Are You Lu Chen?

Inside Waste-Pill Valley.

Lu Chen looked at the crude two-story building before him.

This would be his residence from now on.

The small building stood just inside the valley entrance.

As he walked inside, he immediately sensed that the Pill Poison in the air was much weaker.

A simple formation had been set around the entire building to block the Pill Poison outside.

Ever since tempering his body, Lu Chen had become far more sensitive to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him.

Bookshelves stood against the walls on the first floor, packed with account books.

These account books recorded the number of waste pills delivered each day, who had delivered them, and when they had been delivered. Every detail had to be entered into the ledgers.

The second floor was the bedroom.

Lu Chen carried his bedding upstairs.

The bedroom was exceedingly bare.

A few stools and a wooden table.

No wonder Hou Dahai had become skin and bones after living here for half a year, like an old man with one foot in the grave.

Lu Chen discovered that the air both inside and outside the building contained Pill Poison.

The only difference was the concentration of Pill Poison in the air.

If one constantly breathed air containing Pill Poison, it would gradually accumulate more and more within the body.

Servant disciples at Qi Refining, First Layer usually could not last more than half a month here.

Yet the rotation period for guarding the Waste Pill Repository was half a year.

Thus, in Manager Pang's eyes, Lu Chen, a Qi Refining, First Layer cultivator, would breathe his last after spending ten days or half a month in the Waste Pill Repository.

"You think tossing me into the Waste Pill Repository will kill me? Dream on!"

He could not have wished more fervently to become the disciple guarding the Waste Pill Repository.

As long as he lay low in the Waste Pill Repository, he could use the Yin-Yang Creation Cauldron to turn waste into treasure and raise his cultivation.

Before those who wanted him dead caught on, he had to increase his cultivation as quickly as possible.

Lu Chen made his bed, then sat cross-legged upon it and began cultivating.

The cultivation art he practiced was called the Five-Element Qi Refining Art. It was one of countless basic cultivation arts collected by the Joyful Union Sect.

Servant disciples of the Joyful Union Sect could only practice these low-grade cultivation arts.

As for spells and divine abilities?

Servant disciples had no qualifications whatsoever to cultivate them.

Cultivation arts in the cultivation world were divided into four tiers. From highest to lowest, they were Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.

Cultivation arts above the Heaven Tier were Divine Tier arts, and above the Divine Tier were Immortal Tier arts.

However, whether Divine Tier or Immortal Tier cultivation arts, they existed only in legend.

Both the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and medicinal power had to be refined through cultivation arts into one's own vital essence.

Low-grade basic cultivation arts were the least effective at refining spiritual energy and the medicinal power of pills.

The higher the grade of the cultivation art, the faster it refined spiritual energy and medicinal power. The vital essence refined from them would also be purer, and cultivation realms would rise faster.

"Looks like I need to get my hands on a high-tier cultivation art."

Lu Chen cultivated through the entire night, stopping only when the first rays of dawn appeared.

Without pills to support him, his cultivation speed was simply too slow. He had made no progress at all.

The four great necessities of cultivation were wealth, cultivation art, companions, and location. He lacked every last one of them.

Especially since his Spiritual Root was a Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root, the cultivation resources he needed far exceeded those required by ordinary cultivators.

Others could raise their cultivation with a single pill.

But he needed ten pills, perhaps even more, to raise his cultivation.

"Hmm. Tomorrow night, I'll head down the mountain!"

He decided to visit the market at the foot of the mountain.

He would trade the pills in his possession for the cultivation resources he needed.

And that House of Ten Thousand Beauties—he definitely had to visit it.

His most urgent matter right now was resolving the issue of Yin-Yang Essence.

There was only one way for him to obtain Yin-Yang Essence: dual cultivation with someone.

The House of Ten Thousand Beauties was famous far and wide, like thunder ringing in the ears.

Every girl there was as beautiful as a flower.

He had never been there before.

According to Liu Heizi and the others, as long as one could pay, they could even get hold of untouched young maidens.

Whenever Liu Heizi and his gang received their wages, they would head down the mountain to play the grand lord.

Before his soul had transmigrated into the original owner's body, the original owner had been Liu Fuyao, the Joyful Union Sect's Holy Maiden's, bootlicker. He had not dared go down the mountain to enjoy himself.

But things were different now.

Liu Fuyao had already kicked him aside, so he could no longer live off a woman.

And more importantly, he desperately needed Yin-Yang Essence.

If he did not find beautiful women for dual cultivation, how would he obtain Yin-Yang Essence?

Moreover, he had heard that Human-Demon Hybrids born from unions between the Human Race and the Demon Race were breathtakingly beautiful.

He very much wanted to broaden his horizons.

If he could have a deep exchange with one, would that not be wonderful?

Right now, he was like someone guarding an enormous treasure vault while lacking the key to unlock it.

Yin-Yang Essence was the key that opened the treasure vault.

He could not wait any longer.

One had to know that someone in the Joyful Union Sect wanted his life.

If he wished to survive, he had to raise his cultivation quickly.

But first, he had to fill his stomach.

A crude kitchen had been built beside the small building.

Lu Chen went downstairs to the kitchen and lifted the lid of the rice jar. It was completely empty.

He then opened the water vat. There was still over half a vat of mountain spring water inside.

"No way. Did that bastard Hou Dahai take every last grain of rice with him?"

Lu Chen was thoroughly depressed.

Without rice, what was he supposed to eat?

He was a cultivator, but he was also human! He needed to eat too!

By the time he cultivated to the point where he no longer needed food, he would be an earthly immortal.

With no other choice, he left the valley and headed for the Spiritual Cuisine Hall.

"Lu Chen, why aren't you at the Waste Pill Repository? What are you doing here? You actually dared to abandon your post without permission?"

The moment Lu Chen arrived at the Spiritual Cuisine Hall, he ran into Wu Dalong, who was coming out from inside.

When Wu Dalong saw Lu Chen, he immediately cried out in surprise, drawing the attention of the surrounding servant disciples.

"I came here to collect supplies. Is there a problem with that?"

Lu Chen said coldly.

Back in the Servant Quarters, this fellow had usually gotten along well enough with him. Who would have thought that at the crucial moment, he would shove all the blame onto Lu Chen?

"Collect what supplies?"

Wu Dalong asked instinctively.

"What else could I possibly collect at the Spiritual Cuisine Hall?"

Lu Chen ignored Wu Dalong and walked straight into the Spiritual Cuisine Hall.

"Heh heh, you abandoned your post without permission. I'll report this to Manager Pang..."

Wu Dalong gave a sinister grin, then hurried back to the Servant Quarters carrying the rice, beast bones, and medicinal herbs he had just collected from the Spiritual Cuisine Hall.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen went directly to find the manager in charge of the Spiritual Cuisine Hall's storehouse.

"Are you the new disciple assigned to guard the Waste Pill Repository?"

The storehouse manager looked Lu Chen up and down.

"You're only at Qi Refining, First Layer, yet you're guarding the Waste Pill Repository? Young man, did you offend someone?"

Manager Wang said in astonishment.

Lu Chen only revealed the aura of Qi Refining, First Layer.

The aura of Qi Refining, Third Level had been concealed by the Yin-Yang Creation Cauldron within his body.

"Sigh, Manager Wang, please give me my rations."

Lu Chen sighed, putting on a helpless expression.

He was truly frustrated. He did not even know whom he had offended.

Who exactly wanted to kill him?

Manager Wang had someone prepare ten days' worth of rations for Lu Chen, and also sent two servant disciples from the Spiritual Cuisine Hall to deliver them to the Waste Pill Repository.

"What a pity..."

Manager Wang watched Lu Chen's departing back and let out a sigh.

"Manager, what's such a pity?"

A servant disciple beside him asked curiously.

"He won't survive."

After saying that, Manager Wang turned and walked away.

"He won't survive?"

That servant disciple became even more curious.

At this moment, Wu Dalong had already found Manager Pang and directly told him about Lu Chen appearing at the Spiritual Cuisine Hall.

Wu Dalong had assumed that Manager Pang would fly into a rage and go make trouble for Lu Chen.

Who would have thought that Manager Pang did not care in the slightest, much less go trouble Lu Chen?

"Why aren't you getting the hell back to cook? If you delay mealtime, I'll break your dog legs!"

Manager Pang gave Wu Dalong a vicious scolding.

He simply did not want to stir up unnecessary complications.

All he needed to do now was quietly wait for Lu Chen to die in the Waste Pill Repository, then go collect his corpse.

Wu Dalong had tried to be clever and take revenge on Lu Chen, only to be scolded bloody by Manager Pang.

He was utterly depressed.

He could only obediently go cook.

The two servant disciples from the Spiritual Cuisine Hall stopped outside the entrance to the valley where the Waste Pill Repository was located after delivering Lu Chen's things. No matter what he said, they refused to enter the valley.

Helpless, Lu Chen could only carry everything inside himself.

Guarding the Waste Pill Repository was actually very boring.

Lu Chen cooked his own meals and simmered his own bone soup.

One pot of rice and one pot of soup could last him an entire day.

Without the scheming and backstabbing of the Servant Quarters, he could quietly settle down and read basic books such as "Detailed Treatise on the Pill Dao," "Alchemy Rules," and "How to Become a Qualified Alchemist."

As the lowest-ranking servant disciple of the Joyful Union Sect, he had no qualifications to receive a true Pill Dao inheritance.

All cultivation resources could only be obtained through his own efforts.

He waited for the stars and the moon, longing for night to come sooner.

Because once night fell, he would secretly head down the mountain.

There was nothing to do that morning.

"Time is passing so slowly!"

Lu Chen tossed the "Detailed Treatise on the Pill Dao" in his hand onto the table, stood and stretched lazily, then went to eat lunch.

During the afternoon, servant disciples gradually began delivering waste pills here.

The Joyful Union Sect had four great alchemy districts: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.

Lu Chen discovered that the overwhelming majority of waste pills delivered to the Waste Pill Repository were low-level failed pills from the Yellow-Tier Alchemy Room.

Over the entire day, not a single high-level waste pill appeared.

By dusk, he had received more than thirty low-level waste pills in total.

After making a simple entry in the account book, he threw the waste pills into Waste Pill Repository Number One.

Just when he thought no one else would deliver waste pills, an incomparably beautiful woman in purple, like a celestial maiden, appeared outside the valley entrance.

"An inner sect senior sister?"

Lu Chen hurried out to greet her. This senior sister before him was young, with exquisite features, like an immortal maiden descending to the mortal world—though she was far too cold and proud.

"Are you Lu Chen?"

The purple-clad girl stared at Lu Chen frostily.

"Senior Sister knows me?"

Lu Chen was somewhat surprised.

"I don't!"

As she spoke, the purple-clad girl flipped her right hand, and a jade box appeared in it.

Only then did Lu Chen notice the ring on her hand. A storage ring?

"Store this box in Number Eighteen Waste-Pill Room. Do not open it!"

The girl in violet handed the jade box to Lu Chen, then glanced at Waste-Pill Valley behind him. Her brows furrowed, and she turned to leave.

"Senior Sister, please wait!"

Lu Chen hurriedly called after the girl in violet.

"What else is it?"

The girl in violet frowned.

"This... please sign here, Senior Sister..."

As he spoke, Lu Chen hastily took out the ledger, flipped it open to a blank page, then brought out brush and ink and carefully offered them to the girl in violet.

"Please do not take offense, Senior Sister. It is the Waste Pill Repository's rule. Everyone who delivers waste pills must leave a signature!"

Lu Chen spoke cautiously.

The girl in violet gave Lu Chen a long look, then took the brush and signed her name in the ledger.

"There."

The girl in violet handed the brush back to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen quickly accepted it.

The girl in violet immediately turned and left.

"Take care, Senior Sister..."

Lu Chen bowed as he saw her off.

Before his soul had transmigrated, he had been a corporate beast of burden. After transmigrating into the Joyful Union Sect, was he still a bottom-rung beast of burden?

As a seasoned beast of burden, he knew that no matter where one went, no matter what world one was in, human relationships and worldly conduct mattered.

For now, he could only endure.

When the day came for him to soar into the heavens in a single bound, everyone would have to kneel at his feet.

That included Senior Sister Jiang Yurou.

Lu Chen looked at the signature in the ledger and chuckled softly.

"Hmm, what kind of waste pill is this? It was actually stored in a jade box, and even had to be sent to the innermost Number Eighteen Waste-Pill Room."

Lu Chen put away the ledger, brush, and ink, then curiously studied the jade box in his hand.

Besides, how did that Senior Sister know he was Lu Chen?