I'm Begging You

The alchemy room was deathly quiet. Only the recorded sounds of alchemy from the pill furnace outside and the fake fragrance of pills lingered ceaselessly in the air...

Watching Ning Ri's expression, all sorts of thoughts spun through Kong She's mind—

He was not someone who liked to show his goodwill to people's faces, because doing so made him feel awkward.

So, his original plan had been simple...

He had slipped ten slightly different pills into the pill bottle.

That way, once Ning Ri returned, he would know at a glance that those ten pills had been secretly given to him.

It would both achieve the purpose of giving a gift and prevent the scene from becoming even slightly awkward. Kong She could not stand that.

But he had never imagined that the ten pills he secretly added would be mistaken by Ning Ri as his true capability.

And even more heaven-defying, Kong She had read something from Ning Ri's expression—

Ning Ri had definitely mistaken his true ability for twenty-four pills. That was why this brat had deliberately made one fewer than him!

This brat was hiding his true ability, just so he would not surpass him.

This had absolutely been intentional!

Kong She had no proof, but he had a powerful premonition...

It was precisely because of this that Kong She felt a little numb.

This meant two things.

First, Ning Ri's true ability in Pill Separation went far beyond this.

Second, Ning Ri could control the number of pills he separated.

What kind of heaven-defying alchemy art was this?!

Hadn't Ning Ri just said he was a beginner?

Could it be that he had been a beginner at alchemy since the dawn of heaven and earth???

To Kong She, the Ning Ri from moments ago had been a genius. The Ning Ri now was a monster.

Kong She took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions. He stared at Ning Ri and asked, "Did you do it on purpose?"

Ning Ri wore a miserable expression. Enough with this old gag already. He said, "It was an accident."

Elder Kong, I'm awkward as hell right now too!

If you could only separate fourteen pills, you should've said so earlier! Damn it, everyone, stop making this so awkward!

I separated pills with the mindset of preparing for a civil service exam, and now you're telling me I accidentally showed off again?

Kong She sighed. He did not press Ning Ri further, instead asking, "Then when you were refining pills just now, did you feel any discomfort?"

Ning Ri answered instinctively, "No."

Kong She said, "Then if you were to perform Pill Separation at full strength, how many pills do you think you could separate?"

Ning Ri hesitated. He instinctively thought about it, then was immediately startled and hurriedly said, "I was already going all out just now."

Kong She said, "..."

That look on your face when you seriously considered the number did not resemble that at all.

You could separate twenty-three even while deliberately controlling yourself!

Just how outrageously high was your utilization rate of the medicinal ingredients?!

Kong She was envious, astonished, melancholy, and conflicted all at once. He did not ask any more questions. Instead, he said wistfully, "Grandmaster Ning, come back again when you reach Foundation Establishment. I'll organize the Foundation Establishment alchemy methods and give them to you then."

At this moment, his feelings were incredibly complicated.

Personally "teaching" a genius was a glorious thing!

He had been very happy just moments ago.

But now, Kong She felt that for someone like Ning Ri, it did not matter who his teacher was. Even if a dog delivered the jade slips to Ning Ri, he would still become an extraordinary figure beyond the heavens.

Moreover, Ning Ri could not possibly become his disciple.

He clearly could have taken in a disciple who would bring glory to his ancestors and allow him to rise forcefully in the alchemy education world, yet he also knew full well that Ning Ri had already surpassed anything he could teach... That was why he felt so melancholy.

Thinking of this, Kong She felt that he had no idea what Mo Cuidao was pretending at all day long. Two days ago, he had kept calling Ning Ri his beloved disciple in front of him. What the hell did it have to do with you whether his artifact refining was strong or not?

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not have trouble finding it next time.

Seeing Kong She's melancholy face, Ning Ri could tell that he had clearly wrecked the man's state of mind. He did not know how to comfort him, so he could only give an awkward laugh and say, "Alright! Sorry for the trouble, Elder Kong!"

Ning Ri had originally planned to finish reading the "wrong answer collection" at the Wonderful Pill Workshop, but seeing Kong She's reaction, he could only leave.

When he left, although Ning Ri repeatedly declined, Kong She still gave him all the pills. Kong She said he did not lack such trifling scraps, so Ning Ri was too embarrassed to say anything else.

Carrying forty-seven Qi Replenishing Pills, Ning Ri left the Wonderful Pill Workshop.

With a whole bottle full of Qi Replenishing Pills, Ning Ri no longer had to worry about running out of spiritual power. His endurance was maxed out.

Of course, he had also considered other ways to replenish energy—

That was through resetting points.

He could instantly reset the Qi Refining Art to zero, then instantly fill it back up. During that breakthrough process, he had previously absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy rapidly. He wondered whether this could quickly replenish his energy.

If it worked, he could even sell this bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills.

After walking out of the mushroom house, Ning Ri felt hungry. He first popped a Bigu Pill that tasted like sweet potato porridge, then thought about it and took out another Bigu Pill that tasted like green pepper stir-fried pork...

He needed to balance it out. It should not be too bland.

He was already a Grandmaster. It was time to treat himself a little better.

As he walked back toward Golden Osmanthus Garden, Ning Ri would occasionally hear people along the road calling out, "Younger Brother Yang"...

Those were all Inner Sect disciples who did not know any better. The people who truly knew what was what had already begun calling him Grandmaster Ning.

As for the title "Younger Brother Yang," it naturally came from when he had told the mountain bandits during the disciple trial that he would give them some sunlight.

Ning Ri himself had no objections to being called Younger Brother Yang. His name contained the character for sun, so calling him the sun was reasonable enough. Later, he could even go shine upon the gloomy Yin De Sect.

After Ning Ri returned to Golden Osmanthus Garden, the first thing he did was begin practicing with his saber.

Nothing could stop the blade's edge from slicing through the Air Qi of Golden Osmanthus Garden!

Swish, swish, swish—

Only as the sound of the long saber cutting through the air rang out did his mind finally settle down enough to think—

First, he summarized his techniques for using the panel.

After his trip to the Wonderful Pill Workshop, he learned that after completing an entire set of skills for a profession, he would form a skill section—

Artifact Refining: [Heavenly Craft].

Alchemy: [Creation].

He did not know whether other professions, such as talisman crafting and formations, had such skills as well.

After obtaining a skill section, as long as someone near him used a technique at the same level as his own, it would return skill points to him. Moreover, the more people used it simultaneously, the more skill points he could gain. The upper limit was the amount of skill points he had invested into that skill.

Next, Ning Ri began considering what he needed to prepare for his trip to the Yin De Sect...

He already had the Five Elements Essence. Judging from the prompt provided by the panel, he no longer needed to worry about Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.

However, Ning Ri still decided to go investigate the strange.

He wanted to give himself a few more options!

The Five Elements Essence was certainly good, but this was ultimately the path of traditional cultivation.

The [Heaven Defying Foundation Establishment Method] suited someone with circumstances as unusual as his far better.

Besides, now that he had become the Grandmaster of the Heaven Defying Sect, he ought to set an example by refining a batch of strange things first.

Of course.

When it came down to it, it was because aside from the Yin De Sect's lousy congratulatory gift, nobody had died under any other circumstances yet. Even if he failed, he still had another path to take.

Then, Ning Ri continued practicing with his saber.

Swish, swish, swish—

"Stop refining for now. Just stop, I'm begging you."

Zhou Hai looked at Kong She, who had remained silent and kept refining pills without pause. A little frightened, he could not help speaking up to stop him.

Xun Zang stood to one side, also somewhat frightened and not daring to make a sound. He only dared to secretly use a jade slip to record Kong She's slightly crazed appearance...