Another month passed, at Qinghua Villa.

Wu Lingshuang sat upright by the stone table, holding a secret report in her hands, her face filled with incredulous shock.

Seeing Chen Sheng walk into the courtyard, she hurriedly stood up, her voice tinged with a slight tremble:

"My lord, something has happened at Immortal City!"

Chen Sheng sat down on the stone stool, casually picking up a crystal-clear spirit fruit:

"Oh? What matter has you so alarmed?"

Wu Lingshuang handed over the secret report:

"There are a total of four Foundation Establishment families, two of which have Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators in charge, yet they were uprooted overnight!"

"The Chen Clan struck too ruthlessly, it's said they didn't even spare the infants..."

"Years ago, they talked about reconciliation, I thought this matter was settled, but I didn't expect the Chen Clan to be so ruthless."

Chen Sheng browsed through the secret report, a faint smile playing at his lips.

The matter of opening up new territories was known only among the higher-ups of the sect, with all preparations under the guise of 'clearing out rebellious cultivators' and 'reorganizing the market'.

Wu Lingshuang was unaware of the inside story, so naturally, she was shocked.

But in his heart, he was clear—who would face the Tier Three Demon King of the Western Border Miasma Forest as the vanguard?

Without a doubt, the Chen Clan's esteemed elder, whose life was nearing its end, was the best choice!

Perhaps this time's opening up of new territories was led by that person themselves.

Throughout history, war has always been a good medicine for shifting internal contradictions.

...

In light of this.

With a major battle imminent, it was necessary to stabilize people's hearts, the fate of these families was predictable.

Back then, Chen Sheng found it odd that even after the Chen Clan took action, it ended with a truce.

Now it seems, these families had long been abandoned.

No matter how many connections they built, acting as mere puppets for some people, in the face of the bigger picture, they too must be sacrificed.

Chen Sheng laid down the secret report:

"These trifles are not worth worrying about."

"How is the progress on the matters I asked you to handle a few days ago?"

Wu Lingshuang then gathered her thoughts and respectfully replied:

"Rest assured, my lord, I have already, through the agencies in places like Linglong Immortal City, gradually acquired a large quantity of 'Celestial Cyan Grass' and 'White Dragon Fruit'."

"And a big batch of 'Ink Leaf', which accompanies 'Heart Rotting Miasma', have all been stored in the warehouse of the trading firm."

Chen Sheng nodded:

"Well done."

These spiritual medicines are precisely prepared for refining the antidote pills needed for opening up new territories.

Although the final pill formula hasn't been decided, the basic medicinal ingredients won't be too different.

Even being in the rear, it doesn't affect him from profiting in spirit stones from it at all.

"You may leave, continue to oversee the acquisitions."

Wu Lingshuang withdrew upon hearing the order:

"Yes."

...

Not long after, inside the Hidden Dragon Cave Mansion.

Chen Sheng sat on a meditation cushion, watching Fang Lingxiao, covered in travel dust, arrive with a light smile:

"Senior Brother, how goes the deconstruction of those antidote pills?"

Ever since Fang Lingxiao smoothly established his Foundation with two Foundation Establishment Pills, his divine sense has grown greatly, and his ability to deconstruct pill formulas has improved significantly.

Fang Lingxiao handed over a jade scroll, unable to hide his fatigue:

"Out of the seventy-six common Qi Cultivation Stage antidote and healing pills on the market, I've cracked most of them."

He rubbed his temples:

"There are still a few special ones, where the other party used encryption techniques, hiding secret arrays within their pill patterns; I haven't fully understood them yet."

Chen Sheng took the jade scroll, laughing heartily:

"That's sufficient."

"As for the rest, leave it to me."

Upon hearing this, Fang Lingxiao sighed in relief, for he's always trusted in Chen Sheng's skills in improving pill formulas.

Back then, in the Qi stage, he was put in closed-door training for a decade due to pills deduced by Chen Sheng.

Now, the Qi stage pills deduced by Chen Sheng remain bestsellers in the trading firm, contributing a quarter of its revenue.

Fang Lingxiao laughed:

"With you saying this, I'm relieved."

"If there's a need to deconstruct other pills, just call me anytime."

Chen Sheng nodded:

"Alright."

...

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Hidden Dragon Cave Mansion, pill fire roared.

Wu Lingshuang stood by the side.

In her hands was a small white jade cage, inside was an entirely snow-white little mouse with bright eyes, anxiously scratching the cage walls.

This was a Spirit Mist Rat, specially purchased from the market, extremely sensitive to toxins, ideal for testing antidote pills.

Chen Sheng sat before the pill furnace, spiritual fire leaping from his fingertips, enveloping the medicinal materials like Celestial Cyan Grass and White Dragon Fruit on the table.

The flame temperature was precisely controlled.

Soon, the medicinal ingredients turned into a pool of emerald green liquid, boiling and tumbling in the furnace.

"Condense!"

He flicked his fingers continuously, casting the spells of Condensing Pill and Sealing Spirit.

The pill furnace shook, the lid automatically popped open.

Twelve round and plump light green pills flew out, drawing an arc in the air, landing into a jade bottle Chen Sheng had prepared beforehand.

As soon as the pills were formed, they emitted a refreshing herbal scent, faintly revealing a few strands of spirit light across the pill patterns on their surface.

It was a Tier One High Grade antidote pill.

Chen Sheng handed the jade bottle to Wu Lingshuang:

"You can begin."

Wu Lingshuang nodded and opened the cage door to release the Spirit Mist Rat.

As soon as the little rat landed, it sensed the rich herbal scent around and began bowing towards Chen Sheng, as if pleading for mercy.

Wu Lingshuang, helpless, could only bind it using her divine sense and forcibly fed it a green pill.

Immediately after, she took out a gourd carved with black lines, pulling out the stopper and making a hand seal.

A faint wisp of black smoke emerged from the gourd, exuding a pungent stench.

This was miasma taken from the Western Border Miasma Forest, which could corrode a cultivator's meridians with just a touch.

"Go."

With a gesture from Wu Lingshuang's spell, that wisp of black smoke entered the Spirit Mist Rat's nasal cavity like a tiny black snake.

Chen Sheng had already spread his divine sense, tightly enveloping the small rat's body.

The moment the miasma entered its body, before even reaching the meridians,

a pool of emerald spiritual light shone from the rat's dantian, flooding its entire body like tidal waves, engulfing and dissolving that wisp of black smoke.

Chen Sheng remained expressionless, nodding slightly:

"The effect is acceptable."

"Continue."

Following the order, Wu Lingshuang drew three more wisps of miasma from the gourd, sending them into the rat's body one by one.

The Spirit Mist Rat's body began convulsing, its fur gradually losing luster, but the emerald spiritual light inside persevered resiliently against the toxin.

Half an hour later, the little rat finally couldn't hold on anymore, vomiting black blood and collapsing on the ground, completely lifeless.

Chen Sheng withdrew his divine sense, shaking his head:

"The effect isn't far off; paired with a Heart-Protecting Pill, it should allow Qi Cultivators to survive the miasma."

He picked up the jade bottle:

"But the cost is relatively high, the use of Celestial Cyan Grass must be reduced by 30%, and a different auxiliary material must replace White Dragon Fruit."

Currently, though this pill is a Tier One High Grade, its cost is nearly 20% higher than similar ones, so naturally, the price can't be low.

Wu Lingshuang pondered for a moment, offering a suggestion:

"Why not position this as a premium antidote pill, targeting late-stage and Perfection Cultivators, who are a bit more financially well-off and value effectiveness."

She paused:

"Next, we can refine a basic version using a more affordable Cyan Leaf Grass to replace Celestial Cyan Grass, targeting early and mid-stage Qi Cultivators for mass sales."

Hearing this, Chen Sheng's eyes flashed with a touch of approval:

"That's a good idea, let's fix this premium pill as 'Clear Miasma Jade Dew Pill', then I'll try to refine the basic version."

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