After that entrance into the true outlands where they met another team of adventurers.
A month had passed.
There had been a few more entrances into the true outlands.
All uneventful.
The missions were usually quick, and the time spent was little.
They just returned from the true outlands again, and now they were in the East Immortal Fort.
There would be no more missions for a while.
They needed to rest after that much back and forth into the true outlands.
Neo’s essence had grew so much as time passed, that he had reached Mia’s level, and now slightly surpassed her.
Neo had also found a new way to spend his contribution points.
Pills.
Yes.
He was no longer disdainful of them.
He consumed them by the bottles.
He had compared essence crystals and pills.
He realized that when it concerned his unique situation, pills were a better return on investment than essence crystals.
Devour was something amazing, it prevented him from retaining any impurity in his body.
Everything it took in was broken down into the most basic form and returned as essence that directly increased his cultivation.
Even impurities were not spared.
Neo had been swallowing pills, every moment he could spare.
He didn’t need to activate anything.
The pills’ digestion was something Devour automatically did.
It was instantaneous.
Nothing remained behind, not even impurities.
Everything was converted into essence that gave a direct increase to his cultivation.
Everyone had returned to the room.
The East Immortal Fort was not a place for entertainment of any kind.
One handful after another, Neo swallowed the pills like candy.
The others in the room were already used to this sight.
They might have had some concerns for his health, but he was looking very healthy.
Sofia flinched every time Neo swallowed.
“With this much pills, his performance is bound to tank.
I guess lonely days are ahead of you.”
Derek who was near her, had been studying Sofia’s every move.
He didn’t let such a good opportunity pass.
“What nonsense are you saying.
He is fine.” Sofia wouldn’t let him have this one.
This was the prelude to another round of pointless arguments.
The others weren’t disturbed by their chatter.
Especially Neo, he knew the two were full of nonsense.
And in times like this, they didn’t hold back from saying whatever came to their heads.
He was almost done with the pills.
They were a mixture of different cultivation pills suitable for F-Rank cultivators.
He bought the best his money could buy.
Not the best of the F-Rank pills.
“Neo, you are getting more ridiculous everyday.” Mia felt she had held back enough.
She was going to say what was on her mind.
She moved to sit beside him at the table.
“What are you on these days?”
She looked at the pills in his hand.
They were cultivation pills.
Nothing else was hidden within them.
She took one from his hand.
She inspected it.
Then, she swallowed.
It was indeed just cultivation pills.
Nothing else.
How was he swallowing them in this amount though.
If you ate too much, you get constipated.
The same logic applied to these pills.
There was also the pill toxin to consider.
“Maybe you should take a break.”
“Sure,” Neo replied.
He swallowed his last handful of pills.
There was none of the pills left now.
He was getting tired of them too.
Their taste was…
Well, there was no taste.
“So, what are you on these days?” Mia asked again.
Neo looked at her.
Wasn’t she going to relent on this.
He had been enjoying his peace.
Everyone in the room had chosen their own spot.
Why did she have to come here.
Even Sofia, surprisingly knew what privacy was.
“I have only been cultivating.
That’s all I have been on these days.
Cultivation.”
Neo picked up the empty pill bottle.
He raised it up, shook it, then placed it back down on the table.
“The pills.
Everything.
It’s all about cultivation.”
Mia almost cursed him.
What nonsense was he saying now.
“You know I do not mean the pills.
You have been different ever since you came out of that strange zone.”
Neo sighed.
“I am no different.”
Mia picked up the empty pill bottle on the table.
“Yeah.
No different.
For someone who visibly recoiled at the sight of the essence crystals here.
I am sure you would never have gone near these pills.”
She was indeed right about that.
Before he awakened Devour, Neo would never have considered taking pills.
“Well, I realized when you are in the mortal world, act like the people in the mortal world.”
“The people in the mortal world sure don’t down pills like it’s the end of the world.”
“Well.” Neo shrugged.
“I also realized I have an urgent need to increase my cultivation and rank up faster.”
“What in the world are you saying?
Rank up quickly?
At the expense of your future cultivation?”
“There will be no such problem.”
“Are you so sure?
With the amount of pill toxins you would have accumulated by now?”
She banged her fist on the table, and stood up.
Her eyes were staring into his.
“Are you so sure, you aren’t possessed?”
Now, everyone’s attention was on the two.
Sofia and Derek who had been bickering since, stopped their pointless arguments and looked over.
Lancelot who looked like he was absorbed in a book he held up, also stopped his pretense.
He had been studying everyone in the room.
He had heard only some snippets of what Mia had been discussing with Neo.
Their voice had been hushed while they talked, and the pointless argument between Sofia and Derek didn’t help.
“Yeah, he does look possessed.
What do you think, Sofia?” Derek asked her.
“You are the possessed one.”
She stood up and walked to Neo’s side.
“I have got something for you.”
Neo had a suspicion that whatever came next was not going to be so good.
She placed it on the table.
Derek was the first to break the silence that suddenly settled in the room.
He burst into raucous laughter.
“Heavens be damned.”
He barely forced those words out between the laughter.
Mia didn’t know what to say.
This young woman was getting too much in her actions.
“Sofia, for heaven’s sake.”
Even Lancelot chuckled.
Neo looked at her.
Her eyes held unreserved doting.
He could only sigh on the inside.
“Thank you.”
He took the bottle she placed on the table, and downed its contents.
There were just ten pills inside.
They were also a type of cultivation pill.
They just had a rather special effect.
They made one more vigorous.
In certain situations they were really useful.
Neo didn’t suffer from a lack of vigor, though.
Also thanks to Devour, he didn’t have to suffer the rather embarrassing side effect of swallowing ten such pills.
Mia’s mouth opened wide.
Her eyes darted down to his pants.
Then she looked up at him.
Up, then down.
She looked again.
“What the hell are you?”
Lancelot felt that he had a need to speak up.
It was time for Mia to stop bothering Neo with her questions.
While he was also curious about Neo’s situation, he didn’t think it wise for Mia to keep pestering him.
“Team leader, I think everyone has a right to keep their fortuitous encounters to themselves.
It is his to tell when he wishes to.”
Mia also knew that she had been overdoing it.
Neo’s ridiculous actions were something she could not explain.
Her curiosity had gotten the best of her.
“I am sorry.” She said to Neo.
Neo only smiled.
“It is fine.
I would be curious if I were you too.”
“Alright.
We have got that out of the way.” Sofia clapped.
“Do you need anything else, my little pill demon.”
Mia sighed.
Sofia really was turning into something else.
(^o^)
Hi, This is a book you might really like.
If that’s true.
Please share and recommend.
If you don’t find it to your taste?
Please, do share and recommend.
To your friends.
Your enemies.
Parents, children, uncles, aunts.
And you know, the whole squad.
You might just be making someone’s day with that simple gesture.
Love you all.
(Love) (Love) (Love)
XO,
XO,
XO,