The hour of Zi approached.
Though the fragrance of elixirs had yet to spill forth, the entire courtyard was already illuminated by the fiery glow of the Dragon-Tiger Alchemy Furnace, casting brilliance across the ground.
Inside the furnace, a young man was enveloped in flames, two pills suspended before him.
One was Senior Brother Xiaobao, and the other was the nascent form of a profound pill, already etched with sixty percent of the meridians from the "Eight Treasures Devouring Gold Art."
Could Senior Brother Xiaobao freely manipulate the circulation paths of other martial techniques?
Li Mo noticed that as he cycled his energy alongside Tang Xiaobao, the nascent Eight Treasures Devouring Gold Profound Pill was gradually forming a connection with him—so seamless that it was indistinguishable from one he had refined himself.
"I'm going to raise the temperature," Elder Xue's voice came from outside.
"Wait."
Li Mo detected a hint of exhaustion in his tone, so a serene glow faintly emerged behind him.
The tranquil moonlight bathed Elder Xue, instantly dispelling his scattered thoughts and calming his emotions.
For a moment, only peace remained in his heart.
"What divine intent is this kid observing?"
Xue Jing raised an eyebrow slightly, but his hands never stopped moving.
A large bucket of Black Mire Wood Oil was poured in.
Instantly, the temperature inside the furnace soared.
"Whew... Senior Brother Xiaobao, time for the final step!"
Even Li Mo could feel the scorching heat now.
His perfected Extreme Blade Slaughter Body was barely holding up against the furnace's current temperature.
"Here!"
Tang Xiaobao trembled slightly before spinning rapidly, nearly smoking himself from the speed.
Heartbinding Grass, Nine-Leaf Blossom, and Bloody Polygonum aged thousands of years were tossed in as if they cost nothing, swiftly transformed into pure primordial energy.
A quarter-hour later.
The burning sensation grew even more intense.
And the nascent profound pill, as if gilded, began to radiate dazzling light!
Boom!
The Dragon-Tiger Furnace let out a muffled explosion.
The lid shot out like a cannonball, trailing a long tail of flames into the sky.
"Xiaobao?"
Xue Jing ignored the lingering heat and rushed forward.
"Mas... Master..."
Tang Xiaobao tumbled out in human form, his tongue lolling, his black-and-white eyes swirling like whirlpools.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh? Master, why do you have three heads? Did you master the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit technique? Hehe..."
Dizzy, Tang Xiaobao grinned foolishly, seeing double.
Xue Jing: "..."
A slap landed on his head.
Tang Xiaobao's gaze cleared instantly.
"Where's Li Mo? Why hasn't he come out yet?"
Xue Jing peered into the furnace, torn between worry and anticipation.
This was the critical moment to test his theory—if even this failed, it would prove that External Pill Refinement had been nothing but a farce from the start.
Inside the furnace, two streaks of golden light, solid as reality, flashed briefly before vanishing.
"Ah..."
Li Mo crawled out of the furnace, sighing in disappointment.
"In the end, we fell just short."
"Failed?"
Xue Jing's excited expression froze, his eyes dimming.
So it was true...
External Pill Refinement had only been the delusion of his youth.
Even after pushing everything to the limit, it remained nothing more than theory.
"Li Mo, don't... take it too hard. External Pill Refinement defies the natural order—failure is normal. Though we did waste quite a few materials..."
The rate at which External Pill Refinement consumed rare treasures was nothing short of staggering.
A single profound pill had already cost Li Mo one-fiftieth of his stockpile.
Watching his dejected master, Tang Xiaobao scratched his head.
"Eh? But I clearly saw Li Mo swallow the pill?"
Xue Jing stiffened.
Li Mo spread his hands and grinned.
"You believed me just like that? Teehee~"
The moment the words left his mouth, Elder Xue's face visibly flushed red with rage.
"I'll beat you to death, you little brat!"
"Just a joke! Look at you, getting worked up again..."
And so, two figures began chasing each other around the courtyard.
Li Mo fled!
Xue Jing pursued!
With four profound pills now circulating within him, Li Mo's energy was inexhaustible, his movements faster than ever.
But.
An Inner Realm cultivator was still an Inner Realm cultivator.
Once Xue Jing unleashed his domain, the phantom of a Dragon-Tiger Furnace descended, pinning Li Mo like a monkey under Five Finger Mountain.
Truthfully, Li Mo could have gone even faster—but that would have cost him money.
The Eight Treasures Devouring Gold Pill could consume the essence of gold and silver to unleash even greater power.
"Couldn't you learn something good for once?"
"Eh? From who?"
"From your master, of course! Sure, she spends money recklessly, loves to fight, and drinks too much—but she must have some virtues."
"...Such as?"
Xue Jing was momentarily speechless.
Tang Xiaobao, still slightly dazed, wobbled over to clean up the Dragon-Tiger Furnace.
Suddenly, his tiny brows furrowed.
"Master, the furnace lid's gone again!"
......
The hour of Zi.
Fish-Dragon Street had fallen into complete silence, the roads pitch-black and deserted.
A figure resembling an inn attendant crept forward in the darkness—so stealthily that one might miss him entirely if not looking carefully.
"Hmm... no one's following me..."
Xu Yi remained vigilant, only relaxing after crossing three streets.
"So what if they sealed my meridians and dantian?"
"In the end, I was still a step ahead."
Xu Yi had many identities, and thus, many skills.
Even as an ordinary man, he could deftly undo tortoise-shell bindings.
Then, using the divine intent he had observed, he concealed his presence.
Finally, he had slipped away unnoticed in the dead of night.
Of course, his willingness to take Li Mo to the Black Tower during the day hadn't been an act.
But.
If he failed to report back to Yin Mianmian on time, she would assume he was dead.
And then, the bounty on Li Mo would multiply tenfold, with the Drizzle Tower coming after him with even greater ferocity.
If Li Mo died, who would pay him?
So he planned to deliver his report first, then sneak back to the inn...
Xu Yi crossed another street and was about to take out his Hallfront Swallow to leave a signal when—
Whoosh—
What was that sound?
He turned just in time to see a black, spinning object hurtling toward him.
Growing closer.
What the—?
A lid?
dUang~~
The sound of head meeting lid was oddly pleasant.
Xu Yi's scalp went numb before darkness swallowed his vision, and he collapsed stiffly onto the roadside.
Not long after.
A figure with a cloth blindfold and a small bamboo basket on her back approached.
"Eh?"
"Isn't this... Xu the waiter?"
Jiang Chulong, about to pick through his belongings, tilted her head in confusion upon recognizing him.
Why was he here?
Was he... dead?
Poking Xu Yi's stomach with a peachwood branch, she sighed in disappointment.
Still alive.
Which meant his things weren't trash...
"Did... did Big Brother Li send him out...?"
Jiang Chulong decided to ask when she returned.
So she picked up the furnace lid with one hand, grabbed Xu Yi's ankle with the other, and dragged him back toward the inn.
Thud—
A dull thud echoed as the back of his head made intimate contact with the curb.
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
