Waste Pills

Waste Pills

The next day.

After cultivating through the night, Xiao Liang's magical power had increased by another imperceptible trace.

"A Four-Spirit Root... relying solely on meditation and qi refinement, this cultivation speed is truly touching."

He shook his head and walked out of the dim stone chamber.

With a few leaps, he landed atop an ancient tree with gnarled branches. He gazed into the distance in every direction, letting his mind relax.

Before his eyes stood more than a dozen grand halls of the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern, their mysterious, majestic styles resembling enormous beasts crouching among the mountains.

Countless towers, pavilions, cliffside corridors, and other structures followed the contours of the mountain range, appearing and vanishing amid the morning mist like a winding dragon.

And this was merely the outer sect's territory.

From somewhere not far away came the faint sound of metal striking stone, dense as raindrops and unceasing.

A glint of spiritual light flashed in Xiao Liang's eyes as his gaze shifted in that direction.

Several hundred burly men stood bare-chested, drenched in sweat as they excavated a cliff face. A great deal of building material had been stacked nearby.

An outer sect senior brother sat cross-legged nearby with an indifferent expression, supervising the work's progress.

Whenever one of the laborers slowed even slightly, a stream of spiritual energy would immediately lash through the air like a savage python.

When it struck the man's back, his flesh split open at once. Pain made his eyes bulge as he writhed on the ground like an earthworm.

"Another batch of mortals has arrived."

Xiao Liang merely glanced over before withdrawing his gaze.

Over the past two years or so, he had seen such scenes far too many times.

Many mortal martial artists, having heard tales of immortals, searched across famous mountains and great peaks in pursuit of the immortal path.

More often than not, they found their way to the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern. The disciples patrolling the mountains would not stop them. Entering was easy, but leaving was harder than ascending to heaven.

No matter how formidable one had been in the mortal world, no matter how outstanding among men.

Within the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern, without a Spirit Root, one could only be a menial servant without dignity or hope.

Most of these people possessed some martial training. There was no shortage of first-rate experts, and even innate masters.

Tasks cultivators were unwilling to perform were all handled by these servants, who were often worked without the slightest restraint.

Even being worked to death was nothing unusual. Their bodies would simply be tossed into the Corpse-Nurturing Grounds afterward.

For some cruel and vicious cultivators, their treatment of mortals went beyond exploitation; it was closer to skinning them alive and devouring them whole.

Who knew how many skeletons lay buried beneath these towering, magnificent sect buildings?

"I've heard mine slaves are barely better off than servants. After all, some spirit mines lie in ferocious places. Without magical power to protect the body, one isn't even qualified to dig there."

Xiao Liang sighed. Although the world of immortals and martial arts was wondrous, its terror and darkness were no less formidable.

"Thinking too much is useless. I should visit the Elixir Hall first!"

Xiao Liang circulated his qi and lightened his body. His feet tapped several ancient branches in succession, and he shot away as though gliding through the air.

Without a magical artifact to aid him, even with magical power, he still had to travel honestly over land. His speed was not slow, at least.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Liang had crossed the mountain peak and headed toward a hall shaped like a cauldron.

After some time, he arrived at the Elixir Hall.

However, the Elixir Hall stored precious herbs and spirit pills, so ordinary disciples could not enter directly.

After saluting the disciple on duty, Xiao Liang said, "I would like to see Senior Sister Xie Ling'er of the Elixir Hall. Please inform her for me."

The disciple on duty had initially noticed Xiao Liang's gray robe, which marked him as a probationary disciple, and looked at him with disdain. He did not even acknowledge Xiao Liang's salute.

Only upon hearing Xie Ling'er's name did he give a soft exclamation. He looked Xiao Liang up and down, then nodded. "Wait here."

"Yes."

Xiao Liang knew that strength reigned supreme within the Ten Thousand Demon Cavern. Naturally, he showed no anger at the other's slight.

Still, he was indeed extremely displeased inside, and his desire to strengthen himself became even more urgent.

"Xiao Liang, you're here! You're here to collect the Corpse Demon Pills, right?"

Before long, Xie Ling'er hurried out. A rare trace of a smile hung on her face, stirring something in Xiao Liang's heart.

"Senior Sister, did something good happen? Usually, you're terribly cold toward your junior brother here!"

Seeing that she was in a good mood, Xiao Liang teased her, earning a roll of her eyes.

"After getting that set of tools from you yesterday, my success rate in preparing medicinal liquids really increased considerably."

Xie Ling'er nodded as she spoke and handed Xiao Liang a bottle of spirit pills.

She then openly admitted that, through this opportunity, she had caught the attention of an official alchemist. If she performed well enough, she might have a chance to become his disciple!

Alchemy was a highly esteemed craft among the hundred arts of cultivation. If she could truly master it and formally become an alchemist.

It would certainly be of immense benefit to this woman's future path of cultivation.

After taking the pills, Xiao Liang pulled out the stopper and gave them a light sniff. He immediately nodded in satisfaction. "They are indeed Superior Corpse Demon Pills, and their quality is excellent. Senior Sister, you've gone to great trouble. I also wish you success in taking a master and becoming an alchemist!"

"Ah, I hope so." After Xie Ling'er spoke, her tone changed. She patted Xiao Liang's shoulder rather seriously and said:

"As for you, the Little Ghost Hall competition will be held in half a year. Do everything you can to improve your magical power and combat methods. Don't lose!"

Feeling the slight weight on his shoulder, Xiao Liang lowered his gaze. He felt a faint warmth and said softly, "I understand."

After chatting for a while, Xiao Liang prepared to leave.

Yet Xie Ling'er did not immediately return to the Elixir Hall. Instead, she took a large bundle of blackish pills from her storage pouch and seemed to be heading toward the back mountain.

Xiao Liang gave a light sniff and casually asked, "Senior Sister, what are those pills in your hand?"

"They're all waste pills recently produced by the Elixir Hall. They can no longer be used, so I was going to toss them onto the back mountain while I was at it. Why?"

"Can these waste pills be fed to Zombies?"

"Heh, I heard an elder skilled in corpse refinement once tried that. But the complex Pill Poison is more than even Zombies can withstand. They usually dissolve away. Only a very small number absorb the medicinal power and undergo mutated enhancements. The cost is far too high; it's simply not worth it."

"Then could you give them to me? I've recently been trying corpse refinement and want to conduct an experiment."

"Sure. It saves me the trouble, though you're most likely wasting your effort."

Xie Ling'er had no objection. She tossed over the large bundle of strangely colored black pills, then waved her hand and returned to the Elixir Hall.

Xiao Liang watched her leave, carrying the large bundle of waste pills. He thought that as long as he had enough materials, even if the chances were low, there would still be an opportunity.

All the preparations were complete. Xiao Liang hurried back to the Little Ghost Hall and submitted a request to an outer sect elder stationed there, stating that he would be going down the mountain to gain experience for a time and search for materials to refine Zombies.

Such requests were very common. Resources and materials within the sect were simply too expensive, so many disciples chose to descend the mountain and seek their own opportunities.

The outer sect elder tossed Xiao Liang a Refined Iron Token. It was his pass to leave the mountain; otherwise, he would be stopped by the law enforcement disciples patrolling the mountains.

(End of Chapter)