The Fool

The high-multiplier critical hit for the Diamond Skin Refining Fist still hadn't come, but the one for the Soul Bewildering Pill arrived first.

"You refined a Soul Bewildering Pill. Congratulations, you triggered a four-hundredfold critical hit and received four hundred times the reward!"

Compared with a four-hundredfold critical hit on the Diamond Skin Refining Fist, Qin Dongcheng preferred one on the Soul Bewildering Pill.

A full four hundred Soul Bewildering Pills, plus all the benefits in skill, experience, technique, and other aspects that came from refining them—it was an absolute windfall.

One Soul Bewildering Pill cost five taels of silver. Four hundred of them were worth a full two thousand taels.

Not to mention the boost to his Alchemy. It had directly raised his success rate for refining Soul Bewildering Pills to around thirty percent, and his Alchemy had reached the peak of the Low-level Alchemist rank, bringing him very close to Intermediate Alchemist.

The process of refining Soul Bewildering Pills involved many intermediate-level techniques and methods. This time, he had made a huge leap forward, and could be said to have mastered quite a few of them, along with gaining experience.

If he mastered a few more intermediate-level techniques and methods, perhaps he could try refining intermediate pills.

These were pills consumed by experts of the Third Realm of Martial Arts and above, and each one cost far more than a low-level pill. Even the cheapest intermediate pill cost around ten taels of silver.

The resources Qin Dongcheng had earned were currently enough for his cultivation, but once he reached a higher level, they probably wouldn't be. By then, he would need to earn resources and treasures by selling intermediate pills.

Before that happened, he had to improve his Alchemy, so he wouldn't lack cultivation resources later.

After consolidating his greatly improved Alchemy, Qin Dongcheng began practicing other intermediate-level techniques and methods, hoping to master intermediate Alchemy as soon as possible. Even if he couldn't use intermediate pills himself for the time being, he could trade them for more money.

With the Heaven Rewards Diligence System's help, everything went smoothly, with practically no bottlenecks. After all, one reaped what one sowed; even if there were bottlenecks, they would be forcefully broken through.

What he hadn't expected was that Lu Gen's progress would also be rapid after entering the Body Phase Realm. He seemed especially suited to the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist and rarely encountered bottlenecks.

Perhaps Qin Dongcheng's guidance had also helped. He could resolve Lu Gen's doubts in time, which was why he improved so quickly.

Considering Lu Gen's honest nature, and how he had given Qin Dongcheng an astonishingly valuable Treasure Map, Qin Dongcheng would occasionally give him some Blood-Replenishing Pills to help with his cultivation.

With plenty of pills to support him, Lu Gen's cultivation grew faster and faster, bringing him ever closer to the Mid-stage Skin Phase.

That morning, after gathering the precious herbs a group of Herb Field laborers had deliberately saved for him, triggering several critical hits, and offering them some guidance in their cultivation, Qin Dongcheng finally headed back.

It was almost noon. The Herb Field laborers had planned to invite him to eat, but Qin Dongcheng politely declined. His Household had prepared a Medicinal Meal, which would greatly aid his cultivation.

Ever since he became a Low-level Alchemist, Qin Dongcheng had mostly eaten various Medicinal Meals. They cost far less than pills, and his current income could easily cover them.

It was thanks to the Medicinal Meals, an ample supply of pills, and the Heaven Rewards Diligence System's help that Qin Dongcheng had progressed so quickly. Even after entering the Skin Phase Realm, his cultivation still advanced by leaps and bounds.

Martial Artists had high demands when it came to food. The better the food, the greater the help it provided to their cultivation.

Soon, he arrived once more at the thick bamboo grove. The nearby laborers liked to call it Moonlight Slope because, whenever the moon was full, the bamboo leaves reflected its light, making the scenery exceptionally beautiful.

Besides, the bamboo here was no ordinary bamboo. It was a species called Water Mirror Bamboo, which could be used to refine many low-level pills and was quite valuable. Its shoots in particular had a wide range of uses.

Moonlight Slope was practically the only route out of the Herb Field area. This grove of Water Mirror Bamboo was also part of the Herb Field. Its lush bamboo grew so thickly that it almost blocked out the sky, making it easy for all manner of Demons and Ghosts to hide inside.

If the bamboo weren't so valuable, the Patrol Team would have cleared the place out while searching for Demons and Ghosts, rather than risk letting them hide where they would be difficult to find.

Dong Hongyan had been attacked here before, and Qin Dongcheng had rescued her. The moment he thought of it, the sound of something cutting through the air reached his ears.

Fortunately, Qin Dongcheng had heightened his vigilance as soon as he entered Moonlight Slope. The instant his attacker struck, he reacted.

"Mountain Peaks Towering!"

Like mountains rising high, he stood firm and imposing. The move lacked offensive power, but its defense was astonishing.

Before considering victory, one had to consider defeat. Faced with a sudden ambush, protecting himself naturally came first; he could think about counterattacking once he was safe.

"I'll make you lie there for a few months!"

His opponent wasn't trying to kill him, but had aimed straight for his legs. Clearly, the attacker wanted to break them and teach him a lesson.

Though the attacker wore a face covering and deliberately pinched his voice, Qin Dongcheng still guessed his identity. If nothing unexpected had happened, the one who had ambushed him was Zhen Le, who had previously given him trouble.

But the guy really did have something wrong with his head. Because of Qin Dongcheng, Zhang Ying had stopped coming to the Herb Field to study. Even a fool could see that there was nothing between Qin Dongcheng and Zhang Ying.

And yet this guy had actually come to ambush him.

He was only a Mid-stage Body Phase Martial Artist. Qin Dongcheng could easily crush him with one hand, let alone now.

Qin Dongcheng effortlessly blocked the ambush and counterattacked in the same motion. His Mount Tai Flying Stone struck both of the attacker's legs with a heavy blow.

With a sharp crack, Zhen Le's legs were broken. He wouldn't recover for a year or two.

He had used Zhen Le's own methods against him. Since Zhen Le wanted him to lie there for a few months, he'd make Zhen Le lie there for a year or two instead.

"Ah... ah... aaah..."

To Qin Dongcheng's dismay, the gloomy, restless-looking youth turned out to be so fragile. Qin Dongcheng had only broken both his legs, yet he was already crying out in pain, wailing even more miserably than a slaughtered pig.

Even the face covering fell away, and Qin Dongcheng couldn't help shaking his head at the familiar face.

With that little ability, he'd still dared to ambush Qin Dongcheng. He really didn't know his place.

Only after Zhen Le's cries had subsided did Qin Dongcheng ask, "You should already know what happened between Zhang Ying and me. I'm no longer teaching her, so why are you still coming after me?"

If this guy had intended to kill him instead of merely teaching him a lesson, Qin Dongcheng would have killed him on the spot.

Hearing Qin Dongcheng's words, Zhen Le cursed through his screams. "Even if there's nothing between you and Yingying, she wouldn't have stopped seeing me if it weren't for you. And that old bastard Zhang Jing humiliated me in public and forbade me from going near Yingying. How is any of that not your fault?"