Chapter 263: Too Extreme

Hearing Ye Ying's question, Jiang Cheng nodded.

"Your words, I still trust; you wouldn't do such a thing."

A warmth rose in Ye Ying's heart, but she quickly turned and whispered, "I advise you to think it over again."

Seven or eight million transferred to her account wouldn't tempt me; it must be fake.

But, as Jiang Cheng said, she truly couldn't betray a friend.

Not to mention, she earned so much in just a few days by relying on the other party; if she did such a thing, she'd be worse than a pig or dog.

"No need to consider it; I've already decided. However, what you just said makes sense—exchanging several million Calming Pills at once would inevitably draw attention, so could you split the exchange for me? Two or three million each time—would that be better?"

"Hmm, doing it that way would indeed be much better. It might still attract some attention, but I've just broken through to Level Six, so they won't say much."

Ye Ying nodded.

"That is so."

Jiang Cheng recalled how Bing Li had treated him before, as well as his attitude toward Ye Ying.

Now Ye Ying's strength has grown, so she naturally receives more attention.

"Then I'll transfer three million to you later, enough to buy Intermediate Calming Pills, right? If there are High Grade ones, buy those."

"There are none of the high grade."

Ye Ying shrugged, "The best are the Intermediate Calming Pills, twenty thousand each bottle. Above that are Three-grade Elixirs, but unfortunately only a Level 7 Spirit Thought Master has permission to purchase them, and moreover…"

"And what?"

Jiang Cheng waited for a long while, heard nothing further, and had to ask.

"Moreover, I heard the headquarters can't even forge Three-grade Elixirs, and don't say that I said it."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it secret."

Jiang Cheng smiled.

It seems the Black Market's auction items also lack Three-grade Elixirs.

High Grade Calming Pills do exist.

This again confirms a conclusion: the Black Market is indeed more powerful than the Dawn Society.

"I just don't know which is stronger, the Black Market or Wu Family Fortress?"

The thought surfaced in Jiang Cheng's mind.

After more than an hour's journey, the two finally arrived at the headquarters.

To avoid drawing attention, they split up after getting off the vehicle.

After Jiang Cheng brought the sniper rifle back to headquarters, he took the Secret Medicine and returned home.

He plans to go to White Pine Village early tomorrow to continue hunting, so he'll spend as much time as possible with his family.

As for the pills, Ye Ying will call proactively once she has purchased them.

Ye Ying then dialed Hong Cha, informing him of her return but that she still needed to do some preparations; Hong Cha didn't ask further, only urged her to depart as soon as possible, preferably in the afternoon.

Thus at noon, Jiang Cheng received Ye Ying's call.

The two met in a coffee shop, exchanged a brief few words, and Jiang Cheng left carrying the box.

At home, Jiang Cheng placed fifteen bottles of Intermediate Calming Pills alongside the ten bottles of Basic Tranquil Pills he had bought earlier, arranging them side by side.

Then he took out the Lotus Visualization Diagram.

Under his gaze, the Spiritual Power in his mind was consumed at a rapid pace, while on the Panel, the Experience Value of the Lotus Visualization Method surged at a rate of two points per second.

After the consumption leveled off, Jiang Cheng began swallowing the pills.

As each Calming Pill took effect, his Spiritual Power recovered quickly, especially after taking the Intermediate Calming Pills, nearly matching the consumption rate.

Time passed unnoticeably; the Calming Pills were long finished, and the recovery speed of Spiritual Power in his mind had slowed considerably.

On the Panel, the Experience Bar of the Lotus Visualization Method increased by a little over one third. Jiang Cheng could feel his Spiritual Power had risen, but the exact amount was unclear; he would have to wait until full recovery for an answer.

After waiting another few tens of minutes, Jiang Cheng reached a conclusion.

His Spiritual Power had risen by about 0.5 times its original base.

Originally, by actively absorbing twice daily, he could gather twenty thousand Force Light Points; now it's around thirty thousand.

Including the opened Acupoints, the daily amount of Force Light Points he can refine exceeds ninety thousand.

The improvement isn't huge, but it's there.

It's like practicing Cloud‑Piercing Skill; the speed can be ten‑plus percent faster.

Jiang Cheng gave a wry smile.

He doesn't wish it this way either.

If enough pills were available, Spiritual Power could triple, halving the time to train Cloud‑Piercing Skill; in other words, the time to reach Level Seven would be cut in half.

But that's not impossible, is it?

Even the three‑plus million still in the account can only be used after a few days, when Ye Ying completes her mission and can be asked to make the purchase.

Fortunately, by then the 1.8‑million shortfall can also be covered.

At that point, he'll refine the Visualization Method to Mastery, becoming a Level One Spirit Thought Master.

"Next, continue training Cloud‑Piercing Skill; after refining all the Force, you can start cultivating the Shadowless Blade."

Thinking of this, Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and began absorbing and refining the Force.

Time slipped by until evening.

At the dining table.

Jiang Cheng said again that he would be on a business trip for a few days.

Old Man, Chen Sao and the others were, of course, reluctant, but they knew there was nothing to be done and could only urge him to be extra careful.

Jiang Cheng also comforted them, saying it wasn't dangerous and, like last time, he'd be back in a few days.

After accompanying his family to watch TV, he finally returned to the bedroom, refined the remaining Force Light Points, then took out the Alloy Battle Knife and practiced the Shadowless Blade Technique.

He tried it first and found that the Experience Value increased very slowly.

If calculated at six hours of practice per day, it would take roughly a year to reach Entry level.

After applying the thirty‑thousand‑yuan‑per‑bottle Golden Orchid Paste, the Experience Value indeed rose tenfold, just like when he previously cultivated Broken Jade Fist.

Similarly, at six hours of practice per day, it would only take a little over a month.

If the time were extended to twelve hours of practice, the duration would be even shorter; if he practiced the blade eighteen hours a day, entry could be achieved in about ten days.

But the last method is overly extreme.

If he really did that, he would spend every day only eating, sleeping, and practicing the blade, with no time left to absorb and refine the Force.

"It feels like five or six hours is about right; that's what the thirty‑thousand‑yuan‑per‑bottle Secret Medicine is for. If it's fifty thousand yuan, five or six hours of hard practice can match eleven or twelve hours; if it's the top‑grade, the hundred‑thousand‑yuan kind, it's even faster. Unfortunately, you have to go to the Wu Family Fortress to buy it."

Jiang Cheng shook his head.

If you really have to go, that's fine; let's wait for the Grandmaster to speak.

After becoming a Grandmaster, more Cultivation Resources are needed.

Buying it there would also save more money.

For now, let's use the fifty‑thousand‑yuan‑per‑bottle Snow Lotus Paste; practicing the blade five or six hours a day will allow entry in about half a month.

He already has eleven bottles of Secret Medicine on hand; another seven or eight bottles will be enough. At fifty thousand yuan each, that's only four hundred thousand yuan—not that much.

(End of chapter)