Qin Lei had left his seat and stood beside Chen Tu at the end of his sentence. Judging from his expression, there's a hint of conflicting emotion fighting inside his head.
The conflict was fierce, but as a matter of fact, it only lasted for a few seconds in reality. Considering how Qin Lei's knees gradually bend forward, what he was trying to do is obvious.
(I'll kneel in front of junior brother Chen if that's what it takes to get some help...)
"Senior brother." Chen Tu's call instantly brought Qin Lei's thoughts back to his physical body. But the strength between his legs was gone as his knees approached the ground faster than they supposed.
Fortunately, a foot came forward before Qin Lei's knees touched the ground. A pair of hands firmly grabbed his shoulders simultaneously and helped Qin Lei to stand.
"I'm not sure how much I had, honestly... But let us visit the Worldly Treasures Pavilion tomorrow after the harvest. With another day of income, I'm sure we could afford to buy that treasure." said Chen Tu.
His sentence contained nothing special but successfully delivered Chen Tu's intention covertly to Qin Lei. Sometimes, not everything has to be spoken openly, especially something private like this.
Needless to say, Qin Lei was about to cry after listening to Chen Tu's reply.
"Junior brother..." Qin Lei stared blankly at Chen Tu. He initially didn't have much hope for Chen Tu due to this junior brother's financial capability. Still, he took the chance to make a bet, hoping that Chen Tu could help him, regardless of how small the help was.
Qin Lei mentioned that he needed three thousand Spiritual Coins. This means he already had four thousand safely in hand to purchase the Spiritium Velvet Antlers. But when he listened to Chen Tu's reply, Qin Lei noticed that he had underestimated this junior brother.
Well... It's nothing wrong with Qin Lei not having confidence in Chen Tu's financial ability. If he was well-off, Chen Tu wouldn't be rearing the Crimson-Tailed Pheasants to be traded for a few extra Spiritual Coins.
Furthermore, didn't Chen Tu advance from the first to the third level of the Body Tempering Layer over the last month he's here? And what does that means, in Qin Lei's understanding?
It can only be explained by Chen Tu continuously consuming the Spiritual Replenishing Pills. Without these resources, it would be almost impossible to advance in such a short period. And in this case, where would the assistance comes from?
The only answer Qin Lei could think of was from Worldly Treasures Pavilion. After all, Chen Tu's status in the Chen Family was too mediocre. It would be impossible for them to provide over three hundred Spiritual Replenishing Pills to Chen Tu for his cultivation breakthrough.
This means Chen Tu could only work day and night tirelessly for the Contribution Tokens.
Of course, this was his one-sided thinking. Obviously, he had no idea Chen Tu had access to the mysterious Sun and Moon Essence.
"Don't worry. I'll help as much as I can. Those Contribution Tokens can be earned back anyway." Chen Tu smiled and patted Qin Lei's shoulder to reassure him. Through their familiarity, he could feel that Qin Lei's emotions were extremely unstable.
"I - I don't know what to say..." Qin Lei stuttered.
"Thank you... Thank you, junior brother. I'm serious. From today, you're my brother. My real brother. I'll be the first to stand out and defend you if there's anything." Qin Lei said. The outburst of emotion suddenly got the better part of him, making Qin Lei lunge forward and hug Chen Tu as tightly as he could.
He wouldn't change his mind, even if Chen Tu miraculously decided to go against his words the next morning. That's how much Qin Lei trusts Chen Tu right now.
No further assurance was necessary between them. With Qin Lei's heart now feeling lighter, there's no doubt he would do well in the harvest tomorrow. Since the time was no longer early, the two retreated and returned to their room to rest.
Of course, Chen Tu still had to make a run to check the condition of the Crimson-Tailed Pheasants he was rearing before resting.
The next day morning, this pair of senior and junior brothers reported early to the Spiritual Garden. But regardless of their arrival time, the timing for harvesting the Burial Root was always the same.
This gave them enough time to come together and for the Burial Root to reach their optimal maturity before the harvest started.
"By the way, how did you harvest so much last time, junior brother?" Qin Lei asked. Although he said that Chen Tu would be his real brother from that moment onward, he was still used to calling Chen Tu this way.
His memory of how Chen Tu returned with fourteen Burial Roots previously made him wonder what kind of trick Chen Tu used.
One must know that a newcomer's result of over five Burial Roots in their first harvest is already considered amazing. Even their eldest senior brother, Tang Yun Long, had only fifteen roots in his first harvest.
"I have some trick to it. Senior brother, would you like to listen to a suggestion of mine?" Chen Tu asked. He had an idea in mind but was unsure if Qin Lei would go along with his whim. Of course, his worry is unnecessary.
Even if it's a terrible idea, Qin Lei would probably go with it to display his support for Chen Tu. After all, this junior brother of his had a result of fourteen Burial Roots harvested previously.
"We can... Shh... This..." Chen Tu whispered beside Qin Lei's ear and roughly shared what was in his mind. He had no idea that Qin Lei immediately nodded in approval to his suggestion and even proposed to add a few more people to help.
"Are you sure, senior brother? I doubt they'll be willing to join us because I have nothing in hand to proof my theory..." Chen Tu sounded a little apologetic. He had the idea but nothing to deliver except his previous result.
"What are you worried about? If I am the one telling them to come over, we would be getting a few people in at least!" Qin Lei smiled.
This time, they only had three newcomers out of the twenty-five participants. By taking Chen Tu and Qin Lei out of the remaining headcount, it was safe to say there were twenty repeating participants. Regardless of how they were chosen, there's no doubt that they're happy to participate in this harvest. After all, only twenty-five people would be chosen from the seven senior workers and Elder Wei Xuan. This means those who weren't chosen could only look at the twenty-five people with a pair of jealous, red eyes. To most, this harvest was merely an excuse for the Spiritual Garden to reward the people they endorsed with Contribution Tokens. While as a matter of fact, that wasn't the case. The reward was plentiful, but not everyone qualified to share the bigger piece of an entire cake. Naturally, some people did well, and some didn't. After all, harvesting a Burial Root properly requires experience, patience, and understanding. If merely using brute strength would get the work done,
Qin Lei naturally saw how that newcomer got accepted by Chen Tu into their group. Being the one closest to Chen Tu, how can he not know what is in Chen Tu's mind? His only worry was Chen Tu being too nice to everyone else. Of course, his concern was not in a bad way. Qin Lei could feel that Chen Tu hardly doubted the intention of other people. Although it was not a bad thing, it wasn't good either. Of course, the worry should only be concerning when they were outside the Blood Refining Grotto. After all, everyone was both junior and senior, brothers and sisters here. Suppose their fellow disciples weren't helping one another in a protected environment. What could be expected when everyone here went outside? Would their sword be pointing at outsiders, or would it be pointing at their own fellow brothers and sisters? Qin Lei decided to keep quiet after he gave it a quick thought. It might still be too early to speak about this with Chen Tu. Furthermore, Chen Tu was merely ten this
Because they're having such an amazing harvest today, Elder Wei Xuan naturally couldn't be stingy with everyone here. When the sky was about to get darker, he had a senior worker bring a word to the canteen, and food was delivered afterward. Furthermore, what they served wasn't the usual menu on the ground level, but the exquisite one available to order on the first level. This kind of generosity was not something one could see often! With a sentence from the elder, everyone came and ate to their heart's content. Of course, that was after someone recorded the number of Burial Roots they handed over to senior workers. Putting the figure today into total, they had harvested seven hundred Burial Roots in this single day. Furthermore, nothing was left to waste because they missed any of them in between. It is also safe to say that there's no matured Burial Roots managed to escape their fat of getting uprooted by these human cultivators. With ten plants in a row, ten rows in one plant
Standing in the middle of their attention, Qin Lei explained his circumstances and reason for collecting such a fund. Naturally, that includes what happened to his father and his intention to buy the Spiritium Velvet Antlers from the Worldly Treasures Pavilion. The exorbitant price of seven hundred Contribution Tokens naturally explained why they needed all they could get. Although this means that not everyone can afford to buy the treasure, there's no say about what would happen if it stays unsold for some time. Although he hadn't intended to eavesdrop on their conversation, the elder could not help but shake his head after listening to Qin Lei's story. Hearing from a distance to a Golden Core Layer cultivator is as simple as breathing. The elder naturally knew who Qin Lei was talking about. After all, the sixth elder, who is also an acquaintance of Qin Lei's father, was the one who asked him to take care of Qin Lei if possible. It was obvious that he knew about this. The only pa
(Damn! This is going to be troublesome!) The worker cursed in his mind. At first, he assumed that Chen Tu and Qin Lei were normal disciples. But it was obviously akin to throwing a rock at his own feet. How can someone that could take an Alchemist Token out as they like to be normal? He should have roughly guessed the background of these two from the moment they requested the Spiritium Velvet Antlers. But it was too late for him to change his mind. With three minutes remaining on the clock, all this worker needed was to delay them until the bell rang. As long he could keep them occupied until then, they naturally had to come back tomorrow. After all, the Worldly Treasures Pavilion had a strict reputation for stopping all transactions after the bell. Only those who are in the middle of settling their payment would be entertained. As for the rest, they naturally had to return the next day if they were still keen on buying that item. The same rule would still apply even if an elder
"It's the Pavilion Master!" everyone here took a step back before turning and facing where the woman's voice came from. They had already cupped their fists together and bowed forward before she appeared on this floor. The only exception was Chen Tu and Qin Lei, who didn't know what to do. Could this be something normal that everyone did? But if it was the norm, how could Qin Lei have never heard about it? He was here for over six years, after all! At the same time, this shows how amazing the Pavilion Master was. All it took was a sentence from her to make everyone here quiet down and wait for her to come down from the upper floor. The dim candlelight could only enhance her mysteriousness much further. The orange flame flickered near the stairs to reveal her beautiful white and light blue robes. Even Chen Tu couldn't help but be mesmerized by her bulging bust, decently covered by an exquisite white cloth. Although it was completely covered without showing her skin in between, the
The lady returned to the upper floor after saying what was on her mind. But even after she left, the lingering fragrance and her silhouette stayed for about a minute. Only after it vanishes that they escape from getting enthralled. Qin Lei looked at Chen Tu for a moment and immediately returned to pack a few belongings. Exactly an hour later, he followed the convoy and left the Blood Refining Grotto. Meanwhile, Chen Tu had nothing to do after sending Qin Lei away. He went to the barn to check on the Crimson-Tailed Pheasants and returned to his room afterward. And the next morning, his time was again fully occupied with work and cultivation. His schedule can be said to be as busy as always. After an entire week of focused meditation, Chen Tu had finally formed another drop of Sun and Moon Essence. With one more getting done this week, he would be qualified to challenge the fourth level. Besides that, the experience he gained from refining the Grain Pellet had steadily improved. A
"Not good! The ingredient will explode if he tossed everything in altogether!" everyone else panicked except for Tang Yun Long and the elder. But even with their degree of experience, they still find Chen Tu's peculiar pill-refining method unbelievable. After all, pill refinement is an extremely delicate process that requires patience, concentration, and part of luck. Even the wildest and most confident alchemist out there wouldn't be seen as barbaric as the current Chen Tu. To their surprise, the cauldron didn't explode. Furthermore, the charred smell that supposedly comes from burnt Spiritual Herbs also didn't appear. This made them question if Chen Tu really fired the cauldron enough. But then, a delicious aroma resembling the sweetness of a freshly steamed bun came into their nose. The sweetness from the grains, beans, and yam makes their stomach growl. And unconsciously, these few people swallowed saliva and created a soft noise. "Teacher... What..." "Shh..." Ting Wei and X
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