The Auspicious Hour Has Arrived—This Seat Begins Refining Pills

They began searching for spirit herb seeds again. Spirit herbs were hard to come by, but seeds were plentiful. Chen Xun bought several bags, only to find that more than half contained dead seeds mixed in to pass for the real thing.

Chen Xun immediately refused to take it lying down. He was at Qi Condensation Stage 4 and possessed the Fireball Spell—did they really think he was so easy to bully?

"I clearly paid for a whole bag with spirit stones, yet you only gave me half a bag of seeds?" Chen Xun raised a brow, though no one could see it.

"Moo moo!!" Big Black Ox also bellowed angrily at the stall.

"What? Spirit herb seeds are just like this. Are you looking for trouble, Fellow Daoist?"

The man sneered. A yellow talisman rose into the air; with a swipe of two fingers, it flashed with light and vanished in an instant. He looked at Chen Xun provocatively.

Who in this place, among those who had done business here for a few years, did not know this fool leading an ox and wearing a black bandana? Qi Condensation Stage 3, with no one to rely on.

The Spirit Clarity Art flashed in Chen Xun's eyes. This man was actually at Qi Condensation Stage 4, and it seemed he had quite a bit of wealth.

"Daoist Liao, who dares cause trouble here!"

Several people ran over from behind the crowd. They wore similar clothing and were very likely members of some cultivation family.

They were all at Qi Condensation Stage 4, with one even at Qi Condensation Stage 5. Quite a few independent cultivators had gathered around by now, all watching Chen Xun with mocking, indifferent eyes.

"What, using numbers to bully the few?"

Chen Xun gave a cold smile, his eyes utterly fearless. "That is no way to conduct business."

"Who did I think it was? It is this bandit fool."

A round-faced burly man spoke disdainfully. "Fellow Daoist, leave this man to me."

"Fine."

The man nodded slightly. "No spellcasting within the valley. Mind your limits."

"Fool, kneel and kowtow to my Fellow Daoist a few times. Admit your mistake, and we will let this matter pass today."

The round-faced burly man tilted his head back and looked at Chen Xun down his nostrils. "I do not want to see you at the next Ascension Convention."

These people were plainly trying to toy with him. The more unsatisfied people were with their own lives, the more they liked to bully those weaker than themselves.

If he did not show them some attitude now, these independent cultivators would truly think they could knead him however they pleased.

"What the hell are you supposed to be? You look like a rotten watermelon."

Chen Xun calmly spat out the words, standing motionless on the spot. "And you think you are worthy of barking wildly in front of me?"

"Sharp tongue. Watch me smash that mouth of yours to pieces."

The round-faced burly man's face twisted with fury. This fool actually dared insult him. He stomped forward with a boom, a faint glow emerging from his hand. The Vajra Fist carried a fierce gust of wind as it smashed directly toward Chen Xun.

Bang!

Chen Xun stepped back with his rear foot and threw an utterly ordinary punch, colliding with the round-faced man's fist. The latter's expression changed drastically, a trace of pain appearing on his face before he suddenly cried out, "Ah!!"

Cracking sounds rang out as bones fractured. The round-faced burly man flew backwards, staring at Chen Xun in fear. What kind of monstrous strength was this?!

"The Liao Family's Vajra Fist was actually broken. This man has been hiding his abilities."

"Hehe, I never expected this fool... Fellow Daoist to possess such strength."

A burst of commotion rose around them. The way they looked at Chen Xun changed considerably. So this man was not a fool after all.

"The Liao Family, is it?"

Chen Xun nodded slightly and turned towards the furious group. "Remember this: you still owe me half a bag of spirit herb seeds."

"Then Fellow Daoist should be careful outside Nine Stars Valley."

The man supported the round-faced burly man and gave a dark smile. "Knowing some body techniques does not decide everything."

"Oh?"

Chen Xun smiled. Framed by his hood, his smile was darker and more terrifying than the man's, making the Liao Family members shudder with fear.

The watching independent cultivators cursed inwardly. This hood actually carried such a powerful sense of oppression.

Chen Xun led Big Black Ox away directly. One member of the Liao Family followed behind them, but their footsteps gradually sped up, faster and faster.

After three sharp turns, they suddenly rushed out of Nine Stars Valley and vanished. The Liao Family member following them was dumbfounded. Where had they gone?!

On the road.

"Old Ox, I was impulsive this time. If I had not cared about that half bag of spirit herb seeds, we would not have made enemies."

Apology filled Chen Xun's eyes. Over the past few years, they had heard plenty of rumors, but they had always let them pass as though nothing had happened.

"Moo moo!"

Big Black Ox did not care in the slightest. They had clearly been deliberately bullying them. In life, there were some things that could not simply be yielded.

"Let us not attend the Ascension Convention for now. Those Liao Family people will definitely block our way."

Chen Xun spoke quietly. "First, we strengthen ourselves. We have no one to rely on, and the Cultivation World is far more brutal than the Mortal Realm."

"Moo!"

Big Black Ox answered. Its senses were sharper than Chen Xun's; those Liao Family members had clearly developed murderous intent.

After returning to their Mountain Cave on the outskirts of the mountain range, Chen Xun kept reflecting on himself. He had stayed in the Mortal Realm for too long. Even after coming here, he had still fought over a momentary burst of pride. That might bring them a calamity that would cost them their lives.

"Old Ox, if we encounter something like this again, we will endure it. Once we are strong enough, we will take back what we lost."

Chen Xun muttered a curse Big Black Ox could not understand. "Damn it, a bunch of little bastards."

"Moo moo moo~~"

Big Black Ox nudged Chen Xun. Their mindsets had not yet reached the point where they could take everything lightly. They would have to go through such things.

"Old Ox, it is fine." Chen Xun hugged Big Black Ox. "Go tend to the spirit herbs. I will look over pill refining."

"Moo!" Big Black Ox was extremely obedient and hurried off, wanting to cheer Chen Xun up.

Chen Xun flipped through the Basic Pill Refining Art. First, one had to condense Pill Fire within the body, then slowly refine the medicinal properties of the spirit herbs before finally merging them into a pill.

However, Pill Fire consumed a great deal of spiritual power. One careless mistake, and an entire furnace of pills would be ruined. A true pill refining master was absolutely built atop countless spirit herbs piled up into mountains.

But the pill refining art also said that earth-vein fire could replace Pill Fire. Such places, however, were generally occupied by immortal sects, so Ordinary Cultivators could forget about it.

Chen Xun read with great interest. He had studied medical skills before, and some of the principles here were interconnected.

The most common pills during the Qi Condensation Stage were the Heavy Feather Pill and the Qi Boosting Pill, both excellent pills for increasing cultivation. Their formulas had long become common knowledge.

"Spirit herbs that are twenty years old can be used as ingredients."

Chen Xun murmured to himself. Of course, the older the better, but spirit herbs with greater age were generally used to refine even better pills.

Time flew like a shuttle, and before they knew it, a year had passed. They missed this Ascension Convention. The Liao Family had long been waiting in strict formation outside the valley, yet they had unexpectedly caught nothing but air.

It seemed that fool had some wits after all. Knowing he had offended important people, he had become a turtle hiding in its shell.

This year, several people had even appeared selling booklets like Chen Xun's. They were exceedingly popular and earned a hefty profit.

Inside the Mountain Cave, Chen Xun continued adding Longevity Points to the Essence of All Things.

Today, Chen Xun calmed his mind and sat cross-legged on the ground. Big Black Ox stood up and kept massaging Chen Xun's shoulders, its Sound of Nasal Breath coming without pause as it looked extremely excited.

"The auspicious hour has arrived. This Seat begins refining pills! May Immortals and Buddhas bless me and show Chen Xun some favor!"

"Moo moo moo moo!!" Big Black Ox bellowed behind Chen Xun as well.

Chen Xun's half-closed eyes burst open. A pill furnace sat before him. With a point of his finger, the pill furnace spiraled into the air until it was level with his gaze.

Dozens of sets of spirit herbs for Heavy Feather Pills had been placed around them, all over thirty years old. They were what the two had accumulated over the past two years.

"Go!"

Chen Xun shouted, and a spirit herb rose through the air and flew into the furnace. Pill Fire emerged from his palm as the spiritual power within Chen Xun began to drain away, fine beads of sweat emerging on his forehead.

Under Chen Xun's control, the Pill Fire grew larger and smaller by turns. Big Black Ox felt as though it were riding a roller coaster, its heart lurching up and down as it did not even dare breathe loudly.

One spirit herb after another flew continuously into the furnace, and waves of medicinal fragrance rushed at them. Big Black Ox's eyes widened.

With a pop like a bursting bubble, one full set of Heavy Feather Pill ingredients was completely ruined, turning into pools of wasted medicinal liquid.

Chen Xun panted heavily, took out a blank booklet, and recorded each sensation from just now—the heat used for every herb and so on. Theory and practice were entirely different matters.