Dragon-Tiger Pill

"Woo, woo..." The moment Xiaobai appeared, it became a streak of white lightning and landed squarely in Qin Chen's arms, rubbing its furry head against his chest for all it was worth and letting out ingratiating whimpers.

"You little glutton. That nose of yours certainly is sharp." Qin Chen fondly rubbed Xiaobai's head, feeling its incredibly silky fur. Then he turned his wrist and took out the three Supreme Blood Lotus Pills bearing pill markings that he had refined in the main hall during the day.

The moment the pills appeared, a rich, unusual fragrance filled the room. Xiaobai's eyes instantly shone like two brilliant stars, and it nearly began to drool.

"Eat up. I saved these just for you." Qin Chen held the pills to Xiaobai's mouth.

Xiaobai showed no restraint. Opening its little mouth with an "Awoo," it swallowed all three supreme pills like candy-pills that would have had Xiantian martial artists outside fighting tooth and nail over them.

Afterward, it licked its lips, still wanting more, and let out a burp fragrant with medicine. Then, perfectly content, it found a comfortable position in Qin Chen's arms, curled into a white ball of fur, and fell fast asleep.

With each breath, threads of pure medicinal power dissolved within its body, nourishing its bloodline.

Qin Chen smiled and gently placed Xiaobai on the inner side of the bed, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. The Primordial Ancestral Dragon Art thundered into motion within him. His dark-gold true qi surged like rushing rivers through his broad meridians, sending out rumbling sounds like dragon roars. As the night deepened, a faint layer of dark-gold light enveloped the entire room.

Early the next morning, just as dawn began to break, Qin Chen finished cultivating.

He exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling refreshed and clearheaded. The true qi within him had grown a little more condensed.

After washing up, Qin Chen did not immediately head to the rear courtyard to find Feng Yuzi. Instead, he walked straight toward Cloudmist Manor's Martial Arts Field.

From a distance, he heard a series of dull swishes through the air and the thunder of something heavy striking the ground.

On the Martial Arts Field, Qin Yu was bare-chested, carrying a massive rock weighing several hundred jin on his back as he frantically performed frog jumps across the sand. Sweat streamed down his body like a waterfall, reflecting a resolute gleam in the sunlight.

"Qin Yu!" Pained by the bruises and hidden injuries excessive training had left on Qin Yu's body, Qin Chen hurried over.

Hearing his voice, Qin Yu heaved the enormous rock off his back with a crash that made the ground tremble.

He turned around, wiped the sweat from his face, and flashed a brilliant smile. "Third Brother, why are you up so early? Don't you have to learn artifact refining from Uncle Feng today?"

"I came to check on you first." Qin Chen walked up to Qin Yu, took an exquisite jade bottle from his robe, and handed it over. "Little Yu, these are pills I refined yesterday. Your External Cultivation pushes your body far too hard, and it's left quite a few hidden injuries inside you. This medicine can strengthen your foundation, nourish your vitality, and repair damaged muscles and meridians. Take one every day after training."

Qin Yu froze for a moment, then accepted the jade bottle, pulled out the stopper, and sniffed. A cool medicinal fragrance immediately rushed into his head, dispelling much of his exhaustion. Though he knew nothing about alchemy, he knew these were treasures worth a fortune.

"Third Brother, these are too precious. Keep them for your own cultivation. I've got thick skin and tough flesh. I can take it." Qin Yu instinctively tried to refuse.

"Little Yu, why stand on ceremony with me? I'm an alchemist. In the future, I can have as many pills like these as I want. Take them, or I really will get angry." Qin Chen deliberately put on a stern face.

Seeing the firm look in his brother's eyes, Qin Yu felt warmth well up in his heart and nodded emphatically. "All right! Then I won't stand on ceremony."

The instant Qin Yu accepted the jade bottle, a crisp mechanical notification suddenly sounded in Qin Chen's mind.

[Ding! Detected that the host has gifted Supreme Blood Lotus Pills (three) to the Son of Fortune (Qin Yu). Tenfold critical return reward triggered!]

[Congratulations, host! Obtained the ancient pill formula-"Dragon-Tiger Pill"!]

Qin Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and wild joy filled his heart. Outwardly, however, he remained composed and exchanged a few more pleasantries with Qin Yu before excusing himself to refine artifacts and hurrying back to his room.

After closing the door, Qin Chen immediately focused his mind inward and examined the golden scroll that had appeared in his mind, emanating an ancient aura.

"Dragon-Tiger Pill..." Qin Chen carefully read the information on the formula. The more he read, the more astonished he became, and his breathing involuntarily quickened.

This was not a pill meant to help high-level cultivators break through their realms at all. It was a strategic-grade pill created specifically to forge an invincible army of iron!

According to the formula, the ingredients needed to refine Dragon-Tiger Pills were not particularly rare. The main ingredients required only hundred-year-old Dragon Blood Grass and Tiger Bone Vine, supplemented by several dozen common medicinal herbs that strengthened muscles and bones.

But the refining method was extremely unusual, requiring immensely powerful soul force to perfectly neutralize the violent elements in the medicinal properties.

And its effects could only be called heaven-defying!

When an ordinary soldier took a Dragon-Tiger Pill, its medicinal power would transform into dragon-and-tiger qi within his body, forcibly widening his meridians and cleansing his body down to the marrow.

Not only could it instantly give an ordinary person with no foundation physical strength comparable to a Houtian expert's, but it could also greatly improve a soldier's ability to withstand blows and speed of recovery.

Most terrifying of all, the Dragon-Tiger Pill's medicinal power was gentle and long-lasting, with no side effects whatsoever. It could even awaken the human body's potential!

"What a treasure! Heaven truly is helping me!" Qin Chen abruptly opened his eyes, a brilliant light blazing from them.

A rebellion required not only supreme experts to hold the fort, but an army as well.

Yet raising an elite army required vast resources and a long stretch of time.

Although Qin De had spent years preparing for this and already commanded considerable forces, the appearance of the Dragon-Tiger Pill undoubtedly gave a tiger wings. Forging an army made up entirely of Houtian soldiers-the mere thought of that sight set one's blood boiling.

"Looks like I'll have to ask Father to prepare more Dragon Blood Grass and Tiger Bone Vine." Qin Chen committed the formula firmly to memory, pushed open his door, and strode toward the rear courtyard.

At noon, inside the artifact-refining room in Cloudmist Manor's rear courtyard, the scorching waves of heat finally began to dissipate as the earth fire went out.

Feng Yuzi slumped in a grand armchair without a shred of decorum, gulping cool tea from a pot. The gaze he directed at Qin Chen held the numbness of someone looking at a monster.

Over the entire morning that had just passed, Qin Chen had used his immense soul force together with his dark-gold true fire to force an "assembly line" style of artifact refining into existence. Ten whole refined-steel sabers mixed with Deep Sea Cold Iron had hung in a row in midair, being tempered by true fire, inscribed with formations, and given their edges-all at the same time!

"Master, I've finished this morning's work. I've made slight adjustments to the formation nodes in those ten Armor-Piercing Blades. Their true qi conductivity should improve by around 15 percent. Sorry for the trouble, but please take a look. I'll go wash up first. I still have to study medicinal properties with Uncle Mu this afternoon." Qin Chen dusted off his hands and grinned at Feng Yuzi, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

The corner of Feng Yuzi's mouth twitched, and he waved weakly. "Go on, go on. This old man needs some peace and quiet."

Watching Qin Chen's light-footed figure recede, Feng Yuzi let out a long sigh.

His only consolation now was that the old codger Mu Qing would also suffer this sort of torment, like being struck from a higher dimension, that afternoon.

Back in his own courtyard, Qin Chen washed up briefly and changed into a clean, moon-white robe. Rather than resting immediately, he walked straight into the study and closed the door behind him.