Chapter 10: The Sudden Decline in Pill Quality and the First Clue:
Chen Shiyun walked over to a disciple who was about to complete a pill refinement. When the disciple saw the Alchemy Hall Master, she immediately stood up respectfully. Chen Shiyun waved her hand, signaling her to continue refining. The disciple nodded and turned back to finish the final steps.
A moment later, a batch of Rejuvenation Pills was successfully refined. Chen Shiyun stepped forward, opened the pill furnace, and with a slight gesture, several pills flew into her hand. However, the moment she examined them, her brows furrowed deeply. The quality of these pills was clearly one grade lower than usual.
Holding the pills, she placed them in front of the disciple and asked, "Have you not noticed anything wrong with the pills you’ve been refining these past few days?"
The disciple looked at the pills, lowered her head, and said, "Hall Master, we noticed the issue on the first day. We could tell that these pills were slightly different from usual, but we couldn’t pinpoint the cause. For the past few days, we’ve been trying to verify the problem and find a solution. However, up to now, we still haven’t discovered what’s wrong."
Chen Shiyun looked at this normally diligent disciple, her expression grave. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then refine another batch of Rejuvenation Pills now, and I’ll watch the entire process to see if I can identify the issue."
"Understood, Hall Master," the disciple responded, immediately preparing the ingredients.
A new round of pill refinement began.
Chen Shiyun stood with her hands behind her back, carefully observing. The disciple’s fire control showed no errors. The sequence and ratio of medicinal ingredients were also precise. Since Chen Shiyun was supervising, the disciple performed every step meticulously, adhering strictly to standard procedures.
Chen Shiyun thought to herself, This time, there shouldn’t be any problems, right?
But once again, reality played a cruel joke on her.
When the batch of pills was complete, she opened the pill furnace and examined the new Rejuvenation Pills. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Despite the perfectly executed refining process, the quality of these pills was still lower than usual.
Her frown deepened. What exactly is wrong?
She then inspected the medicinal ingredients, but their quality was just as high as before—there was nothing wrong with them.
Could it be the pill furnace?
After considering every possibility, this was the only remaining factor. She instructed the disciple to use a different furnace and refine another batch of Rejuvenation Pills.
But when the pills were completed, Chen Shiyun nearly coughed up blood. Even with a different furnace, the pills still turned out the same—slightly lower in quality.
This is absurd!
Seeing the disciple’s helpless expression, Chen Shiyun decided to take matters into her own hands. She stepped forward, took the refining station, and personally began the process.
Her skills were leagues ahead of the disciple’s. Her fire control was flawless, reaching the pinnacle of precision. Every ingredient was added at the perfect moment, with the most accurate proportions.
When the process was complete, she hesitated before opening the furnace. There’s no way my own refining would have an issue, right?
But the moment she checked, her heart sank.
Although her batch was slightly better than the disciple’s, it was still inferior to her usual work.
Chen Shiyun was completely stunned. She had no idea what had gone wrong.
Gathering all the alchemists, she questioned them one by one and quickly realized the problem was universal. Every single person in the Alchemy Hall was experiencing the same issue.
This was not a coincidence.
Dozens of people, using different furnaces at different times, all refining pills that ended up lower in quality?
An absurd thought flashed through Chen Shiyun’s mind.
Could it be that the Heavenly Dao Sacred Sect’s fate is declining?
She had heard disciples gossiping that Sixth Sister Zhou Zhilian had reported to the Sect Master that the sect’s Purple Qi was dispersing westward, a possible sign of lost fortune.
At the time, Chen Shiyun dismissed it as nonsense.
The sect was flourishing, growing stronger by the day, even securing a place among the four great righteous sects. How could it possibly be losing fortune?
But now…
Chen Shiyun pushed aside her doubts.
The most pressing issue was producing a batch of acceptable-quality pills. The only solution was for her to personally oversee production and use her skills to compensate for whatever unknown force was causing the defect.
She focused entirely on refining pills.
…
(Falling Phoenix Ridge)
Inside the cave of the Cloudpiercer Leopard, Chu Ge sat cross-legged, his body suspended in mid-air. Above his head, three whirlpools frantically absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, pouring it into his body.
After completing another major circulation of energy, Chu Ge slowly descended back to the ground.
In just a few short days, his cultivation had already reached the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm—only a step away from the Foundation Establishment Realm.
His cultivation speed was utterly terrifying.
And this was purely from absorbing spiritual energy without even using spirit stones. Compared to ordinary cultivators, his speed was at least ten times faster.
Feeling the immense spiritual energy surging through his body, Chu Ge smiled in satisfaction.
He crouched down and gently stroked the fluffy head of the Cloudpiercer Leopard. The beast, like a loyal pet, affectionately rubbed against his leg.
After sensing that Chu Ge bore no ill intentions and enjoying a few meals of roasted rabbit, the leopard had gradually grown close to him.
For the past few days, Chu Ge had been doing nothing but cultivating, occasionally playing with his new pet to pass the time.
But now that he had reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement, he decided it was time to leave and return to the outside world.
Standing up, he patted the Cloudpiercer Leopard on the head.
"Little guy, I’m leaving. If fate allows, we will meet again."
With that, he turned and walked toward the cave entrance.
The Cloudpiercer Leopard wagged its tail and followed him all the way to the edge of the dense fog.
Chu Ge waved his hand in farewell. Only then did the leopard reluctantly turn back toward its cave.
Watching the beast’s departing figure, Chu Ge sighed.
Even a creature I’ve only raised for a few days has formed a bond with me. Some people, however, are worse than animals.
After briefly determining his direction, he began heading west.
Both Wanghai City and the four major demonic sects lay in that direction.
Wanghai City was a neutral city—not under the control of the righteous path or the demonic path, but governed by the Alliance of Rogue Cultivators.
As a result, Wanghai City was home to both righteous and demonic cultivators, though the majority were independent rogue cultivators.
Chu Ge planned to stay in Wanghai City for a while and gather information about the recruitment process for the four major demonic sects.
He needed an opportunity to join them, preferably the Spirit Beast Sect.
That way, he could secure a spot in the upcoming Brahma Heaven Secret Realm expedition.