With the targets selected, Lin Yuan swallowed two Cleansing Spirit Pills and began circulating the Nine Yin Congealing Evil Technique at full power. This time, the pain was gone, and he successfully completed an entire great cycle.
“The speed is slightly slower than the Bloodburn Technique, but it’s more than enough for concealment.”
Once he infused his spiritual power with a trace of evil energy, Lin Yuan turned to practice the Seven-Slaughter Demon Blade. With the Shadow Pursuit style fully mastered, he only had Soul Sever and Wave Overlap left to refine.
Meanwhile, Ding Yaozu and his group encountered Elder Yan Kun on their way back.
Elder Yan Kun was also one of the three elders of the Fragrant Pill Pavilion. Though his cultivation was on par with the other two, his alchemy skills were self-taught and thus ranked slightly lower.
“You lot are in luck. This elder has just developed a new pill formula.” He waved a porcelain bottle, “The poison has already been removed. We just don’t know the pill’s true efficacy. Who’s willing to try it?”
Hearing such an opportunity, the five of them scrambled over each other to volunteer.
“Fine, since you’re all so eager, let’s do this together.” Elder Yan Kun tossed out the bottle.
The group snatched it up like treasure and divided the pills among themselves.
“This pill can directly boost spiritual power. Incredible.”
“Just one, and I can already feel my spiritual power surging. I might even break through.”
“Elder Yan’s pill refinement is truly extraordinary.”
After swallowing the pill, Ding Yaozu closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation and quickly began flattering him.
“Elder Yan, you’re amazing.”
“This pill must be heavenly. In the mortal world, one would be lucky to even hear of it.”
“I wonder what grade it is. I’d say at least upper-grade 2nd tier.”
“Yes, definitely an upper-grade 2nd tier treasure pill.”
The other four joined in the flattery.
Pills were ranked by tiers, and each tier had lower, middle, upper, and top grades. A Golden Core Realm elder could at most refine 3rd-tier pills, though success rates were not guaranteed. Upper-grade 2nd-tier pills were even rarer than 3rd-tier ones. Their bootlicking hit right at Elder Yan Kun’s soft spot.
Suddenly, Ding Yaozu’s expression twisted. He dropped to one knee as cold sweat and white hairs sprouted from his head. The other four collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.
“Hmm?” Elder Yan Kun was stunned. He quickly grabbed one and swept his divine sense through their body. What he discovered shocked him—this person’s bones were being eroded by an unknown force. In mere seconds, even the hardest bones had been worn down.
“This shouldn’t be. I clearly tested it for toxicity!”
Muttering to himself, he picked out another pill and examined it closely. After a thorough check, his face darkened.
“This pill, at worst, should just be ineffective. There’s no way it could cause something this severe. Either your cultivation went awry, or your physiques were simply incompatible.”
“Hmph, all talk and no use. Such a waste of my pills.” He snorted, “With your special physiques, you might as well go serve as pill servants. At least make some contribution to the Fragrant Pill Pavilion.”
Fuming, Elder Yan Kun flicked his sleeve and left.
Hearing they were to become pill servants, Ding Yaozu and the others looked like their parents had died.
Half a moment later, the pot-bellied and seemingly friendly Elder Qian arrived.
“Elder Yan Kun has ordered that you five are to serve as pill servants for three months. If you survive, you may return to being Servant Quarters disciples. If not… the sect will compensate your hometowns with 1,000 taels of silver each, to be delivered to your families.”
Upon hearing this, Ding Yaozu and the others were utterly devastated. This was practically a death sentence.
After announcing their punishment, Elder Qian led the five of them back to the bamboo forest. On the way, he summoned six more individuals. These six were also Servant Quarters disciples, just like Lin Yuan—no strength, no background. They were the ones ‘sold off’ from the Servant Quarters.
The group of over ten made quite a commotion.
Inside his bamboo hut, Lin Yuan, who was practicing the Seven-Slaughter Demon Blade, was disturbed. He opened the door and saw several familiar faces.
“For Elder Qian to bring them here, they must be pill servants too. I can’t believe even Ding Yaozu and his gang ended up here. Heaven truly has eyes,” muttered his next-door neighbor.
Lin Yuan didn’t know the exact details, but he could guess it was related to him. He couldn’t help but chuckle. He had only intended for them to suffer the side effects, but they’d ended up digging their own graves. Amusing, indeed.
With so many newcomers, the bamboo huts were a bit overcrowded. Coincidentally, Ding Yaozu and another man were assigned to the hut opposite Lin Yuan’s. When they saw Lin Yuan step out to check the commotion, the two raised their fists and glared at him fiercely.
Lin Yuan didn’t respond and simply turned back into his hut.
“Brother Ding, that guy looks like an easy target. One glare and he ran away,” Zhao Dabao said bitterly, trying to lighten the mood.
Today was truly a cursed day.
What he thought was a fat sheep turned out to be a broke ghost, and he had fallen from Servant Quarters disciple to pill servant. This reversal—no one would believe it if told. Now, all he could do was pray he survived these three months.
Back in his hut, Lin Yuan resumed practicing his blade technique. His strikes were swift and powerful, showing no concern for injuring himself. Ding Yaozu’s provocation didn’t bother him. Tonight, however, he planned to send the man a grand gift.
Midnight arrived swiftly.
“I don’t want to test pills! Please, spare me!”
A blood-curdling scream tore through the silence, echoing through the bamboo forest. The newly arrived pill servants trembled in fear and instinctively looked toward the source of the cry. The old pill servants, however, remained calm.
“Go to sleep. Probably some coward having a nightmare. Hah, this is our fate as pill servants.”
“If there are pills, we test them. There’s no escape.”
“No escape.”
Just as those words fell, several more screams rang out—gruesome enough to make one’s heart ache and eyes tear up. That night, many couldn’t sleep—except Lin Yuan. After a full day of blade practice, he slept soundly.
The next morning.
The identity token on the bedside suddenly began to vibrate. Lin Yuan picked it up—it was a call from Sang Xiaoya to test pills. He quickly got up, did a brief wash, and headed straight to the main hall of the Fragrant Pill Pavilion.
“You’re here! Hurry and try this newly improved Strength Pill!” Sang Xiaoya handed him a Strength Pill as usual. It seemed she was truly obsessed with this formula.
“Wait, this one might be a little bitter. Let me add some royal jelly.”
She took out a small porcelain bottle and poured the liquid onto the pill.
Other pill servants in the main hall stared with eyes full of envy when they heard the words “royal jelly.”
Many pills were terribly bitter and hard to swallow, so normally they’d be coated in honey.
Only the rarest pills were coated in royal jelly. Of course, as pill testers, they never got that luxury—what they ate were all the uncoated, bitter versions.
But Lin Yuan?
Not only did he get honey, he got the highest-grade royal jelly. That stuff—let alone with pills—even taken alone could boost spiritual power. A real treasure.