She thought Chen Ye was a kind-hearted person—although he had once refused to save a dying person, he never sought revenge for past grievances.
But now, Lin Qiongyu finally understood how utterly wrong she had been.
The man before her was no benevolent soft-hearted saint!
"Qiongyu, I understand now..."
...
Within the courtyard, peace was restored.
"Master, why do you insist on forcing Sister Qiongyu?"
Qing Jun stared at Lin Qiongyu’s desolate silhouette and couldn’t help but ask.
Master’s demeanor just now was just like those bullies!
Chen Ye looked at the little girl: "Do you think Master is a bad person?"
"Huh?"
The little girl tilted her small face, first contemplating in confusion, then her eyes lit up,
"If Master is a bad person, does that mean Qing Jun can also be a bad person?"
Chen Ye was stunned into silence by her peculiar logic.
However, he felt a sense of relief in his heart.
It seemed, in Qing Jun’s heart, no matter what, she always stood by his side.
Chen Ye reached out, pinched the little girl’s chubby cheek, and scolded: "What nonsense are you saying! Even if Master is a bad person, Qing Jun must not be!"
"That’s not fair!" the little girl protested indistinctly, even as her little face was pinched by her master, she glared at him indignantly.
"Master is the greatest fairness!"
Chen Ye picked up the small girl and tossed her onto the bed in the next room.
"Yikes?"
The black furry ball that was pretending to sleep, eavesdropping on the noises next door, was caught off guard, getting dazed by the sudden impact of the little junior.
"Senior sister, help Qing Jun! Master is picking on Qing Jun!"
The little girl saw her senior sister was awake and quickly snuggled into her blanket, complaining with puffed cheeks to her senior sister.
"...He...he won’t listen to me!" the older girl said gloomily.
"So bad, Master is too disobedient!"
Filled with righteous indignation, the little girl felt that listening to her senior sister was the most natural thing in the world!
Why wouldn’t Master listen?
Master was getting more and more willful now!
The little girl rolled her eyes and whispered into her senior sister’s ear: "Senior sister, if you do this and that, then Master will listen to you, right?"
The older girl was shocked: "Why should I do that!"
"But this way, Master will listen to you!"
"Who cares about that..."
"Do you really not care?"
"Really."
"Stare..."
"...I’ll try it once, but if it doesn’t work, I’ll forget it." Finally, she added, "I’m doing this for Qing Jun..."
"Qing Jun understands." The little girl squinted her eyes.
"You don’t understand!!" the older girl snapped inexplicably cross.
...
After one matter was settled, Chen Ye focused all his thoughts on alchemy.
Now, even though he had already broken through to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, in the Market, he could be considered a notable figure with cultivation alone.
But only Foundation Establishment Cultivators are regarded as the top of the Market!
Since the Pill Barrier was completely removed, Chen Ye no longer feared future repercussions and could continue consuming pills.
"But...if I consume too many lower or middle-grade pills, the Pill Barrier will eventually return, perhaps even more severe than before..."
Chen Ye deliberated for a moment, took out the Hundred Herbs Furnace, and glanced at the panel:
[Qi Nourishing Pill Great Success: 180/200]
Unbeknownst to him, the proficiency of Qi Nourishing Pill had accumulated to Great Success, almost reaching Perfection.
Now, when he concocted a batch of Qi Nourishing Pills, he could consistently produce half of them as Upper Grade!
Yet, Top Grade pills had never appeared.
"In the Cultivation Realm, it’s always rare for Top Grade pills to be available. It’s said that only the top-tier Alchemists can make them; such pills have negligible side effects..."
Chen Ye took a deep breath, dispelling all distractions, his mind completely immersed in alchemy.
He took out the various Spirit Grass needed to craft the Qi Nourishing Pill, his actions smooth as flowing water, without a hint of hesitation.
Ignite the flame, warm the furnace, add the herbs, refine the essence...
Every step, he had repeated thousands of times, and it was ingrained in his heart.
But this time, his mindset was vastly different from before.
After his Divine Sense breakthrough, he perceived the changes of Spiritual Power and the fusion of medicinal properties within the pill furnace with unprecedented clarity!
"Still not enough..."
A flash of insight crossed Chen Ye’s eyes.
He changed his technique to the Jade Pointing Hand he obtained from Danxia Peak, a Superior alchemy method, and he had now broken through to the Realm of Great Success!
Time slowly passed amidst the monotony of alchemy.
When the last trace of medicinal fragrance completely condensed within the pill furnace.
Chen Ye’s eyes glistened, his hand forming a spell, and he shouted in a low voice:
"Open!"
The furnace lid responded, rising, and a rich, pure medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire Quiet Chamber!
It was done!
Joy filled Chen Ye’s heart; he fixed his gaze on the furnace, and despite his usual calm disposition, he couldn’t help but gasp.
At the bottom of the furnace lay ten pills.
Each one was plump and smooth, shimmering with Spiritual Light, even surrounded by faint pill clouds!
Incredibly, a batch of ten, all Upper Grade!
[Qi Nourishing Pill Perfection: 1/500]
"It’s perfect!"
Just as Chen Ye was about to collect these Upper Grade pills, his gaze suddenly froze.
He noticed, amidst the nine Upper Grade pills gleaming with dewy white light, there was one distinctly different.
Not only was it surrounded by pill clouds, but it also had a fine golden pill pattern!
The pill pattern was ancient and profound as if it contained the ultimate truth of the universe. Just a single glance brought Chen Ye a sense of utter delight and ease!
"Is this...the legendary Top Grade pill?"
Cautiously, Chen Ye took it out of the furnace, his blood racing.
He thought he would have to wait until a Limit Break to possibly craft a Top Grade pill.
And this meant that Chen Ye could henceforth continue consuming pills without restraint!