"Chen Bufan is at the Earth Fire Hall?"
The Foundation Establishnt middle-aged man was nad Xie Yu. He fell into a brief silence after hearing the report.
Two months ago, when he learned that Zhang Chi had taken a mission ahead of schedule and gone to Earth Fire Hall Number Three—and was even rumored to be on the verge of becoming an Alchemy Master—he had felt both pleased and apprehensive.
He was pleased because with Zhang Chi on a mission, even one within the Sect, he finally had an opportunity to make a move.
He was apprehensive because once Zhang Chi beca an Alchemy Master, he would have a chance at reaching Foundation Establishnt, even without an Upper Grade Cultivation thod.
Therefore, he had to kill him beforehand.
Furthermore, Chen Bufan’s previous actions to secure justice for Zhang Chi had been a great source of humiliation for the Xie Family.
This had, without a doubt, also made him grow to hate Zhang Chi.
So, he devised a plan.
To avoid leaving any evidence that could be traced back to him, he had his n wait for a ti and resorted to a shady thod like using Demon Rats.
He just never expected Chen Bufan to personally go to the Earth Fire Hall to protect Zhang Chi.
That’s right. Just like the masked cultivators, he was convinced that Chen Bufan had been the one to intervene.
’Fine. I’ll let the kid go for now.’
’After all, we’ve already tipped our hand. If we press on, we’ll definitely leave evidence they can use against us.’
Xie Yu felt disappointed, furious, and sowhat helpless.
After all, Chen Bufan was a genius of the Inner Sect.
Not only did he have a powerful backer, but he was also preparing for his own Foundation Establishnt and had already acquired a Foundation Establishnt Pill.
Therefore, he certainly couldn’t afford to confront Chen Bufan head-on over a re ant like Zhang Chi.
"Yes, Martial Uncle. But about our paynt for this mission..."
By now, the masked cultivators had revealed their true appearances: they were two youthful Outer Disciples nad ng Shan and Jia Liang.
Both were at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, but they stood trembling before Xie Yu.
"Relax. Even though the mission failed, I’ll still pay you. But you must continue to keep an eye on Zhang Chi. Tell imdiately if you discover anything."
"If an opportunity arises, I’ll have the two of you handle the next operation as well."
"As for Chen Bufan, you have nothing to fear with around. Besides, he doesn’t know who you are. He has to prepare for Foundation Establishnt; he can’t possibly shadow Zhang Chi forever."
"If all else fails, we’ll have another chance to act during next year’s disciple assessnt."
"Oh, and keep an eye on the Sword Testing Valley. If that kid foolishly tries to go there to practice his swordsmanship, you can act as you see fit."
"But rember this: do not, under any circumstances, be seen by Chen Bufan."
Xie Yu quickly regained his composure and replied with a smile.
Compared to the likes of Chen Bufan, Zhang Chi was just an ant. It would take him decades to beco a threat to the Xie Family.
Thus, while he found the situation irritating, he didn’t truly consider Zhang Chi a serious matter.
"Thank you, Martial Uncle."
ng Shan and Jia Liang breathed a sigh of relief and nodded again and again.
The mission now involved Chen Bufan, and frankly, they wanted no further part in it.
But neither of them dared to refuse.
Then, they accepted their orders and departed.
But none of them—not ng Shan, not Jia Liang, not even Xie Yu—leaked a word of what had happened that night.
And as for going to Chen Bufan to confirm what had happened at the Earth Fire Hall? That was completely out of the question.
After all, the whole affair was a shady one.
BOOM!
Inside the Alchemy Room, after setting up the Array, Zhang Chi quickly processed the dicinal Materials and began refining his first batch of Pills.
But the mont he opened the furnace, the nearly-ford Pills instantly crumbled to pieces.
Only a single Pill remained—a pitch-black Wasted Pill reeking of a pungent odor.
Even for a Wasted Pill, this was the lowest quality imaginable.
’Not bad!’
But seeing this, Zhang Chi nodded in satisfaction.
It turned out that for an ordinary Cultivator’s first attempt at Alchemy, producing even a Wasted Pill was considered a good result.
He proceeded to refine three more batches, but still failed to produce a single viable Spirit Pill.
However, the number of Wasted Pills he produced increased with each attempt.
His final batch yielded three Wasted Pills.
Clearly, he was improving, and at a rapid pace.
The ti he had spent studying the legacy and strengthening his Divine Thought had clearly paid off.
After finishing the four batches, his Spiritual Power was drained and his Divine Soul was exhausted. He had no choice but to stop and ditate to recover.
But as soon as he finished his rest, he discovered that his Spiritual Power had reached its limit. It was ti to attempt a breakthrough.
Without hesitation, he focused his mind, circulated the Nine Flas Spirit Devouring Technique, and began the process of Breaking Realm.
RUMBLE!
In the next instant, a powerful Spiritual Pressure radiated outwards as Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged toward him. He broke through with ease, reaching the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.
’Excellent!’
Zhang Chi was overjoyed.
He did a quick calculation and realized this breakthrough had only taken sixty-five days—much faster than he had anticipated.
Now, his strength in every aspect was far greater than before.
If he had to face those Demon Rats now, there was no way they could escape the volcano’s crater.
At the sa ti, his condition had returned to its Peak, so he started Alchemy once more.
Thanks to his increased Cultivation, his progress this ti was imnse; he managed to produce six Wasted Pills in a single attempt.
’It’s a sha I don’t need Wasted Pills right now. Otherwise, just these could have recouped my costs.’
’Still, a batch of Spirit-Storage Pills uses at least ten sets of materials and yields at most ten Elixirs. I managed to form eight, which is already amazing. Once I can form ten, the next step should be producing a proper Spirit Pill, right?’
Zhang Chi was greatly encouraged.
Afterward, however, he didn’t continue with Alchemy. Instead, he switched to cultivating the White Bone Divine Forging Technique.
He had reached the Entry Level for this Cultivation Technique long ago, and during this period, the strength of his Divine Thought had already increased to just shy of ten zhang, comparable to most Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Cultivators.
With this breakthrough in his Cultivation, his Divine Thought had grown in tandem, finally breaking its previous limit to extend beyond ten zhang.
At the sa ti, he should be able to leverage this montum to advance his White Bone Divine Forging Technique to the Minor Success Realm.
The next mont, he was not disappointed. As he cultivated, the White Bone Demon God in his mind underwent a qualitative transformation. As if coming to life, it suddenly opened its eyes.
In that instant, he felt an overwhelming urge to prostrate himself in worship, but the Jade Pendant flashed, and the White Bone Demon God’s bewitching power instantly vanished.
And just like that, his White Bone Divine Forging Technique reached Minor Success.
His Divine Thought instantly skyrocketed, reaching twenty zhang in one go.
For Qi Cultivation Cultivators, each layer typically corresponds to one zhang of Divine Thought. A normal Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer cultivator, for instance, would only have a range of ten zhang.
After Foundation Establishnt, however, Divine Thought undergoes a qualitative leap, jumping from ten zhang to over one hundred zhang.
But now, Zhang Chi’s Divine Thought was already at a level between Foundation Establishnt and the Qi Cultivation Peak.
Furthermore, Zhang Chi could clearly sense that his Divine Thought had not yet reached its limit.
If he reached the Qi Cultivation Late Stage, his Divine Thought might even surpass one hundred zhang.
Afterward, he attempted Alchemy again. This ti, the process felt effortless, his success rate soaring. He successfully produced ten Wasted Pills on his very first try.
However, he still seed to be a long way from producing a viable Spirit Pill.
Clearly, becoming an Alchemy Master was far more difficult than he had anticipated.
Fortunately, patience and ti were two things he had in abundance.
In the days that followed, he continued his low-profile Cultivation in Seclusion, thodically practicing his sword and performing Alchemy every day.
He found the feeling of steady improvent in all aspects of his being simply addicting.
As ti passed, not only did his output of Wasted Pills stabilize at ten per batch, but their quality also steadily improved.
However, the Alchemy Materials he had purchased at the Yuquan Mountain Marketplace were also being consud at a rapid rate. In just a single month, he had used them all up.
Fortunately, with his monthly mission rewards and inco from the Sect, he wouldn’t be unable to keep up with the expense.
’It’s ti for a trip to the Sect Marketplace.’
The afternoon his dicinal Materials ran out, Zhang Chi made ti, taking all the Demon Rat materials with him. He then set off alone for the Sect Marketplace, riding his Bamboo Leaf Flying Sword.
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