The next day quickly arrived.
After a full night of recovery, the medicinal power of the pill had completely repaired Li Jian’s damaged meridians.
When he woke up, his body felt lighter than it had in a long time.
The lingering weakness from the previous day had almost entirely disappeared.
He washed up with a simple cleansing spell, put on his outer disciple robes, and stepped out of his small stone house.
Today, he was heading toward Alchemy Peak.
But instead of the usual gloom of someone walking toward death, this time there was a relaxed and bright smile on his face.
As he walked, he looked around at the familiar mist in the distance.
The sect he was in was called the Purple Shade Sect.
The Purple Shade Sect was built across a vast mountain range covered in a perpetual light purple mist.
From afar, the entire sect looked as if it was shrouded beneath a hazy violet shade, which was how it had earned its name.
The mist was not toxic, instead, it contained a unique spiritual energy that made the environment especially suitable for cultivation and alchemy.
The sect was divided into several main peaks.
The Outer Sect occupied the lower slopes, where the spiritual energy was the thinnest and the residences were the most ordinary.
Further up the mountains were the Inner Sect peaks, each specializing in different paths like: sword cultivation, body refinement, formations, and of course, alchemy.
Alchemy Peak stood toward the eastern side of the mountain range.
Even from a distance, one could occasionally catch the faint scent of medicinal herbs drifting through the air.
That peak was under the control of the Zheng Clan’s influence within the sect, which was also the main reason why someone like Zheng Qingyao could act so freely when using outer disciples as test subjects.
Li Jian walked along the stone path that wound up the mountain, his expression calm.
Every now and then, outer disciples who recognized him would glance over with complicated looks... some sympathetic, some mocking, and some simply curious.
After all, everyone knew that the unlucky outer disciple who had been chosen by Senior Sister Zheng was once again heading toward Alchemy Peak.
Li Jian ignored their gazes.
His steps were steady, and deep within his eyes, a quiet calculation was already taking place.
’Yesterday she already said she still had new variations to test...’
Then today should be another opportunity.
_
_
_
Li Jian continued walking up the stone path.
The higher he went, the denser the spiritual energy in the air became, and the light purple mist that shrouded the Purple Shade Sect grew slightly thicker.
Occasional medicinal fragrance drifted down from the direction of Alchemy Peak, mixing with the mountain wind.
After nearly half an hour of walking, the outer sect area was left behind, and the path leading toward Alchemy Peak came into view.
Unlike the plain stone houses of the outer sect, the buildings here were clearly of higher quality.
Several elegant pavilions and herb gardens could be seen along the mountainside, protected by faint formations.
Disciples wearing inner sect robes moved about with much more confidence and arrogance compared to the outer disciples below.
Li Jian had just stepped onto the main path of Alchemy Peak when a familiar cold voice suddenly sounded from ahead.
"You’re here."
He looked up and saw Zheng Qingyao standing not far away beneath a flowering spirit tree.
She was still wearing that same refined white-and-purple robe from the day before, the high slit revealing a glimpse of her fair leg as she stood with her arms lightly crossed.
Her long black hair and purple orchid accessories swayed gently in the mountain breeze, making her look even more like an untouchable fairy who had stepped out of a painting.
Her purple eyes glanced at him once, carrying the same indifference mixed with a hint of appraisal.
"Your recovery is faster than I expected," she said coldly. "It seems that recovery pill was not wasted."
Li Jian immediately put on a respectful expression and cupped his fists.
"It is all thanks to Senior Sister Zheng’s excellent alchemy skills."
Zheng Qingyao gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, clearly pleased by the flattery even if she did not show it openly.
She turned around and began walking deeper into Alchemy Peak without looking back.
"Follow me. Today’s experimental pill is already prepared."
Li Jian’s eyes flickered slightly, but he obediently followed behind her.
As he walked, he silently called out to the system in his mind.
’System, if I suffer harm from another experimental pill today... will I gain Favor Debt points again?’
[Correct, Host.]
[As long as genuine harm or loss is caused by the target, Favor Debt will be generated.]
Seeing this, a faint, almost undetectable smile tugged at the corner of Li Jian’s lips.
’Good.’
Li Jian followed behind Zheng Qingyao with a respectful posture, his eyes quietly observing the surroundings as they walked deeper into Alchemy Peak.
The further they went, the richer the medicinal fragrance in the air became.
Rows of carefully tended spirit herb gardens lined both sides of the path, protected by light barriers.
A few inner disciples who spotted Zheng Qingyao immediately lowered their heads and stepped aside, not daring to block her way.
It was clear that her status on this peak was not low.
After a short while, Zheng Qingyao led him into a quiet courtyard.
The courtyard was elegant and clean, with several alchemy rooms arranged around a small open area.
A faint residual heat and pill fragrance lingered in the air, showing that someone had been refining pills not long ago.
She stopped in front of one of the alchemy rooms and pushed the door open.
"Enter."
Li Jian stepped inside without hesitation.
The familiar room was not large, but it was fully equipped.
A refined bronze pill furnace stood in the center, still radiating a faint warmth.
Various jade bottles, spirit herbs, and alchemy tools were neatly arranged on the shelves along the walls.
Zheng Qingyao walked over to a table, picked up a small white jade bottle, and turned back toward him.
Her purple eyes carried a calm, almost clinical light as she looked at Li Jian.
"This is a newly adjusted formula," she said indifferently. "The previous version caused excessive meridian conflict. I have reduced the aggressive properties and added a stabilizing herb. In theory, the side effects should be lighter."
She paused, then added coldly,
"In theory."
Li Jian’s heart stirred slightly, but his face only showed a slightly nervous yet obedient expression.
"Senior Sister... do I just swallow it directly again?"
Zheng Qingyao gave him a light glance.
"What else? Do you expect me to feed it to you?"
She tossed the jade bottle toward him.
Li Jian caught it steadily.
When he opened it, a dark-red pill the size of a thumb rested inside, releasing a sharp and somewhat overbearing medicinal scent.
He stared at the pill for a brief moment, then silently thought to himself:
’Come then... Let me see how many Favor Debt points this one is worth.’
Under Zheng Qingya’s cold gaze, Li Jian gritted his teeth, tilted his head back, and swallowed the experimental pill.