I, a Bottom-Rung Beast of Burden, Swear to Trample You Lofty Fairies Beneath My Feet

The Joyful Union Sect's Sect Grand Tournament was drawing near.

Other than Sect Master Ye Chenyu and Grand Elder Jiang Yingyue, no one knew that the Joyful Union Sect was facing a catastrophe that could blot out the sky and cover the earth.

If they still failed to refine the Nascent Soul Pill, the Joyful Union Sect would be finished.

Ye Chenyu had ordered the inner sect disciples to descend the mountain and purchase medicinal herbs.

The disciples had no idea what was going on and found it utterly baffling.

The Sect Grand Tournament was almost here, yet they were being sent down the mountain?

But the sect master's orders had to be obeyed.

Thus, the Joyful Union Sect's senior inner sect sisters all descended the mountain one after another.

This gave Lu Chen a relatively peaceful stretch of time instead.

After returning from the Waste Pill Repository to his little building, Lu Chen began cultivating the Five Elements Swallowing Heaven Scripture.

Although he only possessed the introductory foundational section of this cultivation method, it was truly tyrannical.

As he circulated the Five Elements Swallowing Heaven Scripture, he not only devoured the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him, but also swallowed the Pill Poison in the air into his body.

What shocked him even more was that, without relying on the Yin-Yang Cauldron, he could use the Five Elements Swallowing Heaven Scripture to refine Pill Poison into spiritual energy that could be absorbed.

Five Elements Swallowing Heaven—everything beneath the heavens could be swallowed!

That was the first line of the opening mantra in the foundational section of the Five Elements Swallowing Heaven Scripture.

Before he knew it, dawn had arrived.

Lu Chen rose to his full height.

He only felt utterly refreshed from head to toe.

Although his cultivation had not broken through, he was far more energetic.

Moreover, the Pill Poison in the surrounding air could no longer harm him in the slightest.

He walked out of the little building and began practicing the Five-Element Body-Refining Technique's fist art in the open space before it.

After completing one set of punches, he began again. Before long, heat rose from his entire body.

The blood and qi throughout his body boiled, while primordial energy refined his flesh, blood, sinews, and bones.

A faint treasure-like radiance glimmered across his skin.

"Copper Skin Realm?"

Lu Chen was overjoyed.

Primordial energy had condensed upon his skin; ordinary blades and swords would struggle to harm him.

He had never expected to reach the Copper Skin Realm so soon after beginning the Five-Element Body-Refining Technique.

It might have been related to his having refined his physical body with Body-Tempering Pills.

During the day, he guarded the Waste Pill Repository.

Whenever no one was around, he practiced his punches.

This body cultivation technique was simply heaven-defying.

After one day, he could feel his strength had increased considerably again.

No one delivered any waste pills throughout the entire day.

He was delighted to have some peace and quiet.

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

Lu Chen activated the grand formation of Waste-Pill Valley, then quietly descended the mountain.

He did not immediately head to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties. Instead, he found a wooden board, wrote the four words "Custom Pill Orders" on it, then donned his bronze mask and made his way to the marketplace.

After paying five Mixed Spirit Stones to enter the marketplace, he found a spot with relatively few people, propped up the wooden board, and sat down cross-legged.

He had waste pills in abundance. So long as they were pills below the Nascent Soul Pill, he could use the Yin-Yang Cauldron to restore them.

As night deepened, more and more cultivators came to browse the marketplace.

After all, the marketplace in Hehuan Town was the largest one within several hundred li.

"Custom pill orders? I never expected you to be an alchemist, Fellow Daoist."

Yun Ao approached, idly waving a folding fan.

When Lu Chen saw it was Yun Ao, he could not help feeling annoyed. Was this guy really so idle? Did he not need to cultivate? Why was he always wandering around the marketplace?

"Hey, what exactly do you mean by custom pill orders?"

A young woman stepped forward from behind Yun Ao.

"Why is it her?"

Lu Chen was startled. The newcomer was Yun Feier, the senior inner sect sister he had caught bathing in the Spirit Spring behind the mountain that night.

She was a fiery little pepper with a violent temper. One kick had destroyed Hu Biao's dantian and turned him into a cripple.

Those senior inner sect sisters were lofty fairies above the clouds, while outer sect menial disciples like them were ants crawling on the ground.

Senior inner sect sisters could decide the life and death of outer sect disciples at will.

Wait, both of them were surnamed Yun. Could Yun Feier also be from the Yun Household?

Cold sweat broke out on Lu Chen's forehead.

Fortunately, he wore a bronze mask, so neither Yun Feier nor Yun Ao could see his expression.

"Hey, are you deaf? I asked you a question!"

Yun Feier shouted.

"Little sister, do not be rude!"

Yun Ao spoke, then said to Lu Chen, "My little sister has been discourteous. I hope you will not take offense, Fellow Daoist."

Anyone who dared put up a sign offering custom pill orders had to be a capable master of alchemy.

Such a person could not be offended lightly.

"Why would I stoop to her level?"

Lu Chen said calmly.

"Second Brother, he does not even dare show his true face. Why are you being so polite to him?"

Yun Feier said dismissively.

"Little sister, the world is vast, and there are countless extraordinary people and hidden masters within it. We must never look down on anyone."

Yun Ao said solemnly.

Lu Chen looked at Yun Ao. This fellow saw things quite clearly.

In the cultivation world, being cautious was never a bad thing.

"Tch, you still haven't answered my question!"

Yun Feier looked at Lu Chen.

"Custom pill orders. It means exactly what it says."

Lu Chen replied indifferently.

"Is that so? Then I want to order a Foundation Establishment Pill. Can you refine one?"

Yun Feier said smugly.

A Foundation Establishment Pill was a spiritual pill that only an Alchemical Master could successfully refine.

In the entire Joyful Union Sect, only Grand Elder Jiang Yingyue was confident of refining one.

Although the other two Alchemical Masters could also refine Foundation Establishment Pills, the chance of failure was far too high.

They would not casually open the furnace to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

And at present, even the Joyful Union Sect had no Foundation Establishment Pills in stock.

One had to know that the Grand Elder had been in secluded cultivation for years.

A rat who did not even dare reveal his true face actually dared boast so shamelessly about taking custom pill orders?

I'll slap your face directly, then.

At that moment, cultivators nearby were also drawn over.

"Little sister, stop making trouble!"

Yun Ao glared at Yun Feier.

Just as everyone thought Lu Chen would be stumped—

"Yes."

Lu Chen answered calmly.

You think a little girl like you can slap my face?

"What..."

"He can actually refine Foundation Establishment Pills?"

"No way, could he be an Alchemical Master?"

Everyone was shocked.

"Y-you can actually refine Foundation Establishment Pills?"

Yun Feier stared in disbelief at the masked man before her.

"Are Foundation Establishment Pills difficult to refine?"

Lu Chen's tone remained calm. Secretly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this woman only wanted a Foundation Establishment Pill—he had two graded Foundation Establishment Pills on hand.

"What?"

Yun Feier was dumbfounded.

From this man's tone, refining a Foundation Establishment Pill seemed as easy as turning over one's hand.

How could that be possible?

The people around them were also stunned.

That was a Foundation Establishment Pill, a spiritual pill capable of helping cultivators at the Great Perfection of the tenth level of the Qi Refining Realm break through into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

One had to know that Foundation Establishment was a heavenly chasm standing between mortals and the immortal path.

Only after mortal cultivators crossed that chasm could they be said to have truly stepped onto the path of cultivation.

The overwhelming majority of Qi Refining Realm cultivators were blocked by that chasm, cultivating bitterly for decades without being able to cross it.

Yet a single Foundation Establishment Pill could help them cross that chasm.

One could imagine how important a Foundation Establishment Pill was to Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

But such pills were expensive—so expensive that it was hard to imagine, so expensive that even a cultivation lineage like the Yun Household found it extremely difficult to obtain one.

At the town's Pill Pavilion, the price was clearly marked: a single Foundation Establishment Pill, even the lowest ninth-grade lower-tier one, cost five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones.

High-Grade Spirit Stones.

Converted into mid-grade spirit stones, that was fifty thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

Converted into Low-Grade Spirit Stones, that was five million.

Without money, one truly could not afford to cultivate immortality.

"If you truly want to order a Foundation Establishment Pill, come here tomorrow night to collect it."

Lu Chen's tone was calm, but his heart was surging with excitement.

He wanted to cause a sensation and draw the attention of those beautiful Joyful Union Sect disciples who needed pills to break through their cultivation.

Only then would they come begging him for pills.

"What did you say? Come here tomorrow night to collect it? You can really refine a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

Yun Feier still found it hard to believe.

She had already cultivated to the Great Perfection of the tenth level of the Qi Refining Realm and urgently needed a Foundation Establishment Pill to break through into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Believe it or not!"

After saying that, Lu Chen ignored Yun Feier.

Yun Feier's expression changed several times. "What are your conditions?"

Even if the other party could refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, she could not afford it. But if she begged her eldest sister, she could still manage to buy one.

"Dual cultivation."

Lu Chen looked at Yun Feier.

Hmph, so what if she was a lofty inner sect fairy?

If she wanted pills, she would have to trade dual cultivation for them.

Why should all the benefits go to you women while we were doomed to live as beasts of burden?

I, a bottom-rung beast of burden, swore to trample you lofty fairies beneath my feet.

"What..."

Yun Feier was greatly shocked.

"Fellow Daoist, you..."

Yun Ao glared furiously at Lu Chen.

This fellow actually wanted to dual cultivate with his little sister?

By now, the surrounding area was packed with cultivators watching the spectacle.

"Dual cultivation can get you a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Ah, what a pity I'm a man... Otherwise..."

The surrounding cultivators erupted into an uproar.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you think of me?"

A burly man with a face full of flesh pushed through the crowd, winked flirtatiously at Lu Chen, and spoke.

"..."

Lu Chen nearly vomited.

A chorus of retching immediately rose from the crowd.

"Damn it, I even threw up last night's meal..."

"No, being ugly isn't your fault, but making us empty our stomachs is! Blech..."

The surrounding cultivators were utterly miserable.

"All right. Tomorrow night, still at this place. You can decide then whether you want my pill or not!"

Lu Chen rose as he spoke and left. The effect had already been achieved; word that he could customize pills would soon spread.

He was now in a hurry to go to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties and discuss life with Bing'er.

He was in desperate need of Yin-Yang Essence.

Besides, he had already cast the bait. Now he only needed to wait for the fish to bite.

"Hey, fellow Daoist, don't leave! Who says men can't dual cultivate? I'm very good at it!"

The rough-looking man shouted from behind him.

A chill ran through Lu Chen at those words. Goosebumps rose all over him, and his pace immediately quickened.

Yun Feier stood frozen in place. "Dual cultivation?"

She struggled inwardly.

The Joyful Union Sect's dual cultivation arts were actually divided into two kinds: harvesting and replenishing, and bodily union.

Harvesting and replenishing required no intercourse. It forcibly absorbed a man's Yang energy to increase one's cultivation.

As for bodily union, it naturally meant exactly what it sounded like.

Through lovemaking, it directly devoured the man's primordial Yang to raise one's cultivation.

Yun Feier was still a virgin.

"Little sister, you aren't seriously thinking of dual cultivating with that man, are you?!"

Yun Ao said in shock.

"I don't know. Let me think..."

Yun Feier spoke and turned to leave.

"Customized pills? He can even refine a Foundation Establishment Pill? Could he be an Alchemical Grandmaster?"

Amid the crowd, a white-robed, veiled woman gazed in the direction Lu Chen had departed and murmured.

"Even I, Jiang Yingxue, would not dare claim absolute certainty in refining a Foundation Establishment Pill. Tomorrow night, I will see whether you can truly produce one."

She was none other than Jiang Yingxue, the Joyful Union Sect's Supreme Elder.