Ten little jade-like transparent stones were placed before him, causing the old man’s eyes to widen.
He couldn’t believe that someone was stupid enough to buy this rubbish pill of his.
"Ahem... here are the pills."
Afraid that the offer might slip by, the old man hurriedly took the spirit stones and gave the box to Gu Changsheng, fearing he might change his mind.
He didn’t even feel like he was cheating.
After all, it was the other party who insisted. The old man only felt that he’d gotten a huge bargain.
Seeing that the deal was done, Gu Changsheng left, returning to his residence.
...
"With these pills, the Qi Refinement Realm isn’t far off."
Gu Changsheng couldn’t contain his grin anymore. Smiling from ear to ear, he had gotten such a huge bargain.
But he should consume the pills in moderation. He couldn’t risk exploding like a balloon.
Sitting down, he ate a pill and started cultivating.
...
In the blink of an eye, a month passed by.
In this one month, he received another batch of spirit stones.
He also visited Mu Shin Yi again to see if there were more mispriced items, but it turned out that the old fella had already closed up his stall and gone home to enjoy himself.
As for Ye Che, Gu Changsheng tried to stay as far away from him as possible.
From the few encounters he had with him, he understood that Ye Che was a simpleton who liked to show off, and also a pervert who frequently paid visits to brothels.
During a sparring session, Ye Che got a little too excited and nearly killed Gu Changsheng. Thank the heavens Elder Ye was present, or he would have been dead meat.
Though the old fella seemed to abuse his son, he did treat his disciple fairly.
After a thorough scolding, Ye Che was punished with sweeping the sect’s plaza for a month.
Even with the punishment of sweeping the plaza, Ye Che’s cultivation advanced from the 8th Stage of Qi Refinement to the 9th Stage. This speed of advancement left Gu Changsheng dumbfounded.
Though it was clear that neither his senior brother nor his master had any idea about his talent, the ’Devouring Physique,’ or they were just good at deceiving.
But what dumbfounded him even more was that Ye Che, after being scolded by Elder Ye, actually took out a 2–Star healing pill and applied it to Gu Changsheng’s wounds.
Maybe he wasn’t so bad.
Maybe the sow incident... nope, not going there.
And so, the two of them, for some reason, became friends, though Gu Changsheng was still cautious around him.
...
On a certain day.
Gu Changsheng and Ye Che were sparring again. It’s just that this time, Ye Che’s cultivation was restricted by his master to the 10th Stage of Body Refinement, matching his own.
And yes, he broke through to the 10th Stage by consuming two of the pills, with the cooldown period being 15 days.
Their fight was a spectacle. Though Gu Changsheng had just broken through to the 10th Stage of Body Refinement, he was still able to stand against Ye Che.
This was all thanks to Elder Ye, who had given him a 1–Star Fist technique and some resources to practice with.
"Hah! Take this, junior brother!"
Ye Che shouted, his fist attacking at a weird angle.
Gu Changsheng dodged, his movements agile. He counterattacked, his own fist aiming for Ye Che’s.
*Boom*
Their fists collided, creating a shockwave that sent them both skidding back.
Gu Changsheng grunted, his arm tingling. Ye Che’s advantage as a Qi Refinement cultivator was apparent, despite being restrained.
Ye Che, on the other hand, was surprised.
Gu Changsheng was able to block his punch, which was a big improvement from before.
"You’re not bad, junior brother."
Ye Che said with a grin on his face as he laughed, the fat on his stomach jiggling lightly.
"You too, senior brother."
Gu Changsheng replied, his own lips curling into a smile. He was enjoying this too, just like his senior brother.
The sparring continued, their fists and feet meeting in a flurry of blows.
Gu Changsheng was pushed back again and again, but he always managed to hold his ground.
He was learning, adapting, and improving with every exchange, impressing both the young and the old.
He had never seen someone learn so fast. It was as if Gu Changsheng were a different person from a month ago.
The sparring session lasted for an hour, with both of them panting heavily, their bodies covered in sweat.
"Let’s take a break, or else my hunger will eat me alive. (ಠ﹏ಠ)"
Ye Che suggested, breathing heavily. He wasn’t one to exercise, but his old man forced him to.
Gu Changsheng agreed, sitting down on the ground and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Junior brother, you’ve improved a lot."
Ye Che said, a hint of respect in his eyes. At first, he didn’t think much of him, but now it was different. This junior brother of his was making tremendous progress without any resources.
What poor Ye Che didn’t know was that Gu Changsheng here was more of a silver spoon than he ever would be.
"Thanks to you and Master."
Gu Changsheng replied, feeling a sense of warmth. He began to regard this as a place where he belonged, even if it was a sect full of weirdos.
"Ahem! I just got some great news for both of you!"
Elder Ye intoned, finding the timing just right.
Both the young ones looked towards him at the same time, puzzled by his ’great news’, especially Ye Che, who felt a chill for no reason.
"A Secret Realm has been found near the Cloud Piercing Mountain, restricting entry to Qi Refinement cultivators and below."
"Some of our disciples have entered it and found out it was a forest filled with dense spiritual energy and various spiritual treasures."
Elder Ye answered, then, realizing Gu Changsheng didn’t know about secret realms, he added,
"Secret realms are special dimensions detached from our dimension, they may hold great opportunities or immense dangers within. Different secret realms also have various restrictions and regulations."