"There's money to be made," Dong and Da Shitou were not stingy this time. Although they couldn't afford the most luxurious, they still entertained the once Master and the self-proclaimed Second Master with real good wine and dishes.

Recalling the glorious years gone by, someone hugged their wine and wept, drinking it along with their snot...

The endless colorful lights of the nightlife couldn't be exhausted, and Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, who had eaten from daylight till dark, returned slightly drunk. When they sat down in the room, they dared not lean forward at all, their bellies too stuffed.

"We've been careless, very careless. It would be terrible if someone attacked us now."

Shi Chun, leaning back in his chair with a big belly, lamented.

"Uh, pretty good." Wu Jinliang belched loudly, exhaling a strong scent of alcohol.

Drinking wasn't new to them. Bowan Building in the Land of Exile sold alcohol too, and they had tried the cheaper drinks. But to drink so freely and with such good alcohol was a first.

Both were too full to talk much more, fearing they might vomit what swirled in their throats.

Silently practicing their breathing to recover, it took quite a while for the two to feel better.

Shi Chun opened his eyes and untied a bulging pouch from his waist. As he opened it, purple flames appeared to leap out.

Inside, aside from some Sandalwood Gold, were a few small bottles. He took out a small bottle, the size of two thumbs, opened it, and poured out a green pill the size of a soybean, known as the Longevity Pill, a common Spirit Pill in the Cultivation World that aids in elevating one's cultivation.

It wasn't particularly expensive nor cheap—it depended on the buyer. The going rate was ten Sandalwood Gold per pill. Shi Chun had bought twenty in one go, two small bottles, giving one to Wu Jinliang, spending two hundred Sandalwood Gold that Dong and others had paid.

Buying these was, naturally, to test their effects on cultivation.

Feeling the radiant aura of the room, Wu Jinliang opened his eyes, grinned, and said, "Yeah, let's test the effect of the Spirit Pill."

He immediately took off his own bulging pouch, but saw no purple flames, for he had no money. His pouch was bulging because he had prepared some common healing medicines, just in case. After all, Dong and the others gladly picked up the tab.

He swallowed the pill in one gulp, then headed to his bunk to sit in meditation, with his great sword placed nearby within reach.

After sniffing the refreshing aroma of the pill, Shi Chun did the same, experiencing for the first time the cultivation of refining a pill...

Inside the top floor of Bowan Building, a group responsible for local affairs was having a routine meeting. Miao Yilan was also present. After someone came in and whispered a few words in her ear, Miao Yilan turned away and temporarily left.

Around the corner of the outside corridor, Che Si, who had been tailing them all day, was waiting.

When Miao Yilan approached him, after listening to his summary of the day's surveillance, she expressed her surprise, "Cen Futong, the nephew of Cao Puqing, went to see them and had a secret meeting?"

Che Si, "It seemed to be a secret meeting. Those accompanying Cen Futong were sent away, and as they passed by me, I overheard their chatter; they were talking about something very mysterious, not sure what they were up to."

Miao Yilan, "Could it be because Lv Taizhen's face was damaged, so he went to teach Shi Chun and others a lesson?"

Che Si, "It doesn't look like it."

After pondering for a while, Miao Yilan nodded and said, "Okay, I got it. Continue to watch them."

As the night deepened, the Cloud Building remained full of lively singing and dancing, the madam Feng Chi was adept at dealing with each distinguished guest, flitting between them.

Meanwhile, in a pavilion at the edge of a cliff outside Wuyou Inn, a person wearing a black cloak with their face concealed under a hat bore a striking resemblance to the madam Feng Chi.

Shortly after, another mysterious figure emerged from the shadows, a graceful silhouette—it was Xiang Laner, with hair down and face covered, looking like a female ghost late at night.

After they leaned closer together, Feng Chi spoke in a low voice, "Life Prison's situation is special; it's difficult to confirm identities quickly. I've relayed the message to the top; they've arranged for someone to enter Life Prison, but it will take time, at the earliest till tomorrow morning."

As the breeze gently lifted the hair hanging in front of her, Xiang Laner said, "One thing is certain, this Shi Chun is not that simple, and he's not just acting out of kindness."

Feng Chi uttered, "What do you mean?"

Xiang Laner explained, "He's eager to facilitate Bian Weikang's return to Wukang Mountain. His goal must also be Wukang Mountain."

Feng Chi suddenly became apprehensive, "Who could it be? Could it be operatives sent by the other two among the Three Sects?"

Xiang Laner, "No matter who it is, I won't allow anyone here to interfere. We set off tomorrow morning. Once we leave the city, I'll find an opportunity to draw Bian Weikang away. You arrange for people to eliminate these two uncertain factors."

Feng Chi, "With unclear identities, is it appropriate to act so rashly?"

Xiang Laner: "Isn't it quite normal to disappear after offending Lv Taizhen?"

Feng Chi: "Good. I'll also hurry up and urge those above to see if they can verify their identities any faster."

Xiang Laner stopped talking and turned to leave.

Feng Chi then let out a soft sigh. "That servitude contract was officially recorded at the Heavenly Court at the time, and it was inconvenient to forge. It used your true traces, remember to destroy it to avoid any accidents."

Walking away with his back turned, Xiang Laner indifferently replied, "It's already been destroyed."

The night flew by, and the sky was beginning to show faint signs of dawn.

Shi Chun, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, opened his eyes and picked up the small bottle of pills that he had placed beside him. He opened the lid and sniffed the fragrant medicine within, his eyes expressing a deep skepticism.

Generally, cultivation at the same realm is divided into three levels: lower, middle, and upper, commonly known as Initial Martial, Upper Realm, and Great Achievement Realm.

His cultivation was in Initial Martial, and he had already reached Great Success two or three years ago. What was strange was that after stepping into the Great Achievement Realm of Initial Martial, there was no further progress regardless of how diligently he cultivated. He had thought that going out and using some cultivation resources would solve the problem, but even after a night, there was still no sign of advancement.

Taking one Longevity Pill had no effect. Perhaps the potency was insufficient, so he took two. He ended up swallowing three pills throughout the night, but still, there was no effect. Had he bought fake medicine?

If that was true, it would be outrageously bold.

Thinking about it, he felt that it was unlikely since he had gone with people from the Bowan Building to purchase them.

He got up and opened the window to look outside. It wasn't yet daylight. He had planned to wait until dawn, but, clutching the bottle of pills and sniffing it again and again, he ultimately couldn't contain his anxiety and, unable to restrain himself, ran over to Wu Jinliang and called out a few times, "Jinliang, Jinliang, Jinliang…"

He randomly fumbled for a Sandalwood Gold and lit up the room.

Wu Jinliang slowly ended his meditation and opened his eyes. Seeing this, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Shi Chun asked, "How was the effect after you took the Longevity Pills?"

Realizing something from this question, Wu Jinliang responded, "Don't tell me you had no effect after taking the pills?"

Such things had been discussed with Shi Chun back when they were at East Nine Plain, not just once but many times.

Shi Chun questioned, "You saw results?"

Wu Jinliang nodded, "Yes, the effect was quite good. It's at least three times faster than just absorbing the spiritual energy from heaven and earth. You experienced no effects at all?"

Shi Chun shook his head, "No effect after three Longevity Pills. By the way, how many did you take?"

Wu Jinliang exclaimed, "Three pills and still no use? I only took one, and I'm still digesting it, the store owner didn't lie. But, Chun Tian, what's actually wrong with you? Could it be a problem with the Cultivation Technique?"

Shi Chun tiredly sat down on his bed and shook his head, "I don't know what's the matter. When I was a kid, people said Uncle Ba was the strongest fighter, and all of us kids clung to him wanting to learn his Cultivation Technique. Eventually, I was the only one who managed to master it. You all switched to other Cultivation Techniques. At that time, Uncle Ba didn't mention any problems, and after the incident with him, he was no longer around. Now, I have no way to ask him anymore."

Wu Jinliang, stroking his chin, muttered, "That's not right. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be a problem with the Cultivation Technique. If a technique had problems, it shouldn't affect the absorption of spiritual energy, right? If it could affect it, then why weren't you affected before? Hey, you haven't eaten something wrong, have you? Think carefully, did you eat something good behind our backs?"

"Go away," Shi Chun said, waving him off as if to tell him to drop dead far away. Already frustrated, he was in no mood for jokes.

He put away the Sandalwood Gold, plunging the room back into darkness, then got up and went back to his own bed. He lay down, hands clasped over his head and legs crossed, full of worry.

There's no getting around it, the most worrying problem had arisen. It was clear that it was not due to a lack of cultivation resources; rather, there was some issue with his own cultivation. A problem that had been lingering for two or three years and remained unresolved, what was he to do?

He couldn't just give up on this Cultivation Technique and start over with a new one, could he? He felt that his current technique was quite powerful, and it was satisfying to use. The more vicious and murderous the opponent, the more excited he became during the fight, feeling as though every pore was breathing freely.

He sensed that each time he battled an opponent with an overwhelming killing intent, his body's resistance to injury slightly increased.

At least at East Nine Plain, no one's physical resilience could match his, and no one had a faster self-healing ability. If opponents didn't use weapons and just brawled with fists, he dared to rush into a crowd and fight to the death.

Although his cultivation had stopped progressing, the slight trend of his body becoming stronger in battle had not ceased.

He felt that this Cultivation Technique was quite good, which was why he had not switched to another technique for these two or three years. He was a bit reluctant to let it go.

Could he find an appropriate expert to analyze his Cultivation Method?

In the darkness, Wu Jinliang watched him through a blurry haze, knowing he faced a particularly big hurdle but unsure of what to say to help. This was a problem he couldn't resolve, so he wasn't able to offer any assistance. Seeing that it wasn't dawn yet, he didn't bother with pointless thoughts and continued to meditate, focusing on digesting the power of the Spirit Pill and enjoying the benefits of having cultivation resources.

But the lying Shi Chun couldn't help but let his mind wander. There was no need to waste any more Spirit Pills. Unbeknownst to him, the day had already broken.

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