Chapter 366: The Desperate Path of Lu Chong

Hearing the prices of these medicinal herbs, Zhang Xuan's heart was shattered.

After wasting a whole night's talk, he had managed to get three spirit stones, only to find they were barely enough to buy the herbs...

Are you people trying to rob me?

Is it easy for me to earn spirit stones? Do you have to be so ruthless?

Holding the brush, he waited for a long time, but no message came from the other side. Clearly... there were no more questions.

"Such a cheapskate! And he calls himself a Four-Star Alchemist? Can't even spare such a small amount of money, you pauper!"

Throwing down the brush, Zhang Xuan roared.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Wasn't he supposed to be a Four-Star Alchemist? Wasn't he supposed to be a big shot from the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance? Couldn't even part with three spirit stones... I've never seen such a miser...

"Pauper..."

Mu Yangfeng and Hongyun Dan Shi trembled.

Boss, it's clearly you who's being stingy, alright?

Since the other party had no problems, he couldn't just hand over spirit stones for nothing!

Calling a Four-Star Alchemist stingy and a pauper to his face... Not just in the entire guild, but probably in the whole kingdom, you're the only one...

"President Liu, the spirit stones from the headquarters will be used to purchase the herbs. I'll prepare them for you now..."

Calling out, Mu Yangfeng, afraid the other might do something even more extreme, turned and left.

This man before him indeed had great skill, but his courage was also too great.

If it were him, even with some ability, facing an alchemist of higher rank, he would still be respectful. But this guy, at the slightest displeasure, would start cursing...

If he stayed here any longer, he feared he might be scared to death.

"We..."

Hongyun Dan Shi and Jiang Chen were about to leave when they saw the young man looking at them with a smile, his eyes gleaming: "They're paupers. Scared of spending money, they didn't even dare to ask questions... Do you two have any? Any problem will do. As long as you give spirit stones, no matter how difficult, I can help solve it..."

"No..."

The two turned pale with fright and waved their hands simultaneously.

"No problems? Then... illnesses will do too. I can treat you..." Zhang Xuan continued.

"..."

Hongyun Dan Shi and Jiang Chen.

...

As expected of the Alchemist Guild, the speed of gathering herbs was extremely fast. In less than half an hour, all the herbs needed to refine the Cold Yin Pill were collected and brought over.

After repeatedly confirming that the two had no illnesses or problems, Zhang Xuan followed Mu Yangfeng with some regret to the guild's dedicated alchemy room.

Here, there was the best furnace, and formations were arranged around it. Even if the furnace exploded, it wouldn't affect the guild's normal operations.

"President Liu, you... really want me to refine it?"

Looking at the herbs and furnace laid out before him, Mu Dan Shi hesitated.

Fourth-grade pills, also known as spiritual pills, could even without a jade box, autonomously absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth without losing potency.

Legend had it that some ancient tombs had unearthed pills of this level. After many years, not only had the medicinal effects not diminished, but they had increased significantly. Some pills that had reached the level of 'completed pill' had even reached the level of 'perfected' or even 'perfect'!

This level of medicine required not only a solid foundation in alchemy but also a strong cultivation base. Otherwise, if any mishap occurred, it could cause the furnace to explode, leading to utter ruin.

This President Liu before him, asking him to take charge, left him with little confidence.

"In a moment, strictly follow the steps I dictate. Not a single mistake is allowed!" Zhang Xuan no longer had his earlier playful demeanor; instead, he was solemn.

Having read the guild's books, he also knew the difficulty of fourth-grade pills.

Although he had the Library of Heaven's Path to identify all errors in the refining process, it was still very difficult to make a Grandmaster refine a fourth-grade pill.

"Alright!"

Knowing the danger of refining fourth-grade pills, Mu Dan Shi also understood that if successful, it would be a tremendous boost to his alchemy skills. After hesitating for a short while, he gritted his teeth.

The young man before him had created too many miracles, and he had already developed a sense of trust in him. If he refused today and missed this opportunity, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life.

"Begin!"

After adjusting for a while, Mu Yangfeng reached his optimal state. Then he approached the furnace, raised his hand, and alchemical flames surged up.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The flames blazed, and the furnace began to turn red and hot.

"Add the Alfalfa Flower. After two and a half breaths, add the Knotweed. After fourteen breaths, add the Ice Leaf..."

Watching him start refining, Zhang Xuan kept calling out instructions.

Mu Yangfeng strictly followed, not daring to disobey in the slightest.

Rustle, rustle!

One herb after another flew into the furnace like lightning, perfectly merging together.

...

Outside the alchemy room.

To avoid disturbing the two, Hongyun Dan Shi and the others did not enter.

"Do you think... they can succeed?"

After a long while, Jiang Chen spoke.

"I don't know... Others might be manageable, but this President Liu is truly beyond ordinary reasoning..."

Hongyun Dan Shi shook his head.

Others might be manageable, but this Liu Cheng was truly unfathomable.

Seeking a pill formula at the Pill Formula Wall, he could force the opposing alchemist to be speechless, solving problems that even a Four-Star Alchemist couldn't solve...

This ability was absolutely beyond imagination.

"Yes!"

Jiang Chen felt a wave of frustration.

He was the son of Hall Master Jiang, a genius, always full of confidence. Although he couldn't compare to the two monsters, Mo Hongyi and Mo Yu, he was still among the best of his peers.

He had thought that with hard work, he could eventually catch up to them, but only after meeting Zhang Xuan and President Liu did he understand...

There was still a huge gap between him and true geniuses.

A physician, relying on his knowledge of medicinal properties, guiding a second-star peak alchemist to refine a fourth-grade pill... if not seen with one's own eyes, anyone who heard of it would think he was crazy.

"But regardless of success or failure, from now on, no one can stop Alchemist Mu's progress. Given time, it's not impossible for him to become a fourth-star alchemist..."

Sighing, Alchemist Hongyun was full of regret.

Even if this alchemy attempt failed, the experience of personally refining a fourth-grade pill would greatly enhance Alchemist Mu's alchemy skills. Once fully absorbed, surpassing him would only be a matter of time.

It was foreseeable that in a few years, the so-called position of president would inevitably fall to the other party, not him.

If he hadn't been putting on airs earlier and deliberately declined, this opportunity might have been his. What a pity...

Opportunity comes only once, and time cannot turn back!

Regret was useless.

...

A small private room in Tianwu Academy.

Lu Chong, completely naked, opened his eyes.

He wiped the sweat flowing from his body with a towel and exhaled a mouthful of turbid breath.

"This is the fourth time I've trained..."

Looking at the remaining more than half of the medicinal powder, Lu Chong hesitated.

"The teacher said that after five sessions, the power in my body would reach its limit, and the medicine would lose its effect... From these few sessions, I can see that the effect is indeed diminishing each time. If nothing unexpected happens, after the fifth session, I'll at most have the peak strength of the Tongxuan realm. To take revenge... it's still very difficult!"

He clenched his teeth.

Teacher Liu had said that his poison body would require about five temperings to succeed.

These past few days, training day and night, resuming as soon as he recovered slightly, had indeed greatly improved his strength.

But he also discovered a problem.

That was... the effect of the poison powder was gradually weakening. Especially in the last session, the improvement was already very small, less than half of the first time.

It was foreseeable that if he continued, the effect would be even weaker, until it had no effect at all.

"If it really doesn't work... I'll use all the powder!"

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

According to the teacher's requirements, after five sessions, only about half of the poison powder would be used.

Since the effect of the fifth session was minimal, what about increasing the dosage?

"The deep hatred must be avenged. I'll risk it!"

Raising his eyebrows, Lu Chong gritted his teeth and, instead of using silver needles, directly applied all the powder to his acupoints.

Dipping a silver needle into a little powder was completely different from applying the powder directly. Even if Zhang Xuan were present, he would think Lu Chong had gone mad.

Boom!

A piercing pain instantly struck, and an intense dizziness caused Lu Chong's body to tremble violently.

"I can't die. I must take revenge. Father, mother, sister, I will definitely avenge you..."

Familiar faces surfaced in his mind one by one. With a roar, Lu Chong screamed inwardly.

Of the entire clan of one hundred and thirty-seven, only he remained. How could he die before avenging them?

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!

The potent poison seeped through the skin into his acupoints, flowing through his body. The intense pain felt like it was tearing him apart, plunging him into hell.

If the first session was hard to bear, this pain was ten times greater!

If he hadn't endured the previous sessions, he definitely couldn't have held on for even a single breath!

Even so, he felt waves of dizziness, as if he might die at any moment.

"The teacher has great expectations for me. My parents and others are waiting for me to avenge them. Persist..."

Roaring repeatedly, he bit his tongue, filling his mouth with blood.

For two years, he had trained hard, not daring to speak. For what?

Not fearing difficulties, he chose to cultivate the poison body. For what?

As long as the great revenge was not fulfilled, I, Lu Chong, cannot die!

Boom!

After an unknown period, the pain finally slowly dissipated. Lu Chong relaxed his mind, his vision went black, and he fainted.

Just after he fell unconscious, a stream of pure true energy, combined with the poison powder, slowly merged with his flesh, making his strength grow stronger and stronger.

This true energy was left in his body by Zhang Xuan when he first elevated his strength.

Without it protecting his heart meridian, no matter how strong Lu Chong's willpower was, he couldn't have withstood so much poison.

Originally, the true energy was not his own and was incompatible with his body, making fusion impossible. But for some reason, under the assault of the poison, it inexplicably entered his body, improving the activity and strength of his muscles.

His strength, which could only reach the peak of the Tongxuan realm, rapidly increased.

...

Alchemist Hongyun and Jiang Chen waited for nearly an hour before the alchemy room's door creaked open, and two figures walked out.

They were Alchemist Mu and President Liu.

Both of them were pale, their bodies seemed drained, and their clothes were soaked with sweat, looking indescribably disheveled.

"Could it be..."

Seeing them like this, the two of them felt a sinking feeling in their hearts, and a sense of foreboding arose simultaneously. They quickly hurried over.