Dashing Student

Chapter 1444 - 1440: Path to Death (Part 2)

When the alchemy process entered the nurturing stage, the shabby old man reached out and called for a large pill furnace lid, slamming it heavily on the pill furnace. A puff of white smoke drifted from the lid, straight up through the roof."Kid, what grade of elixir pills can you forge?" The shabby old man stared at Chen Nan and asked.

Wanting to match his cultivation in Foundation Establishment yet also showcase his talent in alchemy, Chen Nan replied, "Elder, I can forge eighth-grade elixirs; if not for insufficient cultivation, I would dare to try seventh-grade too."

"Good kid!" The shabby old man laughed heartily, "Considering your cultivation, being able to forge eighth-grade elixirs is truly remarkable. Didn’t think Moon River Valley really picked up a treasure."

"From now on, stay in the pill room, no need to go to the medicine hall. Being an alchemist has more future prospects than medical cultivation, doesn’t it?"

Chen Nan lowered his head, "I will follow Elder’s arrangements."

"Mm, sensible. Rest assured, once you become a seventh-grade alchemist, your status in Moon River Valley will be above the other disciples." The shabby old man seemed very satisfied with Chen Nan’s attitude.

"Thank you, Elder, for the promotion." Chen Nan raised his voice, appearing quite pleased.

The shabby old man nodded, "By the way, I heard you were rescued by Yun Ying, you’re close to Yun Ying, aren’t you?"

"Senior Sister Yun Ying saved my life; dare not forget." Chen Nan answered moderately.

"While it’s good to repay kindness, some things you need to pretend not to see, understand?"

The shabby old man’s tone suddenly became severe, his face looking ghastly terrifying, his eyes fixated on Chen Nan, as if burning holes through him.

Chen Nan frowned, "What does Elder mean?"

"Hmph, playing dumb, you know what I mean. Saying certain things will be your death!" The shabby old man snorted coldly.

Chen Nan dared not reply, only lowered his head, now certain that the sect’s three elders and sect leader harbored no good intentions towards Yun Ying.

Yet when he examined Yun Ying’s body previously, he didn’t find anything special.

"Could it be a special physique?" His heart suddenly flickered.

Knowing his own Innate Yin Yang Spirit Body is like a great elixir to all Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, if Yun Ying is the same, they would share deeper empathy.

The shabby old man shifted his focus back to the pill furnace; waves of medicinal fragrance wafted from it, causing Chen Nan to grow anxious. If his guesses are correct, the Burning Vein Breaking Realm Pill being forged is meant for Yun Ying.

So, he must stop the pill from being completed!

Chen Nan quietly released his divine sense. While the shabby old man’s attention was on the elixir, he secretly sent a thread of Heaven-Burning Flame into the pill furnace.

The Heaven-Burning Flame hidden within the blazing fire wouldn’t be detected by anyone.

With a loud bang, the fire within the pill furnace grew violent, and naturally, the elixir was burned to ashes.

Just about to succeed, it fell short at the last moment. The shabby old man flew into a rage, "Damn it! Damn it!"

He turned and glared maliciously at Chen Nan, commanding mana into a white whip, swiftly striking Chen Nan.

"Damn it, it must be you! You cursed bastard, ruined my elixir, do you know how difficult it was to gather those spiritual medicines?"

Crack! Crack!

The whip whipped continually, Chen Nan pretended to be in pain, collapsing to the ground, accumulating dozens of blood marks on his body.

After a long while, the shabby old man finally stopped, pointing to a side hall, "Go there, inside are pill recipes and spiritual medicines. You will forge pills for me, nonstop!"

Chen Nan staggered to his feet, limped into the side hall, eyes flickering with icy murderous intent!

"Damn old dog, I’ll definitely kill you!"

Though looking wretched, relying on his formidable physique, the shabby old man’s whip did not really harm him.

But within Chen Nan’s heart, the shabby old man was marked for death.

Upon entering the side hall, Chen Nan saw on the table several pill recipes, all for eighth-grade elixirs, along with all complete spiritual medicines, making it effortless to forge.

In the side hall was also a small pill furnace. Chen Nan sat in front of it, ignited special spirit wood, placed it into the furnace, and began forging elixirs.

For those lacking Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire, using flaming spirit wood to forge pills is the most common method.

Eighth-grade elixirs are very easy for Chen Nan; he can forge two to three furnaces within an hour, yet he needs to ensure his true cultivation isn’t exposed.

Thus, he pretended to be forging, sluggishly creating elixirs, while actually secretly healing, refining the yin energy threads within.

Even slowing his pace, Chen Nan still produced a furnace of elixirs by nightfall, intentionally making errors yet yielding six pills nonetheless.

Moreover, the quality was excellent.

After he produced the elixirs, the shabby old man stormed into the side hall, eyes shining as he looked at Chen Nan’s elixirs. "Haha, great! You really are a talent, I was right about you!"

"From now on, you’ll be responsible for forging elixirs; I’ll have less to worry about."

Chen Nan feigned a fearful expression, "Yes, Elder."

Though internally he held extreme disdain for the shabby old man, thinking how the old man was purely two-faced, changing quicker than flipping pages.

In the following days, Chen Nan stayed in the pill room, forging elixirs while silently purifying the yin energy threads. From the shabby old man’s perspective, Chen Nan was diligently forging, seemingly without any errors.

Yet the shabby old man’s mood remained sour, for in this time, he still failed to forge the Burning Vein Breaking Realm Pill, so he often vented his helpless fury within the pill room.

Whenever in a bad mood, Chen Nan became his target for venting, not stopping until Chen Nan was severely beaten, exacerbating Chen Nan’s growing murderous intent.

"Old bastard, as long as I’m here, still thinking to succeed in forging pills? It’ll drive you mad!"

Seeing the shabby old man raging again in the pill room, Chen Nan silently cheered within while being thankful he was in the pill room, or the Burning Vein Breaking Realm Pill would have been given to Yun Ying.

Just as Chen Nan was thinking, a clear voice sounded from outside the pill room, "Uncle!"

Soon Yun Ying entered the pill room, and the shabby old man immediately changed face, becoming gentle and kind, "Oh, it’s Yun Ying, why have you come here?"

"Lately, my luck has been bad, failing in forging pills continuously. But rest assured, I will surely forge the elixir soon to help you enhance your cultivation."

"Thank you, Uncle, but I’m here for Chen Nan this time!" Yun Ying said with a smile.

"Oh, looking for that brat then." The shabby old man turned his head towards the side hall, "Chen Nan, Yun Ying’s come for you."

"It’s just right, take the elixirs you forged to the Affairs Hall over there."

Chen Nan walked out from the side hall, carrying a box filled with several porcelain bottles, each containing elixirs he crafted.

"Yes, Elder."

The shabby old man’s eyes stayed cold, seemingly warning Chen Nan.

Yun Ying and Chen Nan left the pill room together, hurriedly inquiring, "Junior Brother, how is it going in the pill room? Master Zhang Sen is nice; he hasn’t troubled you, has he?"

"So, the old dog’s name is Zhang Sen." Chen Nan thought silently, then smiled and said, "Of course not, I am doing quite well here. How about you?"

He sensed Zhang Sen’s divine sense still monitoring them, so naturally, he couldn’t speak improperly.

"Recently, my cultivation hasn’t progressed much. The master said I’m advancing too quickly and should settle down a bit." Yun Ying laughed lightly.

"By the way, I want to hear about what the outside world is really like, tell me."

Chen Nan nodded with a smile, "Sure, the outside world is indeed exciting..."

The pair chatted as they walked, Chen Nan recounting his experiences since entering the cultivation world, slightly altered, allowing Yun Ying to listen with great excitement.

Though the pill room wasn’t far from the Affairs Hall, during this short journey, they walked leisurely, sunlight casting upon them, making them appear to shine.

All roads eventually end, and the two reached the Affairs Hall. Chen Nan came before Qiao Que to deliver the elixirs.