The events in Wenzhe City had concluded, and Du Youqian found his perspective shifting.
He once planned to lie low and live a quiet, stable life in the Zhongxuan Sect.
He would lie low until he reached Foundation Establishnt, lie low until his Cultivation Techniques reached Tier Three, and lie low until he beca a Vice Hall Master, then a Hall Master. Finally, he would pass away peacefully with a smile as the Sect’s Supre Elder and begin his next life.
But now, he had made up his mind. ’If I can’t change my circumstances, if I can’t change my fate as an "Alchemy Machine" and an "Artifact Refining Machine," then I might as well stir things up, strive for a higher evaluation, and start the next ga with a better Spirit Root as soon as possible.’
’Even if I’m still doing Alchemy, wouldn’t doing it for a Second-class Sect like the Chongzhen Sect be infinitely better than doing it for a Fourth-class Sect?’
He placed the fragnted Jade Scroll from Cultivator Geng into his Storage Treasure Pouch, then took out the one Chen Yingzhi had given him.
Holding it in his hand, he focused his senses and once again perceived the contents of the Jade Scroll.
A Pill Formula.
A Secret Technique.
A piece of information.
The Pill Formula was for the Celestial Demon Sacrifice Pill.
Du Youqian had once seen notes describing this Pill Formula in the Zhongxuan Sect’s Collection Room.
As a Tier Two Middle Grade Elixir, its refining difficulty was on par with that of a Tier Two Upper Grade one.
The required Spiritual dicines and Treasures were so expensive that even many Tier Two Top Grade Elixirs paled in comparison.
Its effect was incredibly potent, befitting its price.
It could temporarily boost the cultivation of any Cultivator below the Golden Core realm.
For instance, it could temporarily raise soone from the Foundation Establishnt Middle Stage to the Foundation Establishnt Late Stage.
Or, one could jump from Qi Refining Perfection to the Foundation Establishnt Early Stage.
Of course, its side effects were also extrely severe.
It would severely drain the Cultivator’s lifespan and exhaust their potential.
In the Demon Sects, this elixir was typically treated as a strategic resource. During large-scale battles, it was given to disciples at Qi Refining Perfection whose potential was already exhausted, thereby creating hordes of cannon fodder at the Foundation Establishnt Early Stage.
Du Youqian had wanted to acquire this Pill Formula for a long ti.
After all, it would be extrely useful to him.
But in his previous life, as a Registered Disciple of the Chongzhen Sect, he had been little better than a Loose Cultivator. He was constantly broke and simply couldn’t afford the Pill Formula, which sold for at least twenty thousand Spirit Stones.
In this life, as a True Inheritor, he didn’t lack for Spirit Stones. Twenty thousand Spirit Stones would still be a major blow, but he could scrape it together if he had to.
But since joining the Zhongxuan Sect, he had never left the Sect’s Blessed Land and had no opportunity to seek out the Pill Formula.
He never expected it would now fall right into his lap.
The Secret Technique was the "Reverse Blood Qi Transformation Technique."
As a fully enhanced version of the "Blood Burning Art," it burned Essence Blood to grant an even greater boost in power for a longer duration. Of course, the cost to one’s lifespan was also far more terrifying.
This was a closely guarded secret of the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect. While slightly inferior to the Holy Blood Sect’s "Red Blood Seven Transitions Technique," it was still a Top Grade secret technique for explosive power.
The Blood Burning Art could still be found for sale in so of the more resourceful shops in the Marketplace.
But the Reverse Blood Qi Transformation Technique and the Red Blood Seven Transitions Technique had never appeared in any Marketplace.
Even if a shop had them, they wouldn’t dare sell them openly.
They would only be traded secretly, at most.
Otherwise, did they think the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect and the Holy Blood Sect were pushovers?
The Pill Formula for the Celestial Demon Sacrifice Pill and the "Reverse Blood Qi Transformation Technique" alone made Du Youqian feel he had gotten a trendous bargain.
As for the piece of information, it concerned a Marketplace located sowhere in the Yu Kun Mountains.
It stated that sowhere in that Marketplace, there was a shop that openly sold items like Spirit Plants and Spirit Tea, but secretly also sold intelligence.
Du Youqian pondered the hidden implications of this information for a mont. He could guess a thing or two, but for now, he simply smiled and set the thought aside.
「Another month later.」
Things in Wenzhe City gradually cald down.
With the mbers of the Wei Wen Alliance gone, the various factions in the city were overjoyed.
The Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect only needed to station a few Registered Disciples with low Cultivation to continuously harvest the precious resource of Mortals born with Spirit Roots.
At the sa ti, their various businesses generated a constant stream of revenue, which was converted into Cultivation resources and funneled back to the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect.
The City Lord and administrators at all levels received sufficient tribute. And with no one from the Wei Wen Alliance left to oppose the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentnts Sect, there was far less conflict in the city. On the surface, the city appeared more harmonious and peaceful.
For a ti, Wenzhe City even seed to be flourishing.
But beneath this flourishing facade, how many parents wept for their lost children? How many tornted souls had sold themselves into damnation to save their families? How many once-prosperous households had been driven to bankruptcy by the Runhe Comrce Association, plunging them into destitution...
...It was impossible to say.
Du Youqian knew he was no savior. He couldn’t change any of it.
And so, in his sixth month as Garrison of Wenzhe City, he requested to be relieved of his duties and return to the Sect.
The Sect was full of praise for his performance over the past six months, even rewarding him with a precious Dragon Kui Purple Extre Pill.
This elixir was an enhanced version of the Five-Flower Qi Storage Pill and could also be considered a side-effect-free version of the Snow Wormwood Yang Supplent Pill.
For him, at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, a single pill was enough to let him break through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer in a short amount of ti.
If he continued to take them, reaching Qi Refining Perfection within a few years would be no problem at all.
The elixir was excellent, of course, but Du Youqian had never considered it before. It had one major drawback: it was expensive.
Its refining materials were rather rare, making the elixir extrely costly.
He had calculated that, accounting for diminishing returns, reaching Qi Refining Perfection by consuming Dragon Kui Purple Extre Pills would cost him at least 200,000 Spirit Stones, given his Spirit Root’s quality.
Of course, a transaction of that size would almost certainly be conducted using Spiritual Jade. 200,000 Spirit Stones was equivalent to about 2,000 Spiritual Jade.
That much Spiritual Jade was enough to buy several Foundation Establishnt Pills!
Even as a True Inheritor of the Zhongxuan Sect, he couldn’t afford to be so extravagant.
However, from what the Sect Leader said, the plan was to assign him so low-risk Sect missions. In tandem, his Alchemy and Artifact Refining quotas would be increased, and using this as a pretext, they would reward him with a steady supply of Dragon Kui Purple Extre Pills.
It would be enough for him to advance all the way to Qi Refining Perfection.
This was, in truth, quite generous treatnt.
If Yang Zaisi or Pei Guangming had received such treatnt back in the day, they likely would have been moved enough to pledge their very lives in gratitude.
Du Youqian, however, staunchly refused to be manipulated.
As a True Inheritor, all he wanted to do was lie flat and take it easy.
After speaking separately with the Sect Leader, his Master, and Master Xia, Du Youqian had abandoned any hope of resolving the matter peacefully.
He understood now that it was impossible.
The Sect would not just let him be.
His quotas for Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Talisman Making would only increase, never decrease.
In truth, there were two sides to the story.
From the Sect’s perspective, they had invested a trendous price—vast resources, status, and power—all to cultivate a disciple who showed promise in reaching Tier Three Cultivation Techniques and could help the Sect achieve a higher class ranking.
If the Sect could be promoted to the Third Class, their investnt in Du Youqian would yield a tenfold return.
However, while Du Youqian had a seventy percent chance of becoming a Tier Three master, it wasn’t a certainty.
Who could guarantee that nothing would go wrong?
To avoid a total loss on their investnt, having Du Youqian refine a certain number of Elixirs, Magical Artifacts, and Talismans for the Sect each month was only natural. It was a way for the Sect to slowly recoup its investnt.
Besides, it also allowed Du Youqian to improve his own skills. It was a win-win situation.
Du Youqian wasn’t a child; he could naturally understand and appreciate their position.
But understanding and appreciating their position was one thing; now that the Sect’s demands were harming his own interests, he was naturally unwilling to comply.
’If I continue to waste my ti like this, what will happen to the evaluation for this life?’
’Ten reincarnations weren’t a few, but they weren’t that many, either.’
’I have to make every life count, improve my Spirit Root, and seize every opportunity to accumulate strength.’
But betraying or fleeing the Sect wasn’t realistic. The risks were too high.
’Then the only option left is to reincarnate.’
’Even if it ans letting down the Sect after they’ve invested so many resources in .’
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