But it had to be said that after Pang Sanxian joined the Pill Room, Shen He indeed gained many conveniences.
Pang Sanxian was even better at socializing than him. He quickly mingled with the menial disciples in the Pill Room and even scouted out some hidden details about the Pill Room courtyards, saving Shen He a lot of time.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. Thanks to the spiritual fire in the Pill Room and Xie Linlang’s guidance, Shen He advanced rapidly to Qi Refining Layer 2. Pang Sanxian, relying on purchased Waste Pills and spiritual fire, shot straight from Qi Refining Layer 3 to Qi Refining Layer 5!
Shen He felt a bit uneasy, thinking his own progress was too slow.
Xie Linlang noticed Shen He’s unstable mindset and, after some thought, came up with an idea.
“Go to Pill Room Number Three, call out Pang Sanxian, and find a secluded spot. Put the jade pendant in Pang Sanxian’s hand.”
Shen He was shocked. “Shizun, are you abandoning me?”
Xie Linlang: “Keep talking nonsense, and for a master, I’ll toss you into the pill furnace right now!”
Shen He immediately fell silent.
Hong Kui didn’t refine pills every day. When he wasn’t, only one menial disciple was needed to watch the pill furnace and spiritual fire.
Shen He left the room and arrived at the entrance of the Pill Formula where Pang Sanxian was helping. He softly called Pang Sanxian out.
Pang Sanxian happened to be free. He greeted the menial disciples nearby and followed Shen He out. They reached a deserted corner of the corridor, where Pang Sanxian asked puzzledly, “What’s up?”
Shen He rarely sought him out proactively in the Pill Room area; they usually exchanged information back in their rooms.
Shen He took a deep breath and placed the Black-Red Jade Pendant in Pang Sanxian’s hand.
Pang Sanxian was baffled, but the instant he touched the jade pendant, his whole body jolted as if struck by lightning.
The next second, Pang Sanxian’s plump face relaxed, and his posture took on an air of elegant composure.
Shen He’s mouth fell open involuntarily. “……Sh-Shizun?”
Xie Linlang hummed in acknowledgment. Ignoring Pang Sanxian’s wailing and howling, he turned toward the Pill Room. “Follow.”
Shen He trailed closely behind Xie Linlang, returning to Hong Kui’s Pill Room.
With a flick of his sleeve, Xie Linlang caused the room door to close automatically.
If Pang Sanxian had done this, it would have seemed comical and ridiculous, but with Xie Linlang in control, Pang Sanxian’s aura became imposing and steadfast, every gesture brimming with power.
Xie Linlang controlled Pang Sanxian’s body and channeled a strand of Demonic Qi into the spiritual fire beneath the pill furnace.
The dormant spiritual fire whooshed to life, bursting into vibrant flames!
Xie Linlang had recently been reviewing the demonic core materials Shen He borrowed. As a pill dao grandmaster to begin with, his progress was naturally swift. He had even made his own corrections and improvements to some demonic core techniques.
“Watch closely.” He paused, then reminded Pang Sanxian, “You too—stop howling.”
He grabbed the materials table with one hand and casually tossed three bamboo joint-like materials into the pill furnace.
The pill furnace Hong Kui used was an Earth-Grade Sixth-Rank Pill Furnace, standard for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, capable of refining all pills below Earth-Grade Ninth-Rank. But with Hong Kui’s and other Foundation Establishment Cultivators’ abilities, they rarely produced pills exceeding Sixth Rank from a Sixth-Rank furnace.
At that moment, however, Xie Linlang deftly formed magic formulas. Strands of black-purple magic formulas fluttered like butterflies, landing lightly on the furnace’s exterior. Wisps of Demonic Qi draped over it like thin gauze, layer upon layer.
Vibrant red Earthflame Flowers, a bowl of Spirit Beast Blood, and two Demonic Stones were tossed into the pill furnace one after another by Xie Linlang.
Though thrown in casually, the sequence of materials, the fluctuations of Demonic Qi, and the rising and falling of the spiritual flames formed an indescribably exquisite beauty.
Shen He and Pang Sanxian were both mesmerized.
The Demonic Qi within the materials recirculated in the furnace, absorbing spirituality in the flames, ultimately giving birth to pills with vastly greater energy… This was true pill dao.
The instant Pang Sanxian’s Demonic Qi was depleted, this furnace of pills was complete.
Xie Linlang manipulated Pang Sanxian to hand the jade pendant back to Shen He.
Shen He dazedly took back the jade pendant. The next second, Xie Linlang occupied Shen He’s body.
Pang Sanxian’s legs gave out, and he collapsed into a corner of the Pill Room.
Xie Linlang executed the final Pill Collecting Hand Seal.
The pill furnace’s flames extinguished, and the lid popped open automatically, revealing three Earth-Grade Ninth-Rank Pills inside.
Xie Linlang couldn’t help but smile faintly. His technique hadn’t regressed.
Xie Linlang swallowed one directly.
In the next instant, under Pang Sanxian’s incredulous gaze, Shen He’s cultivation surged from Qi Refining Layer 2 straight to Qi Refining Layer 6 in the blink of an eye—exactly one layer above Pang Sanxian.
Xie Linlang was reasonably satisfied.
“That’s the advantage of demonic cultivators—quick advancement isn’t a big deal anyway, since Heavenly Tribulation will solidify your foundation.”
Xie Linlang reassured Shen He. “Don’t worry, I’m not abandoning you.”
Shen He: “……”
So Shizun had noticed his worry about slow cultivation progress and opened the furnace to refine pills as a way to comfort him?
It was truly… moving, yet he didn’t dare move.
