Volume 1, Chapter 127: Second-Turn Intermediate Alchemist

"The flame's temperature is steady; perhaps I can attempt a second-tier intermediate pill." This realization sparked a sudden impulse in Ji Die.

After days of refining, he had exhausted sixty to seventy percent of the spiritual herbs in the storage bag gifted by his cheap master. Thousands of herbs remained, a chaotic assortment suitable for various pills, though he had no idea where the master had sourced them. There were thousands of types just for second-tier pills, yet he had run out of those for second-tier entry-level ones. To continue practicing, he had no choice but to attempt second-tier intermediate pills.

"With these spiritual bamboos, a second-tier intermediate pill is certainly worth a try!" Ji Die looked at the burning bamboo. Under normal circumstances, an alchemist...

However, this meant that Xiao Lin and the others had to stand out in the Gold Sun Sect’s recruitment ceremony. To catch the attention of "that person," they had to demonstrate sufficient strength and talent.

Yet, judging by the speed of its movement underwater, this was clearly not the monster that had been relentlessly hunting Wu Feng and his companion.

Feeling as though he had been cuckolded, the Sword Intent Seed’s combat power surged. Under its interference, the spiritual energy in Xiao Lin’s dantian, which had been transforming into yin and yang attributes, instantly reshaped into the form of blades.

Under the concentrated fire of the group, the Nether Crow’s outstretched wings were instantly riddled with holes, and with a dull thud, it plummeted to the ground.

A sword and a dagger pierced its skull simultaneously. The impact sent the corpse reeling, kicking up waves of blood as it not only flew backward but also knocked over another "corpse" along the way.

But as Lebo’s life ticked away day by day, Dongfang Qi felt it would be better to let him depart without regrets.

This was the first time "Duoduo" had to handle such a situation. Having no experience at all, he found it even more nerve-wracking than when Duoduo used to cry.

It was unknown how much time had passed, but once the sixteen Ice Elementals successfully advanced to the Warrior rank, Wang Mu did not hesitate to push them toward the next stage of advancement.

At the very least, her husband, Bai Yichen, had done something useful for her so far.

***

A sudden gust of wind swept through the space. It felt familiar, as if it were still beneath the wind, but no matter how it postured, this place no longer belonged to that domain.

Yan Hongchen’s eyes turned cold instantly. In his life, he detested nothing more than people speaking to him in such a tone. If anyone ever did, they were usually already crippled by his hand.

The group of Qiu family cultivators, having been subdued by Yan Hongchen, walked through the Qiu family gates in a wretched state.

It is evident that the masses, while seemingly full of suggestions and ideas, often do not even wish to respect their own mothers, driven purely by selfishness.

With a shrill roar, the Saint Lord who had taken Yan Hongchen’s punch head-on suffered ruptured internal organs, coughing up a mouthful of black blood mixed with viscera.

For the past dozen years, she had lived a carefree life, surrounded by wealth and the love of her parents. There were many things in this world she was attached to, but very few regrets.

Before proceeding, however, he needed to collect as many techniques as possible that were compatible with his own divine abilities. Only with sufficient accumulation could he find the path that suited him.

Although Teacher Li did not teach the music from the textbooks, she taught popular songs, which the students found much easier to accept.

Teacher Ma did not delay this matter for long; after the six o’clock self-study session, he returned to his dormitory.

"All right, I don't need you here for now. Go to the vegetable garden and cut some banana and palm leaves; we will need them shortly," Old Zhang said gently.

The butcher crawled out of the pigsty with difficulty, his feet caked in mud and water, with Old Man Zhang following close behind.

Qin Tianyin found it hard to refuse, though she had no suitable ideas of her own. She decided to name their army the Divine Machine Battalion, just like in the Ming Dynasty.

Cui Dafu picked up a piece of exquisite, blood-red jade pendant, turning it over and over. He waved it back and forth in front of Liang Chen, but Liang Chen did not even bother to look up.

The hall was filled with Later Jin officers, all men with an excess of testosterone. Once they heard Dorgon’s words, their eyes lit up, and the oppressive atmosphere of their previous repeated failures vanished in an instant.

***

This rhythm and flow were primarily intended to tell the wealthy: if you don’t attend such an unprecedented and elegant event, what kind of rich person are you? Any wealthy person with a shred of self-respect could not afford to miss a trip to Xu County. Modern times have moral kidnapping; He Gu was playing at "reputation kidnapping."

*Smack!* Lie Ri lashed out with his whip. Zi Huang’s speed surged as he dodged; the onlookers’ eyes blurred, and before they could grasp what happened, Zi Huang was only ten paces away from Lie Ri. It was already too late for the long whip to retract.

Every year, the Holy Mountain would send people down to select suitable candidates from various countries to bring back as disciples.

When Kong Yingda learned of such a large piece of rhinoceros horn incense, he nearly died of excitement, as the Ministry of Rites’ remaining stock was about to run out.

*Ring-ring!* That day, Lin Jie was resting on the sofa. Unable to find a breakthrough, he felt helpless and could only focus on practicing the Fisherman’s Eight Styles, which surprisingly led to significant progress.

He had originally planned to report to the Ministry of War before returning to the Cao residence to call on Lin Ping and Wang Dahu, and after bidding farewell to Old Madam Cao, head to the barracks. He had not expected Zhang Baoxiang to lead the way personally, so he had to head straight to the camp.

Duan Lang felt a surge of excitement upon hearing this. In the past, he might have offered himself up, but this journey into the martial arts world was meant to cultivate the mindset of "seeing beauty as not beauty"—the Buddhist concept of "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

Lin Fei watched the viewers in his livestream discussing the systems of the apocalyptic world, debating whether, if Lin Fei were to build a nation, it should be based on equality or hierarchy.

However, Ye Xingchen did not complain about the injustice of heaven. Instead, he felt a sense of relief; this second life had blessed him with the best father in the world, and starting over allowed him to better grasp the mysteries of martial arts.

Mysterious formations were rarely seen in the Taihuang Domain. Ye Wushuang had only seen the teleportation array in the underground palace and the Heaven-Piercing Sword Array in the Barbarian God’s arena, and he did not know much about them.

This manifestation of the monarch possessed only one-millionth of his true strength. If they could not defeat even this fraction while united, how could they dare call themselves geniuses?

This was because Ye Xingchen was well-versed in the *Sixteen Biographies of the Pill Emperor* and could perform the fire-control techniques of that master from five hundred years ago with lifelike precision.