Betrayed Again

Being able to enter and leave Second Master Yang's alchemy room at will, and receive his guidance, was more than just a great benefit; it was an honor, an honor signifying Second Master Yang's recognition. If Yang Chen alone received Second Master Yang's approval, then at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony in three months, even if Yang Chen hadn't entered the Body Refining Realm first level, his household registration wouldn't be revoked.

Anyone favored by Second Master Yang was an alchemy prodigy. Did the Yang Family dare to revoke the household registration of an alchemy prodigy?

Everyone thought Yang Chen had gotten incredibly lucky.

The most furious, without a doubt, was Yang Heng.

Yang Heng had an absolute sense of superiority over Yang Chen, whether in alchemy or martial cultivation, he far surpassed Yang Chen. But Gu Mingyue's refusal to submit to him was what bothered him the most. However, even that could be overlooked because he still had a sense of superiority over Yang Chen.

But now...

That sense of superiority was gone.

He felt he was the most qualified person to receive Second Master Yang's favor, and today, that qualification had been snatched away by Yang Chen!

"Hmph, alchemy is just alchemy after all. Even Second Master Yang is an indispensable existence in the Yang Family. He's only strong in alchemy. The reason Second Master Yang favors Yang Chen is likely because he saw his younger self in Yang Chen. But ultimately, being unable to step into martial arts means he's a good-for-nothing. Yang Chen is still a waste," Yang Heng thought. This self-consolation somewhat eased his mind.

Yang Chen had no idea what Yang Heng was thinking. He didn't have time to bother with Yang Heng now. Upon hearing Second Master Yang's words, he quickly said, "Thank you, Second Grandfather."

"Haha, no need to thank me. While you've grasped my techniques and details, you're still a bit short of being able to refine the Clear Fire Pill. Come to Second Grandfather's place more often in the future. With my guidance and your talent, you might be able to refine the Clear Fire Pill independently very soon. By then, you'll be a First-Rank High-Level Alchemist," Second Master Yang said with great satisfaction.

"Thank you, Second Master, for your fulfillment," Yang Chen replied, equally overjoyed.

Second Master Yang waved his hand, "Alright, today's lecture is over. All of you can go back. Yang Chen, you stay."

Seeing this, Yang Heng and many others gnashed their teeth in hatred, but there was nothing they could do. They could only leave, not daring to disobey Second Master Yang's wishes.

In the blink of an eye, only Yang Chen and Second Master Yang remained in the alchemy room.

Second Master Yang looked at Yang Chen with increasing favor, especially Yang Chen's words about not judging heroes by temporary success, which resonated with him. He said with his hands behind his back, "I promised you earlier that if you could grasp my Clear Fire Pill refining technique, I would grant you a favor and fulfill one request. Yang Chen, what is your request, tell me!"

Yang Chen had been waiting for Second Master Yang to say this. He didn't hesitate and respectfully said, "Second Grandfather, Yang Chen would like to ask for some materials to practice with. My experience with certain pills is still quite lacking."

"Hahaha, your eagerness to practice is truly commendable," Second Master Yang said generously, not surprised by Yang Chen's request at all.

For an alchemist to become accomplished, they undoubtedly needed a large quantity of alchemy materials for practice.

Without materials to practice with, becoming an alchemy master was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Given Yang Chen's astonishing talent, how could Second Master Yang be stingy? He said kindly and gently, "Yang Chen, come with me."

"Yes, Second Master," Yang Chen followed behind Second Master Yang.

As the Yang Family's foremost alchemy master, Second Master Yang's possession of rare treasures and Great Wilderness spiritual herbs were all approved by the Yang Family and personally bestowed. This was because Second Master Yang, as an alchemy master, was undoubtedly a treasure trove for the Yang Family.

Therefore, few people in the Yang Family could match Second Master Yang's wealth.

With Second Master's permission, Yang Chen quickly selected a few spiritual herbs and felt quite satisfied as he returned.

He chose these spiritual herbs not to refine pills, but for a different purpose.

Upon returning to his courtyard, Yang Chen was fully prepared.

What he intended to do was a cultivation method known only to powerful forces in the outside world: medicinal baths!

"Using medicinal baths to nourish the body before the Body Refining Realm is a method used by major sects. It's absolutely impossible in this Great Wilderness. And my specially developed medicinal bath is even more advanced than those of the major sects. However, it's a pity that even though Second Master Yang has considerable wealth, the spiritual herbs he possesses are still insufficient to support the medicinal bath I desire," Yang Chen sighed inwardly.

The medicinal bath he needed didn't have high material requirements, but the Great Wilderness was an extremely remote place, and natural treasures were extremely scarce. Gathering what he needed was indeed very difficult.

"However, using these spiritual herbs to make a medicinal bath to nourish my body is enough. I'll think about future medicinal baths later," Yang Chen murmured.

The Body Refining Realm, in simple terms, was body refining.

It was the foundational realm for martial artists, divided into nine levels.

It was a realm for tempering tendons, bones, and all parts of the body. The benefit of a medicinal bath was that, at this realm, it could use medicinal properties to help the body's tendons and bones undergo a complete transformation. This was an effect that could not be achieved by tempering the body with cultivation techniques. This was because the changes brought about by medicinal baths were qualitative.

Once soaked in the medicinal bath successfully, Yang Chen would have laid a solid foundation. In subsequent advancements, he would achieve twice the results with half the effort, being slightly faster than others.

This was the most crucial part.

"I can't lose to others at the starting line," Yang Chen thought to himself. The medicinal bath was almost ready.

He threw all the spiritual herbs he had obtained from Second Master Yang into the medicinal bath without even taking off his clothes, and eagerly jumped in with a splash.

As soon as he entered the medicinal bath, Yang Chen immediately felt the medicinal power of the spiritual herbs surge through his entire body. The astonishing medicinal power seemed to penetrate his body through his pores, making him feel both joyful and pained.

This sensation was exactly as Yang Chen had expected. The medicinal power in the bath was transforming his body to a certain extent.

Yang Chen had been weak and sickly since childhood, never having exercised. The tempering effect of the medicinal bath would likely be very long.

The pain felt as if it could tear his body apart, but how could Yang Chen's will yield to such pain? He gritted his teeth and persevered. Gradually, the pain disappeared, replaced by a refreshing sensation throughout his body, causing him to relax his brows and let out a long sigh of relief.

Furthermore, his body felt as if it were in its element. Under the nourishment of the medicinal bath, it seemed to gain layers of strength in an instant.

This was a strength that Yang Chen had never felt in his past or present life.

"Body Refining Realm first level." Yang Chen smiled.

Indeed, it was the first level of the Body Refining Realm.

Haha, this was truly wonderful.

Yang Chen had never dreamed that he could actually step into the martial path.

The first level of the Body Refining Realm was not difficult for others, but for Yang Chen in his previous life, it was an impossibly difficult task. He was naturally unable to practice martial arts and had no aptitude for cultivation, destined not to step into the martial path. He tried hard, searched for methods, but all in vain.

Who could understand the hardships he endured?

And now, he had finally stepped into such a realm. Although it was only the first level of the Body Refining Realm, just an entry point, it was enough. At the very least, it represented that he had stepped onto the path of martial arts, and in the future, he could ascend to the pinnacle of the heavens through martial arts!

"Refreshing." The effects of the medicinal bath were gradually fading, and Yang Chen could feel a distinct difference in his own body.

With the medicinal bath's effects concluded, Yang Chen got up, changed his clothes, and went out to make other plans.

As it stood, the first level of Body Refining was clearly not enough to satisfy him. The medicinal bath, created solely with resources obtained from Second Master Yang, had yielded rather meager results. He needed more resources to prepare another medicinal bath and nourish his body.

The Body Refining Realm was a foundational stage, and building a solid foundation in this realm was essential. If one couldn't lay a proper foundation, they would be at a disadvantage from the very start.

Just as he finished dressing and pushed open the door, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the courtyard.

"What's going on?" Yang Chen, filled with curiosity, pushed the door open to look.

He saw Gu Mingyue with a flushed face, her expression filled with anger, saying, "Zhou Huaiyi, you actually betrayed Young Master! Young... Young Master, why are you out here?"

Yang Chen smiled and said, "Something happened outside; how could I not hear it from inside?"

Gu Mingyue bit her lip and stared at Zhou Huaiyi in front of her, saying in a low voice, "Young Master, this... This Zhou Huaiyi, he..."

Yang Chen's gaze was fixed ahead. He saw that Yang Heng had somehow arrived at his courtyard again, and Zhou Huaiyi was standing right beside Yang Heng, with a subservient expression. At some point, he had already decided to pledge his allegiance to Yang Heng.

Hearing Gu Mingyue's angry words, Zhou Huaiyi sneered, "Gu Mingyue, do you think everyone is as stubborn as you? Young Master Yang Heng is a genius of our Yang Family. As a servant of the Yang Family, I am not just Yang Chen's servant. Following Young Master Yang Heng offers a brighter future. I have already abandoned the darkness and embraced the light."

"Young Master, he... he!" Gu Mingyue gritted her teeth in anger, unsure how to retort. "Our Young Master is not like what you say."

Yang Heng grinned, "Gu Mingyue, what's the point of being so single-minded? Yang Chen is a good-for-nothing who cannot cultivate martial arts; everyone knows that. Am I wrong to call him trash?"

Having suffered setbacks in alchemy, Yang Heng naturally sought to find a sense of superiority over Yang Chen through martial arts.

Yang Chen stood beside Gu Mingyue with his hands behind his back, watching Zhou Huaiyi and Yang Heng with great interest.

He wasn't angry; instead, he smiled happily.

He had long seen through Zhou Huaiyi's ill intentions. More importantly, when he thought about it carefully, how did Yang Heng find out so quickly about his suicide attempt? The matter of his suicide was extremely discreet; how could it have spread throughout the Yang Family so rapidly?

The whole affair was suspicious, and now, he understood.

It was highly likely that Zhou Huaiyi had already connected with Yang Heng. Therefore, as soon as Yang Heng heard about his suicide attempt, he had come looking for him like a bloodhound.

Zhou Huaiyi's betrayal was not strange at all.

Yang Chen remained unfazed, completely unmoved by it.

Indeed, betrayal was what he hated the most.

However, Zhou Huaiyi was ultimately just a house servant. His betrayal? It wouldn't make much difference whether he was there or not. On the contrary, he would eventually make Zhou Huaiyi realize what a foolish choice betrayal was.

Here's a quick update on the current release schedule: one chapter at noon and another in the evening. The update frequency will gradually increase over time.