31: Chapter 31 Eating Pills as Food

[Chu Sheng was unconscious for three days and three nights.]

[When he woke up, Liu Qingyan was asleep, slumped over the bedside.]

["You're awake!" Her eyes reddened, and her voice cracked. "You scared me to death! That pill..."]

["I'm fine." Chu Sheng's throat was so dry it felt like it was smoking, yet he still managed to force a smile. "I'm not dead yet. Did we win?"]

["We won!"]

[Liu Qingyan nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face. "The Chen family has retreated for now. But..."]

[Her expression darkened.]

["But what?"]

["The Patriarch's aura weakened even further last night. My second uncle and the others are making a fuss again, saying the Chen family won't just give up. Our family... we still lack top-tier combat power."]

[Chu Sheng fell silent.]

[Indeed. No matter how clever the tricks, without a strong fist, it's all just a castle in the air.]

[Once the Liu family's Patriarch passes away, Liu Chengqian, at Qi Guiding Rank 8, simply won't be able to hold down the fort.]

[The Chen family has several experts in the True Condensation Realm alone; any one of them could easily crush the Liu family.]

["Top-tier combat power..." Chu Sheng muttered to himself, and suddenly, his eyes lit up.]

["Others might not be able to, but I might be able to!"]

["You?" Liu Qingyan looked astonished. "You are only at Qi Induction Fourth Grade, even if you can fight above your level..."]

["It's not about relying on cultivation to brute force it." Chu Sheng sat up, his eyes flashing with a frantic light. "It's about relying on pills!"]

["Relying on pills?"]

["Others don't dare to recklessly pop pills, fearing it will damage their foundation and affect their future path."]

[Chu Sheng grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "But who am I? A Trash! What foundation do I have to damage? My foundation is the very definition of unstable!"]

[Liu Qingyan: "..."]

["For others, taking pills is like drinking poison to quench thirst, but for me, taking pills..."]

[Chu Sheng grew more and more excited as he spoke. "It's fighting poison with poison; it's making use of waste! The foundation is already rotten anyway, how much worse could it get?"]

["Might as well let go completely and stack my cultivation up with pills! Stack it to Ninth Grade of Qi Induction, or even... half-step Condensing True Essence! By then, combined with my poison pills and schemes, I might just be able to bluff people!"]

[Liu Qingyan listened, dumbfounded. "Big Brother, did the pill poison ruin your brain?"]

[This line of thought... was so bizarre it was appalling! But thinking about it carefully, it actually... made some sense?]

Chu Sheng watched the crazy man in the screen and silently gave a thumbs up.

A ruthless man, being this ruthless even to himself.

However, he was right. The foundation of this body of mine was already rotten; how much worse could it get?

This is what they call 'the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes'.

I'll just pop some pills in the simulation; he cherished his real body far too much.

[He acted as soon as he decided.]

[Chu Sheng collected various potent and obscure pills and pill formulas. He even exchanged all his savings for medicinal ingredients.]

[In the Alchemy Room, seven or eight medicine bottles were placed in front of Chu Sheng.]

["This is the Qi Explosion Pill; after taking it, spiritual energy surges by thirty percent, but it will cause the meridians to swell and ache for three days."]

["This is the Blood Burning Pill; it overdraws qi and blood to temporarily increase strength, but leaves one weak for half a month afterwards."]

["This is Bone Erosion Powder... never mind, this will actually kill, let's not use it for now."]

[He grabbed a handful of Qi Explosion Pills, tossed them into his mouth like candy, and crunched them loudly.]

[The little medicine boy from the Liu family helping nearby shivered. "Alchemist Chen... are you taking medicine or eating a meal?"]

["Eating both together," Chu Sheng said, his expression unchanged.]

[A few days later, Chu Sheng discovered something called "Yin Sha Condensation Dew," which contained cold, sinister energy. Ordinary cultivators would shiver for a long time just by touching a drop.]

[He drank half a bottle directly.]

[An incense stick's time later, he climbed up, burped, and spat out a mixture of ice shards and sparks.]

["Refreshing!" He inspected his dantian internally. "It works!"]

[Liu Chengqian came to check on the progress. He pushed open the door to the Alchemy Room and was stunned by the scene inside.]

[Chu Sheng's hair stood on end, his face was a kaleidoscope of colors, and he sat cross-legged in the middle of a pile of medicine bottles, popping a pill that was emitting black smoke and looked like poison into his mouth.]

["Brother... are you alright?"]

["I'm fine!" Chu Sheng grinned, his teeth green.]

["Brother Liu, you've come at the right time. I just improved the Meridian-Eroding Spirit-Burning Powder by adding some century-old Corpse Mushrooms and Grudge Spirit Grass Ash. It's at least three times more effective! Do you want to try some?"]

[Liu Chengqian fled in a panic.]

Chu Sheng laughed until he slapped his thigh.

"Century-old Corpse Mushrooms? Grudge Spirit Grass Ash? Is this alchemy or making poison? It speaks to Liu Chengqian's strong mental fortitude that he didn't faint on the spot."

[With this crazy pill-popping, Chu Sheng's cultivation shot up like a rocket.]

[Fifth Stage of Qi Guiding... Sixth Stage of Qi Guiding...]

[In just two short months, he broke through two realms!]

[The price was that his aura became even more unstable, his complexion alternated between flushed and pale, and a strange medicinal smell often drifted from his body.]

[One day, in a dusty, forgotten corner of the Liu family's library, he flipped through a damaged scroll and found an ancient recipe.]

["fleeting bloom pill"——]

[The description was simple: Consuming it allows a cultivator in the Qi Induction Realm to temporarily erupt with power one to two minor realms above their own for the duration of a quarter of an hour.]

[Side effect: Reduces lifespan by five to twenty years, depending on the foundation and the number of times taken.]

[Chu Sheng's eyes widened, then he slapped his thigh and laughed wildly.]

["A life-reducing pill? Hahaha! Good stuff! It's perfect for me!"]

Seeing this, Chu Sheng was also amused.

"Reducing lifespan? Who cares in the simulation! It's not actually reducing my real lifespan anyway. This pill is practically a cheat device tailor-made for simulation-style players like me!"

He thought about it and felt a bit guilty: "However... if I encountered this kind of pill in reality, would I eat it?"

[Choice triggered——]

[Will you consider using the fleeting bloom pill?]

[1. Survival in a desperate situation, at the moment of life and death, when not using it means immediate death.]

[2. Facing irresistible huge benefits or opportunities, it's worth gambling with lifespan.]

[3. Never use it; lifespan is the foundation of cultivation, I'd rather improve slowly or give up the opportunity.]

[4. Depends on the degree of loss; if the lifespan reduction is minimal and the gains are huge, it can be considered.]

Chu Sheng rubbed his chin: "Choose 1. If I'm dead, what's the use of lifespan? Survive first, then talk. But it's best not to encounter it; my small physique can't withstand the tossing."

[Chu Sheng treated it like a treasure and immediately began researching how to refine the "fleeting bloom pill".]

[At the same time, a plan formed in his mind.]

[He found Liu Qingyan.]

["Qingyan, I need you to do me a favor and act in a play," Chu Sheng said with a serious expression.]

["Big Brother Chu, tell me."]

["I found an ancient secret technique that might allow me to gain the combat power of Ninth Grade of Qi Induction or even half-step Condensing True Essence in a short time."]

[Chu Sheng said half-truthfully, "But it requires a woman to assist using a special spiritual resonance method. Are you... willing to help me?"]

[Liu Qingyan's face flushed instantly, her eyes flustered: "Spi... spiritual resonance? This..."]

["If... if it can really help Big Brother Chu, and help the Liu family... Qingyan... is willing."]

[A trace of guilt flashed in Chu Sheng's heart.]

[Is it a bit unprincipled to deceive the wife of my three lifetimes?]

[But for the sake of rapidly increasing strength, and to deal with the coming storm...]

["I'm sorry, Qingyan, I will definitely make it up to you later!"]