Just Hid a Tiny Little Bit

Xuanyangzi's face also showed a look of joy. He patted Shi Wanshan's shoulder and said, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Shi. Now our Azure Profound Sect has another layer of strength."

Shi Wanshan tightly held Xuanyangzi's hand, expressing his gratitude.

"Senior Brother, I will remember this favor! If there is ever a place where you need my, Shi Wanshan's, help in the future, just say the word! I will climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of fire without hesitation!"

Looking at Shi Wanshan patting his chest to show his loyalty, Xuanyangzi felt proud in his heart.

Done!

Hehe, this trick really worked. Thinking back to how arrogant you were when you snatched that thousand-year snow lotus from me, now you have to be deeply grateful to me.

When we discuss sect affairs in the future, I'll see if you still have the nerve to disagree with me.

Xuanyangzi saw Shi Wanshan off, turned around, and crushed a communication jade slip.

Shi Wanshan is taken care of. The next one is Li Muran. That old fellow is always arguing with me over the right to use the alchemy furnace. This time, I must make him owe me a favor too.

Half an hour later, Li Muran, the Peak Master of Pill Cauldron Peak, walked into the Azure Cloud Hall, bringing with him the fragrance of medicine.

As soon as he sat down, he saw Xuanyangzi set up a barrier, holding a crystal-white jade bottle in his hand, his expression even more solemn than when his alchemy furnace exploded back then.

"Senior Brother Li, do you know what this is?"

Xuanyangzi uncorked the bottle, and the crisp scent of pills instantly spread.

Li Muran's hand, which was stroking his beard, paused. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Xuanyangzi say in a deep voice.

"This is the Marrow Cleansing Pill I requested from Junior Brother Gu. It can defy the heavens and change one's aptitude. There are only two in the entire Azure Profound Sect. I used one myself, and this last one—"

He pushed the jade bottle toward Li Muran, his eyes sincere. "You were the first person I thought of."

Li Muran's hand gripping the alchemy furnace suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white. Did this treasure really have such an effect?

In the entire Xuanhuang Great World, there had never been a pill heard of that could improve one's aptitude.

At this moment, looking at the spiritual light flowing in the bottle, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he was actually speechless.

"You are the pillar of Pill Cauldron Peak. Half of the Azure Profound Sect's pills depend on you."

Xuanyangzi patted him on the shoulder, his tone sincere. "You deserve this medicine more than anyone else."

Xuanyangzi secretly gloated: Looking at your expression, you must be deeply moved.

Indeed, there are only two in the entire sect. I used one myself, and the remaining one is given exclusively to you. This friendship is enough for you to remember for a lifetime.

Li Muran suddenly looked up, his eyes red, grabbed the pill, and popped it into his mouth.

He mumbled, "I will remember this favor! In the future, whatever pills Senior Brother needs, just say the word, and Pill Cauldron Peak will fully support you!"

Seeing Li Muran so excited that he was incoherent, the smile on Xuanyangzi's lips deepened.

Alright, the hurdle of Pill Cauldron Peak has been cleared.

There will be no need to worry about the sect's pill supply in the future. This favor was worth it!

As the pill entered his stomach, a cyan flame suddenly rose around Li Muran.

A violent spiritual power storm instantly swept through the hall, and the cyan pill fire turned into nine fire dragons that spiraled upward.

Xuanyangzi hurriedly formed hand seals to stabilize the barrier, but saw the spiritual power around Li Muran climbing steadily—

The disguise of the mid-stage Cave Heaven Realm tore like paper, and his true cultivation at the early stage of the King Realm was completely revealed.

With the boost of the Marrow Cleansing Pill's medicinal power, he actually broke through to the mid-stage of the King Realm in one go, and his aptitude also reached the low grade of the Saint Level.

"Good kid!"

The whisk in Xuanyangzi's hand almost dropped, and he muttered secretly in his heart.

"Usually pretending to be at the Cave Heaven Realm, it turns out that every single one of you has been at the King Realm for a long time!"

He suddenly remembered the phenomenon when Shi Wanshan broke through, and his beard immediately curled up in anger.

"Junior Brother Shi is the same! These bastards, every one of them is playing the fool in front of their Senior Brother, and they all hid two major realms!"

Completely oblivious to the fact that he himself had also hidden two major realms.

Li Muran slowly opened his eyes, the pill fire flowing in his gaze.

Xuanyangzi's mouth twitched, and he forced himself not to roll his eyes: "Congratulations to Junior Brother on your breakthrough."

In his heart, however, he cursed: Good on you, Li Muran, usually pretending to be honest, even daring to deceive your Senior Brother!

"Senior Brother's great kindness, Junior Brother will never forget."

Li Muran suddenly bowed deeply, presenting a purple-gold pill token with both hands.

"From now on, Senior Brother can take any pills from Pill Cauldron Peak."

As Xuanyangzi took the pill token, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the pill veins faintly visible under Li Muran's collar—that was clearly the "Nine-Turn Golden Pill Vein"!

It only appears when the "Supreme Clarity Pill Scripture" is cultivated to the major completion stage.

His eyelids twitched wildly. Just how many tricks did this brat still have hidden?

Xuanyangzi rubbed his fingertips on the token a couple of times and suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Junior Brother Li..."

He dragged out his tone, looking at the "honest man" in front of him with a half-smile.

Li Muran's body stiffened, fine sweat seeping from his forehead: "Se-Senior Brother?"

"You hid it quite deeply~"

Xuanyangzi threw an arm around Li Muran's shoulders, the force so great that the latter grimaced.

"I didn't expect that my Junior Brother of Pill Cauldron Peak was already at the King Realm? The sect will have to rely on Junior Brother Li in the future!"

The last few words were almost squeezed out through gritted teeth.

Li Muran chuckled awkwardly and shrank back.

"Senior Brother is observant, Junior Brother... Junior Brother just hid a tiny little bit..."

"A tiny little bit?"

Xuanyangzi raised his eyebrows high, pointing at the nine giant pill fire dragons still circling in the hall.

"This is a tiny little bit?"

He then pulled open Li Muran's collar to reveal the Nine-Turn Golden Pill Vein inside.

"This is also a tiny little bit?"

Li Muran suddenly straightened his back and said solemnly, "To reply to Senior Brother, it is indeed a 'huge' little bit."

As he spoke, he even stretched out his pinky finger to gesture, blinking his eyes with incredible innocence.

"Good on you, Li Muran!"

Xuanyangzi stamped his foot in anger.

"Usually pretending to be like a quail, whenever I ask you to refine a pill, you always say your skills are unrefined and make excuses. So it was all an act for your Senior Brother?"

"Junior Brother wouldn't dare. It's just that Junior Brother's energy is all focused on refining the Soul Condensation Pill..."

Li Muran rubbed his hands, suddenly lowered his voice, and pulled out a jade box from his sleeve as he spoke.

"Senior Brother, would you like to try? I specifically saved them for you."

Xuanyangzi opened the jade box. Inside lay three golden, glowing pills, each wrapped in nine cloud patterns.

His hand shook, almost dropping the box: "At least you have some conscience!"

After Li Muran left, Xuanyangzi pulled out another identical jade bottle from his sleeve.

He gently twirled it between his fingertips, a sly curve forming at the corner of his mouth: "Who should I look for next?"

For the next three days, the barrier around the Azure Cloud Hall was never removed.

Xuanyangzi was like a generous boy dispensing wealth, holding the "last" Marrow Cleansing Pill, summoning the Peak Masters one by one.

It wasn't until he had seen the last Peak Master that Xuanyangzi took out his storage ring, looked at the remaining four bottles of Marrow Cleansing Pills inside, and chuckled.

He proudly shook his storage ring, thinking to himself: A bunch of old foxes, trying to compete with me?

Weren't you all bought over by me with just a few pills?

Now it's great, every one of you owes me a favor. In future sect discussions, let's see who still dares to disagree with me.

On Purple Bamboo Peak, Gu Changge leaned back in his bamboo chair, twirling a purple crystal grape between his fingertips, his divine sense like an invisible net, taking in all the movements in the Azure Cloud Hall.

When he saw Xuanyangzi holding the "last" Marrow Cleansing Pill, recounting his "exclusive favor" to the sixth Peak Master, it truly opened his eyes, and he couldn't help but call him an expert.

He finally couldn't hold back and let out a low chuckle.

"Heh, this old fox is getting more and more adept at playing his games."

Gu Changge pinched a ginseng fruit and tossed it into his mouth. As the sweet nectar washed over his tongue, he couldn't help but marvel.

"Sure enough, anyone who can secure the position of Sect Master is no simple character."

He had originally just casually handed over a few bottles of elixirs. He never expected that Xuanyangzi would use such a small pretext to bring all the Peak Masters of the Qingxuan Sect completely to heel. This level of cunning was truly an eye-opener.

Not far away, Xiao Ruobai was in the midst of his cultivation. Hearing his master's laughter, his movements came to an abrupt halt.

He looked up, only to see Gu Changge leaning back in a bamboo chair, smiling at the empty air with his eyes curved into crescents, casually toying with a spirit fruit. He looked for all the world like a blind mountain bear that had just stumbled upon a pot of honey.

The youth furrowed his brow slightly and let out a quiet sigh.

"It seems Master's illness has worsened again."

Once he claimed the championship in the upcoming Sect Tournament, he would definitely go to the Pill Cauldron Peak to beg for a Tranquility Pill. Perhaps it could help his master recover a bit...