Da Bai? No, Little White Mouse

Lightning tribulations struck down upon the pill cauldrons, each bolt larger than the last. Although Qing Mo could disperse the Pill Tribulation, pills that had not endured one could not be called perfect. Qing Mo would never allow himself to refine imperfect pills.

The final bolt of lightning seemed capable of destroying the world. Countless lightning tribulations converged into an enormous Thunder Dragon hundreds of miles long. The upper echelons of every family and sect throughout the Southern Border sensed the terror of this tribulation. All of them looked toward the imperial city and swiftly dispatched their disciples there to discover what had drawn such a terrifying heavenly tribulation.

As though unwilling to allow Supreme Grade pills to enter the world, the Thunder Dragon opened its massive jaws and struck at the dozens of pill cauldrons. Heaven and earth instantly lost their color. Everyone who had been watching nearby turned pale and fled into the distance, wishing they had grown two extra legs. If they were caught in the aftermath, they feared they would be instantly obliterated by the lightning tribulation.

The skies over Tianlong gradually cleared. After the lightning tribulation, the pill cauldrons formed from pill fire slowly dispersed, and a rich pill fragrance swept through the entire city. Da Bai remained in the same position as before, his rear raised high, his front paws clutching his head as he lay at Qing Mo's feet, trembling all over. His head was nearly buried in the ground, and his hind legs were shaking so hard they left afterimages.

How had he ever seen a lightning tribulation on such a scale? He had wanted to run too, but then he thought that running might cost him his job and that his boss might no longer want him. On second thought, I can't run. I absolutely can't run! Such a fragrant thigh—I can't run even if I'm struck to death! As long as Boss doesn't say the word, I'll die here and stink up this patch of ground!

"You coward. Is it really that scary? What are you doing in that position? Don't tell me I haven't treated you well enough? Are you thinking of going out to pick up some side work?"

Qing Mo kicked Da Bai and laughingly scolded him. Only Liu Yurou remained calm. This level of lightning tribulation was nothing compared to her previous life.

"Ah! This pill fragrance is so rich! Master, you're incredible! I feel so much better all over—ptui, no, this whole kitty feels so much better!"

"I refined these for you in the first place."

"R-Really? M-Master... (ಥ_ಥ)"

Da Bai's tears and snot instantly started flowing again. He had just leaped up to hug Qing Mo's thigh when a kick sent him flying into the ruins.

"You yellow weasel, why are you lying on the ground pretending to be a dead dog? If you're not dead, get over here and test the pills!"

Hearing that, Da Bai hurriedly crawled out of the rubble and scampered up to Qing Mo. Everyone was momentarily unable to process it. These Supreme Grade pills that had undergone Pill Tribulation were refined for a cat?

The pills slowly floated before Qing Mo. Each one shone with dazzling brilliance, and rings of Pill Patterns appeared across their surfaces, proving that they had been tempered by the lightning tribulation.

"Pill Patterns? Those are actually Pill Patterns?"

"President, what are these Pill Patterns?"

"This old man has only seen records of them in damaged ancient texts. After Supreme Grade pills are tempered by a Pill Tribulation, there is a chance for Pill Patterns to appear. Pills with Pill Patterns are known as Supreme Grade pills, and their effects are twenty to thirty percent stronger than ordinary Supreme Grade pills!"

"Hmm, it seems you do have some real knowledge if you became the branch president. Go on. What else?"

"Um... that damaged ancient text only recorded this much. I ask Senior to enlighten me!"

"Actually, Supreme Grade only refers to pills with no more than ten layers of Pill Patterns. Beyond ten layers are Venerable Grade pills. The highest is Sixteen Venerable Grade. Beyond that... you cannot understand it yet, so there is no point in telling you."

"Your alchemy does not even qualify as beginner-level. I can tell from the medicinal smell coming off you that you have not fully utilized the ingredients at all. If you had truly made full use of them, only pill fragrance would remain on you. There would not be any lingering medicinal odor from the residue left behind during refinement. And one more thing: the appearance of Pill Patterns is controllable. It is not a matter of chance."

Everyone from the Alchemist Branch Association was so shocked that they did not know what to say. They had thought that entering the Alchemist Association and obtaining a rank was enough to call themselves alchemists. Who would have thought that before a true alchemist, they did not even count as beginners?

"Da Bai, open your mouth. I want to test the effects of these pills I recently came up with!"

Qing Mo looked at Da Bai with a beaming smile. Having researched several pill formulas, he wanted to see their effects. After thinking it over, only Da Bai was suitable for testing pills. He could not bear to use Liu Yurou. Such a beautiful little maid was only meant for massaging his shoulders, pounding his legs, warming his bed, folding his blankets, and incidentally acting as a bodyguard. It would not do if something went wrong and she ate something bad.

Da Bai thought Qing Mo truly cared about him, unaware that he had gotten it wrong this time. It all depended on whether his life was tough enough. (^ω^)

The moment the first pill entered his stomach, Da Bai immediately realized something was wrong. His body went out of control. In less than two minutes, he was convulsing all over, his eyes rolling white and foam spilling from his mouth as he repeatedly danced along the edge of the Yellow Springs Road. Qing Mo could tell that while this pill could expand one's meridians and allow one to contain more spiritual energy, it was extremely dangerous. Also, it seemed he had used a little too much of one ingredient while refining it.

After Da Bai recovered, he felt as though he had survived a great disaster. Before he could even react, Qing Mo had already tossed the second pill into his mouth. The spiritual energy within his body began rampaging everywhere, sometimes swelling and sometimes shrinking. He nearly failed to return to his tiger form and became an ordinary cat instead.

In the end, Qing Mo threatened to fire Da Bai and made him test every new pill. After dozens of repeated trials, Qing Mo finally understood the effects and shortcomings of every new pill he had developed.

"M-Master, just kill me! I really can't test any more! From the day I cultivated enough to gain intelligence until before I started testing pills today, I've never suffered like this!"

"Relax. I already understand all their effects. With only a few tiny adjustments, they'll become perfect."

Da Bai dared not voice his anger. Looking aggrieved, he lay beside Liu Yurou's feet. He had been traumatized.

"Seeing how wronged you are, I'll have Yu Rou help raise you to the Sky Vault Realm. How about giving you an exclusive cultivation technique too?"

Qing Mo also felt that Da Bai had suffered quite a bit because of him, so he decided to compensate him with a few small things. Hearing this, Da Bai instantly perked up. His ears stood straight up, and his tail wagged wildly.

"I knew Master loved me, థ౪థ"

"Mm. In a while, I'll have Yu Rou clear out the excess medicinal power and side effects in your body."

Seeing that this matter was mostly settled, Qing Mo turned to Luotian Jun and tossed him nine pills.

"Bring me the thickest branch of the Demon Vine Tree in your ancestral grounds. The completely snow-white ones are Life-Extending Pills, capable of adding a thousand years to one's lifespan. The dark-red ones are Body-Tempering Pills, which can increase physical strength three to five times, depending on one's aptitude. The light-green ones are Vitality Pills. Once consumed, their medicinal power remains in the body. Even if one is crushed to pieces and their soul is torn apart, as long as even a trace remains, they will instantly recover to their original state. They are only effective below the Dao Integration Realm.

Take one of each type as your payment. Half a month from now, hold an auction in the imperial city and sell the remaining six pills. Before then, do not let anyone disturb this young master. Hurry and deliver what I asked for."

With that, Qing Mo took Liu Yurou and Da Bai back to the small courtyard.

Luotian Jun stared at the pills in his hand in delight. By the time he came back to his senses, Qing Mo and the others had long since left.

The news spread throughout Haoyun Continent. Sect masters and family heads of every notable force set out for the Luotian Dynasty in the Southern Border. Even the Hidden Sects coveted these pills.