Chapter 36: Mysterious Breakthrough

"The Pill Technique, Pill Reversing the Heavens and Earth, is an eighth-grade pill technique renowned for its immense power. This pill technique has no deceptive moves or clever tricks; instead, it relies on brute force, using special methods to trigger the energy within the pill, causing it to explode instantly. Depending on the cultivation level, it can trigger up to nine pills, and when nine pills are activated, it can reverse the Heavens and Earth!"

Sitting cross-legged in a space that was somewhat ethereal, Du Fei gazed at the afterimage before him, his face showing no trace of surprise.

Unlike before, the consciousness space was no longer the size of a cave but had a massive portal on one side of the wall. Beyond the portal, although most of the space was void, there was a flat area of several miles. On this flat area, an afterimage was continuously changing its form.

With each movement of the afterimage, pill-like objects were flicked out, and they exploded with tremendous power in front of it.

And what the afterimage was demonstrating was, of course, the Pill Technique, Pill Reversing the Heavens and Earth!

In reality, Du Fei certainly wouldn't have the extravagance to scatter pills as if they were free, but here, he had no such concerns.

"This Pill Technique is indeed terrifying! With such power, even a seventh-grade martial artist would dare not face it head-on... If nine pills were stacked, and the pills used were of the seventh grade, then directly killing a seventh-grade martial artist would not be impossible... However, this move is truly too wasteful. One move would cost at least several hundred thousand gold coins! This isn't something an ordinary person can afford!"

After being momentarily stunned by the power of the move, Du Fei couldn't help but sigh.

These alchemists are indeed monsters; no wonder no one dares to offend them. Not to mention their complex relationships, just the sheer cost of their techniques could crush countless people.

"Even if I master this move, I can only use it as a last resort. If I use it a few times casually, I'll probably go bankrupt in a few days!"

After sighing again, Du Fei didn't linger and instead stepped lightly, landing on the flat area. His hands curved slightly, and several pills appeared in his palms.

Following the technique described in the scroll, he used a method similar to pill refinement to rotate his true qi, and then his hands flicked out rapidly... "Boom..."

A huge crater appeared on the flat area, then slowly returned to its original state. Du Fei didn't have much to say about this; instead, he moved his hands again, and the pills in his hands were continuously flicked out as if they were free.

"Phew..."

Taking a long breath, Du Fei, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes, the fatigue in his eyes flashing by.

Although cultivation in the consciousness space didn't affect the physical body, the mental fatigue was quite significant.

Fortunately, this cultivation wasn't without effect. At least Du Fei had now basically mastered the essence of Pill Reversing the Heavens and Earth. With the nine pills he had, he was confident he could face a ninth-grade martial artist without losing.

However, Du Fei wasn't that extravagant. Even a wealthy alchemist would probably not use the Pill Technique lightly unless absolutely necessary.

"Next, it's time to cultivate!"

Although he was extremely fatigued, Du Fei had no time to rest.

With only half a year left, merely advancing to the ninth-grade martial artist level wasn't enough! He wanted more!

Fortunately, with the assistance of these Concentration Pills, he wouldn't stop progressing.

No matter what, he had to obtain the Heaven and Earth Essence Pill!

Stepping out of the inner room, Du Fei took a deep breath and relaxed a bit.

Although he knew the importance of cultivation, in his current state, he couldn't continue. After all, some things are better in moderation.

"Master!"

Seeing Du Fei come out, Xiao Ai, who was in the hall, put down her book and said with a delighted look.

"What are you reading?" Du Fei glanced over, found a chair, and sat down, saying casually.

"Nothing much, just some old stories... But Master, why haven't you been cultivating much these past few days? You can't slack off just because the clan competition is over!" Xiao Ai extended her finger in a teasing gesture and laughed lightly.

"Can't I even rest a bit? It seems you, little girl, need a lesson if you keep acting up! Watch as Master educates you properly!" With that, Du Fei stomped his foot, and his figure shot forward like a cannonball, grabbing Xiao Ai and placing her on his lap. His right hand raised and then slapped down.

"Slap..."

The soft, smooth feeling under his hand made Du Fei's right hand tingle, and a surge of desire rose in his lower abdomen.

Xiao Ai, who had initially been joking, now blushed. She clearly felt that a certain part of Master's body was pressing against her slightly swollen chest, throbbing playfully... This feeling made Xiao Ai's head spin, and after a moment, she said shyly, "Master... You... You really are a pervert!"

Before she finished speaking, her neck had already turned red.

Hearing this, Du Fei was also startled. The word "pervert" pulled him back from his almost uncontrollable state.

Du Fei quickly pulled Xiao Ai up with his left hand. As soon as she stood up, she quickly retreated like a frightened rabbit.

For a moment, both were speechless, the atmosphere extremely awkward.

After a while, Du Fei touched his nose and coughed, saying, "In the past few days, has anyone been bothering you? If so, just let me know, and I'll handle it for you."

"Tch, you're now the ninth core disciple of the Du family; who would dare? However, Du Qian has come to see you a few times, I don't know what for." Saying this, Xiao Ai looked displeased, clearly jealous.

Du Fei could only pretend not to notice. After thinking for a moment, he nodded slightly, "She probably heard that an eighth-grade cultivation technique would appear at the auction and wanted me to check it out. But it's too late to talk about it now."

"Master, you went to the auction?" Hearing this, Xiao Ai's eyes lit up with a hint of curiosity.

"Yes, I went and bought a few things. Here, this is a Concentration Pill. Take it when the time is right; it should help you advance to the ninth-grade martial artist level... When that happens, I'll help you find a cultivation technique." As he spoke, Du Fei took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Hearing this, Xiao Ai was slightly stunned. After a moment, she walked over, picked up the bottle, and examined it for a while before shaking her head, "Master, you take it. Even without this, I can advance to the ninth-grade martial artist level in a year or two. It would be better for you to take it."

"Take it, and that's it. No more arguments... Do you want another lesson?" Du Fei chuckled coldly, raising his right hand with a lecherous expression.

Scared by Du Fei's expression, Xiao Ai jumped back, momentarily forgetting to argue about the pill.

In a secluded area of the Du family's back mountain, Du Fei casually leaned against a large rock, holding a pill that emitted a faint medicinal fragrance, but he didn't immediately swallow it.

At the moment, he was only at the seventh level of the Body Tempering stage, and although he was about to break through to the eighth level, he wasn't sure if he could reach the Martial Artist stage so quickly. After all, his cultivation time was too short, and many things are counterproductive if rushed.

After thinking for a moment, Du Fei gave up on the tempting idea of immediately taking the Concentration Pill. He took a deep breath, hid the pill, and then his figure trembled slightly, landing on the ground. The Soft Fist technique flowed smoothly as he began to practice.

"Slap..."

"Slap, slap, slap..."

Compared to before, Du Fei's understanding of the Soft Fist technique had reached a profound level. Now, with each punch, his bones crackled, and the power stored deep in his muscles was fully unleashed at the peak of the punch.

After the clan competition, Du Fei's strength had increased many times over.

This increase wasn't in terms of the Body Tempering stage but in the use of power.

"If I were to participate in the clan competition again now, Du Qing wouldn't even have a chance to turn the tide. I could cripple him with one move, without needing to use any tricks as before!"

With a cold laugh in his heart, Du Fei continued to practice the Body Tempering Fist rapidly. At a certain point, he suddenly struck the large rock in front of him.

"Boom..."

The rock trembled slightly, and a faint feedback force spread, deepening the imprint of the punch on the rock.

Feeling this strange sensation for the first time, Du Fei only frowned slightly and didn't say much. After resting for a moment, he resumed practicing the Soft Fist technique.

However, this time, before he finished the set, Du Fei's expression changed, filled with doubt.

He tried to circulate his true qi for a moment and, feeling it was stronger than before, his face showed a strange, almost disbelieving expression: "I... broke through?"

As soon as this thought arose, Du Fei's lips twitched. How could a breakthrough be so ridiculous?

But the sensation of the true qi surging in his body clearly told him that he was now at the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage!