12: Qi Condensation Great Perfection

Zhou Song replied without hesitation, "Naturally, the Ascension Pill is the best. This pill contains two main ingredients, Spirit Crossing Grass and Origin Rising Fruit, both of which are excellent spiritual herbs for increasing strength."

He added, "However, this pill is not cheap. One pill costs ten Merit Points."

Ten Merit Points, equivalent to ten mid-grade spiritual stones, were indeed not cheap. No wonder Zhou Song didn't recommend him using pills; only those filthy rich people could afford this!

For ordinary Disciples, being able to cultivate with mid-grade spiritual stones was already excellent.

The key was that this pill could only shorten some time; it couldn't make you break through immediately.

However, what Lu Chen lacked now was time. Ten Merit Points per pill was acceptable.

Lu Chen thought for a moment. Before, he had broken through to Qi Condensation within a month, gaining a total of ninety-eight Merit Points. He had spent thirty Merit Points buying the corpses of fifteen Iron Armor Demon Ox, leaving him with sixty-eight Merit Points. Later, he went to Twilight Mountain to cut Blood Savage Rhino horns and gained another five Merit Points. Currently, he had seventy-three Merit Points available.

"I want four Ascension Pills and ten mid-grade spiritual stones."

One Good Deed could be exchanged for one mid-grade spiritual stone, which was much cheaper than pills.

Zhou Song took the identity jade token that Lu Chen handed over, deducted fifty Merit Points, and then took out the pills and spiritual stones. He solemnly instructed, "Pills should not be used excessively, as it can easily lead to an unstable Foundation. For instance, with this Ascension Pill, it's best to take one every five days. With four Ascension Pills and the assistance of mid-grade spiritual stones, with your Aptitude, Junior Brother, you can expect to enter the Qi Condensation Realm Great Perfection in about a month."

Lu Chen collected the pills and spiritual stones, thanked him with a smile, and then left the Internal Affairs Hall, heading towards the Wan Fa Pavilion.

All the Iron Armor Dao Soldiers had been nurtured into Copper Armor Dao Soldiers. During this process, Lu Chen had also unexpectedly comprehended the first layer of Fire Intent, so he could cultivate Fire Elemental Magic as well.

After a trip to the Wan Fa Pavilion, Lu Chen spent ten Merit Points to exchange for the Fire Elemental Magic.

The accumulated Merit Points immediately dropped to only thirteen, just enough to exchange for one Ascension Pill with nothing left over.

The two free opportunities to choose two Spells from the Wan Fa Pavilion had already been used for Earth Elemental Spell and Sword Control Technique. To learn other Spells, he could only exchange them with Merit Points; this was a Sect rule.

However, during the time he went to exchange for the Fire Elemental Magic, the Pavilion Guarding Elder of the Wan Fa Pavilion earnestly instructed him, "Young man, don't be greedy. Spells and cultivation are about refinement, not quantity!"

Lu Chen didn't say much, just smiled and agreed.

Seeing that Lu Chen didn't listen, the Elder could only give up.

In the following days, Lu Chen took an Ascension Pill and indeed made rapid progress. Coupled with the assistance of mid-grade spiritual stones for cultivation, his strength began to grow at a visible rate.

This was a virtuous cycle: the higher his Realm, the more Dao Soldiers he could nurture; the more Dao Soldiers he had, the stronger his power became, and they could even provide feedback power, making his Physical Body stronger.

The sixth day.

"Is Junior Brother Lu Chen here?"

A voice called out from outside again. Lu Chen recognized it as the voices of the two Inner Sect Disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall from before.

He immediately walked out of the house, opened the courtyard gate, and indeed saw the Disciple with a bronze complexion and a tall, strong build, as well as the other cold and thin-lipped fellow, who were precisely Zhong Yi and Zhang Bingsong.

"The reason for the demise of Ma Qi and the other two has been investigated, and it is unrelated to Junior Brother. After this, Junior Brother can freely enter and exit the Sect." Zhong Yi spoke, his attitude much better than last time.

Lu Chen's heart stirred, and he pressed, "Could you please tell me who harmed Ma Qi and Yu Xiaoxuan?"

Zhong Yi hesitated for a moment, looked at Lu Chen a couple more times, and finally did not hide it: "Just a group of rogue cultivators who don't know their place. They only dare to hide in dark ditches, like stinky rats who can't see the light of day. Sooner or later, we'll dig them out and slaughter them all!"

As he said this, Lu Chen could clearly sense the killing intent in Zhong Yi's words.

Clearly, this group of so-called 'rogue cultivators who don't know their place' were not good people either, and they had already fallen out with the Dongming Sect.

"Rogue cultivators dare to oppose the Dongming Sect?" Lu Chen was a little surprised.

In his impression, rogue cultivators were basically dirt poor, even lacking complete cultivation methods, and were just the lowest stratum. Since when did they dare to challenge major Sects like the Dongming Sect?

Zhang Bingsong, who had been silent beside him, reached out and patted the shoulder of the radiating killing intent, Zhong Yi, "Don't mislead Junior Brother Lu."

He then looked at Lu Chen and said, "There are capable people among rogue cultivators. Never underestimate them."

"Indeed, the lowest-level rogue cultivators are poor and destitute, and even their cultivation methods are incomplete. But those who can rise among rogue cultivators are all ruthless individuals. Having done things like killing and seizing treasures many times, their strength naturally becomes different."

"Over the years, many rogue cultivators have provoked the Dongming Sect, and many rogue cultivators have been eliminated by the Sect, so of course, they have made many enemies. Recently, those rogue cultivators who have grudges with the Sect seem to have reached a tacit understanding and are targeting the Disciples of this Sect. It's not just Ma Qi and the other three who died; there are also more than ten Outer Sect Disciples who were killed while on missions."

"If Junior Brother Lu wants to take on missions recently, perhaps he can consider taking on missions in areas within the Sect's range that have monster beast resource points. Those vicious rogue cultivators seem to be targeting Disciples in such places."

Those desperate rogue cultivators specifically target such places, and you still want me to take on missions in these places?

Lu Chen was about to complain, but then suddenly realized, "Senior Brother means? Fishing?!"

Using himself as bait to lure out those rogue cultivators who want to target the Dongming Sect!

These Senior apprentice-brothers from the Law Enforcement Hall are truly ruthless!

However, this is normal procedure, the only fear is that those rogue cultivators won't take the bait.

"Junior Brother is indeed quick-witted." Zhang Bingsong praised, saying, "In the past few days, the Law Enforcement Hall has dispatched many Senior apprentice-brothers to stake out those rogue cultivators, but the effect hasn't been good. Those rogue cultivators are very skilled at observing the situation. Often, in places where the Law Enforcement Hall appears, these rogue cultivators won't show their faces."

After a few simple sentences of conversation, Zhang Bingsong and Zhong Yi left.

"Rogue cultivators who dare to challenge the Dongming Sect?"

Are they really just ordinary rogue cultivators?

Not necessarily!

Lu Chen thought for a moment, and finally shook his head. If he could think of it, how could the Elders and Protectors of the Sect not think of it? This was not something a small Outer Sect Disciple like him should worry about.

Even Zhong Yi and Zhang Bingsong, these two Inner Sect Disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, were much stronger than him. What was the use of him thinking wildly?

Returning to the courtyard, Lu Chen took out an Ascension Pill and swallowed it, continuing his cultivation...

The twentieth day.

"Qi Condensation Realm Great Perfection!"

All four Ascension Pills were consumed, reaching Qi Condensation Great Perfection in twenty days, ten days earlier than Zhou Song's estimate of one month.

Lu Chen took a deep breath, feeling the surging power within him, and then slowly calmed down.

Good news, Qi Condensation Realm is complete.

Bad news, the Merit Points are gone!

And from Qi Condensation Great Perfection to Spirit Transformation Realm, there is a great Realm separation in between. To break through, one needs potent medicine, or one can slowly rely on time to refine, but this process will only take longer than from Qi Condensation Later Stage to Great Perfection.

Conservatively estimated, it will take at least a year and a few months.

But Lu Chen couldn't wait that long. He always felt an invisible storm brewing, pressing down on the Dongming Sect...