Another Secret Realm

Pill Alliance.

Heaven-grade Alchemy Room

Wisps of green smoke rose from the Purple Copper Incense Burner.

The air was thick with the mingled scents of Pill Fragrance and Earth Fire.

Chen Sheng's expression was as still as an ancient well.

His fingertip flicked!

A source Fire Pearl the size of a longan shot forth, plunging precisely into the depths of the Earth Fire.

Bzz—!

In an instant.

Chen Sheng felt a clear connection form with his mind.

As easy to command as an arm or finger!

Using the Fire Pearl as a medium, the violent, restless Earth Fire was immediately tamed, transforming into a docile yet majestic pillar of bluish-white flame that poured into the fire vent beneath the furnace.

Pure and stable!

Far beyond the control of ordinary Formations.

Chen Sheng pointed into the air.

"Shape Control!"

Inside the furnace.

The blazing flames suddenly surged, gathering like a living creature and taking the form of a lifelike three-legged Golden Toad of flame.

The Golden Toad was formed entirely from pure Earth Fire, Crimson Radiance flickering within its eyes.

"Ribbit!"

A soundless ripple resounded through the Alchemy Furnace.

The fire toad opened its enormous mouth.

A purple tongue of flame lashed out like a whip, precisely sweeping up the spirit herbs that had long been prepared at the furnace mouth before curling back into its belly.

Scorching streams of light circulated within the Golden Toad's abdomen.

Just two breaths later!

Puff!

The toad's mouth opened again.

It steadily spat out an incomparably smooth sphere of Medicinal Liquid, which floated in the center of the furnace chamber.

Not a trace of fiery aura remained; it was warm and lustrous as a pearl.

Throughout the process.

He Ping'an stood beside Chen Sheng and saw everything clearly. He had already been left dumbfounded.

Although he had seen it many times.

Every time he saw it, he was struck with awe, as though witnessing a Heavenly Human.

The process seemed simple, but in truth, only Chen Sheng's exquisitely meticulous control over flame allowed him to accomplish this step of Golden Toad Offers Medicine.

Chen Sheng did not pause. He pointed at the sphere of Medicinal Liquid.

"Split!"

The mass of Medicinal Liquid silently divided into two, floating at the upper and lower poles of the furnace chamber.

Chen Sheng's hands turned into afterimages.

Dozens of finger seals containing exquisite fire-attributed Spiritual Energy struck into the furnace. Every Hand Seal landed precisely on the critical points where medicinal potency clashed, impurities precipitated, and Spiritual Energy leaked away.

"Spin!"

"Condense!"

"Spirit Locking!"

"Purge Turbidity!"

These were Hand Seals that incorporated the essence of a second-tier inheritance.

Their subtle profundity was displayed to the fullest.

"Ping'an, you collect the Pill!"

He Ping'an jolted. "Yes!"

He immediately focused completely, forming the Pill Retrieval Technique with utmost care and sending it into the Alchemy Furnace.

Before long.

A pale yellow Pill spun out. One Pill Pattern was clearly visible upon it, its body round and smooth, its medicinal fragrance pure. It was already a Fine-grade Spirit Pill containing ninety percent of its medicinal potency.

Delight flashed in He Ping'an's eyes.

Chen Sheng merely nodded lightly.

"Not bad."

"But you can still improve. Watch closely!"

With that.

Chen Sheng formed the same Pill Collection Incantations.

Yet subtle, indescribable changes emerged in the transformations of his finger seals and the moments at which he injected Spiritual Energy.

Whoosh!

Another Pill flew out. As it spun, the crisp medicinal energy rippling from it far surpassed that of the previous one.

Three Pill Patterns marked its surface. It was unmistakably Top-grade.

Chen Sheng spoke.

"Can you see where the problem lies?"

He Ping'an shook his head blankly. Clearly, they had been Pills from the same furnace, and the Pill Collection Hand Seals had been the same.

How could the difference be so great?

Chen Sheng sighed inwardly. His talent was still limited after all!

Back then, Qin Yuan had comprehended it on his own without needing Chen Sheng to teach him.

"Rhythm!"

Chen Sheng quietly prompted him, then formed the Hand Seals again and demonstrated them in detail.

He Ping'an nodded, seeming to understand yet not fully understand.

Seeing this.

Chen Sheng could only explain it in greater detail.

He opened the furnace again and had He Ping'an personally experience it using different rhythms.

He Ping'an finally came to a realization.

"So the difference can be this obvious when the rhythm changes. Master, I see that your rhythm isn't fixed either. Then what kind of rhythm should I adopt?"

Hearing this, Chen Sheng knew that his disciple only understood the "technique," not yet the "way."

How could such a thing have a fixed pattern?

He began carefully explaining the reasons to He Ping'an, until He Ping'an grasped a small corner of the truth.

Only then did Chen Sheng let him leave.

He told him to return and ponder it carefully.

Jiuhua Workshop, main hall of Heart-Seeking Hall.

A rich, delicate fragrance of rouge drifted over.

The hall was filled with women of every figure, their voices as sweet as orioles.

Ten beauties stood behind He Manlou, each with her own unique charm, all dressed in carefully tailored gowns.

Chen Sheng looked at He Manlou.

"Old Brother He, you really brought them?"

"Isn't this too many?"

He Manlou laughed heartily.

"Of course it's real. These ten are all women of the He Clan blessed with both talent and beauty, each a match for the others. I truly couldn't narrow them down any further, so you can take them all."

As he spoke, He Manlou handed over another Storage Bag and whispered into Chen Sheng's ear.

"These are their cultivation resources for five years. Treat them a little better."

"We agreed that the children they bear will belong to the He Clan. One thousand Spirit Stones per child, double that if they have Spirit Roots."

"Don't you go back on your word, little brother!"

Chen Sheng nodded.

"Rest assured, Old Brother He."

He knew what He Manlou was thinking, and he also trusted that He Manlou would take good care of the children.

Chen Sheng thought to himself.

Dragon's Vigor Tiger's Might is a talent that promotes plentiful births and superior offspring.

I suppose I won't disappoint Old Brother He.

Otherwise, he truly would not feel at ease taking this money.

Not long after.

He Manlou departed.

Before leaving, he specifically reminded Chen Sheng.

"Brother Chen, another Secret Realm has opened recently. Don't go joining those murderous bastards for the excitement. Just focus on refining Pills and having children."

Chen Sheng laughed heartily.

"Rest assured, Old Brother He. I cherish my life dearly!"

Inside the Cave Mansion.

Only Chen Sheng and the ten beauties remained.

Chen Sheng wore an amiable smile.

He had them introduce themselves, then asked about their wishes.

Clearly, there had been no coercion involved!

The He Clan had too many women and too few men.

Yet the Cloud Elephant Bloodline was unfriendly toward women, causing most of the clan's women to possess only mediocre aptitude.

Therefore.

When the young women heard that they could improve the aptitude of the next generation, and that the children they bore would be supported directly by the clan.

While they themselves would also receive ample cultivation resources, they had all rushed headlong to compete for this excellent opportunity!

These ten victorious beauties.

Basically represented several branch lines of the He Clan. Eliminating any one of them would have been difficult, and He Manlou had truly had no other choice but to send them all to Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng said with a smile.

From now on, they were all family.

The Cave Mansion was large enough.

He quickly arranged living quarters for them.

Then they made an agreement: apart from the core cultivation chamber, the rest of the Cave Mansion would be entrusted to them.

Time slowly passed.

Under the attentive care of all the "younger sisters."

Chen Sheng's life gained a few more pleasures.

He did not neglect cultivation either. He taught them the Joyful Method and devised a scientific, reasonable schedule to make full use of their time.

Tension and relaxation in proper measure, work and rest combined.

Their cultivation efficiency rose rather than fell!

That day.

Several neighbors came to visit together.

Ever since Chen Sheng had become a Disciple of the Alchemy Hall, he had become the pillar they leaned on, and they had naturally begun drawing closer to him!

Dragons had the dragon's path, snakes had the snake's path.

Chen Sheng did not distance himself from them either.

Gu Taohua saw the swallows and orioles filling the residence and could not help but laugh softly.

"I thought Fellow Daoist Chen was an ascetic cultivator before. It seems this humble woman was blind after all."

Beside her, Wang Juhui waggled his brows.

"Fellow Daoist Chen is truly a model for our generation!"

Li Rulong said solemnly.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, your gifts must be passed down. This is a contribution to the Cultivation World."

At those words, the group immediately chuckled softly.

After some pleasantries.

The three finally got to the point.

Li Rulong spoke.

"A Secret Realm was discovered in the Jiyun Mountain Range some days ago. I wonder whether Fellow Daoist Chen has heard?"

The moment Chen Sheng heard the words Secret Realm, his vigilance surged.

"I've heard. Are you inviting me?"

Gu Taohua hurriedly shook her head.

"Fellow Daoist Chen's Dao path is boundless. How could we dare let you risk yourself?"

Wang Juhui nodded as well:

"It was the three of us who wanted to take a gamble, but we lacked means of Life Preservation. That was why we came to seek your help, Fellow Daoist."

Chen Sheng nodded lightly at this.

He understood the circumstances of the three fairly well.

Of the three, Li Rulong was the most desperate.

He was the oldest, had long since reached Qi Condensation Perfection, and was drawing ever closer to the Sixty Year Limit.

Gu Taohua and Wang Juhui, meanwhile,

still had some distance to go before reaching Qi Condensation Perfection.

One was a high-grade Talisman Master, the other a mid-grade Formation Master.

It sounded respectable.

But in truth, neither earned much.

After covering their daily cultivation and renting a Cave Mansion...

they could save at most a few hundred Spirit Stones each year. Even buying a single Foundation Establishment spirit item was difficult.

No wonder they had entertained the thought of risking their lives.

Chen Sheng nodded lightly.

"What do you want?"

Li Rulong spoke.

"The Secret Realm has only just opened, and all the high-grade Talismans in the Immortal City were snapped up long ago."

"We want to purchase three Second-grade Talismans through your connections, Fellow Daoist, to use for Life Preservation."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Chen. We will pay twenty percent above the market price. We definitely won't let you suffer a loss."

Chen Sheng considered it for a moment. Purchasing Second-grade Talismans through the sect's channels would not be difficult.

He nodded.

"Fine."

The three exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with joy.