Thunder-Dissolving Pill Formula

"However, though Inner Sect disciples enjoy better treatment than outer disciples, you must understand that entering the Inner Sect doesn't mean you can rest easy."

Chen An said earnestly, "The sect does provide Inner Sect disciples with a monthly stipend and allowances, but compared with the expenses of cultivating immortality, they're a drop in the ocean."

"If you want better cultivation resources, you'll have to compete for them."

River-Facing Sect never kept idlers.

If you needed the sect to supply you with a wealth of resources, you had to show your potential.

You had to prove to the sect that you deserved its substantial investment in your cultivation.

Thus, the Inner Sect was not some place where you could lie back and enjoy yourself. It was an arena even more brutal than the outer districts.

"Each area of the Inner Sect has its own rankings. The higher your rank, the better the resources and treatment you can enjoy."

"And if you want to rise in the rankings, you'll need strength!"

"Also, there's the Newcomer Tournament held every year in the Inner Sect."

As Chen An spoke, he glanced at Shen Mo. "Don't think that with this Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit, condensing two dantians is a certainty, or that your future path of cultivation will be smooth sailing."

"You should know that although the medicine is effective, success still depends on your own foundation. If it isn't sufficient, then even with the Purple Sun Vermilion Fruit's help, you may not be able to condense twin dantians."

"Besides, even if you really do condense two dantians, there's no cause for pride. In the Inner Sect of River-Facing Sect, talents like that are rare, but they do exist."

"You still have a long road ahead. If you want to stand out in the Inner Sect, you'll need to study hard and train diligently."

"In short, cultivate hard. The immortal path stretches long."

"Mm." Shen Mo listened quietly to Uncle Chen's words, lost in thought.

"All right, it's late. I should be going."

"Tonight's a full moon, perfect for drinking. I should go find Old Liang and have a couple of cups."

As he spoke, he rose and left the room.

Shen Mo got up to see him out.

"Pfft!"

The moment they stepped outside, Chen An suddenly stopped.

Then his whole body shuddered. His face turned purple, and he spat out a mouthful of filthy blood.

What was this?

Seeing it, Shen Mo stared in surprise. "Uncle Chen, what's wrong?"

"Cough, cough. I ate a little too much of that demon python meat you gave me."

Chen An coughed for a long while before finally clearing his throat. He said in fits and starts, "The blood congealed by the lightning strike inside me hasn't cleared. Spitting this out just now actually made me feel a lot better."

"Uncle Chen, you still haven't recovered from your injuries?"

Shen Mo had heard Chen An mention that he'd been injured at Fallen Mountain and had gone into seclusion for more than two months after returning.

"How could it be that easy?"

Chen An gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "After being struck by heavenly lightning, simply surviving is already no small miracle."

"It'll take at least three to five years to recover. And even then, I may be left with some lingering effects."

That serious?

Shen Mo raised his brows slightly and asked, "Is there any medicine that can treat it?"

Uncle Chen was the person Shen Mo was closest to in this world. Seeing him so badly injured, Shen Mo couldn't help worrying.

"The power of the lightning invaded my body. Right now, my chakras are filled with destructive arcs of lightning. Spirit pills below second grade can only heal external wounds; they can't do anything about the lightning arcs inside me."

"There's no medicine that can cure it?"

"There is, but it's extremely rare. The sect doesn't even seem to have any for sale."

"What kind of medicine?" Shen Mo asked earnestly. "Uncle Chen, I've learned alchemy. Tell me what you need, and I can look for the ingredients and make it for you."

"Thunder-Dissolving Pill. If you're willing, keep an eye out for it."

Since Shen Mo pressed him, Chen An told him what ingredients were required.

But he didn't place much hope in him. After all, the medicine couldn't be found anywhere in River-Facing Sect.

Three days later, in the outer courtyard.

Shen Mo had set up a grill at the entrance to the courtyard.

He threaded skewers of demon python meat and tendon onto wooden sticks, lit a fire, and began roasting them.

"Sizzle! Sizzle!"

As the flames leaped, oil began to drip from the meat on the skewers, and the air filled with a rich, smoky aroma.

"Whoosh!"

When the meat looked nearly done, he picked up the seasoning sauce he'd prepared on the stone table and brushed it over the skewers.

Before long, the fragrant kebabs were ready.

"Mmm, this texture. All my hard work these past few days was worth it."

He tore off a piece of roast meat with his teeth. The rich aroma of the seasoning sauce burst across his palate.

The next moment, the flavor of the python meat flooded his tongue.

He let out a deeply satisfied sigh. "I never thought I'd actually figure out a barbecue seasoning recipe in this world of immortal cultivation."

Ever since eating the python meat last time, he'd been wanting to make a proper barbecue.

So for the past few days, he'd wandered around the marketplace, searching for nearly a hundred kinds of spices and spirit herbs.

Only after that had he managed to put together a spicy sauce with a flavor remarkably like the barbecue he'd eaten back on Earth.

"It really isn't easy to get a decent bite to eat."

After eating his fill, he lounged comfortably in a wicker chair and sighed. "I've finally satisfied that craving, but finding the Thunder-Dissolving Pill Uncle Chen needs is going to be a bit tricky."

Over the past three days, besides searching the marketplace for the taste of the barbecue from his previous life, he'd also kept an eye out for the Thunder-Dissolving Pill that Chen An needed to treat his injuries.

It was just as Chen An had said: the pill was extremely obscure.

Even Thousand Pill Pavilion, famed for its endless collection of spirit pills, didn't have any finished ones for sale.

However, he'd seen the Thunder-Dissolving Pill formula at Thousand Pill Pavilion. It cost twenty low-grade Spirit Stones.

Shen Mo had bought the formula and studied it carefully. He discovered that the Thunder-Dissolving Pill was a second-grade pill.

Its main effects were to ward off lightning and temper the body.

It was usually used by cultivators who practiced special lightning arts, to draw lightning into their bodies and refine heavenly thunder.

By comparison, treating injuries caused by lightning poison wasn't a common use for it.

The medicinal ingredients needed to make the pill were difficult to find, but after wandering around the marketplace these past few days, he'd managed to track down nearly all of them.

The only one he still hadn't found was the Thunder-Dissolving Pill's most important main ingredient: the Azure Water Pearl.

If I get the chance to travel someday, I'll find a way to look for one then.

Thinking this, he tossed the last empty skewer into the tray.

He was just about to lie back down when he suddenly heard someone gently knock on the gate.

"Who is it?"

He opened his eyes and looked toward the sound.

A graceful figure stood at the gate.

Chen Mengze.

"I have a job in mind and thought of asking you to come along. Interested?" she asked directly, her tone cool.

"What kind of job?"

"Guarding the Mystic Crystal Mine. It's easy work; you just have to be there, as simple as when you guarded the mountain gate before.

"The main task is to keep Gold-Devouring Rats from eating the spirit ore. You'll take turns patrolling at night once a day, and just clear out any Stone Spirits that manifest in the tunnels so they don't bother the miners."

"For two months. The pay is fifty Spirit Stones."

"Are you in?"