After returning to the Tiegu Sect, Jun Changxiao had been constantly pondering how to obtain large quantities of medicinal materials to refine the four types of elixirs.
Needless to say, the Low-Grade Healing Pills—the more of these, the better. Even if he couldn’t use them all, he could sell them to make a hefty profit.
Low-Grade Body Tempering Pills and Qi Gathering Pills—one strengthened the physical body, the other increased cultivation speed. These were essential items for any martial artist, so naturally, the more the better.
The Qi Spiral Pills were even more impressive.
With them, disciples could easily open their twelve meridians and advance to Wutu effortlessly.
If all four types of elixirs were available in endless supply, it would mean being unkillable while also enabling rapid breakthroughs!
“No good, no good.”
Jun Changxiao said, “I must find medicinal materials as soon as possible. Even if I can’t mass-produce them, I should at least refine a hundred or so of each first.”
Huyang City—he had to go!
He didn’t set off immediately. Instead, he opened the Alchemy Pavilion interface and refined four batches of Healing Pills, three batches of Body Tempering Pills, and one batch of Qi Gathering Pills.
“Low-Grade Body Tempering Pills—each person can only take one, any more won’t have any effect. I’ll give them to Qianqian, Qingyang, and the others first.”
The Tiegu Sect had over a hundred disciples. Jun Changxiao couldn’t cover everyone for now, so he could only prioritize the few disciples who had joined earlier.
…
“Sect Master, what is this?”
Li Qingyang held the Low-Grade Body Tempering Pill, which was about the size of a grape, with a puzzled expression.
Jun Changxiao said, “This is a Body Tempering Pill. After taking it, it can strengthen your meridians and physical body. The effects are very significant.”
Li Qingyang’s eyes widened.
In his understanding, physical body strengthening mostly relied on cultivation methods and hard training. The idea of pills causing such changes was truly hard to believe.
He opened his mouth and swallowed it.
The pill dissolved upon entering his mouth. The medicinal essence merged into his body, instantly forming streams of special energy that permeated his entire being.
Very quickly, Li Qingyang clearly felt his blood, meridians, and every inch of his skin undergoing transformation as his physical body’s strength continuously increased!
When the transformation was complete, he went to the training room and punched the testing machine, which displayed a force of 3,000 pounds.
This was pure physical strength without using spiritual power. His previous test showed 2,500 pounds—after taking the Body Tempering Pill, it had directly increased by 500!
“Incredible!” Li Qingyang exclaimed in shock.
Su Xiaomo also came to test after taking his pill.
At the twelfth stage of Meridian Opening, without using spiritual power, he delivered a punch of 2,000 pounds—about 200 more than before.
“Bang!”
Su Xiaomo kicked again, and his force measured 2,500 pounds.
Sure enough, during this period of playing Happy Soccer, both his leg strength and footwork had improved considerably, far surpassing his punching power.
Ordinary cultivators at the twelfth stage of Meridian Opening typically had strength around 1,500 pounds. For Su Xiaomo, whose aptitude wasn’t high, to break through to 2,000 pounds showed that the Body Tempering Pills and tempering machine were very effective.
Lu Qianqian also took a Body Tempering Pill. Though shocked internally, she showed no outward reaction and didn’t go to the testing machine to measure her strength.
What a cool and aloof young lady indeed.
“Qingyang.”
Jun Changxiao ordered, “Have the disciples enter the tempering room and spiritual power array in batches to achieve comprehensive and balanced improvement.”
“Yes.”
…
*You are my little apple,*
*Just like the most beautiful clouds in the sky.*
*Spring has come again, flowers blooming all over the hillside.*
*Plant hope and you will reap…*
In the early morning, the speakers played the divine song “Little Apple.” To the energetic rhythm, the Tiegu Sect disciples spontaneously arranged themselves in neat rows and danced along with the beat.
Ye Xingchen was among them.
His steps were stiff, his movements disconnected, wearing an expression of utter life despair.
After morning exercises, the refreshed disciples, under Second Senior Brother’s arrangements, either entered the tempering room or the spiritual power array to begin a brand new day of cultivation.
Jun Changxiao finished eating breakfast in the cafeteria and was about to leave for Huyang City when he heard a “bang!” The vermilion main gate flew past him and shattered in the training ground. [Friendly reminder: The sect-protecting array isn’t necessarily activated every day.]
My gate…
“Stomp!” Ma Yongning strode over, his face covered in green and purple bruises, his entire body covered in dust, roaring, “Who carried me away!”
“Damn it!”
Jun Changxiao charged forward in large strides, spiritual power flooding into his fists as he delivered a barrage of punches and kicks to this wandering blade master.
“What did my gate ever do to you? You kick it every time you come!”
…
“Clang clang!”
At noon, in the training ground, Ma Yongning, his head covered in bumps stacked upon bumps, wielded a small hammer, repairing the vermilion gate that had split in half.
“Hiss!”
Without paying attention, he touched his sore muscles, making him suck in cold air from the pain.
“I’m a dignified blade master—how can I do such menial work!” Ma Yongning’s eyes flashed with fury. Suddenly, he threw down the hammer, grabbed his blade, and charged toward the gate.
“Li Fei!”
“Yes, Senior Brother!”
The disciple called Li Fei put down the Happy Soccer ball, locked onto the escaping Ma Yongning, and executed a powerful shot kick. The ball shot out explosively.
“Whoosh—”
“Hm?”
Ma Yongning sensed something wrong and looked back. With a bang, the Happy Soccer ball blasted into his face, and his entire body fell backward.
What an excellent one-hundred-percent guaranteed face-block finishing technique!!
Su Xiaomo walked over, dragging him by one foot back to the training ground, saying, “Before the Sect Master left, he said if you don’t fix the gate, don’t even think about leaving the Tiegu Sect.”
“Damn… it…”
Ma Yongning was furious beyond measure, but could only rub his face, pick up the hammer, and continue repairing the gate.
…
Huyang City.
Sect Master Jun stood on the bustling main street, inhaling the medicinal herb scent permeating the air, and sighed, “Truly worthy of being called the City of Medicinal Materials!”
As one of the eight cities in Qingyang Commandery, Huyang City primarily dealt in elixirs and medicinal materials. Within the city, the Ai Family was an established old medicinal shop.
Without time to tour the city’s uniquely styled architectural complex, Jun Changxiao asked passersby for directions, then set off for the medicinal materials market.
He’d definitely come to the right place!
Just browsing one medicinal materials shop, he gathered five batches of Healing Pill materials alone.
The medicinal materials market had at least several dozen herb shops, which delighted Jun Changxiao immensely as he went from shop to shop, continuously buying various elixir-refining materials.
After half an hour of browsing and tallying everything up: 20 batches of Healing Pills, 5 batches of Body Tempering Pills, 4 batches of Qi Gathering Pills, and 2 batches of Qi Spiral Pills!
Huyang City, renowned throughout Qingyang Commandery as the City of Medicinal Materials, was indeed much stronger than Qingyang City in terms of medicinal herbs. However, this quantity still didn’t satisfy Jun Changxiao, so he had no choice but to enter the market’s largest establishment—the Ai Family Medicinal Materials Shop!
“Young master, what do you need?”
As soon as he entered the medicinal shop, a sharp-witted shop attendant approached him.
Jun Changxiao scanned the shelves filled with a dazzling array of goods inside and said, “Call your shop’s manager out. I have big business to discuss.”
Big business?
The attendant hurried to notify the manager in the inner courtyard.
Soon, a portly middle-aged man emerged, cupping his hands with a smile. “I am Ma Zheng, the medicinal shop’s manager. May I ask who you are?”
Jun Changxiao placed a medicinal herb in the medicine basket and clasped his hands behind his back. “Sect Master of the Tiegu Zhengzheng Sect.”
Manager Ma exclaimed in shock, “You’re Jun Changxiao!”
Seeing his expression, Sect Master Jun surmised that the other party must have heard about the major events he’d accomplished during this time.
Alas.
I’m no longer an ordinary person now—just announcing my identity can frighten people.
Manager Ma’s expression darkened as he shouted, “You beat up our Young Master Ai and still dare to come to the medicinal shop? You have quite the guts! Men, seize him!”
“Swish! Swish!”
A group of enforcers immediately rushed out from the inner courtyard, instantly surrounding Jun Changxiao. The corner of his mouth twitched as he thought to himself, “This… this plot isn’t right, is it?”
—