Inside the Pill Room, the Dwarf King alchemist's eyes were bloodshot. Looking listlessly at the basketful of pellets still waiting to be refined beside him, he revealed a despairing expression as though life held nothing left for him.
Just refining pills took eight hours every day now. The remaining four hours were truly stretched too thin—not to mention eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping, he still had to restore his spiritual power and rest. If this went on, he did not know whether he could endure it, but his body would surely be drained dry.
"Lin Chang'an!" He could only gnash his teeth and roar inwardly to vent his frustration, hoping Lin Chang'an would fail.
Meanwhile, in the Pill Workshop next door, Alchemist Li was drenched in sweat as he watched the simmering herbs closely, yet compared with before, he truly had it much easier.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, how generous of you."
The two men were in entirely different states of mind. Having obtained the Golden Marrow Pills, Lin Chang'an instructed Alchemist Li on the steps for simmering the herbs before choosing to enter seclusion. The two of them now shared glory and ruin alike.
If he failed to do this well, he did not even know whether he would still have a share in refining Bigu Pills when he returned.
At this moment, Lin Chang'an was cultivating in his room, preparing to break through.
Seated cross-legged, Lin Chang'an seemed to merge with heaven and earth. Though he appeared tranquil on the surface, dense, pure, inexhaustible spiritual power flowed within him.
Lin Chang'an slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. His deep black eyes held a composure that did not belong to someone his age.
"No wonder they say early Qi Condensation and mid Qi Refining are a watershed. This is practically another world."
Feeling the changes in his body, Lin Chang'an could not help sighing. After breaking through to mid Qi Refining, his five senses had abruptly risen to an unimaginable realm.
He could see farther and more clearly, and he could even see in the dark. His hearing had become dozens of times keener than before; he could hear insects moving more than ten zhang away from his room with perfect clarity.
"Fourth layer of Qi Condensation—only now can one be said to have stepped onto the immortal path."
At the same time, his mind became clear. Even childhood memories that had long blurred over two lifetimes became incomparably vivid, and he even gained sudden insight into cultivation techniques and alchemy skills that had once seemed obscure and difficult.
Lin Chang'an could not help revealing a smile after bitter hardship had finally given way to sweetness. "Keen ears and sharp eyes, cleansing the marrow and opening the mind—this is what a cultivator is!"
The next moment, a transparent shield of spiritual power appeared around him, and Lin Chang'an could not help sighing.
"Only in mid Qi Refining can one release spiritual power outward and form a spiritual power shield. One can even use certain basic spells. From this point on, immortals and mortals are worlds apart!"
With a refreshed expression, Lin Chang'an stretched his arms and rose to walk outside.
"The pellets should be nearly done simmering."
When he opened the door, he happened to see the envy in Zhang Qing's eyes.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother."
With the Heavenly Eye Technique, Zhang Qing, at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, could clearly see the surging spiritual power within Lin Chang'an. It was obvious that this was not power an early Qi Condensation cultivator could possess.
Faced with Zhang Qing's congratulations, Lin Chang'an revealed a rare, sincere smile. "I cannot compare to you, Senior Brother Zhang Qing."
Yet after hearing this, the smile on Zhang Qing's face stiffened slightly. A trace of gloom flashed through his eyes as he shook his head and sighed. Every family knew its own troubles.
"Junior Brother Lin has exceptional talent, and Elder Lu has even accepted you as his disciple. Your future prospects are limitless..."
Lin Chang'an also noticed the dimness in Zhang Qing's eyes and changed the subject curiously. "Senior Brother, why are you here today?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qing slapped his forehead and laughed. "Look at me, I nearly forgot the important matter."
"I originally came to see how the herbs were simmering, but I happened to sense the fluctuation of spiritual energy from Junior Brother's room." Zhang Qing explained with a smiling face, then pointed to his eyes.
"Now that Junior Brother has broken through, you should understand the gap between early Qi Condensation and mid Qi Refining. You can freely use certain basic spells."
As they chatted and laughed, the two entered the Pill Room where the herbs were being simmered. However, the pungent stench was truly unbearable. From a distance, they could see Alchemist Li inside, his face flushed red and his eyes wide as he continuously stirred the thick medicinal paste in the iron pot.
"Junior Brother, these are the Blood Spirit Pills you needed."
Looking at the red jade bottle Zhang Qing handed him, Lin Chang'an could not help showing a solemn expression.
Blood Spirit Pills were pills from Devil Dao Sects. They stimulated potential at the cost of draining one's lifespan, making them relatively precious pills.
"But how do you plan to use these Blood Spirit Pills, Junior Brother?" Zhang Qing was quite curious as well. Only people willing to risk their lives dared use such pills.
Once this pill was taken, it had to be taken again at intervals. Otherwise, one would suffer pain worse than death, as though tendons were being pulled and marrow sucked out. Few cultivators could endure it. Even if one took it on schedule every time, one would inevitably lose one's life within ten years of the first dose due to the exhaustion of one's lifespan.
Facing Zhang Qing's curious gaze, Lin Chang'an revealed a confident smile.
"Senior Brother Zhang Qing, what you do not know is that the reason one suffers immense pain upon stopping Blood Spirit Pills is entirely because they overdraw the body and leave it depleted. Taking the pill again is actually like using fierce medicine to replenish it. Under such a vicious cycle, it is only natural that most cultivators cannot last ten years."
At this point, Lin Chang'an paused, then shook his head. "Of course, there are other ways to avoid it. For instance, replenishing the body's depletion before an episode strikes would naturally lessen the pain, making it easier to stop."
"Of course, none of that is important. What matters is the quantity of this single Blood Spirit Pill. What I will be distributing are more than a hundred Ascending Dragon Pills, which are themselves restorative medicine."
Lin Chang'an smiled as he looked at Alchemist Li, who was rolling pellets in the Pill Room.
"After this Blood Spirit Pill is diluted a hundredfold, its side effects will be reduced to almost nothing. Instead, this slight overdraft will enhance the mood in such delightful affairs, making it easier for people to savor the marrow and become addicted."
Ascending Dragon Pills were restorative medicine, while Blood Spirit Pills were pills that overdraw one's body. Combined, the harm of overdrawing was reduced to the minimum. Instead, the union of the two pills made it easier for people to enter a deeper state during cultivation.
Zhang Qing was also an experienced man. Upon hearing this, he immediately revealed an expression of sudden realization.
"So that's how it is. Junior Brother Lin, that move of yours is brilliant."
Though refining this pill was somewhat indecent, the idea truly was incredible. Zhang Qing could not help admiring him. This time, the sect had truly picked up a tremendous bargain.
Lin Chang'an's mouth twitched. Did Zhang Qing think he wanted this? If he could join a great sect and have someone backing him, not even a dog would take this crooked path.
"Senior Brother, you misunderstand." Lin Chang'an could not allow others to misunderstand him, so he assumed a solemn expression. These were perfectly proper good pills.
"This pill of mine merely allows cultivators like us to enter deeper mysteries. As long as one exercises restraint, it will cause almost no harm to the body."
As he spoke, Lin Chang'an seemed to have convinced even himself. He sighed with feeling. "After all, once this kind of cultivation goes too far, even without my pills, the body will still be overdrawn."
"Moreover, my pills strengthen the foundation and nourish the essence, making it easier to improve the quality of one's descendants."
Lin Chang'an's composed manner made it seem as though anyone taking his pills ought to thank him. Zhang Qing, standing beside him, was rendered utterly speechless.
"Today is just right for opening the furnace and refining pills." Seeing Alchemist Li cautiously finish rolling all the pellets in the Pill Workshop, Lin Chang'an smiled.
Zhang Qing also nodded with a broad smile. "Junior Brother Lin, you have finally broken through, so we should celebrate first. Tonight, our best pill furnace will happen to be free for Junior Brother to use."
"Good!" Seeing that Zhang Qing wanted to celebrate for him, Lin Chang'an smiled broadly as well. Only a fool would turn down a free benefit.
Next came the moment to prove his extraordinary talent.
Thank you all, Fellow Daoists, for your support.
Before you continue