Blood Qi Pill

He couldn't ask about Extreme Yin, but he could still ask about the surroundings of the small building.

"Second Senior Brother, what is planted in the fields outside the small building?"

"Those are spirit herbs planted by Master. I heard that if properly used, they can increase the cultivation of cultivators like us."

"When I arrived earlier, I saw a cave at the foot of the mountain, with a stone gate set before its entrance."

"That cave is no ordinary cave. It is Master's alchemy dwelling."

Zhang Cheng explained everything to Song Wen one by one, and did not forget to warn him.

"The herb fields and the cave outside, as well as the second floor—none of those places are open to us. Without Master's permission, you must not trespass."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

In order to leave a good impression on his senior brother—and on Extreme Yin, who might be upstairs listening to everything happening below—and to establish himself as an honest person, Song Wen did not ask further questions.

After seeing Zhang Cheng off amicably, Song Wen immediately seized the time to cultivate.

Life in the small building felt cut off from the world. Extreme Yin did not require Song Wen and the other two to do anything, and time flew by. In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and the one-month deadline was over.

That morning, Song Wen rose from bed and was about to head toward the side rooms for the daily morning lesson.

However, Eldest Senior Brother Second Ox informed him.

"Third Junior Brother, Master asked me to tell you and Second Junior Brother that starting today, you no longer need to go to the side rooms for morning lessons."

At those words, Song Wen's eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed toward the side-room area in the distance.

The side rooms, usually teeming with people, were completely empty today.

Second Ox noticed Song Wen's reaction and took the initiative to explain.

"Master has dismissed them. They had no immortal affinity and could not complete the introduction of qi into their bodies. There was no point in staying here any longer."

A chill rose in Song Wen's heart, icy cold rushing straight to the crown of his head. He could not help but shudder.

Those youths had likely not been dismissed at all. They had been destroyed, bodies and all, wiped from this world forever.

Song Wen forced a smile onto his face.

"Thank you for telling me, Eldest Senior Brother. Otherwise, I would probably have made the trip for nothing."

Though Song Wen concealed it well, the thought of more than a hundred teenagers dying just like that left him nauseated, terrified, and sick to his stomach.

He did not want to remain in the small building for another moment. Right now, he wanted to get as far from Extreme Yin as possible and seek a moment of peace for his heart.

"The morning air is nice. I'll take a walk in the courtyard."

"I'll go with you. I've been cultivating these past few days, and it has grown rather dull."

Second Ox said this. He had spent most of his time on the second floor these past days, and Song Wen had no idea what he had been doing with Extreme Yin.

Song Wen nodded, and the two walked toward the center of the courtyard together.

As they walked, Song Wen asked about Second Ox's family.

Second Ox harbored no suspicions. Within a few sentences, he had laid bare his entire family background.

Second Ox had been born in a remote village. There were five siblings in his family, and with their parents, there were seven people altogether. They relied on two meager mu of farmland and hunting to survive, living in extreme poverty.

As the eldest child, he had followed his father into the mountains to hunt and worked in the fields from the age of eight.

Because his family was poor, he originally would have had no chance to learn to read. However, the village tutor took pity on his family's hardships and allowed Second Ox to sit in on lessons for free, giving him the opportunity to become literate.

Once they were far enough from the small building, Song Wen abruptly changed the subject and asked about cultivation.

"Eldest Senior Brother, you have cultivated the longest, so your cultivation should be the highest among the three of us. What level have you reached now?"

Second Ox fell into brief hesitation, but after a moment, he still spoke.

"I am already at the late stage of the first level of Qi Refining."

Song Wen was instantly dumbfounded, staring at Second Ox with utter disbelief.

He was certain that his talent was absolutely superior to Second Ox's. Yet his own cultivation was still some distance from even the middle stage of the first level, while Second Ox had already reached the late stage. It was simply unreasonable.

"How are you progressing so quickly?"

Second Ox's expression became somewhat troubled. After guiltily looking around in all directions, he lowered his voice.

"Master forbade me from telling you. Master refined a pill called the Blood Qi Pill. After taking it, one's cultivation can rise drastically at an astonishing speed. I took only one, and I went directly from the early stage of the first level to the late stage."

"Blood Qi Pill?" Song Wen murmured so quietly that it was nearly inaudible.

He instantly recalled Second Ox's unusual condition three days ago and asked in a low voice.

"Are there any side effects after taking the Blood Qi Pill?"

"It severely drains your blood qi. On the day I took it, I felt as though I had suddenly aged several decades."

Second Ox answered truthfully. After pausing for a moment, he continued.

"But Master had me take quite a few tonics over the past few days. I now feel that my body has recovered."

"Master's methods truly are formidable. He can actually raise our cultivation so quickly. Master said that as long as I can reach the second level of Qi Refining, he will let me become a hall master of the Heavenly Baleful Gang. Then I'll receive several hundred taels of patterned silver every month, and I'll be able to improve my family's life."

As he spoke, Second Ox's face was filled with reverence for Extreme Yin and longing for the future.

But Song Wen felt a chill in his heart, his gaze repeatedly sweeping over Second Ox's body.

Outwardly, there was indeed no trace of the sickly condition from three days ago. But Song Wen was no physician and did not understand the arts of observation, listening, inquiry, and palpation. He could not see what might be wrong inside Second Ox's body.

Still, because Song Wen had always been wary of Extreme Yin, he felt that things were likely not so simple.

If the Blood Qi Pill had no other side effects, how could Extreme Yin possibly provide it for others to use without compensation rather than use it himself?

A flash of insight suddenly crossed Song Wen's mind, and he instantly understood why Extreme Yin had gone to such lengths to take disciples.

Extreme Yin is very likely using us to test his pills!

The disciples Extreme Yin took in before probably died from excessive pill testing, or lost their value and were killed by Extreme Yin!

That explained why Extreme Yin kept taking disciples, why all his previous disciples had vanished, and why the Heavenly Baleful Gang members feared Extreme Yin taking disciples.

A sense of crisis rose within Song Wen. Second Ox had begun testing pills twenty days after successfully introducing qi into his body. Judging by this, Song Wen did not have much time left.

He could only hope that Second Ox and Zhang Cheng, who were ahead of him, could hold out a little longer and give him a chance to escape.

After returning to the small building, Song Wen decided he could wait no longer. He had to take the initiative. He needed to find out Extreme Yin's daily routine and prepare for escape.

From his observations over the past three days, Extreme Yin spent almost all his time on the second floor. Song Wen had no idea what he was doing there.

Did he normally need to sleep, and if so, when did he sleep?

Song Wen stood at the stairs leading to the second floor. He steadied himself, then stepped upward.