Chapter 32: This thing can refine pills?

Outer City, Southwest Corner.

As the area closest to the Xiaoyue Mountain Range, this sector had always had the fewest residents.

The reason, naturally, was that the primary demon race of the Xiaoyue Mountains were wolves—swift as the wind, bloodthirsty, and ruthless.

Even if high-level demon wolves feared the formations of Dahe Ward and dared not approach, there were always one or two mindless demon wolves that would occasionally wander in.

This was also why Luo Chen had never dared to consume his spiritual power recklessly in this place, always ensuring he maintained enough reserve to flee.

Cultivators rarely visited this area.

But today, a large crowd had arrived abruptly.

Leading them was a short cultivator with a face weathered by hardship; even his blinking eyes were filled with a sense of ruthlessness.

"Are you sure it's here?"

"Second Brother Gao, according to the guidance of the Qi-Seeking Compass, this place has the highest concentration of residual aura. Ting'e should have stayed here for a long time."

Five or six days had passed since the Great River Gang's sudden raid on the seven halls of the Mountain-Breaker Gang.

That battle had left the Mountain-Breaker Gang with heavy losses.

However, compared to the manpower lost by the Great River Gang in the mountains, the losses on both sides were roughly equal.

If this continued, it would become unbearable for the rogue cultivators who were merely trying to make a living.

And these people made up the vast majority of any gang.

Therefore, Mi Shuhua, the leader of the Mountain-Breaker Gang, had stepped forward in an attempt to negotiate peace.

The final results of the negotiation were unknown, but at least there would be no major hostilities in the short term.

As the second-in-command of the Great River Gang, Gao Tingyuan had finally found some leisure time, allowing him to worry about his bastard younger brother, Gao Ting'e.

He had been missing for several days!

Everyone understood what it meant for a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator to disappear for several days in the outer city of Dahe Ward without a word.

Gao Tingyuan was anxious.

He had sought out experts responsible for river transport to begin tracking his brother's whereabouts.

Finally, he arrived here.

Gao Tingyuan looked at the charred ground and then at a nearby ruin that had been almost burned to ash.

It was obvious that a fierce battle had taken place here.

And the method that caused such a devastating scene was, without doubt, the Blazing Sun Talisman Gao Ting'e had purchased from the black market.

The thick aura of Earth-Guard suggests that the Earth-Guard Spirit Shield Talisman must have been activated as well.

Gao Tingyuan's expression grew increasingly grim. "The Blazing Sun Talisman was used, and the Earth-Guard Shield was used. It is absolutely impossible that they were used merely to kill someone like Zhou San."

He glanced at the nearby ruins. "Who lived here?"

"A rogue cultivator named Luo Chen. He used to run errands for others in his early days, and later started selling some Inedia Pills."

"What was his cultivation level?"

"Around the third level of Qi Refinement. A pauper. He lived here just to take advantage of the cheap rent—half a spirit stone a month."

"Where is he?"

"Haven't found him yet. They say he was quite reclusive and didn't socialize with the neighbors."

A third-level Qi Refinement rogue cultivator could not possibly pose a threat to a fifth-level cultivator.

Especially since that person was Gao Ting'e, who was loaded with treasures.

"Can you find where my brother's final aura stopped?"

The cultivator beside him increased his infusion of spiritual power. The Qi-Seeking Compass in his hand vibrated intensely before the needle finally stopped pointing straight ahead.

"In the mountains!"

"Move. Follow me inside to take a look."

"But we aren't familiar with the conditions in the mountains at all!"

"Hmm?"

Under Gao Tingyuan's piercing gaze, the cultivators had no choice but to follow him in.

They crossed the weed-choked wasteland and gradually ventured deeper into the dense forest.

Within the woods, a faint demon aura had already begun to emerge, making the group of cultivators uneasy.

Even Gao Tingyuan felt somewhat hesitant.

The millions of mountains in the Eastern Desolation were incomparably rich in resources.

However, over thousands of years, human cultivators had developed less than one percent of it.

Rumor had it that the mountains contained countless third-tier Demon Kings and fourth-tier Demon Emperors, and even ancient demons hidden within.

The so-called mountain hunting practiced by rogue cultivators was actually just minor skirmishes in the outermost regions.

Once they encountered a second-tier demon beast, they could only flee in terror—and most didn't even make it out.

The reason the Mountain-Breaker Gang could firmly control the business in the mountains was that, in their early days, they had used countless lives to scout out the territories of various second-tier demon beasts.

But even so, every trip into the mountains required extreme caution.

"Something's wrong, Second Brother Gao."

"What is it?"

"The Qi-Seeking Compass is starting to go haywire."

"What do you mean?"

Gao Tingyuan looked at the compass. The needle was darting wildly, pointing east one moment and west the next.

In a short span of time, it pointed toward four or five different directions.

"This situation has happened before. A brother in the gang was killed, and his body was torn into several pieces and fed to several large fish..."

The voice of the cultivator holding the compass grew smaller and smaller.

Because Gao Tingyuan's face beside him had turned extremely grim.

The oppressive atmosphere blended perfectly into the forest.

After a long silence, he said through gritted teeth, "Good! Very good! Not only did you kill my brother, but you also desecrated his remains. Don't let me find you!"

"Then, Second Brother, what do we do now?"

"Go back!"

The group felt a sense of relief, and their footsteps lightened as they headed back.

As they passed the ruins, Gao Tingyuan paused his short frame.

"Notify Fifth Brother. Have him investigate if any late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators from the Mountain-Breaker Gang came this way that night. Check for fifth-level cultivators as well."

"Also, look into that rogue cultivator who lived here. If he's still alive, bring him to me."

"Don't let me find you, you scum. I will make you wish you were dead!"

Having said that, he flicked a burst of spiritual light.

A dharma tool flickered within the light, transforming into a bright blue water dragon that suddenly slammed into the ruins.

The only remaining half-wall, which hadn't collapsed yet, sank three feet into the ground, leaving only a sharp corner visible.

Luo Chen was completely unaware that his old house had just been hit by another water dragon.

In truth, even if he had known, he could only have given a thumbs up.

After he had salvaged some items from the house, he had added a few fireballs to burn the house more thoroughly to ensure not many traces were left behind.

As for those two paupers, Zhou San and Gao Ting'e, whose names he didn't even know, his method of disposal had been very simple.

He had cut them into several pieces, added some special medicinal herbs, lightly roasted them with the fire from the burning house, and then tossed them into the forest.

That specific kind of "roasted meat" was very attractive to demon beasts like wolves and dogs.

Luo Chen had discovered this recipe when he was once roasting beef himself; he had added some blood-replenishing herbal powder, which had attracted a young wolf.

Since then, he had never used that recipe again, fearing it might attract even more powerful demon beasts.

After disposing of the bodies, he had found a place to hide and headed straight for the Inner City the next day.

As for whether he would be discovered in the future, that was a problem for another time!

Luo Chen had no time to think about such things; he only wanted to refine pills.

The materials, which cost as much as two hundred spirit stones, had already been processed.

The refinement of the Profound Mystery Pills had once again returned to the right track.

Based on past experience, his success rate was around ten percent.

But this time, during the first five days of refinement, he had succeeded twice in a row.

A success rate of as high as forty percent!

How could he not be ecstatic?

However, as the subsequent refinements proceeded, this ecstasy gradually subsided.

Five consecutive failures made him realize that his previous success was merely a stroke of luck.

To increase the success rate and lower the costs, he had to wait until his proficiency with the Profound Mystery Pills increased.

"Soon, almost there!"

Luo Chen glanced at his attribute panel: [Profound Mystery Pill (Entry) 91/100].

He only needed one more success to level up.

This feeling—that effort would inevitably lead to rewards—was truly exhilarating.

Even his daily task of smashing fireball spells into the corner of the wall and filling it with new soil became more passionate.

He failed for a few more days.

"This time, it will definitely succeed."

Wearing a brand-new apron, Luo Chen lit an incense stick to a newly molded statue of Guan Yu, even placing two Pinba fruits beside it.

He felt that the failures of the past few days were because he had forgotten to offer incense to Guan Yu.

The "Faint Smoke and Sparse Rain Pavilion" was still in operation. It had to be said that this dharma tool invented by Tianfan City was indeed unique.

Even though Luo Chen was used to the various smells during pill refining, the odor produced before the Profound Mystery Pill took shape was still very unpleasant.

But with this dharma tool, he no longer had to endure the devastation of that biochemical toxic gas.

In the afternoon, Luo Chen carefully lifted the lid of the cauldron.

A bright red, jelly-like substance met his eyes, and Luo Chen's expression softened.

"It's done, Lord Guan!"

"We are the champions!"

Immediately, he checked his attribute panel.

[Profound Mystery Pill (Entry) 91/100] —> [Profound Mystery Pill (Proficient) 101/200]

At the moment the proficiency leveled up, Luo Chen felt a vague sensation of a veil being lifted.

Some insights he had never possessed before, bolstered by the system, flowed into him like a gentle stream, allowing him to absorb and digest them.

Aspects he had previously overlooked were now clearly highlighted.

Luo Chen had a feeling that if he started another batch of Profound Mystery Pills, he would definitely be able to do better with the details, and his success rate would likely increase significantly.

*Creak!*

The wooden door was suddenly pushed open.

A bright and elegant face peeked in.

Gu Caiyi's eyes lit up. "You were home after all! I bought some spirit fruits from Lingyuan Pavilion, want to try some?"

Spirit fruits from Lingyuan Pavilion!

He definitely had to try them; Luo Chen didn't know the meaning of being "thin-skinned."

As Gu Caiyi pushed the door open, she realized Luo Chen was standing by the stove wearing an apron.

While handing a large, emerald-green fruit to Luo Chen, she leaned in to peek into the cauldron.

"What delicious thing are you making again?"

"Meat jelly?"

"Why does it smell so much like medicine?"

Luo Chen took the fruit and took a large bite.

It was incredibly juicy; while there wasn't a massive amount of spiritual energy, it was very sweet.

This taste was much better than the wild hawthorns he had been eating lately.

He said casually, "It's not food, it's a pill I'm refining. Hey, don't touch it, it's very hot."

Gu Caiyi looked completely bewildered.

Pointing at the iron cauldron, she said, questioning her very existence, "You can refine pills in *that* thing?"