Wang Jianqiang felt a chill run through his body and instinctively took a step back, forcing a smile. "The Hehuan Sect forbids private duels. I guess you wouldn't want to break the rules here."
"Hehe, since you're so good at guessing, why not guess if anyone would know it was me if I killed you?" Yan Qingxuan giggled.
Suddenly, Wang Jianqiang noticed his surroundings beginning to blur. The walls, bed, tables, and chairs—all were fading and disappearing, as if this space was rapidly detaching from the real world. In the blink of an eye, he found himself in an endless void, surrounded by nothingness. The only constant was the red-clad figure before him, who hadn't moved an inch.
Wang Jianqiang looked at her with uncertainty and suspicion. Was it an illusion, a formation array, or a spell technique? Regardless of which, it was clear that her strength far surpassed his own. Realizing this, Wang Jianqiang swallowed hard.
"I dare say I've never offended you, senior. May I ask why you've come?"
"There's not much to instruct, really. I just found you quite interesting and came to take a look," Yan Qingxuan said, eyeing Wang Jianqiang with a peculiar expression.
Ever since she noticed Dong Rou's special attention to Wang Jianqiang, she had been keeping an eye on him. She had been lurking around the outer sect, secretly investigating him, and the findings had surprised her.
Wang Jianqiang, nearing 96 years old, had a talent so poor it was almost unheard of—a bottom-tier among the Five-Element Crippled Roots, a fighter among trash. After seventy years of cultivation, his base was only at the third level of Qi Refining. But this was just the general perception among most outer disciples.
From a select few outer disciples, she learned that Wang Jianqiang had a late-life epiphany, awakening a peculiar talent in the Dao of Alchemy, capable of refining perfect elixirs without pill poison. Perfect elixirs were legendary items. Even the highest authority in the Hehuan Sect's Dao of Alchemy couldn't create them. How could a waste among outer disciples produce them so effortlessly?
Wang Jianqiang, feeling exposed under her gaze, was growing increasingly uneasy. At that moment, Yan Qingxuan withdrew her gaze and waved her hand. Everything around them returned to normal. She glanced at the table beside her, and with a gesture, a jade bottle flew into her hand. With a tap of her finger, a flawless pill emerged from the bottle.
"It's said you can refine perfect elixirs without pill poison. This must be one of them, right?" She examined the pill in her hand, her expression turning to one of amazement. "Truly remarkable. The medicinal effect is perfectly restrained. Even with my level of cultivation, I can sense the strength of the medicine but can't discern its effects!"
Before Wang Jianqiang could respond, she was about to pop the pill into her mouth.
"Senior, wait!" Wang Jianqiang exclaimed, hurriedly trying to stop her.
"No," Wang Jianqiang shook his head. "It's just a first-rank elixir. Even if it's poisonous, it doesn't matter."
Yan Qingxuan pursed her lips and continued to move the pill toward her mouth.
"Wait!" Wang Jianqiang, bracing himself, interrupted again.
Yan Qingxuan frowned, looking at him expressionlessly. Clearly, his repeated interruptions were testing her patience.
Wang Jianqiang felt a tightness in his chest and forced a dry laugh. "Senior, this pill was an accidental find. Its effects are unknown." Saying this, he took out a Perfect Cloudmist Pill. "Try this one. It has stronger effects and tastes better."
"No need, this one will do," Yan Qingxuan smirked, swallowing it in one gulp.
What a joke. Did she take his elixir for its effects? It was just a first-rank elixir. Even if it was perfect, what effect could it have on her? She merely wanted to taste what a perfect elixir was like.
Yan Qingxuan sneered inwardly, ready to lecture Wang Jianqiang, when she suddenly sensed something amiss. Realizing what she had ingested, she widened her eyes and shouted, "How can this be? Quickly, give me the antidote."
Wang Jianqiang swallowed, his voice bitter. "I already told you, the pill formula was something I stumbled upon. I had no idea of its effects."
"You bastard!" Yan Qingxuan gritted her teeth, ready to flee. But she overlooked her current state and, as she turned, lost her balance and fell backward. Wang Jianqiang, standing behind her, instinctively caught her, and she clung to him. This story is hosted at g.com.
Wang Jianqiang froze, not daring to move, silently lamenting his predicament. Having a beautiful woman throw herself into your arms is one thing, but when that woman could easily crush you, is it a blessing? Of course not. But while he dared not move, he couldn't stop Yan Qingxuan from doing so, enduring the situation with mixed feelings.
...
Half an incense stick later, Yan Qingxuan finally regained some composure. She tapped several points on her body, causing spiritual radiance to flicker, and an oppressive pressure made Wang Jianqiang's scalp tingle.
Moments later, the terrifying pressure subsided. Only then did Wang Jianqiang dare to look, seeing Yan Qingxuan had changed out of her torn dress into a new red gown. She looked at him coldly.
"Consider today's events as never having happened. If word gets out... you know the consequences." With that, she vanished.
Seeing Yan Qingxuan leave, Wang Jianqiang let out a long sigh of relief. What just happened? Wasn't he the victim here? His elixir was taken, his fingers cramped, and he was nearly drained dry. Yet somehow, he ended up as the villain. Thankfully, she was reasonable. Otherwise, in her anger, she might have killed him with a slap, and who would he complain to then?
Ultimately, weakness is the original sin. If he were a Nascent Soul Patriarch, would he need to worry about such things? Wouldn't everything be at his whim? If anyone dared to be unreasonable with him, he'd make sure to reason with them thoroughly.
"Cultivation!" Wang Jianqiang gritted his teeth, his resolve to cultivate growing ever stronger.
...
Ten days later, Wang Jianqiang's body shook, his aura surged, and a large amount of foul impurities was expelled. He opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face.
"The tenth level of Qi Refining." With a surge of spiritual energy, the impurities on his body were completely driven away. He silently felt the increased power for a moment before closing his eyes to continue cultivating.
An hour later, he opened his eyes again. "As expected, my cultivation speed has slowed significantly." At this rate, reaching the pinnacle of the tenth level of Qi Refining, or perfection of Qi Refining, would take at least three months of hard work. But he had anticipated this and wasn't too surprised. Three months was long, but not unmanageable.
He didn't continue cultivating but fell into deep thought. With perfection of Qi Refining within reach, the most important task now was to prepare for Foundation Establishment.