"Ah!!! Fresh air, at last!" Chen Zigang screamed after coming out from the dungeon, where he spent a night without worry. Needless to say, Chen Tu followed him closely but didn't behave as freely as Chen Zigang.
After all, he was a mere servant while they were still inside the Chen Manor. Unlike Chen Zigang, who had absolute privilege inside this manor, Chen Tu would be punished if he followed everything Chen Zigang did.
To him, Chen Zigang is the reincarnation of a law obstructor. Each step he took was right on the track to trashing all established rules. Still, it's not like Chen Tu is anywhere better.
If Chen Zigang was the bulldozer of rules, then Chen Tu is definitely the stead that went amok for no reason.
After returning to their respective room, they quickly clean themselves from all the filth before stepping outside the Chen Manor again. As Chen Tian Peng had guessed, the two did keep a secret from the family.
The two proceeded without noticing they were followed. It was a group of mysterious cultivators, with the weakest amongst them at the sixth level of the Body Tempering Layer.
It took them close to thirty minutes from the Chen Manor to the Crimson River Town's southern gate. After making their way out of the town, they used another half an hour before stopping outside an abandoned house.
After an hour or so, the two arrived outside a farmhouse that could collapse at any moment. Appearance-wise, there's nothing much to talk about in this building. But it wasn't the case for the two youngsters.
There must be a reason for the two to treasure this piece of land with nothing but a collapsing building. And what was so valuable about this place? From the front to the back, nothing exudes the appearance of value.
If the sight above was worthless, then the valuable part should be underground.
To be precise, the significance of this land was the hidden shelter below this abandoned house. As a matter of fact, the two found this spot by pure coincidence when escaping from the rain.
It took them a while to ensure that nobody was coming back to reclaim this piece of land. And to ensure nobody would have an idea, they even bought the place but left it unattended to avoid suspicion.
Using his savings over the years, Chen Zigang bought this land for around a thousand Spiritual Coins. They braved themselves to explore the shelter afterward.
The shelter was completely abandoned, without a piece of furniture. While it can't be considered spacious, it could hold three rooms. Most importantly, it was entirely concealed from the outside, with the mechanism allowing them to lock the entrance from either side.
The inspection also revealed that airflow still comes into the space even after they shut the entrance, making this spot a suitable hiding location. The downside was the lack of self-sustaining ability, which meant they'll have to prepare their own food and water.
Both Chen Tu and Chen Zigang stay inside for a while.
As the people tailing them start to have a pointless thought, the two emerge from their hiding spot. This time, they had changed into black attire, covering their identity from head to toe.
The two continued moving forward, still failing to notice people were following them. An hour later, they came to the outside of a cavern outskirt of the Crimson River Town.
From the rumors, this place was said to contain a Spiritual Iron Vein but turned out to be a fraud. Still, the mining process had run for a while., By the time the project stopped, part of the inside of this cavern had been excavated.
Right now, this place is had turned into a perfect hideout for a certain force.
The reason Chen Tu and Chen Zigang were here was certainly to steal something. But they're still too green to understand the ugliness of a human's heart. To make things worst, this place is precisely the base of the people tailing them.
Without further ado, the two surrounded people from both front and back, encircling them and leaving no space to run.
These people had the same marking on random parts of their bodies. From how it looks, this pattern is compulsory for them as a form of identity to their mysterious forces. But it does not necessarily have to be located exactly on the same part of their body.
The drawing of a tower with a mythical bird perching on the building's tip can be seen if Chen Tu and Chen Zigang study them carefully. If one continues to stare at the pattern much longer, you'll notice the obscurity hidden inside.
As if... There's an invisible thread tying the people with this marking together.
"Oh... Shit! What do we do now?" Chen Tu immediately asked Chen Zigang to see what kind of idea he had in his head.
Let alone running; even fighting is impossible with so many people encircling them. Unless a pair of wings suddenly grow on their back, the chances of making a move are practically impossible.
"I thought the farmer says there's nobody here? How come so many people appear here like we came to their house, not the treasure vault?" Chen Zigang questioned himself. With his level of maturity, how can he fall into some lies a mere farmer spouted.
Unfortunately, what happens, happened.
It was too late for regret. Even if the two suddenly turned out to be peak stage experts in the Body Tempering Layer, the number of people here are more than capable of countering them.
There was a saying that dragon stills must give a face to the snake while passing across its turf. And by being here, all struggle is futile.
The two were quickly captured and got taken further inside the cavern. But a commotion quickly came midway, where screams came in from the entrance. Needless to say, the place got attacked, and there's a third party here.
"What happened at the entrance? Lock the two brats into the dungeon. Everyone else, follow me and check what is happening outside!" the group leader said before leading the others back to the entrance.
"Get in there!" the follower yelled before kicking the two into the prison cell. The kick comes at Chen Tu and Chen Zigang as a surprise and causes them to tumble inside.The two finally stop after coming to the end of the prison cell.This was the second time they were thrown into the dungeon. Surprisingly, it happened not long after coming out from the first one. It's like history is repeating itself.Unfortunately, this place is filthier compared to the previous dungeon. A pile of bones can even be seen at one of the four corners, heightening the prison cell's creepiness. At another corner is a bundle of feces, likely dumped by the previous resident of this cell."Let me out! Let me out!!!" Chen Zigang immediately bangs on the door in a panic. But no matter how loud the noise he's making, nobody made a trip over to check them out. At the very least, the dungeon back in the Chen Family is well-lit and properly ventilated.Over here, the stench was too strong, to the point it made th
"Chen Zigang.""Chen Tu.""Get out of the cell and get changed. The family elders summoned both of you." said the dungeon's supervisor. He had quite a curious expression plastered to his face like he was wondering about something.They were supposed to be punished by getting locked inside the dungeon for three days. This was the decision made by Chen Tian Peng to teach them a lesson for acting secretly and endangering themselves.But something happened because only two days had passed. They weren't informed about what happened, so the elders summoned them to the Family Hall.After changing into clean clothing, the two made their way quickly to the Family Hall."The Chen Family is honored with your visit today, milord." Chen Tian Peng's voice can be heard clearly outside the Family Hall. Judging from his tone and manner of speech, the background of this guest is quite powerful.After all, Chen Tian Peng is accepted to be the number one martial artist here in this Crimson River Town, wi
"Tiangang Sword Pavilion?" Chen Zigang pondered.He had heard about the Blood Refining Grotto, Golden Staff Abode, and Meteor Fist Academy but not about Tiangang Sword Pavilion. The thought that he had no idea where it was made Chen Zigang wonders if he should say yes or no."Stupid brat! Tiangang Sword Pa... Umph?" Chen Tian Peng tried to interrupt, but before he finished his words, a strange power covered his mouth, stopping him from making a sound.Everyone inside the Family Hall gasped for air and tightly shut their mouth. Naturally, they're afraid that they'll be treated similarly."The Tiangang Sword Pavilion is one of the five superpowers in the Grand Blue Sky Prefecture. Naturally, your background would be much stronger if you joined and be a part of us." Elder Jian said."Is that much bigger than Blood Refining Grotto, Golden Staff Abode, and Meteor Fist Academy?" Chen Tu asked while biting into another steamed bun. The bowl of steamed buns was finished by Chen Tu alone."Of
(Toothpick? Don't you see all these muscles we have all over our body?)Those born with the surname "Chen" wished they could correct what the expert from Blood Refining Grotto said. But again... What kind of status they had, except for being a slightly large family in this Crimson River Town?For this faction alone, the town-level settlements serving them numbered over twenty. There are even three cities affiliated with Blood Refining Grotto alone, providing more than a thousand potential candidates for them to choose from.The people from Chen Family can't do anything, even if the expert decides to renegade his decision later. After all, he was here today to give some face to Elder Jian, who hails from the Tiangang Sword Pavilion.If it was normal for an individual to hug firmly at the thigh of someone powerful. Then it was acceptable for a small faction like Blood Refining Grotto to worship the Tiangang Sword Pavilion like it was their ancestor.Someone might ask if they're devoid o
Morning.This was Chen Tu's first day here in this Blood Refining Grotto as its outer disciple.Although he was already here the previous afternoon, it couldn't be accounted for because the registration alone took almost the entire afternoon. It was already evening when he was guided to the disciple's accommodation building.Because he missed the chow time last night, Chen Tu woke up starving. After ensuring where the disciple's canteen was, he made his trip to the building in a hurry.Chen Tu was the first to wait outside the canteen. The waiting lasted for a while until the door to the canteen was opened by those on duty.He immediately went to where the cooks were waiting.It was quite a long meal distribution counter with several options. There are plenty of choices, from steamed buns to congee, sweet cakes, flatbreads, and crepes. But surprisingly, everything here is made from rice, wheat flour, and eggs.There's barely any seasoning added to the food, making them taste bland. Ev
Chen Tu lay flatly on the bed to start reflecting on what had happened earlier. Being alone inside this ten by ten feet room provided to each individual allows him to think quietly.(You're too passive...)The word Chen Zigang said came into Chen Tu's mind.(If there's an opportunity where you're accepted into a faction, make sure you behave like I do. Do not simply give in to other's threats and place all the concern on yourself first. It won't be too late to consider other matters after you do what I said...)This was what Chen Zigang told him back when they went to their secret hideout. Based on the word's content, he greatly highlighted his concern over Chen Tu, worrying that he'll suffer from unjust from all sides.To ensure he wouldn't go empty-handed, Chen Zigang even packed a few belongings for Chen Tu in case his worry developed. And inside the item he prepared for Chen Tu, there's something he secretly pocketed from the treasure chest brought back by Chen Tian Lang.Inside t
His schedule was about the same as yesterday. But not before filling his stomach to the brim to compensate for skipping his dinner last night. After he had his fill, Chen Tu made his way to the Mission Hall in a hurry.After all, this was his second day here in this Blood Refining Grotto. Thanks to the practice where all transactions require Contribution Token to proceed, how can Chen Tu stay idle without looking for things to do?Not doing anything was the luxury of well-to-do disciples, and not him. Unlike them, he had neither a good background nor a supporter standing tall behind him.Chen Tu would likely be drowned by the disciple's spit if his thought was known by the others.Because he was illiterate, it greatly hindered Chen Tu's process in picking a work to do. He had no choice but to go for something nobody would go for. Reaching his hand out on one of the papers, Chen Tu asked people to read the work on his behalf.It turned out that the assignment paper he had gotten was a
"Tu, as in rabbit?" the elder curiously asked."Yes, elder. It was as you said." Qin Lei nodded in response. His attitude towards the elder is full of reverence and respect. After all, all his achievement today in cultivation was thanks to the elder's care.Without the elder interest in him, it was questionable if he could get into the top 1000 disciples. Of course, his attitude and effort were likable to start with. Or else, it would be pointless even if his Qin Family tried their best to obtain this elder's guidance."After completing his task, give him an additional token as a reward. While you're at it, ask if he's happy to return again tomorrow." the elder said. It seems that the elder has quite a positive opinion of Chen Tu.While an additional token given out wasn't much in the eyes of an elder, to a disciple like Chen Tu and Qin Lei, it was a lot!Nobody would complain about having too many tokens."Disciple understands." Qin Lei nodded at the elder. After saying what he had t
Next morning. Following Tang Yun Long's suggestion, Chen Tu made his way to the Registration Office after breakfast. And as usual, he waited with the others in the queue until it was his turn. "What can I do for you today, junior?" the worker asked with impatience in his tone. In his opinion, Chen Tu is likely another disciple coming to claim his monthly salary provided by the Blood Refining Grotto. But all his following words were stuck in his throat before he could continue after Chen Tu had his disciple token taken out. "Chen - Chen Tu? You're Chen Tu?" the worker's tone changed into a more polite and easy to the ear. His attitude also had 180 degrees of turnover. Chen Tu didn't reply to him but simply nodded with a smile. And to these workers who looked down on the weak disciples, such treatment was the best venom to reeducate them. The worker immediately changed how he addressed Chen Tu from "Junior" to "Fellow Disciple Chen." And needless to say, this instantaneous change
"Teacher, really? We're going to attend the examination for the Titled Alchemist this year?" Tang Yun Long couldn't help but feel excited. Naturally, he was very happy with what Elder Wei Xuan had said. After all, Tang Yun Long is turning eighteen this year. And even amongst all the disciples from both elders, his talent in Alchemy was the highest. But regardless of how he requested, Elder Wei Xuan would always reject him when it came to permission to attend the Titled-Alchemist Examination. No matter how much he begged, the elder would deem he was not ready for the test yet. Counting from the year he had been asking until now, it was almost four years past. But today, the sun seems to be rising from the west. Of course, Tang Yun Long realized that the change in Elder Wei Xuan's mind did not come from him but from Chen Tu. Without bathing in this junior brother's brilliance, he might have to wait another year or two before his chances arrive. Obviously, there was a reason for the
"Good. Very good. Then, you'll be the second official disciple of this old man from this moment onward. I am looking forward on how far you can grow." Elder Wei Xuan appeared very satisfied with Chen Tu's instant reply. This could also show how much Chen Tu had longed for this chance. "Disciple understood!" Chen Tu kneeled and raised a teacup in both hands to the elder. Regardless of the custom, serving a cup of tea to your master is essential. This customary practice not only creates a proper master and disciple but also the connections in between. "En... Those unimportant things will be told to you by Xiao Long later. For now, take this as your gift to study under my tutelage. It was the Pill Formula I promised you last time." the elder said after placing the teacup aside and taking something from nothingness. Apparently, the elder had a piece of Spatial Jade too. And from the look of it, the quality is slightly better than what Tang Yun Long had. "Why don't you take a look at i
"junior brother Chen, this Three-Star Pill... Did you refine them by yourself?" Tang Yun Long asked. Even he hadn't had success in refining a pill of this quality. At most, he is only confident in refining Two-Star Pill. Furthermore, this result was before Chen Tu was officially accepted by the elder as his second official disciple. If he was, would he be capable of Four-Star, or even a Five-Star? Of course, that kind of level is nowhere to be heard of... After all, no alchemist would dedicate all their time to researching and refining a four or Five-Star Grain Pellet. Even if that alchemist is the most foolish one, he would likely have zero to little interest in an entry-level pill like this. Looking at the Three-Star Grain Pellet sitting on the table, the elder couldn't calm his heart down. And without further ado, he put his hand out toward Chen Tu and asked for something. "Xiao Tu... Bring the Alchemist Token out." Elder Wei Xuan asked. It appears that what he will be doing
(Hmm... I wonder what kind of medicinal pill is this Spring and Autumn Profound Pill and Lesser Vitality Pill. Could their effect be something extraordinary, like the Spiritual Replenishing or Spirit Desertification Pill?) Chen Tu spoke to his own while flipping through the pages. The contents were fairly easy for him to understand, and there was nothing to be suspicious about. But when Chen Tu came to the ingredient part, he had the urge to scratch and pull his hair. (Aargh... Now, this is where my first obstacle comes in...) Chen Tu took a few deep breaths after he set the book aside. He had mixed feelings due to what was going on inside his mind. The reason for these confusing thoughts was naturally understandable. After all, this was a lost recipe Qin Lei's father, Qin Tianbao, found from excavating the tomb of a certain expert. Interestingly, this relic site was also where Qin Tianbao had a mishap and lost one of his legs. And no wonder he would be allowed to keep these two
(What an amazing feeling... Could this be something only those in the fourth level would realize?) Chen Tu remained seated, but for every breath he took, the Spiritual Energy of his surroundings was attracted over. His body was like a leaf sponging up all the dew as it absorbed all these blimps of Spiritual Energy to nourish his flesh. This mist-like Spiritual Energy is incomparable to what a Spiritual Replenishing Pill offers. Still, it was something nobody would complain about. After all, no matter how diluted and faint this Spiritual Energy was, they're still the Spiritual Energy everyone pursued. Nobody would cover their water well when it rains because they're afraid it would be overfilled by the rainwater. Apparently, Chen Tu's guess was correct. A feat like this was indeed someone above the Flesh Tempering Stage could enjoy. And thanks to his fully-tempered flesh, Chen Tu is now more than capable of applicating Spiritual Energy to strengthen his physique. Although the diff
A day ago. "Hmm... I wonder what insight that brat had for him to rework the Grain Pellet's Recipe until this level..." Elder Wei Xuan said while holding a Two-Star Pill between his two fingers. Apparently, he was studying the pill for flaws before giving a verdict. He was feeling neither prejudiced nor unhappy. But more or less, there was something he was unable to let go of in his heart for making him so indecisive at this moment. As Chen Tu's Alchemy Teacher, the elder naturally wanted to endorse Chen Tu's reworked recipe and the Grain Pellet he refined. But at the same time, his worries and self-ego made him couldn't help but be indecisive in this matter. In fact, this same ego of his was why Tang Yun Long has yet to participate in the Titled Alchemist Examination. It wasn't overrated to say that with Tang Yun Long's performance to date, he could easily pass the test. "Old Wei... What is occupying your mind so much until you didn't notice me coming in?" Another elder's voice
"Disciple understands." Chen Tu cupped his fists together and replied. His response also helps confirm that he will be taking the assignment seriously. "Xiao Tu will start paying more attention to his pill refinement after returning and wouldn't disappoint the teacher's expectation," he added. After saying what he should, Chen Tu excused himself from the workshop by giving a reason he'll have to get back and prepare. And obviously, the eight Grain Pellets were left in the workshop without saying. That's a must in case the elder changes his mind later. And regardless of how he decides, Chen Tu still has to leave a sample for Elder Wei Xuan to check on them, correct? This means a copy of everything from the ingredient, steps, and final product was left for the elder's inspection. Chen Tu's activities consisted of eating, sleeping, cultivating, and refining pills for the following days. Thanks to all these tasks in his hand, he hardly reported to the Spiritual Garden to work or assis
The question piqued the elder's interest after Xia Xuan-Xuan opened her mouth. Apparently, even the elder couldn't help but feel curious about Chen Tu's answer. But at the same time, he can't ask this question openly. After all, he was an elder. Someone who stood at least a few levels above them in alchemy and cultivation. Wouldn't it hurt his pride slightly to ask a junior about something he should know better? Luckily, there's a Xia Xuan-Xuan in the group. While her talent is neither good nor bad, she has this social commonsense that could make everything work. Hence, she was the elder's icebreaker, always the first to hear and know everything. Chen Tu didn't respond to Xia Xuan-Xuan's question instantly. Still, everyone here could see that Chen Tu's gaze was currently pointed at the pill mold. This reaction from Chen Tu can be partially translated to "look at the result yourself!" He stayed silent and observed the mold until it was completely cooled. Then, instead of inspecti