Body Tempering, seventh level? Eighth level?
What would their expressions be if they learned that he was already a Qi Refining Realm Cultivator?
The entire Chore Servant Courtyard would probably be turned upside down.
But unfortunately, in the vast Spirit Sword Pavilion, Qi Refining Realm cultivators were still at the very bottom.
They couldn't even protect themselves, let alone withstand the slightest turbulence.
Before he had enough strength, any attempt to show off was just digging his own grave.
Just as Zhou Xuan and Zhou Ye were talking in low voices, a chilling voice slithered directly into his mind without warning, like a venomous snake.
It was voice transmission!
"Kid, my patience is limited."
Chief Steward Wang's nasal, ducklike voice now carried an unmistakable trace of murderous intent.
"Tell me everything about the secret you're hiding."
"Otherwise, I'll make sure you die a horrible death in this afternoon's match."
"Don't doubt me. In the Chore Servant Courtyard, making someone disappear without a trace is easier for me than crushing an ant."
A blatant threat!
Robbery by force!
These high-and-mighty Cultivators never bothered with schemes when dealing with servants like them. In their eyes, absolute strength was the best Open Conspiracy.
Zhou Xuan paused mid-chew, but his face remained impassive, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
He didn't respond.
There was no point in arguing or showing weakness to a man like this. It would only encourage him to push further.
Playing dumb and leaving him unable to figure out what he was capable of was the best response.
When Zhou Xuan didn't react, Chief Steward Wang's voice transmission stopped, as if he were waiting for Zhou Xuan to come to his senses.
Zhou Xuan's gaze drifted toward Chief Steward Wang's bulky figure beneath the trees.
He noticed an exquisite jade plate on the table in front of him. A dozen or so smooth, round pills were neatly arranged on it, their enticing medicinal fragrance wafting through the air.
Those were the prizes for this martial contest: Qi Gathering Pills!
Zhou Xuan's thoughts stirred, and he quietly sank his divine sense into the system.
"System, scan those pills."
[Scanning...]
[Scan complete.]
A stream of information instantly flooded his mind.
Most of the pills showed more or less the same details.
[Item: Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pill]
[Description: Refined in batches by the Sect's Alchemy Hall. Its effects are mild, and it can help early-stage Qi Refining Realm Cultivators accumulate mana. It can also help Body Tempering Realm cultivators break through.]
But when his gaze—or rather, the system's scan—fell on one particularly unremarkable Qi Gathering Pill, the information that appeared was completely different!
[Item: Inferior Qi Gathering Pill (Flawed)]
[Description: Poorly refined, with impure pill energy. Due to a loss of control over the heat, it contains a trace of highly unstable fire-attribute Spiritual Energy. Its effects are only seventy percent as potent as a normal Qi Gathering Pill. There is a thirty percent chance that taking it will cause one's blood and qi to flow in reverse and burn one's meridians.]
[Value: 10 Gold Touch Value]
[Can be enlightened!]
At this description, Zhou Xuan's eyes narrowed, and a sharp glint shot from their depths!
A defective pill!
And one containing unstable Spiritual Energy!
A bold, insane plan took shape in his mind.
Didn't Chief Steward Wang want an opportunity?
Didn't he think Zhou Xuan had a secret that could turn a nobody into a soaring prodigy?
Fine!
Then Zhou Xuan would give him a heaven-sent opportunity!
The corner of Zhou Xuan's mouth curled into a cold, uncanny smile.
"System, if I spend Gold Touch Value to enlighten this Inferior Qi Gathering Pill, not to repair it, but to catalyze and disguise it, what would happen?"
[System notification! Based on the host's intention, generating enlightenment plans...]
[Plan One: Perfect Repair. Spend 10 Gold Touch Value to enlighten it into a [Top-Grade Qi Gathering Pill], tripling its efficacy with no side effects.]
[Plan Two: Directed Mutation. Spend 5 Gold Touch Value to catalyze and compress the unstable fire-attribute Spiritual Energy inside it, then perfectly wrap it in mild medicinal properties. On the surface, it will look no different from a Top-Grade Qi Gathering Pill, and its medicinal fragrance may even be stronger.]
[Directed Mutation effect: For a short time after taking it, the consumer will be flooded with enormous Spiritual Energy, and their cultivation will surge. But forty-nine days later, the compressed fire poison will erupt completely, scorching the Dantian and ravaging the meridians. At best, the consumer's cultivation will be crippled; at worst, they will die on the spot. This side effect is extremely well concealed and cannot be detected by anyone below the Golden Core Realm Cultivator.]
Looking at the system's second plan, Zhou Xuan's heart couldn't help but beat a little faster.
What a Directed Mutation!
And imperceptible to anyone below the Golden Core Realm!
It was practically a death warrant tailor-made for Chief Steward Wang!
Didn't he want to reach the heavens in a single bound?
Then Zhou Xuan would give him the chance to glimpse the heavenly gates!
Didn't he want Zhou Xuan's secret?
Then Zhou Xuan would package that secret into a pill and put it right to his lips!
Whether this opportunity brought fortune or disaster, sent him soaring or buried him in the ground—that was no longer for Zhou Xuan to decide.
Zhou Xuan's eyes shone brighter than ever. Looking at Chief Steward Wang beneath the trees, so sure of himself, he felt no trace of nervousness anymore. All that remained was the cold anticipation of a hunter watching his prey walk step by step into a trap.
The afternoon's match?
It seemed he wouldn't just have to attend—he'd have to find a way to win a few rounds, too.
After all, only by placing among the best would he qualify to receive the grand gift he'd prepared so carefully for Chief Steward Wang!
Zhou Xuan lifted his head and met Chief Steward Wang's scrutinizing, greedy gaze beneath the trees. He forced a smile that was just right for the occasion.
The smile was a little servile, a little ingratiating, and just the right amount of fear and submission from someone whose secret had been seen through by a superior.
He looked like a child caught red-handed stealing candy—afraid of punishment, yet hoping for forgiveness and leniency.
That expression perfectly captured the only choice a lowly servant could make when faced with absolute power: submission.
Beneath the trees, Chief Steward Wang's obese body lounged comfortably in the Grandmaster Chair. Seeing Zhou Xuan's knowing smile,
a look of satisfaction flashed in his narrowed eyes. The folds of fat at the corners of his mouth bunched into an even broader grin, and he nodded slowly.
It was as if he were saying, "Kid, at least you know what's good for you."
One thought he had everything under control; the other was quietly laying a trap. For a moment, the two seemed to have reached a strange understanding.
The afternoon's matches soon began.
The so-called martial arena was merely an enlarged version of the open ground where the morning's tests had been held. There wasn't even a proper platform—just a large circle drawn on the ground with white lime.
There was no process for drawing lots to determine opponents, either.
Chief Steward Wang was the only rule.
He crossed his legs, held a cup of hot tea, and blew on it unhurriedly.
His eyes swept over the dozen or so servants qualified to compete, as though he were picking out pork at a market.
"First match, Zhang Bai versus Li Quan!"
"Second match, Wang Qiu versus Zhao Gan!"
His voice was lazy. Whoever he called had to step forward.
The two men who were called entered the circle. Amid the surrounding servants' shouts, they fought in the most primitive, savage way possible, landing punch after punch.
The victor walked out with his head held high; the loser, bruised and swollen, was dragged to one side.
It was simple, brutal, and full of the wild savagery of the law of the jungle.
"Next match!"
Chief Steward Wang took a sip of tea, moistened his throat, and called out at an unhurried pace.
"Chen Hu versus Zhou Xuan!"
Before you continue