Time flowed slowly by like a stream. In the blink of an eye, eighteen days had passed.
Zhao Huaian stayed in his room, concentrating on drawing Water Arrow Talismans.
As his brush glided smoothly across the paper, wisps of Spiritual Energy gathered, and the Water Arrow Talisman's pattern appeared in full.
Water Arrow Talisman (Proficient 1/400)
He focused and glanced at the Attribute Heavenly Book in his mind.
The Water Arrow Talisman's proficiency in the Attribute Heavenly Book had already reached the Proficient Level.
"Not bad. My efficiency has improved by a lot. Every time I draw a Water Arrow Talisman, my proficiency goes up by one point."
"I wonder how much better a Proficient Level Water Arrow Talisman will be. I'll try it out!"
Zhao Huaian nodded in satisfaction, eager to test the Water Arrow Talisman that had just reached the Proficient Level.
After constantly making Water Arrow Talismans for the past eighteen days, he had been failing less and less. He could now reliably produce twelve Water Arrow Talismans a day.
Now that his Water Arrow Talisman proficiency had leveled up, he wanted to see how many he could reliably make in a single day.
No sooner had the thought occurred to him than he acted on it.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Huaian sat cross-legged on the bed. Once he had brought himself into peak condition, he picked up his brush and began drawing Water Arrow Talismans.
Time passed slowly.
A day flew by. After drawing Water Arrow Talismans nonstop, Zhao Huaian had used up all the Spiritual Energy in his body.
Water Arrow Talisman (Proficient 19/400)
Zhao Huaian looked at the Attribute Heavenly Book.
His Water Arrow Talisman's proficiency had increased by eighteen points, and eighteen brand-new Water Arrow Talismans sat on the table.
The light shimmered across the eighteen new talismans, and their quality was clearly much better than before.
Their quality and the speed at which he had made them thrilled Zhao Huaian. Even his weariness faded considerably.
"Not bad. Proficient Level Water Arrow Talismans are much better quality. Perhaps I can raise the price a little for these—say, five for two Low-grade Spirit Stones..."
"As for the Water Arrow Talismans I drew before, I'll keep the price as it is: three for one Low-grade Spirit Stone."
"At this rate, with this quality, and the Spirit Talismans I've already saved up, I'll be able to go to the Alchemy Hall and repay the two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones in a little over twenty days."
After calculating all his current assets and how much he could produce each day, Zhao Huaian nodded with satisfaction.
Just as he was about to rest and meditate for a while, a noisy commotion suddenly rose from outside the Residential Area.
"Who dares make a racket here? Aren't they afraid of angering the cultivators in seclusion?"
The noisy commotion stirred an inexplicable irritation in Zhao Huaian. For a moment, he couldn't settle down to rest and absorb Spiritual Energy.
"I'll go take a look!"
With a trace of displeasure on his face, Zhao Huaian opened the door and went outside.
A large crowd had gathered outside the Residential Area. Almost all of them were cultivators in the early or middle stages of Qi Refining.
At the center of the crowd, a Qi Refining Layer Three cultivator was weeping and pleading for mercy, repeatedly dropping to his knees.
"Brother Liu, what's going on?"
Zhao Huaian stepped forward and looked curiously at Liu Bohu, who had been standing to one side for a while.
Liu Bohu was now at Qi Refining Layer Three. He looked full of energy and utterly carefree.
Hearing the voice, Liu Bohu turned around.
Seeing Zhao Huaian, he immediately explained with a cheerful smile, "It's nothing much. That man was blinded by greed. Even though he couldn't afford it, he still went to the Alchemy Hall to borrow Spirit Stones from Chen Feiyu.
"Now the deadline's up, and he can't repay the Spirit Stones. Chen Feiyu's already sending people to drag him off to the Alchemy Hall for drug testing."
"Chen Feiyu? The Alchemy Hall's drug testing?"
Zhao Huaian's heart lurched when he heard this.
"Yeah, it's Chen Feiyu's usual trick. He's no philanthropist, after all. He has to get back every Spirit Stone he lends, many times over. If he can't collect, he'll squeeze it out of the borrower some other way."
"Like the Alchemy Hall's drug testing."
"The Alchemy Hall is always developing new pills, but they don't know what effects they'll have. So, to make sure they're safe and learn their medicinal properties, they can only find cultivators to test them."
"Since this man can't repay his Spirit Stones, they might as well put him to use. They'll drag him off for drug testing and knock sixty or seventy Low-grade Spirit Stones off his debt each time."
Liu Bohu nodded. Thinking of what awaited anyone dragged off for drug testing, a note of sympathy crept into his voice.
Zhao Huaian's expression turned solemn. He asked tentatively, "Then what happens to the people who test the pills...?"
"Almost nobody makes it out alive. They might survive one round, but they won't survive the next. Apart from one or two lucky ones, there are basically no survivors."
"Ah..."
Zhao Huaian was at a loss for words, and a chill of fear crept over him.
He had also borrowed Spirit Stones from Chen Feiyu. Fortunately, he had the Attribute Heavenly Book.
With the Attribute Heavenly Book's help, he had become far faster at drawing Spirit Talismans. Otherwise, he might one day have ended up like the man just now.
As for why Chen Feiyu's people could act so recklessly in the Outer Sect and disregard the rules, Zhao Huaian wasn't foolish enough to ask.
He knew perfectly well that in the face of absolute power and strength, all rules were just decorations.
The only iron law in this world was that the strong were revered. The biggest fist made the rules.
"Brother Zhao, when did you break through to Qi Refining Layer Three?"
Just as Zhao Huaian was reflecting on all this, Liu Bohu noticed his cultivation level.
Perhaps it was a boyish urge to compete that made Liu Bohu want to measure himself against him.
Zhao Huaian knew as much. With a smile, he said, "I bought two bottles of Qi Nurturing Pills a few days ago and broke through last night."
"Haha, Brother Zhao, you really are talented. I broke through half a month ago."
Liu Bohu laughed triumphantly.
Earlier, when his clan brother had returned from an assignment, he had given Liu Bohu two bottles of Qi Boosting Pills.
After more than twenty days in seclusion, Liu Bohu had finally broken through to Qi Refining Layer Three half a month ago, getting ahead of Zhao Huaian.
What he didn't know was that Zhao Huaian had broken through to Qi Refining Layer Three over a month ago. This was all just an act.
Looking at Liu Bohu's rather smug expression, Zhao Huaian smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. "As expected of you, Brother Liu. By the time the one-year period is up and you have to go out on an assignment, you might already have reached Qi Refining Layer Four."
"Hey, no need to make a fuss!"
Liu Bohu waved his hand with a laugh, though his face was beaming. "With my clan brother backing me, I should be able to reach Qi Refining Layer Four."
As he spoke, Liu Bohu suddenly thought of something, slung an arm around Zhao Huaian's shoulders, and said, "Brother Zhao, you're talented too. How about I speak to my clan brother and have you join his Task Team with me?"
"I'll think about it. My cultivation is still weak, and I might end up holding everyone back."
Zhao Huaian didn't outright refuse.
He knew about these so-called Task Teams.
Many assignments in the sect required a team, and their rewards were much greater than those for going alone.
But when it came to carrying out assignments with strangers, trust and safety were both major concerns.
So, under these circumstances, people in the Greenwood Sect naturally formed Task Teams with those they knew.
"Sure, no rush. There's still nearly half a year. Take your time deciding, Brother Zhao!"
Liu Bohu didn't press him and simply chuckled.
He had invited Zhao Huaian because he saw his talent.
If Zhao Huaian agreed, that would be fine. He might hold them back a little at first, but once he grew stronger, he'd be an asset.
If Zhao Huaian declined, that was fine too. At least he wouldn't hold them back before he had a chance to grow, and he wouldn't take a share of the rewards from their assignments.
"Of course!"
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Zhao Huaian smiled and waved before returning to his room.
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