Slaying Immortals Blade

The Li Family's residence was indeed enormous.

Chen Chong had no idea how many steps eastward he had taken.

He passed through a hanging-flower gate, skirted a pool of emerald water, crossed two neat rows of trimmed pines and cypresses planted along its edge, then went through a covered corridor and passed through another moon gate.

The lanterns beneath the corridor had already been lit. Their warm yellow light reflected off the blue-brick ground in hazy patches. Eventually, Chen Chong arrived before a house.

It was not much different from the alchemy room he had used at World-Aiding Hall, with a similar layout.

The main room was spacious, with windows facing south. One section had been partitioned into a bedroom, and another into a study. The alchemy furnace, however, was somewhat better. Cast from bronze, it had a taller body, a deeper chamber, and exquisite cloud patterns worked into its walls. Its three legs rested firmly on a marble base.

The various furnishings inside were also more valuable. The desk was made of red sandalwood, the bookshelves of huanghuali, and the chairs of rosewood, with lingzhi patterns carved into their armrests. The window gauze was soft smoke gauze in the color of lotus root, softening even the light that filtered through.

The decorations were also more refined. A Ru Kiln vase stood on the desk, holding two sprigs of osmanthus. Sweet fragrance filled the entire room.

It was far more luxurious than Chen Chong's room.

After he entered, the servants began introducing the place.

They clearly explained which cabinets held the medicines, where the alchemy furnace was, which room served as the bedroom, and where he could wash up. Before long, they took their leave.

Chen Chong had barely settled down when the medicinal ingredients arrived.

Box after box was carried inside. There were even several ingredients he had never seen before, yet could tell at a glance were of exceptional quality. They were wrapped in oil paper and stacked in neat rows.

The guards outside remained there the entire time. With blades hanging from their waists, they stood with their backs to the door like clay statues.

Chen Chong picked up the alchemy formulas and read them.

The Mysterious Tide Solidifying Essence Pill was used to dissolve hidden injuries and chronic internal damage. "Mysterious Tide" came from the "Mysterious Tide Grass," a herb that grew in deep-water cold pools. Extremely yin and gentle in nature, it could seep into the depths of the meridians and dissolve accumulated hidden injuries.

The Moon-Washed Flawless Jade Pill treated external injuries. "Moon-Washed" came from the "Moon-Washed Flower." Its petals were as white as moonlight, and it could regenerate flesh, stop bleeding, expel rot, and close sores. The formula had been improved by a female alchemist surnamed Yue, so the character for "moon" remained in its name.

The Scenery Firmament Meridian-Penetrating Pill temporarily widened the meridians. "Scenery Firmament" came from the "Scenery Firmament Grass," which grew atop high mountains and flourished beneath the sun. Its medicinal properties were fierce and forceful, capable of forcibly breaking through blocked nodes in the meridians.

The various prefixes on these pills actually represented the improvements made by different alchemists. Chen Chong studied the formulas for a while, then began refining the pills.

He was quite confident about coming first this time.

The consummate Alchemy brought by the panel allowed him to maintain his alchemical techniques at their peak to the greatest possible extent.

As long as he had enough energy, he basically would not make mistakes. He would only grow more skilled with each batch. As for the other alchemists, even though they had become masters, all they had done was reduce their error rates somewhat.

A single batch of pills involved dozens of steps, dozens of heat-control points, and dozens of moments when ingredients had to be added. Every point consumed his energy.

Two days and two nights passed in the blink of an eye.

The guards outside changed shift after shift. Every few hours, another group came to take over.

Inside the house, Chen Chong enjoyed all kinds of delicacies provided by the Li Family every day: a bowl of tremella and lotus-seed soup in the morning, four dishes and a soup at noon, and even a late-night snack in the evening. The dishes were exquisite and the flavors superb, countless times better than what he could cook for himself in his little courtyard.

The only exception was that whenever he occasionally left the house to get some fresh air, the guards always followed him.

When he walked beneath the corridor, the guards followed him there. When he walked into the courtyard, they followed him into the courtyard. When he stood beneath the osmanthus tree and inhaled its sweet fragrance, the guards stood three paces away, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade while he looked elsewhere.

Was this protection, or surveillance? Probably both. He had come to earn the Li Family's money this time—ten thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight taels of silver—so it was only normal for them to keep watch.

Chen Chong paid it no mind. After breathing in the fresh air, he returned to the house and continued refining pills.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Chong discovered that he had barely felt tired at all. The Profound Abyss Dragon-Tiger True Interpretation was an internal cultivation method that cultivated from within outward, fused with an external body-tempering method that cultivated from without inward.

Cultivating both inside and out brought countless benefits.

Internal cultivation gave him abundant qi and blood, allowing his energy to recover extremely quickly. External cultivation made his skin rough and flesh thick, strengthening his sinews and bones. In ten days, he had refined more than twenty batches of pills, sleeping for less than ten hours in total. Each time he woke, he was full of vigor. This had been unimaginable in the past.

It was still the Li Family Head's room, but this time, Li Hui had not come.

The Bone-Forging Stage steward at his side presided over everything.

Li Wuyi was in his forties, with a round face and thick brows. When he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled with folds. He looked amiable and approachable, but the joints of his hands were large, and his fingertips were covered in thick calluses. His martial skill had clearly been honed through real practice.

A special banknote was handed to everyone: ten thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight taels. The thin banknote felt surprisingly heavy in the hand. Such specially issued notes were not something ordinary people could obtain. Even if one possessed that much silver, a bank would not process one for them. This was a privilege reserved for major clients.

The note was made from specially treated mulberry-bark paper with silver threads embedded inside. Held up to the light, its hidden patterns and seal could be seen. It could not be forged, and it also received priority for redemption.

Everyone accepted the banknotes. Li Wuyi said, "Chen Chong refined the greatest number of pills this time."

The others were not surprised. Everyone felt that the young Chen Chong had a slightly higher chance of winning.

Among the several alchemy masters, he was the youngest and had the most abundant energy.

"Youngsters are truly formidable."

"Master Chen is young and strong. We old bones can't compare."

"If there's work like this next time, Master Chen, you must leave us a little soup to drink."

After a round of pleasantries, everyone dispersed. Ten days of high-intensity alchemy had left these old bones somewhat unable to endure it.

Some people leaned against the wall as they left. Some rubbed their temples. Some walked with unsteady steps.

Only Li Wuyi and Chen Chong remained in the room.

Li Wuyi took out a banknote and said with a smile, "Master Chen's output this time exceeded expectations. Consider this a token of thanks."

It was a banknote worth five thousand taels. Chen Chong glanced at it without declining and kept it. This time, he had truly held nothing back.

He had refined more than twenty batches, and every one had reached its maximum output. While others refined three pills, he refined five. While others refined four, he refined six.

Li Wuyi brought Chen Chong to a pavilion.

It had been built in an antique style, with three stories, upturned eaves, black-lacquered corridor pillars, and wind chimes hanging beneath the eaves.

The stone steps before the building had been polished smooth as mirrors. Two stone qilin stood on either side, one to the left and one to the right, their mouths open. The structure was magnificent. The three-story pavilion was extremely spacious, with each floor several zhang across.

Chen Chong sensed another Bone-Forging Stage presence. It came from deep within the pavilion, faint and intermittent.

There were also quite a few guards around the perimeter, one every three to five steps. They all wore black and had blades hanging at their waists.

Li Wuyi took out a bronze token engraved with the character "Li." The guards inspected it before allowing them to pass.

He brought Chen Chong to the second floor.

A vast collection of books filled bookshelves lining all four walls, arranged by category. The shelves were made of hardwood and stained dark brown, with the name of each category carved into every level: cultivation arts, blade arts, sword arts, fist arts, movement arts, alchemy formulas, medical classics, geographical records, and miscellaneous notes.

The books came in every form imaginable. Bamboo slips were rolled up and tied with hemp cord. Ancient texts were bound with thread, labels pasted onto their covers. There were even books written on silk, folded into perfectly square bundles.

Chen Chong's eyes were dazzled by the selection.

He had originally wanted a blade art. Myriad Ravines Return to the Edge was blade intent, but it did not contain enough blade techniques. Tyrant Blade had been fused already; if Immortal-Slaying Saber could be fused as well, his blade arts could continue advancing. But there were too many cultivation arts, and after flipping through them for a while, his eyes began to blur.

At last, a jade-like bamboo slip caught Chen Chong's attention.

The bamboo slip was not large, only half an arm's length, and was tied with a red cord. The bamboo pieces had been polished smooth and warm, like jade, yet felt cool to the touch. Only three characters had been carved into it: Slaying Immortals Blade.

Chen Chong looked at the bamboo slip, and a line appeared on the panel:

"Would you like to consume ten thousand taels of silver to deduce Slaying Immortals Blade (One Form)?"

"Would you like to consume one hundred thousand taels of silver to deduce Slaying Immortals Blade (Complete)?"

One form cost ten thousand taels, while the complete version cost one hundred thousand. However, it seemed that even one form could be fused, so it was still worth taking.

Chen Chong's thoughts stirred, but his expression remained unchanged.

Holding the bamboo slip, he pondered for a moment before saying with a smile, "I, Chen, am merely an alchemist and have no talent in martial arts. Why don't I take this art, so I can admire the work of an expert? It can also give me something to boast about."

Li Wuyi looked at him, smiled, and nodded. Then he began discussing Slaying Immortals Blade with Chen Chong.

He said that the previous family head had once met a great expert surnamed Bai, who traveled the world and excelled in both swordsmanship and blade arts. It was said that this expert surnamed Bai had once witnessed a celestial phenomenon: a meteor slicing across the night sky like a blade cleaving open the heavens. Inspired by it, he had created this single form of blade technique.

Yet the name itself revealed its grand ambition. According to that expert, this form was merely half a form. He had spent his entire life but failed to create the other half.

"Master Chen has excellent taste." Li Wuyi smiled. "This blade art has been here for several decades. Many people have looked at it, but few have taken it. Everyone feels that its name is too grand and fears they cannot bear its weight."

Chen Chong put away the bamboo slip and clasped his hands in thanks.

After leaving Li Residence, Chen Chong felt that even his breathing had become much easier. He tucked the bamboo slip into his robes.

Slaying Immortals Blade. One Form.