7: Chapter 7 Renting the Alchemy Furnace

Offending this person was truly baffling. To teach this group a lesson, Yun Ming took all the Spirit Stones on them and broke the hands of all three; they wouldn't recover for at least half a year.

He couldn't just suffer this loss for no reason.

“If you offend me again, it won't be as simple as just breaking your hands. Do you hear me!”

The group was howling in pain, cold sweat pouring down their faces. They didn't dare think of revenge and pleaded for mercy repeatedly.

“Scram, scram.”

After making them get lost, Yun Ming walked over to his cheap cousin.

Yun Xin thought Yun Ming was going to beat him up, so he raised his hands to cover his face and curled into a ball.

Yun Ming mocked, “What, acting like a shrinking turtle now?”

“Yun Ming, I'm warning you, your mother is still with the Family. If you offend me, neither of you will have a good end.” Yun Xin was still courting death by threatening Yun Ming.

Yun Ming grabbed him and hauled him up, likewise fishing out all the Spirit Stones on his person, and said casually, “Still threatening me at a time like this.”

Feeling Yun Ming's movements, Yun Xin thought Yun Ming was going to strike him. “Yun Ming, I advise you not to do anything. I've already contacted Senior Brother Wang. For only twenty Spirit Stones, I can directly join the Outer Sect and even enter the Sword Peak. You'll get benefits then too.”

Having obtained the Spirit Stones from Yun Xin, Yun Ming tossed him to the ground. “Do you take me for a fool? You haven't even reached Qi Refining Level 4. Why would anyone help you?”

“Senior Brother Wang wouldn't lie to me! You're just jealous!” Yun Xin said stubbornly.

“I'm jealous of you?” Yun Ming pulled out his Outer Sect Disciple token and waved it in front of Yun Xin's eyes. “Look at what this is.”

Yun Xin's eyes widened in disbelief. He reached out to grab it. “Impossible! How could you become an Outer Sect Disciple? You don't even have Spirit Stones to Cultivate!”

Yun Ming raised his hand, causing Yun Xin to lunge at nothing. “This is called talent. What do you know?”

“You have a Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root, while I have Four Spiritual Roots! My talent is clearly better than yours! Why, why were you able to achieve a Breakthrough!” Yun Xin's eyes were bloodshot and a bit crazed because he simply couldn't believe it.

Since childhood, Yun Xin had always been the center of attention. The Family had been completely submissive to him, calling him the Eldest Young Master and saying the Yun Family would flourish in his hands.

Moreover, the Yun Family was originally a top-tier great Family in the vicinity; he had always looked down on others.

Until one day, the appearance of a white-robed old man shattered everything. No one dared to look up at him, as if he truly were an Immortal.

The Immortal said he had a Spiritual Root. Everyone in the Family was very happy, and so was he.

But he hadn't expected that the younger brother he bullied all day, the brother who was like a rat in a gutter, would actually have a Spiritual Root as well.

The two entered the Sect together as Utility Disciples. Every day they had to do heavy labor and menial tasks, the work of servants.

He couldn't stand it and wanted to run away, but he didn't dare to flee alone.

He wanted to use his status to suppress others, only to find that the backgrounds of those around him were more terrifying than the last—nobles, princes, and princesses. Any one of them could wipe out the entire Yun Family. He instead became the one suppressed by status.

However, he also saw hope: becoming an Outer Sect Disciple. He had personally seen an Outer Sect Disciple scold and beat those princes and princesses at will, yet no one thought it was wrong, and no one resisted.

So he snatched all of his brother's resources. Aside from working, he Cultivated like a madman, finally reaching Qi Refining Level 3 within a year.

But Qi Refining Level 3 was like a great mountain. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't climb to the summit and could never see even a shadow of Qi Refining Level 4.

Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and prepared to take a gamble. Unfortunately, he failed—failed completely.

Now, something even more unbearable had happened. The brother he had always bullied and looked down upon had actually broken through, reaching the Qi Refining Level 4 that he might never achieve.

“Nothing is impossible. So what if it's Five Spiritual Roots? So what if it's a Mixed Spiritual Root? A Breakthrough is a Breakthrough. One's Realm cannot be faked,” Yun Ming said nonchalantly.

Yun Xin stood up, looking lost and dejected. His mind was a mess; he couldn't understand it, let alone accept it.

Watching the zombie-like Yun Xin leave silently, Yun Ming shrugged and didn't bother with him further.

Returning to his small hut, he closed the doors and windows and began to count his recent harvest.

Those three people were quite wealthy. Each of them had provided him with over twenty Spirit Stones, totaling sixty-seven.

His cheap cousin was far worse off, having only six Spirit Stones.

In total, he had seventy-three stones.

A small fortune; he certainly wouldn't lack the money to buy Materials for the qi gathering pill.

Although Outer Sect Disciples didn't need to do menial chores like Utility Disciples, they still needed to perform tasks to accumulate contribution points. If their contribution was insufficient, Spirit Stones would be deducted.

The Sunset Glow Sect had six main Peaks: Sword Peak, Alchemy Peak, Qi Peak, Beast Taming Peak, Spirit Talisman Peak, and Formation Peak.

Every Peak had tasks to do. Similarly, when becoming an Inner Sect Disciple in the future, the Peak where you had the highest contribution would have priority in choosing you.

Yun Ming naturally wanted to join Alchemy Peak. Alchemy Peak's Outer Sect Disciples only needed to refine three batches of Tier 1 Low Grade pills every month.

Better to act than just think; Yun Ming went straight to the Sect Marketplace and bought five sets of qi gathering pill Materials.

One set cost five Spirit Stones, and suddenly nearly half of his wealth was gone.

However, one set of qi gathering pill Materials could produce twenty pills per furnace. Each pill was worth two Spirit Stones. As long as he succeeded with one furnace, he would make back his capital and even turn a profit.

Arriving at the Alchemy Room again, he found a Senior Brother specifically in charge of renting out Pill Furnaces.

This Senior Brother knew what Yun Ming was there for just by seeing him walk over. “Renting a Pill Furnace, right?”

Yun Ming nodded. “Yes, Senior Brother. May I ask what the price is?”

“Tier 1 Low Grade Pill Furnace is one Spirit Stone per hour. Tier 1 Medium Grade is three Spirit Stones per hour. Tier 1 High Grade is ten Spirit Stones per hour. The main hall is free, but a Quiet Room costs an additional Spirit Stone per hour.”

Yun Ming counted the seventy-four Spirit Stones he had on him and, gritting his teeth, took out twelve.

“If you please, Senior Brother. I'll rent a Tier 1 Low Grade Pill Furnace for half a day, and a Quiet Room for half a day as well.”

The Senior Brother put away the Spirit Stones, picked up a key, and signaled for Yun Ming to follow.

Yun Ming followed behind him. The two crossed the Alchemy Room hall and entered the interior, arriving at a room with 'Bing-26' written on the door. He opened the door and handed the key to Yun Ming.

While giving Yun Ming the key, he casually cautioned, “You look like a fresh face, probably just became an Outer Sect Disciple. I bet you've never practiced Alchemy before. I've seen plenty like you; Alchemy isn't that easy, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people at the Sword Peak.”

“What Senior Brother says is true.”

“Alright, alright, I know you won't listen. There's a Pill Furnace inside. If you have extra Spirit Stones, activate the Formation. Otherwise, a Furnace Explosion is no small matter. If Pill Poison enters the body and ruins your Dao Foundation, the Sect won't care.”

Yun Ming watched the Senior Brother leave, closed the Quiet Room door, and carefully observed the interior.

The furnishings were very simple: a Pill Furnace, a prayer mat, a set of Formations, and nothing else.

Yun Ming took out a Spirit Stone and placed it on the Formation. Seeing the Formation slowly glow with a faint light, he assumed it was activated.

Taking a deep breath, Yun Ming first sat on the prayer mat to regulate his breathing, only starting the preparations for Alchemy once his mental and physical state had returned to their Peak.