Chu Yunfei looked at the corpse on the ground, still warm, and his gaze slowly grew cold.
The Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. The seventh level of body tempering.
His opponent had been no rogue cultivator or mountain bandit, but someone from the Azure Mystic Sect.
Chu Yunfei pulled off the mask.
He had seen the face beneath it in the inner sect before.
Sure enough, he was a disciple of the sect.
"You'd better not let me find out who sent you."
Chu Yunfei's voice was calm.
"Otherwise, you'll die an uglier death than he did."
He crouched and began searching the man in black.
Killing without looting the corpse meant working for nothing.
A moment later, Chu Yunfei hefted the spirit storage pouch in his hand, a hint of disdain appearing on his face.
"Pauper."
The spirit storage pouch was hopelessly flat, with ten low-grade spirit stones scattered inside.
Aside from those, there was only a thin booklet.
"Basic Fist Technique?"
Chu Yunfei casually flipped through a couple of pages and tossed it aside.
This stuff was a dime a dozen and didn't even qualify as a low-grade Yellow-tier martial technique. It was too thin even to prop up a table leg.
A sect disciple had carried nothing but this?
It seemed the man had deliberately cleared out his belongings before leaving.
He had feared that if the assassination failed, someone would follow the vine to the melon.
Unfortunately, the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique had already exposed his origins.
Chu Yunfei put away the spirit storage pouch and looked at the corpse on the ground again.
"Xiaoxiao Dragon, can this thing be refined?"
"Hmph. This king told you long ago that the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate can refine all things under heaven and earth."
Xiaoxiao Dragon's tone was full of disdain.
"It's merely a mortal body of flesh. Why couldn't it be refined?"
"Once refined, all his blood vitality and spiritual power will be purified and condensed into Origin Spiritual Liquid."
Chu Yunfei's eyes immediately lit up.
He hadn't looted anything good, but he could still refine the corpse.
At least the killing hadn't been for nothing.
At a thought, the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate in his sea of consciousness trembled gently.
Hum!
An invisible suction descended.
The corpse on the ground vanished into thin air, drawn into the Divine Cauldron Space.
Chu Yunfei's consciousness sank into it as well.
Inside the cauldron.
Azure flames surged up, completely swallowing the corpse.
There was no scorched stench, nor any smell of blood.
Beneath the azure flames, the corpse rapidly broke down into wisps of blood-red essence Qi. Its impurities burned away entirely, leaving only the purest essence of blood vitality.
A moment later, all the essence gathered together, condensing into a drop of pale-gold Origin Spiritual Liquid.
The droplet hovered in the center of the ancient cauldron, its radiance contained within.
Without hesitation, Chu Yunfei guided it with a thought and swallowed it straight down.
Boom!
As the Origin Spiritual Liquid entered his body, a scalding current instantly rushed through his limbs and every bone.
Every muscle in Chu Yunfei's body suddenly tightened. His bones gave a series of soft cracks, and the sinews beneath his skin bulged one by one.
Pain.
That power seemed intent on crushing his flesh inch by inch before forging it anew.
Chu Yunfei grunted, planting both feet firmly against the ground.
Sweat slid down his cheeks.
Yet he did not stop circulating his cultivation technique.
He drove the Boundless Creation Scripture at full force, guiding that power to continuously temper his body.
His meridians were scoured repeatedly, growing tougher and wider.
Dull vibrations came from within his bones, as though an invisible heavy hammer were pounding every inch of them again and again.
The impurities in his muscles were rapidly expelled, and the strength hidden deep in his flesh was drawn out bit by bit.
Only after a full quarter of an hour did the burning sensation gradually recede.
Chu Yunfei slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes.
He raised a hand and closed his fingers.
Pop!
The air in his palm gave a soft snap.
His cultivation remained at the sixth level of body refining, but his physical strength had increased by at least thirty percent.
Even his meridians could withstand considerably more than before.
"Not bad."
Feeling the abundant strength within him, Chu Yunfei nodded in satisfaction.
"As expected of the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate."
A single martial artist at the seventh level of body tempering could bring such a clear improvement.
If he refined demonic beasts, or even experts of higher realms, the effects would only be more astonishing.
It seemed that when he encountered enemies in the future, he would have to not only loot their corpses, but make full use of them too.
Chu Yunfei left the Divine Cauldron Space, cleaned away the blood on the ground, and collected the broken sword fragments.
After confirming he had left no obvious traces, he checked his bearings and headed toward Qingyang City outside the mountain range.
Qingyang City.
It was the largest city at the foot of the Azure Mystic Sect's mountain.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, with martial artists coming and going in an endless stream. Medicinal herbs, weapons, and demonic beast pelts were everywhere, and vendors' cries blended together.
Chu Yunfei did not wander around, heading straight to the largest pill shop in the city.
The Pill Pavilion.
The Pill Pavilion had three floors and an antique design. The flow of martial artists through its entrance scarcely ceased.
The moment Chu Yunfei stepped through the doors, a rich medicinal fragrance washed over him.
A female attendant in a long green dress hurried over with a well-practiced smile.
"Young master, what can I get for you?"
"How much are Spirit Gathering Pills?"
Chu Yunfei asked directly.
Although Spirit Gathering Pills were merely ungraded pills used in the Body Tempering Realm, they could accelerate the absorption of Spiritual Qi and were the cultivation resources most commonly used by low-level martial artists.
The attendant's smile grew even warmer.
"Young master, Spirit Gathering Pills come in ordinary and high quality."
"Ordinary ones cost fifteen low-grade spirit stones each, while high-quality ones cost thirty."
"Fifteen?"
Chu Yunfei frowned slightly.
He had just killed a sect disciple and searched his entire body, only to find ten spirit stones.
He couldn't even afford the most ordinary Spirit Gathering Pill.
That fellow really had died poor.
"The price of Spirit Gathering Pills has been rising lately."
The attendant explained with a smile, "Fifteen low-grade spirit stones is already a fairly reasonable price within the city."
Chu Yunfei clicked his tongue.
Cultivation really did burn through money.
Spirit stones, pills, spiritual weapons-not one of them was cheap.
He suddenly felt a little regret.
In his previous life, he had devoted himself entirely to cultivation and slaughter. Why hadn't he found the time to learn some alchemy?
Otherwise, a mere fifteen spirit stones wouldn't have stumped him now.
The attendant noticed his embarrassment, but showed not the slightest contempt, her smile remaining on her face.
"If you find Spirit Gathering Pills a little expensive, young master, we have other medicines as well."
"For example, Blood Replenishing Powder for treating injuries, and Qi Recovery Powder for restoring spiritual power. Those are a little cheaper."
A thought stirred in Chu Yunfei's mind.
There would be no shortage of fighting ahead, so stocking up on healing medicine was indeed necessary.
Besides, ordinary medicinal powders might also be put into the divine cauldron for refinement.
"How much is Blood Replenishing Powder?"
"Five low-grade spirit stones a bottle."
"Give me two bottles."
Chu Yunfei took out the ten spirit stones he had just obtained and placed them all on the counter.
His purse had only just filled a little, and now it was empty again.
"Please wait a moment, young master."
The attendant collected the spirit stones and turned to fetch the Blood Replenishing Powder.
Just then, a woman's mocking voice came from nearby.
"Oh my, look who it is."
"Isn't this Junior Brother Chu Yunfei, our Azure Mystic Sect's former number-one genius?"
Her voice wasn't loud, yet the first floor of the Pill Pavilion swiftly fell silent.
Gazes turned toward Chu Yunfei.
The woman continued with a laugh:
"What, you can't even afford a single Spirit Gathering Pill now?"
"How pitiful."
Chu Yunfei frowned slightly and looked toward the voice.
Not far away, a woman in a long goose-yellow dress stood with her arms crossed.
She was tall and strikingly beautiful, with slightly upturned phoenix eyes and undisguised pride between her brows.
In terms of looks alone, there truly was nothing to fault.
Unfortunately, she cheapened herself the moment she opened her mouth.
Chu Yunfei quickly recognized her.
Yan Guining.
One of the Azure Mystic Sect master's direct disciples, she had long since entered the Spirit Martial Realm.
This woman was haughty and arrogant, her eyes perched on top of her head.
When Chu Yunfei had still been an inner sect prodigy, he had teased her with flirtatious remarks several times. Almost every time they met, they would cross verbal swords.
Now that Chu Yunfei's cultivation had plummeted and he had fallen to the outer sect, Yan Guining naturally wouldn't let this chance to mock him slip by.
By then, the attendant had returned with two bottles of Blood Replenishing Powder.
"Young master, your Blood Replenishing Powder."
Chu Yunfei accepted the jade bottles and turned to leave, not even bothering to spare Yan Guining another glance.
Right now, he only wanted to test as soon as possible whether the divine cauldron could purify Blood Replenishing Powder.
As for this woman, she could say whatever she liked.
"Stop!"
Seeing that he actually dared ignore her, Yan Guining's willow-leaf brows immediately shot up.
She moved her feet and blocked Chu Yunfei's path.
"What?"
"Now that you're no longer in the inner sect, have you lost your nerve too?"
Yan Guining raised her chin, her tone disdainful.
"You see your senior sister and can't even offer a greeting? Is this how you were brought up?"
Chu Yunfei stopped and glanced at her.
"Need something?"
Those two short words left Yan Guining's chest feeling blocked.
She sneered and looked Chu Yunfei up and down.
"This senior sister simply finds you pitiful."
"If you can't afford Spirit Gathering Pills, I could lend you some spirit stones."
She deliberately stressed the word "lend," then revealed a mocking smile.
"Of course, you could also beg me."
"Just put your senior sister in a good mood, and perhaps I'll feel generous enough to reward you with a few pieces."
The surrounding martial artists slowed their steps and turned to watch the show.
Even several Pill Pavilion attendants couldn't help pricking up their ears.
The Azure Mystic Sect's former number-one prodigy was being humiliated in public by the sect master's direct disciple.
This wasn't a spectacle they got to see every day.
Chu Yunfei hadn't wanted to bother with her.
But this woman kept blocking his path, clearly taking a mile when given an inch.
He stared at Yan Guining for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
That smile instinctively made Yan Guining feel that something was off.
"Senior Sister Yan."
"What, finally learned to yield?"
Yan Guining raised her chin slightly, like a proud peacock.
Chu Yunfei slowly swept his gaze over her, finally letting it settle on her chest.
"Has anyone ever told you that you've got a really nice figure?"
"Especially here."
He paused, his tone laden with meaning.
"Really outstanding."
The first floor of the Pill Pavilion fell silent for an instant.
Several onlookers nearly burst out laughing, then hurriedly lowered their heads.
Yan Guining froze at first.
The next moment, her fair cheeks rapidly flushed red.
"Chu Yunfei!"
She was the sect master's direct disciple.
Normally, what disciple didn't behave properly and treat her with the utmost respect upon seeing her?
Only Chu Yunfei.
He had dared to tease her back when he was an inner sect prodigy, and now, even after being reduced to the outer sect, he still dared to make lewd remarks to her in public!
"You're courting death!"
Yan Guining was utterly enraged.
Her Spirit Martial Realm presence erupted with a boom.
An icy pressure swept across the Pill Pavilion's first floor, making the porcelain bottles on the counter tremble one after another with clear clinking sounds.
The onlookers' expressions all changed, and they hurriedly retreated.
The female attendant in the green dress clutched her tray tightly and hastily ducked behind the counter as well.
Chu Yunfei's robes pressed tight against his body, and his shoulders abruptly sank.
Faint cracking sounds came from the floor tiles beneath his feet.
Yet his back remained ramrod straight.