Yellow Dragon Pill

Meanwhile, in the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's Meeting Hall, two burly mercenaries were reporting what they knew about Nalan Sheng to a middle-aged man with a somewhat gloomy face.

After hearing his two subordinates' report, the middle-aged man absently tapped the armrest of his chair. "So, according to you, that brat is not only traveling alone, but also carrying at least a hundred thousand gold coins."

"That's right, Commander! A fat sheep like this only comes along once in a century."

"Commander, as the old saying goes, the bold gorge themselves to death while the timid starve. It would be such a waste to let him leave!"

Seeing that the middle-aged man was tempted, the two mercenaries who had brought the news hurried to strike while the iron was hot.

"..."

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then turned to the young mercenary beside him. "Li, take some men and keep an eye on that brat yourself. If he stays in town, or any elders from his family come to meet him, just bring your men back!

"But if he really is some young master who sneaked away from home, and he's foolish enough to venture into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, then he has only his own bad luck to blame."

"Don't worry, Father. I know what to do."

A cold gleam flashed through the young mercenary's eyes. He immediately took several trusted men with him to secretly monitor Nalan Sheng's every move.

Meanwhile, after buying his supplies, Nalan Sheng did not rush into the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Instead, he found an inn and settled in for the time being.

Nalan Sheng had never entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range before. Charging straight in to hunt for treasure would be gambling with his life.

Thus, Nalan Sheng planned to wait until nightfall, then send the Shadow Ninjas into the Magical Beast Mountain Range with maps to search for the Dou Wang's cave dwelling from the original story.

Although the Shadow Ninjas were weak, they could turn into shadows and move about.

As long as the Shadow Ninjas did not provoke the magical beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, those beasts would have trouble detecting them. They were perfect for scouting ahead.

[System, I want to buy a Yellow Dragon Pill.]

After entering his luxurious room on the inn's second floor, Nalan Sheng first locked the door, then summoned the system shop while silently making his request.

Clack!

With a soft sound, a thumb-sized pill appeared out of thin air and dropped into Nalan Sheng's palm.

This pill was called the Yellow Dragon Pill, one of the system shop's newly listed products. Its attributes were displayed as follows:

[Name: Yellow Dragon Pill]

[Effect: A sacred martial arts medicine refined from several century-old spiritual herbs. It can greatly increase the cultivation of whoever consumes it.]

[Price: 1,000 Villain Points]

Gulp!

Nalan Sheng instinctively brought the Yellow Dragon Pill closer and sniffed it. A rich medicinal fragrance filled his nostrils, instantly refreshing his spirits and making him swallow involuntarily.

Feeling the Dou Qi stirring within him, Nalan Sheng did not hesitate. He swallowed the Yellow Dragon Pill in one gulp.

Shortly after the Yellow Dragon Pill entered his stomach, Nalan Sheng felt a powerful, pure medicinal energy rapidly spreading through his body.

Nalan Sheng quickly sat cross-legged and circulated the Jinglei Formula at full strength, steadily refining the medicinal energy into Dou Qi.

Time trickled by, and before long, night had fallen.

Aside from the two Shadow Ninjas Nalan Sheng kept behind to guard him, the other eight took the maps he had given them and headed into the Magical Beast Mountain Range to search for the Dou Wang's cave dwelling.

Because the Shadow Ninjas could slip through shadows, Mu Li and his men, who had been secretly watching Nalan Sheng all along, never discovered their presence.

After circulating the Jinglei Formula at full strength for most of the day, Nalan Sheng finally refined the last trace of the Yellow Dragon Pill's medicinal energy.

With the Yellow Dragon Pill completely refined, Nalan Sheng's cultivation soared from One-Star Dou Zhe to five-star Dou Zhe, saving him at least a year or two of arduous training.

Unfortunately, the system shop had only stocked a single Yellow Dragon Pill. Otherwise, Nalan Sheng would certainly have bought several more to raise his cultivation further.

Over the next few days, Nalan Sheng remained in his room, cultivating in seclusion to prevent his rapid breakthroughs from leaving his foundation unstable.

Watching from the shadows, Mu Li began to grow irritated.

Mu Li had no idea that Nalan Sheng was stabilizing his cultivation. He thought Nalan Sheng had sensed danger and was deliberately hiding in the inn!

If Nalan Sheng kept hiding in the inn, Mu Li and his men really would not dare do anything to him.

After all, secretly killing someone for their treasures and openly murdering someone to seize their possessions were two entirely different matters.

If the Wolf Head Mercenary Group dared to intercept and kill Nalan Sheng in public, there would probably be nowhere in the entire Jia Ma Empire for them to hide.

Just as Mu Li was about to give up, Nalan Sheng, who had remained tucked away in the inn, suddenly left Qingshan Town and plunged straight into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Overjoyed, Mu Li hurried after him with several trusted men, making sure to send someone to notify his father as well.

At first, Mu Li worried that Nalan Sheng might be playing the pig to devour the tiger.

But Mu Li soon dismissed that thought. After entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Nalan Sheng showed no sign of vigilance at all. He looked more like someone out enjoying a springtime stroll.

The Magical Beast Mountain Range was fraught with danger. Even experienced mercenaries had to stay constantly alert once they entered, lest a magical beast suddenly emerge and attack them.

Yet after entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Nalan Sheng swaggered along, occasionally pushing through a patch of bushes. He seemed to have no regard whatsoever for the magical beasts living there.

Perhaps fools really did have a fool's luck. Despite Nalan Sheng's outrageously dangerous courting of death, he never encountered a single magical beast, leaving Mu Li and his men speechless.

"Young Commander, we're far enough from Qingshan Town now, and that brat is clearly a greenhorn. Why don't we just make our move?"

After following Nalan Sheng through the Magical Beast Mountain Range for nearly half a day, a young mercenary with a vicious-looking scar on his face could not help whispering to Mu Li.

"..."

Mu Li considered it for a moment. "Fine! We won't wait for my father and the others. You and Ximu circle around and cut him off up ahead. Don't let that brat escape."

"Yes, Young Commander."

At his words, the scar-faced mercenary quickly took another mercenary along a shortcut to block Nalan Sheng's path.

Rustle, rustle...

Just

as Nalan Sheng was making his way along, he suddenly stopped. With an amused expression, he drew his Desert Eagle and looked toward the bushes ahead, where the strange noise had come from.

Soon, two mercenaries wearing leather armor and Wolf Head Badges emerged from the bushes, their intentions clearly hostile.