Although Zhou Chen did not see Bai Xue, he was certain that the woman had witnessed the entire scene.
Presumably, it was because he had rejected Zhang Na but accepted her.
This must have greatly satisfied her competitive nature.
This was truly an unexpected surprise.
After all, Bai Xue’s favorability increased extremely slowly. Even giving her miraculous spirit pills only raised it by five points at a time.
Seeing that she would not get any benefits, Zhang Na’s expression turned sour.
She had already prepared to take off her skirt, only to be rejected by an old man with one foot in the grave.
Zhang Na muttered a few perfunctory words before hurriedly turning to leave.
Once she was out of Zhou Chen’s sight, she could no longer hold back and cursed under her breath.
"Just a dying old fossil, and yet he dares to reject me."
So many people begged to perform dual cultivation with her, yet she would not even spare them a glance.
She only wanted some spirit pills for her cultivation.
She had come with full confidence, only to have cold water thrown on her in the end.
What infuriated Zhang Na the most was not her failure to get resources.
It was that Bai Xue had received medicinal pills while she had not.
Did this not imply she was inferior to Bai Xue?
Zhou Chen did not care to wonder what Zhang Na was thinking.
A woman who had performed dual cultivation with others hundreds of times, if she met the requirements to earn favorability points, he would not mind having a relationship with her.
Exploiting the system’s loopholes was not something to be ashamed of.
Essentially, there was no difference between Bai Xue and Zhang Na.
Both had sought out Zhou Chen solely for cultivation resources.
Their relationship was purely one of mutual exploitation.
Thus, to Zhou Chen, they were not on the same level as Nan Qiao.
But how things would develop in the future was another matter entirely.
Moreover, since he could not get any system rewards, Zhou Chen had no desire for anything to happen with Zhang Na.
The days passed leisurely, and in the blink of an eye, seven days had gone by.
During these few days, Zhou Chen unexpectedly discovered that the Yin Yang Sect and the Miaoyin Sect had some dealings.
The Miaoyin Sect had come from the Chaotic Star Sea, bringing many unique overseas crystals, and subsequently reached a cooperation agreement with the Yin Yang Sect.
Many male disciples were instantly infatuated upon seeing Zi Ling for the first time.
Though she appeared charming and flirtatious, she maintained a pure and noble facade in public.
At least, that was how she seemed to the outer sect disciples.
But how she acted before Golden Core or even Nascent Soul cultivators, who could say?
Zhou Chen had seen Zi Ling from a distance, but he had no intention of pursuing any development with her.
This woman was too dangerous. It was better not to provoke her.
Over the past few days, his cultivation had successfully reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining.
He had refined hundreds of medicinal pills of various types, enough to exchange for a large number of spirit stones.
His only regret was that he did not have enough favorability points to raise his alchemist realm to second rank perfection.
But on the seventh day, someone arrived who was both unexpected and yet made sense.
Li Ronger stood outside the courtyard gate and took out four spirit stones.
"Senior Brother Zhou, I am returning the spirit stones you lent me last time."
Four spirit stones was not a lot, but it was not a small amount either.
But for her, at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, she could easily gather them in a short time by going out on a treasure hunt.
Zhou Chen did not refuse and naturally placed them in his storage pouch, then produced three Soul Nurturing Pills in return.
"Junior Sister, I see you are about to break through to the tenth layer of Qi Refining. These three Soul Nurturing Pills are for you."
Upon reaching the tenth layer of Qi Refining great perfection, if one wishes to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, the strength of one’s divine soul is a crucial factor.
Looking at the Soul Nurturing Pills radiating dense spiritual qi, Li Ronger scrambled to catch them, her expression very conflicted.
Just these three high grade Soul Nurturing Pills were worth no less than thirty low grade spirit stones.
She had come to return the debt and had not thought of asking for any benefits.
A look of struggle flashed in Li Ronger’s eyes, and her fingers tightened.
Gritting her teeth, she reached out her pale and smooth hand.
"Senior Brother Zhou, you should keep them for yourself."
She could see that Zhou Chen was shrouded in death qi, likely with only a few years left before his time was up.
A free and easy smile appeared on Zhou Chen’s weathered face.
"I do not have much longer to live, so keeping them is useless. It would be best if they can help you."
Li Ronger was moved by his words, but she insisted on returning the Soul Nurturing Pills to him.
However, Zhou Chen did not give her a chance to refuse.
"Junior Sister Li, please accept what I have given you. These are just external possessions. We do not bring them into this world, and we cannot take them with us when we die."
Li Ronger stood at the entrance, staring blankly at the closed courtyard gate.
She had not expected that Senior Brother Zhou would truly just give her such precious Soul Nurturing Pills.
The two were not close before, at most being fellow disciples and daoists.
But in a cultivation sect, such a relationship was practically nonexistent.
Yet despite only knowing her in passing, Senior Brother Zhou was willing to help her before his death.
Though it was just a few Soul Nurturing Pills, they could very well be the key to entering the Foundation Establishment Stage.
[Li Ronger’s favorability +20. Current favorability: 40 points.]
Li Ronger’s expression became serious, and she gave a respectful bow.
"Senior Brother Zhou, do you have any wishes? If I can help, I will certainly do so, even at the cost of my life."
She truly felt that Zhou Chen was a good person.
He sought nothing in return, yet was more than happy to help her.
Zhou Chen hesitated for a moment before saying sincerely,
"I have painstakingly sought the Dao for many years. I only hope to have someone by my side before I die."
Li Ronger’s face flushed red, and her eyes darted away, not daring to look at him.
"Sen... Senior Brother, I have a dao companion. I cannot help you with this."
She had long ago become dao companions with Senior Brother Tang of the outer sect.
Although their relationship was one of mutual cultivation progress, it mostly involved communication regarding techniques and lacked physical intimacy, yet they still held the title of dao companions.
Zhou Chen had not expected Li Ronger to answer so quickly, and he smiled as he rubbed her head.
"Alright. I was just joking with you. You are still so young, while I am a dying man. How could I waste your prime years?"
Although he really wanted to win over Li Ronger, with forty favorability points, as long as he could have a friendly exchange with her, he would immediately be able to advance to a second rank perfection alchemist.
But he also knew that a woman like her was not easily won over.
When Li Ronger was touched by him, her back went rigid and her body stiffened, yet she did not choose to pull away.
Although she had only met Zhou Chen twice, he gave her the feeling of a kind elder.
If it were anywhere else, she might not have been able to accept it.
But since it was just her hair, she did not feel any psychological aversion.
"Then, thank you, Senior Brother Zhou."
Watching Zhou Chen’s hunched figure gradually disappear, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Cultivation, cultivation. Soaring through the skies, tunneling through the earth, and cleaving rivers and mountains.
Simply put, those were just byproducts of increasing one’s strength. What was truly sought was nothing more than the Great Dao of longevity.
Everyone must die eventually, and this physical body of hers, if it could fulfill Senior Brother’s wish, it would not really matter.
"It is a pity Senior Brother and I met so late."
Had they known each other years earlier, she might truly not have rejected Zhou Chen.
But she already had Senior Brother Tang, and she was not that familiar with Zhou Chen, so she still could not make up her mind.
[A/N: I hope everyone’s enjoying the story so far!