Zhao Kingdom Falls

With every movement of his hands and feet, over two thousand kilograms of force came crashing down.

After receiving the boost from Dragon Vigor Tiger Might, his strength could soar past four thousand kilograms.

Under normal circumstances, only experts in the Tendon Phase Realm could raise their strength to such a level.

But Qin Dongcheng, who had only just entered the Flesh Phase Realm, was already no weaker than most Martial Artists in the Tendon Phase Realm.

With the tenfold defensive boost from Heaven-Reaching Rhino Roam on top of that, even if he fought a Martial Artist in the Tendon Phase Realm head-on, it was hard to say who would win.

Most importantly, each muscle had grown taut. Compared to before, the difference was like night and day, and he even had a six-pack. His physique was perfectly proportioned.

If he went back to his previous life, even if he still looked as ordinary as before, a well-proportioned, good-looking body like this would make him no shortage of admirers, and he certainly wouldn't be short on girlfriends.

Even the celebrities in the entertainment industry famous for their physiques probably couldn't compare to Qin Dongcheng.

The fine physique he had longed for but never achieved in his previous life had come to him with a breakthrough in cultivation. If he'd been able to cultivate back then, he wouldn't have had so much to worry about.

After getting used to his skyrocketing strength, Qin Dongcheng nodded with satisfaction, then soon immersed himself in cultivation again. He practiced his punches, refined his flesh, concocted pills, and gathered herbs... As if he hadn't broken through at all, his days remained peaceful and fulfilling.

But things outside were far from peaceful. Before long, Qin Dongcheng received word that Heyuan Prefecture, which bordered Luo Cloud Prefecture, had run into trouble again.

The Zhao Kingdom, one of the top powers in Heyuan Prefecture, had been overrun by Demons and Ghosts. And the Zhao Kingdom lay very close to Luo Cloud Prefecture.

As the Zhao Kingdom fell, countless Demons and Ghosts rampaged through its territory, while others made their way into Luo Cloud Prefecture, stretching its forces even thinner.

Even more terrifying was that the Demons and Ghosts that had overrun the Zhao Kingdom were mostly Ghost Spirits, mixed with some Anomalies. There were far fewer demons and monsters.

Ghost Spirits had no physical bodies, making them extremely difficult to deal with. Low-level Martial Artists didn't have sufficiently vigorous Blood Qi and couldn't even release it outward, let alone use it to kill Ghost Spirits.

Before long, large numbers of low-level Martial Artists were killed by Ghost Spirits, and the Five Elements Sect was hard-pressed to cope. Even high-level Martial Artists were stretched to their limits when beset by hordes of Ghost Spirits.

With no other choice, the higher-ups of the Five Elements Sect ordered the Cauldron Hall to concoct Sun Flame Liquid in large quantities to deal with the Ghost Spirits invading Luo Cloud Prefecture.

But although Sun Flame Liquid was a low-level pill, it was just as difficult to concoct as a Soul Bewildering Pill. It required a number of intermediate alchemy techniques and methods.

A bottle of Sun Flame Liquid cost as much as ten taels of silver—on par with many intermediate pills, and ten times the price of a Blood-Replenishing Pill. Its value was plain to see.

Sun Flame Liquid had a powerful suppressive effect on Ghost Spirits. Simply smearing it on a weapon made it possible to injure them effectively, making it the most cost-effective weapon against Ghost Spirits.

Unfortunately, there weren't many Alchemists of intermediate rank or higher, and even fewer low-level Alchemists could concoct Sun Flame Liquid. The Cauldron Hall simply couldn't produce enough to meet the disciples' needs.

But the orders from above came too urgently. With no other choice, the Cauldron Hall issued compulsory assignments, requiring all Alchemists of intermediate rank and above to learn how to concoct Sun Flame Liquid and quickly produce a batch to deal with the rampaging Ghost Spirits.

Those who already knew how to concoct Sun Flame Liquid were entrusted with even greater responsibilities and had to work day and night making it.

Even Alchemy Apprentices like Qin Dongcheng received a copy of the Sun Flame Liquid recipe, so they could try their hand at concocting it.

If they succeeded, they could use their work to offset several months' worth of compulsory demon-slaying assignments, and the sect would also reward them with a generous number of contribution points.

Each bottle of Sun Flame Liquid earned more than twenty Sect Contribution points, far exceeding its normal market price. This showed just how badly the sect needed it.

Faced with such a generous reward, Qin Dongcheng, who was gathering Sect Contribution points to exchange for the next cultivation manual, was immediately tempted.

With his current mastery of alchemy, concocting Sun Flame Liquid wouldn't be difficult. He could also use this opportunity to master more intermediate alchemy techniques and gain experience.

Once he raised his success rate with Sun Flame Liquid to twenty or thirty percent, he would most likely be able to start concocting intermediate pills. It wouldn't take long for him to reach the level of an Intermediate Alchemist.

By then, he could reveal his rank as a Low-level Alchemist and further raise his standing. That way, even if he took on more alchemy assignments to earn Sect Contribution, no one would suspect anything.

He planned to make himself out to be a genius at alchemy. Otherwise, how could he earn the abundant resources and treasures he needed for cultivation? He could also stay at headquarters with a legitimate excuse, avoiding any encounters with Demons and Ghosts.

He'd heard that many Official Disciples had died in the Ghost Spirit invasion of Luo Cloud Prefecture. Qin Dongcheng was a little scared too.

So he began concocting Sun Flame Liquid. The first attempt failed... The second failed... The third failed... It took several whole days, but on his seventy-first attempt, Qin Dongcheng finally succeeded.

"You concocted a bottle of Sun Flame Liquid. Congratulations, you've gained one reward!"

Unfortunately, this time he hadn't triggered a critical hit. He'd only received one reward: a single bottle of Sun Flame Liquid.

But after succeeding once, Qin Dongcheng found it much easier when he tried concocting Sun Flame Liquid again.

After all, now that he had the experience of succeeding, his odds of doing so again would increase considerably.

Sun Flame Liquid was expensive to make, costing a full tael of silver. In other words, if he couldn't succeed at least once in ten attempts, he'd lose money.

Qin Dongcheng had made seventy-one attempts and failed seventy times, losing a full seventy taels of silver. The cost was staggering.

He needed to raise his success rate to above ten percent, or he wouldn't make a profit.

The second time he succeeded, he had far fewer failures—only around fifty attempts—before he concocted his second bottle of Sun Flame Liquid.

This time, he'd only lost forty taels of silver, which was nothing to his fortune.

While concocting Sun Flame Liquid, Qin Dongcheng never gave up on improving his cultivation. That was what mattered most to him, and it was his greatest trump card.

Heaven Concealment Art, Phantom Movement Technique... were also improving steadily. You reaped what you sowed; with a critical hit, you could reap several times as much.

There was something truly intoxicating about steadily growing stronger.

Before he knew it, more than half a month had passed. Qin Dongcheng had concocted several bottles of Sun Flame Liquid, and his success rate was close to ten percent.

"You concocted a bottle of Sun Flame Liquid. Congratulations, you triggered a fivefold critical hit and received five times the reward!"

Five bottles of Sun Flame Liquid, five times the alchemy experience, five times the alchemy techniques, five times the alchemy methods... This critical hit directly raised his success rate above ten percent. From now on, he wouldn't lose money when concocting Sun Flame Liquid, though he would still have to spend time and effort.

Thanks to this critical hit, he had also accumulated quite a lot of Sun Flame Liquid. It was time to turn in his assignment and earn Sect Contribution.