Chapter 84

That night, Chu He rode the Flying Cloud Longitudinal back to Lu Gang Ridge. He did not push the door open but instead took a deep look at the hot spring pool and the lush green rice.

He did not stay for long and left after a few breaths, riding the Flying Cloud Longitudinal away.

The next day, Chu He tidied up a bit and then went to Lingxiu Peak to meet up with the others and set off.

This time, the team heading to Lanzhen Mountain consisted of dozens of people, including some disciples from the Punishment Hall and a few low-level alchemists. These alchemists were transferred from other branches, and Chu He did not know them.

The vehicle that picked up Chu He and his group was a magical treasure shaped like a warship.

This warship was quite large, about a dozen zhang long and several zhang high. The ship's body was imprinted with countless intricate runes, and there were hidden elemental cannons in all directions. At the front and back of the ship, there were also mounted flying crossbows. The entire ship looked quite imposing, with a radiant and lustrous appearance.

The senior who operated this warship treasure was a man of few words. After everyone boarded, he immediately took the warship straight up into the clouds.

No one on board was familiar to Chu He, so he turned to the back of the ship and stood alone, gazing into the distance. As the majestic Qingling Mountain gradually disappeared into the snow, Chu He, who had been expressionless, finally showed a hint of relief and a smile.

Once he left, Chu He had no intention of returning!

With the True Realm-level technique, the Purifying Fire, and the strength of a low-level alchemist, plus his mid-grade spirit body nearing completion, as long as he kept a low profile and practiced diligently, he had a good chance of achieving the rank of True Person, at least a 60-70% chance.

Having offended the Grand Elder, staying at Qingling Mountain was not an option. Today, he was treated like he was being exiled to the border, and who knew if he would be sent to fight in the Demon Cloud Mountains in the future.

My fate is in my hands, not yours. If you want me, Chu Xiaoye, to die foolishly, that's impossible.

Having come from another world, Chu He did not have any blind loyalty to the sect. He treated those who treated him well, and vice versa. He did not want to feel like a thorn in his back!

...

The flying ship was very fast, and after just over three hours, they arrived at Lanzhen Mountain.

Lanzhen Mountain was not very high, about a thousand zhang tall, but it stood out in the surrounding area of several hundred li.

The flying ship landed in a cluster of buildings at the foot of the mountain, first dropping off some people, then flying to the mountain waist.

Among those who were dropped off were Chu He and a few low-level alchemists.

The person who came to receive them was a fat steward named Wu Yuanming.

After showing everyone around the dormitories and the cafeteria, he began to assign tasks, claiming it was to save time and quickly refine the accumulated medicinal herbs into pills for the sect's use.

Before they arrived, they were informed that this was an urgent assignment, and no one suspected his intentions.

When Wu Yuanming looked at Chu He, Chu He saw a hint of ill intent. Considering that he also had the surname Wu, Chu He became somewhat suspicious and cautious.

When the tasks were assigned, it turned out that Chu He was required to refine 150 low-grade Pei Yuan Pills daily, while others only had to refine 120. The difference was obvious.

The alchemists who came with him were all shocked: asking a disciple at the seventh level of the Qi Condensation Realm to refine 150 low-grade Pei Yuan Pills was clearly a challenge.

But no one stood up for him. Here, apart from the mountain master, the inner sect steward was the highest authority. To conflict with him over a stranger was something only a fool would do. Most people were like this; if it didn't affect them, they didn't care about right or wrong.

"No problem," Chu He shrugged and agreed.

For Chu He, refining 150 low-grade Pei Yuan Pills was just a matter of seven or eight hours. Even if it was a bit tiring, so what? He couldn't afford to conflict with this fat man now, lest he find a handle to use against him. The fat man was clearly targeting him, and he couldn't let him succeed.

"Huh?" Wu Yuanming was surprised that Chu He agreed without any objections, which was unexpected.

According to the information he had, this young man needed seven or eight hours to refine 100 low-grade Pei Yuan Pills. If the number was increased to 150, it would be difficult for him to sustain it long-term.

If he had objected, Wu Yuanming could have dealt with him according to the sect rules. After all, there was no Punishment Hall here, and all decisions were made by the mountain master and himself. Once the label was stuck, there were plenty of ways to make him suffer.

"He didn't fall for it, a smart guy. Hehe, no problem, it's still torture. Let's see how long you can keep up. With no background and having offended the Wu and Luo families and the Grand Elder, you won't get off easy."

What Wu Yuanming didn't realize was that refining 150 low-grade Pei Yuan Pills was not a heavy burden for Chu He.

The fat man then made some grand speeches, praising everyone and saying they were worthy talents cultivated by the sect. He also promised that the sect would reward them generously upon completion of the task.

Then, he led everyone directly to the alchemy room, which was built in underground stone chambers.

Compared to the alchemy rooms of the Earth Fire Department, these were much simpler. Each room only had one mid-grade magical cauldron and a rune array carved into the fire outlet.

"This one is yours," Wu Yuanming pointed to the first room and said to Chu He.

Assigning the room with the weakest fire to the person with the heaviest workload was a clear sign of his malicious intentions.

Chu He said nothing, went straight in, and closed the stone door after the servant delivered the herbs.

After a brief inspection, Chu He felt a surge of anger. The herbs delivered were of extremely poor quality. There were unripe or nearly rotten Yiyang Fruits, Fire Vines that were not old enough, and Qingling Grass of only average quality, grade eight.

Damn it, how disgusting. They want to play me to the end. Chu He suppressed his anger. He couldn't act out now; he had to endure and find a chance to leave later.

...

In a luxurious and comfortable large stone room, Wu Yuanming and an eagle-nosed cultivator watched the mirage mirror, laughing wickedly and drinking heartily.

In the mirage mirror, which was several zhang tall, the situation in Chu He's alchemy room was clearly visible. They had already set up the mirror in the room.

"Find a chance to kill him, why waste so much energy? The Hundred Toxins Sect's brats come here from time to time, so it won't be hard to find a reason," the eagle-nosed cultivator said, a bit unconvinced. As the person responsible for guarding the area, he had a heavy aura of killing intent.

"No, I heard that Bai Li values this young man quite a bit. We can't go too far, or it will be hard to deal with him in the future. Besides, this young man defeated the Grand Elder's prized disciple and gained a lot of fame. If he disappears without a reason, there will be a lot of talk within the sect. Moreover, the higher-ups said to give him a memorable lesson, so we shouldn't overdo it," Wu Yuanming finished his drink in one gulp and replied quickly.

"Huh, that young man has started refining," the eagle-nosed cultivator pointed to the mirage mirror.

"Indeed, he has some skills, worthy of Bai Li's attention," Wu Yuanming praised after seeing the techniques in the mirror.

"However, to refine Pei Yuan Pills from these herbs, I can't even achieve a success rate of more than half. Looks like the fun is about to begin," Wu Yuanming said with interest, staring at the mirror.