Xiao Chen raised his hand and swept all the piled-up medicinal herbs into his storage ring. Then he flipped his palm, and two seven-stripe gold cards appeared in his hand. "I'll take all these herbs. Check whether there's enough money on the cards!" As he spoke, he handed one card each to the old man and the middle-aged man in brocade robes standing before him.
From their clothes, it was clear that they represented the Alchemist Association and the Jia Ma Imperial Family. The two exchanged a glance, then both stepped back. "My lord, you may not know this, but President Fama instructed me to give these herbs to you as a gift. We absolutely cannot accept payment!"
"My princess has the same intention. Please don't make things difficult for this subordinate. If I accept your money, I'll surely be punished by the princess when I return!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man nimbly vaulted over the railing and jumped straight down from the fifth floor.
The old man beside him lit up at the sight. Seemingly worried that Xiao Chen would force the money on him, he turned and jumped down after the other man.
Xiao Chen stared at the empty corridor, speechless for a moment. They just didn't want to accept payment. Was that really such a big deal? Did they have to jump out the window?
Watching the two disappear, Xiao Chen could only put the gold cards away helplessly and turn back into the room. The urgent matter was refining the Poison Pills first. He would remember this favor, and when he had time, he would naturally repay it.
Perhaps because time had been short, the medicinal herbs Fama and Yaoye had sent weren't particularly high-grade. Most were first- or second-tier, but Poison Pills refined from these low-tier herbs were just right for raising Xiao Yi Xian's strength.
Xiao Chen sat cross-legged and waved his hand, releasing all the medicinal herbs. His formidable soul power controlled hundreds of batches of herbs at once as he refined them.
Thanks to his superb alchemy skills, Xiao Chen needed only half a day to refine all the herbs into an assortment of Poison Pills, each of excellent quality.
After sorting the Poison Pills by tier and placing them in jade bottles, he handed them to Xiao Yi Xian and told her to try taking one and see how it worked.
Xiao Yi Xian obediently nodded. She poured a first-tier Poison Pill from a jade bottle, tilted her head back, and swallowed it. The pill melted as soon as it entered her mouth, and its violent poison instantly erupted inside her body.
But before the poison could spread, an invisible force instantly swallowed all the toxins within her, without a trace escaping.
Under the Woe Poison Body's transformation, the originally terrifying toxins completely changed into pure energy that nourished her body and Battle Qi, slowly filling her meridians and dantian.
Xiao Chen stood silently to one side, his vast soul power quietly enveloping her. Under his soul perception, Xiao Yi Xian's originally feeble Dou Qi began to surge.
In the span of a single breath, she rose from the Third Stage of Dou Qi to the Fifth Stage. The surge still didn't stop; pure energy continued to turn into Dou Qi until she reached the Sixth Stage, and only then did it subside.
Feeling the changes within her, Xiao Yi Xian spoke in a soft, sweet voice, tinged with disbelief. "Brother Xiao Chen, I think I've gotten stronger?" She had never imagined that becoming stronger could be so easy. And it was all because she had met Xiao Chen.
At the thought, Xiao Yi Xian began wondering which position would be the most suitable way to repay him tonight.
"It looks like the Poison Pills are working well. But Xian'er, don't be impatient. Build a solid foundation before raising your level, or your cultivation will become too unstable!"
Xiao Chen raised a hand and patted Xiao Yi Xian's head, rousing her from her wild thoughts. Looking at the hand atop her head, Xiao Yi Xian seemed to understand something. She turned to glance at the bright daylight outside the window, her delicate face turning faintly red. In a soft, sweet voice, she said, "Brother Xiao Chen, it's still daytime..."
"?????"
Xiao Chen froze at her words, but quickly caught on. He rapped her on the head, exasperated and amused. "Xian'er, what on earth do you think about all day?"
"Ow! That hurt! Hehe, of course I'm thinking about you, Brother Xiao Chen!"
Xiao Yi Xian covered her head and stuck out her tongue, trying to get away with it by being cute. She couldn't be blamed for letting her thoughts run wild. Xiao Chen was always patting her head, so her mind naturally went astray.
Xiao Chen felt rather helpless. He thought he might have raised Xiao Yi Xian wrong. They hadn't known each other for very long, so how had she turned out like this? What happened to the girl who had once been as serene as an empty mountain valley?
"In any case, you can take no more than three first-tier Poison Pills a day. Once you form a Dou Qi vortex and advance to Dou Zhe, we'll decide based on the circumstances!"
Xiao Chen didn't want to turn Xiao Yi Xian into a vase with a high cultivation but no combat ability, so she would have to experience real combat. He planned to take her to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training once she reached Dou Ling.
As for Dou Techniques and cultivation methods, the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture recorded them all. Xiao Chen had nothing more suitable to offer, and didn't intend to spend any effort on that matter.
Xiao Yi Xian obediently nodded, then turned and drew the curtains. Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Xiao Chen. "Brother Xiao Chen, I want to test my strength!"
"Oh? You've just gotten stronger, and you're already planning to challenge me? It seems Xian'er is quite confident in herself!"
Xiao Chen smiled. He had never feared a challenge, and he never went easy on those who challenged him.
As soon as Xiao Chen finished speaking, Xiao Yi Xian's vision blurred. A long spear was already thrusting straight toward her face.
Xiao Yi Xian's pupils contracted sharply. Seeing that she couldn't dodge, she steeled herself and prepared to take the blow head-on. She opened her mouth and bit down on the spearhead, then slapped at the shaft, trying to knock it aside.
But how enormous was the gap between the Sixth Stage of Dou Qi and Dou Wang? Even giving it everything she had, she couldn't budge the spear in the slightest. With no other choice, Xiao Yi Xian could only retreat a few steps, gathering all her strength in her toes before kicking hard at the spear.
Xiao Yi Xian had put all her strength into that kick, yet the spear in Xiao Chen's hand met not the slightest resistance. It shot toward her, unstoppable.
The spear swept forward with a howl of wind, attacking like pear blossoms in a sudden storm. Xiao Yi Xian struggled to fend it off, with no strength left to counterattack, and before long she was defeated.
"Brother Xiao Chen, Xian'er admits defeat!"
Xiao Yi Xian lay on the ground, sweat already soaking through the wooden floorboards. Only now did she realize how arrogant she had been. "A Dou Wang must not be insulted; beneath a Dou Wang, all are ants." Those words weren't just talk. They were an ironclad fact.
Xiao Chen looked at Xiao Yi Xian sprawled on the floor, scooped her up in his arms, and gently laid her on the bed. With a teasing glint in his eyes, he said, "What? Giving up already? Weren't you going to challenge me?"
"Hmph! I only lost for now. Once I reach the Dou Zhe level, I'll definitely win. Then I'll give Brother Xiao Chen a good thrashing!"
Xiao Yi Xian let out a stubborn little huff and turned her head away, no longer looking at Xiao Chen. She quietly replayed the fight in her mind, trying to figure out exactly how she had lost.
Before you continue