Female Cultivator at the Door

Watching Zheng Hai's face change, Han Yi secretly reveled in it.

"R-Really? You're telling the truth?" Zheng Hai pressed.

Han Yi nodded. "Of course it's true. Even Senior Brother Guan Di said my alchemy skills are strong."

"Besides, only by making a breakthrough in alchemy could I pass the Return-to-Sect Assessment. Otherwise, what was I supposed to use to pass it—my head?"

After Han Yi assured him again and again, Zheng Hai tentatively believed him.

"Han Yi, y-you're way too monstrous."

"It's only been a year since I last saw you, but it feels like you've become a completely different person."

The speaker had meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.

The smug thrill in Han Yi's heart suddenly shuddered.

This was the world of cultivation. What if someone truly noticed the enormous difference in him over the past year, took an interest in him, and that person happened to be a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator—or even a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Then he would be in no small amount of trouble.

No.

For the next few years, he needed to keep a low profile and lie low. He absolutely could not be too flamboyant.

Han Yi was a cautious man.

At that moment, he was already grateful that he had not acted on impulse and agreed to Shen Yu, the deputy peak master of Little Green Cloud Peak, or Guan Di's suggestion to go to another Outer Peak. Exposing himself to more eyes would have been like letting people examine him through a magnifying glass—far too easy to reveal a flaw.

"By the way, where did you run off to a while ago? I went to Little Firm Rock Peak looking for you, but no one answered."

Zheng Hai shook his head. "I happened to have some business outside. Never mind that—come on. Now that you're back, let's go have a few drinks."

Han Yi slightly opened his mouth, about to suggest taking Zheng Hai to Drunken Immortal Pavilion for a celebration. But on second thought, he did not have a single spirit stone in his pocket right now—only the pills he had just refined.

"Don't worry, it's on me." Seeing the awkward look on Han Yi's face, Zheng Hai immediately thumped his chest.

Han Yi had shown off just now. This time, it was Zheng Hai's turn.

Subconsciously, he still regarded Han Yi as the friend who lacked spirit stones and lived in straitened circumstances. Naturally, he would be the one treating.

Han Yi did not refuse either. Once he sold his pills, refined more pills, sold those too, and earned spirit stones, he could make it up to him next time.

There was no need for such formality between them.

The Mystic Pill Sect had over a hundred Outer Peaks. Each one had at least several hundred disciples, while the larger ones had as many as three thousand.

Every Outer Peak was practically a small society of its own.

Thus, nearly every mountain had a tavern of some kind, though their sizes varied. Little Spirit Void Peak had one as well: Little Spirit Void Tower.

After spending thirty taels of spirit sand on two small wooden buckets of Spirit Fruit Wine, the two began drinking at Little Spirit Void Tower.

In the memories of Han Yi's original body, the two of them had gathered here almost once every year.

As they drank and chatted, Zheng Hai did most of the talking. He spoke of anecdotes from the Mystic Pill Sect—this senior brother reaching Qi Refining Layer 7, that inner sect disciple establishing his immortal foundation, another senior brother finding a beautiful Dao companion and, over the course of a year, not advancing but falling back in cultivation. Women truly were calamities, and so on.

"By the way, Han Yi, did anything interesting happen during the year you spent down the mountain? Tell me about it."

"No. What interesting things could have happened to me? I just refined pills and cultivated. It was boring as hell. I was out and about for less than two or three days total. Otherwise, how do you think I improved so quickly? It all came from my diligent cultivation."

"That's what I figured. Hahaha."

The Spirit Fruit Wine at Little Spirit Void Tower could only be called mediocre. Even when they had been at Qi Refining Layer 2, they could afford it. It was not priced highly; though the fruit wine contained spiritual qi, its effects were limited, and even less could truly be absorbed.

After they finished drinking, each went their separate way.

Han Yi first headed for Vermilion Bird Peak.

He exchanged all the pills he had on hand for sect contribution points.

There were nine bottles of Evil Warding Pills. Seven had been refined this time, while two were left over from his previous batch. There had originally been three bottles left from last time, but he had used one while breaking through to Qi Refining Layer 4.

There were twenty bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills.

Altogether, he exchanged them for 3,500 sect contribution points.

At the exchange rate of ten sect contribution points to one spirit stone, that amounted to 350 spirit stones.

The one on duty at Vermilion Bird Hall was still Senior Brother Ma Yu, whom Han Yi had met during his last assessment.

"Junior Brother Han, this is quite a fortune. After saving for so many years, my entire assets only come to one thousand spirit stones. Yours alone equals thirty percent of everything I have."

"I'm jealous."

Ma Yu sighed.

Han Yi answered modestly, "To be honest, Senior Brother Ma, I saved up these pills through more than a year of hard work. How else could I have so many?"

"I don't even know when I'll have another batch of pills like this. Probably not until the Year of the Monkey and Month of the Horse."

Ma Yu nodded.

That made sense. If Han Yi could casually refine so many decent-quality pills in just two short months, that would truly be seeing ghosts.

After Han Yi exchanged all his points for two hundred spirit stones and alchemy materials, then walked out of the administration hall, his brows suddenly furrowed.

I can't come here again anytime soon.

"Next time, I should go to one of the Outer Peak markets."

At the Mystic Pill Sect, there was an official trading platform: the Administration Hall, which used contribution points as an intermediary currency.

There were also semi-official trading platforms—the markets.

Among the hundred or so Outer Peaks, eighteen markets had been established. The owners behind these markets were senior figures within the sect, including Foundation Establishment cultivators and even great cultivators of the Golden Core Stage.

These markets were similar to the Lei Family Market in Mengshan City, except they were fairer. Incidents of highway robbery were rare. Within the sect, this was an ironclad bottom line—after all, stability was the foundation of maintaining rule.

The reason Han Yi had this thought was because of what Ma Yu had just said.

With his terrifying pill-refining success rate and yield rate, the pills he provided would absolutely be an unending stream.

If he used the sect's Administration Hall as an intermediary, records would be left behind. Anyone who cared to investigate—or someone like Ma Yu, who had noticed—would only need to see it a few more times to easily deduce Han Yi's pill-refining success rate and the like.

That would inevitably lead to trouble.

Han Yi feared trouble most of all.

If he went through the sect's semi-official markets, there would be no records. Though the prices would be lower, it would be more discreet and safer.

That was what Han Yi had been thinking just now.

"Besides, it's time to get hold of a couple more pill formulas. The Qi Nourishing Pill and Evil Warding Pill are too limited. Next time I visit the market, I'll take a look. If there are higher-grade pill formulas, I can buy them."

"Other than that, spells can also be purchased in the markets. I need to keep an eye out for those as well."

Plans rose one after another in Han Yi's mind, but every one of them was properly arranged.

He liked this feeling of having everything under control.

When he returned to Little Spirit Void Peak with all these thoughts in mind, he saw two female cultivators standing at the entrance.

From afar, he did not recognize them.

In truth, Han Yi did not know a single female cultivator in the Mystic Pill Sect.

As Han Yi approached, one of the two female cultivators cupped her hands and asked, "May I ask if you are Junior Brother Han?"

Her voice was ethereal and gentle, exceptionally pleasant to hear.

Han Yi nodded subconsciously and began to observe her.

The two female cultivators at the entrance wore the same gray robes of outer sect disciples.

The female cultivator who had spoken wore a smile. She was around one meter seventy tall, with gentle features and shining eyes. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, making the figure beneath her gray robes seem even more graceful and alluring.

Judging by her appearance and voice, this female cultivator was three or four years older than him.

The other had an even more explosive figure, curving out in all the right places, but her looks were comparatively ordinary. There was no smile on her face; she even appeared cold and indifferent.

"May I ask who you two Senior Sisters are?" Han Yi returned the gesture.

"Greetings, Junior Brother Han. I am Chu Jinmo, and this is my Junior Sister, Yan Ru."

"We are from Little Sea View Peak."

In her ethereal voice, the female cultivator named Chu Jinmo introduced them.

"Little Sea View Peak?"

"What brings you here?"

Han Yi frowned.

He knew of Little Sea View Peak. It was one of the Outer Peaks with the most female cultivators.

Before him, one had a lovely voice and beautiful looks, while the other had an explosive figure—certainly pleasing to the eye. Yet he could not understand what connection he could possibly have with them.