Thirty days in the Time Hall, three days in the outside world.
Having just finished practicing his fireball technique, Lu Li stopped, panting heavily. To his delight, he found that the injuries to his four acupoints had fully healed without the slightest lingering issue.
By his calculations, the recovery speed after taking the Meridian-Nourishing Pill was more than ten times faster than natural healing. It was truly something to celebrate.
Moreover, after taking the Meridian-Nourishing Pill, he could still mobilize his True Qi during the recovery period, provided he was careful.
To sum it up, he could treat roughly four acupoints at a time. It cost him two Piercing Acupoint Pills and one Meridian-Nourishing Pill, taking only about three days in the outside world. Such a pace was exceptionally fast.
Now confident in the process, Lu Li did not want to waste any more time. He planned to enter Secluded Cultivation immediately and consume all fifty-three of his remaining Piercing Acupoint Pills.
To avoid interruptions, he specifically sought out Market Master Wan Hong'an, stating clearly that he would be entering Secluded Cultivation in the alchemy chamber to refine pills and should not be disturbed unless it was truly important.
Wan Hong'an had been worrying that Lu Li, being young and restless, might not endure the boredom and secretly run away. Hearing that Lu Li wanted to enter Secluded Cultivation to refine pills, he was overjoyed, repeatedly assuring him, "Master, please cultivate in peace. Unless absolutely necessary, I will definitely not disturb you, Master."
With that, Lu Li went into the alchemy chamber alone and shut out the affairs of the outside world.
...
Elsewhere.
"Stop chasing me! Keep pushing, and this old master will kill you all!!!"
At the edge of a dense forest, a gray-robed old man burst from the trees in a frantic sprint, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Old bastard! You dared to dig up the tomb of our Xuanjian Gate's founding ancestor. You are dead!"
"Leave behind the ancestor's relics, and we'll grant you an intact corpse! Otherwise, our Xuanjian Gate will definitely skin you alive and pull out your tendons!"
"Old dog, halt!"
Behind the old man, five or six handsome youths wearing sword-shaped badges on their chests pursued relentlessly. Their faces were dark with fury as they brandished long swords and hurled curses.
It seemed this old man had excavated their founding ancestor's grave?
Hearing this, the old man not only refused to stop but ran even faster. As he fled, he cursed inwardly, What bullshit founding ancestor? Just a little brat! How could this old master ever covet a little brat's tomb? If you keep chasing, I'm genuinely going to turn hostile!
"Turn hostile? Come on then! If you have the guts, stop and fight me, Yun Jiankong, for three hundred rounds!" the youth at the very front shouted. Slapping a high-grade Swift-Foot Talisman onto his leg, he shot forward with a whoosh, accelerating sharply after the old man.
At the same time, his sword left its scabbard, the bright blade flashing with a cold, eerie light.
Just as the long sword was about to pierce the old man from behind, a loud clang rang out. A turtle shell abruptly appeared at the old man's back, sending up a shower of sparks. The impact sent the old man staggering forward for several yards.
"Tenth level of Qi Refinement! You little brat, you better pray I don't catch you next time!" The old man's expression changed drastically. He activated his own high-grade Swift-Foot Talisman while gripping a cyan triangular flag in his right hand. With a whoosh, he vaulted into the air and flew away.
After flying for about a mile, the old man's face suddenly turned pale. With a heavy crash, he plummeted into a pile of jagged rocks.
"Hiss, that hurts like hell." The old man rubbed his backside, his face contorted in pain. Glancing back, he saw several figures speeding toward him in the distance, and his expression turned incredibly ugly.
As if suddenly remembering something, he pulled out a Storage Bag with eyes full of anticipation, silently praying, Kid, the half-month time limit has passed. If I open it now, you shouldn't feel bad anymore, right?
This Storage Bag was a parting gift from that kid named Qin Shouren the last time they separated. He had even warned, "Do not open it until half a month later, otherwise I'll feel terribly upset." Recalling the solemn look on the boy's face, the old man figured it had to be something extraordinary.
Now trapped in perilous straits, he could only pin his hopes on this.
Upon opening the Storage Bag, the old man couldn't help but frown. Inside, there was absolutely nothing besides two jade bottles.
"What is this?"
He took out one of the jade bottles and opened it. Instantly, his face twitched violently. "You crafty little brat! I was wondering how you could be so calm back then. So you already got your hands on the Earth Milk Essence!"
His heart was currently a mix of deep resentment and pure joy.
Resentful because back then, when that kid asked him to lure Zhang Song away, it was clearly just using him as bait.
Joyful because the kid had actually acted decently for once by sharing the loot.
However, this was obviously not the time to dwell on such matters. He hurriedly packed the Earth Milk Essence away with utmost care, then turned and ran for his life.
Time flew by.
The sun and moon turned.
In the blink of an eye, the scorching heat of June arrived.
On this day, the sky above the Jinyang Cultivator Market suddenly darkened with thick clouds. Thunder rumbled, signaling an impending downpour.
In truth, severe weather was not uncommon in a place like the Eastern Province. Extreme conditions appeared almost every month, but the cultivators here had long grown accustomed to it.
At this moment, five people sat around a stone table near the City Lord's Estate.
Besides Wan Hong'an, Li Xiuyun, and Jia Tong, there was also a cyan-robed old man and a persistently taciturn, gaunt middle-aged man.
Wan Hong'an was in excellent spirits despite the heavy storm clouds overhead. Three days earlier, he had finally assembled all five alchemists.
This meant he had successfully completed the assignment handed down from above. Not only could he secure his position as Market Master, but he might also receive quite a few rewards.
The cyan-robed old man, Ding Yiming, and the quiet, black-clad middle-aged man, Xue He, were the final two recruits.
"Masters, it looks like it's about to pour. How about we move inside to the main hall for a while?" Wan Hong'an suggested with a smile, glancing up at the sky.
"It seems the guide Market Master Wan mentioned won't be coming today. In that case, this old man will head back first." Li Xiuyun stood up, cupping his hands in farewell.
"Haha, I shall take my leave as well." Jia Tong also stood.
"Farewell." Ding Yiming followed suit.
Seeing this, the remaining black-clad man, Xue He, also stood up, offered a slight cupping of his hands, and departed.
Wan Hong'an took no offense.
As he rose to leave, he caught sight of a youth in dark green martial attire coming out of the alchemy tower.
"Master Qin!" Wan Hong'an waved at Lu Li from afar.
Lu Li had been just about to return to his room. Seeing Wan Hong'an calling out, he paused briefly before walking over. Approaching, he asked curiously, "Does the Market Master need something?"
"Haha, Master Qin is truly a fanatic when it comes to alchemy," Wan Hong'an said with a laugh. "It's like this: according to our agreement, the guide from that mysterious faction will arrive within the next few days to escort you all to refine pills. Please keep an ear out for them while you cultivate."
Only then did Lu Li recall his previous agreement with Wan Hong'an.
During this period of Secluded Cultivation, he had exhausted all fifty-five Piercing Acupoint Pills. At the same time, only four Meridian-Nourishing Pills remained. This upcoming trip to refine pills for that mysterious faction was the perfect opportunity to embezzle a few more Buddha-Heart Fruits for future use.
Lu Li nodded. "Understood. I won't go into Secluded Cultivation for now. When the guide arrives, just send someone to let me know, Market Master."
"That is excellent," Wan Hong'an smiled. "Would Master Qin care to join me for a cup of tea?"
"Hehe, I appreciate the Market Master's kind offer, but I have been in Secluded Cultivation for too long this time. I plan to head back and wash up properly, so I will not disturb you any further." With an apologetic smile, he took his leave.
"Truly a polite youth."
Wan Hong'an watched Lu Li's retreating figure, praising him in his heart.
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