Mid-Grade Pill Dao

"Did the two families have a go at it in the Wilderness?"

That day, as Lin Changheng stepped out of the alchemy room, he heard a piece of explosive news.

It was said that the Xu Family and the Chen Family had failed to restrain themselves during a friction, clashing head-on. The cultivators from both sides had fought fiercely, magical artifacts flying everywhere as they exhausted every trick in their arsenals.

Fueled by both deep-seated grudges and conflicting interests, the two sides had nearly beaten each other's brains out.

The result was... casualties on both sides.

After the battle damage was tallied, the Xu Family hadn't gained much from the struggle, though they still came out slightly ahead.

At least, that was what the Xu Family claimed internally.

A middle-aged alchemist was gesticulating wildly as he shared his insights. Seeing Lin Changheng pause, he immediately beckoned him over to join the discussion.

"Next time, next time!"

Lin Changheng had no desire to discuss it publicly. Making an excuse that he had matters to attend to, he hurried away, promising to chat another time.

The middle-aged alchemist stared at the rapidly retreating back with a look of astonishment, then shook his head; it was a pity to lose an audience for his grandiloquent speech.

He turned his head and continued to talk incessantly, spittle flying.

That evening, Bai Fengxian came to visit.

"Please, come in quickly. It's so late, is there something important, Fengxian?"

Bai Fengxian's expression was solemn. He stopped Lin Changheng from preparing tea. "Brother Lin, don't go to the trouble. I'm only here to say a few words before I leave."

Lin Changheng keenly sensed that something was wrong. "What has happened?"

"The Xu Family has drafted me..."

"To the Wilderness?"

Lin Changheng frowned.

"Not the Wilderness, but the Black Dragon Pond Fishery, forty miles away from our cultivation grounds. I'm to assist in guarding it."

Bai Fengxian also found it strange.

Lin Changheng's eyes darted as he analyzed the situation. There were usually only two reasons for needing reinforcements to guard a location:

First, a lack of defensive manpower that needed to be supplemented;

Second, an increase in external pressure, forcing a strengthening of defenses, or perhaps an actual attack had already occurred.

As for the Xu Family's current overt enemy—or rather, their antagonistic neighbor—the Chen Family fit both criteria, making them the primary suspect.

It was the most likely scenario.

"Even if it isn't the Wilderness, you must remain highly vigilant and take care of yourself. You may encounter attacks or spell battles while on guard duty. With your cultivation at the third level of Qi Refining, prioritize self-preservation before considering killing the enemy."

Lin Changheng didn't know the full picture and couldn't afford to mislead him, so he could only offer a reminder.

"I understand. Thank you for the warning."

Bai Fengxian then fished ten spirit stones from his person, intending to purchase two medicinal pills.

Seeing Lin Changheng's puzzled look, Bai Fengxian scratched his head and gave a sheepish grin. "And there are the three pills Brother Lin lent me last time. I happen to have some extra funds now, so I'm returning those as well."

Lin Changheng felt a stir in his heart; he truly hadn't misjudged the man. He didn't say much, simply taking out two additional pills—four in total—and handing them over.

"I sell to the clan at a thirty percent discount," he said. "Since we are good friends, I cannot charge you more."

Even though he hadn't intended to take payment for the previous three pills, he decided to accept it after a moment's thought.

Settling accounts clearly, even between close friends, was a way to maintain the purity of their bond, preventing it from devolving into a relationship of one-sided charity and begging.

That would be far less beautiful.

Bai Fengxian left with gratitude, and Lin Changheng watched him all the way to the gate before turning back.

He began to ponder: some sort of change must have occurred at the Black Dragon Pond Fishery to trigger this development.

And that day, the urgent matter Xu Xuzhong had handled—was it also related to the changes at the Black Dragon Pond Fishery?

Lacking information, he couldn't see through it for the moment.

Lin Changheng shook his head, an indescribable feeling in his heart. Perhaps some partings were meant to be forever.

He raised his eyes to gaze into the distance, straining his vision to see clearly into this world of cultivation, but he saw only the night, as dark as ink and so thick it seemed impossible to dissolve...

Two months later.

The situation outside that valley in the Wilderness grew increasingly rotten.

The Xu and Chen clans refused to yield to one another, clashing repeatedly and engaging in large-scale spell battles and slaughter.

It would be no exaggeration to say that they were blinded by rage.

The intensity of the battlefield had already spread far beyond its borders.

It could already be considered that the conflict on the battlefield was no longer just a struggle between two groups of cultivators, but a contest of the combined strength of two entire races.

Lin Changheng noticed that the Xu Family was constantly pulling wounded soldiers back from the front lines to recover, while simultaneously sending in fresh recruits as replacements.

During this period, Lin Changheng had already bid farewell to two more of his Immortal Seed friends.

Their luck was both good and bad.

They were lucky to have been the last ones sent to the battlefield.

But because they were not stationed nearby like Bai Fengxian, they were both sent into the Wilderness to fight, facing even greater pressure and casualties.

Of the Immortal Seeds he was familiar with, only Dantai Feiyue, who had also mastered a Hundred Arts profession, remained off the battlefield.

When they had free time, the two would gather together to share a drink and chat.

"Brother Lin, with your alchemy level—often 'picking up' premium pills—you must have already touched the threshold of mid-grade alchemy, right?"

Dantai Feiyue's cheeks flushed with a delicate red, and after offering a toast, she suddenly asked.

"Isn't the same true for you, Fairy Dantai? I fear the Xu Family will soon have another mid-grade talisman master."

Under the moonlight, Lin Changheng was also slightly tipsy; he clinked his glass against the charming princess's and smiled calmly.

"Brother Lin, stop teasing me. Your attainments are at a level this young woman cannot match."

Dantai Feiyue brushed a stray lock of hair aside with her jade-like fingers, then leaned in slightly, tilting her head as she whispered, "I wonder if Brother Lin has found a way to acquire mid-grade alchemy?"

The princess's proximity brought a faint, elegant fragrance, and her orchid-like breath brushed against Lin Changheng's face, carrying a hint of sweet, fermented wine that left him momentarily dazed.

"I haven't found a way yet. I previously asked the Xu Family, but mid-grade alchemy inheritances are considered closely guarded secrets and are excluded from what is open to us Immortal Seeds. I imagine the same applies to mid-grade talisman arts."

"We may have to look for another way..."

With Dantai Feiyue leaning so close, Lin Changheng did not dodge or avoid her. He did not act like the naive boy of his past life, blushing, shifting his gaze, or pretending to be a gentleman who dared not look.

Instead, he looked straight at her, openly and unreservedly admiring her.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly; this woman was naturally beautiful, and with the enhancement of her cultivation, the descriptions of "ice-muscle and jade-bone" or "snow-skin and flower-countenance" were no exaggeration—she was truly flawless.

"It might have been impossible before, but now, that is not necessarily the case."

Dantai Feiyue smiled thoughtfully, her words heavy with implication.

When she glanced back, she found Lin Changheng's burning, unabashed gaze fixed firmly upon her. Her pretty face flushed, and a rosy glow crept up her neck.

Realizing she had "crossed the line," she instinctively started to pull back, shivering slightly, but then she forced herself to stay in place. She stared boldly at Lin Changheng with her beautiful eyes, thinking, I have done nothing wrong; I cannot back down, or I will surely be looked down upon by this man!

She possessed the pride of a princess, and now, fueled by the wine, she became even bolder and more defiant. She kept her face inches from Lin Changheng's, their gazes locked, neither willing to give an inch.

They were close enough that their breaths brushed against each other's faces!

"Is the Fairy suggesting that because the Xu Family is now facing such peril, their strategies might change, and this could be our opportunity to obtain mid-grade inheritances?"