Chapter 56: Four Pills at One's Side

"I made quite a scene at the Taiping Weird Market last night, and today they announced a lowering of the entry threshold, allowing a whole crowd of low-tier cultivators to enter. It’s bound to be extremely chaotic, so I won't risk going there for now."

"Tomorrow, I'll go apply for jobs one by one to see if I can find decent work. With safety, stable income, and generous benefits... it would be much better than risking my life selling medicinal meals."

"Hmm, why didn't I think of this earlier?"

"However, I still need to find an opportunity to visit that transcendent weird market again. Besides selling goods, it’s likely a shortcut for charging the Truth Bubble. It’s a pity that last night was ruined by those lunatics..."

While Li Yu was deep in thought, night soon fell over the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop.

A surprise arrived unexpectedly.

It was the Heavenly Craft Sect salesman, Shi Dazhu, who delivered the trade goods ahead of the originally scheduled twenty-four hours.

Regarding this, Shi Dazhu’s explanation was that "he was too eager to progress."

He had been stuck at Sequence 8 [Carpenter] for some time and had always coveted the Sequence 7 [Puppeteer].

He had been working desperately and taking on side jobs during this period just to scrape together enough wealth and contributions to exchange directly within the sect for a complete secret medicine for Sequence 7.

Although there was still a way to go, he had a goal and was full of drive.

This is the benefit of having a major power as a backer!

The future path is clearly visible.

Unlike him, Li Yu, who wouldn't even know the name of the next sequence if not for the "Demon Star Order," let alone have the money to buy secret medicine.

And those low-tier rogue cultivators have it even worse.

As the transaction was completed!

The savings of over twenty thousand taels that Li Yu had just swindled through his gimmick medicinal meals were almost entirely exhausted.

Of course, the harvest also left him very satisfied.

A brand-new basic alchemy furnace, various formula materials, food and weird objects for cooking medicinal meals, plus some daily necessities, such as various outfits for his maid, Hong Dou.

Originally, he had been very tempted by the various "bionic skins." Indeed, as Hong Dou had said, the Heavenly Craft Sect had deep attainments in this area, and just looking at the varieties was particularly enticing.

Alas, his purse was shy, so he had to settle for various beautiful clothes instead.

Perhaps infected by Shi Dazhu’s drive, or perhaps because he had run out of Compassion Pills and his reliance had weakened.

Once the alchemy materials arrived, Li Yu didn't delay for even a single breath and went straight to the alchemy room.

"Hong Dou!"

"Let's go, time to refine pills."

"Yes, Master!"

Not long after, in the alchemy room.

"Bang."

Accompanied by a muffled sound, the newly purchased alchemy furnace exploded, and it was an explosion unlike any previous one.

The refined iron lid was blown straight off, and then, visible to the naked eye, streaks of fiercely malevolent sword-shaped Qi light shot out from the furnace.

It was as if every streak of sword light had eyes; they didn't seek anyone else, but chased after Li Yu, the primary target, to start hacking.

Fortunately, the buzzing sound of the chainsaw sword rang out in time, and Hong Dou, wearing her new "Warring States robe," flashed before Li Yu, blocking and dissipating the sword lights one by one.

"That was close, that was close."

"If not for Hong Dou, this alchemy wouldn't just cost money, it would cost my life."

"It seems that ordinary external refining methods cannot handle this [Sword Malice Pill]; I still cannot escape suffering."

"Costing money, costing life, costing the body... who could stand this? No wonder the inheritance was cut off."

Li Yu muttered and complained, then resignedly took the second portion of alchemy materials.

He crushed the various sharp, mouth-cutting gold and iron minerals and stuffed them into his mouth. Although he had promptly activated his ingestion technique, he still couldn't avoid a mouthful of blood during the process.

The furnace explosion was within his expectations.

Although his alchemy apprentice skills were already quite proficient, after all, he wasn't refining some simple basic pill, but something exchanged from the Demon Star Order, a contribution from the predecessors of the Spirit Venerable path.

This Sword Malice Pill, as the name suggests, is a spiritual pill that allows the user to release sword malice.

As for which path to impersonate after eating it, there is no need to say.

Before long, he had swallowed the second portion of alchemy materials into his belly.

Afterward, he stripped off his clothes and climbed into the red-hot alchemy furnace.

Counting it up, this was already the third time.

Originally, Li Yu thought the [Spirit Venerable Path] might be a god-ascending path of the righteous gods, just one that had strayed into Wanfu City.

After all, judging by the style, it was fundamentally different from the crazy and perverted ones like the Forbidden God, the Compassionate Father, or the Hanging King.

But as his alchemy apprentice cultivation deepened, he became somewhat uncertain.

Which righteous god's believer would jump into a red-hot alchemy furnace every day?

Fortunately, such a bizarre and crazy alchemy method finally yielded results.

About half an incense stick later, the moment the temperature reached its peak, the alchemy furnace exploded again, and a figure like a burning coal leaped out, enveloped in high-temperature smoke and fire.

The moment he landed, Li Yu flashed to the side and took out a pitch-black refined iron gourd.

Then, he threw his head back violently, thrust a hand deep into his own throat, grabbed something, and began to pull it out bit by bit.

In the blink of an eye, a sword-shaped pill light glowing with malevolence was pulled out by Li Yu. Ignoring his own slashed throat and mouth, he stabbed it directly into the iron gourd.

It seemed to be filled with more than half of wine. Accompanied by a "hissing" sound, this eerie malevolent sword seemed to complete some kind of quenching ritual. The dense pill energy was about to overflow, but was blocked back by Li Yu with a gourd stopper.

Having finished all this!

Li Yu’s tense face immediately relaxed. While opening his mouth to let Hong Dou treat his wounds, he revealed a brilliant smile.

"Finally!"

"The first Sword Malice Pill is done."

"In the future, if I encounter danger, I can take it directly. Within a hundred breaths, I can possess a small portion of a sword hero's means. Although it is far from being comparable to a true sword hero, there should be no major problem in disguising myself as a [Qi Refiner] of Sequence 8 on the Great Luo Golden Immortal path under the command of the Demon-Slaying Heavenly Venerable."

"Does this mean that the next time I enter a weird domain or the spirit world, I might have a chance to infiltrate the camp of the six righteous gods?"

"At that time, dressed in white, with sword Qi soaring to the heavens, wouldn't that be exhilarating?"

When this thought occurred, a smile akin to that of a prankster appeared on Li Yu's face.

Such good news made him completely forget the side effect of the Sword Malice Pill: after being quenched in wine, it becomes a sword pellet. When taken with wine, one will suffer the torture of sword Qi roaming through the body. The pain might not be as bad as death by a thousand cuts, but it is definitely not something an ordinary person can endure.

Li Yu, of course, knew this, but he chose not to think about this troublesome matter for the time being.

He was currently in a state of fanaticism.

Once the wounds in his mouth and throat improved a little, he took another portion of alchemy materials. He was too lazy to continue using that ordinary external refining method and just grabbed various gems, bone ash, and such, stuffing them into his mouth.

Besides that, there were also things like Bodhi seeds engraved with Buddhist scriptures.

It was clear that what he was refining this time was the [Vajra Pill] related to Buddhism.

It was the same process!

Climbing into the alchemy furnace, driving the alchemy fire within his body, refining both inside and out.

About half an incense stick later, when he leaped out again.

He did not open his mouth to spit out a new pill, but instead showed a look of struggle and pain.

Immediately, he took the Compassion Blade, stabbed it into his abdomen without hesitation, and stuck two fingers inside to dig around.

Before long, he pulled out from his body a golden, relic-like bone pellet covered in his own blood.

Even though it was covered in blood, a sandalwood fragrance wafted out, making one's soul feel at peace, as if smelling Buddhist incense.

"Vajra Pill!" "I don't know what the predecessor who created this pill formula had in their head."

"Calling the place where the pill comes out a 'relic' is fine, but it's more like a kidney stone."

"And in the future, when I need to take the pill to impersonate a [Novice] of Sequence 8 on the Buddha path, I can't do it through my mouth, but have to force this relic into any bone in my body."

"Only then can I generate a Vajra body that lasts for about a hundred breaths."

When he finished complaining to this point.

Li Yu naturally thought of the two pill formulas he had to refine next, their refining methods, the pill-delivery process, and the future method of taking the pills.

His expression froze, and he immediately wanted to curse in a low voice: "Are all the predecessors perverts? Is their brain alright?"

But soon, he remembered the only pill formula he had created himself so far: the Compassion Pill.

By comparison, the process of refining, delivery, and taking was slightly better, but it didn't seem to be any more normal, so he had to swallow his words.

Resignedly, he called Hong Dou over to treat his wounds while taking a new portion of alchemy materials.

=9+Shu_ba

And this time, even he, Li Yu, almost retreated and gave up on the spot.

It took him a full hour to prepare himself mentally.

And only after deliberately shutting off his sense of taste and smell did he show a look of resolute bitterness, looking at the strange and filthy materials one by one, and resignedly grabbed them to stuff into his mouth.

They were all weird objects, coming from some weird creatures in three forbidden areas outside the city.

Although from the source, they were not disgusting.

But their common trait was a foul stench.

Perhaps Li Yu himself didn't notice.

He had still been somewhat polluted by this world, this Wanfu City, to the point where his actions had become somewhat uninhibited.

Not long after, Li Yu came out of the alchemy furnace again.

This time, he had returned to the pill-delivery method he used for refining the Compassion Pill earlier.

Accompanied by a "retch," a pitch-black pill with an incredibly rich foul odor, coated in Li Yu's saliva, fell into the box.

Even though the pill was out, Li Yu was still retching uncontrollably on the side.

That’s right!

This time, he refined the [Hundred Filth Pill]; after consuming it, one can disguise oneself as a Sequence 8 "Unclean One" of the Plague God path.

Of course, the side effects are not light either.

Afterward, one will suffer from vomiting and diarrhea; the more medicinal potency absorbed and used, the more severe the side effects, lasting up to seven days at most.

"Damn this stuff, damn Wanfu City."

"If I were in the three kingdoms of Qian, Li, and Jing, I absolutely wouldn't refine this thing; there would be no use for it at all."

"But here, it's better to keep one on hand."

"And these ghostly things too..."

As Li Yu cursed, his gaze also turned to the final portion of pill ingredients.

These were also strange objects, consisting of bottle after bottle of liquid—tears from various humans, demons, beasts, and strange entities.

At first glance, it didn't seem like much, but thinking about it carefully, it was quite perverted.

However, it was clear that Li Yu had gone all out; he closed his eyes and began to chug them down.

By the time he had drunk half, his entire face was filled with bitterness, his eyes were bloodshot, and he felt like hugging his head and weeping bitterly.

But when he finished the process and brought the pill out of the furnace—a pill that looked normal in shape but bore a crying face on its surface—

Li Yu’s face, however, was clean.

It was unclear whether he could no longer cry, or if his tears had been dried by the furnace fire.

Yet, his eyes were filled with a look of sorrow.

"Sorrowful Weeping Pill!"

"After consumption, one can briefly gain a portion of the abilities of a Sequence 8 [Sorrowful Corpse] of the Hanging King path, allowing for seamless disguise."

"The side effect is that during that period, one will maintain a state of sorrow and despair, and develop an urge to hang others."

When the relevant information surfaced in Li Yu’s mind,

he had already broken free from it.

Looking at the four types of extraordinary spirit pills neatly arranged before him,

Li Yu’s courage, which had weakened due to the loss of the [Compassionate Heart Pill], immediately began to grow and swell again.

In his heart, his view on the Alchemist sequence had changed once more.

"Although these four pills will turn me into four sequences of other paths after consumption, they were all refined by me personally using the power of an Alchemist, so they should be able to pass the judgment of the Demon Star Order without obstruction."

"In terms of the duration of the effects, none of the four pills are as good as the Compassionate Heart Pill I created myself."

"However, in terms of the manifestation of supernatural means, the Sword Fiend Pill should be stronger than the 'Vegetable Person,' the Vajra Pill leans towards defense, and the Hundred Filth Pill disguises one as an Unclean One, possessing area-of-effect attack power."

"As for the Sorrowful Weeping Pill?"

"It can release sorrowful Qi through a crying face and crying sounds, infecting others and causing them to fall into negative emotions, while simultaneously making the opponent's body stiff, with their flesh and organs unable to function... It can also turn one's own body into a lifeless walking corpse, thereby exempting oneself from various negative pollutions... The liquid secreted from the eyes contains highly toxic poison; a single drop can cause a person's brain to be poisoned, lose interest in everything, and choose to hang themselves... The above spiritual effects are reduced against official Sequence 8 cultivators."

"Hiss!"

"This ability of the Hanging King path is truly bizarre."

Li Yu carefully pondered the abilities the Sorrowful Weeping Pill could bring and couldn't help but be startled.

A news item he had previously seen in the *Wanfu Daily* immediately came to mind:

An evil cultivator named Gongsun Qi, who was a Sequence 6 "Merciless One" of the Hanging King path, had caused hundreds of people to choose to hang themselves overnight, silently and effortlessly.

The reason was merely that he had passed by, sensed some despair in the depths of these people's hearts, and so he sent them on their way.

It was fortunate that on the night Li Yu was reborn, this fellow hadn't passed by the Heavenly Mystery Workshop, otherwise, he would have ended up hanging from the rafters of the meat shop residence.

He had originally thought the Sword Fiend Pill was the strongest, but at this moment, Li Yu felt that

if used well, this Sorrowful Weeping Pill might have even more astonishing destructive power than the Sword Fiend Pill.

"Phew."

"With these four pills by my side, my combat power might be comparable to some Sequence 7 cultivators who had gone wrong during their advancement."

"In the short term, as long as I don't run into any major trouble, my life should be safe."

"Taking advantage of the remaining time, I'll develop some easy-to-carry medicinal meals so I can go for an interview tomorrow."

"Come to think of it, in my past life, I used to scoff at the craze for civil service exams; I didn't expect that in this horror-filled otherworld, I would actually take it to heart and prepare in advance. It seems no one can escape the truth of 'it's actually quite good'."

Li Yu thought these two sentences to himself; clearly, he already had a preference for tomorrow's job options.

But it was no wonder!

Although jobs like the Soul-Stirring Club or being a private chef for a big shot's wife were quite tempting,

they still carried risks and uncertainties.

The position of a dedicated medicinal meal chef for the City Lord's Mansion's exploration team was different.

The benefits were generous, there was no need to go to forbidden areas, it offered absolute safety and protection, one could use the prestige of the powerful to ward off extortion and covetousness, and there was a chance to come into contact with many powerful cultivators and the upper echelons of Wanfu City... It was simply the iron rice bowl he had dreamed of.

(End of chapter)