Target, Holy Pill City

!

The sun was setting in the west, and the afterglow of dusk draped Tianxuan City in a layer of golden light.

When Li Ming and his party returned to the Li Clan, they saw Li Lei waiting in the courtyard. Though Li Ming knew his father was worried about something else, the members of the caravan were still moved.

Li Ming briefly reported the situation of the trip, then introduced Zhao Li to Li Lei.

"Father, we're back. This trip went fairly smoothly, and we had a safe journey. This is Brother Zhao Li. He's headed for Holy Pill City, but because there was a problem with the Spatial Wormhole, he was sent to the Tianmu Mountain Range instead. We met him on the road, so he came back with us. I invited him to be a guest at our Li Clan."

Zhao Li had not mentioned that he had escaped after encountering a Spatial Storm. He had only said that for some unknown reason, he had not been delivered to his destination, which was why Li Ming said this.

Zhao Li secretly observed Li Lei. In his perception, Li Lei possessed the strength of a Peak Dou Emperor. Though that could already be considered strong, for him to establish himself in Tianxuan City and control such an enviable source of profit as a Spatial Wormhole, there must be even stronger people within the clan.

When Zhao Li heard Li Ming introduce him, the corners of his mouth rose. Wearing a smile, he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said to Li Lei.

"Greetings, Uncle. I owe much to Big Brother Li's care along the way. Here are two bottles of Qi Gathering Powder. Please accept them. I'll be troubling you all for a while after this."

Zhao Li took out two bottles of Qi Gathering Powder and handed them to Li Lei. It was not that he had nothing better, but Zhao Li still understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth. Besides, pills like Qi Gathering Powder were something most clans would not refuse as long as they had younger generation members.

This action from Zhao Li made Li Ming even more certain of his identity as an alchemist, and his grade might not be low either.

A trace of displeasure appeared on his face, as if he was dissatisfied with Zhao Li's behavior, and he said to Zhao Li with a stern expression.

"Brother Zhao Li, what do you mean by this? Are you treating me like an outsider? Hurry and take them back."

Seeing his son like this, Li Lei did not know whether to laugh or cry. He felt a little heartache, but even more than that, he felt gratified.

The great changes in the clan had made his son mature.

As Li Lei sighed inwardly, he also spoke.

"Little Zhao, Ming'er is right. There's no need to be so formal. Just settle down in my Zhao Clan at ease. You should keep the pills for yourself."

Without waiting for Zhao Li to say anything more, Li Ming had the steward come over and take Zhao Li to the guest room to rest.

Zhao Li was made a little embarrassed by Li Ming's behavior. He felt helpless inside, but he also knew that the father and son might have other matters to discuss, so he did not stay any longer and followed the steward away.

Seeing this, Li Lei and Li Ming exchanged a look, then entered Li Lei's room together.

"Ming'er, did you meet Senior Sun Xiaochuan on this trip?"

Li Ming's expression turned ugly. Even his words carried some anger as he spat lightly.

"I did meet him, but once I told him what had happened, he opened his mouth like a lion and directly demanded half of our Spatial Wormhole's profits. To think he was once protected by our Li Clan. He's simply an ungrateful wretch. Pah."

When Li Lei saw his son's expression change, he already had a bad feeling. Hearing this, he let out an even longer sigh, and his figure seemed to stoop a little. But in the end, he saw things clearly.

"Sigh... He was already the Seventh-Grade Alchemist we were most likely to invite. Forget it. Compared to your grandfather, if we have to give up fifty percent of the profits, then so be it. If your grandfather falls, our Li Clan won't have another chance to control the Spatial Wormhole, and we might not even be able to continue standing in Tianxuan City. What a pity. I don't know if I can break through to Dou Zong in this lifetime."

Though Li Ming was young, he was also someone who understood things. Naturally, he understood that the Li Clan could control such enormous profits only because of his grandfather's deterrence. If his grandfather fell, everything would come to nothing.

That was why during this visit to Sun Xiaochuan, even though he had been disgusted by the man's ugly greed, Li Ming had still gritted his teeth and agreed to the conditions he proposed.

"Father, don't worry. That old thief said he'll come after he finishes handling the matters at hand. With such enormous benefits on the table, given his greedy nature, he'll definitely come."

Li Lei sighed, his interest waning. He did not feel the slightest bit at ease about Sun Xiaochuan, so he instructed Li Ming.

"I hope so. I'll have to trouble you for a few more days. During these few days, don't relax yet. Continue searching for alchemists. If he changes his mind at the last minute, at least we won't be completely unprepared."

Li Ming nodded in acknowledgment. He could tell that his father's thoughts were exactly the same as his own. It was just that he also had a headache. Even in the Central Plains' Central Region, in an Alchemist Holy Land like Holy Pill City, Seventh-Grade Alchemists were among the very best. How could they be so easy to find?

This was what it meant to lack strength. In everything, one had to watch others' expressions. Li Ming could only pray in his heart that everything went smoothly.

"Sigh, I hope nothing unexpected happens."

Just as he was about to withdraw, Li Lei called out to him and asked.

"That young brother you befriended on the road should also be an alchemist, right? Do you know his background?"

Li Ming froze when he heard this, his brows furrowing. Had Father gone mad from searching for alchemists? He was even placing his hopes on Zhao Li now.

Li Ming had only invited Zhao Li to travel with them because when Zhao Li came to ask about the location, he happened to be going the same way. Later, when Zhao Li asked about Holy Pill City, he guessed that Zhao Li might be an alchemist, which was why he deliberately befriended him. But Zhao Li's age was right there, and he did not think Zhao Li's Alchemy Technique could be very advanced.

"I don't know. He's so young, so how advanced could his Alchemy Technique be? Father, you're grasping at straws in desperation. Don't worry. I'll continue searching."

When Li Lei heard this, he also felt that his son's words made sense, but he thought a little deeper.

"Ming'er, don't forget the pills he was about to gift us just now. That was Qi Gathering Powder. Though it's only fourth grade, he didn't feel the slightest bit distressed giving it away. At his age, if that was something he refined himself, then what kind of teacher do you think would be needed to bring up such a person?"

Li Ming suddenly understood Li Lei's meaning and laughed, admiration rising in his heart. As expected, ginger got spicier with age.

"Thank you for your guidance, Father. I understand."

If there was no other way, they could only place their hopes on this young brother he had befriended on the road.

Under the steward's guidance, Zhao Li settled into the guest room. Naturally, he did not know that Li Lei and Li Ming were worrying over the old patriarch's injuries, nor did he know that Li Lei had already set his sights on his teacher.

For a moment, Zhao Li did not know what to do in the room. Leaning by the window, he considered what came next.

Zhao Li had come to the Central Plains partly because he wanted to see Old Yao of this era. He had a favorable impression of that handsome old man from the novel, who was both teacher and friend, so coming here to make his acquaintance would be good. On the other hand, his Alchemy Technique had already reached Peak Seventh Grade and fallen into a bottleneck—not a bottleneck in Soul Power, but in pill formulas. Lin Lan's family reserves had already been emptied out by him.

Over these years, Zhao Li's strength had constantly been improving, and his Soul Power had grown stronger accordingly. During the two years he had spent idle at home, he had already touched the Threshold of Spirit Realm.

After that, during two years of training, he had even figured out the Primordial Spirit Cultivation Method. The speed at which his Soul Power improved had not decreased but increased instead. He had long since thoroughly stepped into the Spirit Realm, and was not even far from the Heavenly Realm. It was just that he had no Tier 8 Pill Formula on hand, so his Alchemy Technique no longer improved as rapidly as before.

Zhao Li planned to go to Holy Pill City and take a look, join the Pill Tower, fleece the Pill Tower a little, and see if he could freeload some Tier 8 Pill Formulas.

Unexpectedly, through a string of mishaps along the way, he had ended up in Tianxuan City, who knew how far from Holy Pill City.

Fortunately, there were still several years until the next Pill Gathering, so Zhao Li was in no hurry.

Over the years, because he had no pill formulas on hand, his progress had been slow. But Zhao Li had not been idle either; using what he had learned, he had tried to create his own formulas, only to produce no major results.

Thinking back on his summaries and attempts over these years, Zhao Li sighed.

"Ah, even with my current Alchemy Technique, it's still extremely difficult to create a Tier 8 Pill Formula on my own. I'm still quite a distance from being a true Alchemy Grandmaster, after all."