Chapter 19: Yu Yuehai's Purpose

Chen Lin's first flying sword was rendered useless upon its very first strike.

His expression grew solemn.

Disregarding the heartache of losing his magical tool, he retreated rapidly.

The opponent's move was enough to prove that he was not the incompetent old man he had been portraying, but rather a cunning individual hiding his true strength.

To easily shatter a magical tool, even a low-grade one, required profound spiritual power.

This person was not at the early stage of Qi Refinement; he was at least at the middle stage, or perhaps even the late stage!

"Trying to run? Don't blame me for not warning you—the Enlightenment Pill you used was not a genuine Enlightenment Pill, but a modified one. Even if you never take this pill again, the side effects will still flare up periodically."

Facing Chen Lin's movement, the old man did not give chase, but instead spoke leisurely.

Chen Lin's footsteps halted, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Suddenly, a look of shock crossed his face as he stared at the old man. "So it was you! You are the one who sold me the Enlightenment Pill recipe! That man with the triangular eyes was your disguise!"

By revealing the flaw of the Enlightenment Pill and using it as a threat, the old man had caused a sudden epiphany in Chen Lin, making everything click into place.

He had wondered how it could be such a coincidence—just as he left the Water Moon Pavilion, he immediately encountered someone selling a rogue pill recipe, and it happened to be the Enlightenment Pill.

Previously, he thought the man with the triangular eyes was stalking him, but even if he were, it would have been impossible to know the contents of his conversation inside the Water Moon Pavilion.

Therefore, that person must have been Old Yu in disguise, and the man must have had connections to that woman from the Water Moon Pavilion!

As these thoughts surfaced, a chill ran down Chen Lin's spine.

It turned out that all his actions during this period had been part of the opponent's design. Even worse, the opponent had likely secretly cast mental interference spells on him.

Otherwise, given his cautious nature, he never would have rashly purchased a pill recipe, let alone actually attempted to refine it.

This was a long-premeditated plot!

But what did he possess that would catch the opponent's eye?

Chen Lin couldn't figure it out.

"Who exactly are you?"

Despite the intense sense of crisis swirling in his heart, he forced himself to remain calm.

"Me? We've lived together for over ten years; how can you ask such a question? I am just your old neighbor, Yu Yuehai—Old Yu!"

Old Yu maintained a faint smile.

Suddenly, his smile vanished, and his voice dropped several degrees. "On the contrary, I should be asking you—who exactly are you!"

Without waiting for Chen Lin to answer, a powerful aura erupted from his body, suppressing Chen Lin so heavily that his face turned pale and he stumbled back several steps.

"Hmph. In less than half a year, not only has your cultivation risen two levels to the middle stage of Qi Refinement, but you have also suddenly learned alchemy. This is not something the Chen Lin I know could achieve."

Hearing the old man's words, Chen Lin's heart shook violently.

He hadn't expected that despite his extreme caution, he would still be noticed. It was because his desire to escape was too urgent, causing him to take steps that were too large.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand. Besides, I don't have anything valuable on me. Why are you targeting me?"

Knowing he was no match for the man, Chen Lin could only play along for the time being, waiting for an opportunity to escape.

Old Yu's aura suddenly retracted, and he raised an eyebrow. "It's nothing. I simply need your help with alchemy. There is no need to worry; as long as you can refine the pills I require, I will not only refrain from harming you but will also tell you how to resolve the side effects of the Enlightenment Pill."

Chen Lin was stunned.

He never imagined that all this elaborate scheming was for this.

Could it be that all his previous actions were merely to verify whether he actually knew how to refine pills?

If that were the case, then the opponent had likely been watching him since the moment he refined the Primordial Essence Pill.

Chen Lin had no right to refuse and could only agree.

However, he did not believe the man's promise in the slightest. The moment he found an opportunity, he would flee immediately, or even strike back.

The two of them returned to the courtyard, one following the other, in silence.

Chen Lin glanced at his own room, and seeing that the old man said nothing, he lowered his head and followed him into the old man's house.

The houses in the courtyard were all similar, but this room was even more primitive than his. Chen Lin truly couldn't understand why the man lived here, and had lived here for ten years.

With his strength, he could easily live in the Inner City.

It wasn't as if he had predicted the original owner would be possessed by a transmigrator before he even arrived, was it?

Unable to make sense of it, he eventually stopped thinking about it and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Yu has gone to great lengths. Can you tell me now what exactly you want me to do?"

The old man smiled slightly and tapped a dusty small pouch at his waist. A dark red cauldron, half as tall as a person and covered in profound runes, appeared out of thin air and landed on the ground.

Chen Lin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "An alchemy cauldron?"

This was a genuine alchemy cauldron, not the iron pot imitation he used; it was a true magical tool.

Furthermore, judging by the dense runes on the cauldron, it was likely not of the lowest grade.

A magical tool cauldron was worth a fortune; it was not something a mere Qi Refinement cultivator should possess. The man's identity was likely far from ordinary.

If he had such a cauldron, he could refine many types of pills, perhaps even attempting the legendary Foundation Establishment Pill.

Unlike his iron pot, which could only refine the lowest-grade pills and relied heavily on his innate talent—otherwise, the success rate would be maddening.

The old man took great pleasure in Chen Lin's expression. He had fought desperately to obtain this cauldron; even for someone of his wealth, it was extremely precious.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, as I said, I brought you here for alchemy. This is the recipe for the pill I wish to refine. You may take a look first."

As he spoke, the old man tapped the pouch at his waist again, and a jade slip appeared in his hand.

Only then did Chen Lin look at the man's pouch. It was a storage bag, possessing the miraculous function of containing a universe within a mustard seed—something he had always wanted but could not afford.

A bag with only a few feet of internal space cost dozens of mid-grade spirit stones!

Suppressing his envy, Chen Lin took the jade slip and placed it against his forehead to examine it.

"Blood Demon Pill?"

A moment later, he pulled the jade slip away and spoke in confusion.

The information in the jade slip was indeed a pill recipe, but the name did not sound like anything good.

Additionally, Chen Lin felt that there was some information regarding this pill in the original owner's memories, but it was very blurred.

At that moment, the old man's voice rang out, "Correct. It is the Blood Demon Pill, an essential pill for practicing the Blood Demon Art."

Chen Lin's brow twitched. "I remember now! It's the one claimed to be able to create a super powerhouse with a single pill!"

He hadn't expected the man wanted to refine this specific pill. In the original owner's memory, the information regarding the Blood Demon Pill instantly became clear.