There was no denying that Li Xingtian's physique had improved tremendously after he refined the Millennium Bone Jade.
On top of that, he now had a cultivation method better suited to him.
At least during the Qi Refining stage, Li Xingtian's cultivation speed already rivaled that of Li Yingling, who possessed the cultivation genius trait.
After several days of intensive cultivation, Li Xingtian finally reached the point of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He sat cross-legged, with refined blood food placed before him-a sticky-looking, dark red mass of thick, clotted blood.
Once he reached Foundation Establishment, the subsequent stages of his cultivation method would no longer require him to go through the trouble of hunting for blood food. Instead, he would refine his own flesh and blood.
So, as troublesome as this cultivation method sounded, it was really only somewhat inconvenient during Qi Refining.
With some reluctance, Chu Xingchen took all the remaining spirit stones out of his Spatial Ring and arranged a simple Spirit Gathering Formation for Li Xingtian, providing enough spiritual energy for a smooth breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Boundary.
Those were all the spirit stones he could scrape together. His disciples really had squeezed him dry now.
He couldn't imagine there being another sect in the world poorer than his.
Inside the Ruined Temple, Li Yingling was boiling water beside a small pot, wearing a strange expression, as though she were looking forward to something.
Ning Qianqian had also changed into Li Yingling's clothes-a pale blue skirt woven with floral patterns. It was a little too large, but at least it wasn't filthy, tattered hemp clothing.
Li Yingling, who was something of a clean freak, had given Ning Qianqian a thorough scrubbing. That day, the splashing in the little room had continued from morning until noon, occasionally punctuated by a miserable howl from Ning Qianqian. Evidently, Li Yingling hadn't been gentle.
The results were striking. At least Ning Qianqian finally no longer looked like a refugee. With that outfit on, she rather resembled a slum child dressed in a princess's finery.
Naturally, Ning Qianqian wasn't quite used to wearing those clothes. She was carefully adjusting the sleeves, which were too large for her, to keep them from getting dirty against the ground.
Even though Li Yingling had told her several times that it was all right.
Li Xingtian, who was about to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, looked considerably less pleased. He stared gravely at Li Yingling and the pot of water beginning to boil.
He drew a deep breath, turned to Chu Xingchen, and said earnestly:
"Master, I'm actually confident I can do it without taking those pills."
"Good medicine tastes bitter." Chu Xingchen set the last spirit stone into place. With the arrangement complete, dozens of spirit stones began to glow.
"Don't worry. I know my medicine tasted a little off, but you can rest easy this time. I've researched what flavorings to add to make the pills absolutely delicious!"
"Master... are you sure you're talking about pills, and not a chicken drumstick Senior Sister left half-eaten?"
Chu Xingchen took the few remaining proper Spirit Plants out of his Spatial Ring. There were barely enough to refine one more batch:
"You may doubt my pill-refining skills, but you can't question my cooking, my dear disciple."
Remembering his master's cooking, Li Xingtian found that somewhat persuasive. He looked at his master, hoping he could deliver on his promise.
As they spoke, Li Xingtian watched his master use the same old pill-refining routine. When bubbles began gurgling through the green liquid, he felt as though his own face were turning just as green.
What exactly has changed?
But just as the medicinal liquid was about to finish reducing into a concentrate, Chu Xingchen swiftly took honey and cooked flour out of his Spatial Ring, then mixed in some strange seasonings.
After mixing the flour and honey together, he carefully dipped the flour mixture into the medicinal liquid to absorb it.
The small amount of medicinal liquid was soon absorbed by the flour, and a sickly green pill appeared in Chu Xingchen's hand.
He picked up the pill and gave it a shake. It seemed quite solid, with no sign of falling apart.
Excellent! A new step forward in pill refinement! Even a pot can produce flawless pills now.
Brimming with satisfaction, Chu Xingchen handed the sickly green pill to Li Xingtian:
"Here! Have a taste!"
Looking at the pill before him, Li Xingtian had to admit that turning it into a solid did make it a little easier to accept.
But no matter how he looked at it, that vivid green color didn't resemble a proper medicinal pill. It looked more like poison that could burn straight through his heart and guts.
He sighed silently. Rather than dwelling on the pointless question of whether it was poison, Li Xingtian only cared whether it would still taste unbearably awful.
Faced with his master's encouraging gaze, Li Xingtian steeled himself and resolutely swallowed it.
At the same time, he caught his senior sister's scrutinizing gaze out of the corner of his eye.
As for how it tasted going down...
Li Xingtian's verdict was-Fuck! Pill refinement and cooking really have absolutely nothing in common!
Especially with the addition of that heaven-defying abomination called flour!
He didn't know whether it was because of the honey, but the flour actually stuck in his throat!
Especially combined with the horrific taste of that damned medicinal liquid-or perhaps "taste" wasn't the word for it, but rather an intense rejection coming from his body.
This was even more agonizing than swallowing the medicinal liquid straight. It was pure torture!
Li Xingtian strained his throat, forcing out a hoarse cry:
"Water! Master! I need water!"
Ning Qianqian quickly picked up a cup of water and handed it to the struggling Li Xingtian.
He hurriedly gulped down several mouthfuls of water, swallowing the dough stuck in his throat. After taking a few quick breaths to recover, Li Xingtian said nothing more.
Though the taste was horrifying, the medicine took effect extremely quickly. Li Xingtian swiftly entered a cultivation state, drawing in the spiritual energy from the spirit stones.
It seemed this experimental batch hadn't turned out very well. Had the flavoring failed to mask the taste sufficiently?
Chu Xingchen pondered briefly, then turned his gaze toward Li Yingling, who looked relieved.
Li Yingling hastily shook her head. "...Master, let Junior Brother try all these good things first from now on."
"But you're his senior sister." Chu Xingchen rubbed his chin.
Li Yingling looked aggrieved as she said:
"Master... if you don't want me alive, you can just say so."
Li Xingtian's breakthrough went fairly smoothly.
By the time the spirit stones stopped shining with dazzling light, the sun was sinking in the west.
The spiritual energy that had been radiating from Li Xingtian instantly condensed within his body. He opened his eyes slightly, his aura contained, a keen light seeming to gleam in his gaze.
The breakthrough had gone very smoothly, with almost no obstacles. His master's pill had worked well, especially paired with a cultivation method that suited him perfectly.
It had gone even more smoothly than his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm in his previous life. The only way to describe it was that the water had flowed and the channel had formed.
Chu Xingchen, who was grilling meat for his eldest disciple, noticed Li Xingtian waking and looked over:
"How does it feel?"
Li Xingtian nodded. "Very good."
"I meant the pill I refined."
"...Also very good, but Master, please stop refining them if you can." Li Xingtian wore an earnest expression. "If you absolutely must, I actually think they'd be excellent for extracting confessions under torture. Senior Sister and I don't necessarily have to be the ones eating them."
At that, Li Yingling's eyes lit up. Holding a skewer of grilled meat, she raised her hand in agreement. "Yes! I think Second Junior Brother is right!"
Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen slapped his large hand onto Li Yingling's little head.
Having reached Foundation Establishment, Li Xingtian could now go without food, but he still walked over, picked up a meat skewer, and began eating.
He glanced at Ning Qianqian, then said:
"Master, we can begin the plan now."
Before you continue