Chapter Ten: The Blood Eagle

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Gazing at the dozen or so pills shimmering with a crystalline luster inside the alchemical furnace, Jia Qian trembled as he carefully took them out, cradling them as if they were infants.

"Young master, you might not know—these pills are not only graded in first and second tiers, but each tier is further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. And these pills are flawless, even surpassing the upper-grade ones!" Jia Qian began to explain.

Medicine always has some toxicity: low-grade pills carry fifty percent toxin, mid-grade thirty percent, and upper-grade only ten percent.

No matter the grade—upper, middle, or lower—taking too many pills causes the toxin to accumulate in the body, leading to irreversible damage.

Only these flawless pills contain not a trace of toxin!

"Young master, you don’t realize that in our Yellow Sand Town, the finest pills only reach the upper-grade level, selling for ten taels each."

"These flawless pills? At least twenty taels apiece!"

Twenty taels!

Mu Feng was stunned.

One batch yielded over two hundred taels? That’s even more profitable than gambling dens.

No wonder alchemists are wealthy; such profits are astronomical.

"But Uncle Qian, can you guarantee these are truly flawless pills?"

"Well..." Jia Qian hesitated.

Although he had explained much, he had only heard of flawless pills and could not confirm with absolute certainty.

Seeing this, Mu Feng stroked his chin thoughtfully. Whether these pills were safe was still uncertain; he needed someone to test them. If they were toxic, he would be doomed.

"Zhuangxian, come here."

Huh? Me?

Jia Zhuangxian hesitated.

"Young master, what are you doing?"

"Enough talk."

Before Jia Zhuangxian could say more, Mu Feng grabbed a pill and stuffed it into his mouth.

In an instant, a radiant glow surged in Jia Zhuangxian’s abdomen, an unbelievable power rapidly coursing through his limbs and bones.

The crackling sounds echoed continuously in the alchemy room.

Countless streams of spiritual energy swarmed in, swiftly entering Jia Zhuangxian’s body.

"This is! This is spiritual energy!"

"I can feel the spiritual energy now!"

Jia Zhuangxian shouted excitedly, his voice brimming with emotion.

As his words fell, he threw a punch.

A faint aura of spiritual energy radiated from his fist.

Qi Condensation Stage, First Rank!

Ordinarily, someone like Jia Zhuangxian, without any talent for cultivation, would have nearly zero chance of entering the martial path.

Yet the potent medicinal power of these flawless pills guided the surrounding spiritual energy to break through his body’s apertures, aiding his entry into martial cultivation.

It seemed these flawless pills were genuine.

Suddenly, Jia Zhuangxian dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he cried out to Mu Feng.

"Young master, your great kindness cannot be repaid. From now on, Jia Zhuangxian will serve you as a beast of burden, ready to brave fire and water without hesitation!"

"Rise. No need for such grand gestures," Mu Feng said.

"Uncle Qian, take these pills and distribute them. If you all succeed in entering the martial path, it will be beneficial for the Alchemy Hall."

Mu Feng pulled out three pills and handed them to Jia Qian.

The latter’s eyes shone with excitement.

Pills capable of helping ordinary people enter martial cultivation were beyond their wildest dreams, yet Mu Feng simply gave them away.

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He did not know how to properly express his gratitude for such a generous gift.

After everyone swallowed the pills, except for Xiao Yutong, all stepped into the first rank of Qi Condensation.

There was no other way—Xiao Yutong’s physique was too special; ordinary pills simply had no effect.

Seizing the moment, Mu Feng pressed on.

Since the Qi Gathering Pills were successfully refined, making Body Refining Pills should not be difficult.

After a day of bustling activity, Mu Feng had produced nearly a hundred pills of two varieties, sufficient for current cultivation needs.

"Fairy, does this mean I’m officially a first-rank alchemist now?"

Looking at the many flawless pills before him, Mu Feng said proudly.

"Dream on. The most basic skill of a first-rank alchemist is controlling spiritual fire. You still rely on coal for alchemy."

The fairy’s lazy voice sounded, dampening Mu Feng’s spirits.

Indeed, in the vast Yuan Continent City, not a single first-rank alchemist existed. Having practiced only one day, there was no way to leap to the top instantly.

Besides, only fire-attributed warriors can manipulate spiritual fire.

To awaken fire-attribute spiritual power, one must break through the Celestial Realm.

He was far from that now.

"Given the circumstances, I’ll focus on cultivation first."

Putting aside distractions, Mu Feng swallowed several pills and went to the backyard to begin practicing two top-tier techniques in his mind.

With the aid of Qi Gathering Pills, his absorption of surrounding spiritual energy increased by fifty percent.

Countless spiritual lights sprang from the ground, several sword auras swirling around Mu Feng’s body, faint yet distinct.

Sword aura formed, sword technique revealed.

The sixth sword aura converged successfully; Mu Feng drew his longsword.

Under the bright moonlight, his graceful figure danced through the space, fierce sword auras stirring gusts of wind.

As time passed little by little, a figure quietly appeared in the backyard, sitting to the side and quietly watching Mu Feng.

Watching, though it was not really watching.

For the visitor was Xiao Yutong.

"The wind’s strong tonight. Why aren’t you resting? Why come here?"

Stopping his sword, Mu Feng noticed Xiao Yutong nearby and quickly picked up a robe from the ground to drape over her.

"I can’t sleep. I wanted to come down and keep you company."

Xiao Yutong gently tugged on Mu Feng’s robe edge, smiling softly.

Though her face was lit with smiles, Mu Feng knew well that while everyone else in the Alchemy Hall had stepped into cultivation, Xiao Yutong had not; her heart must be heavy.

"Don’t worry. One day I will find a way to heal your eyes so you can cultivate successfully."

Mu Feng said resolutely.

This was more than comfort—it was a vow he must fulfill in this lifetime.

"Thank you."

Xiao Yutong said no more, only nodding lightly with a deep smile.

Seeing this, Mu Feng resumed his training.

Following the Sword Techniques’ manual, he continued wielding the longsword.

"Boy, there’s a problem."

"What problem?"

The fairy’s voice suddenly sounded, leaving Mu Feng puzzled.

"Your sword technique practice method is wrong."

"Where is it wrong?"

"I don’t know, it just is."

The fairy was perplexed. She could sense something off about Mu Feng but couldn’t pinpoint it.

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It felt like something was missing.

"Mu Feng, why did you stop?"

Xiao Yutong suddenly asked from nearby.

"I felt something was wrong, so I stopped."

"Could it be the strength?"

Xiao Yutong’s comment suddenly caused the fairy to have an epiphany.

"Indeed, it’s the strength. I wondered why you felt odd but couldn’t tell why."

As a spiritual entity, the fairy’s senses were sealed except for her eyes and soul power, so she couldn’t find Mu Feng’s problem at first.

Mu Feng was stunned.

Xiao Yutong also understands swordsmanship?

"Should I not have said anything?"

Hearing no response from Mu Feng, Xiao Yutong worried he disliked others commenting on his cultivation and timidly said.

"No, I’m just curious—how did you know my strength was off?"

Mu Feng asked, intrigued.

"Because I can hear the wind. Every time you strike, I hear winds of varying sizes, meaning your strength differs. My mother told me that true great swordsmen strike with steady yet fierce force, fast yet precise. If you can’t control your sword’s strength, you can’t be called a swordsman."

Damn it! Your mother knows about this too?

Mu Feng’s pupils trembled, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Oh, she heard it from others and used to tell me these stories before she passed."

So that was it.

Mu Feng understood.

"Can you help me control my strength?"

"I think so. I can use the sound of the wind to judge your strength."

Xiao Yutong nodded excitedly.

Being able to help Mu Feng made her happy.

Seeing this, Mu Feng wielded the longsword again, practicing each strike’s strength according to Xiao Yutong’s guidance.

Unconsciously, dawn arrived...

——

Meanwhile, at the Xiao family hall.

Bang!

Xiao Jue slammed his hand onto the table beside him, shattering it.

"Didn’t you say the person you hired was an expert who could easily kill Mu Feng? Where is he? How did Mu Feng escape to Yellow Sand Town?"

"I gave you one hundred taels, yet the people you hired couldn’t even kill two worthless pests!"

Sweat poured down the steward’s body from Xiao Jue’s scolding.

He secretly pocketed fifty taels of that sum.

Who knew those useless ones took the money and vanished without a trace?

"Master, there’s nothing I can do. Who would have guessed that brat Mu Feng suddenly regained his cultivation ability."

The steward knelt trembling on the ground.

Seeing this, Xiao Jue took a deep breath, his expression extremely grim.

"Jiang Wuying ordered us to kill Mu Feng within three months. Now less than two remain."

"Go fetch Blood Hawk."

"This time, I refuse to believe we can’t kill that worthless brat! Even if he can cultivate again, he won’t escape!"

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