun Zian''s corpse. "What should we do with this bastard?"


    Lu Li thought for a moment and said, "Throw it into the Bishui River."


    So the two of them took advantage of the night and threw Sun Zian''s body into the Bishui River.


    Lu Li knew that this matter couldn''t be concealed completely. As long as others didn''t guess that they had done it, it would be okay. After returning to their own courtyard, Lu Li earnestly instructed Chen Zhong again before going back to his room.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Taking this opportunity, he also prepared to learn the "Fireball Technique".


    Although the "Fireball Technique" was just a primary spell, it was still quite good for Lu Li at present.


    Before he knew it, the whole night had passed.


    Dang! Dang! Dang...


    In the early morning, the assembly sound rang out again on the square of the Servant Hall.


    Today was the first day of the fourth lunar month, and it was time to start distributing tasks for another month.


    Lu Li tidied up his clothes, walked out of the room, and went to the square with Chen Zhong.


    On the stone steps in front of the Servant Hall, Wen Hong casually scanned the crowd as if waiting for something. But after waiting for a long time, he didn''t see Sun Zian''s figure and couldn''t help cursing, "He''s getting more and more outrageous."


    Then he personally took over and started registering.


    He knew those people like Sun Zian. When distributing tasks, he naturally still gave them tasks that were easy but with high contributions. Because even when Sun Zian was in charge before, most of the share taken as commission still went into his pocket.


    Chen Zhong still chose the task of chopping firewood. This task might be difficult for others to complete, but for Chen Zhong now, it was as easy as pie. He could finish a month''s work in three days and could also comfortably cultivate while getting high contributions.


    Lu Li didn''t go to queue because he was waiting for someone.


    After everyone received their tasks and left, Chen Zhong chatted with Lu Li for a few words and then went back to the small courtyard. Only Lu Li and Wen Hong were left on the square.


    Wen Hong walked up and instructed, "Kid, remember what I told you. Serve the Grand Elder well. Maybe you''ll soar to great heights in the future, and I''ll have to call you Senior Brother then."


    Lu Li looked at Wen Hong in surprise and said directly, "I wouldn''t dare."


    Wen Hong sneered, "You''re as timid as a woman. I''m telling you, a man should dare to think and act. Being timid won''t get you anywhere. Look at me. Why am I so blatantly showing favoritism? Isn''t it just to go further?"


    Then, as if he thought of something, his eyes rolled and he said, "That Sun Zian is getting more and more out of hand. I''m thinking of giving you a helping hand. What do you think?"


    "Give me a helping hand?" Lu Li was a bit surprised. He had always thought that Sun Zian and Wen Hong should be on very close terms. Now it seemed that Wen Hong just regarded Sun Zian as a tool to be used.


    "Yes, give you a helping hand. Follow me, and you don''t have to work. You just need to find obedient servants for me every month. I can give you thirty percent of the contributions I draw. Don''t be afraid to tell you that I only gave Sun Zian twenty percent. He could get several hundred contributions for free every month."


    Get several hundred contributions for free without doing anything?


    Lu Li was a bit tempted when he heard this, but the reputation of being a "lackey" was a bit unpleasant.


    After thinking for a while, he said, "How about after I come back from Tianjue Peak?"


    "Of course, I''m just telling you in advance." Wen Hong patted Lu Li on the shoulder and looked at the figure speeding over from the sky. "The Grand Elder is here. Behave yourself."


    Lu Li looked up and indeed saw a mass of cyan shadow speeding over from the sky. When it got closer, Lu Li realized that it was actually a cyan lotus platform, and on the lotus platform stood an old Taoist with a round face and long beard. Presumably, this was the Grand Elder Xiao Jue.


    Xiao Jue landed two feet above the ground but did not come down. He glanced at Wen Hong and asked, "Is this the guy?"


    Wen Hong quickly replied respectfully, "Yes, yes, it''s this guy."


    Xiao Jue glared at Lu Li and shouted, "Come up!"


    Lu Li was extremely unhappy in his heart, but he didn''t dare to lose his temper. He lowered his head and stepped up.


    "Stand firm. I won''t be responsible if you fall!" Xiao Jue suddenly exerted force, and the lotus platform immediately shot towards the sky like a meteor.


    Caught off guard, Lu Li directly sat down on the lotus platform. In an instant, his face turned a shade paler, and his hands tightly grasped the lotus petals on the side.


    Only then did Lu Li find that this lotus platform wasn''t a real lotus pod. Instead, it felt a bit like metal when touched.


    "Really useless!"


    Seeing Lu Li''s embarrassment, Xiao Jue gently lifted Lu Li up with one hand and said, "Without this bit of courage, what''s the point of cultivating immortality!"


    This old guy is really crazy.


    If possible, Lu Li really wanted to kick this old man off from behind.


    Xiao Jue naturally didn''t know what Lu Li was thinking. He sneered at Lu Li, then with a flash of his hand seal, the lotus platform suddenly shone brightly with spiritual light and flew out with a whoosh, carrying the two of them, leaving Wen Hong looking on enviously, thinking to himself that it would be great if he were as powerful as the Grand Elder...

 Chapter 23 Thoughts

    The lotus platform was moving very fast, constantly shuttling among the peaks. Even so, it took a full half-quarter of an hour before it stopped on the waist of a giant peak surrounded by clouds and mist.


    The place where it landed was a small square. Although it was called a small square, it was still about a hundred zhang (a unit of length in ancient China, approximately 333 meters) in circumference.


    At the end of the square, there was a row of cave dwellings that looked like cave-houses. The middle one was the most conspicuous, with a cave entrance three zhang wide. The flower beds in front of the cave entrance were filled with all kinds of flowers and plants, and there were also several banana trees.


    However, one of the slightly larger banana trees had been broken for some reason.


    "Kid, let me tell you something." After landing, Xiao Jue pointed to the slightly smaller cave entrance on the leftmost side of the row of cave dwellings in front and said solemnly, "You''ll live in there from now on. Don''t run around randomly without my orders."


    "Next to you is the place where I refine pills. There''s a bell in your cave. When I pull the bell, you must come out immediately. Let me make it clear in advance that if you''re even a bit late, I won''t forgive you lightly."


    "Yes, Elder." Lu Li replied respectfully.


    Although he felt that Xiao Jue''s words were a bit harsh and unfeeling, his purpose of coming here was to "steal and learn pill refining", so he didn''t take it to heart. All he hoped now was that when the old man refined pills, he could teach him a few things by the way.


    Seeing that Lu Li''s attitude was okay, Xiao Jue softened his tone and said, "I blew up the pill furnace while refining pills just now, so I was a bit irritable when speaking. You go and have a rest first. I''ll call you if there''s anything."


    So that''s why.


    Lu Li immediately understood when he heard this and thought to himself that it was no wonder he seemed so angry. He cupped his hands in salute and walked a few steps before turning back and asking, "Elder, excuse me. Do I have to stay in the room all the time?"


    This kind of cave looked a bit stuffy. Although he used to stay in the Time Hall to cultivate often before, he would come out to the courtyard to get some fresh air almost every day.


    Xiao Jue thought for a moment and said, "You can sit at the entrance, but you definitely can''t go too far away because I might start refining pills at any time."


    "Understood."


    Hearing that he could go out to get some fresh air, Lu Li breathed a slight sigh of relief. After saluting, he walked towards the stone cave.


    When he entered the stone cave, Lu Li found that it wasn''t as small as he had imagined. However, the decoration was relatively simple. There were several stone stools around a stone table, a stone bed, and a small compartment, and that was all there was to the stone cave.


    Lu Li pushed open the small compartment and saw that it was a toilet.


    Lu Li didn''t complain. He sat cross-legged on the bed and entered the Time Hall, and then started another round of practicing the Fireball Technique.


    Later in the day, Lu Li suddenly felt hungry and then remembered that he had forgotten to ask where he could get something to eat. So he left the cave dwelling and wanted to ask Xiao Jue about it.


    He came to the door of the largest cave dwelling in the middle and knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.


    So he walked towards the cave dwellings on the east side. When he reached the last cave dwelling, Lu Li saw that there was a character "Food" hanging on the door, and the door was open. After a slight pause, he walked in.


    Inside, there was a fat man with a bulky figure who limped when he walked. The fat man had a floral apron tied around his waist and was busy doing something beside the stove at that moment.


    "Who are you?" Seeing Lu Li come in, the fat man held a water ladle in one hand and looked at Lu Li in confusion and asked.


    "I''m the new medicine boy. I''m a bit hungry, so..."


    "Oh, so you''re the medicine boy." The fat man pointed to the small steaming steamer. "Eat a few of these freshly steamed dumplings first. The stir-fried dishes will be ready later."


    "Thank you." Lu Li thanked him and then went to get the dumplings by himself.


    "You''re quite brave. You dare to take on the job of a medicine boy." The fat man said while he was busy.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere."Why?" Lu Li was sitting in the corner eating dumplings and asked in confusion when he heard this. He thought to himself that Wen Hong had said that this Grand Elder was not easy to serve, but at worst, he would just get beaten up. It wasn''t that serious to say he was brave.


    Regarding getting beaten up, Lu Li had already prepared himself mentally before coming here. He was tough and could usually withstand ordinary slaps.


    Moreover, in the Qingyang Sect, a job that could earn three thousand contributions a month was already the best. Not to mention the servants, even the formal disciples who went out to do tasks, a task that could earn three thousand contributions at a time was definitely extremely dangerous, like licking blood from the edge of a knife.


    The fat man shook his head and sighed. "It seems you don''t know much about this place. I''ll just tell you to be careful when you meet Deng Qingsheng."


    After saying that, he didn''t pay any more attention to Lu Li and started to be busy on his own.


    Lu Li wanted to ask who this Deng Qingsheng was, but seeing that the other party didn''t seem to want to explain, he didn''t bother himself.


    After eating three steamers of dumplings, Lu Li was finally full. Regardless of whether the other party paid attention to him or not, he politely thanked him and then left the cafeteria.


    Seeing that Lu Li was so polite, the fat man sighed again.


    When he came outside, Lu Li was just about to go back to his room when he saw Xiao Jue hurriedly walking towards him from a small path on the west side. He quickly stood aside and saluted respectfully.


    Xiao Jue frowned. "Where have you been?"


    "Eating dumplings." Lu Li said with his head down.


    Xiao Jue seemed to remember then that Lu Li was a servant and hadn''t reached the stage of being able to go without food yet. Without warning, he released his spiritual sense to probe. Then he showed a look of surprise and doubt. "Sixteen years old, at the consummation of the first level of Qi Refining. When did you enter the sect?"


    "Reporting to the Elder, it will be three years soon."


    "From the last session?" Xiao Jue was even more shocked. "You''re quite good, kid. You''ve reached the consummation of the first level in three years."


    The consummation of the first level?


    Lu Li thought to himself that wasn''t he at the second level?


    After thinking for a while, he suddenly realized that although he could release his true qi now, he really couldn''t be considered at the second level yet. Because his second qi meridian had just manifested, and he hadn''t even broken through the first acupoint yet, so naturally, he couldn''t be considered to have entered the second level.


    Hearing this, he just said, "Your disciple has just been a bit more diligent in cultivation."


    "Diligence is good." Xiao Jue nodded approvingly. "Hard work can make up for clumsiness. It''s not impossible for a person with five spiritual roots to reach a high level of Qi Refining. Go back and have a good rest. I''ll need your help when I refine pills tomorrow."


    "Yes, Elder."


    Lu Li continued walking and shook his head. Judging from the other party''s tone, it wasn''t that easy for even someone with five spiritual roots to reach a high level of Qi Refining. As for himself with nine spiritual roots, well, he didn''t know what to say.


    "It seems I have to find a way to collect the materials for the Piercing Acupoint Pill."


    "This time being able to observe the Elder refining pills can be considered an opportunity. If I can get some guidance from him, that would be even better."


    Lu Li made up his mind that he must perform well and steal some pill-refining skills from Xiao Jue so that he wouldn''t be in a rush when he refined the Piercing Acupoint Pill in the future.


    In the Time Hall.


    Lu Li stretched out his hand, and a ball of red fireball slightly larger than a fist immediately appeared in his palm. Although it was a bit unstable, the temperature was not low. The air around the fireball made a sizzling sound, but Lu Li himself didn''t feel the heat.


    He swung the fireball and threw it forward. In an instant, it flew out quickly and crashed into the wall of the hall with a bang.


    The fireball shattered into pieces.


    "Is this considered getting started?"


    Lu Li''s face showed a slight hint of joy. After practicing in the Time Hall for so many days, he could now summon a fireball at will. Moreover, as he continued to practice, each summoned fireball became a bit more solid and its temperature also increased.


    He released his spiritual sense to sense the outside world and found that it was already getting light. With the thought of leaving a good impression on Xiao Jue, Lu Li got up directly and walked out of the room.


    When he walked outside and saw that the cafeteria was lit up, after a slight hesitation, Lu Li walked towards the cafeteria...

 Chapter 24 Jealousy

    "Senior Brother, good morning."


    As soon as Lu Li arrived at the cafeteria, he saw the fat figure with a limp busily bustling around. From time to time, he raised his arm to wipe the beads of sweat on his forehead, looking rather exhausted.


    Hearing the voice, the fat man turned his head and took a glance. When he realized it was Lu Li, he smiled and said, "Morning." Then he got back to his work, saying as he did so, "The steamed buns are in the steamer, the porridge is in the pot, and the pickled vegetables are over there... Help yourself."


    "Okay."


    Lu Li nodded, took three steamers of small steamed buns, a bowl of porridge, and a plate of pickled vegetables, and started eating on his own. It had to be admitted that the small steamed buns were really delicious. They were filled with minced meat and leeks, and the meat was obviously fried beforehand, so they weren''t greasy at all.


    After taking a few bites, Lu Li casually asked, "Senior Brother, there don''t seem to be any other people on this mountain. Can you finish making so much food?"


    "You don''t know. Besides the Grand Elder, there''s another senior brother on this mountain. The Grand Elder seldom comes to eat, but that senior brother is extremely picky about food. If I prepare a few more dishes, he can choose whatever he likes, and then I won''t get punished."


    "Senior Brother?"


    "That''s Senior Brother Deng Qingsheng I mentioned yesterday. He''s a registered disciple of the Grand Elder." Saying this, the fat man sighed and shook his head, not continuing.


    Lu Li didn''t ask any more questions. After quickly finishing his meal, he went to the door of the alchemy room and waited quietly.


    After waiting for nearly half an hour, Xiao Jue walked slowly over with a tall and thin young man in green clothes. Xiao Jue was in front, and the young man in green clothes was behind. They both looked rather extraordinary.


    Seeing that Lu Li was actually waiting there in advance, Xiao Jue couldn''t help nodding and said, "Good awareness."


    As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Li clearly saw the young man behind him frown slightly. But Lu Li pretended not to notice and said respectfully, "This is what I should do, Master."


    "Disciple? What disciple?" The young man in green clothes immediately scolded, "You''re just a servant. How dare you presumptuously call yourself a disciple? Remember, in front of Master, you can only call yourself a subordinate!"


    "Master?"


    So this was Deng Qingsheng.


    Lu Li frowned slightly but didn''t argue back. He lowered his head and said, "Yes."


    Xiao Jue turned around and took a look at Deng Qingsheng, shook his head without saying a word, then took out a token and pressed it against the door. After a stream of light flashed, the door of the alchemy room rumbled and opened.


    Only then did Lu Li realize that the door was actually a huge stone that was a foot thick.


    The alchemy room was even wider than the cave dwelling where Lu Li lived. In the middle, there was a one-foot-high alchemy platform. On top of the alchemy platform was a bronze tripod-shaped alchemy furnace, and in front of the alchemy platform was a knob mechanism.


    There were many shelves around the alchemy room, on which some jade bottles were placed. On the shelves in the east, there were quite a number of books.


    After the two of them went in, Lu Li walked in with his head down.


    "Kid, I suppose you''ve never been involved in alchemy before. Today, I brought Qingsheng here. First, to let him get familiar with alchemy too, and second, to demonstrate to you so that you understand what you should do when I refine pills in the future." Xiao Jue turned around and said to Lu Li.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Yes, Master."


    Xiao Jue nodded and then gave Deng Qingsheng a look. Deng Qingsheng immediately walked back to the door and pressed a mechanism. The heavy stone door immediately rumbled and closed.


    Just when Lu Li thought the room would become pitch-dark, several white lights suddenly shot out from the ceiling. It turned out that there were air vents and skylights on it.


    It was just that they were blocked when the stone door was open.


    Then Xiao Jue stretched out his hand as if by magic and took out a large pile of medicinal herbs and put them in the jade basin on the alchemy platform. Then he sat directly on the futon in front of the alchemy platform and gently turned the knob.


    As the knob turned, a flash of fire suddenly appeared under the alchemy furnace, and the temperature in the room immediately rose.


    It was really amazing.


    It was the first time Lu Li had seen alchemy, and he wondered how there could be such a big fire underground.


    "Get out of the way!"


    Just as Lu Li was thinking, Deng Qingsheng suddenly pushed Lu Li, almost making him fall to the ground. Lu Li immediately felt angry in his heart. After steadying himself, he glared at Deng Qingsheng angrily.


    "What? Do you want to be beaten?" Deng Qingsheng raised his eyebrows and looked at Lu Li with contempt.


    Lu Li''s performance in front of Xiao Jue just now made him very unhappy. In his opinion, as a servant, one should have the awareness of a servant. To actually dream of climbing up the big tree that was Master was simply unforgivable.


    "Enough! You''re at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Why bother with him? Sort out the medicinal herbs." Xiao Jue suddenly said indifferently.


    "Yes, Master." Deng Qingsheng glared at Lu Li fiercely and then squatted beside the jade basin in front of Lu Li and started sorting out the medicinal herbs.


    So he was at the fourth level of Qi Refining.


    Lu Li calmed down his mood and looked at Deng Qingsheng''s back indifferently, not knowing what he was thinking.


    "This step is called heating the furnace. When heating the furnace, the temperature shouldn''t be too high, otherwise it will have an indelible impact on the first medicinal herb..." Xiao Jue suddenly spoke. It wasn''t clear whether he was speaking to Deng Qingsheng or Lu Li.


    "Yes, Master." Deng Qingsheng said as he sorted out the medicinal herbs.


    Lu Li was about to speak but closed his mouth when he heard this. He showed a self-mocking smile. He was just a servant. How could the other party give him guidance? However, he still carefully remembered what Xiao Jue said.


    Even if you don''t give me guidance, it''s not illegal for me to secretly remember it by myself, right?


    "One Black Pearl Grass." Xiao Jue spoke again.


    "Yes." Hearing this, Deng Qingsheng hurriedly took out a pitch-black spiritual herb from the jade basin, opened the lid of the furnace, and threw it in.


    So this was called Black Pearl Grass.


    Lu Li saw it clearly and secretly remembered it.


    After the medicinal herbs were put into the furnace, Xiao Jue controlled the switch of the underground fire again, and the fire suddenly grew larger. When Lu Li looked over, he found that Xiao Jue was actually operating with his eyes closed. He couldn''t help but feel very curious. How did he know the size of the fire without looking?


    Moreover, upon closer inspection, Xiao Jue''s hand that controlled the switch of the underground fire was always shaking slightly, and the flame under the alchemy furnace also changed slightly. If one didn''t look carefully, it was impossible to notice.


    Lu Li wanted to ask but didn''t dare to open his mouth.


    Suddenly, Lu Li noticed that Xiao Jue''s face twitched slightly.


    It turned out that a few drops of sweat had flowed to the corners of the other''s eyes. With a thought in his mind, Lu Li looked around and saw a towel on the shelf behind him. So he carefully took it down and then controlled his steps and slowly walked over to wipe Xiao Jue''s sweat.


    This kid has good judgment.


    Although Xiao Jue didn''t open his eyes, he also knew it was Lu Li who did it.


    Damn it! This bootlicker!


    Deng Qingsheng was so angry that his body trembled. He wanted to scold but swallowed the words when they reached his mouth.


    Lu Li saw it but still pretended not to notice. As long as he could learn what he wanted, it wouldn''t matter if he had to wipe the other''s shoes, let alone just wipe sweat. As for this Deng Qingsheng, he was probably jealous because of Xiao Jue''s attitude towards him.


    "Controlling the fire can''t be rushed. One has to be familiar with the properties of medicinal herbs. Different medicinal herbs require different levels of fire. A little too much or a little too little will affect the quality of the pills formed. What we can do is to improve our familiarity with various medicinal herbs through continuous refining and countless experiments..."


    "Also, when controlling the fire, we can''t use our eyes to look at the size of the flame. We need to sink our spiritual sense into the furnace, constantly observe the melting degree of the medicinal herbs, and control the fire according to the melting degree of the medicinal herbs. That''s the best way..."


    "It''s rumored that an outstanding alchemist can tell what level of fire to use and how long it takes to melt the medicinal herbs just by getting a kind of medicinal herb... That''s our ultimate goal."


    "..."


    Lu Li held his breath and listened to Xiao Jue''s intermittent narration, afraid of missing a single word.

 Chapter 25 remember

    By now, he finally understood that the reason why the other party closed his eyes wasn''t that he didn''t look at all, but that he was using his spiritual sense to sense the medicinal herbs in the alchemy furnace.


    Thinking of this, he also activated his spiritual sense and secretly observed the medicinal herbs in the alchemy furnace.


    At the same time, some doubts arose in his mind.


    Wasn''t it said that spiritual sense couldn''t penetrate solid objects? Then why could it penetrate this alchemy furnace? Or was it that the alchemy furnace, like the storage bag, had special restrictions?


    In fact, Lu Li''s guess was pretty close to the truth. The alchemy furnace, just like the storage bag, had restrictions set up when it was made that specifically allowed people''s spiritual sense to probe it for the convenience of controlling the fire.


    Moreover, alchemy furnaces were also divided into different ranks. The higher the rank of the alchemy furnace, the more evenly the temperature was distributed inside it, and the more various restrictions it had, making it easier to form pills.


    At this moment, the Black Pearl Grass in the alchemy furnace was constantly changing and shrinking, and drops of light black medicinal essence were slowly oozing out from its surface.


    After about a quarter of an hour, the extraction of the Black Pearl Grass was completed, and a drop of essence the size of a grain of rice lay quietly at the bottom of the alchemy furnace.


    "One Jade Red Grass."


    Xiao Jue let out a slight sigh of relief and said faintly.


    "Yes."


    Deng Qingsheng quickly took out a palm-sized emerald red spiritual herb from the jade basin, opened the lid of the furnace, and was just about to throw it in when he suddenly felt a burning pain in his hand. In a panic, he dropped the lid of the furnace to the ground.


    At the same time, he threw the Jade Red Grass into the furnace.


    Sizzle...


    Instantly, the color of the essence of the Black Pearl Grass, which had already been extracted, became a shade lighter.


    "Damn it!" Xiao Jue sprang to his feet and scolded harshly, "How many times have I told you? Don''t you know how hot this furnace is?"


    "I... I forgot..." Deng Qingsheng lowered his head and didn''t dare to look at Xiao Jue.


    "Forgot? I think you didn''t take my words to heart at all. Or is it that I''ve been too kind to you, making you a bit too conceited?"


    "Your disciple knows his mistake." Deng Qingsheng knelt down with a thud.


    "Go back to the back mountain and go into seclusion for half a year. Temper that bad temper of yours. Don''t think you''re so great just because you have three spiritual roots. If you haven''t changed after half a year, don''t stay on Tianjue Peak anymore. I don''t want a disciple like you."


    "Master!"


    "Hmm?" Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows.


    "Yes." Deng Qingsheng stood up with a dejected look. When passing by Lu Li, he gave him a fierce glare, opened the mechanism, and walked out without looking back.


    Xiao Jue shook his head, turned off the underground fire, took a look at the dozens of remaining spiritual herbs in the basin, waved his hand to put them away, thought for a moment, took a book from the bookshelf beside him, and handed it to Lu Li, saying,


    "This ''Spiritual Herb Treasury'' was brought back by the founder of our Qingyang Sect from the upper sect. It records many spiritual herbs and is very precious. I don''t ask you to remember the properties of all kinds of medicinal herbs, but you must remember the names and appearances of the first fifty kinds of medicinal herbs within seven days. I will bring medicinal herbs to test you in seven days."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "If you can answer correctly, you can continue to stay. If you can''t answer, then you can go back to the Servant Hall. And don''t even think about getting the contributions."


    Hearing this, Lu Li''s face immediately showed joy. He quickly took the "Spiritual Herb Treasury". Compared with the contributions, this was the real treasure. He didn''t make any guarantees but just said that he would do his best.


    Xiao Jue was in a bad mood and didn''t bother to say more nonsense to Lu Li. He directly drove him out.


    After coming out of the alchemy room, the oppressive atmosphere disappeared immediately. Lu Li took a deep breath and went back to his own cave dwelling with the "Spiritual Herb Treasury" in his arms.


    Whether others could remember the names and appearances of fifty kinds of spiritual herbs within seven days, he didn''t know. But he had the Time Hall. Seven days for him was equivalent to seventy days. If he couldn''t remember them even with this advantage, he might as well just bang his head against the wall.


    Moreover, Lu Li had liked reading books since he was a child. Although he couldn''t remember everything he read at a glance, his memory was quite good.


    Furthermore, since he opened up his first qi meridian, his ears and eyes had been improved again. He believed that it would be easier for him to memorize books.


    In the Time Hall.


    Lu Li couldn''t wait to open the "Spiritual Herb Treasury". When he opened it, he was even more delighted. There were not only illustrations in it but also descriptions of the growth environment and properties of the medicinal herbs below.


    The so-called properties referred to the common effects of the medicinal herbs and which other medicinal herbs they conflicted with.


    Stone Orchid Grass, it takes a hundred years to reach the first rank and can grow up to the third rank at most. It prefers shade and fears sunlight. It often grows under stone crevices and is commonly used in refining the first-rank Mighty Strength Pill...


    Fire Yang Spirit Leaf, it takes three hundred years to reach the first rank and can grow up to the third rank at most. It prefers sunlight and dislikes shade...


    Thorn Algae, it takes a hundred years to reach the first rank and can grow up to the second rank at most. It suits both yin and yang and is amphibious. It is often used to neutralize the properties of medicinal herbs...


    ...


    The more Lu Li read, the more interested he became. After quickly flipping through a few pages, he turned back and started studying from the first page. He not only wanted to remember the names and appearances of the medicinal herbs but also planned to remember all the annotations.


    This book was really precious. He was worried that if he missed it, he would never come across it again.


    In the evening, Lu Li went out to have something to eat. Just as he was about to leave, the fat cripple in the kitchen suddenly said, "Junior Brother, that Deng Qingsheng came here angrily today and took a big bag of dry food. He was cursing and swearing. He looked extremely angry. You should be careful and find a chance to go back to the Servant Hall."


    Deng Qingsheng.


    Lu Li turned around, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother. I''ll be careful."


    He naturally knew why Deng Qingsheng was angry. However, since the other party was punished to go into seclusion for half a year, he wasn''t ready to leave just like that.


    "I hope you won''t end up like me." Staring at Lu Li''s departing back, the fat cripple sighed, sat down at the table, lifted up his trouser leg, and stared at his right foot with a look of helplessness.


    It turned out that his right foot from below the knee was actually a wooden prosthetic limb.


    After returning to his room, Lu Li immersed himself in studying the "Spiritual Herb Treasury" again.


    Suddenly, Lu Li''s body trembled. On the twentieth page, he saw something very similar, which looked like a strawberry, bright red all over and surrounded by a faint flame aura.


    He quickly took out the prescription for the Piercing Acupoint Pill and compared them. To his surprise, they were ninety percent similar.


    Scarlet Flame Fruit, it takes a hundred years to reach the first rank and can grow up to the third rank at most. It belongs to the yang attribute and only grows in magma fire veins...


    "So, your name is Scarlet Flame Fruit."


    Lu Li firmly remembered this name in his heart. In this way, he had completely mastered the four kinds of medicinal herbs for the Piercing Acupoint Pill. As soon as he had some means to protect his life, he would leave the Qingyang Sect and go to look for these spiritual herbs.


    That Deng Qingsheng didn''t seem to be much older than him. What did he rely on to order him around? Wasn''t it the cultivation level corresponding to his age? If he was strong enough himself, why would he need to be so subservient?


    If he was strong enough, how dare Deng Qingsheng talk to him like that!


    After remembering the Scarlet Flame Fruit, Lu Li continued to turn the pages.


    Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, six days had passed since the last time they refined pills.


    On the seventh day, Lu Li put away the "Spiritual Herb Treasury" after just reading it for half a day because up to now, he had already remembered all 6,301 kinds of spiritual herbs recorded in this book.


    Including their properties and growth environments.


    It took him more than two months in the Time Hall. This speed wasn''t very fast, but Lu Li was already quite satisfied.


    He wasn''t a genius and didn''t have the ability to remember everything at a glance. He just read a bit more.


    Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!


    Lu Li was just about to go out to relax when the bell on the roof suddenly rang. It seemed that Elder Xiao was looking for him.

 Chapter 26 More Rewards

    Lu Li didn''t dare to delay. He quickly left his cave dwelling and stopped to take a look. Only then did he find that the door of the adjacent alchemy room was already open. He immediately tidied up his clothes and walked in.


    "Close the door." Xiao Jue said while cleaning the alchemy furnace when he saw Lu Li coming in.


    Lu Li took a look at the mechanism button beside the door and tentatively pressed it. After a crisp click, the door began to slide down slowly.


    "How''s your memorization of the medicinal herbs I asked you to remember?" Xiao Jue asked casually, without showing any emotion on his face.


    Lu Li quickly took out the "Spiritual Herb Treasury" from his arms and handed it over. "Reporting to the Elder, I''ve already memorized it all."


    "Already memorized it all?" Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows, took the "Spiritual Herb Treasury", and casually summoned a plant with eight long leaves, which was dark blue all over but had red roots. "What''s this?"


    Seeing this, Lu Li''s pupils immediately contracted, and his breathing became a bit rapid. This... This was the Thunderfire Orchid used for refining the Piercing Acupoint Pill!


    Seeing Lu Li''s expression, Xiao Jue thought that Lu Li was nervous because he hadn''t memorized the book well, and his face turned cold. "Speak!"


    Only then did Lu Li react. "It''s the Thunderfire Orchid. It takes a hundred years to reach the first rank and can grow up to the second rank at most. It prefers sunlight and dislikes shade. It grows in open areas. No other spiritual herbs can survive within ten zhang around where the Thunderfire Orchid grows..."


    "You''ve even memorized the properties and growth environment?" Xiao Jue couldn''t help showing a surprised look on his face when he heard this.


    Then he took out another spiritual herb that was similar in shape to the previous one but bright red all over. "What about this one?"


    "Blood Crystal Grass. It takes a hundred years to reach the first rank and can only reach the first rank at most. It suits both yin and yang and grows in places with rich spiritual energy..."


    Hearing this, Xiao Jue was even more astonished.


    He took out several more spiritual herbs and asked Lu Li to answer. Lu Li had no difficulty at all. The moment the spiritual herbs appeared, he immediately gave the answers. By the end, Xiao Jue was completely dumbfounded.


    He still couldn''t believe that there was someone in the world who could memorize the entire "Spiritual Herb Treasury" within seven days.


    After all, there were more than six thousand kinds of spiritual herbs recorded in it.


    So he directly opened the "Spiritual Herb Treasury" to a place closer to the back, found a spiritual herb that he himself had never seen before, and said, "Tell me the annotation of the Soul Infant Fruit."


    "Soul Infant Fruit."


    After thinking for a moment, an image of a gray fruit that looked like a baby suddenly appeared in Lu Li''s mind, and he said, "The Soul Infant Fruit starts at the fourth rank, and its rank increases by one every thousand years. It belongs to the yin attribute and fears the yang attribute. It mostly grows in the places where the powerful beings in ancient battlefields were buried. It''s a peerless spiritual herb for enhancing the strength of the divine soul..."


    "You... You!" Xiao Jue widened his eyes. After comparing, he found that Lu Li''s words were exactly the same as those in the book. For a moment, he was so shocked that he couldn''t say a word.


    After taking a deep breath, he sighed with emotion all over his face, "I have to say, your memory is terrifying. I felt dizzy and couldn''t read on after just looking at the first thousand kinds of medicinal herbs in this ''Spiritual Herb Treasury''. I didn''t expect that you..."


    Lu Li naturally wouldn''t tell him that he had read it for more than two months. He said respectfully, "Your disciple has just been a bit more diligent."


    "Diligent? Are you implying that I''m not diligent enough?"


    "Ah?" Lu Li was stunned and didn''t know how to answer.


    "Just kidding with you. Look how scared you are. Alright, since you''ve already memorized it, I won''t make things difficult for you anymore. From now on, just work hard here. I won''t treat you unfairly."This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    After saying that, he asked Lu Li to start sorting out the medicinal herbs.


    After sorting them out, Xiao Jue started refining pills again. Lu Li quietly waited for his instructions. When he saw that Xiao Jue was sweating on his forehead, he carefully walked over to wipe his sweat and then went back to his original position to continue waiting.


    "This kid."


    Xiao Jue thought he had a thick skin, but he didn''t expect that this kid had an even thicker skin. Feeling soft-hearted, he said a few more words about alchemy knowledge while refining pills.


    Lu Li was extremely happy and secretly remembered what the other party said in his heart.


    After refining one spiritual herb, Xiao Jue asked Lu Li to put in the second one. Lu Li remembered that Deng Qingsheng was scolded last time, so of course he wouldn''t use his hand to open the lid of the furnace. With a turn of his eyes, he found a special rag on the alchemy platform before Xiao Jue could say anything.


    He used the rag to lift the lid of the furnace a little, quickly threw the spiritual herb in, and immediately covered it back. According to Xiao Jue''s instructions, the liquid medicine in the alchemy furnace was extremely sensitive to temperature changes after being refined, so it was necessary to minimize the temperature changes as much as possible.


    In fact, Lu Li had tempered his body, and the temperature of the furnace lid couldn''t do anything to him. He did this just because he didn''t want Xiao Jue to scold him for being forgetful.


    Xiao Jue nodded approvingly when he saw this.


    The two of them were busy in the alchemy room, while Deng Qingsheng in a cave dwelling on the cliff in the back mountain of Tianjue Peak was so angry that he punched the rock wall. Considering that he was a genius with three spiritual roots and had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining only six years after entering the sect, he couldn''t believe that he was so ignored.


    "It''s all your fault, all your fault!"


    Deng Qingsheng clenched his fists until they made cracking sounds, and his eyes shot out cold rays. "Just you wait. I definitely won''t let you off easily!"


    Dong! Dong! Dong!


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the cave dwelling.


    "Push it in." Deng Qingsheng''s face was as gloomy as water. He opened a gap and said in a deep voice to the lame fat man outside.


    There was a restriction on this iron door. Once it was closed, only Xiao Jue''s token could open it from the outside. After he came in, he could only obediently wait for Xiao Jue to come and let him out six months later. However, Xiao Jue wouldn''t let him starve, and he would ask Min He to bring him meals every day.


    Min He was the lame fat man in the cafeteria.


    Hearing this, Min He slid the tray through the gap in the door.


    Just as he was about to leave, Deng Qingsheng suddenly stopped him. "Wait, do me a favor, and I''ll give you a reward."


    "I''m very busy recently." Min He said indifferently and turned around to leave directly.


    It was Deng Qingsheng who had broken his leg. If he were strong enough, he would definitely kill this bastard, let alone help him do anything.


    "A bottle of True Qi Condensing Pill!" Deng Qingsheng''s eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he shouted loudly.


    "True Qi Condensing Pill?" Min He stopped and said indifferently, "What''s the matter?"


    As the name suggests, the True Qi Condensing Pill was a pill that could transform spiritual energy into true qi. It could help people quickly refine spiritual energy and was a pill that Qi Refining stage cultivators were eager to get. Even in a place like the Qingyang Sect, an ordinary formal disciple could only get one bottle a month.


    As for the servant disciples, they shouldn''t even think about it.


    If they really wanted it, they had to exchange it with contributions. One pill cost one hundred contributions, and one bottle cost one thousand contributions.


    So when Min He heard the words "True Qi Condensing Pill", he immediately stopped. The spiritual energy on Tianjue Peak was quite rich. If he had the help of the True Qi Condensing Pill, he would surely be able to break through to the third level quickly.


    "Help me kill someone." Deng Qingsheng saw that Min He had stopped and couldn''t help showing a mocking smile, thinking to himself that a dog would always be a dog, only remembering food but not beatings.


    "Impossible!"


    Min He turned around and took a look at Deng Qingsheng. He didn''t think it was a good deal to kill someone just for a bottle of True Qi Condensing Pill.


    "Two bottles. Two bottles should be okay, right?"


    Seeing Min He leaving directly, Deng Qingsheng pounded on the iron door crazily.


    "Three bottles, or no deal!" Min He was ultimately tempted and walked back.


    How dare you haggle with me! Deng Qingsheng hesitated several times, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, three bottles it is!"


    "Who to kill?"


    "That new medicine boy. He''s only at the consummation of the first level. You''re at the early stage of the second level. It''ll be easy for you to kill him."


    "New one?" Min He frowned and immediately knew who the other party wanted to kill. He said indifferently, "He''s my brother. Don''t you think this request is ridiculous?"


    "Brother? Where the hell did you get a brother? Stop talking nonsense. Are you going to do it or not?"


    "More rewards!"


    "Hehe, you... How dare you play with me. Four bottles at most. Take it or leave it!" Min He was directly angered into laughter. With a flash in his eyes, he said, "Bring his head to see me within seven days. Payment upon delivery!"


    That''s what he said, but Deng Qingsheng didn''t intend to give Min He the True Qi Condensing Pills at all. He thought in his heart that once you kill that kid, I''ll expose you. Killing two birds with one stone, wouldn''t that be wonderful.


    "That won''t work. Do you think I''m stupid? What if you renege on your promise?" Who knew that Min He wouldn''t fall for it at all.


    "What do you want?" Deng Qingsheng couldn''t help but look at Min He with new eyes.


    "At least pay two bottles as a deposit first!" Min He stretched out his palm and looked at Deng Qingsheng indifferently. "After it''s done, pay the remaining balance. Payment upon delivery."


    Hearing this, Deng Qingsheng clenched his fists until they made cracking sounds. After hesitating for a long time, he took out two jade bottles and threw them out. "I hope you don''t play tricks on me. Otherwise... You know the consequences."

 Chapter 27 Dogs Head

    At noon five days later.


    Lu Li was about to go out to the medicine garden on the east side of Tianjue Peak to help Xiao Jue collect medicinal herbs when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. He couldn''t help frowning.


    In the past few days, Lu Li had been accompanying Xiao Jue in refining pills. It was only last night that they had to stop because they were short of Black Pearl Grass among the four medicinal herbs needed for refining the True Qi Condensing Pill.


    During this period, seeing that Lu Li had performed well, Xiao Jue even let him have a try at controlling the fire.


    However, after he shook his hand and directly burned the spiritual herbs in the furnace to ashes, Xiao Jue''s face showed a look of pain, and he didn''t let Lu Li refine pills anymore.


    Because of continuous pill refining, Xiao Jue''s spiritual sense had also been severely consumed. So he planned to take a two-day break and told Lu Li to go to the medicine garden on Tianjue Peak to collect ten Black Pearl Grass.


    Lu Li couldn''t wait. Because he had seen the Thunderfire Orchid in Xiao Jue''s hand last time, this time he could just go to the medicine garden to see if there was any Thunderfire Orchid there. If there was, he might have to make some careful plans.


    Opening the door, Lu Li was surprised to find that the person who came was the fat man from the kitchen, carrying several plates of fragrant stir-fried dishes and a pot of wine in his hands.


    This fat man hardly ever went out on weekdays. Why did he come here today?


    "Junior Brother, shall we have a chat?" Min He said with a smile.


    "Senior Brother, please come in." Lu Li stepped aside.


    Entering the room, Min He walked straight to the stone table and sat down. He took out the dishes and wine, poured a bowl of wine for Lu Li after he sat down, didn''t wait for Lu Li to drink it, and drank a bowl by himself. Then he said:


    "Junior Brother, tell me... What are we cultivating for?"


    Lu Li was confused by the other party''s behavior. After thinking for a while, he said, "If it were three years ago, I think my biggest dream was to be able to fly in the sky like what was described in the books."


    "What about now?"


    "Now." Lu Li pondered for a moment and said, "I want to become stronger so that I don''t have to look at other people''s faces."


    "Yes. I thought that after cultivating, I could live freely. But until now, I''ve just found out that even a dog in the secular world lives a more carefree life than us..." Min He said, shaking his head, and then gulped down another bowl of wine directly:


    "So... What exactly are we here for?"


    Lu Li shook his head. "Cultivating is like climbing a mountain. In order to reach the top, sometimes we have to crawl. The crawling road may be long or short. If we persevere, the peak will be right in front of us, and we can overlook all the other mountains. If we can''t hold on, the way back is easy, but if we want to come up again, it will be difficult..."


    "And we are currently in the stage of crawling. We not only have to be careful not to fall because we can''t hold on tightly, but also have to be careful that those in front of us throw stones at us."


    "Sometimes, being a dog is just to prevent those in front of us from hitting us when we''re down. Of course, if we can get help from those in front, that would be a pleasant surprise."


    "We can be a dog, but we can''t be a dog for a lifetime. When you surpass those who once treated you like a dog, you can kick them down the mountain and make them doomed..."


    Having said this, Lu Li didn''t continue. He said so much just because he thought this person had the intention of giving up. Out of the little kindness hidden deep in his heart, he just gave him some advice.


    For Lu Li himself, no one could shake his will to cultivate. In this lifetime, he must stand on the peak in person and take a look at the people crawling below this magnificent land.


    "So, this is what cultivation is all about."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    After hearing this, Min He''s eyes instantly became clear. He stood up and saluted Lu Li heavily. "Junior Brother, I will never forget your kindness. If I can continue on this path, I will definitely repay you."


    Then he put a jade bottle on the table, said, "Open it tomorrow." And then left in a hurry.


    Lu Li frowned and stared at the jade bottle for a while. Just as he was about to speak, Min He had already disappeared.


    He shook his head, put the jade bottle into the Space Hall, and then went out and walked along the path on the west side.


    Lu Li could have such insights actually because of what happened on Qingliang Mountain and the death of Qin Shouren. Everyone in the cultivation world was striving to become stronger for themselves. It was hard to tell right from wrong in this, but there were friends and foes.


    On the other side, after Min He returned to the kitchen, he put on a backpack, picked up another package, and walked along the path on the east side. He still limped when he walked, but his eyes were full of light.


    After a while, Min He came to the cliff in the back mountain again, in front of the cave dwelling where Deng Qingsheng was confined.


    He knocked on the door, shook the package in his hand, and blood was dripping from the bottom of the package. "Senior Brother Deng, here''s what you want."


    Hearing this, Deng Qingsheng inside showed a look of joy on his face. With a clang, he opened the middle of the iron door, revealing a square hole, and couldn''t wait to say, "You''ve killed him. Quick, give it to me!"


    As long as he got the head, it would be regarded as evidence. There were only a few people on Tianjue Peak, and he was locked up here and couldn''t get out at all. By then, as long as he made up an excuse and said that Min He killed Lu Li to deliberately please him, he wouldn''t need to do it himself, and the other party would die.


    It would be killing two birds with one stone. How wonderful.


    Min He looked at Deng Qingsheng indifferently. "Senior Brother Deng, don''t you think something is missing?"


    "Missing what?" Deng Qingsheng was stunned and said in a deep voice, "At least let me take a look first."


    "Of course it''s okay to look."


    Min He slowly opened a corner of the package. The head inside actually looked exactly like Lu Li''s. The head''s eyes were wide open, with a look of horror on its face.


    "Great! Wonderful!" Seeing the head, Deng Qingsheng immediately felt that things were more than half done. He took out two jade bottles and threw them out. "Here you are. Quickly give me his dog''s head. I want to kick it a few times!"


    Min He picked up the jade bottles and took a look. Suddenly, a mocking look appeared on his face. He stuffed the package through the gap. "Senior Brother Deng, you''d better check it carefully. I''m absolutely reliable in doing things!"


    Reliable?


    Deng Qingsheng gave a strange look and thought to himself that you''ll know what reliability means in a while. He couldn''t wait to tear open the package, looked at it again and again, and suddenly pointed at Min He and burst out laughing:


    "Hahaha, you bastard! You actually killed Lu Li to please me. You''re dead! You''re dead! Hahaha..."


    "Really?"


    Unexpectedly, Min He didn''t panic at all. He still stared at Deng Qingsheng mockingly. "Take a look at what''s under the neck."


    "Neck?"


    Deng Qingsheng was stunned. He stared at the break on the neck of the head and then found that there seemed to be a yellow paper in the bloody mess. He pulled it out and his face immediately changed drastically. "Illusion Talisman! Min He, how dare you use the Illusion Talisman to deceive me!"


    The moment Deng Qingsheng pulled out the Illusion Talisman, the ''Lu Li''s head suddenly turned into a dog''s head!


    "Hahahahaha..." Min He laughed wantonly. "Deng Qingsheng, did you really think I would help you kill someone? You''re too self-righteous! Hahahaha... You wanted a dog''s head, right? Just as you wished, hahahaha..."


    "Min He, do you know the consequences of playing tricks on me? Believe it or not, I''ll kill you first when I get out!" Deng Qingsheng gnashed his teeth, and his eyes seemed to be spitting fire. He didn''t expect that this usually submissive and honest fat man would dare to play tricks on him like this.


    "Kill me?" Min He sneered. "That will have to wait until you get out." Having said this, his face suddenly turned cold, and his eyes stared straight at Deng Qingsheng. "Deng Qingsheng, you''d better stay alive. I will take revenge for my broken leg sooner or later!"


    After saying that, he turned around and left without looking back.


    "Damn it, don''t go! Don''t go!" Deng Qingsheng was so angry that he pounded on the door crazily. In a fit of rage, he actually spat out a mouthful of blood.


    Tianjue Peak was very large. At the end of the path on the east side of the small square, there was a mountain depression. The mountain depression was always covered by thick white fog all year round. On the edge of the white fog, one could vaguely see a fence made of brown logs and a thatched pavilion.


    The end of the path was the thatched pavilion. At this time, an old man in gray clothes who was over fifty years old was sitting cross-legged in the thatched pavilion, seemingly cultivating.


    Lu Li walked up to him, took out the restriction token given by Xiao Jue, and said respectfully, "Senior, I''m ordered by the Grand Elder to come and collect medicinal herbs."


    The old man slowly opened his eyes, raised his head and stared at the restriction token in Lu Li''s hand for a while before standing up. His voice was a bit hoarse as he said, "What kind of medicine?"


    "Black Pearl Grass."


    "How many."


    "Ten... "


    "There are fifteen Black Pearl Grass left in the medicine garden. They are one li to the east. Go and get them yourself." As he said this, he spread his palm, and a palm-sized jade plaque suddenly appeared in his hand.


    The jade plaque was light blue, with a cyan metal chain on it.


    The old man beckoned to Lu Li. "Come here."


    Lu Li didn''t know why, but he walked over. Suddenly, the old man waved his hand, and the jade plaque flew towards Lu Li with a whoosh. Before he could react, it had already hung around his neck. Then the chain tightened, almost strangling his neck tightly. Lu Li''s face changed, and he was about to reach out and pull it off immediately.


    "Don''t move!"

 Chapter 28 note

    Just then, the old man said calmly, "This thing won''t harm you. It just prevents you from using the storage space in the medicine garden. Take the medicinal herbs and come out immediately. Register them with me."


    So that''s how it was.


    Only then did Lu Li let go of his hand. After taking a deep breath, he walked towards the small door behind the thatched cottage. According to Xiao Jue''s words, there were restrictions on the surrounding wall. Without his token, one would die upon touching it.


    Even though he had the token with him, Lu Li still tried it carefully several times. Only after confirming that the so-called restriction wouldn''t attack him did he push open the small wooden door.


    After entering the medicine garden, he couldn''t wait to walk to one side and tentatively sank his spiritual consciousness into his storage bag.


    Buzz!


    Instantly, the jade plaque around his neck emitted a faint ripple.


    "Surprisingly, I really can''t use the storage bag." Lu Li''s face looked a bit gloomy. In this way, even if there was really Thunderfire Orchid here, he wouldn''t be able to take it away.


    Lu Li didn''t give up and tried to activate the Three Treasures Glazed Pagoda.


    Instantly, the storage space of the Glazed Pagoda was completely visible.


    "Surprisingly, it works!" Lu Li''s expression brightened. He found that the jade plaque that blocked spiritual consciousness couldn''t stop him from using the pagoda. In this way, couldn''t he do whatever he wanted inside?


    However, Lu Li then restrained his joy. The old man had told the location of the Mysterious Pearl Grass and how many there were at once, which indicated that the other party was extremely familiar with the spirit herbs in this medicine garden.


    Even if he secretly took the spirit herbs out, it would probably be easy for the old man to trace them back to him.


    "Never mind. Let''s gather the herbs first."


    Shaking his head, Lu Li walked towards the east of the medicine garden. The medicine garden looked quite large, but in fact, there weren''t many spirit herbs in it. There was one here and one there, and the distance between each plant and each row was quite far.


    Most of the medicinal herbs here were less than first-order, and some were even just seedlings. Lu Li didn''t see many qualified spirit herbs along the way.


    Come to think of it, first-order spirit herbs were at least a hundred years old. How could there be so many hundred-year-old spirit herbs? Planting the spirit herbs here was probably for the long-term plan of the sect.


    As he walked, he had already arrived at the place where the Mysterious Pearl Grass was planted. After a quick look, there were exactly fifteen first-order Mysterious Pearl Grass plants. He thought to himself that the old man was indeed very familiar with this medicine garden.


    Just when he had pulled out the eighth plant, he suddenly found that a nearby plant had a branch, looking like two plants planted together.


    After taking a closer look, he found that the spiritual patterns on the small branch were only thirty circles, which meant that its age was only thirty years.


    He couldn''t help but have an idea. He directly pulled up both the big and small plants, then looked back before secretly throwing the small one into the Spirit Treasure Hall.


    Then he sank his spiritual consciousness into the Spirit Treasure Hall, dug a small pit, and planted the Mysterious Pearl Grass in it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The moment he planted it, Lu Li clearly felt that the Mysterious Pearl Grass became much greener and full of vitality. Its quality was completely different from that of the Mysterious Pearl Grass planted outside.


    "What a treasured place!"


    Lu Li''s face brightened with joy. After withdrawing from the Spirit Treasure Hall, he picked ten Mysterious Pearl Grass plants. After that, Lu Li didn''t leave the medicine garden immediately. Instead, he wandered around in it. To his disappointment, he didn''t encounter any other branched spirit herbs.


    Moreover, there was no Thunderfire Orchid in this medicine garden.


    After leaving the medicine garden, the old man guarding it counted the number of Mysterious Pearl Grass in Lu Li''s hands. Then he felt around Lu Li''s body, making him feel rather uncomfortable. Only then did he take off the jade plaque around Lu Li''s neck and let him leave.


    As soon as he returned to the square, Lu Li saw Xiao Jue waiting for him. He quickly walked over and saluted, "Senior, were you looking for me?"


    "You don''t have jade utensils to preserve the spirit herbs. I''m worried that the medicinal efficacy will be lost, so I''m waiting here specially for you. Give them to me." Xiao Jue stretched out his hand and said.


    So jade utensils could preserve spirit herbs.


    Lu Li remembered this and handed the Mysterious Pearl Grass to Xiao Jue.


    Xiao Jue counted them and nodded, saying, "I don''t have many medicinal herbs left. I''ll stop refining the Condensing True Pills after one more round of refining. You''ve done well. Tomorrow, accompany me to finish refining, and then stay here to cultivate. You can go back when the one-month period is over."


    "Thank you, senior."


    The spiritual energy on Tianjue Peak was extremely rich. If he could cultivate here, it would surely get twice the result with half the effort. However, the other party obviously didn''t mean to let him live here permanently, so Lu Li didn''t shamelessly beg to stay.


    After all, he was just a handyman disciple. It was normal for the other party to look down on him.


    The next day, Lu Li waited outside the alchemy room as promised. Later in the day, Xiao Jue arrived.


    Without any nonsense, the two of them entered the alchemy room one after another and began the last round of alchemy. Xiao Jue had a good impression of Lu Li and gave him some pointers from time to time while refining. Naturally, Lu Li remembered all of them in his heart.


    This time, Xiao Jue refined faster than before. By the afternoon, he had already finished refining ten sets of Condensing True Pills. After refining, Xiao Jue took out a yellowed pamphlet from his bosom and handed it to Lu Li:


    "Kid, you''re quite shrewd, but unfortunately, you only have five spiritual roots and are destined not to go too far. Alchemy requires extremely high spiritual consciousness. Even if I intended to take you as my disciple, there''s nothing I can do. This ''Alchemy Journal'' was compiled by me when I had nothing to do. It mainly tells some common knowledge about alchemy. For an entry-level apprentice like you, it''s quite helpful. Take it."


    "Many, many thanks, senior." Lu Li''s eyes lit up and he quickly took the pamphlet.


    "Alright, off you go. Counting up, there are still ten days left until the one-month period is over. The spiritual energy on Tianjue Peak is rich. Don''t waste it."


    "Yes." Lu Li saluted again and turned to leave.


    After leaving the room, Lu Li couldn''t help but sigh, "Twenty days have passed just like that. It''s a pity that I''ve only learned some theories. I''m still far behind in actual operation."


    Recalling his gains in these twenty days, Lu Li could only say that he had made great progress in his understanding of medicinal herbs and the basic knowledge of alchemy. As for the actual operation... Since he burned the medicinal herbs to ashes last time, Xiao Jue hadn''t let him control the fire anymore.


    Come to think of it, spirit herbs were so precious. How could he be allowed to waste them?


    After returning to his room, Lu Li directly entered the Time Hall. Time was precious and he didn''t want to waste a single moment.


    He first took out the Alchemy Journal and read it several times. He found that what was written in it was almost the same as what Xiao Jue had said when he was refining alchemy. After roughly memorizing it, Lu Li put the Alchemy Journal away.


    Then he began to cultivate frantically. The spiritual energy here was quite rich, and the speed at which he refined it was far from keeping up with the speed at which he absorbed it.


    Lu Li couldn''t help but sigh, "It would be great if I had Condensing True Pills to help."


    Condensing True Pills could double the refining speed and were extremely precious for Qi Refining Stage cultivators. In Qingyang Sect, one low-grade Condensing True Pill required a full one hundred contributions.


    At noon the next day, Lu Li suddenly felt a strong sense of hunger in his body and had to stop.


    When he came to the kitchen, he found that Min He was nowhere to be seen.


    Fortunately, there were still quite a few steamed buns in the steamer. Lu Li lit the fire and heated them up by himself and ate them. He also found some shriveled pancakes in a big basin. With the attitude of cultivating until the end of this month, Lu Li took all the pancakes as well.


    By now, there was nothing left in the kitchen.


    Just when he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the jade bottle that Min He had given him and had said mysteriously, "Don''t open it until a day later."


    Out of curiosity, Lu Li took out the jade bottle.

 Chapter 29 Paying Homage

    When he opened it, he found that there were ten dark green pills lying inside.


    "Are these... Condensing True Pills?"


    Lu Li couldn''t believe it. After confirming it several times and finding that they were indeed Condensing True Pills, his face immediately showed surprise. Then he frowned, "Why did he give me Condensing True Pills? Just because of those few words I said?"


    After thinking about it for a long time, Lu Li still couldn''t figure it out. However, since the Condensing True Pills were real, he didn''t think about it anymore. He just thought that he would find an opportunity to thank Min He when he could.


    What Lu Li didn''t know was that Min He had already left Qingyang Sect by this time. When they would meet again next time was unknown.


    With the Condensing True Pills in hand, Lu Li didn''t want to waste any more time. He directly went back to his room and started another round of closed-door cultivation.


    In the blink of an eye, nearly three months had passed in the Time Hall.


    While in the outside world, it was only the ninth day.


    Calculating the time, today was April 30th, and it was time for him to leave.


    Fortunately, he had successfully opened the fourth acupoint of the second qi meridian. Now, he could be considered to have truly entered the second level of the Qi Refining Stage.


    His spiritual consciousness had soared directly from the original range of ten zhang to twenty zhang, and the range in which he could absorb spiritual energy had also been improved once again.


    The effect of the Condensing True Pills was really good. However, one pill could only last for about three or four hours. Before he had enjoyed it enough, the medicinal effect was gone. For the rest of the time, he had to slowly refine the spiritual energy by himself.


    If he had more Condensing True Pills, he would surely be able to break through two more acupoints.


    It seemed that he still had to find a way to earn more contributions. If things continued like this, he didn''t know when he would be able to break through to the third level of the Qi Refining Stage and become a formal disciple.


    After simply packing up, Lu Li left the cave.


    He had hardly moved these days, and his body was a bit stiff. When he went out and took a deep breath of fresh air, looking at the warm sun in the sky, he felt extremely comfortable.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    Lu Li came to the door of Xiao Jue''s cave in the middle and knocked on the door.


    He was quite envious of someone like Xiao Jue, who could cultivate in seclusion without eating or drinking. He even secretly thought that when he reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, he would stay in the Time Hall to cultivate all the time.


    With a creak, the door opened. Xiao Jue appeared at the door and looked Lu Li up and down, "Kid, what''s the matter?"


    Lu Li accidentally took a glance and found that Xiao Jue''s cave was countless times more luxurious than the place where he lived. The stone table inside was also filled with all kinds of fruits full of spiritual energy. His face couldn''t help but twitch slightly. It seemed that... a great power at the Foundation Establishment Stage didn''t completely stop eating.


    Seeing Xiao Jue staring at him, he quickly lowered his head and said, "Reporting to senior, today is the end of the month. I''m about to leave. Well... about the contributions?"Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Oh, I almost forgot if you hadn''t mentioned it." Xiao Jue''s face was flushed, and there was a strong smell of alcohol in his speech. It was obvious that he had just drunk wine, and quite a lot of it.


    As he said that, he spread out his palm, and three purple cards appeared in his hand. After thinking for a moment, he took out another one. Altogether, he handed four cards to Lu Li and said, "According to the agreement, there are three thousand contributions in total. But considering your good performance, I''ll give you an extra one thousand. Take them."


    Lu Li was overjoyed and quickly took the cards, "Thank you, senior, for your reward. I''ll leave now."


    "Yeah, I''ve just drunk some wine and my head is a bit swollen. I won''t see you off. Walk down the mountain slowly by yourself." Xiao Jue nodded, then turned around and slammed the door shut with a bang.


    "Hehe, this old man is quite nice."


    Lu Li happily put the contribution cards into the Space Hall. As for the storage bag at his waist, it was just used to avoid being discovered with his pagoda and to deceive others.


    Just when he was about to leave, Lu Li took a glance at the kitchen and suddenly remembered that he wanted to thank Min He. So he quickly walked over there.


    However, when he walked in and took a look, he found that it was still empty inside, and even the remaining food had already gone moldy. Immediately, he had a bad feeling in his heart. After hesitating for a moment, he went back to Xiao Jue''s door and knocked on it again.


    After a while, Xiao Jue yanked the door open with a bang, "Are you done or not? I can''t even enjoy my wine!"


    His face changed faster than turning the pages of a book.


    Lu Li complained in his heart but still said politely, "Senior, I found that the food in the kitchen has gone moldy. Senior Brother Min He has disappeared for many days. I''m worried that something has happened to him, so I came to report..."


    "Min He?" Xiao Jue frowned and walked out. Then he rushed towards the kitchen in a hurry. After some clattering, he asked Lu Li with an ugly look on his face, "When was the last time you saw him?"


    Lu Li thought for a moment and replied, "It should be... twelve days ago."


    "Twelve... Oh no!" Xiao Jue''s face suddenly changed, and he rushed towards the back mountain in a panic.


    Lu Li originally wanted to follow and take a look, but when he saw the other party running towards the back mountain and remembered that Deng Qingsheng was still locked up there, he didn''t want to ask for trouble and walked straight along the path down the mountain on the other side of the square.


    Back Mountain.


    At this time, Deng Qingsheng didn''t look like a human being at all. His face was as pale as a sheet, his hair was dry and withered, his eye sockets were sunken, and there was only skin clinging to his bones. He looked like he could die at any time.


    He lay on the ground motionless, staring outside the gate with his eyes glazed over. He didn''t even have the strength to speak.


    Xiao Jue rushed all the way in a panic. When he arrived at the iron gate, he kicked it open. When he saw Deng Qingsheng in such a state, his body trembled, and he quickly rushed over, "Ah Sheng, are you... okay..."


    It seemed that having good talent really brought different treatment. Lu Li had tried his best to please Xiao Jue, but the other party didn''t let him stay for a while longer. While Deng Qingsheng was narrow-minded and mean-spirited in his words, Xiao Jue had never given up on him.


    It was still morning when Lu Li was on Tianjue Peak, but by the time he groped his way to the sect square, the sun had already set in the west. One could see how far it was from Tianjue Peak to the sect square.


    There were only a few scattered people walking around on the huge square, and each of them was in a hurry and didn''t stay on the square. The entire Qingyang Sect actually seemed a bit deserted, looking even less lively than the Handyman Valley.


    Lu Li shook his head, buried his head and walked towards the east of the square. By accident, he saw a handyman disciple who was cleaning the square and couldn''t help but pause for a moment. A name suddenly came to his mind, which made his nose sour for no reason.


    Wiping the corner of his eyes, Lu Li walked quickly.


    When he arrived at the foot of Cuiyun Peak, Lu Li looked up at the path leading up the mountain, then turned around and went back to the square. He came to the Treasure Hall and spent ten contributions to exchange for some incense, paper, and candles.


    These things like incense, paper, and candles were originally ordinary items in the mortal world. However, since most of the disciples in Qingyang Sect came from the mortal world, they couldn''t avoid wanting to pay homage to their relatives from a distance on special days, so the sect also had these things prepared.


    Holding the incense, paper, and candles, Lu Li didn''t stop all the way along the path up Cuiyun Peak. When he reached the mountainside, he directly plunged into the jungle. After walking for a while, he came to the familiar mound again.


    He first lit three white candles, then lit the whole bundle of red incense, and finally began to burn the paper.


    The firelight flickered on Lu Li''s swarthy face, shone in his ink-black pupils, and reflected a glint of crystal.


    That glint of crystal slowly gathered and then dropped with a plop. Lu Li choked and murmured, "Although I''ve avenged you, unfortunately... you can''t see it. If there''s an afterlife, I hope you''ll be a peerless genius and be cherished from the moment you''re born..."


    "..."

 Chapter 30

    After paying homage, Lu Li walked back to his small courtyard with his head down all the way.


    As soon as he arrived at the courtyard gate, he heard the sounds of laughter and shouts coming from inside. Lu Li quickly put away his lonely look, tidied up his clothes, raised his head and walked in. Looking at the busy figure, he smiled and shouted, "Fatty, did you miss me?"


    "Boss?"


    Chen Zhong was slightly stunned when he saw Lu Li coming in. Then he was overjoyed and rushed over in a few steps. "Boss, you''re finally back. I heard that the Grand Elder has a really strange temper. Come on, let me see if you''re missing any arms or legs!"


    Lu Li''s face twitched and he scolded with a smile, "What do you mean by missing arms or legs? Can''t you see that I''m fine?"


    "Uh, I said something wrong." Chen Zhong scratched his head, looking embarrassed.


    "Alright, I''m not blaming you." Lu Li patted Chen Zhong on the shoulder. "How''s it going? Did Wen Hong make things difficult for you?"


    "No, I haven''t seen him since you left."


    "That''s good..."


    As Lu Li had expected, Chen Zhong had completed this month''s work in just three days. Then he had been hiding in the courtyard to cultivate. Except for having meals, he hardly went out. His diligence in cultivation was no less than Lu Li''s.


    Moreover, his Mountain-Shaking Fist had reached a minor accomplishment level, achieving a threefold explosive power, which was quite terrifying.


    Lu Li hadn''t cultivated the fist technique for a whole month and was still at the minor accomplishment stage. However, his Fireball Technique had been cultivated to perfection. He could cast the Fireball Technique as he wished, and the power of the explosion depended entirely on the amount of true qi in his body.


    The two of them chatted for a long time before separating. When Lu Li returned to his long-unseen room, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of familiarity. The spiritual energy here was far inferior to that on Tianjue Peak. Lu Li was a bit tired after a month, so he didn''t plan to cultivate today.


    Without caring whether it was dark or not, Lu Li directly covered his head and went to sleep.


    He didn''t know how long he had slept. In a daze, Lu Li suddenly heard a knock on the door outside. He frowned, thinking that he had told others not to disturb him.


    Feeling a bit annoyed, he scratched his head and got up to open the door.


    When he opened it, he found that it wasn''t Chen Zhong but a burly middle-aged man. Lu Li was stunned for a moment and said, "Sir Deacon, what''s the matter?"


    The person who came was Wen Hong.


    Wen Hong smiled and looked into the room. "Shall we have a chat?"


    Lu Li quickly stepped aside. After Wen Hong went in, he followed and sat down at the table. As it was a bit dark, Lu Li also lit the lamp.


    "It seems that you had a good time on Tianjue Peak this month?" Wen Hong looked Lu Li up and down and said.


    "It was okay. The Grand Elder wasn''t as hard to serve as I had imagined."


    "Grand Elder?" Wen Hong was slightly taken aback. "Didn''t you meet Deng Qingsheng?"


    "I heard that Senior Brother Deng seemed to have made the Grand Elder unhappy and was punished to reflect on his mistakes at the back mountain, so I didn''t meet him." Lu Li didn''t mention the reason why Deng Qingsheng was punished and just said casually.


    "Oh, you''re really lucky, kid."Stolen novel; please report.


    Wen Hong said with some emotion, "Quite a few people in our Handyman Hall have been tortured by him. Now, whenever Tianjue Peak is mentioned, basically no one dares to go there."


    Hearing Wen Hong say this, Lu Li''s face immediately looked a bit ugly. He thought to himself that Wen Hong was really not a good person. He didn''t even tell him the situation before he went there. Fortunately, he was lucky.


    "Don''t blame me, kid. I had no choice. Besides, aren''t you fine now?"


    "Your subordinate wouldn''t dare."


    "Heh." Wen Hong gave an awkward smile and took out a purple card casually. "Take it. This is one thousand contributions. I promised to give you three hundred contributions before. Seeing your resentful look, the extra amount is to make it up to you."


    A glint flashed in Lu Li''s eyes. He quickly took the contribution card and said with a smile, "Sir Deacon is really straightforward."


    Counting it up, he now had a total of seven thousand contributions. He could exchange for seventy Condensing True Pills. However, this amount of contributions was still far from enough for him.


    Now he was in urgent need of more contributions to exchange for Condensing True Pills to quickly break through to the third level and become a formal disciple. Because only formal disciples could exchange for more advanced spells. If he was just a handyman, even if he had contributions, he couldn''t exchange for some spells.


    "Very good. I like your greedy character."


    Seeing Lu Li''s expression, Wen Hong nodded with satisfaction. "How''s your consideration of the matter I mentioned last time?"


    The matter last time?


    Lu Li frowned. Only then did he remember that before leaving, Wen Hong had said that he wanted him to do something for him. But this reputation of being a "lackey" was really a bit too unpleasant.


    There were sixty-six disciples in the Handyman Hall, and at least more than half of them extremely hated people like Sun Zian.


    "You''d better think it over. You should know that even if you don''t do it, as long as I say a word, there will definitely be plenty of people in the Handyman Hall scrambling to do it." Seeing Lu Li frowning, Wen Hong casually reminded him.


    "Alright, I''ll do it!"


    After a brief hesitation, Lu Li agreed. If he was just an ordinary handyman, three hundred contributions for a normal task in a month would be the limit. In this way, he didn''t know when he would be able to break through to the third level of Qi Refining and become a formal disciple.


    He couldn''t wait to become a formal disciple.


    Then he asked, "Sir Deacon, I can do it, but I want to know, if this matter is exposed, will there be any trouble?"


    "Trouble?" Wen Hong sneered. "Don''t worry. This has been a tradition in the Handyman Hall for a long time. The people above are well aware of it. As long as you don''t kill anyone, I can handle other things for you."


    "However, let me make it clear first. If you cause someone''s death and it gets exposed, then don''t blame me for cutting off all ties with you."


    So that''s how it was.


    Lu Li finally understood why Sun Zian had dared to be so unscrupulous before.


    The two of them chatted for a while longer, and then Wen Hong left. Lu Li was still sitting at the table, gently tapping his fingers on the tabletop, with his eyes wandering, not knowing what he was thinking.


    Dang, dang, dang, dang...


    The next morning, the first day of May.


    Early in the morning, the familiar knocking sound came from outside. Lu Li had had a good rest for the whole night, which was rare. After getting up, he came to the courtyard to wash up, and then went out of the courtyard gate with Chen Zhong.


    "Boss, I heard that Wen Hong is going to choose a new lackey. When he chooses one, how about we secretly kill him?" While walking, Chen Zhong said mysteriously.


    "What!"


    Lu Li''s face twitched and he glared at Chen Zhong fiercely. "What lackey? Watch your words."


    "Did I say something wrong?" Chen Zhong scratched his head behind him, looking puzzled.


    When the two of them arrived at the square of the Handyman Hall, almost everyone had arrived. They gathered in twos and threes, whispering about something. Lu Li listened for a few sentences and found that they were mostly discussing who would be the new "lackey" chosen by Wen Hong.


    There were still four people who had followed Sun Zian before. They were now in extreme fear. They used to rely on Sun Zian''s support and had bullied others a lot in front of everyone.


    While listening to everyone''s discussion, Lu Li walked forward. Just then, a tall and thin man in gray clothes suddenly stopped him and whispered a reminder:


    "Junior Brother Lu, don''t go forward. Today is different from usual. If you rush forward and are seen by the ''lackey'' chosen by Wen Hong, he will surely think that you''re deliberately showing off. Then you''ll inevitably be targeted again."


    Lu Li recognized that person. His name was Chu Qingfeng. He had been a handyman for seven or eight years and was still at the second level of Qi Refining. However, it seemed that he was about to break through to the third level of Qi Refining and become a formal disciple.


    Chu Qingfeng was a nice person. When they first came to the Handyman Hall, Chu Qingfeng had kindly reminded them that following Sun Zian would only make them handymen for a lifetime.


    As for the fact that Lu Li and the other two were targeted by Sun Zian later, many people in the Handyman Hall felt sympathetic, but it was just sympathy. Only Chu Qingfeng had gone to Lu Li''s courtyard to comfort them.


    Lu Li had always remembered this in his heart. Seeing the other party''s reminder, Lu Li nodded and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother Chu, for your reminder." Then, under the astonished gaze of the other party, he walked straight up the stone steps.


    And then...

 Chapter 31 A Good Man

    The whole place was silent.


    Everyone looked at Lu Li with incredulous expressions on their faces. Puzzlement, suspicion, mockery, all kinds of expressions were shown on their faces, which was quite a sight.


    The four people who had followed Sun Zian before were even more wide-eyed, their hearts pounding. Because they saw Wen Hong smiling and nodding at Lu Li.


    Instantly, all four of them had a feeling that the sky was falling.


    Although they hadn''t participated in bullying Lu Li and the others, they knew clearly the grudges between Lu Li and Sun Zian. If Lu Li wanted to hold them accountable, they would be in big trouble.


    Lu Li straightened his back and scanned the crowd. He didn''t have the subservient attitude that Sun Zian had before.


    Wen Hong didn''t show any dissatisfaction on his face either. Instead, he thought that Lu Li was different from others. He cleared his throat and shouted to the crowd in a voice like a bell:


    "Listen up, everyone. From now on, Lu Li will be the deputy deacon of our Handyman Hall. He can fully represent my will. If anyone dares to disobey the arrangements, don''t blame me for being ruthless!"


    Seeing that everyone was just standing there dumbfounded and not saying a word, Wen Hong''s face darkened and he suddenly roared, "Have you all fucking remembered it!"


    "Yes!"


    Everyone was startled and then came to their senses, answering in unison.


    Deputy deacon.


    This term made everyone a bit puzzled because Wen Hong''s followers before didn''t have any positions at all. Even Wen Hong had never publicly stated that Sun Zian could act on his behalf.


    Even Lu Li gave Wen Hong a surprised look. Wen Hong didn''t explain it at all and just told everyone to call him that.


    After giving a lecture, Wen Hong asked Lu Li to sit in the place where tasks were assigned and start assigning tasks, while he himself left without even looking back.


    "What a bullshit deputy deacon. Isn''t he just a lackey?" A thin man muttered in a low voice, looking very unconvinced.


    "Who the fuck are you calling a lackey!"


    Suddenly, Chen Zhong glared with his tiger-like eyes and went up to stare straight at that man.


    "Why? Can''t people say it when you''re a lackey?"


    That man was named Shi Yanze. He had been in the Handyman Hall for a full nine years and was quite an old handyman. He was at the second level of Qi Refining. He had thought that he would be chosen by Wen Hong, but he didn''t expect that it would be a newcomer instead. He was really unhappy in his heart.


    "Yeah, dare to do it but not admit it. If you''re a lackey, you should be prepared to be scolded."


    "Exactly."


    As Shi Yanze''s words fell, several old-timers at the second level of Qi Refining stood out one after another.


    "You''re fucking looking for death."


    Chen Zhong was furious and suddenly launched an attack. He punched the chest of another gray-clothed young man who was looking at him mockingly.


    Bang!


    That man hadn''t expected Chen Zhong to attack him at all. Caught off guard, he was directly punched and flew backwards through the air. With a thud, he smashed onto the square three zhang away. His head tilted to one side and he directly passed out.


    "How dare you! You''re just a newcomer and you dare to attack us. Today, if I don''t teach you a lesson, I won''t be called Shi Yanze!"


    Shi Yanze deliberately wanted to stir up trouble. While scolding, he waved his hand at the two people beside him and shouted, "Beat him to death!"This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Hearing this, the two people beside him immediately mobilized their true qi and were about to attack.


    But at this moment, a loud explosion came. Shi Yanze, who had just finished speaking, directly fell forward onto the ground three zhang away like a dog eating shit. In the place where Shi Yanze had been standing just now, there was a dark green young man in a tight suit.


    The young man coldly scanned the two people on the left and right. He raised his palm, and two slapping sounds were heard. The two people were directly slapped and spun around on the spot several times. Then the young man kicked them one by one and knocked them to the ground.


    Only then did he clap his hands and said, "If you''re not convinced, you can come to me at any time. But whoever dares to touch my brother, I''ll make his life a living hell!"


    What powerful strength!


    He was actually at the second level of Qi Refining, and it seemed that he didn''t even cast a spell just now?


    Everyone looked at Lu Li in shock.


    Chu Qingfeng on the side couldn''t help but show a bitter smile when he saw this. This young man who had been bullied before had already become stronger than him.


    Seeing that everyone didn''t say a word, Lu Li shook his head and walked straight up the stone steps. Looking at everyone, he said faintly, "I have a few things to tell you, and I hope you can remember them."


    "First, you can be unconvinced with me, but don''t show it in front of me. Otherwise... I won''t be merciful."


    How arrogant he looked!


    Hearing this, the people below all showed a look of dissatisfaction, but none of them said it out loud.


    "Second, in my place, there''s no such thing as favoritism. I''ll mark the price clearly for all tasks. Anyone can take the easy tasks, but... as usual, I''ll take sixty percent of the contributions."


    Sixty percent?


    Anyone can take it?


    Hearing this, everyone was a bit surprised. You know, when Sun Zian assigned tasks before, this kind of task was only given to his own people, and he even took seventy percent.


    Lu Li ignored everyone''s expressions and continued, "Third, as long as you complete the tasks on time and in quantity, I definitely won''t deliberately make things difficult for you. Of course, if anyone dares to oppose me... that''s another story!"


    As soon as his words fell, everyone started whispering to each other, and their attitude towards Lu Li changed a lot.


    You know, in order to make them follow him, Sun Zian had used every means before. He had often deliberately made it difficult for people to complete tasks, so everyone called Sun Zian a lackey.


    If it was really like what Lu Li said, Lu Li could be regarded as a kind person.


    "I... I wonder if I can take the fishing task. I... I''m not in good health." Suddenly, a thin and small man in front asked nervously.


    The fishing task was quite easy, and the monthly contributions were not low. Before, in a place like the Handyman Hall, one couldn''t get it without connections.


    "Of course. As I said, as long as the task is available and you''re willing to accept my conditions, I can arrange it for you." Then he beckoned to Chen Zhong directly, "Fatty, don''t take tasks either. Come and help me with the registration."


    Chen Zhong grinned when he heard this, "Okay!"


    After that, Chen Zhong sat behind the long table, while Lu Li stood aside, constantly flipping through the tasks and categorizing all the tasks.


    After making a plan, Lu Li suddenly found a problem. Some tasks were too easy and took very little time, such as fishing, washing clothes, cutting vegetables... and so on. Tasks that could be completed in just one or two hours had actually been taken as the main jobs before.


    These tasks originally didn''t have as many contributions as the laborious tasks. In this way, although the people who took these tasks were relaxed, after the cut, the contributions they got in hand were really not much.


    After thinking about it, Lu Li directly classified these tasks as part-time jobs, so that everyone could do them in their free time. In this way, everyone could earn extra money, and his own cut would also become more.


    After some calculations, Lu Li found that if all these tasks were taken, he could actually get fifty thousand contributions in total. After deducting seventy percent that he had to give to Wen Hong, he could still get fifteen thousand for himself.


    Calculating this, Lu Li''s face became a bit strange. He thought to himself that Wen Hong, that bastard, did nothing all day but could get thirty-five thousand for free.


    Of course, he himself was almost the same. He just registered them. It was quite good to get fifteen thousand in a month. Even those formal disciples couldn''t earn so many contributions in a month.


    Lu Li immediately announced to everyone that all these easy jobs would be classified as part-time jobs in the future. As long as they could ensure that they could complete their main jobs, anyone could take them.


    As soon as they heard that they could earn extra money, everyone immediately got excited and kept praising Lu Li as a good man.


    More importantly, Lu Li promised that he wouldn''t deliberately make things difficult for their main jobs, which made them more confident to take part-time jobs.


    After explaining the commission rules to everyone again, Lu Li directly handed the task book to Chen Zhong and then turned around and left.


    His time was precious now. He should first go to the Pill Hall to exchange for some Condensing True Pills to cultivate and break through to the third level of Qi Refining and become a formal disciple as soon as possible.


    Seeing that everyone was obedient to Lu Li, Shi Yanze immediately regretted it in his heart. Since Wen Hong had already decided on this matter, there was almost no possibility of changing it. He had just felt unhappy in his heart and wanted to vent his anger.


    Well, now he had not only offended Lu Li but also been excluded by everyone.


    "Brother Shi, I think we should find a time to apologize to him. There''s no need to quarrel with contributions." One of them said in a low voice.


    "..."