Time Flew By

Lu Qingfeng listened quietly, then looked toward Lu Qingshan.

All of these were records of the beatings and abuse he had suffered in the Return to Truth Sect. The name that appeared most often was Zhang Chong.

"Who's Zhang Chong?"

Lu Qingshan asked.

"He's the steward in charge of our batch of servant disciples. He loves using a whip to beat people." Lu Qingshan pursed his lips.

At the mention of that name, a trace of hatred unconsciously appeared on his face.

"Zhang Chong!"

"Qian Han!"

"Those people all deserve to be burned to death by fireballs, one by one!"

Lu Qingyu had begun by reading with great interest, but once she grasped the meaning, her little face flushed with anger. She threw the booklet onto the ground and said viciously,

"If we want revenge on them, we can't burn this booklet."

Lu Qingfeng picked up the booklet that had been tossed beside the fire and handed it to Lu Qingshan. "Hold on to it. In three to five years at most, the three of us siblings will return to Huangzhi Mountain together. Everyone who beat you or cursed you will pay it all back!"

"Yes!"

Lu Qingshan nodded hard!

Before today, Lu Qingshan might not necessarily have believed his big brother if he had said this. He had been in the Return to Truth Sect for over five months and knew how terrifying it was.

There were over a hundred formal disciples!

Dozens of inner disciples!

And elite disciples, hall stewards, and hall masters!

Every one of them was a lofty "immortal" existence.

But today, he had personally witnessed his big brother's might—

Two fireballs had burned Wu Yuan, an arrogant inner disciple, alive. The other five servant disciples were all stronger than him, yet none had lasted more than a few exchanges.

Lu Qingshan guessed that his big brother's "fortuitous encounter" was definitely stronger than his jade pendant and zombie!

"Starting tomorrow, Qingshan, you'll teach Qingyu to read and learn the meridian pathways and acupoints. I'll pass a cultivation method on to you. The 'Guizhen Technique' isn't the proper path, so don't practice it anymore." Lu Qingfeng looked at Lu Qingshan.

"I'll listen to you, Big Brother."

Lu Qingshan nodded.

"Big Brother, when can I start cultivating?" Lu Qingyu asked expectantly.

"When you've learned all the characters and can accurately locate the meridians and acupoints, you can start cultivating." Lu Qingfeng smiled.

Cultivation should begin neither too early nor too late.

Generally speaking, twelve to sixteen was the most suitable age.

At this stage, the meridians had stabilized and wouldn't affect development. Moreover, the mind had begun to settle, reducing the chances of circulating qi incorrectly and going berserk.

But—

Lu Qingfeng looked at Qingshan and Qingyu, and a flash of spiritual light passed through his eyes.

Name: Lu Qingshan

Cultivation: None

Level: Level 0

Root Bone: 2

...

Name: Lu Qingyu

Cultivation: None

Level: Level 0

Root Bone: 1

...

"A trio of good-for-nothings?"

Lu Qingfeng used the Heaven's Eye Technique to inspect Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingyu's levels, cultivation, and Root Bones.

An ordinary Heaven's Eye Technique could only see cultivation levels. After two enhancements, Lu Qingfeng's Heaven's Eye Technique could also inspect Root Bones. If used for accepting disciples, it was an unparalleled tool!

Of the two,

Although Lu Qingshan had cultivated in the Return to Truth Sect for several months, he had never entered the ranks of cultivators. He was still Level 0, without the slightest cultivation. His Root Bone wasn't much better than Lu Qingfeng's either—only 2 points, making him the tallest among a crowd of good-for-nothings.

Lu Qingyu was even closer to her big brother. Both of them had only 1 point of Root Bone, making them peerless good-for-nothings!

While in Blackwood Village, Lu Qingfeng had observed that the villagers' Root Bones were generally between 0 and 1. Very few had reached 2 points. They were probably fish that had slipped through the Return to Truth Sect's net.

The three siblings truly shared the same mother. Their talents were equally poor!

"But with the 'Primordial World' in hand, raising one good-for-nothing or three makes no difference." Lu Qingfeng thought to himself.

"Then let's hurry up and sleep. We'll start learning early tomorrow morning!" Lu Qingyu was growing impatient. She pulled her big brother and second brother toward the wooden hut to sleep.

Lu Qingfeng scattered sulfur powder and insect-repellent powder around the wooden hut. He then stretched vines into a circle around it as an alarm, before sleeping fully dressed and logging into the "Primordial World."

In reality, four days had passed since the day Lu Qingfeng visited Lu Qingshan—three days of preparation, plus today.

Thirteen months had already passed in the game!

Lu Qingfeng had also turned twenty.

"The Grain-Repelling Pills I refined in Blackwood Village are enough for Qingshan, Qingyu, and me to eat for three months."

"As for cultivation, I need to master the refinement of the Yellow Dragon Pill before I can rapidly increase my cultivation in reality. I also need to start practicing and master pills that restore internal breath or recover from and control injuries in a short period of time."

"Palm and fist techniques ultimately can't compare to the sharpness of weapons, especially at the Embryonic Breath Realm stage. I have Wu Yuan's Nine-Ring Saber, so I can specifically practice another saber technique to protect myself."

"Besides that, learning to draw talismans must also be put on the agenda. Wild beasts could ambush us at any time in the dense forest. Drawing a large number of talismans for self-defense is the top priority!"

"As for artifact refinement, it has the greatest requirements for basic facilities and materials, so it can be left until last."

Inside the Bluestone Talisman, Lu Qingfeng considered his plans for the future.

After escaping Blackwood Village, the hundredfold time difference could finally shine to its fullest.

In reality, aside from the two hours required for cultivation, Lu Qingfeng devoted all his remaining time to the game.

One day in reality was one hundred days in the game.

From that day onward,

Lu Qingfeng stayed inside the Bluestone Talisman every day, refining Grain-Repelling Pills and Yellow Dragon Pills. He also paid a considerable price to obtain the formulas for Breath-Restoring Pills, Essence-Nourishing Pills, and Entangling Fragrance Pellets.

With that, he had six pill formulas in hand: Grain-Repelling Pills, Yellow Dragon Pills, Clear Spirit Powder, Breath-Restoring Pills, Essence-Nourishing Pills, and Entangling Fragrance Pellets.

There was no need to say much about the effects of Grain-Repelling Pills and Yellow Dragon Pills.

Clear Spirit Powder was a pill formula that had appeared after the third enhancement of "Alchemy Analysis." It was one of the few supreme antidotes available at the Embryonic Breath Realm level.

Breath-Restoring Pills were low-level pills that restored internal breath.

Essence-Nourishing Pills had miraculous effects on both internal and external injuries.

The final Entangling Fragrance Pellet was a poison. Anyone poisoned by it could not recklessly circulate internal breath, or the poison would rapidly erupt. There was no way to completely purge its toxicity. Once it erupted, so long as the victim was not beyond the Embryonic Breath Realm, they could not escape the fate of having limp limbs and becoming prey to anyone!

This was something Lu Qingfeng had prepared for any experts from the Return to Truth Sect who might arrive.

Refining two Entangling Fragrance Pellets in reality and keeping them on hand might yield an unexpected harvest.

Thus,

time flew by.

Alchemy was by no means easy.

At first, Lu Qingfeng only knew how to refine Grain-Repelling Pills. He earned money by selling them at triple profit, using it to support his practice with the other five kinds of pills. It was quite a struggle.

This situation continued for five years.

Five years later, Lu Qingfeng was finally able to refine Yellow Dragon Pills proficiently, and the situation improved greatly.

The Yellow Dragon Pill Formula derived from the twice-enhanced "Alchemy Analysis" had medicinal effects just like the Grain-Repelling Pills, both surpassing ordinary pills. During those five years, Lu Qingfeng enhanced "Alchemy Analysis" twice more.

Whether Grain-Repelling Pills or Yellow Dragon Pills, their medicinal effects and quality rose again, leaving ordinary pills far behind!

With a second signature product, Lu Qingfeng's income increased greatly, and he was able to devote far more effort to practicing the remaining four kinds of pills.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last.

The third day after mastering the Yellow Dragon Pill was also the twenty-first day since the three of them escaped Blackwood Village.

The traces of the three of them had finally been discovered!

"Big Brother, wake up! Someone's coming!"

Lu Qingfeng had been feigning sleep, his consciousness immersed in the "Primordial World" as he worked on mastering the refinement of Entangling Fragrance Pellets.

Sensing movement in reality, he immediately logged out.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw five burly men wielding broadswords charging toward him. Lu Qingyu stood beside him, anxiously shaking his arm, while Lu Qingshan held a broadsword and stood in front of them, his legs trembling.

"Qingshan!"

"Protect Qingyu. Leave them to me!"

A flash of spiritual light passed through Lu Qingfeng's eyes as he activated the Heaven's Eye Technique. He discovered that the strongest among the five was only at the second level of the Embryonic Breath Realm. He casually picked up the Nine-Ring Saber beside him, pushed off hard with his feet, and charged straight toward the five men.

"Big Brother, be careful!"

Lu Qingshan slowly retreated, warning him nervously.

Lu Qingfeng did not respond. He focused intently on the five men's movements.

"Little brat, you saw the five of us brothers and still didn't think to run?"

The rough-looking leader spoke in a booming voice, a vicious glint appearing on his face.

They had been ordered to enter the deep mountains and search for the whereabouts of Lu Qingfeng and the other two. After more than half a month, they had long since grown unbearably frustrated. They had never expected to run into them today. If they could capture the three alive and bring them back, the Return to Truth Sect's reward would be considerable.

They were all formal disciples with no potential. If they could use this opportunity to advance another step, naturally, it would be wonderful!

Thinking of this, he tightened his grip on the broadsword and charged toward Lu Qingfeng as well.

"Lifeless Saber Technique!"

The saber technique burst forth!

This was the most widespread saber technique in the Return to Truth Sect. It was broad and forceful, with boundless might. Wu Yuan had used this very technique in the past when dealing with Lu Qingfeng's Fire Bolt Technique.

Saber light flashed!

Five men and five broadswords hacked down at Lu Qingfeng from every angle.

"Take him alive!"

The leading man was still mindful of the Return to Truth Sect's orders and worried that they might accidentally kill Lu Qingfeng.

"Take me alive?"

A cold smile curled Lu Qingfeng's lips. With a slight shift of his feet, his body drifted like a ghost, flickering unpredictably. It was the Smoke-Wisp Step!

Everyone felt their vision blur. Then Lu Qingfeng vanished without a trace.

After that,

a bright saber light flashed, and a booming shout rang out across the clear sky—

"Cloak Saber Technique!"

Mighty! Heavy! Each wave rose higher than the last!

"What?!"

The leading man's expression changed drastically. Realizing how formidable the strike was, he hurriedly raised his saber to block. The internal breath of the second level of the Embryonic Breath Realm surged rapidly, gathering in both hands as he tried to withstand the blow.

"Die!"

Lu Qingfeng's eyes narrowed as his steps shifted!

The saber suddenly hacked down along a bizarre angle—

Ssshhk!

"No!"

The leading man, a second-level Embryonic Breath Realm cultivator, showed terror on his face. His eyes bulged as the Nine-Ring Saber cleaved straight into his forehead, and he fell dead.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The other four broadswords descended. Lu Qingfeng twisted at the waist and casually swung the Nine-Ring Saber, blocking all four blades.

He pushed off with his feet and continued hacking with the Nine-Ring Saber.

Three more were slain in succession!

Holding the Nine-Ring Saber, Lu Qingfeng fought five against one with ease. When he saw that only one remained, he abruptly halted his assault and rested the Nine-Ring Saber against the man's shoulder. In a deep voice, he asked, "Who sent you? How many people entered the mountains in total?"

The remaining man had a blade at his neck and was scared half to death. Whatever Lu Qingfeng asked, he answered.

Before long,

he spilled everything, explaining the entire situation as readily as beans pouring from a tipped-out basket.

"Sir, spare me! I definitely won't reveal your whereabouts!"

After finishing his confession, the man dropped to his knees with a thud and hurriedly begged for mercy.

Lu Qingfeng's expression did not change. He swept the Nine-Ring Saber across the man's neck, gathered the five broadswords, and only then turned around and went back.