Stealing Immortal

Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Tier Four

「Several days passed.」

Chen Qingyang had been on edge, but he never encountered Leng Yueru again. He and Liu Tao also rarely discussed matters concerning the Profound Light Association.

It was as if the whole affair had blown over—at least, from his perspective.

In the small courtyard, the morning light was perfect. It scattered through the sparse branches of the large locust tree, making it seem like a dead tree finding new life in spring, veiled in a layer of golden gauze.

The roof tiles on all the small houses were old, covered with moss, black grime, and an assortment of chips and cracks. The scene somehow lacked Immortal Qi; at least, this was not how an Immortal Family’s home should look.

Zhang Ping and Li Sheng had long since lost that initial sense of novelty about the place. They seemed to be gradually realizing that even though they had entered an Immortal Sect, the Immortals themselves remained a distant dream.

No matter the circumstances, life always settled into a quiet routine: go to work, eat, sleep... All desires eventually boiled down to the most basic need: survival.

"I... have some news about Junior Sister Lin!"

The moment he spoke, Li Sheng practically dropped what he was doing and rushed over. Zhang Ping, though still holding a rag, pricked up his ears.

"The situation... isn’t looking good." Chen Qingyang knew he had to be honest.

"What?!" Li Sheng’s face fell, his anxiety plain to see. "Senior Brother Chen, what’s wrong?"

"From what I know, the Dharma Gate cultivated by Zhang Wenyuan’s faction is not kind to Miscellaneous Task disciples. Quite a few young people under him have met an early end. I don’t know what will happen to Junior Sister Lin now that she has joined them, but I’m not optimistic."

Li Sheng’s face turned ashen. He shrank to one side and fell silent. Zhang Ping spoke up, "According to the Sect’s rules, do we Miscellaneous Task disciples have any choice in the matter?"

Chen Qingyang nodded, confirming the answer Zhang Ping already knew in his heart.

"Sigh!" Zhang Ping punched his own palm, hard. "I’m starting to understand. In the eyes of these Immortals who have entered the Dao, we’re just mere mortals... No, we’re ants... When I was young, I heard stories about Immortals fighting in the mountains. The battle affected half a village, but when have they ever shown any pity..."

After a few words of complaint, Zhang Ping trailed off. He had endured many hardships and knew that complaining was useless.

Just then, Li Sheng looked up. "Senior Brother Zhang, only by cultivating diligently ourselves will they learn what respect is. Only when we’re holding a sword to their throats one day will they know fear. Sigh... but there’s no use in us talking about this!"

Zhang Ping agreed. "You’re right, it’s useless. If I ever reach that stage, I’ll never slaughter the innocent like they do. A farmer’s life is a life, too!"

He gritted his teeth, as if making some grand vow.

Chen Qingyang watched the two youths, sensing the terrifying passage of time.

Many of the youths he had seen arrive here were full of passion and had pure, innocent hearts. But gradually, they would turn into someone like Liu Jinyuan or Lü Yunshen. The ones who changed faster became like Xu Yong. Those who could resist the corrupting influence of the world were never ordinary people.

"I think... you two should focus on your work first," he said. "If you don’t even do this properly, you’ll inevitably be punished. How can you even speak of the illusory and ethereal Immortal Dao!"

Ignoring whatever the two youths behind him were thinking, Chen Qingyang walked step by step toward the Golden Summit.

「In Liu Tao’s Alchemy Room.」

He sat behind the round table, his eyes narrowed in thought.

[Tier Two Yang Replacement Powder: (192/200)]

He had focused most of his energy on the Yang Replacement Powder these past few days, so his progress had been quite rapid. Coupled with the fact that he had never encountered a bottleneck at Tier Two, he was now just a hair’s breadth from Tier Three. ’The breakthrough should happen today.’

Having finished his contemplation, he began to process the ingredients.

Liu Tao immediately noticed the much larger quantity, but she didn’t ask, simply watching him quietly.

Chen Qingyang mentally reviewed the experience he had accumulated over the past few days. After going over the ingredients one more time, he finally put them into the Alchemy Furnace.

He then drew upon the Six Paths of Golden Qi from his Dantian for support, letting it erupt from his palms in an instant. He used his superior Perception Power, extending it like fine threads to sense the changes inside the Pill Furnace, while his powerful Fire Control Skill maintained the optimal conditions at all times.

’I can afford to waste a little more time. The elixir’s medicinal properties can be slightly weaker, and I can even waste a few more ingredients, but I absolutely cannot fail to produce a pill.’ This was a momentum born of riding the wave of success. Ever since his body had become younger, this feeling had grown more pronounced, allowing him to handle many things with ease. If this momentum were broken, however, it would take a very long time to get it back.

Time ticked by, minute by minute. Chen Qingyang sat as still as a stone statue.

Outside the Alchemy Room, the wind rose and fell. The sun climbed to its zenith and began to dip toward the western mountains before this batch of elixirs finally started to show results.

Liu Tao squinted at the Pill Furnace. She saw a thick, golden powder settle inside, stacking up layer by layer. In her experience, this batch of Tier Three Yang Replacement Powder was a success.

Without a word, she watched Chen Qingyang use flames to congeal the pill and the golden powder to form beads, entering the final "Late Fire" stage.

At this moment, Liu Tao was right beside Chen Qingyang, her gaze also fixed on the inside of the Pill Furnace. "It’s... almost done."

Chen Qingyang remained silent, focusing all his effort on the "Late Fire." About an hour passed. It was completely dark outside when he finally stopped and stretched his stiff muscles.

Even among Tier Three Elixirs, the Yang Replacement Powder was far more complex than the Qi-Introducing Pill. This batch had truly drained his mental energy.

A fusion of gold and fire, a scorching aura still lingering on its surface—Liu Tao already had the pill in her palm. "Not bad, you. This is worth two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones. Once you can produce three in one batch, that’ll be seven hundred fifty..."

Her smile was sly, giving her the distinct air of a profiteering merchant.

Chen Qingyang’s mouth was dry from the effort. He sat down at the round table and drank a cup of tea. Liu Tao followed him, cradling the elixir. "Was my math right?"

"Yes, very right. Then, Senior Sister, do you think my alchemy is fast?"

Liu Tao’s face bloomed into a smile as she heaped praise on him. "Fast? Of course, it’s fast! If it weren’t for you, I’d still be an old woman, laughed at by all those vulgar, shameless people!"

Hearing her affirmation, Chen Qingyang pressed on, "I can be even faster, but I need you to keep a secret for me, Senior Sister. It must be a secret just between the two of us. You cannot tell anyone else!"

"Oh, my!" Liu Tao’s face flushed slightly. "You little rascal. Is this the first secret we’ve shared?"

Just as she was basking in the rosy, flirtatious atmosphere, Chen Qingyang’s next words utterly shocked her. "Senior Sister, allow me to rest for a moment. After that, I will attempt to refine the Tier Four Yang Replacement Powder. Also, please prepare more ingredients over the next few days. That way, I can get that Flying Sword back for you sooner."

He had just broken through to Tier Three, and now he was aiming for Tier Four. The gap between the two tiers was immense; some people were stuck there for a lifetime. "You... you can’t be joking, right?"

"Senior Sister, I am certainly not joking."

Liu Tao fell silent for a moment, looking at Chen Qingyang with a strange expression. "Tell me, are you sure you’re not some Golden Core True Monarch who’s awakened with Innate Wisdom? Otherwise, how could a golden phoenix like you fly out of a chicken coop like the Four Golden Peaks?"

It was only natural for her to find this incredible. Chen Qingyang gave a wry smile. "Senior Sister, you just called this place a chicken coop. Would a noble Golden Core True Monarch really choose to be reincarnated here?"

This made Liu Tao fall silent again. "That’s true... Heh heh... Look at me, I’m getting muddled. Junior Brother, you’re so talented, Foundation Establishment is a certainty for you. You might even become a..." She pointed upward. "A Golden Core True Monarch!"

As she laughed, she couldn’t stop grinning, her mind suddenly filled with all sorts of wonderful possibilities.

"Senior Sister, I only said I would try. Whether I succeed or not is another matter. For now, I need to meditate and recover my True Essence."

Liu Tao quickly said, "Right, go over there. I won’t disturb you!"

She pointed to the spot behind the curtain where she usually meditated.

Chen Qingyang did not refuse. "Alright."

After sitting down, he did not immediately begin his breathing exercises. Instead, he summoned the small golden characters to float before his eyes.

[Tier Three Yang Replacement Powder: (1/800)]

’The progress cap for Tier Two Yang Replacement Powder was 200, but reaching Tier Four requires 800. I currently have 1,132 Immortal Seedlings. Even if I used them all on my Cultivation, I’d still be a bit short of a breakthrough. Besides, if I did break through, my appearance would surely change, and it would become difficult to hide my Qi Mechanism.’

’The current situation is a struggle between Foundation Establishment Masters, so what’s the use of me breaking through? I might as well use the seedlings on my alchemy. If I can produce a batch of three Tier Four Elixirs every day, that’s three thousand Spirit Stones. In a month, that would be ninety thousand. I could get Liu Tao any kind of Flying Sword she wanted.’

He had already thought this through clearly, so he no longer hesitated. Chen Qingyang took out eight hundred and fifty Immortal Seedlings and applied them all to the elixir’s progress. This would be enough to produce three pills per batch.

As for the rest, he didn’t save them. He invested them all into the Great Soul Scripture. The benefits of a powerful Divine Soul were self-evident, and it would also be a great help in his alchemy.

After taking care of these matters, Chen Qingyang finally began to meditate and recover his strength. He was now using the One-Origin Sword, so the Qi Mechanism he exuded was naturally different from that of the Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique. Fortunately, Liu Tao already knew about this and didn’t find it strange.

Although the private transmission of a Cultivation Technique was a major crime in the Tai Xu Sect, the One-Origin Sword Cloud Manual was available at the Cloud Scripture Jade Pavilion. He wouldn’t have to say Li Qianxue had taught him; he could plausibly claim to have requested it himself.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes again, he felt the Golden Qi in his Dantian was abundant and his energy was fully restored.

As for Liu Tao, she seemed to have been watching him with excitement the entire time. "Go for it, Junior Brother! Just try not to blow up your Senior Sister’s Pill Furnace. I can handle anything else!"

Little did she know, Chen Qingyang already wore the expression of someone holding a winning hand. "Senior Sister, I’m actually a bit curious. If I produce one batch of Tier Four Yang Replacement Powder every day, will your accumulated Merit be enough to exchange for the ingredients?"

As expected, Liu Tao was full of doubt. "Even if you’re special, you can’t be *that* fast, can you?"

Fine. It was better to refine the elixir and let the results speak for themselves.

Two hours had passed by the time he finished processing all the ingredients. When Chen Qingyang sat down and began the alchemy, the heat radiating from the Pill Furnace was so intense it made Liu Tao, who stood beside him, a little frantic. She didn’t dare to rest, constantly using her own techniques to dissipate the scorching heat.

Little by little, bit by bit, a subtle change was taking place inside the Pill Furnace!

When the "Late Fire" stage ended, she saw the Tier Four Elixirs inside. It wasn’t one, but three, all perfectly formed.

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