Immortality Begins With The Alchemical Master Chapter 134: The Confession, the Old Fox and the Young Fox (Second Update) - Novel Cool

Chapter 134: The Confession, the Old Fox and the Young Fox (Second Update)

Chapter 134: The Confession, the Old Fox and the Young Fox (Second Update)

Pant! Pant! Pant!

Never before had Luo Chen's breathing been so rapid.

His heart was pounding.

His gaze, almost disregarding everything else, was fixed on the pure white pill floating in mid-air.

A Foundation Establishment Pill!

At such close range, Luo Chen saw the true appearance of a Foundation Establishment Pill for the first time.

Four strands of pill patterns, like clouds and mist, adorned the pill, making it appear sacred.

After a long while, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to look away.

He said hoarsely, "What is the intention behind Sect Leader's actions?"

Uncle Mi was very pleased with his reaction but also felt a bit surprised that Luo Chen had so quickly suppressed his greed.

Without recalling the pill, he let it float quietly in mid-air.

Uncle Mi's expression turned serious, "Very simple, I want you to use your full strength to refine Jade Marrow Pills, without any reservation."

"I have already done my best..."

"No, you haven't!"

Uncle Mi narrowed his eyes and said, word by word, "I sent people to investigate the situation of your sale of Wondrous Pills. After refining a Mid-Grade Wondrous Pill, you almost never produced a Low-Grade Wondrous Pill again. The same goes for High-Grade pills!"

"In other words, you possess a talent in alchemy that is even more terrifying and extreme than we imagined."

"At first, I wasn't quite sure."

"But when you first refined a large batch of Jade Marrow Pills, you revealed some signs."

"Do you remember what your success rate was at that time?"

Luo Chen's breathing almost stopped.

He had always thought he had done a good job, almost flawlessly.

Moreover, he was confident that even if Uncle Mi knew he had kept some Jade Marrow Pills for himself, he wouldn't investigate deeply.

From the past to the present, Uncle Mi indeed never caused him any trouble.

But he never expected that his carefully hidden alchemy skills would suddenly be exposed.

A thick ledger appeared in Uncle Mi's hand.

With a casual flick, the ledger flipped to the first few pages.

"In the year 3407 of the Mountain and Sea Calendar, on the first day of the twelfth month, when winter began, the Alchemy Hall obtained ten Low-Grade Jade Marrow Pills and twenty Mid-Grade Jade Marrow Pills, using four sets of raw materials, with a success rate of fifty percent. The ratio of Low to Mid was one to two!"

Uncle Mi recited this without any emotion and then stared intently at Luo Chen.

"Based on my understanding of you, you must have embezzled a part of the pills when you were collecting them, and they were most likely the best Mid-Grade Jade Marrow Pills!"

"Luo Chen, am I wrong?"

Sweat appeared on Luo Chen's forehead, and he remained silent.

Uncle Mi didn't seem to want to hear his response and continued, "I don't understand alchemy, but I know that the art of refining pills depends on practice! The more you refine, the better your success rate should be, not worse!"

"After that time, your success rate never recovered to fifty percent."

"Not only that, the ratio of Low to Mid once fell to seven to three. Even after you claimed your alchemy skills had improved, it was only barely six to four."

"Luo Chen, how do you explain this?"

Explain?

What explanation could Luo Chen give?

He could only be terrified, bow his head, and bend his waist, continuing to remain silent.

Sweat dripped down, one drop after another.

In the stone room, the sound of the drops echoed like raindrops on the roof, falling onto the stone slabs.

Silent, unbearable, oppressive.

It was like a high and mighty emperor looking down on a minister who had committed a grave crime.

Seeing his state, Uncle Mi couldn't help but relax.

What a sly little fox, almost managed to deceive me.

But it's good that we found out now; it's not too late.

The scolding is enough for now.

Next, it's time to win his loyalty and maximize his value.

He needs this value now!

The quiet atmosphere was soon broken by Uncle Mi's noticeably softer tone.

"I know you are a cultivator who started as a solitary practitioner, just like me, always wary of everything and trusting no one. Even the slightest benefit, you are unwilling to give up."

"But I believe I have not been unkind to you!"

"You wanted pills, and I gave them to you. You wanted auxiliary cultivation resources, and I gave them to you. You wanted cultivation heart techniques, and I gave them to you."

"I even proactively offered things like Pulse Nourishing Liquid and Small Spirit Gathering Arrays."

"Any of these things, if taken out, would be enough to make solitary practitioners fight over, but you can enjoy them without leaving your room. Even when my family's cultivators were quite dissatisfied, I forcefully suppressed it."

"So, shouldn't you also repay me with loyalty and dedication?"

A hoarse voice came from Luo Chen's mouth.

"It's my fault, short-sighted, blinded by greed."

He stood there respectfully, listing his sins.

He even confessed to embezzling many Mid-Grade Jade Marrow Pills.

Hearing these confessions, Uncle Mi couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.

"Then, what about the future?"

Luo Chen said resolutely, "I will do my utmost to serve you!"

Not enough, still not enough!

"I know you are also worried that your terrifying alchemy talent might attract others' covetous eyes.

Uncle Mi, as if trying to clear Luo Chen of any wrongdoing, said, "But now, with my protection and the reputation of Alchemist Pill Dust already well-established, it is only fitting that you display your talents."

"The Sect Leader is right, I was indeed shortsighted before!"

Luo Chen was in deep pain, almost slapping himself.

"Before, I promised you that I would purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill for you when you reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Do you still remember that?"

Luo Chen raised his head, his gaze falling on the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Uncle Mi nodded at him, "I am not one to make empty promises. This Foundation Establishment Pill now belongs to you."

Luo Chen was stunned. It really belongs to me?

Then, in the next moment, he saw the Foundation Establishment Pill fall into a jade box.

The jade box then floated in front of Luo Chen.

"When you reach the peak of Qi Cultivation, you can come to me, and I will remove the restrictions on it."

"How does it feel now that the Foundation Establishment Pill is in your hands, are you more at ease?"

Luo Chen's expression was dazed as he held the jade box, still unable to believe it.

A Foundation Establishment Pill, just like that, easily in his hands?

His peripheral vision fell on Uncle Mi's expectant face.

Suddenly!

His expression turned serious.

He then pointed to the sky, swearing an oath.

"As long as I am in the Mountain Breaker Gang, I will do my best to refine more Medium-Grade Jade Marrow Pills and will no longer hide my abilities! If I lie, may I be struck by lightning!"

Hearing this promise, Uncle Mi finally showed a satisfied expression.

A cultivator's oath, although some may not take it seriously, still has some use.

Especially for someone like Luo Chen, who has a heart for the great path.

He was more than satisfied!

Today's frank exchange ultimately ended with Uncle Mi smiling the last.

A little fox can never match an old fox!

Accompanied by Mi Junping, Luo Chen, with a face full of gratitude, left the Mi family.

Mi Junping watched his change in demeanor with a cold sneer in her heart.

This boy is really hiding deep, thinking he can fool a Foundation Establishment cultivator so easily!

In the future, he will work his heart out for the Mi family!

Only when Luo Chen safely returned to the inner city and hid in his home did the expression of gratitude on his face completely disappear.

Taking out the jade box, Luo Chen's face was dark.

Foundation Establishment Pill!

What the hell is this Foundation Establishment Pill!

It's just a big pie!

And many people have been fooled into wanting to eat this pie.

Han Dang, who died on the Dao Forum Platform, Qin Liang Chen, who lost an arm, and even the Mountain Breaker Gang's Zeng Wen, Wang Yuan, and others.

Now, this big pie has come into Luo Chen's hands.

But he can only look, not eat.

The restrictions on the jade box were so dense under the gaze of Luo Chen's Spirit Eyes Technique that there was no way to start.

This wasn't even a restriction; it could be called a small sealing array!

A Qi Cultivation cultivator wouldn't even think of how to unlock it.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator, other than Uncle Mi himself, couldn't unlock it either.

Because there was Uncle Mi's spirit sense imprint on it, and once touched, the contents of the box would be destroyed.

Perhaps only a Golden Core cultivator, who is a realm higher, could easily unlock it.

But for a mere Foundation Establishment Pill, how could they possibly invite a Golden Core cultivator to act.

"Truly a well-planned move, he must have been waiting for me to swear a grand oath all along!"

Luo Chen clenched his fists tightly, his anger boiling.

Uncle Mi had treated him well, and he had never let Uncle Mi down.

Even with the Jade Marrow Pills he refined before, the main benefits were all taken by Uncle Mi.

Yet, today, he set up this trap for him!

Breathing deeply, Luo Chen forced himself to calm down.

He began to recall everything that happened after he entered the stone room.

Whether it was the Second-Rank Spirit Gathering Array set up to create a quasi-Second-Rank Spirit Vein room, the once-a-month cultivation opportunity, or even the final reveal of the Foundation Establishment Pill.

All of it was a massive temptation, impacting Luo Chen's heart.

After all this groundwork, then suddenly mentioning that Luo Chen had hidden his abilities and embezzled before.

Under such a massive impact, anyone would likely be unable to bear it.

But Luo Chen, as a Transmigrator, had no shortage of experience with PUA from superiors.

Especially when Uncle Mi handed him the sealed Foundation Establishment Pill.

He knew this was the classic carrot and stick approach.

"This old man's methods of managing subordinates are truly skilled."

Playing with the jade box, Luo Chen easily guessed that the Foundation Establishment Pill inside belonged to Qin Liang Chen.

Now that Uncle Mi gave it to him, wasn't he also trying to drive a wedge between him and Qin Liang Chen?

In the Mountain Breaker Gang, apart from Wang Yuan, Qin Liang Chen and his wife were the closest to him and could rely on each other.

Now that he took someone else's Foundation Establishment Pill, no matter what happened in the future, he would feel a sense of distance from Qin Liang Chen.

But this thing, he could see but not eat!

Purely to make him miserable!

One pill to kill two people?

No, counting the cultivators who died because of this Foundation Establishment Pill, it's more than two!

In the end, it was still his own carelessness.

After Luo Chen had reached the perfect level of proficiency with the Jade Marrow Pill, he began large-scale refinement to avoid making Uncle Mi too anxious. Without the Grandmaster-level proficiency, however, he couldn't control the pill success rate very well.

Uncle Mi was a shrewd man. After a brief inquiry into his past sales of the Wondrous Pill, he roughly deduced the truth behind Luo Chen’s concealment.

What a sly old fox... No, that's not right! Luo Chen frowned, "He found out through the Alchemy Hall's ledger, but if he knew before, why didn't he say anything?"

The ratio of pill grades had a significant impact on profit. The profit involved wasn't just a few Spirit Stones but hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of Spirit Stones!

"I occasionally embezzled a bit, and he didn't mind. But with such a massive profit, he should have confronted me long ago."

"In other words, he only discovered this recently!"

Realizing this, Luo Chen could only curse, "Old rascal."

However, it was still good that he had kept a trick up his sleeve. At the time, following the atmosphere, he had made a grand oath, but he had tampered with it.

"Try to refine as many Medium-Grade Jade Marrow Pills as possible, but this does not include High-Grade Jade Marrow Pills!"

While Uncle Mi had overestimated Luo Chen’s alchemy talent, he hadn't anticipated that Luo Chen could already refine High-Grade Jade Marrow Pills. The profit from this was even more substantial!

Moreover, there was a precondition to this oath.

"Only as long as Luo Chen remains in the Mountain Breaker Gang."

In other words, if Luo Chen were to run away, the oath would be null and void.

Uncle Mi should have guessed this, but he was confident in the means he had left on Luo Chen, so he didn't expose it.

Especially after Luo Chen had gone to great lengths to hide his cultivation level, only to be seen through by Uncle Mi.

This made Uncle Mi even more confident in his methods.

Both had their schemes, but ultimately, Luo Chen was at a disadvantage.

The reason was simple: he wasn't as powerful.

"I only regret not having the Foundation Establishment level of strength. Otherwise, why would I have to kowtow and act like a despicable person!"

"Foundation Establishment, Foundation Establishment."

Luo Chen muttered this term, never had his desire to reach Foundation Establishment been so strong! But for now, he was powerless.

After carefully storing the jade box, Luo Chen sighed. He couldn't hide his abilities anymore and would have to massively refine Medium-Grade Jade Marrow Pills.

Whether the title of Master Alchemist Pill Dust would be useful or not was unknown. Could Uncle Mi, with his Mid-Foundation Establishment strength, really protect him well?

All these were unknowns.

Luo Chen very much disliked the feeling of his life and death being in someone else's hands, and he was already contemplating a hasty escape.

The best escape route was through Chang Yin Mountain. That area had been explored quite thoroughly, and with the Grandmaster-level Breath Concealment Technique, he could hide relatively safely.

However, Chang Yin Mountain was still too close to the Great River Market. Only the Bright Leaf Mountain separated them.

If he delved deeper into the Howling Moon Mountains and took a detour to another market, according to the map, he would have to cross the Great Snow Mountain to reach the nearest other market.

The deeper one went into the Donghuang Hundred of Mountains, the higher the rank of the demon beasts, including Third-Rank and Fourth-Rank demon beasts. The Grandmaster-level Breath Concealment Technique might not be enough!

However, he was very close to reaching Great Qi Perfection and could practice more intensively in the coming days.

Another prominent issue with escaping was how to continue his cultivation afterward. In the deep mountains and forests, there was no stable and safe environment for cultivation.

Moreover, his talent, relying solely on cultivation techniques, could at best achieve the efficiency of a dual spirit root cultivator. This was only possible with the support of a spirit vein cave environment.

He needed pills, a large number of pills, and preferably the orthodox cultivation pills produced by the Spirit Medicine Pavilion. This was something the deep mountains and forests couldn't provide.

As for other auxiliary cultivation resources, Luo Chen hadn't thought deeply about them yet.

"Independent cultivators may seem carefree, but when it comes to cultivation, they are utterly helpless!"

Luo Chen shook his head. If he were to escape, he would at least need to prepare enough cultivation resources first. And these required a large number of Spirit Stones.

"Fine, I will work hard for a few months and make a big profit first!"

"The full-scale Grandmaster-level Jade Marrow Pill refinement will likely leave the Alchemy Hall cultivators speechless!"

Luo Chen found some solace in this thought. But thinking about how Uncle Mi would profit even more after he went all out, he felt a bit frustrated.

"Speaking of which, Uncle Mi suddenly using various means against me, seducing, suppressing, and finally offering a valuable Foundation Establishment Pill. Such urgent and consecutive tactics are not at all in line with his traditional methods of managing subordinates!"

Suddenly, Luo Chen recalled the sickly pale face he had seen when he first entered the stone room.

"Has he been severely injured?"

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(End of Chapter)

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