Chapter 18

The camp kept shifting its position, moving in a roundabout way, and the amount of Condensing Qi Grass acquired grew ever larger.

Yet not a single Robber Cultivator could be seen.

That was only natural.

Aside from Liu Chen, the others remained inside the camp, waiting for Chen Zhao to alchemize.

And Chen Zhao spent each day alchemizing, and otherwise cultivating through Arrays; the bottleneck of Qi Refining Fourth Layer had begun to subtly loosen.

He had no intention of suppressing it further.

Aside from the time constraint for advancing to Outer Disciple.

First, he bore Three Spirit Roots, and as an Alchemist who could consume pills daily, a slow cultivation pace would draw attention.

Second, the Divination foretold danger; the total Qi of Qi Refining Fourth Layer would be double what he now possessed, and only with greater strength could he avoid misfortune and seek fortune.

One week later.

Chen Zhao released his suppression and ascended to Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

The last ten bottles of Qi Gathering Powder were exactly used up.

These were Qi Gathering Powders refined with the Ninefold Control of Essence Technique, free of Pill Poison, which he swallowed like candy, just like the late Master Li.

It would be miraculous if his cultivation speed weren't fast!

Of course, he would not use the Ninefold Control of Essence Technique while alchemizing here—it would greatly reduce the quality of the finished pills.

After completing his breathing, his internal cultivation was already stabilized.

He then handed the refined Qi Gathering Powder to Zhou Buyu.

He refined only four bottles every five days, matching the efficiency he had in the sect, working while alchemizing.

After all, to save time for breakthrough, he could not devote himself fully to others' affairs.

Not long after.

The pills reached Zhao Dehai's hands.

He opened one, sniffed it, and couldn't help but feel secretly delighted.

Once, he had begged Liu Chen, Chen Zhao, and others for pills, and they had all evaded him with empty words.

Now that he held the upper hand, Chen Zhao had no choice but to submit.

Yet...

This batch was indeed better than those from Wan Bao Lou, but the quantity was far too small.

Moreover, he had already reached Qi Refining Fifth Layer, so the pills' efficacy was weak, and he had to set aside some for Liu Chen and others.

Not enough.

Far from enough.

He frowned slightly, gazing at the four Condensing Qi Grass plants beside Chen Zhao.

Chen Zhao's breakthrough, accompanied by fluctuations in surrounding Spirit Qi, naturally did not escape Liu Chen and the others.

"I didn't expect that after just a few days, Brother Chen has reached Qi Refining Fourth Layer."

Liu Chen arrived first, surprised yet somewhat tense.

In just one year.

Nineteen years old, Qi Refining Fourth Layer—he had a real chance of advancing to Outer Disciple.

His competitive spirit stirred quietly.

As another skill-bearer, his family background was equally wealthy, and with Su Wanyao's investment, he had also consumed many pills.

Yet his cultivation speed was so vastly inferior.

Could the gap in Spirit Roots truly not be bridged?

"Now, now, it's all thanks to pills—just luck."

Chen Zhao smiled; this was, in fact, the truth.

Without the Ninefold Control of Essence Technique, he would have feared Pill Poison and dared not consume so many pills.

Liu Chen smiled faintly, unbothered.

But Zhao Dehai, upon hearing this, felt an entirely different emotion.

He gazed deeply at Chen Zhao.

He had not failed to pressure him for pills.

But Chen Zhao always replied, "My Qi is insufficient," or "I'm still recovering."

Speeding up was possible.

Add money—add money, and recovery accelerates.

But now that Chen Zhao had broken through, he came knocking.

First, he offered insincere congratulations, then got straight to the point:

"Younger Brother Chen, now that your cultivation has risen, your alchemy should speed up considerably, right?"

Chen Zhao had already prepared his response, and replied evasively:

"Naturally. Senior Brother need only wait for good news."

At his current limit,

He could finish refining these four Condensing Qi Grass plants today.

But if he did, everyone would taste the sweetness of staying here.

Then, even if Robber Cultivators appeared, they'd remain indifferent; even if Spirit Rice ran out, they'd just return to the Market to buy more.

The best solution:

Is to leave them "half-satisfied"—let them taste the pills, while Spirit Rice runs dry.

As urgency set in, they would pressure Zhao Dehai to exterminate the bandits.

Another five days passed.

Chen Zhao handed six vials of Qi Gathering Powder to Zhou Buyu.

He glanced at the rice sack.

Only half a sack of Spirit Rice remained; even with stored reserves, it would barely last the group a month.

Among the six, only Chen Zhao and Liu Chen had Bigu Dan.

The other Registered Disciples couldn't afford any—when hunger struck, their cultivation would stall too.

But this batch of Chen Zhao's goods contained Pill Poison—absolutely unfit to eat.

As expected.

"Senior Brother Zhao, if we don't leave soon, we won't just lose the bandits—we'll have burned through all our Spirit Rice."

Zheng Daocai begged, unabashed.

Behind him trailed three companions at Qi Refining fourth layer, all looking eager to force the issue.

"Burn it! Even if the Spirit Rice is gone, burn it! Look—is Spirit Rice better, or this better? Anyone who questions this will be seen as defying orders."

Zhao Dehai raised his Token and barked.

To steady morale, he reluctantly distributed the Qi Gathering Powder.

Even Chen Zhao received a share.

He uncorked the vial—the pills inside were only half-full.

"Zhao Dehai has definitely embezzled a good deal."

Ten vials for six people—each should get at least one full vial.

He had anticipated this.

The key was.

He wanted to see others rise up against him.

Zhao Dehai held only the Token; if he failed to break through, back at the sect he'd be reduced to a Handyman.

The highest-ranking here were actually Chen Zhao and Liu Chen.

Too bad.

Liu Chen glanced into the vial, swallowed the pill, and sat in meditation.

He seemed only concerned with whether the pills were genuine.

As for Zheng Daocai and the other three.

Just moments ago they had seemed ready to force the issue; now that they held the pills, they immediately sensed the weight was off.

Yet, glancing around and seeing no one speak up, they pretended nothing was wrong and cheerfully swallowed the pills.

Like dogs that follow whoever feeds them.

Since no one was willing to step forward, no one would.

Seeing this, Chen Zhao rubbed his temples.

In the days that followed.

Aside from Liu Chen, no one moved.

Chen Zhao sped up his Alchemy.

Spirit Rice was consumed alarmingly fast.

Yet the pills in their hands barely increased.

Zhao Dehai's cultivation, too, barely advanced.

During this time, he grew increasingly irritable.

"Go pick Spirit Medicine! Go pick Spirit Medicine!"

Alas, no Condensing Qi Grass remained nearby—he was forced to relocate.

After that, his cultivation came to a complete standstill.

"It seems this quality of Qi Gathering Powder no longer affects him."

Chen Zhao observed all this, silently thinking.

No wonder his temper had turned foul.

"Junior Brother Chen, do you have high-quality Qi Gathering Powder? When I saw you at the sect, your vial was far superior to this one."

Zhao Dehai had begun politely.

Chen Zhao naturally could not admit it, so he bowed and said:

"Senior Brother, I already told you—those pills were refined by Sister Li. My skill is this poor; Brother Zhou watched me refine them."

Chen Zhao knew well.

With those words, he had no further use for Zhao Dehai.

"You thief! Cheating, deceiving, lying to your superiors—wait till I report you to the Discipline Hall. Then you'll be packing your bags and leaving!"

Zhao Dehai no longer held back, cursed him, then sat aside to meditate.

Chen Zhao turned to look at him.

A flash of cold light passed through his eyes.

At the same time.

Ink-and-water patterns surfaced in his palm.

【Divination has refreshed】

【Today's Divination·Lucky】: Best for quiet reflection. To interpret the sign, five Low-grade Spirit Stones required.

Five pieces?

He had just broken through to Qi Refining Mid-Stage.

Could the cost of drawing the oracle slip increase with one's cultivation level?