Immortal Gate Sect, Servant Quarters
The usually lifeless courtyard had a trace of vitality today.
The elder reclined halfway in a bamboo chair, distributing cultivation resources to the servant disciples.
“Line up properly, one by one! You lot don’t act this eager when it’s time to work, but the moment cultivation resources are mentioned, you run faster than rabbits. Low-ranking servant, here, this is your pill for the month.”
Looking at the black, dung-like lump in front of him, Lin Yuan was instantly filled with rage. Damn it. In my past life, I didn’t get paid—only vouchers. Now I’ve transmigrated into a cultivation world, and they’re giving me waste pills as cultivation resources?
“You’re lucky, kid. If I remember right, you’re just at the 2nd stage Qi Refining Realm. In two months, it’ll be time for the servant disciple assessment. If you don’t reach the 4th stage by then, you’ll definitely be kicked out of the sect. With this 3rd-grade Scarlet Dawn Pill, maybe you’ll be able to break through the bottleneck and get to the 4th stage.”
Hearing the elder’s nagging, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but protest, “I don’t want a 3rd-grade pill. I just want my Cleansing Spirit Pill.”
The Cleansing Spirit Pill was ungraded and helped accelerate spiritual Qi absorption. It was one of the few benefits servant disciples could enjoy. He never expected this damn elder to be greedy enough to even take that.
“Fool. This is a 3rd-grade Scarlet Dawn Pill. The higher the grade, the better the effects. Normally, you wouldn’t even get to see one. I’m doing this for your own good.”
Lin Yuan’s anger burned hotter at those words, as if a torch had ignited in his chest. Just then, he noticed a light screen suddenly appear in front of him.
Judging by how no one else reacted, he realized with joy that only he could see it. After a month as a servant disciple, had his golden finger finally awakened?
[Name: Lin Yuan]
[Realm: 2nd stage Qi Refining Realm]
[Designated Target: 0/1]
[Current Side Effect: None]
The screen’s content was simple, and Lin Yuan instantly understood how to use it—he could designate someone else to bear the side effects of consuming pills or cultivating techniques.
Without hesitation, he picked the elder standing in front of him.
[Designated Side Effect Bearer: Lai Ren (Immortal Gate Sect Servant Quarters Elder)]
Now that the target was selected, it was time to test it out.
Lin Yuan put away the waste pill and chuckled, “Elder Lai is right. This is still a 3rd-grade pill after all. The effect must be much stronger than an ungraded Cleansing Spirit Pill.”
The Scarlet Dawn Pill could also enhance spiritual Qi absorption. Even as a waste pill, it was superior to a Cleansing Spirit Pill. The only reason he didn’t want it before was due to the excessive impurities that could cause unpredictable side effects. But now that Lai Ren was going to bear them—what was there to fear?
Seeing how obedient Lin Yuan had suddenly become, Elder Lai’s face lit up like a blooming chrysanthemum.
“You’ve finally wised up. Go back and cultivate properly. You might even get to stay in the sect and continue chasing the path of immortality.”
Though he said that aloud, inside, he was full of contempt. As expected, not only was this kid’s talent dull, but his brain didn’t work either. What a pity for such a pretty face.
Others looked at Lin Yuan as if he were an idiot. If waste pills were that good, why would they end up in the hands of servant disciples?
“Since Junior Brother Lin likes them so much, take mine too. But let’s be clear—I want one Cleansing Spirit Pill in exchange later.”
A fat disciple shoved his own waste pill into Lin Yuan’s hands with a smile.
The others followed suit, shoving their waste pills at him too. Everyone knew waste pills were useless. Instead of throwing them out, they might as well get some benefit from this fool.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yuan reaped a windfall and accepted them all with a grin, promising, “Don’t worry, senior brothers. When I get next month’s Cleansing Spirit Pills, I’ll return them to you!”
“Good, good!”
Laughter erupted among the crowd. Elder Lai even laughed so hard he nearly cried.
…
Back in his room, Lin Yuan broke off a small piece of the waste pill and popped it into his mouth.
The moment it entered, the spiritual Qi within exploded.
In an instant, powerful spiritual Qi surged through his limbs. It felt incredibly comfortable.
Though it was a waste pill, it had been refined from real spiritual herbs, so this amount of spiritual Qi wasn’t surprising.
“Even a waste pill has such astonishing effects. How powerful would a complete 3rd-grade pill be?”
Seeing he still had a big lump of it left, Lin Yuan simply swallowed the whole thing.
Boom!
A violent wave of spiritual Qi surged like a tide, slamming into a bottleneck over and over.
Accompanied by a barely audible shattering sound, Lin Yuan broke through his realm and reached the 3rd stage Qi Refining Realm.
Just as he was about to catch his breath, an even purer surge of spiritual Qi burst from his dantian.
Could it still go up?
He quickly formed a hand seal and used the basic breathing technique to guide the Qi to assault the next barrier.
The Qi Refining Realm barriers weren’t that solid. As long as the spiritual Qi accumulation was enough, a bit of guidance could break through.
Lin Yuan had stayed stuck at the 2nd stage for five years mainly due to how slowly he accumulated Qi.
The next moment, a roaring stream of spiritual Qi crushed through another bottleneck with unstoppable force.
4th stage Qi Refining Realm!
Breaking two stages in a single day—Lin Yuan had never even dared to dream of this before.
“No wonder only Golden Core elders in the sect are allowed to take 3rd-grade pills. Even waste pills are this potent. I wonder what the side effects are.”
Just as the thought surfaced, two lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Ate 3rd-grade Scarlet Dawn Pill (Waste Pill), acquired side effect: Bone-Deep Itch]
[Side effect transferred to Lai Ren]
“This side effect doesn’t seem that bad,” Lin Yuan muttered, then suddenly remembered something.
“Now that I’m at the 4th stage Qi Refining Realm, I qualify to go to the Martial Hall and choose a technique. Tomorrow’s a rest day—perfect timing!”
…
At that moment, Lai Ren, who was still handing out cultivation resources, suddenly felt unbearably itchy all over—especially below his navel.
The sensation was unbearable.
Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he reached under his robe and scratched twice.
But instead of relief, the itch got worse—far worse.
This wasn’t a surface itch but deep in the bones. Scratching did nothing.
Soon, Lai Ren had scratched bloody marks all over himself. His whole body looked gruesome.
His subordinates cried out in fear, “Elder Lai, what’s wrong!?”
“So itchy! It itches so much!” Lai Ren ignored them, clawing at himself.
Before long, he even ripped off a chunk of his own flesh.
The servant disciples were utterly terrified and ran off to summon elders from other courtyards.
By the time they arrived, Lai Ren was already a blood-covered mess.
“Some… someone poisoned me…” he groaned, and then fainted on the spot.
…
The next day, full of energy, Lin Yuan arrived at the Martial Hall.
On the way, he heard about Lai Ren’s miserable state. Opening his screen, he saw that the health bar behind Lai Ren’s portrait had dropped by more than half.
“Hiss… Even a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was nearly killed. These waste pills really can’t be taken lightly!”
After a brief sigh, he strode confidently into the Martial Hall.