A Game against Dokengate

Li Shiyin flew away from the Butler Hall, circled around the main peak once, and arrived in front of the Butler Hall again.

Seeing Qin Ran standing at the door of the Butler Hall in midair, she landed directly behind Qin Ran and hopped over.

"Master, are you waiting for me?" she asked with a smile.

Hearing this, Qin Ran looked back and saw Li Shiyin. He didn't admit that he was afraid she couldn't find anyone and deliberately came to the door to wait for her. He just said, "I just got here. They are still preparing medicinal materials."

On the fifteenth day of each month, the Dao Sword Sect would collect a certain amount of elixir from Dan Peak, and at the beginning of each month, it would provide Dan Peak with medicinal materials for refining elixir.

Li Shiyin came to pick up the monthly supply today, so Qin Ran followed along to get the medicinal materials as well.

"You're really slow." Li Shiyin pouted her lips. She remembered the monthly supply and complained to Qin Ran, "Mas...ter! I just went to pick up the monthly supply, and then they said it was available last month! It was available last month...but you didn't know! You made me lose a month of monthly supply, do you know ?!"

"Is that so?" Qin Ran asked when he heard that you could pick up the monthly supply on the day you joined the Dao Sword Sect. He really didn't know about this before, "How many spirit stones can you get?"

"Five hundred!" Li Shiyin stretched out one hand and spread five slender and clean fingers to show Qin Ran angrily.

Qin Ran nodded and said, "That's really outrageous."

The Dao Sword Sect had its own spiritual mineral veins, and the spirit stones distributed to the disciples were quite abundant.

"And some elixir..." Li Shiyin said, and then remembered something, "Master, why don't you pick up the monthly supply? How many spirit stones do you get in your monthly supply?"

"I don't like spirit stones." Qin Ran said.

"...Liar." Li Shiyin could see through it at a glance. She took out a bottle of elixir from the universe bag and handed it to Qin Ran, "Master, is this the elixir you made?"

Qin Ran took it over, broke the jade seal and took a look, shook his head and said, "Where did you get it? The quality just barely passes inferior quality, the quality is very poor."

"It's the monthly supply!" Li Shiyin said.

"Monthly supply?" Qin Ran was startled, looking at the elixir bottle in his hand, he fell into deep thought.

"Master? Master! Master!"

Li Shiyin called him several times before waking him up.

"Master, what's wrong with you? Is there a problem with this elixir?" Li Shiyin asked.

"Well..." Qin Ran murmured, "Be careful not to eat the elixir issued by the sect in the future."

At this time, Jian Yuanjie walked out of the Butler Hall with a temporary universe bag and handed the universe bag to Qin Ran, "Check it out for yourself."

He also looked at Li Shiyin next to him. Li Shiyin was dressed in white and holding a sword, and she was really eye-catching. He remembered Li Shiyin's appearance in the mud pit before, and the contrast made him feel more amazing. He couldn't help but praise, "What a handsome girl."

"Thank you!" Li Shiyin smiled very politely.

Qin Ran glanced at Jian Yuanjie meaningfully, but did not speak. He opened the universe bag to check the medicinal materials inside, then closed the universe bag with a calm expression, and asked Jian Yuanjie, "Has anything happened in the sect recently? We went out for a few days."

"No!" Jian Yuanjie smiled and said, "It's just that the demonic beasts have been a little more irritable recently. Disciples who go out should be more careful, it's not a big deal."

"When demonic beasts collectively become irritable, there must be a reason for it, right?" Qin Ran said, "Did the higher-ups say anything?"

Jian Yuanjie shook his head and said, "They are all beasts with untamable natures. Being irritable during the spring and summer breeding season is normal."

"I see..." Qin Ran nodded without saying much. Then he casually asked as if chatting, "These medicinal materials were still purchased in Zhican Valley, right?"

"That's right!" Jian Yuanjie nodded, "Is there a problem? Is the quality wrong?"

"No..." Qin Ran said, "I'm just asking."

After he finished speaking, he hesitated and said, "Junior Brother Jian, although you haven't studied alchemy, your knowledge of medicinal materials and elixirs is far better than mine. I have always wanted to take the opportunity to learn from you...Why don't you take me along next time you go to purchase medicinal materials in Zhican Valley? It would be good for me to personally experience large-scale medicinal material transactions."

"Hey!" Jian Yuanjie patted Qin Ran on the shoulder and laughed, "You are an alchemy master. How can my shallow knowledge be compared with a professional like you? Purchasing medicinal materials involves some business theories that are too vulgar and not conducive to cultivation. It would be a waste of time for you to follow me. It’s better to calm your mind and study elixirs carefully...or hurry up and improve your cultivation level. You should be at the Core Formation stage already."

"I see... Yes..." Qin Ran said with a smile, "Then that's fine. I'll concentrate on researching elixir. I'll leave the troublesome task of purchasing medicinal materials to you, Junior Brother."

After chatting for a few more sentences, Qin Ran bid farewell to Jian Yuanjie and left with Li Shiyin directly.

Jian Yuanjie stood in place watching Qin Ran walk away. He looked at Qin Ran's back, the smile on his face disappearing little by little.

After leaving the Butler Hall, Qin Ran's originally faintly smiling face instantly sank, with deep thoughts flashing in his eyes.

"Mas...Master..." Li Shiyin was so scared to see Qin Ran change his face at the speed of light. His skill to instantly change his expression was really terrifying. She hurriedly asked, "What's going on?"

Qin Ran looked at Li Shiyin, shook his head with a stern face, and said, "Nothing!"

With him like this, it was impossible that nothing had happened, it was just that he couldn't tell Li Shiyin about this matter.

The Dao Sword Sect was one of the five major sects in North Chu Country. In terms of combat power alone, it was one of the top among the five sects. Although Zhican Valley had a higher overall strength and reputation among civilians than other sects, if they were just comparing fighting prowess, then Zhican Valley would have to be ranked last among the five major sects.

Therefore, when the Dao Sword Sect conducted elixir transactions with a sect like Zhican Valley of this scale, Zhican Valley should not, could not, and would not dare tamper with it. Although privately, Zhican Valley’s disciples liked to sell inferior quality elixirs in the Dao Sword Sect, on the surface level, sects could not do such things to each other.

But now, this kind of thing had happened, and it was done blatantly and extremely arrogantly.

Among sects, the quality of elixirs sold by Zhican Valley to the Dao Sword Sect would be at least medium quality... If Zhican Valley did not have so many medium quality elixirs at that time, then at least a certain amount of medium quality elixirs would have to be guaranteed to be issued to inner sect disciples and personally taught disciples.

That is to say, no matter what, the elixirs received by personally taught disciples must be of medium quality.

But the elixir in Li Shiyin's monthly supply for personally taught disciples was of inferior quality.

In addition... Qin Ran discovered that the quality of medicinal materials had also declined slightly. Fluctuations in the quality of medicinal materials were common, but after seeing the elixir Li Shiyin received, Qin Ran realized that the decline in the quality of medicinal materials was not once or twice, he just didn't notice it.

There was a conspiracy, a trap, one targeting the Dao Sword Sect, targeting the new disciples of the Dao Sword Sect, with insiders, looming over the Dao Sword Sect.

But what could he, Qin Ran, do? Even if he knew a trap was being laid, he had no ability to change it!

Qin Ran shook his head.

No, no, it wasn't what he could do, he was just a Foundation Establishment junior cultivator. What could he do? All he needed to do was figure out how to survive...

"No!" Qin Ran suddenly stopped while walking, his face changed drastically in shock.

Because he suddenly realized that...

If there really was such a conspiracy against the Dao Sword Sect related to elixirs, then the first step should be to get rid of the alchemy masters of the Dao Sword Sect!

And he was the only alchemy master in the Dao Sword Sect!