They're Offering Far Too Much

The simplified style was very interface-like, and Chen Fei was quite satisfied with the result. Calculating the number of steps he took each day, he figured that if he worked a little harder, he might be able to cultivate the Water Pointing Skill to Great Perfection in just one day.

By then, Chen Fei's movement technique would improve noticeably. If he put in the effort, fusing and cultivating all four movement technique manuals would probably take no more than four or five days. He would have to see whether that could trigger some qualitative transformation.

Setting down the Water Pointing Skill, Chen Fei picked up the Immortal Cloud Sword.

The simplification of the Water Pointing Skill had been expected. What mattered now was whether the interface would recognize and optimize the Immortal Cloud Sword. If it could, then the lack of high-end cultivation methods would have far less impact on Chen Fei.

After spending a full hour reading by candlelight, Chen Fei's eyes were swimming, but thankfully, information on the Immortal Cloud Sword finally appeared on the interface.

Cultivation Method: Immortal Cloud Sword (Incomplete)

"Cultivation method discovered. Spend fifty taels of silver to simplify Immortal Cloud Sword (Incomplete)?"

"It really is the Immortal Cloud Sword. Being incomplete is normal, but the simplification fee is a little steep."

Chen Fei's eyes brightened slightly. His first goal had been achieved. Since it could be simplified, the future was full of promise. He might not be able to find authentic high-level cultivation methods, but there should be plenty of these half-real, half-fake ones.

"Interface, simplify Immortal Cloud Sword!"

"Immortal Cloud Sword (Incomplete) simplification in progress... Simplification successful... Immortal Cloud Sword (Incomplete) → Immortal Points the Way!"

A sword move appeared in Chen Fei's mind. Its movements were elegant and nimble, swift as thunder and fierce as wind, thrusting out a sword strike from within the impossible. Chen Fei had not even practiced it yet, but merely watching the sword technique in his mind made him somewhat intoxicated.

"What a sword technique!"

A moment later, after fully absorbing the sword technique, Chen Fei could not help but praise it. Compared to Immortal Points the Way, the Great Perfection Green Mountain Sword was like a child flailing about wildly—so crude that it was almost unbearable to look at.

"This Immortal Points the Way is probably only one move within the Immortal Cloud Sword, yet it is already so profound. How powerful must the complete Immortal Cloud Sword be? And what kind of colossal entity must the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect be?"

Chen Fei muttered to himself. Peering at a leopard through a tube, one could see a spot and know the whole. The more he learned, the more he felt his own insignificance.

Chen Fei shook his head slightly, casting away the strange emotions in his heart, and focused his gaze on Immortal Points the Way once more.

If Chen Fei cultivated this sword move step by step, then with his current aptitude in the sword path, he probably would not even get started within a few months. As for reaching mastery, who knew when that would be.

But fusing the Great Perfection Green Mountain Sword with Immortal Points the Way felt somewhat incompatible.

It was like how the Blood Qi Pill had fused with the healing pill before. The two pill formulas had different effects, and while they could be fused, the final result became neither fish nor fowl.

The Green Mountain Sword could naturally fuse with Immortal Points the Way as well, but there had to be a primary and secondary distinction.

Immortal Points the Way was of a higher grade, so it would definitely take precedence. Most of the Great Perfection Green Mountain Sword would have to be discarded. Moreover, Immortal Points the Way consisted of only a single move. It was better suited as a killing move than as an entire sword technique.

Otherwise, if he kept using only one move, Chen Fei had not reached the level of breaking ten thousand techniques with a single sword. It would be easy for others to target him. In the end, Chen Fei helplessly separated the two again.

"Can a cultivation method that has already been simplified be simplified again?"

A thought suddenly surfaced in Chen Fei's mind. Thinking of this, he immediately gave the interface the command to simplify it.

"Five hundred taels of silver!"

The information that popped up on the interface startled Chen Fei somewhat. A second simplification was possible, but it actually required ten times the silver used for the first simplification.

"Having money really does make people happy."

Chen Fei took several deep breaths and shifted his gaze to the Water Pointing Skill. He could not afford to simplify Immortal Points the Way again, but the Water Pointing Skill was still manageable. Chen Fei simply wanted to see what effect a second simplification would have.

"Water Pointing Skill second simplification in progress... Simplification successful... Water Pointing Skill → Leg Shaking!"

Chen Fei's eyes widened slightly. Good heavens, this second simplification had directly changed walking into shaking his leg. The difficulty could actually drop even further. Money truly had become all-powerful.

"So I need to work hard and make money!"

Chen Fei unconsciously crossed one leg over the other and began slowly shaking it.

Early the next morning, Chen Fei arrived at Qingzheng Medical Hall as usual. He exchanged greetings with a few people he met along the way, then entered the Pill Chamber.

Chen Fei glanced at the interface. The Water Pointing Skill's experience had long since reached full capacity and was already extremely close to the Great Perfection level. At the same time, Chen Fei discovered something: walking could still increase the Water Pointing Skill's experience.

In other words, after a cultivation method underwent a second simplification, the training method from the first simplification remained useful. It was equivalent to gaining another way to increase experience.

Chen Fei was in a good mood. On his walk here that morning, he had clearly felt his body becoming much lighter. Evidently, his movement technique was taking effect.

He lit the fire, set up the furnace, and began refining healing pills.

Healing pills sold for somewhat more than Blood Qi Pills. Thus, when Chen Fei refined pills now, he always made one furnace of healing pills first, holding back a portion for his own use or to sell at the Dark market.

After that, he refined several furnaces of Blood Qi Pills, keeping enough for himself and selling all the rest.

Compared with last month, Chen Fei had deliberately increased his pill output a little this month. Improving bit by bit could make the people at the Medical Hall think he was talented without being overly excessive. He had to keep it within proper bounds.

That afternoon, while Chen Fei was cultivating after taking a Blood Qi Pill, Zeng Defang summoned him over.

"Today, I went to ask the young miss. After learning of your situation, she is also willing to cultivate you. She intends to send you to the Medical Hall near the north city gate to serve as an assistant steward."

Zeng Defang picked up his teacup, blew on it a few times, and took a sip.

"Is it dangerous?"

Chen Fei frowned slightly. His first thought was that such a good opportunity should not easily fall upon someone like him. He had talent in pill refinement, but it was not so heaven-shaking that he would suddenly leap into the position of assistant steward at a Medical Hall.

"There is no danger, but there may be some trouble."

Zeng Defang pondered for a moment before saying, "The young miss suspects that Steward Sun over there may have some issues. She wants you to go over and take a look. You have no particular background, yet you possess some pill-refining ability, so you are just right for that position without arousing too much suspicion."

"Don't be in such a rush to refuse."

Seeing Chen Fei's expression, Zeng Defang could not help smiling. "To persuade you to go there, the young miss has decided to raise your share from thirty percent to forty percent. At the same time, she can directly give you the formula for the Revival Pill. If you can uncover evidence of Steward Sun's wrongdoing, then giving you the formula for the Light Spirit Pill would not be out of the question either."

Chen Fei opened his mouth, but the words of refusal he had been about to say were swallowed back down. It was not that he did not want to refuse. The other side was simply offering far too much, leaving Chen Fei unable to think of any reason to decline.

Going from thirty percent to forty percent would increase the speed at which Chen Fei saved money by another notch. Having discovered the interface's second simplification function, Chen Fei now needed silver to rapidly improve his strength. The more, the better.