11: The little artifact ebony sword, and the elixir for oneself.

When Li Yan received the Ebony Sword, he felt a stinging pain in his palm.

The Ebony Sword Old Daoist Xuan Wang gave him, this sword actually wanted to suck his blood!

[Detected host has come into contact with a Magical Artifact with strong side effects — Death Yin · Ebony Sword.]

[Side Effect: This Magical Artifact stimulates the Death Yin Qi contained within the sword by absorbing the host's blood Qi.]

[Side Effect Reversal: When you hold the Ebony Sword, you can absorb the energy of other people around you (whether living or vengeful spirits).]

Interesting!

Li Yan hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary Ebony Sword, after its side effect reversal, would become a small Heaven-Defying Divine Artifact.

This is what it means to turn waste into treasure; the effect of this side effect reversal will always bring unexpected results when used in certain places.

Old Daoist Xuan Wang stroked his beard, smiling as he asked in a gloomy voice, "Disciple, why aren't you speaking? Could it be that you don't like the sword your Master gave you?"

Li Yan was stunned for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Master, with this Ebony Sword, I am already content."

"Oh? I don't think what you're saying is necessarily true. I also have a precious sword here that can cut iron like mud. Do you want to swap it for the Ebony Sword in your hand?"

Upon hearing that Old Daoist Xuanwang wanted to swap his small Divine Artifact, the Ebony Sword, Li Yan quickly waved his hand, "Master, this Disciple's strength is meager; one Ebony Sword is enough!"

However, Old Daoist Xuanwang's offer to swap swords was merely a test for Li Yan.

Seeing that Li Yan didn't want the precious sword, Old Daoist Xuanwang cast an approving gaze, nodding in satisfaction: "Not bad, you little fellow are a smart person. Only by not being greedy can you live long."

But the old Daoist didn't know that this seemingly very useless Ebony Sword was Heaven-Defying in Li Yan's hands.

The side effect reversal of the Ebony Sword amplified its effects several times more than any precious sword.

The old man was very satisfied with Li Yan's 'lack of greed,' feeling that this little fellow could be kept by his side and further nurtured.

"Disciple, work hard, your Master will not treat you unfairly."

"Go, take the medicine in this gourd on the table and feed it to the guests."

Li Yan held the Ebony Sword and cupped his fists: "Yes! This Disciple takes his leave."

After walking out of the Pill Refining Room, Li Yan looked at the Ebony Sword in his hand, somewhat reluctant to part with it.

The Senior Brothers passing by the entrance saw that he was holding the Ebony Sword and couldn't help but chuckle.

"This kid is carrying the Ebony Sword around like a treasure?"

Li Yan ignored their discussions; what suited him was best, and he didn't need to care about others' opinions.

He also hadn't forgotten that it was now his responsibility to feed the guests at the Stone Workshop.

The medicine gourd in his hand contained dozens of Blood Ovum Pills.

Li Yan looked at the medicine gourd, and a plan began to form in his mind.

What if he secretly withheld a few Blood Ovum Pills…

However, he learned from Senior Brother Mingzhe's memories that the guests in the Stone Workshop were all Materials used by the old Daoist for Alchemy.

The feeding of the guests could not go wrong; it was necessary to ensure that every guest swallowed a Blood Ovum Pill.

If a guest's Qi was insufficient, delaying the Alchemy…

Then Old Daoist Xuan Wang would choose a lucky Disciple and throw him into a mortar to be ground into meat paste.

And that lucky person would most likely be Li Yan.

Because the Stone Workshop was his responsibility, if his Master's Alchemy was delayed, then Li Yan would have to go into the Pill Furnace.

"How can I secretly keep some Blood Ovum Pills?"

With this question, Li Yan walked through the corridor and returned to the Stone Workshop he was in charge of.

When he held the medicine gourd and pushed open the door to enter the Stone Workshop.

Countless guests rushed forward, kneeling before him, cupping their hands and begging.

"Little Master, quickly give it to me!"

"Give us two, one isn't enough."

"Please, I feel uncomfortable all over if I don't eat it for a day."

These countless addicts in front of him, suffering from withdrawal, scratched their ears and cheeks while pleading with Li Yan to give them one more.

Li Yan knew that the guests' brains were controlled by Gu, instinctively craving more Blood Ovum Pills.

Once their entire bodies were parasitized by the Gu, they would have grown into Alchemy Materials.

Li Yan's gaze habitually swept towards the corner, where the girl named Heart Zhi's eyes met his again.

And this time, there were a few more people beside the girl.

Li Yan mumbled, "These new arrivals must be the ones who were just added to the Stone Workshop."

"The Stone Workshop has a total of 36 guests, and my medicine gourd has 36 Blood Ovum Pills."

"If…"

Li Yan began to calculate how to use his authority to withhold a few of these Blood Ovum Pills.

"Heart Zhi, plus the new arrivals, there are a total of 6 normal people."

"The old Daoist needs 10 guests as Alchemy Materials every seven days."

His mind began to become more active.

The 10 guests were this week's Alchemy consumables, and the other twenty guests served as backups.

And the extra portions of Blood Ovum Pills, he, Li Yan, could secretly swallow!

Thus, six Blood Ovum Pills would go into his pocket.

The Stone Workshop was managed by Li Yan alone, so there was a lot of room for maneuver.

Li Yan acted immediately; he distributed 30 Blood Ovum Pills to those guests who were already terminally ill.

They snatched the Medicinal Pills without hesitation and shoved them into their mouths.

As long as the Qi values of these Pill slaves were normal, Old Daoist Xuanwang would not trouble him.

Afterward, Li Yan took the medicine gourd and walked to the girl named Heart Zhi.

The girl frowned tightly, looking at Li Yan.

Li Yan was now wearing a gray Daoist robe from the Jingxu Sect, and his waist token read [Outer Sect · Li Yan].

"You… you went from guest to handyman yesterday, and today from handyman to Outer Sect Disciple?"

Li Yan's promotion speed simply exceeded the girl's comprehension.

Noticing the surprise in the girl's eyes, Li Yan feigned sincerity and poured out a Blood Ovum Pill from the medicine gourd.

He calmly asked, "Want to eat it?"

The girl shook her head desperately, somewhat afraid of Li Yan.

She never dreamed that Li Yan, who had just arrived yesterday, had already become her superior today, the manager of the Stone Workshop.

The girl was very afraid that Li Yan would force them to eat the Blood Ovum Pills to complete his task.

Li Yan casually asked, "Are these five people also new arrivals?"

"Mm… they just arrived this afternoon."

The change in status made the girl afraid of Li Yan; she lowered her head, not daring to look directly into Li Yan's eyes.

And the five new arrivals, not yet parasitized by Blood Ovum Pills, remained clear-headed, with fear in their eyes towards Li Yan.

Li Yan asked, "How did you children get brought here?"

One of the slightly older children swallowed, gathering the courage to answer.

"We heard that we could eat our fill here, so…"

Li Yan waved his hand, "Alright, you can go back to your rooms."

Seeing Li Yan let them go, the girl named Heart Zhi couldn't help but take a step forward.

"Then what about you? What… what will you do with those Medicinal Pills?"

Heart Zhi had lived in the Stone Workshop for some time; she clearly knew the rules here.

Li Yan's lips curved upward, smiling without speaking.

He took the remaining six Blood Ovum Pills and walked into the best room in the Stone Workshop.

After closing the doors and windows, Li Yan poured the six fresh Blood Ovum Pills from the medicine gourd into his palm, tilted his head back, and swallowed them in one gulp.