Yu Yuehai's purpose

Chen Lin's first flying sword became scrap on its very first outing.

His expression grew grave.

With no time to mourn his magical tool, he rapidly retreated.

That single move proved that the man was no helpless old fellow, as he had always appeared, but a sinister old man who kept his true abilities hidden.

To shatter a magical tool so easily, even a low-tier magical tool, required tremendously powerful mana.

This man was no early Qi Refinement Realm cultivator. He was at least in the mid Qi Refinement Realm, perhaps even the Qi Condensation Late Stage!

"Planning to leave? Don't say I didn't warn you. The Enlightenment Pills you took weren't genuine Enlightenment Pills. They were modified. Even if you never take another one, the aftereffects will still flare up from time to time."

The old man did not pursue Chen Lin as he retreated, but spoke leisurely instead.

Chen Lin stopped in his tracks, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Suddenly, shock crossed his face. He looked at the old man and said, "So it was you! You were the one who sold me the Enlightenment Pill formula! You were disguised as that Triangular Eyes fellow!"

The man had revealed the Enlightenment Pill's drawbacks and used them as a threat. It was as though pure enlightenment had poured over Chen Lin's head, and everything fell into place.

He had wondered how such a coincidence was possible. No sooner had he left the Shuiyue Pavilion than he encountered someone selling an unorthodox pill formula-and it just happened to be for the Enlightenment Pill.

Previously, he had thought Triangular Eyes had followed him, but even if he had, he could not possibly have known what Chen Lin had said inside the Shuiyue Pavilion.

So that man had been Old Yu in disguise, and he was surely connected to that woman at the Shuiyue Pavilion!

As these pieces fell into place, a chill ran through Chen Lin.

It turned out that everything he had done during this period had been part of the man's scheme. Worse still, the man might even have secretly cast a mind-disrupting spell on him.

Otherwise, with his cautious nature, he would never have rashly bought the pill formula, much less actually tried to refine it.

This had been plotted for a long time!

But what did he possess that could possibly catch the man's eye?

Chen Lin could not make sense of it.

"Who exactly are you?"

Though an intense sense of danger gripped his heart, he forced himself to calm down.

"Me? We've lived beside each other for over ten years. How can you still ask that? Aren't I your old neighbor, Yu Yuehai-Old Yu!"

Old Yu still wore a faint smile.

Suddenly, his smile vanished, and his voice dropped several degrees. "I should be asking you that. Who exactly are you?"

Without waiting for Chen Lin to answer, an overwhelmingly powerful aura erupted from him. Under its pressure, Chen Lin turned pale and stumbled back several steps.

"Hmph. In less than half a year, you not only advanced two levels to the mid Qi Refinement Realm, but suddenly learned the art of pill refining as well. That's not something the Chen Lin I know could do."

The old man's words sent a violent shock through Chen Lin's heart.

He had never expected to draw the man's attention despite all his caution. He had been too eager to escape and taken overly large strides.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand. Besides, I don't have anything valuable on me. Why are you targeting me?"

Knowing he could not possibly match the man, Chen Lin could only swallow his pride and yield for now, then wait for a chance to escape.

Old Yu abruptly withdrew his aura and raised his eyebrows. "Nothing much. I merely need your help refining pills. There's no need to worry. As long as you can refine the pills I need, not only will I refrain from harming you, I'll also tell you how to eliminate the Enlightenment Pill's aftereffects."

Chen Lin froze.

He had never imagined that this was the reason behind the man's painstaking schemes.

Could everything he had done before have been meant to confirm whether Chen Lin could refine pills?

If so, the man had probably been watching him ever since he refined the Chuyuan Pill.

Chen Lin had no right to refuse. He could only agree.

But he did not believe the man's promises for a moment. The instant he found an opportunity, he would flee-or even strike back.

The two returned to the courtyard in silence, one behind the other.

Chen Lin glanced at his own room. Seeing that the old man said nothing, he lowered his head and followed him into his room.

The rooms in the courtyard were all much alike, and the interior was even barer than his own. Chen Lin truly could not understand why the man lived here, let alone why he had stayed for ten years.

With his strength, he could easily have lived in the Inner City.

Surely he could not have foreseen, before Chen Lin even transmigrated, that Chen Lin would possess the original owner's body?

No matter how he pondered it, he could not make sense of it. In the end, he simply stopped trying and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Yu, you've gone to such pains. Surely you can tell me now what exactly you want me to do!"

The old man smiled faintly and patted a dusty gray pouch at his waist. A dark red pill cauldron, over half a person's height and covered in mystic runes, appeared out of thin air and landed on the floor.

Chen Lin raised his eyebrows and exclaimed in surprise, "A pill cauldron?"

This was a genuine pill cauldron, not an imitation like the iron pot he used. It was a true magical tool.

Judging by the densely packed runic inscriptions covering it, it probably was not even of the lowest grade.

A magical-tool pill cauldron was worth a fortune, far beyond what a Qi Condensation cultivator could own. The man's background was probably anything but ordinary.

If Chen Lin had a cauldron like this, he could refine all sorts of pills. He could even try his hand at the legendary Foundation Establishment Pill.

Unlike his iron pot, which could only refine the lowest-grade pills-and even then, he had to rely on his talent ability. Otherwise, the success rate would drive anyone mad.

The old man was quite pleased with Chen Lin's reaction. He had risked his life to obtain this pill cauldron, and even for someone of his wealth, it was exceedingly precious.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I've already told you. I brought you here to refine pills. Here is the formula for the pill I want to refine. You can take a look first."

As he spoke, the old man patted the pouch at his waist again, and a jade slip appeared in his hand.

Only then did Chen Lin look at the man's pouch. This was a storage bag, with the wondrous ability to fit Mount Sumeru inside a mustard seed. He had always wanted one, but could never afford it.

Even one with only a few feet of internal space cost dozens of medium-grade spirit stones!

Reluctantly drawing his envious gaze away, Chen Lin took the jade slip and pressed it to his forehead to examine it.

"Blood Demon Pill?"

A moment later, he lowered the jade slip and voiced his confusion.

The information within was indeed a pill formula, but its name hardly sounded like anything good.

Chen Lin also felt that the original owner's memories contained some information about this pill, though it was very hazy.

Then the old man spoke. "Correct. The Blood Demon Pill, an essential pill for cultivating the Blood Demon Technique."

Chen Lin's brow stirred. "I remember now. It's the one said to be capable of creating a Super Expert with a single pill!"

He had not expected this to be the pill the man wanted to refine. The original owner's memories concerning the Blood Demon Pill instantly became clear.