Within Number Eighteen Waste-Pill Room in Waste-Pill Valley.
Lu Chen began restoring waste pills.
For ordinary ninth-grade waste pills, a single strand of Yin-Yang Essence could restore thirty-three pills.
But high-grade waste pills were different.
Restoring one Realm-Breaking Pill required fifteen strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
As for Foundation Establishment Pills, restoring one required thirty strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
He currently had a total of 427 strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
He took out the Yin-Yang Cauldron and spent two strands of Yin-Yang Essence to restore sixty-six ninth-grade Spirit-Gathering Pills, Marrow-Washing Pills, Spirit-Concentrating Pills, and Essence-Sealing Pills.
Ordinary cultivators could afford these four types of pills.
Moreover, the Joyful Union Sect was about to hold its once-in-ten-years Sect Grand Tournament.
The Joyful Union Sect had no shortage of outer sect disciples.
Lu Chen was one of the Joyful Union Sect's lowest-ranking menial disciples,
but among the Joyful Union Sect's outer sect disciples were mountain-patrolling disciples, law-enforcement disciples, and mission disciples.
Some outer sect disciples were even trusted confidants of inner sect elders.
Those outer sect disciples had quite a few Spirit Stones on them.
Of course, Lu Chen's main targets were still those inner sect disciples of the Joyful Union Sect.
Inner sect disciples were the true rich ladies.
Foundation Establishment Pills, Realm-Breaking Pills, Dragon Soaring Pills, and Blood-Burning Pills—those high-grade pills were what inner sect disciples urgently needed.
And only those rich ladies of the inner sect could afford them.
Hehe!
How could he not seize this chance to make a killing?
The Black Tortoise Sect wanted to swallow up the Joyful Union Sect, did it?
Then he would get hold of a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills and Realm-Breaking Pills, and let those beautiful senior sisters of the Joyful Union Sect's inner sect raise their cultivation realms.
Lu Chen knew that the Joyful Union Sect possessed a formidable protective grand array.
However, activating that array required at least three hundred and sixty-five Foundation Establishment Realm disciples to exert their power simultaneously.
This was the Greater Celestial Circuit Joyful Immortal-Enchanting Array.
He had heard that it had been activated once five hundred years ago. The phenomenon had shaken the world, as though an immortal heavenly court had descended from the skies and celestial maidens of the Ninth Heaven had come to earth. Even a Nascent Soul patriarch who intruded into the array had been enchanted until he was dizzy and disoriented, lost his mind, and was eventually drained dry of his primal yang, dying on the spot.
The Black Tortoise Sect wanted to annex the Joyful Union Sect?
Then he had to make things a little harder for the Black Tortoise Sect.
With that thought, Lu Chen continued restoring waste Realm-Breaking Pills.
Restoring one consumed fifteen strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
Ten would consume one hundred and fifty strands.
Then he restored waste Foundation Establishment Pills.
Restoring one consumed thirty strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
Gritting his teeth, he restored five at once, consuming another one hundred and fifty strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
In one go, he had used up three hundred and two strands of Yin-Yang Essence.
How much Yin-Yang Essence did he have left?
Damn!
Lu Chen calculated it and found that he had one hundred and twenty-five strands of Yin-Yang Essence remaining.
He put away the pills and walked out of the Waste Pill Repository.
This would not do.
How could he obtain more Yin-Yang Essence?
By then, it was already dusk outside.
Lu Chen returned to the small building.
No one had touched the brush and ink he had placed on the table.
Nor had anyone flipped through the ledger.
No one had brought waste pills to the Waste Pill Repository for storage.
Lu Chen thought, The Sect Grand Tournament is three days away.
Who would still send waste pills here?
Everyone was preparing for the tournament three days from now.
Especially the outer sect disciples.
If outer sect disciples wanted to rise to prominence, this once-in-ten-years opportunity was their only chance.
Whether inner sect or outer sect, every disciple of the Joyful Union Sect wanted to seize this chance to stand out from the crowd.
It was just as well that no one came to disturb him.
Lu Chen did not cook either. He simply swallowed a Grain-Avoidance Pill and returned once more to Number Eighteen Waste-Pill Room.
He walked directly to the center of the teleportation array platform and stood there. Then he took out six High-Grade Spirit Stones, placed them into a groove at the center of the platform, and activated it.
The array patterns on the teleportation platform immediately lit up.
The teleportation platform began to operate.
Lu Chen felt the surrounding void twist and distort.
Whoosh!
The instant a ball of spiritual light surging from the platform enveloped him, his vision blurred and the world spun around him.
The next moment, he appeared in the bedroom of the Number One Heaven-Character Room at the House of Ten Thousand Beauties.
"Haha... Teleportation arrays really are useful!"
It was Lu Chen's first time using a teleportation array platform to move instantaneously.
In the blink of an eye, he had gone from the Waste Pill Repository to the House of Ten Thousand Beauties at the foot of the mountain.
He would no longer have to trudge miserably along the mountain path every day.
No wonder those powerful sects could rule over such vast territories.
With teleportation arrays, great sects could instantly send their experts to any location that had a teleportation array.
The Joyful Union Sect had once been guarded by a Nascent Soul patriarch, making it a first-rate force in the cultivation world.
But above the Joyful Union Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect stood an even stronger sect: the Grand Void Immortal Sect.
It was a supreme immortal sect guarded by Spirit Transformation mighty experts.
Spirit Transformation mighty experts were already the ceiling of combat power in this world.
The Grand Void Immortal Sect was the strongest sect in the entire Eastern Continent's cultivation world.
As for realms above Spirit Transformation, those were already legend.
Lu Chen stepped down from the teleportation platform in the bedroom.
"Where is Zhao Hong!"
Lu Chen called toward the door.
"Master, this old servant is here!"
Zhao Hong had been waiting outside.
"Come in!"
Lu Chen sat beside the table in the main hall.
The table was laid with spirit tea, as well as several pastries and spirit fruits.
"Who has registered to seek pills?"
Lu Chen had directly altered his appearance and was not wearing his bronze mask.
"Reporting to Master, the identities and names of those registered to seek pills are all in the ledger. Please inspect it, Master!"
As Zhao Hong spoke, he presented the ledger with both hands.
Lu Chen accepted the ledger and flipped it open.
"She came to seek pills too?"
On the first line of the ledger was a name familiar to him: Su Qingqing. Identity: Joyful Union Sect Inner Sect Disciple! Pill sought: Realm-Breaking Pill. Willing to dual cultivate: willing.
No wonder Su Qingqing had not had time to punish him.
She had been trying every possible means to raise her cultivation.
Su Qingqing was at Early Foundation Establishment.
Since she sought a Realm-Breaking Pill, she naturally wanted to raise her cultivation to Mid-Foundation Establishment Realm, or perhaps even Great Accomplishment in Foundation Establishment.
Lu Chen continued reading and found that over a hundred people had registered to seek pills.
Most of them sought ninth-grade pills, such as Qi-Gathering Pills, Marrow-Washing Pills, and Spirit-Concentrating Pills.
There were also some seeking pills that could directly help cultivators raise their cultivation.
"This fellow came to seek pills too?"
Lu Chen saw a name that greatly surprised him: Pang Yong. The pill he sought was actually a Blood-Burning Pill.
If this fellow truly wanted a Blood-Burning Pill, he was clearly planning to take it during the Sect Grand Tournament and cause his cultivation and combat strength to surge explosively for a short time.
Did he intend to use this method to defeat that Manager Zhao from the Black-Character Alchemy Room?
There were also three clearly female names on the list, and what they sought were Foundation Establishment Pills.
They were obviously senior sisters from the Joyful Union Sect's inner sect.
Lu Chen ordered Zhao Hong to bring writing materials, then marked those people's names.
"For this Pang Yong's Blood-Burning Pill, triple the price. If he can't accept it, tell him to get lost!"
"Mm, where is this Su Qingqing? Bring her here immediately."
You little brat, you wanted to cripple my cultivation and expel me from the sect?
"As for these three female cultivators seeking Foundation Establishment Pills, notify them as well to wait in the downstairs hall."
As he spoke, Lu Chen handed the ledger to Zhao Hong.
"Yes, Master. This old servant will handle it immediately!"
Zhao Hong accepted the ledger and withdrew from the room.
Lu Chen had no other choice.
He lacked Yin-Yang Essence.
Very soon, Zhao Hong returned.
He had brought Su Qingqing upstairs.
"Master, the person has arrived!"
Zhao Hong said respectfully from outside the door.
"Mm, let her enter!"
Lu Chen's voice drifted out from the room.
"Hmm?"
Su Qingqing frowned. Why did this voice sound so familiar?
Before you continue