Chapter 8

Liu Wuzhe retracted his palm, took a light step, and gently landed outside the circle. The killing intent in his eyes flashed and disappeared, and Tie Li managed to save his life.

"What happened? Why are you fighting privately!"

Xu Yilin strictly forbade fighting within the family. Normally, minor disputes were just argued over, and it was rare for anyone to actually fight.

As the head of the family, Xu Yilin had dedicated caretakers for his daily life and rarely visited places like the dining hall. He was even less aware of the conflicts among the servants.

"Head of the family, you must do justice for me!"

Tie Li, with tears and snot, suddenly knelt before Xu Yilin, crying his lungs out. Large tears really fell, making many onlookers twitch their eyes.

"Speak. If Wuzhe was in the wrong, I will punish him."

In front of outsiders, especially servants, Xu Yilin was somewhat partial, and his requirements for Liu Wuzhe were even stricter.

The onlookers showed a hint of a wicked smile, and many looked at Liu Wuzhe with sympathy, knowing he would definitely face Xu Yilin's anger.

"Recently, the dining hall has been short of tables and chairs, so I temporarily used the chair that the son-in-law uses. He didn't understand our hard work and even spoke harshly to me, attacking me. Please, Head of the family, investigate this matter."

Tie Li's words made the killing intent in Liu Wuzhe's eyes reappear, focusing sharply on Tie Li.

Faced with Liu Wuzhe's terrifying gaze, Tie Li shrank his neck in fear. When did this waste of a man's eyes become so sharp?

"Is what he said true?"

Xu Yilin's gaze swept over the others, seeking confirmation. If Tie Li's words were true, he would not let Liu Wuzhe off easily.

"Tie Li's words are true. To save expenses, we have been making do with the tables and chairs, hoping the master can understand our hard work."

Several other servants in the dining hall ran out, echoing Tie Li's words. No one stood up for Liu Wuzhe, showing how low his status was in the Xu family.

"Don't worry, I will do justice for you. You have been thoughtful. Go treat your injuries first."

Xu Yilin, who could see through the situation, noticed there were still many idle tables and chairs around. He comforted them and then looked at Liu Wuzhe, giving him a stern glare.

"Follow me!"

He swept his sleeve and left the dining hall. Liu Wuzhe obediently followed behind. If asked who he respected the most in the entire True Martial Continent, it would definitely be Xu Yilin, who had raised him like a parent.

No one spoke until they left the dining hall and stood in a small pavilion, where no one else was around. Xu Yilin then looked at Liu Wuzhe.

"You've had a hard time these past years. From now on, you will dine with us."

Liu Wuzhe thought his father-in-law would scold him, but unexpectedly, there was no scolding, only a kind smile. As a high-ranking Spirit Washing Realm cultivator, he could tell who was telling the truth and who was lying.

"Aren't you going to scold me?"

Surprised, Liu Wuzhe recalled that in the past, his father-in-law would always scold him, and even put him in confinement.

"You are married to Xue'er now and are an adult. I can't scold you like before. I will investigate today's incident. Your talent is not good, so you can only rely on hard work. Many things have happened in the family recently, and I don't have time to take care of you. You must take care of yourself. If Elder Brother Liu returns, I will have an answer for him."

Xu Yilin said meaningfully, his eyes showing a hint of respect when mentioning Elder Brother Liu.

Liu Wuzhe, who was originally angry and wanted to kill Tie Li, showed a bitter smile. When did he, a mighty Immortal Emperor, become so petty?

"Father-in-law, has the weapon issue been resolved?"

Liu Wuzhe generally did not interfere with the Xu family's internal affairs, but if needed, he was willing to help.

"You don't need to worry about it. I will find a way. It's getting late, go back and rest. I will have someone send food to you."

The father-in-law and son-in-law parted ways. Liu Wuzhe returned to his courtyard and continued practicing his saber techniques.

The food was delivered by the steward, all good dishes. After eating, he sat in meditation and practiced the Great Desolate Swallowing Heaven Technique until the night was quiet.

"It's time to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill!"

After resting for half an hour and adjusting his breathing, he began the refinement process. Mistakes were not allowed during this time, and he feared being disturbed. He waited until midnight to start.

The dry wood crackled, and the flames were strong. A true alchemist needed to find celestial fire. In his previous life, he had obtained the rare Three Pure Fires.

Using ordinary flames to refine a second-grade pill was something only Liu Wuzhe dared to do. Master Huo refined pills using alchemical fire.

He threw in various herbs, and after refining them with the Body Tempering Liquid, his technique became much more proficient. True Qi controlled the flames, and the herbs quickly dissolved, emitting a strong herbal scent.

Sitting by the alchemy furnace, he practiced while controlling the flames, not wasting any time. Several drops of liquid appeared in the Swallowing Heaven Cauldron, capable of breaking through the Fifth Level of the Later Heaven Realm. Once this batch of pills was complete, he would use the Heavenly Spirit Pill to break through his realm.

Every ten minutes, he added more herbs and wood, and the flames hissed. His hands moved like fans, and the flames seemed to come alive, dancing with his palms, like a phoenix spreading its wings.

If other alchemists saw this, they would be terrified. A mere Fourth Level of the Later Heaven Realm could achieve such advanced fire control, even surpassing Master Huo.

An hour passed, and a strong fragrance came from the alchemy furnace. The first batch of Heavenly Spirit Pills was almost ready. Due to his inexperience, there was a faint burnt smell, indicating some failed pills.

Achieving this result on his first attempt was already astonishing.

Standing up, he shot a powerful True Qi from his palm, causing the flames to surge and envelop the entire furnace. This was the critical moment.

"Form the pill!"

Even if the preliminary work was done well, failing the final step would still result in failure. Many alchemists failed at this last stage, successfully purifying the herbs but failing to form the pill.

This required extremely strict control of the flames. Liu Wuzhe had refined countless pills, and such a common pill was no challenge for him.

"Collect!"

The flames suddenly disappeared, and a strong herbal fragrance filled the courtyard.

Lifting the lid, he found twenty Heavenly Spirit Pills inside, with five of them brown and considered failed pills, unusable.

He took out a prepared porcelain bottle, putting the good pills inside and keeping the failed ones for further refinement or feeding to spirit beasts.

"That's enough for today. Once I break through to the Fifth Level of the Later Heaven Realm, the refinement speed will increase, and the success rate will improve."

Back in his room, he took out a Heavenly Spirit Pill, which rolled in his palm, emitting a fragrant aroma. It was worth several times more than the Cultivation Essence Pill and Heart Nourishing Pill on the market, containing a trace of spiritual essence.

Swallowing it, a powerful energy surged through his body, and every acupoint absorbed it frantically, his realm stirring.

Without hesitation, he poured out the liquid he had condensed in the Swallowing Heaven Cauldron, and his realm began to rise.

The Great Desolate Swallowing Heaven Technique ran wildly, and the spiritual energy in the courtyard gathered again, still unable to meet the demand. The spiritual energy from other courtyards was continuously drained.

The spiritual energy, almost liquid-like, was sucked into his abdomen by Liu Wuzhe.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

His body made cracking sounds, like a chick breaking out of its shell. An acupoint in his body opened, and his realm suddenly surged, breaking through to the Fifth Level of the Later Heaven Realm.

For the entire night, Liu Wuzhe practiced, his realm reaching the peak of the Fifth Level of the Later Heaven Realm. He did not rush to break through further.

The foundation was crucial. After being transformed by the mysterious liquid, his body was already pure and clean, and breaking through to the Ninth Level of the Later Heaven Realm was not a problem. However, he did not rush, refining his foundation step by step.

The better the foundation in the Later Heaven Realm, the higher the future achievements. Once he broke through to the Innate Realm, it would be too late to refine the foundation, like trying to reinforce the foundation of a house after it was built.

The night passed quickly. Opening his eyes, two vortices appeared in front of him, and the spiritual energy in the room dissipated, returning to calm.

In the courtyard, he familiarized himself with his new realm, drawing his saber, practicing drawing, and sheathing it repeatedly.

He did not find it tedious, understanding that the foundation was crucial, just like practicing saber techniques.

The same martial technique, when performed by a hundred people, would have a hundred different effects. The more solid the foundation, the more proficient the saber techniques.

"This won't do. This saber is too light, and its length is not suitable for me. I need to find a suitable long saber."

He stopped practicing, realizing that the saber's arc and weight were not suitable for the Blood Rainbow Saber Technique. A weapon must fit the user to maximize combat effectiveness.

As the sky brightened, the family's weapon shop had not yet opened. He fetched water, mixed it with Body Tempering Liquid, and immersed himself, practicing his technique.

His physical strength continued to increase. Although his realm was the Fifth Level of the Later Heaven Realm, his physical strength was already comparable to the Ninth Level. With the Blood Rainbow Saber Technique, no one below the Innate Realm could match him.

After the Body Tempering Liquid was exhausted, he emerged from the wooden tub, ate the leftover food, changed his clothes, and left the Xu family, heading to the weapon shop.