The Advantage Is Mine—How Could I Lose?

Listening to Su Luo's promise, Mu Li could not help sneering inwardly.

In Mu Li's eyes, Su Luo's words sounded nice enough. Directly promising the future of a Da Dou Shi was indeed quite tempting.

But given Su Luo's identity as an Alchemist, if he failed to keep his word, with the people present being no stronger than Dou Masters, who would dare seek him out and hold him accountable?

Not to mention that once Su Luo's Alchemist grade rose in the future, they would be even less likely to question him.

Therefore, while Su Luo had indeed promised benefits for testing the medicine, and Mu Li believed that Su Luo might one day become skilled enough to use medicine to forcefully cultivate a Da Dou Shi, he did not believe Su Luo would actually do so.

Even if Su Luo had not learned of his plan, and even if he did not resent Mu Li for his previous disrespect, Mu Li still had no intention of stepping forward.

He had never even heard of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. Combined with Su Luo's age, it meant Su Luo's Alchemist grade could not possibly be very high. Could something developed by a low-grade Alchemist himself possibly be any good?

No matter how he listened to it, the medicinal liquid sounded unreliable. Mu Li absolutely refused to touch Su Luo's medicine. Compared with the others, he at least had a father who was a Dou Master. His family was already better off than those of ordinary mercenaries, so he had no intention of taking such an obviously enormous risk.

The bodies of those below the Dou Zhe level were extremely fragile. Once a medicinal liquid damaged one's meridians, without the intervention of a high-grade Alchemist, one would essentially be crippled. Even with a high-grade Alchemist's help, no one knew how well the meridians could be repaired, nor how far repaired meridians could carry a person afterward.

With a Dou Master father, he had no desire to take that risk.

"Ling'er, why don't you try it? You're at the fourth stage of Dou Qi, just right for Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid."

As Mu Li backed away, Ling'er's father looked at her and asked for her opinion.

Ling'er had angered Su Luo before. Although Su Luo had not said anything afterward, everyone knew that he disliked Ling'er. It was only because there was no real grudge or connection between them that Su Luo had simply ignored her.

This medicine test was precisely an opportunity to ease their relationship and make Su Luo stop disliking Ling'er.

"I'd rather not." Ling'er shook her head.

It was common knowledge throughout the Jia Ma Empire that those below the Dou Zhe level could not endure any kind of medicine. Ling'er was astonished that Su Luo had become an Alchemist at such a young age, but it was precisely because of his age that she was even less willing to touch the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid he had developed.

At most, he was a first-grade Alchemist. Ling'er truly did not dare try a formula he had researched himself.

Even if it sounded like a good thing, no matter how good something was, one needed to be alive to enjoy it. Ling'er did not believe that Su Luo, who was at most a first-grade Alchemist, could create something that even the renowned Alchemists of the Jia Ma Empire were unable to produce.

Although her father was only an ordinary Dou Zhe compared with Mu Li's father, she still had no intention of taking this risk. In her eyes, the danger was simply too great.

"Please allow me. I'm at the sixth stage of Dou Qi, so this is just right for me."

After a long silence, Qing Ye of the Blood War Mercenary Group finally stepped forward.

"Good." Su Luo nodded, then tossed the bottle of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to Qing Ye.

"Prepare a basin of warm water deep enough to submerge your entire body below the neck. Pour the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid into it, then cultivate in the water. If you feel any discomfort, tell me immediately. I'll find a way to help you resolve it."

Looking at the jade bottle of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid in her hand, Qing Ye took a deep breath. "Understood."

With that, Qing Ye turned and left without hesitation, preparing to cultivate with the help of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid.

After Qing Ye left and the crowd dispersed, Mu Li shook his head. "What a pity. Wealth is sought amid danger, but it can also be lost there. I thought her figure was pretty good and that I might be able to pursue her. In the end, she'll be crippled by the medicine and only fit to be someone's plaything."

"Sister Qing." Unlike Mu Li, Ling'er was somewhat worried about Qing Ye. Qing Ye had always taken good care of her, and if something really happened to Qing Ye because of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, Ling'er would be afraid.

But afraid as she was, she still did not dare stop Qing Ye and risk offending Su Luo.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. During those seven days, Qing Ye used the effects of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to successfully temper her sixth stage Dou Qi until it became even more solid, with no abnormal reactions whatsoever.

"As expected of a formula researched by Medicine Elder. Even though the quality of what I refined was much worse, the results are still quite good."

With Qing Ye's test results, Su Luo no longer worried that the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid he had refined had any other problems. After quickly refining another batch with the remaining ingredients, he began using it to help himself and Su Muyue cultivate Dou Qi.

"Father, what's wrong? What has you so happy?"

When Mu Li entered Mu She's room, he saw that Mu She was beaming with joy.

"We've run into a huge fat sheep. How could I not be happy?"

"A fat sheep?" Mu Li was confused by Mu She's words.

"You know that there has been warm water in that Alchemist's mother's room all this time, right?"

"I know. What about it, Father?"

Mu She sneered. "What about it? Heh, do you remember how that Alchemist said the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid was used?"

Hearing Mu She's words, Mu Li seemed to realize something and instantly widened his eyes. "The method for using Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid? Warm water? Wait, Father, isn't Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid only useful for people below the eighth stage of Dou Qi? That Alchemist's mother has less than the eighth stage of Dou Qi. Is that reasonable?"

Mu She sat down in a nearby chair. "Of course it isn't reasonable. But what if her cultivation was crippled?"

"Crippled?"

The corners of Mu She's mouth lifted, unable to suppress his smile. "That's right, crippled. Do you remember what that Alchemist said when he first arrived? His mother was injured and needed money for treatment."

"From that, some things are not hard to guess."

"That Alchemist was born into a powerful family. But it seems something happened within the family for some reason. Many of the family's experts likely died in that incident, and the family's remaining experts threw the two of them into this place to preserve their lives."

"Because his former family was powerful enough, he became an Alchemist at that age. Because his family was powerful enough, he possessed a formula that even the Gamma Empire Royal Family might not have."

"Being able to bring people here without anyone noticing and without alerting the upper ranks of the Gamma Empire, I even suspect that the formula is connected to a Dou Zong expert or even a Dou Zun expert."

"A Dou Zong expert or even a Dou Zun expert!" Cold sweat instantly soaked Mu Li's body. Merely thinking of experts at that level made his legs go weak.

"There's no need to worry. They're just two people from a fallen family, especially his mother. She even needs Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to help her cultivate Dou Qi. A tiger fallen onto the plains... In short, a fallen phoenix is no better than a chicken."

"There may be cultivation methods and Dou techniques from a Dou Zong or even Dou Zun family. We may even need to alter the plan somewhat."

"Father, that could be a Dou Zong or even Dou Zun family. Are we really going to make enemies of them?"

Mu She sneered. "Hmph, so what if they're from a Dou Zong or Dou Zun family? Doesn't he still need a child to earn money by refining medicine so his mother can cultivate Dou Qi?"

"I was worried that his mother might be an expert, but now it seems I was simply overthinking it."

"A Dou Master against Dou Qi—how could I possibly lose with such an advantage?"