70: Chapter 70 Pill Completion

Mu Wanqing was momentarily stunned. She looked down—she was still covering her "peaches"!

Her face instantly flushed a deep red. She frantically pulled a robe from her Storage Pouch and threw it on, wishing she could dig a hole and bury herself on the spot.

Beside her, Lu Manman burst out laughing, doubling over until tears nearly came out. "Hahaha—Mu Wanqing, you finally have a day like this! That'll teach you to always act so cold and aloof!"

Mu Wanqing glared at her with a look that suggested she wanted to eat her alive, her teeth grinding audibly. "Lu Manman, shut up!"

While speaking, she stole a glance at Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye shook his head and turned to leave, his pace light and without a hint of lingering.

He wasn't in a hurry to get intimate with the two women. After all, they were both favored daughters of heaven and weren't some naive girls who hadn't seen the world. It was impossible for them to fall for him just because he showed off some wealth.

He would first leave a deep impression of overwhelming wealth. When they wanted to "move up in the world," they would naturally think of him—just like Liu Weiwei.

As for him, he only needed to wait patiently for the fish to bite.

Sure enough, many hands made light work.

In less than a day, Xiao Ye received a transmission talisman from Mu Wanqing—the golden beads had been found.

"Holy crap? So fast?" Xiao Ye held the transmission talisman, momentarily stunned.

This woman's Luck was simply too good, wasn't it? He had been digging for so long and found nothing, yet she finished it in a single day.

How could the difference in Luck between people be so vast?

He put away the transmission talisman and hurried over.

Before long, he found Mu Wanqing.

"Here." Mu Wanqing expressionlessly handed over a small, glittering golden bead. It shone enticingly in the sunlight, looking just like a small golden bean.

Xiao Ye took it and inspected it thoroughly, confirming it was the real deal—it really was a golden bead. Its color was excellent and its quality top-notch; it was at least a hundred years old.

"Fairy Mu, your Luck is quite good!" Xiao Ye smilingly took out twenty thousand Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch, handed them over in a small bag, and said, "Here, twenty thousand Spirit Stones, payment on the spot. No cheating the young or old."

Mu Wanqing took the bag of Spirit Stones, her hands trembling slightly—not from the cold, but from excitement.

Twenty thousand Spirit Stones, just like that? Previously, she would work hard for a month digging Spirit Medicine only to sell it for around a thousand Spirit Stones. This single transaction was worth several years of her income.

This Spirit Stone money was too easy to earn. No—it should be said that this wealthy guy's Spirit Stones were too easy to earn.

"Fellow Daoist Wang," Mu Wanqing put away the bag, took a deep breath, and tried to look less excited. "Do you need more golden beads? I can go find more for you."

"Not for now," Xiao Ye waved his hand. "Next, I'm going to perform Alchemy. I'd like you to act as my Protector."

"Protector?" Mu Wanqing raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, just keep an eye out for me and don't let any Yao Beasts disturb me," Xiao Ye explained. "I'm not asking you to fight, just stand guard."

"That'll cost extra." Mu Wanqing showed a money-grubbing expression.

"Holy... seriously?" Xiao Ye almost choked on his spit. "I already gave you twenty thousand Spirit Stones, and you want extra to be a Protector?"

Mu Wanqing felt a bit embarrassed by his gaze.

"Fine, since you're so generous, this time is free."

"That's more like it." Xiao Ye nodded with satisfaction, took out the zishan tripod from his Storage Pouch, placed it on the ground, and then took out the golden beads and a pile of Spirit Medicine, arranging them neatly in front of him.

Mu Wanqing stepped aside, sat cross-legged, hand on her sword hilt, her eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings—guard mode, activated.

Xiao Ye took a deep breath and began tossing Spirit Medicine into the tripod. His movements were skilled and fluid, clearly the work of a veteran.

Mu Wanqing watched from the side, her eyes sparkling with brilliance.

This guy was actually an Alchemist? And looking at this posture, the skill, the combination of Spirit Medicine, and the control of the heat, he was at least a third-rank Alchemist!

No wonder he was so generous.

No wonder he didn't even blink at twenty thousand Spirit Stones.

An Alchemist! That was the wealthiest profession in the cultivation world, bar none.

Looking at Xiao Ye's back as he focused on Alchemy, a thought suddenly popped into Mu Wanqing's mind—if she had such an Alchemist as a backer on her cultivation path, wouldn't her journey be smooth sailing?

No more worrying about Spirit Stones, no more risking her life for Medicinal Pills, no more fighting until bloody for a single golden spirit fruit...

She suddenly became curious. What kind of face was under that black mask? It would be nice if he were a bit handsome.

As Mu Wanqing watched, her gaze unconsciously changed—from initial vigilance to curiosity, and from curiosity to something subtle.

Xiao Ye was completely unaware, focusing intently on the Pill Furnace, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Inside the Pill Furnace, the golden beads and other Spirit Medicine were slowly undergoing Fusion, emitting a faint golden light.

He didn't dare to be distracted.

Because this batch of pills was related to whether he could achieve Core Formation.

Mu Wanqing rested her chin on her hand, looking at his serious profile—though mostly covered by the mask, the exposed outline was sharp and well-defined. He seemed... not that ugly?

Her face suddenly flushed slightly, and she quickly looked away, pretending to watch the distant scenery.

But in her heart, she thought: What am I thinking?

—

While Xiao Ye was hiding in a corner focusing on Alchemy, the outside world had already gone into a killing frenzy.

As soon as Tang Shisan entered the Secret Realm, he was like he'd eaten gunpowder, aggressively attacking any Hehuan Sect Disciple he found.

It seemed he wanted to take out the grudge of Xiao Ye publicly framing him on the Hehuan Sect Disciples—I can't beat you, but can't I beat your Disciples?

With his cultivation at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, plus that first-level Sword Intent, he was almost matchless among the Disciples of the four sects; no one dared to stop him.

He slaughtered Hehuan Sect Disciples whenever he met them, taking them down one by one, or two by two.

Many Hehuan Sect Disciples would turn and run the moment they saw him, and some even crushed their transmission talismans to withdraw from the competition.

Now, in just five days, he had fifty Tokens in his hand.

There were only four hundred Tokens in total, and he alone held an eighth, ranking first in the trial.

Most of them were snatched from Hehuan Sect Disciples.

The Hehuan Sect Disciples were hiding all over the Secret Realm, suffering miserably. Privately, they gave him a nickname—the "Hehuan Nemesis."

On the other side—

"Open!"

With Xiao Ye's loud shout, the lid of the Pill Furnace burst open, and a dense medicinal fragrance surged out, filling the entire valley.

The dust-descending pill was complete.

"Hahaha—" Xiao Ye held the round, full, golden-glowing Medicinal Pill, his hands shaking with excitement, his grin reaching his ears.

He had waited for this moment for a long time. Stuck at Foundation Establishment Perfection for over half a year, he finally had the opportunity for a Breakthrough.

He took a deep breath, held the Medicinal Pill in his palm, and was just about to swallow it—