Chapter 6: Breakthrough! The Second Level of Qi Refining
The instant the pill slid down his throat, a soothing yet unimaginably majestic medicinal power detonated within him.
Like an out-of-control torrent of magma, it instantly surged through every meridian in his body.
Lin Mo's entire body went rigid, his expression changing drastically.
He had severely underestimated the potency of this enhanced, Top-grade Qi Gathering Pill.
A standard, passing-grade Qi Gathering Pill produced by the sect could only replenish less than half a Dantian's worth of spiritual energy for a Qi Refining cultivator.
But this Top-grade pill was not only completely devoid of pill impurities, its medicinal efficacy was a full eight times greater than a normal pill!
The flawlessly pure spiritual energy was entirely beyond his control, rampaging madly through his meridians and pouring into his Dantian.
His previously heavily compressed and incredibly dense spiritual energy was instantly bloated to overflowing by this medicinal power.
The barrier to the first level of Qi Refining, which had trapped him for three years, trembled violently under the impact of this flood. Cracks began to spiderweb across it at a visible rate.
He wanted to suppress it, but he simply couldn't!
The moment he forcefully circulated his technique to suppress the surge, the berserk pill power simply rampaged wildly through his meridians.
A tearing, agonizing pain instantly engulfed his entire body. If he tried to force it down any further, his meridians would either completely shatter, turning him into a cripple, or his spiritual energy would fall into chaos, leading to fatal Qi deviation.
It was a dead end either way.
To make matters worse, after the pill entered his stomach, a crisp, refreshing pill fragrance began to uncontrollably seep out with his every breath.
Even though he immediately clamped his mouth and nose shut, a dense aroma still wafted out through the cracks in the door. It wouldn't take more than a few moments for the servant next door to smell it.
"Damn it!"
Lin Mo cursed inwardly and made a split-second decision.
He couldn't suppress it anymore. He had to break through!
Not daring to delay for even half a second, he immediately sat cross-legged.
Abandoning all attempts to suppress the rioting pill power, he instead circulated the Top-grade Mortal Tier Qi Drawing Mantra with all his might.
He guided the majestic medicinal power, launching a full-frontal assault against the crumbling barrier of the first level of Qi Refining.
The profundity of the enhanced Qi Drawing Mantra was displayed to its fullest extent in this moment.
The berserk pill power, which had been on the verge of destroying his meridians, was rapidly combed and guided into the complete, smooth routing paths of the technique.
Without a single trace of dissipation, it was entirely converted into the force needed to shatter the bottleneck.
As he guided the medicinal power to break through, he desperately exerted every ounce of his willpower to retract his aura, preventing the spiritual energy fluctuations of his breakthrough from leaking out over a wide area.
Simultaneously, he threw a hand out, grabbing the torn cotton wadding from the edge of the bed to rapidly and thoroughly plug the last remaining cracks in the door and windows.
He then grabbed several large handfuls of wood ash from the earthen bed's flue and scattered it across the four corners of the room and along the base of the door.
Wood ash could absorb odors; it was his only immediate solution to mask the pill fragrance.
Boom—
A muffled roar, audible only to him, detonated within his Dantian.
The barrier of the first level of Qi Refining, which had trapped him for three full years, violently shattered under the impact of the pure medicinal power!
Early stage of the second level of Qi Refining!
The medicinal power didn't stall in the slightest.
It continued to flow rapidly along the technique's routing path. The thin spiritual energy lingering around the Alchemy Pavilion felt as if it were being drawn in by an invisible tractor beam.
It surged madly toward this secluded annex room, seeping through his pores, merging into his meridians, and pouring entirely into his Dantian.
Mid stage of the second level of Qi Refining!
Late stage of the second level of Qi Refining!
Just as his spiritual energy was about to charge toward the third level of Qi Refining, Lin Mo abruptly halted his technique. Forcefully reciting the incantations, he locked the restless spiritual energy tightly within his Dantian, refusing to let his cultivation realm climb any higher.
He knew very well that accumulating power over time leading to a sudden release—breaking through to the second level—was understandable.
Even if someone discovered it later, he could barely explain it away by claiming he was "lucky to break through due to the dense Qi of the Alchemy Pavilion."
But if he broke through two entire levels overnight, he would absolutely never be able to explain it.
After all, he possessed mixed Five-Element Spiritual Roots, not the monstrous talent of a Single Spiritual Root.
No matter how one looked at it, it was impossible for him to break through two levels in a single night without a heaven-shaking fortuitous encounter.
Right at the critical moment of stabilizing his foundation, the squeak of an opening door suddenly echoed from next door.
This was followed by the footsteps of a servant getting up in the middle of the night. The footsteps drew closer and closer, eventually stopping right outside his door.
Every muscle in Lin Mo's body instantly locked up. He immediately held his breath, circulating the Qi Drawing Mantra to suppress his aura to the absolute limit.
He even slowed his heartbeat by several margins. He seemed to melt into the darkness, completely motionless.
The servant outside muttered a few words. He had likely caught a faint whiff of the residual pill fragrance, grumbling,
"What's that weird smell?"
However, because the door cracks were sealed incredibly tight, the servant didn't overthink it.
He yawned, turned around, went back to his own room, and shut the door.
It wasn't until the steady sound of snoring drifted over from next door that Lin Mo slowly let out a breath.
His back was already completely drenched in cold sweat.
That had been far too close.
Another full hour passed.
The sky outside the window had turned pitch black, and not a single human sound could be heard in the Alchemy Pavilion.
Only then did he slowly cease his cultivation.
The pill's power within his body had been completely refined. The spiritual energy in his Dantian was several times thicker than before, and his true cultivation realm was firmly stabilized at the peak of the second level of Qi Refining.
Even among cultivators at the exact same realm, their spiritual energy reserves wouldn't even amount to a third of his.
Relying on the exquisite control granted by the Top-grade Mortal Tier Qi Drawing Mantra, he barely managed to suppress his outwardly projected aura to the absolute minimum.
Unless someone came right up to him and probed him meticulously, they would only think he was still an ordinary servant at the first level of Qi Refining.
The pill fragrance in the room had also been completely absorbed by the wood ash. Not a single trace could be smelled anymore.
Lin Mo let out a long breath of turbid air and leaned back against the dirt wall, his fingertips trembling slightly.
Three years. He had finally broken through.
Recalling the bullying and beatings he had endured in the Servant Quarters over the past three years, and the countless nights of bitter hardship spent gritting his teeth while practicing that fragmented manual, his eyes grew slightly hot.
He forcefully suppressed his surging emotions.
After the ecstasy passed, what remained was mostly lingering fear.
Although his desperate breakthrough just now hadn't been discovered on the spot, it had still left behind hidden dangers. From now on, he had to be even more cautious.
He absolutely could not make another mistake that could cost him his life.
Furthermore, he had to find an aura-concealing technique as soon as possible.
He looked down at the remaining medicinal slag and ruined pills on the earthen bed. There was not a shred of his previous joy in his eyes, only extreme vigilance.
These things were his fortuitous encounters, but they were also death warrants that could claim his life at any moment.
He didn't dare casually enhance those things anymore. Instead, he used oilcloth to wrap all the waste products tightly and shoved them deep into the very back of the earthen bed's flue. He then covered them with a thick layer of wood ash.
Only after confirming that they couldn't be seen or touched from the outside did he finally relax.
When the horizon had just begun to show a sliver of pale white, with less than half an hour until the hour of Mao, Lin Mo had already risen.
He first meticulously restored the room to its original state: the torn cotton wadding used to plug the door cracks was returned to the corner of the bed; the wood ash on the floor was swept completely clean; even the flue was arranged exactly as it had been before, leaving absolutely no trace of his breakthrough last night.
Only after finishing all of this did he pick up his rusty woodcutting ax and turn toward the woodshed in the back courtyard.
After breaking through to the second level of Qi Refining, his five senses and physical strength had experienced a qualitative leap. His control over his own body far exceeded what it had been before.
Yet, he didn't display this in the slightest. His footsteps remained exactly the same as any other day, neither fast nor slow, even carrying a bit of that clumsy sluggishness unique to servants.
The hand holding the ax hung slightly low, looking no different from the weak, useless servant he had always been.
Entering the woodshed, he closed the door behind him. Confirming no one was around, he raised his ax.
In the past, he would have had to use all his strength and spend over an hour to chop twenty pounds of jujube wood that met the requirements.
Even after enhancing the ax, it would still take him the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
But now, with a casual swing, the hard jujube wood would snap cleanly. He could chop the required amount of wood in just a few moments.
But Lin Mo didn't do that.
He deliberately slowed his speed, intentionally adding a bit of sluggishness to the ax's descent. Occasionally, he would purposely strike at a crooked angle, leaving a few irregular, jagged edges.
He even intentionally allowed the ax to collide with the wood in a way that produced the same dull thuds as it always had, pretending the ax was still blunt and heavy, and that he was still as weak as before.
He kept track of the time, purposely taking the usual hour to finish chopping the twenty pounds of jujube wood. The wood was still uniform, but he had deliberately left traces of a novice's clumsiness.
It looked no different from the wood he had chopped previously. Absolutely no one would be able to spot any anomalies.
Bundling the wood, Lin Mo hoisted it onto his shoulder and, following Steward Liu's roster, delivered it to the doors of the alchemy rooms one by one.
He kept his head down the entire time, his bamboo hat pulled low to cover most of his face. He dropped off the wood and left, not sparing an extra glance into the alchemy rooms, not striking up a conversation with any disciple.
Occasionally, a disciple would open the door and casually say, "Leave it here." Lin Mo would only bow slightly and reply in a low voice, "Yes, Senior Brother." He wouldn't say a single extra word.
His footsteps were as light as the wind. Once the delivery was done, he left, acting like a completely transparent person.
By the time he finished delivering the last bundle, the sky was just getting light, and the disciples of the Alchemy Pavilion began to arrive.
Lin Mo picked up his broom and dustpan and shrank into the most remote corner of the grand hall, exactly as he always did. He kept his head bowed, his eyes fixed on the floor, but his ears tracked every movement around him.
The moment a disciple called for cleaning, he would quickly hurry over, deftly sweep up the furnace ash and medicinal slag, and leave without lingering for a second or glancing at the pill furnaces.
Throughout the morning, the Alchemy Pavilion remained as noisy as ever.
Some disciples cheered excitedly after successfully refining a pill; some cursed and threw things in frustration after a furnace explosion; others argued loudly while exchanging pill recipes.
But from beginning to end, not a single person spared an extra glance at Lin Mo in the corner. Even less did anyone realize that this servant, sweeping the floor with his head bowed, had broken through a bottleneck that had trapped him for three years in a single night.
Even Steward Liu, who was responsible for managing the servants, came to inspect the alchemy rooms twice that morning. He walked past Lin Mo several times, but merely glanced at him.
Seeing him honestly sweeping the floor with his head down—not slacking off and making no mistakes—he walked straight past without saying a single extra word.
Lin Mo secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Just as he had expected, no one cared about his situation.
In the eyes of these Outer Sect disciples and stewards, he was nothing more than an inconspicuous servant who had recently been transferred here. Whether he was at the first or second level of Qi Refining made absolutely no difference—they were all bottom-feeding ants regardless.
No one would waste their free time purposely probing a servant's cultivation level.
What's more, by relying on the Top-grade Mortal Tier Qi Drawing Mantra, he had suppressed his aura tightly.
As long as he didn't actively circulate his spiritual energy to fight someone, even a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining wouldn't be able to discover his true realm without coming close and conducting a meticulous probe.
During the noon break, Lin Mo carried his dustpan to take out the trash. Exactly as he had done before, he took advantage of a moment when no one was looking to secretly hide a small amount of medicinal slag and half a ruined pill at the very bottom of the dustpan, covering them with furnace ash.
Having learned from his experience last night, he had become even more cautious. He didn't dare bring these ruined pills and slag back to his room anymore. Instead, he planned to take them to the back mountain and find a secure place to hide them.
Chapter 7: Zhang Long
Holding his dustpan, Lin Mo stuck close to the base of the walls, making his way toward a secluded area of the back mountain.
He specifically bypassed the routes frequently taken by the patrol disciples, finally stopping before a rocky crevice completely overgrown with thick vines.
He first meticulously inspected his surroundings.
Only after confirming that no one had been here and there were no signs of demonic beast activity did he retrieve the medicinal slag and the half-ruined pill hidden at the very bottom of his dustpan.
He wrapped them in three layers of oilcloth, shoved the bundle into the deepest part of the crevice, and tightly covered the opening with loose rocks and vines, leaving absolutely no trace behind.
Having done all this, he carefully wiped away his footprints before carrying his empty dustpan back along the original path toward the Alchemy Pavilion.
Just as he approached the side door of the pavilion, he sensed something was wrong.
Usually, at this time of day, only a sparse handful of servants would be going in and out of the side door. Today, however, a crowd of Outer Sect disciples had gathered near the entrance.
Even Steward Liu, who typically holed himself up in his office, was personally standing at the main entrance. With a fawning smile plastered across his face, he was bowing and speaking to someone.
The surrounding servants stood far away, not daring to step closer or even breathe too loudly. The normally boisterous main hall of the Alchemy Pavilion was currently pin-drop silent.
Lin Mo's footsteps halted instantly. Subconsciously, he shrank back behind a nearby pillar, concealing himself in the shadows. With only half an eye peeking out, he looked toward the main entrance.
Standing at the grand doors was a young man clad in a moon-white Outer Sect uniform. He had a tall, straight posture and a standard-issue longsword hanging from his waist. A high-quality green jade pendant dangled from the sword tassel, clearly worth a small fortune at a single glance.
The young man's face looked as if it had been chiseled from stone, featuring a sharp jawline and prominent brow bones. His eyes carried an aloof arrogance that practically screamed, "Keep your distance." Even when facing Steward Liu—who was also at the tenth level of Qi Refining—he kept his chin slightly raised, exuding an oppressive aura.
Lin Mo's pupils contracted slightly.
This face resembled Zhang Hu's by at least seventy or eighty percent.
They shared the same sharp, aggressive brow and the same arrogant demeanor.
However, compared to Zhang Hu's rampant thuggishness and bandit-like air, the young man before him was far more composed, and the sharpness in his eyes was much more intense.
The aura surrounding his body was deep and heavy—he was unmistakably at the absolute peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining, just one half-step away from Foundation Establishment.
Right at that moment, the hushed whispers of two Outer Sect disciples huddled nearby drifted into Lin Mo's ears on the wind.
"That's Senior Brother Zhang Long, right? I heard he reached the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining half a year ago. He's coming out of seclusion this time to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill so he can break through and enter the Inner Sect!"
"You bet. Out of the multitudes of disciples in our Outer Sect, those who can even touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment can be counted on one hand. Senior Brother Zhang Long is absolutely the most promising candidate to enter the Inner Sect this year!"
"I heard he's the older cousin of that Zhang Hu who throws his weight around the Servant Quarters? No wonder Zhang Hu is so arrogant. With a cousin about to enter the Inner Sect backing him, who would dare mess with him?"
"Keep your voice down! If Senior Brother Zhang Long hears you, you're in for it! He came here today to book Alchemy Room 1, the best room we have, to personally refine his Foundation Establishment Pill. Steward Liu is serving him hand and foot right now, so let's not push our luck."
It really was him.
Zhang Hu's older cousin, Zhang Long.
Lin Mo's fingertips tightened slightly. His back instantly went rigid, and he slowed his breathing by several margins, suppressing his aura to its absolute limit as he melted completely into the shadow of the pillar.
He had only heard the servants gossip about Zhang Long before, knowing he was an expert at the tenth level of Qi Refining on the verge of entering the Inner Sect, but he had never seen the man in person.
Seeing him today, Lin Mo realized that not only was this man's cultivation unfathomably deep, but his mind was also far more meticulous than Zhang Hu's. Zhang Hu only knew how to use his cousin's name to bully the weak in the Servant Quarters. But Zhang Long, simply by standing there without saying a word, radiated an aura that made everyone around him too afraid to breathe loudly.
Finally, Zhang Long spoke, his voice deep and carrying an unquestionable arrogance. "Steward Liu, I have booked Alchemy Room 1. Aside from those I specifically designate, absolutely no one is allowed within ten paces of the room. The cauldron must be swapped for the custom purple copper cauldron from the market. The firewood must be jujube heartwood that has been dried for over three years. Forty pounds a day. It must be split uniformly, without a single splinter or damp spot."
"Rest assured! Rest assured, Senior Brother Zhang, everything will be arranged perfectly for you!" Steward Liu immediately nodded and bowed, patting his chest in a solemn guarantee.
"The purple copper cauldron was wiped clean and prepared for you yesterday. As for the firewood, I will assign someone specifically to chop it for you. I guarantee it will all be the finest jujube heartwood. We absolutely wouldn't dare delay your pill refinement!"
Zhang Long offered a noncommittal hum. His gaze swept over the surrounding crowd of spectating disciples, his brows furrowing slightly as a flash of impatience crossed his eyes.
Steward Liu immediately took the hint. Turning to the crowd, he barked sharply, "What are you all crowding around here for? If you need to refine pills, go refine them! If you have work, go work! Anyone who stays here will be sent to the back mountain to chop wood for a month!"
The spectating disciples instantly scattered like frightened birds, not daring to spare another glance as they hurried off to mind their own business.
Only then did Zhang Long withdraw his gaze. Turning around, he led two accompanying junior brothers into Alchemy Room 1. With a heavy thud, the door shut tight, cutting off all lines of sight from the outside.
It wasn't until the heavy door was fully closed that the tense atmosphere finally relaxed. The servants once again dared to speak in low whispers.
Lin Mo remained hidden behind the pillar, waiting a moment longer. Only after confirming there were no anomalies did he lower his head, grip his dustpan, and walk briskly into the grand hall like any ordinary servant. He shrank into the most remote corner, picked up his broom, and resumed sweeping the furnace ash off the floor.
He kept his head bowed the entire time, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground, yet his ears caught every word of the servants' ongoing gossip with crystal clarity.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Mo suppressed the turbulent waves in his heart. Still keeping his head down, he swept the floor with deft, practiced movements. His actions were entirely indistinguishable from any other day—he remained that same silent, unremarkable servant.
However, while he wanted to hide from trouble, trouble had a way of finding him.
It wasn't long before Steward Liu came looking for him.
Steward Liu stopped in front of him, looking him up and down. Seeing his quick, deft movements and diligent work ethic, Steward Liu recalled that over the past half-month, the wood Lin Mo had chopped was always the most uniform, and he had never made a single mistake.
"You're Lin Mo, right?" Steward Liu began. "Starting today, you don't need to worry about the firewood for the other alchemy rooms. You will be solely responsible for the firewood for Room 1."
"Go chop forty pounds of thoroughly dried jujube heartwood and deliver it to the door of Room 1. It must be old jujube wood, dried for over three years, split uniformly and cleanly. If there is even half a mistake, I will hold you entirely responsible!"
"Yes, Steward Liu. This disciple remembers."
Lin Mo immediately stopped what he was doing and bowed deeply. His head was buried extremely low, his voice entirely submissive, showing not a hint of objection or curiosity.
Steward Liu nodded in satisfaction. After emphasizing a few more times—"Do not approach the room, do not look around, and do not ask questions"—he turned and left, paying absolutely no mind to what this bowing, subservient lackey might be thinking.
Good thing Zhang Hu isn't by his side, otherwise there definitely would have been trouble, Lin Mo thought to himself as he watched Steward Liu's retreating back.
He was confident that a lofty figure like Zhang Long couldn't possibly know a nobody like him, and Zhang Hu certainly wouldn't have gone out of his way to mention him either.
Chapter 8: Furnace Explosion
It didn't take long for Lin Mo to prepare the uniform, thoroughly dried jujube heartwood. Bundling it tightly, he hoisted it onto his shoulder and walked briskly to the door of Alchemy Room 1.
Knock, knock, knock.
He tapped lightly on the door with his knuckles, keeping his voice incredibly low and submissive. "Senior Brother, the firewood you requested is ready."
A moment later, the door was pulled open a crack. A young man in an Outer Sect uniform with an arrogant expression poked his head out. It was one of the two lackeys who had followed Zhang Long inside.
The young man glanced at Lin Mo. Seeing his faded, washed-out servant's uniform and his deeply bowed head, a look of impatience immediately crossed his face. He snatched the bundle of wood and casually dropped it inside the doorway.
"Just leave it here."
The young man's tone was stiff. He looked Lin Mo up and down again and added, "Don't wander off. Wait right here at the door. While Senior Brother is refining, we might need to add wood or have you sweep at any moment. You are to be on call. Remember: no looking around, no wandering, and absolutely no approaching within ten paces of the room without permission. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Senior Brother. This disciple understands."
Lin Mo remained bowed, his voice perfectly subservient. He didn't even twitch an eyelid, playing the part of a cowardly lackey completely at their mercy.
Seeing this, the young man said no more and slammed the door shut with a heavy thud, leaving Lin Mo standing alone in the shadows of the corridor.
Lin Mo straightened up slightly but remained standing near the base of the wall. He didn't move an inch, nor did he dare cast an extra glance toward the alchemy room.
The room's soundproofing was mediocre. Standing honestly by the door, Lin Mo could clearly hear the activity inside.
First came the soft clatter of the pill cauldron opening and closing, followed by the crackle of burning charcoal. Then came Zhang Long's deep, commanding voice, instructing his two lackeys to precisely control the heat and add the medicinal ingredients in strict order.
The refinement of a Foundation Establishment Pill was incredibly complex. The ingredient addition alone involved over a dozen distinct steps. The slightest carelessness would ruin all previous efforts. Even for a cultivator at the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining, the success rate was pitifully low.
Lin Mo stood quietly at the door like a wooden post, keeping his breathing extremely light. Passing servants and Outer Sect disciples didn't spare a single glance for a lowly servant waiting outside an alchemy room.
About two hours later, a crisp, mellow pill fragrance began to gradually waft out through the cracks in the door.
This fragrance was entirely different from the Qi Gathering Pill. The moment he inhaled it, Lin Mo felt the spiritual energy in his Dantian stir slightly. Even his meridians felt a faint warmth, and the fatigue from standing for so long vanished without a trace. His mind became exceptionally clear.
For merely the leaked fragrance to have such an effect, it was evident just how precious a Foundation Establishment Pill was.
Is he going to succeed?
Lin Mo's fingertips twitched slightly, but he remained rooted to the spot, not even lifting his head. However, he strained his ears to listen even closer.
I hope his refinement fails. If he succeeds and advances to the Foundation Establishment stage, Heaven knows how unbearably arrogant Zhang Hu will become with that kind of backing.
Lin Mo remained silent, greedily sniffing the pill fragrance wafting from the room while secretly praying for disaster.
From inside the room came a lackey's irrepressible shout of pleasant surprise. "Senior Brother! It's forming! The pill fragrance is out! Pill veins are already appearing on the cauldron!"
"Steady! Don't mess up the heat! This is the final step of pill condensation, we cannot afford the slightest mistake!"
Zhang Long's voice remained steady, but if one listened closely, a trace of unconcealable excitement could be heard.
The crackling of the charcoal grew more urgent, and the pill fragrance became increasingly dense, continuously billowing out through the door. Soon, the entire corridor was permeated with the faint, refreshing scent.
Passing disciples stopped in their tracks, looks of envy washing over their faces. Yet, none dared to step closer. They only whispered among themselves from afar, saying that Senior Brother Zhang Long was truly going to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill this time and successfully charge into the Inner Sect.
"Quickly, reduce the fire!"
"Yes, yes... a bit smaller!"
"That's enough!"
"Hahaha... it's here!"
The most critical step in alchemy was the final fusion and condensation of the pill.
Just as Lin Mo thought the furnace of pills was about to be successfully born, feeling a knot of tension in his chest while maintaining an expressionless face, he screamed internally: Please fail. Please fail.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, an ear-piercing metallic whine erupted from the alchemy room.
Immediately following it was a deafening BOOM!
The violent explosion shook the entire corridor eaves. A scalding wave of heat, mixed with grayish-white furnace ash and scorched black medicinal slag, spewed madly through the cracks in the doors and windows. Even the heavy wooden door rattled as if it were about to be blown off its hinges.
Did I actually jinx him?
A look of disbelief flashed across Lin Mo's eyes. However, he immediately pretended to be terrified by the sudden explosion, stumbling backward two steps. His body trembled slightly, and his face displayed a perfectly timed look of panic. Yet, he didn't dare run away. He simply kept his head down, firmly steadying his posture, not making a single movement that exceeded how an ordinary servant should react.
It wasn't just him; the surrounding servant disciples were also shivering in fear, terrified that Zhang Long would burst out in a violent rage and take his anger out on them.
The air was thick with the smell of medicine and scorched earth.
Then, a deathly silence fell.
Inside the alchemy room, it was pure chaos.
"Cough, cough, cough! Senior Brother! Are you alright?!" The lackeys' coughing and panicked cries rose and fell.
"Get lost! Get the hell away from me!"
Zhang Long's furious roar erupted from within, laced with irrepressible malice, followed by the loud clang of the cauldron crashing to the floor. "Two pieces of trash! You couldn't even watch the fire properly! An entire furnace of top-tier ingredients, completely ruined!"
It was obvious. The final step of pill condensation had failed, resulting in a furnace explosion.
Standing at the door, Lin Mo buried his head even lower, not daring to breathe too loudly, playing the part of a thoroughly terrified servant to perfection.
Not long after, the door to the alchemy room was violently yanked open.
The two lackeys, covered in ash and looking utterly disgraced, ran out with panic written all over their faces. One of them immediately spotted Lin Mo standing at the door and barked harshly, "You! What are you standing there for? Get your ass in here! Sweep up all the furnace ash and medicinal slag! And be quick about it! Don't make Senior Brother any angrier!"
"Yes, yes, yes, this disciple is coming." Lin Mo quickly complied. He picked up the broom and dustpan he had prepared in the corner and, keeping his head down, hurried into the devastated alchemy room.
The room was a complete disaster zone. The custom purple copper cauldron lay toppled on the floor, a massive crack running down its side.
The ground was littered with scorched black medicinal slag, shattered porcelain bottles, and a wooden table that had been charred by the heat wave. The air was filled with an acrid, burnt smell, though a faint trace of the pill fragrance still lingered.
Zhang Long stood beside the ruined cauldron, his face an ugly shade of iron-blue. The aura around him churned violently; he was clearly furious to the extreme.
He cast a single glance at Lin Mo but had no mind to care about a lowly servant. He merely waved his hand in irritation, signaling him to clean up quickly and get out of his sight.
Keeping his head bowed the entire time, Lin Mo didn't dare look at Zhang Long. With quick, deft movements, he swept up the ash and slag, his actions fast and steady, without making a single unnecessary sound.
However, as he swept up the scorched black slag near the cauldron, his fingertips paused for a fraction of a second.
This was the leftover medicinal slag from refining a Foundation Establishment Pill! Even though the refinement had failed, the residual medicinal properties within were dozens of times stronger than those of a Qi Gathering Pill.
His heart stirred, but his hands didn't stop. Taking advantage of the moment he bent over to sweep, he seamlessly and discreetly secreted several of the most intact pieces of slag—the ones with the richest residual properties—into the very bottom of his dustpan.
He then covered them completely with a thick layer of grayish-white furnace ash. It was flawless.
From beginning to end, no one noticed the slight sleight of hand performed by the servant sweeping the floor with his head bowed.
Zhang Long's mind was consumed by the rage of the explosion, and the two lackeys were too busy keeping their heads down to avoid his wrath.
No one would ever bother checking what a servant was putting into a dustpan, especially since medicinal slag was considered entirely worthless.
"Trash! You're all complete trash!"
Zhang Long stared fixedly at the cracked purple copper cauldron, his knuckles white, the bloodshot redness in his eyes practically overflowing.
To refine this furnace of Foundation Establishment Pills, he had exhausted nearly ten years of his savings and begged every senior brother he knew just to gather a single set of ingredients: century-old Dew Condensation Flowers, three-century-old Foundation Establishment Grass, and the priceless Marrow Cleansing Flower.
Every single ingredient was incredibly precious. Even as a top-tier Outer Sect disciple, he had only managed to scrape together enough for one attempt. He didn't have the ingredients for a second furnace.
Ten years of preparation, destroyed in an instant.
Malice churned in his chest, but he had nowhere to vent it. He had personally controlled the alchemy, and he had personally added the ingredients.
The error during the final condensation step was, ultimately, due to his own insufficient alchemy cultivation. But he couldn't swallow this anger, nor could he accept this result.
"Let's go!"
Zhang Long maintained an iron-blue expression, his aura as cold as ice.
Without even glancing at the mess on the floor, he flicked his sleeves and stormed out. The two lackeys didn't dare breathe loudly.
They quickly bowed their heads and followed closely behind him. The three of them walked at a brisk pace, leaving the Alchemy Pavilion's grand hall without looking back, not leaving a single extra instruction behind.
Watching their figures completely disappear from the hall entrance, Lin Mo finally stepped out from the shadows and let out a long sigh of relief.
Zhang Long was gone, meaning he was completely safe. Inside the room just now, he had been holding his breath the entire time, terrified the man would notice something amiss. Now that they had left, his suspended heart finally settled.
He looked down at the Foundation Establishment Pill slag at the bottom of his dustpan.
The glimmer in his eyes intensified. He quickened his pace, wanting nothing more than to hide these precious dregs in the crevices of the back mountain before any more complications arose.
But he had barely taken two steps and hadn't even reached the side door when hurried footsteps echoed behind him, accompanied by a harsh shout:
"You there, servant! Stop right there!"
Lin Mo's footsteps instantly halted. His heart sank. Not good.
As soon as he turned around, he saw the two lackeys who had just left with Zhang Long returning.
They were charging toward him with vicious expressions. Before he could utter a single word, the lackey in front delivered a brutal kick directly to his stomach.
The massive force sent Lin Mo stumbling backward until he crashed heavily into a corridor pillar, dropping his dustpan to the ground.
Fortunately, the mouth of the dustpan was facing him. While the furnace ash spilled all over the floor, the precious medicinal slag hidden at the very bottom remained buried and undiscovered.
"You dog! Trying to run?"
The other lackey rushed up, grabbed him by the collar, and slapped him hard across the face.
Half of Lin Mo's face instantly swelled up red. "Senior Brother Zhang Long's pills were ruined, and it's all your fault!"
Lin Mo's head was knocked to the side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he offered absolutely no resistance.
He immediately adopted the posture of a man terrified out of his wits, his body trembling, his voice quivering as he frantically tried to explain, "Senior Brothers... this disciple doesn't know... this disciple didn't do anything..."
"Didn't do anything?!"
The lackey holding his collar slammed a fist into his ribs, cursing loudly.
"If there wasn't a problem with the firewood you chopped, if it wasn't full of dampness, how could the cauldron's heat have gone out of control? How could Senior Brother's Foundation Establishment Pill have exploded?! That was a priceless furnace of ingredients, all ruined by a piece of trash like you!"
It was a complete inversion of black and white.
The jujube heartwood Lin Mo had chopped was all carefully selected old wood, dried for over three years.
He had inspected every single piece; there was absolutely zero dampness. It was chopped perfectly uniform and entirely met Zhang Long's strict requirements.
The root cause of the explosion was their own failure to control the heat, panicking during the final condensation step. It had absolutely nothing to do with the firewood.
They knew this better than anyone. But Senior Brother Zhang Long was holding onto a belly full of fire with nowhere to vent, and they had just been the targets of his wrath.
Naturally, they needed to find the softest persimmon to squeeze to let out their frustration. And Lin Mo, a servant with no background who could be manipulated at will, was the perfect punching bag.
"That's not true, Senior Brothers... the firewood was selected exactly according to the requirements... there was absolutely no dampness..."
Lin Mo continued to feign cowardice. His voice carried a sob as he curled into a ball, clutching his head and allowing them to punch and kick him without daring to make a single defensive move.
Endure. Just like the countless times Zhang Hu had bullied him before. Endure it.
The two lackeys beat him for quite a while until their arms were sore. Seeing that Lin Mo only knew how to clutch his head and tremble, not daring to utter a single word of defiance, they lost interest in continuing.
The lead lackey delivered one last vicious kick and spat, "Piece of trash. If you dare bring substandard firewood next time, I'll break your legs! Get lost!"
Having vented their anger, the two exchanged a glance and swaggered away.
It wasn't until their figures completely disappeared that Lin Mo slowly picked himself up from the ground.
He was covered in muddy footprints. Half his face was swollen and bruised, blood trickled from his mouth, and a dull, throbbing pain pulsed from his ribs. Yet, there wasn't a single trace of cowardice in his eyes—only a bottomless, abyssal calm.
He first walked quickly to the dustpan and meticulously inspected it. Only after confirming that the Foundation Establishment Pill slag hidden at the very bottom was perfectly intact and undiscovered did he finally relax.
Leaning against the pillar, he slowly straightened his body and dusted off his clothes. The swelling and wounds on his face meant absolutely nothing to him.
Over the past three years, he had endured beatings far worse than this.
Trading a bit of flesh and blood for the medicinal slag of a Foundation Establishment Pill was well worth it.
But this debt... he had recorded it.
Zhang Long, and these two lackeys, just like Zhang Hu, were all added to his ledger.
Right now, he wasn't strong enough.
But when he possessed sufficient strength to make these people completely disappear without leaving a single trace, he would collect his debts. With interest. One by one.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Mo suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart. He picked up the dustpan, swept the scattered furnace ash back inside, carefully covering the slag once more. Keeping his head bowed, his steps slightly unsteady but incredibly resolute, he walked toward the back mountain.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the ground. His thin figure looked utterly battered and miserable, but the steps he took on the path forward were incomparably steady
Chapter 9: Descending the Mountain
Lin Mo hugged the mountain wall as he walked, specifically choosing secluded paths overgrown with wild grass to avoid the routes of all patrol disciples.
He didn't stop until he reached the hidden rocky crevice concealed by dense vines.
He first looked around vigilantly. Only after confirming there was no sign of human presence within a hundred-zhang radius did he push aside the vines.
He took out the Foundation Establishment Pill slag from the bottom of his dustpan, meticulously wrapped it in five layers of oilcloth, and placed it together with the previously hidden Qi Gathering Pill slag and ruined pills.
He shoved the bundle into the deepest part of the crevice, then covered it tightly with loose rocks and vines, leaving not a single trace behind.
After finishing all this, he found a windbreak cave and slipped inside.
The cave was dark and damp, but its advantage lay in being hidden and safe. Lin Mo sat down, leaning against the cold stone wall, finally relaxing the nerves he had kept taut all day.
Wincing in pain, he began to inspect his injuries.
The swelling on his face burned fiercely. His ribs, having taken several kicks, transmitted a dull throb with every movement. His body was covered in livid footprint bruises.
He looked battered, but these were all superficial flesh wounds; his bones and sinews were unharmed. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out half a stalk of Blood Coagulation Grass he had secretly enhanced earlier.
He chewed it into a pulp and applied it to his most painful ribs. The cool, refreshing medicinal power instantly seeped in, immediately alleviating most of the pain.
To Lin Mo, who had endured three years of beatings in the Servant Quarters, these minor injuries were nothing.
Leaning against the stone wall with his eyes closed, he slowly sorted through everything that had happened today.
Zhang Long's furnace explosion meant he wouldn't be stepping foot in the Alchemy Pavilion again anytime soon.
As for the two lackeys who had beaten him, they would forget about this nameless servant the moment they turned around. To them, beating a servant to vent their frustration was a trivial matter, entirely unworthy of keeping in mind, much less going out of their way to find trouble with him again.
However, the true hidden danger hanging over Lin Mo's head hadn't dissipated in the slightest.
Recently, he had relied entirely on the exquisite control granted by the Top-grade Mortal Tier Qi Drawing Mantra to barely suppress his peak second-level Qi Refining aura back to the appearance of the early first level.
However, the spiritual energy in his Dantian had already been repeatedly compressed and polished to its absolute limit.
Even if he deliberately slowed his cultivation speed, it wouldn't take half a month before he inevitably shattered the barrier of the second level and stepped into the third level of Qi Refining.
He didn't possess a proper aura-concealing technique.
Relying solely on the subtle manipulations of the Qi Drawing Mantra, he could, at best, barely mask the aura of the second level of Qi Refining.
Once he broke through to the third level, the fundamental qualitative change in his aura would be impossible to hide.
The Alchemy Pavilion was full of people and prying eyes. Steward Liu was at the tenth level of Qi Refining, and there was no shortage of experts at the fifth or sixth level among the coming and going Outer Sect disciples.
Once he broke through, the slightest carelessness would result in his true foundation being seen through.
A Five Spiritual Root piece of trash who had been trapped at the first level of Qi Refining for three years, suddenly breaking through two major realms in less than three months after arriving at the Alchemy Pavilion, would inevitably draw an overwhelming avalanche of suspicion.
When that time came, his technique and his enhancement ability would be stripped bare. The only end waiting for him would be soul-searching, technique theft, and a gruesome death.
Staying in the sect was a dead end.
The only way out was to leave the Azure Cloud Sect.
He needed to find a remote, secluded place where no one would disturb him, naturally complete his breakthrough, polish his cultivation, and then visit the merchant guilds in a nearby county town to see if there were any aura-concealing techniques available.
He had to resolve his aura-concealment issue once and for all.
With his mind made up, Lin Mo didn't delay for a second.
Early the next morning, taking advantage of a gap after delivering firewood, he found Steward Liu's office.
He maintained his cowardly and submissive facade, standing at the door with his head bowed and back bent, clutching five low-grade spirit stones he had prepared in advance.
Waiting until Steward Liu finished his current task, he finally spoke cautiously, his voice carrying a perfectly timed, slight choke.
"Steward Liu... this disciple wishes to request a leave of absence."
Steward Liu raised an eyebrow, shooting him an impatient look. "You have perfectly good work to do. What are you taking leave for?"
"Reporting to the Steward, a letter arrived from my hometown stating that my mother is gravely ill and fading fast. She wishes for this disciple to return to see her one last time." Lin Mo buried his head even lower, acting out panic and urgency flawlessly.
"This disciple wishes to request two months of leave to return home and visit my mother. I beg the Steward to grant this request."
As he spoke, he discreetly presented the five low-grade spirit stones clutched in his hand to Steward Liu.
Steward Liu's gaze fell upon the spirit stones, and his impatience instantly dissipated by more than half. He casually took the spirit stones and pocketed them.
Sweeping his eyes up and down Lin Mo's pathetic-looking figure, he didn't overthink it—even if a Five Spiritual Root trash servant ran away, it would be no loss. Not to mention, he had offered tangible benefits.
"Alright then."
Steward Liu picked up his brush, approved the leave slip with a grand flourish, and tossed it to him.
"You must return within two months. Any later, and it will be considered a voluntary resignation; the sect won't keep you anymore. Also, behave yourself on the road. Don't cause trouble and make the sect lose face."
"Thank you, Steward Liu! Thank you, Steward Liu!" Lin Mo quickly accepted the leave slip, bowing and thanking him repeatedly.
His face was a mask of tearful gratitude, but in his heart, he let out a massive sigh of relief.
With this officially stamped leave slip, his departure from the sect was entirely legitimate.
Even when he returned in two months, no one would suspect what he had been doing during this time.
Having obtained the leave slip, Lin Mo immediately returned to his annex room.
He didn't have many belongings to begin with, so it only took him a moment to pack: he hid the Qi Drawing Mantra bamboo scroll close to his body, then made a special detour to the back mountain to retrieve all the Foundation Establishment Pill slag and ruined Qi Gathering Pills hidden in the rocky crevice.
He wrapped them tightly in oilcloth and sewed them into the lining of his clothes.
With everything ready, still wearing that heavily patched servant's uniform, carrying a sickly complexion and a hunched back—looking for all the world like a destitute man returning home to visit a sick relative—he walked openly and confidently out through the sect's main gates.
The gatekeeping disciples glanced at the leave slip in his hand, then looked at his pathetic, useless appearance. They didn't even bother to question him, simply waving their hands to let him pass.
No one would care where a Five Spiritual Root piece of trash servant was going, or what he was going to do.
The moment he stepped out of the Azure Cloud Sect's mountain gates, Lin Mo cast one look back at the sect wreathed in clouds and mist. There was not a single trace of nostalgia in his eyes.