The Joyful Union Sect's Sect Grand Tournament was fast approaching.
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 wipe it from the face of the earth.
If they failed to refine a Nascent Soul Pill again, their Joyful Union Sect would be finished.
At this moment, Ye Chenyu ordered the inner disciples to descend the mountain and purchase spirit herbs.
The disciples had no idea what was going on and all found it baffling.
The Sect Grand Tournament was nearly upon them, yet they were being sent down the mountain?
But a sect master's orders had to be obeyed.
Thus, the inner sect senior sisters of the Joyful Union Sect all descended the mountain one after another.
As a result, Lu Chen gained a relatively peaceful stretch of time.
After returning from the Waste Pill Repository to his small 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.
When he circulated the Five Elements Swallowing Heaven Scripture, he not only devoured the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him, but even drew the Pill Poison from 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—nothing under heaven could not be devoured!
That was the first line of the chant at the beginning of the foundational section of the Five Elements Swallowing Heaven Scripture.
Before he knew it, dawn arrived.
Lu Chen rose to his full height.
He only felt utterly refreshed.
Although his cultivation had not broken through, he felt far more invigorated.
Moreover, the Pill Poison in the surrounding air could no longer harm him in the slightest.
He walked out of the small 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, steam rose from his entire body.
The blood and qi throughout his body boiled as his vital energy tempered his flesh, blood, tendons, and bones.
A faint treasure-like radiance glimmered over his skin.
"Copper Skin Realm?"
Lu Chen was overjoyed.
Vital energy had condensed upon the surface of his skin; ordinary blades and swords would find it hard to wound him.
He had not expected to reach the Copper Skin Realm so soon after beginning the Five-Element Body-Refining Technique.
This might have been related to his having tempered his body with Body-Tempering Pills.
During the day, he guarded the Waste Pill Repository.
Whenever no one was around, he practiced his fists.
This body cultivation technique was simply heaven-defying.
After a full day, he felt that 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.
Rather than heading straight to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties, he found a wooden board and wrote the four words "Custom Pill Refinement" on it. Then, wearing a bronze mask, he arrived at the marketplace.
After paying five Mixed Spirit Stones to enter, he found a spot with relatively few people, set up the board, and sat cross-legged on the ground.
He had no shortage of waste pills. As long as they were pills below the Nascent Soul Pill, he could use the Yin-Yang Cauldron to restore them.
After nightfall, the number of cultivators visiting the marketplace gradually increased.
After all, the marketplace in Hehuan Town was the largest within a radius of several hundred li.
"Custom pill refinement? I never expected you to be an alchemist, Fellow Daoist."
Yun Ao approached while fanning himself with a folding fan.
Seeing Yun Ao, Lu Chen could not help feeling somewhat depressed. Was this guy really so idle? Didn't he need to cultivate? Why was he always wandering around the marketplace?
"Hey, what do you mean by custom pill refinement?"
A young woman stepped forward from behind Yun Ao.
"Why is it her?"
Lu Chen was startled. The newcomer was none other than Yun Feier, the inner sect senior sister he had caught bathing in the Spirit Spring on the back mountain that night.
She was that hot-tempered little chili pepper who had crippled Hu Biao's dantian with one kick, turning him into a useless cripple.
Those inner sect senior sisters were lofty fairies high above, while outer sect servant disciples like them were ants crawling on the ground.
Inner sect senior sisters could casually decide the life and death of outer sect disciples.
Wait, these two both had the surname Yun. Could Yun Feier be from the Yun Household too?
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'm asking you a question!"
Yun Feier shouted.
"Little sister, don't be rude!"
Yun Ao spoke, then said to Lu Chen, "My little sister has been impolite. I hope Fellow Daoist will not take offense!"
Anyone who dared put up a sign for custom pill refinement had to be a skilled alchemical expert.
Such a person could not be offended lightly.
"Why would I lower myself to her level?"
Lu Chen said calmly.
"Second Brother, he doesn't even dare show his real 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 among us. We must never look down on anyone."
Yun Ao said sternly.
Lu Chen looked at Yun Ao. This fellow saw things quite clearly.
In the cultivation world, caution and prudence never did any harm.
"Tch, you still haven't answered my question!"
Yun Feier stared at Lu Chen.
"Custom pill refinement. It means exactly what it says."
Lu Chen replied indifferently.
"Is that so? Then I want to commission 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 fire up the furnace to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill.
And at this moment, even the Joyful Union Sect had none in stock.
For the past several years, the Grand Elder had remained in seclusion.
A rat who did not even dare reveal his true face actually dared to boast about custom pill refinement?
I'll slap your face directly, then.
At this moment, the surrounding cultivators were also drawn over.
"Little sister, stop fooling around!"
Yun Ao glared at Yun Feier.
Just as everyone thought Lu Chen would be stumped—
"Sure."
Lu Chen answered calmly.
You little girl think you can slap my face?
"What..."
"He can actually refine Foundation Establishment Pills?"
"No way, could he be an Alchemical Master?"
Everyone was stunned.
"Y-you can really 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 placid, though he secretly sighed in relief. Fortunately, this woman only wanted a Foundation Establishment Pill; he happened to have two graded Foundation Establishment Pills on hand.
"What?"
Yun Feier was dumbfounded.
From this person'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 stunned as well.
That was a Foundation Establishment Pill, a spiritual pill capable of allowing a cultivator at the great perfection of the tenth level of the Qi Refining Realm to 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 by crossing that chasm could mortal cultivators truly be considered to have stepped onto the road of immortality.
The vast majority of Qi Refining Realm cultivators were blocked by this chasm, cultivating bitterly for decades without ever managing to cross it.
Yet a single Foundation Establishment Pill could help them cross that chasm.
One could well imagine how important a Foundation Establishment Pill was to cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm.
But such pills were expensive—so expensive they were beyond imagination, so expensive that even a cultivation lineage like the Yun Household could hardly obtain one.
The Pill Pavilion in town had even clearly listed its price: one Foundation Establishment Pill, and a lowest-grade ninth-rank inferior one at that, cost five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones.
Those were High-Grade Spirit Stones. Converted into mid-grade spirit stones, that was fifty thousand of them.
And converted into Low-Grade Spirit Stones, that was five million.
Without money, one truly could not cultivate immortality.
"If you truly want to commission a Foundation Establishment Pill, come collect it here tomorrow night."
Lu Chen's tone was calm, but his heart was wildly excited.
He wanted to cause a sensation and attract the attention of those beautiful Joyful Union Sect disciples who needed pills to break through their cultivation.
Only then would they come to him begging for pills.
"What did you say? Come collect it here tomorrow night? You can really refine a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Yun Feier still could not believe it.
She had already cultivated to the great perfection of the tenth level of the Qi Refining Realm. She 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 elder sister, she might still be able 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, then she would exchange Dual Cultivation for them.
Why should all the benefits go to you? Were we born to be beasts of burden?
I, this lowly workhorse, swear 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 engage in Dual Cultivation with his little sister?
By now, the area was packed with cultivators who had gathered to watch the spectacle.
"You can get a Foundation Establishment Pill through Dual Cultivation?"
"Ah, what a pity I'm a man... Otherwise..."
The surrounding cultivators erupted into an uproar.
"Fellow Daoist, do you think I'll do?"
A burly, broad-shouldered man with a face full of flesh pushed through the crowd, fluttering his eyelashes at Lu Chen.
"..."
Lu Chen nearly threw up.
A chorus of retching immediately rose from the crowd.
"Fuck, I even puked up last night's dinner..."
"No, being ugly isn't your fault, but making us empty our stomachs is! Blegh..."
The surrounding cultivators were utterly miserable.
"Enough. Tomorrow night, right here again. Then you can decide whether you want my pill or not!"
Lu Chen rose as he spoke and left. The desired effect had been achieved; news that he could customize pills would soon spread.
He was in a hurry to head to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties to discuss life with Bing'er.
He urgently needed Yin-Yang Essence.
Besides, he had already cast out the bait and was simply waiting for the fish to bite.
"Hey, Daoist friend, don't go! Who says men can't engage in Dual Cultivation? I'm very good in bed!"
The burly man shouted from behind him.
A chill ran down Lu Chen's spine at those words, raising goosebumps all over him. His pace immediately quickened.
Yun Feier stood frozen in place. "Dual Cultivation?"
She struggled inwardly.
The Joyful Union Sect's Dual Cultivation techniques were actually divided into two kinds: harvesting and union.
Harvesting did not require intercourse. It forcefully absorbed the man's yang essence to increase one's cultivation.
As for union, it was naturally exactly what the words implied.
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 really thinking of engaging in Dual Cultivation with that man, are you?!"
Yun Ao said in shock.
"I don't know. Let me think about it..."
Yun Feier spoke and turned to leave.
"Customized pills? He can even refine Foundation Establishment Pills? Could he be an Alchemical Grandmaster?"
Within the crowd, a white-clad, veiled woman stared in the direction Lu Chen had departed and murmured.
"Even I, Jiang Yingxue, wouldn't dare claim absolute certainty in refining a Foundation Establishment Pill. Tomorrow night, I'll see whether you can truly produce one."
She was none other than Jiang Yingxue, the Joyful Union Sect's Supreme Elder.
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